United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2000
Chinese News Agency Divestiture Act of 2000 - Directs the Secretary of State to report to specified congressional committees on whether the Secretary intends to require the People's Republic of China divest itself of the property purchased at 1515 Arlington Ridge Road by the Xinhua News Agency. Prohibits the obligation of funds made available to the Department of State for Administration of Foreign Affairs to negotiate the purchase of property by China to relocate its embassy in the United States until the Secretary has made a certain certification to specified congressional committees with respect to divestiture of such property and certain mandatory procedures under the Foreign Missions Act for future property purchases by China in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2000
Foreign Government Investment Act of 2000 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit any broadcast license, permit, or operating authority from being granted to or held by a corporation, joint venture, partnership, other business organization, or trust controlled by a foreign government or its representatives. Prohibits the Federal Communications Commission from waiving the application of such prohibition. Provides for an entity to be considered to be controlled by a foreign government or its representatives if more than 25 percent of the ownership, voting rights, capital stock, or other pecuniary interest in that entity is owned, held, or controlled by such a government or its representatives.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2000
Violence Against Women Act of 2000 - Title I: Strengthening Law Enforcement to Reduce Violence Against Women - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the Attorney General (AG) to make grants to provide technical assistance and equipment to police departments, prosecutors, courts, and tribal jurisdictions to facilitate the widespread enforcement of protection orders. Revises provisions of the Federal criminal code governing the full faith and credit of protection orders. Designates State, local, and Indian tribal courts as eligible grantees under the program to combat violent crimes against women. Reauthorizes through FY 2005 various programs which address violence against women, including domestic violence and stalking offenses. Title II: Strengthening Services to Victims of Violence - Authorizes the AG to award grants to increase the availability of legal assistance to victims of domestic violence, stalking, or sexual assault. Reauthorizes through FY 2005 various grants and programs under the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act. Title III: Limiting the Effects of Violence on Children - Authorizes the AG to make grants to States, local governments, and Indian tribal governments for the provision of supervised visitation and safe visitation exchange of children by and between parents in situations involving domestic violence, child abuse, or sexual assault. Reauthorizes through FY 2005 runaway and homeless youth grants and programs for victims of child abuse. Title IV: Strengthening Education and Training to Combat Violence Against Women - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants for model programs of education and training in appropriate responses to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Title V: Battered Immigrant Women - Battered Immigrant Women Protection Act of 2000 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide certain protections to battered immigrant women. Title VI: Extension of Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund - Extends through FY 2005 the Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2000
American Servicemembers' Protection Act of 2000 - Prohibits U.S. cooperation with the International Criminal Court (including restrictions on U.S. military participation in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations and the transfer of U.S. classified national security information, and the provision of U.S. military assistance, to the Court and its members). Authorizes the President to use all means necessary to bring about the release of U.S. military personnel and certain other persons held captive by or on behalf of the Court. Directs the President to report to the appropriate congressional committees on the degree to which each existing status of forces agreement with a foreign government, or other similar international agreement, protects U.S. military and other personnel from extradition to the Court Authorizes funds withheld from the U.S. share of assessments to the UN or other international organizations pursuant to the Admiral James W. Nance and Meg Donovan Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2000 and 2001 to be transferred to the Embassy Security, Construction and Maintenance Account of the Department of State. Terminates the requirements of this Act upon the United States becoming a party to the Court.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2000
Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001 - Title I: Department of Transportation - Makes appropriations for FY 2001 (with specified transfers of funds, limitations on obligations and administrative expenses, and liquidations and rescissions of contract authorizations) for: (1) the Office of the Secretary of Transportation; (2) the Coast Guard; (3) the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); (4) the Federal Highway Administration (FHA); (5) the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; (6) the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; (7) the Federal Railroad Administration; (8) the Federal Transit Administration; (9) the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation; (10) the Research and Special Programs Administration; (11) the Office of Inspector General; and (12) the Surface Transportation Board. Title II: Related Agencies - Makes appropriations for FY 2001 for: (1) the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board; and (2) the National Transportation Safety Board. Title III: General Provisions - Sets forth specified prohibitions, limitations, permissions, and mandates with respect to the use of appropriations under this Act identical or similar to those enacted in the Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000 (P.L. 106-69). (Sec. 303) Makes funds appropriated under this Act for FAA expenditures available for: (1) expenses of primary and secondary schooling for dependents of FAA personnel stationed outside the continental United States at costs for any given area not in excess of those of the Department of Defense for the same area, when it is determined that the schools, if any, available in the locality are unable to provide adequately for the education of such dependents; and (2) transportation of such dependents between schools serving the area that they attend and their places of residence when it is determined that such schools are not accessible by public means of transportation on a regular basis. (Sec. 305) Bars the availability of funds under this Act for salaries and expenses of more than 104 political and Presidential appointees in the Department of Transportation. (Sec. 309) Prohibits a recipient of funds made available under this Act from disseminating: (1) driver's license personal information or motor vehicle records for any purpose not permitted under specified law; and (2) a person's driver license photograph, social security number, and medical or disability information from a motor vehicle record without the express consent of the person, except as permitted under specified law. Declares that such requirements shall not affect the use of organ donation information on the individual's driver license or affect the administration of organ donation initiatives in the States. (Sec. 313) Bars the use of funds under this Act to establish a vessel traffic safety fairway less than five miles wide between the Santa Barbara Traffic Separation Scheme and the San Francisco Traffic Separation Scheme. (Sec. 314) Authorizes airports to transfer to the FAA, without consideration, instrument landing systems (along with associated approach lighting equipment and runway visual range equipment) which conform to FAA design and performance specifications and which were purchased with airport development grant funds. (Sec. 318) Bars the use of funds under this Act to compensate in excess of 320 technical staff-years under the federally funded research and development center contract between the FAA and the Center for Advanced Aviation Systems Development during FY 2001. (Sec. 319) Reduces the amount of funds provided in this Act for the Transportation Administrative Service Center (TASC). Authorizes appropriations for projects involving construction of, and improvements to, corridors of the Appalachian Development Highway System. (Sec. 323) Bars the use of funds, unless authorized by Congress, to pay for specified lobbying activities with respect to a Member of Congress or a State legislature. Permits DOT or related agency employees to communicate to Members of Congress or to a State legislature with respect to requests for legislation or appropriations which they deem necessary for the efficient conduct of business. (Sec. 324) Prohibits expenditure of funds made available under this Act by any entity that does not agree to comply with the Buy American Act. Expresses the sense of Congress that entities receiving assistance under this Act should purchase only U.S.-made equipment and products to the greatest extent practicable. Prohibits the use of funds for contracts with persons falsely labeling products as made in America. (Sec. 328) Authorizes appropriations for expenses of the Amtrak Reform Council for FY 2002. Includes within the duties of such Council the identification of Amtrak routes which are candidates for closure or realignment based on performance rankings developed by Amtrak which incorporate information on each route's fully allocated costs and ridership on core intercity passenger service, and which assume that Federal subsidies for Amtrak will decline from FY 1999 to FY 2002. (Sec. 330) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act for FY 2001 for activities under the Aircraft Purchase Loan Guarantee Program. (Sec. 331) Amends the Federal Transit Act of 1998 to increase from 50 percent to 90 percent the Federal share of costs with respect to grants for increasing over-the-road bus service accessibility to persons with disabilities (particularly in rural areas). (Sec. 332) Directs the Secretary of Transportation to execute a demonstration program of the "fractional ownership" concept in performing administrative support flight missions in order to determine whether cost savings, as well as increased operational flexibility and aircraft availability, can be realized through the use by the government of such concept. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to report to the Committees on Appropriations on the results of such evaluation. (Sec. 333) Bars the use of funds in this Act to make a grant unless the Secretary of Transportation notifies the Committees on Appropriations not less than three full business days before any discretionary grant award, letter of intent, or full funding grant agreement totaling $1 million or more is announced by the Department of Transportation or its modal administrations from: (1) any discretionary grant program of the FHA other than the emergency relief program; (2) the FAA airport improvement program; or (3) any FTA program other than the formula grants and fixed guideway modernization programs. (Sec. 334) Amends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century to add the Wilmington Downtown transit corridor and the Honolulu Bus Rapid Transit project to the list of projects for new fixed guideway systems and extensions to existing systems. (Sec. 336) Amends the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 to direct the Secretary of Transportation to study, and report to Congress on, the maximum axle weight limitations applicable to vehicles using the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways as they apply to over-the-road buses and public transit vehicles. (Sec. 337) Bars the use of funds appropriated under this Act to propose or issue regulations or orders for implementation of the Kyoto Protocol (adopted on December 11, 1997, in Kyoto, Japan at the Third Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) which has not been submitted to the Senate for advice and consent to ratification and has not been entered into force. (Sec. 340) Bars the use of funds in this Act to adopt guidelines or regulations requiring airport sponsors to provide to the FAA without cost building construction, maintenance, utilities and expenses, or space in airport sponsor-owned buildings for services relating to air traffic control, air navigation or weather reporting. Provides that such prohibition does not apply to negotiations between the FAA and airport sponsors to achieve agreement on "below-market" rates for such items or to grant assurances that require airport sponsors to provide land without cost to the FAA for ATC facilities. (Sec. 341) Bars the availability of funds under this Act or prior Appropriations Acts for Coast Guard acquisition, construction, and improvements after the 15th of any quarter of any fiscal year beginning after December 31, 1999, unless the Commandant of the Coast Guard first reports quarterly to the Committees on Appropriations on all major Coast Guard acquisition projects executed for it by the U.S. Navy and vessel traffic service projects. (Sec. 342) Amends Federal transportation law to require the Secretary of Transportation to withhold five percent of the funds authorized for Federal aid highway programs for FY 2004, and ten percent of such amounts for subsequent fiscal years, from any State that has not enacted and is not enforcing a law that considers as intoxicated an individual who has an alcohol concentration level of 0.08 percent or greater while operating a motor vehicle in such State. Allows funds withheld from a State during FY 2004 to be available for up to three fiscal years after such date (to allow a State to meet such requirement within such period), but allows no grace period with respect to funds withheld during subsequent fiscal years. (Sec. 343) Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to waive, without charge, any terms contained in the deed conveying U.S. lands to a public institution of higher education in Oklahoma that restrict the use of such land that, as of the date of enactment of this Act, is not being used for the operation of an airport or for air traffic.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2000
China Nonproliferation Act - Directs the President to report annually to specified congressional committees on every person (with certain exceptions) with respect to whom there is credible information indicating that such person, on or after January 1, 2000, transferred, retransferred, sold, misused, or diverted from, or within, the People's Republic of China to a foreign person or Chinese national involved in the development or acquisition of nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons or ballistic or cruise missiles any goods, services, or technology: (1) listed on the Nuclear Suppliers Group Guidelines for the Export of Nuclear Material, Equipment and Technology and Guidelines for Transfers of Nuclear-Related Dual-Use Equipment, Material, and Related Technology (both published by the International Atomic Energy Agency), the Missile Technology Control Regime Equipment and Technology Annex of June 11, 1996, the lists of items and substances relating to biological and chemical weapons the export of which is controlled by the Australia Group, the Schedules of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction, or the Wassenaar Arrangement list of Dual Use Goods and Technologies and Munitions list of July 12, 1996; or (2) not identified on any of these lists, but would be if they were U.S. goods, services, or technology prohibited or controlled for export to China (or any tier IV countries as defined by the Bureau of Export Administration of the Department of Commerce), and have the potential to contribute to the development, improvement, or production of nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons, or of ballistic or cruise missile systems, or advanced conventional weapons or munitions. (Sec. 3) Requires the President to include in the report information: (1) on any action taken by a person identified in a prior annual report that establishes that the person has discontinued, rectified, or mitigated a prior proliferation activity identified under this Act; (2) on measures taken against such persons or against China in response to proliferation activities; and (3) other specified information. Requires submission of such reports in unclassified form, with classified annexes as necessary. (Sec. 4) Directs the President to apply certain measures for at least 12 months to each person identified in the annual report. Includes among such measures: (1) those set forth Executive Order No. 12938; (2) prohibition of U.S. Government transfers or sales to such person of any item on the U.S. Munitions List, and termination of all sales and after-sale servicing to such person of any defense articles, defense services, or design and construction services under the Arms Export Control Act; (3) denial of licenses, suspension of existing licenses, and termination of all transfers or sales and after-sale servicing for the transfer to such person of any item the export of which is controlled under the Export Administration Act of 1979 or the Export Administration regulations; (4) prohibition of U.S. Government procurement of any goods or services from such person; (5) prohibition of U.S. assistance to such person in the form of grants, loans, credits, guarantees, or otherwise; (6) immediate suspension of any agreements or efforts for the co-development or co-production with such person of any item on the U.S. Munitions List. Sets conditions for the lifting of such measures. (Sec. 5) Requires the President to apply additional specified tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 measures against China if certain circumstances exist. Requires one or more tier 2 measures if a person's proliferation activities are not rectified, or a person has engaged in additional proliferation activities, one year after imposition of section (4) measures, and one or more tier 3 measures if similar circumstances exist two years after imposition of section (4) measures. (Sec. 6) Sets forth procedures for congressional review of any presidential decision not to impose sanctions under this Act, or to exempt a person or China from such sanctions. Mandates imposition of such sanctions if Congress disapproves by joint resolution the President's decision. (Sec. 7) Requires transmittal to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of the President's annual report under this Act. Requires the SEC to promulgate regulations to: (1) ensure that securities investors are notified of the identity of any person in the report the securities of which are listed, or authorized for listing, on a registered national securities exchange (or tier or segment) or by a registered national securities association; and (2) require each person included in such a report to provide notice of such inclusion in each written report, registration statement, or other filing or notice required from that person under the securities laws.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2000
Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs Improvement Act of 2000 - Title I: Wildlife Restoration - Amends the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act) to specify the amounts authorized to be set aside for FY 2001 and thereafter for administrative expenses of the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) in implementing such Act. Authorizes any administrative portions remaining in a fiscal year to be apportioned among the States for purposes of such Act. Directs the Secretary to: (1) certify to the Secretary of the Treasury the amounts so apportioned as well as amounts obligated for administrative expenses; and (2) publish the amounts so certified in the Federal Register. Specifies authorized administrative uses of such amounts. Prohibits the Secretary from using such amounts to supplement any function for which general appropriations are made for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) or any other entity of the Department of the Interior (Department). Requires the Department's Inspector General to procure the performance of biennial audits of such expenditures, and requires an annual expenditure certification report from the Secretary and the Assistant Director for Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs (Assistant Director) (established under this Act). Earmarks funds under such Act other than administrative funds for grants for the enhancement of hunter education programs, hunter and sporting firearm safety programs, and hunter development programs, including the construction or enhancement of firearm shooting and archery ranges. Limits to 75 percent the Federal share of any grant activity. Earmarks funds under such Act for multi-State conservation project grants under which the Secretary makes grants that will benefit at least 26 States for wildlife restoration projects submitted each fiscal year by State fish and game departments acting through the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (Association). Prohibits grant funds from being used for activities that promote or encourage opposition to regulated hunting or trapping of wildlife. Title II: Sport Fish Restoration - Amends the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act (Federal Aid in Fish Restoration Act) to specify the amounts authorized to be set aside for FY 2001 and thereafter for administrative expenses of the Secretary in implementing such Act. Authorizes remaining administrative portions in a fiscal year to be apportioned among the States for purposes of such Act. Specifies authorized administrative uses of such amounts. Prohibits the Secretary from using such amounts to supplement any function for which general appropriations are made for the USFWS or another Department entity. Requires the Department's Inspector General to procure the performance of biennial audits of such expenditures, and requires an annual expenditure certification report from the Secretary and the Assistant Director. Makes post-administrative amounts under such Act available each fiscal year to the Secretary for making multi-State (at least 26 States benefitting) project conservation grants for sport fish restoration projects prepared and submitted by State fish and game departments acting through the Association. Prohibits grant funds from being used for activities that promote or encourage opposition to the regulated taking of fish. Earmarks fiscal year grant amounts for specified marine fisheries commissions. Directs the Secretary to: (1) certify to the Secretary of the Treasury and each State fish and game department the amounts so apportioned as well as amounts obligated for administrative expenses; and (2) publish the amounts so certified in the Federal Register. Title III: Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs - Designates the programs established under the amended Acts as the Federal Assistance Program for State Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration (Program). Establishes within the USFWS an Assistant Director for Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs to administer, manage, and oversee the Program. Abolishes the position of Chief of the Division of Federal Aid of the Department of the Interior and transfers that position's duties to the Assistant Director. Requires the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on the steps taken to comply with this Act, including the extent to which compliance has required a reduction in personnel assigned to administer, manage, and oversee the Program.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2000
Amends the Internal Revenue Code revise the excise tax on tires to impose on truck tires of the type used on highway vehicles, if wholly or in part made of rubber, sold by the manufacturer, producer, or importer a tax equal to 8 cents for each 10 pounds of the tire load capacity in excess of 3500 pounds.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2000
Historically Women's Public Colleges or Universities Historic Building Restoration and Preservation Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to award grants to historically women's public colleges or universities (institutions) for the preservation and restoration of historic buildings and structures on their campuses. Requires such grants to be awarded from appropriations for FY 2001 through 2005 under the National Historic Preservation Act. Sets forth: (1) grant conditions; (2) a 20 percent non-Federal funds matching requirement; and (3) a limitation on the total amount of such grants in a fiscal year. Requires such amount for FY 2001 to be distributed equally among the following institutions: (1) Mississippi University for Women; (2) Georgia College and State University; (3) University of North Carolina at Greensboro, North Carolina; (4) Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina; (5) University of Montevallo in Montevallo, Alabama; (6) Texas Woman's University in Denton, Texas; and (7) University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma in Chickasha, Oklahoma. Requires such amounts for FY 2002 through 2005 also to be distributed among such institutions if they remain eligible and wish to participate, on a uniform basis, for such fiscal years.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2000
Amy Boyer's Law - Amends the Social Security Act to bar the public display of any individual's social security number, or any identifiable derivative of such number, without the expressed consent, electronically or in writing, of such individual. Prohibits obtaining a social security number for purposes of locating or identifying an individual with the intent to physically injure, harm, or use the identity of the individual for illegal purposes. Provides prerequisites for consent, including that the individual be informed of the general purposes for which the number will be utilized and the types of persons to whom the number may be available. Provides that nothing in this law shall be construed to prohibit the use of social security numbers: (1) required or permitted under certain Federal laws; (2) for retrieving information about an individual without displaying the number publicly;(3) for law enforcement; or (4) obtained from a public record lawfully acquired from a governmental agency. Authorizes persons aggrieved by violations of this law to bring civil actions in district courts to recover damages. Prohibits actions from being commenced more than three years after the date the violation was or should have been reasonably discovered. Subjects violators to civil money penalties as determined by the Commissioner of Social Security in addition to any other penalties that may be prescribed.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2000
Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 - Title I: Intelligence Activities - Authorizes appropriations for FY 2001 for the conduct of intelligence and intelligence-related activities of the: (1) Central Intelligence Agency (CIA); (2) Department of Defense (DOD); (3) Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA); (4) National Security Agency (NSA); (5) National Reconnaissance Office (NRO); (6) National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA); (7) Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force; (8) Departments of State, the Treasury, and Energy; and (9) Federal Bureau of Investigation. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2002 through 2005 for the CIA, DIA, NSA, and NRO. (Sec. 102) Specifies that the amounts authorized to be appropriated and the authorized personnel ceilings as of September 30, 2001, for such activities are those specified in the Classified Schedule of Authorizations, which shall be made available to the Senate and House Appropriations Committees and the President. (Sec. 103) Allows the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI), with the approval of Director of the Office of Management and Budget, to authorize the employment of civilian personnel in excess of the number authorized for FY 2001 when the DCI determines that such action is necessary to the performance of important intelligence functions, subject to specified limitations. Requires notification of the Senate and House Intelligence Committees when such authority is exercised. (Sec. 104) Authorizes appropriations for the Community Management Account of the DCI for FY 2001. Authorizes full-time personnel for elements within such Account as of September 30, 2001. Provides for the reimbursement of any U.S. officer or employee, or member of the armed forces, who is detailed to such staff. Earmarks funds authorized under this Act for the National Drug Intelligence Center. Requires a transfer of funds from the DCI to the Attorney General to operate the Center. Title II: Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System - Authorizes appropriations for FY 2001 for the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability Fund. Title III: General Provisions - Permits appropriations authorized by this Act for salary, pay, retirement, and other benefits for Federal employees to be increased by such additional amounts as may be necessary for increases in such compensation or benefits authorized by law. (Sec. 302) Specifies that the authorization of appropriations by this Act shall not be deemed to constitute authority for the conduct of any intelligence activity which is not otherwise authorized by the Constitution or laws of the United States. (Sec. 303) Amends the Federal criminal code to provide criminal penalties against current or former U.S. officers or employees, or persons with current or former access to classified information, who willfully disclose such information to a person not authorized access to such information, with exceptions for disclosures to: (1) any justice or judge of a U.S. court under article III of the Constitution; or (2) the Senate or House, a committee, subcommittee, or joint committee thereof, or a member of Congress. (Sec. 304) Amends the National Security Act of 1947 to require the DCI to establish and maintain in the intelligence community an analytic capability with responsibilities for intelligence in support of U.S. activities relating to prisoners of war and missing persons. (Sec. 305) Prohibits any Federal law that implements a treaty or other international agreement from being construed as making unlawful an otherwise lawful and authorized intelligence activity of the U.S. Government or its employees, or other person acting on their behalf, unless such law specifically addresses such activity. (Sec. 306) Requires the DCI to certify to the congressional intelligence committees whether or not each element of the State Department that handles, retains, or stores classified material (element) is in full compliance with all applicable directives and executive orders relating to such materials. Requires a report to the intelligence committees when noncompliance is determined. Prohibits funds from being obligated by such Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research until the DCI has certified full compliance of each element. Prohibits an element from retaining or storing classified information until full compliance is achieved. Authorizes the President to waive the applicability of this section in the national security interest, requiring a report to the intelligence committees upon the exercise of such waiver. (Sec. 307) Amends the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act to state that no provision of such Act shall be construed to prohibit a U.S. citizen from raising any challenge to the blocking of assets by the United States. (Sec. 308) Makes FY 2000 Federal counterdrug activities funding available for administrative costs of the Counterdrug Intelligence Executive Secretariat authorized by the General Counterdrug Intelligence Plan of February 12, 2000. Title IV: Central Intelligence Agency - Amends the Central Intelligence Agency Act of 1949 to require a report from the Inspector General (IG) to the intelligence committees when: (1) an investigation, inspection, or audit focuses on a current or former CIA official who holds or held a position subject to appointment by the President, or holds or held the CIA executive director or certain deputy director positions; (2) a matter requires a report from the IG to the Department of Justice concerning possible criminal conduct of a current or former CIA official; (3) the IG becomes aware of possible criminal conduct of a current or former CIA official through means other than an investigation, inspection, or audit; or (4) the IG, after exhausting all possible alternatives, is unable to obtain significant documentary information in the course of an investigation, inspection, or audit. (Sec. 403) Provides for additional deposits into the Central Services Working Capital Fund. Extends through March 31, 2005, the authority for the CIA central services program. (Sec. 404) Authorizes the DCI to detail CIA employees to the NRO. (Sec. 405) Provides a three-year availability for obligation of CIA funds transferred after FY 2000 to another Federal department or agency for the acquisition of land. Requires an annual report from the DCI to the intelligence committees on such fund transfers. (Sec. 406) Authorizes the DCI to designate and reimburse CIA employees for one-half of the costs of professional liability insurance. Requires a report from the DCI to the intelligence committees on each designation. Title V: Department of Defense Intelligence Activities - Extends through December 31, 2002, the authority for DOD to engage in commercial activities in connection with intelligence collection activities. (Sec. 502) Authorizes the Secretary of Defense, in order to satisfy nuclear test explosion requirements applicable to the United States, to convey or otherwise provide to a foreign government, and to install, monitoring and associated equipment. Requires an agreement with the applicable foreign government concerning appropriate access to the data produced and authorized equipment inspection, testing, repair, and replacement. (Sec. 503) Authorizes the DCI, during the five-year period after the enactment of this Act, to carry out a program of experimental use of a specialized personnel management authority to facilitate the recruitment of eminent experts in science or engineering for research and development projects administered by intelligence community elements of NIMA, the NSA, the NRO, and the DIA. Limits to four years the employment of such experts, with an authorized two-year extension when necessary to promote element efficiency. Allows limited annual payments to such employees in addition to authorized Federal basic pay. Requires annual reports during the five-year period from the DCI to the intelligence committees.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2000
Military Health Care Improvements Act of 2000 - Title I: Senior Health Care - Amends the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999 to extend through December 31, 2005, the TRICARE Senior Supplement Program (a demonstration program under which certain Medicare-eligible senior citizens are given medical care and services under TRICARE (a Department of Defense (DOD) managed health care program) for which DOD is reimbursed through the Medicare program). Amends the Social Security Act to extend through the same date a similar demonstration program known as TRICARE Senior Prime. Authorizes the latter program to be offered at major medical centers of DOD (currently limited to six military treatment facilities). (Sec. 103) Amends a demonstration program offering health care coverage to certain military personnel, spouses, and dependents through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program to allow eligible beneficiaries who will be at least 65 years of age on December 31, 2002, to enroll, or extend a previous enrollment, during a three-year period of open enrollment for the year 2003. Extends such demonstration program through December 31, 2005. Repeals the ten-site limit for the program. (Sec. 104) Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to charge an enrollment fee for participation in the TRICARE pharmacy system (a program for providing reduced-cost pharmaceuticals to TRICARE-eligible beneficiaries). Authorizes the Secretary to impose one or more cost-sharing requirements upon such participants. Allows participants to pay required premiums on a monthly or annual basis. Title II: TRICARE Program - Amends the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) relating to medical and dental care provided to certain members and former members of the armed forces to: (1) make eligible for such services members and former members of the Coast Guard when not operating as a service in the Navy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Public Health Service; (2) require coverage for immediate family members of eligible individuals to be comparable to coverage for medical care and standards for timely access to such care under TRICARE Prime; and (3) entitle dependents of members performing duty in remote locations who reside with such member to the same care and waiver of such care under CHAMPUS as the members themselves. (Sec. 202) Prohibits a member from being charged a copayment for care provided under TRICARE Prime to an immediate family member. (Sec. 203) Directs the Secretary to improve certain business practices used when administering the access of eligible persons to health care services through the TRICARE program. Title III: Joint Initiatives With Department of Veterans Affairs - Directs the Secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs to jointly: (1) prescribe a centralized process for the reporting, compiling, and analysis of errors in the provision of health care under their respective departments that endanger patients beyond the normal risks associated with such care and treatment; and (2) develop a system for the use of bar codes for the identification of pharmaceuticals. Requires the Secretary of Defense to experiment with the use of such bar codes in the current DOD mail order pharmaceuticals demonstration project. Title IV: Other Matters - Directs the Secretary to authorize the following persons to obtain prescription pharmaceuticals from DOD by mail: (1) individuals who are eligible for medical care under CHAMPUS; or (2) individuals who would be so eligible except for also being entitled to hospital insurance benefits under Medicare. Directs the Secretary to prescribe an appropriate fee or copayment for pharmaceuticals so obtained. (Sec. 402) Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000 to limit to $100 million the annual cost limitation for the CHAMPUS individual case management program. (Sec. 403) Directs the Secretary to carry out two studies to assess the feasibility and desirability of financing the military health care program for military retirees on an accrual basis.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2000
Migratory Bird Penalty Restoration Act - Amends the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to: (1) decrease from $15,000 to $5,000 the monetary penalty for violations of provisions of specified conventions for the protection of migratory birds between the United States and Great Britain, Mexico, Japan, and the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or of the Act; and (2) establish separate monetary penalties for violations by individuals ($5,000) and persons other than individuals ($10,000) for the placement of bait for the purpose of taking or attempting to take any migratory game bird.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2000
Authorizes presentation of a gold medal on behalf of Congress to former President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy Reagan. Authorizes specified sums to be charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund for medal costs. Mandates that sale proceeds from duplicate bronze medals be deposited into such Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2000
Pope John Paul II Congressional Gold Medal Act - Authorizes the presentation of a gold medal to Pope John Paul II in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to humanity. Authorizes appropriations. Mandates that proceeds from duplicate bronze medal sales be deposited in the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2000
Water Pollution Program Enhancements Act of 2000 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to reauthorize appropriations for grants to States and interstate agencies for pollution control programs for FY 2001 through 2007. Makes $50 million of such funds available to States for the: (1) collection of reliable monitoring data; (2) the improvement of specified lists regarding waters with insufficient controls and maximum daily loads; (3) preparation of total maximum daily load allocations for such waters; and (4) development of watershed management strategies. Reauthorizes appropriations for FY 2001 through 2007 for grants to States for: (1) implementation of nonpoint source pollution control management programs; and (2) groundwater quality protection activities to advance States toward implementation of comprehensive nonpoint source pollution control programs. Makes $200 million available from funds appropriated for such management programs for States to provide grants to landowners to develop and implement nonpoint source control projects to restore or improve water quality of impaired waters that have been identified as a priority for restoration. Limits such grants to 90 percent of project costs. (Sec. 4) Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to contract with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to conduct a study on the: (1) scientific basis underlying the development and implementation of total maximum daily loads; (2) costs of implementing measures to comply with such loads; and (3) availability of alternative programs or mechanisms to reduce the discharge of pollutants from point sources and nonpoint source pollution to achieve water quality standards. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Administrator to submit such study to specified congressional committees. (Sec. 5) Directs the Administrator to establish jointly with the States a watershed management pilot program to evaluate the relative water quality improvements resulting from up to five State watershed management programs or strategies that incorporate non-Federal water quality control programs, innovative technologies, and incentives to reduce the discharge of pollutants or total maximum daily load allocations under the Act. Provides that a strategy, to be eligible for consideration in the program, must be expected to achieve environmental results comparable to those of the Federal total maximum daily load program. Requires reports to Congress on the program. Terminates the program after three years after a State is accepted in the program. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 6) Requires the Administrator, prior to finalizing the Proposed Revisions to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Program and Federal Antidegradation Policy and the Proposed Revisions to the Water Quality Planning and Management Regulations Concerning Total Maximum Daily Loads of August 1999, to: (1) review the NAS study prepared under this Act; and (2) take into consideration NAS recommendations in issuing any final regulations. Directs the Administrator, if provisions are included in any final regulation that are not consistent with NAS recommendations, to publish an explanation with the final rule of why such recommendations were not included in the regulation.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2000
Armed Forces Concurrent Retirement and Disability Payment Act of 2000 - Permits retired members of the armed forces with service-connected disabilities to be paid military retired pay concurrently with veterans' disability compensation.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2000
Freedom From Behavioral Profiling Act of 2000 - Amends the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act regarding financial institution disclosure of certain nonpublic personal information in connection with their customers' financial transactions to condition such disclosure upon: (1) conspicuous notice in written or electronic form to the customer that such information may be disclosed; and (2) the customer's affirmative written consent to such information transfer.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2000
Remove Servicemembers from Food Stamps Act of 2000 - Requires the Secretary of the military department concerned, upon application by an enlisted member in pay grade E-5 or below, to pay such member a special subsistence allowance of $180 for each month during which such member is eligible to receive food stamp assistance. Terminates such eligibility upon: (1) termination of food stamp eligibility; (2) payment of such allowance for 12 consecutive months; (3) promotion to a higher grade; or (4) transfer to a permanent change of station. Requires the member to furnish appropriate documentation of his or her eligibility for food stamp assistance. Makes such allowance an addition to the basic allowance for subsistence. Terminates such authority on September 30, 2005. Requires, until 2005, an annual report from the Comptroller General to Congress on the number of military personnel eligible for food stamp assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2000
Expresses support for a National Moment of Remembrance at 3:00 p.m. eastern standard time on each Memorial Day in honor of the men and women of the United States who died in the pursuit of freedom and peace.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2000
Deposit Insurance Fairness and Economic Opportunity Act - Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to set forth a schedule under which the Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation shall transfer annually to the Financing Corporation (FICO), for payment of FICO interest obligations, such amounts as exceed 1.40 percent of the total estimated deposits insured by the Bank Insurance Fund and the Savings Association Insurance Fund, respectively, when amounts in both Funds exceed that percentage.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2000
Cybermolesters Enforcement Act of 2000 - Amends the Federal criminal code to provide for a five year mandatory minimum sentence for: (1) transportation of a person under age 18 with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity; and (2) travel with intent to engage in a sexual act with a person under age 18.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2000
Declares that Congress: (1) commemorates the suffering of the people of Halabja and all the victims of the Anfal Campaign; (2) condemns the regime headed by Saddam Hussein for its continued brutality towards the Iraqi people; (3) strongly urges the President to act forcefully within the United Nations and the United Nations Security Council to constitute an international tribunal for Iraq; (4) calls upon the President to move rapidly to efficiently use funds appropriated by Congress to create a record of the crimes of the Saddam Hussein regime; (5) recognizes that Saddam Hussein's record of brutality and belligerency threaten both the Iraqi people and the entire Persian Gulf region; and (6) reiterates that it should be U.S. policy to support efforts to remove the Saddam Hussein regime from power in Iraq and to promote the emergence of a democratic government to replace that regime.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2000
National Museum of the American Indian Commemorative Coin Act of 2000, or American Buffalo Coin Commemorative Coin Act of 2000 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue a maximum of 500,000 $1 dollar coins in commemoration of the opening of the Museum of the American Indian of the Smithsonian Institution. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States Mint Facility in Denver, Colorado, should strike such coins unless the Secretary determines that it would be technically or cost-prohibitive. Mandates that the proceeds from sales surcharges be paid promptly to the National Museum of the American Indian of the Smithsonian Institution to: (1) commemorate the opening of the Museum; and (2)supplement the Museum's endowment and educational outreach funds. Subjects the Museum to certain Federal audit requirements. Instructs the Secretary to take actions to ensure that coin minting and issuance will not result in any net cost to the Government.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2000
Arctic Coastal Plain Domestic Energy Security Act of 2000 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Land Management, to: (1) establish and implement a competitive oil and gas leasing program for the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas resources in the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (Alaska); (2) ensure that such program does not result in significant adverse effects upon either fish, wildlife, or the environment; and (3) ensure receipt of fair market value by the public for the mineral resources to be leased. (Sec. 3) Amends the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 to repeal the proscription against the leasing or development for oil or gas production on the Coastal Plain. Declares that: (1) Congress has determined that such oil and gas leasing activities are compatible with the purposes for which the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was established; and (2) no further findings or decisions are required. Authorizes the Secretary to designate up to a total of 45,000 acres of the Coastal Plain as Special Areas closed to leasing, but within which the Secretary may permit: (1) restrictive lease terms with respect to surface use and occupancy; and (2) the use of horizontal drilling technology from sites located outside the designated Special Areas. States that this Act constitutes the Secretary's sole authority to close lands to oil and gas exploration and production within the Coastal Plain. Directs the Secretary to convey: (1) the surface estate of specified Coastal Plain lands to the Kaktovik Inupiat Corporation; and (2) the subsurface estate beneath such surface estate to the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation. (Sec. 6) Prescribes procedural guidelines for lease sales on the Coastal Plain, including lease terms, conditions, and bonding requirements. Provides for expedited judicial review in the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia with respect to actions of the Secretary. (Sec. 12) Directs the Secretary to grant rights of way and easements across the Coastal Plain for oil and gas transportation. Mandates that all revenues received by the Federal Government from competitive transactions and charges derived from Coastal Plain oil and gas leasing be deposited into the Treasury. Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to pay semiannually to the State of Alaska the same percentage of such revenues as is set forth in specified law.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 2000
Military Health Care Improvements Act of 2000 - Title I: Demonstration Programs - Subtitle A: TRICARE Demonstration Programs for Seniors - Amends the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999 to extend through December 31, 2005, the TRICARE Senior Supplement Program (a demonstration program under which certain Medicare-eligible senior citizens are given medical care and services under TRICARE (a Department of Defense (DOD) managed health care program) for which DOD is reimbursed through the Medicare program). Amends the Social Security Act to extend through the same date a similar demonstration program known as TRICARE Senior Prime. Authorizes the latter program to be offered at major medical centers of DOD (currently limited to six military treatment facilities). Subtitle B: Other Demonstration Programs - Amends a demonstration program offering health care coverage to certain military personnel, spouses, and dependents through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program to allow eligible beneficiaries who will be at least 65 years of age on December 31, 2002, to enroll, or extend a previous enrollment, during a two-year period of open enrollment for the year 2003. Extends such demonstration program through December 31, 2005. Repeals the ten-site limit for the program. (Sec. 107) Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to charge an enrollment fee for participation in the TRICARE pharmacy system (a program for providing reduced-cost pharmaceuticals to TRICARE-eligible beneficiaries). Authorizes the Secretary to impose one or more cost-sharing requirements upon such participants. Allows participants to pay required premiums on a monthly or annual basis. Title II: TRICARE Prime Permanent Authorities - Amends the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) relating to medical and dental care provided to certain members and former members of the armed forces to: (1) make eligible for such services members and former members of the Coast Guard when not operating as a service in the Navy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Public Health Service; (2) require coverage for immediate family members of eligible individuals to be comparable to coverage for medical care and standards for timely access to such care under TRICARE Prime; and (3) entitle dependents of members performing duty in remote locations who reside with such member to the same care and waiver of such care under CHAMPUS as the members themselves. (Sec. 202) Prohibits a member from being charged a copayment for care provided under TRICARE Prime to an immediate family member. (Sec. 203) Directs the Secretary to improve certain business practices used when administering the access of eligible persons to health care services through the TRICARE program. Title III: Other Defense Health Program Matters - Directs the Secretary to carry out a program that permits the following eligible persons to obtain prescription pharmaceuticals from DOD by mail: (1) individuals 65 years old or older who would be eligible for medical care under CHAMPUS except for also being entitled to hospital insurance benefits under Medicare; and (2) individuals 65 years old or older who are enrolled in the supplemental medical insurance program under part B of Medicare. Authorizes the Secretary to impose an annual program deductible of up to $150. (Sec. 302) Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000 to extend the provision of domiciliary and custodial care for certain CHAMPUS beneficiaries to include a person who formerly was an eligible beneficiary and is enrolled in the TRICARE Senior Prime plan under the Medicare subvention demonstration project for military retirees. Provides a program cost limitation for FY 2000 and thereafter. (Sec. 303) Directs the Secretary to carry out two studies to assess the feasibility and desirability of financing the military health care program for military retirees on an accrual basis. Title IV: Joint Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs Initiatives - Directs the Secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs to jointly: (1) prescribe a centralized process for the reporting, compiling, and analysis of errors in the provision of health care under their respective departments that endanger patients beyond the normal risks associated with such care and treatment; and (2) develop a system for the use of bar codes for the identification of pharmaceuticals. Requires the Secretary of Defense to experiment with the use of such bar codes in the current DOD mail order pharmaceuticals demonstration project.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 2000
Social Security Earnings Test Elimination Act of 2000 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to repeal the limitation on the amount of outside income which beneficiaries who have attained retirement age may earn (earnings test) without incurring a reduction in benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 2000
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of Congress, a gold medal to John Cardinal O'Connor, Archbishop of New York, in recognition of his accomplishments as a priest, a soldier, and a humanitarian. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2000
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of Congress, a congressional gold medal to Charles M. Schulz in recognition of his lasting artistic contributions to the Nation and the world. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2000
Recognizes the 50th anniversary of the Korean War, and expresses the gratitude of the American people for the service of members of the armed forces during such War.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2000
American Hospital Preservation Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA), as amended by the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 with regard to provisions on the one year sole community hospital payment increase, to reset the applicable percentage increase for FY 2001 and each subsequent fiscal year to the market basket percentage increase for hospitals in all areas for purposes of updating payments to prospective payment system (PPS) hospitals for inpatient hospital services.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2000
Noncommercial Broadcasting Freedom Act - Prohibits the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from establishing, expanding, or otherwise modifying requirements relating to the service obligations of noncommercial educational television stations except by means of Federal agency rulemaking procedures. Terminates the additional guidance contained in the FCC's memorandum opinion and order in WQED Pittsburgh (FCC 99-393), except as such guidance is prescribed in accordance with the above rulemaking procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2000
Amends the Internal Revenue Code (as amended by the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999) to repeal revisions to the Code (made by the Act) which repealed the use of the installment method of accounting for accrual method taxpayers and modified the pledge rules of installment obligations.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2000
Recognizes May 15, 2000, as Peace Officers Memorial Day, in honor of Federal, State, and local law enforcement officers killed or disabled in the line of duty.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2000
Keep Our Promise to America's Military Retirees Act - Includes as an employee, for purposes of Federal provisions authorizing enrollment under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program: (1) a member of the armed forces who began service before June 7, 1956, and retired after a minimum of 20 years of such service or by reason of a service-connected disability; and (2) the surviving widow or widower of such member. Directs the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with the Office of Personnel Management to provide FEHB coverage to the following eligible beneficiaries: (1) a member or former member entitled to military retired or retainer pay; (2) an unremarried former spouse who was married to a member for at least 20 years, during which such member performed at least 20 years of retirement-creditable military service; (3) a dependent of a deceased qualifying member or former member; (4) a dependent of a living member or former member; and (5) a family member of such member. Repeals a provision prohibiting coverage under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services for persons entitled to hospital insurance benefits under part A of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1999
Milton Friedman Congressional Gold Medal Act - Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of the Congress, a gold medal to Milton Friedman in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to individual freedom and opportunity in American society through his exhaustive research and teaching of economics and his extensive writings on economics and public policy. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates of such national medal. Requires proceeds to be deposited in the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1999
Declares that no provision of the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act shall be construed to prohibit a U.S. citizen from raising any challenge available as of November 19, 1999, under the Administrative Procedure Act, or any other provision of law, with respect to the blocking of assets by the United States under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 1999
Vietnam Veterans Recognition Act of 1999 - Authorizes the American Battle Monuments Commission to place within the Vietnam Veterans Memorial a plaque to honor Vietnam veterans who died after service in the Vietnam War, but as a direct result of such service, and whose names are not otherwise eligible for placement on the Memorial wall.
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 1999
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Conservation Act of 1999 - Prohibits any person from engaging in pelagic longline fishing in the: (1) Atlantic Conservation Zone for Highly Migratory Species (HMS); (2) Gulf of Mexico Conservation Zone for Swordfish from January 1 through Memorial Day; and (3) Gulf of Mexico Conservation Zone for HMS from Memorial Day through Labor Day for the next four years. Provides the geographic coordinates for each Zone. Makes such restrictions inapplicable to longline fishery research authorized by the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary). (Sec. 7) Directs the Secretary to conduct a voluntary Pelagic Longline Vessel Permit Holder Compensation Program, under which vessels prohibited from engaging in such commercial fishing are compensated for fish catch losses. Identifies eligible vessels. Terminates vessel eligibility if the vessel or any Federal fishing permit or license applicable to that vessel is transferred to a different person after November 10, 1999. Requires notification of each eligible permit holder. Provides a compensation (buyout) amount of $125,000 plus either: (1) zero for any eligible holder that did not report any landings (catches) of HMS for the period between January 1 and October 1, 1999; or (2) for every other eligible holder, a landing payment determined by the Secretary. Provides for payment determination and prohibits such payment from exceeding $325,000. Outlines provisions concerning the buyout offer and its acceptance. Authorizes the Secretary to provide up to $10 million for such payments through a direct loan obligation for any payments not fully paid for by appropriated funds. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 8) Requires the revocation of all commercial fishing permits or licenses held by those accepting payments under this Act, prohibiting such vessels from being used anywhere in the world for commercial fishing. Prohibits the foreign transfer or registry of such vessels. Provides criminal and civil penalties for violations of this section, including seizure and forfeiture. Requires revocation information to be recorded in the Federal vessel identification system maintained by the Secretary of Transportation. (Sec. 9) Establishes a fishery conservation fee system, administered by the Secretary, for repayment of direct loans made under this Act. Provides fee amounts and payment requirements, including fees required from commercial Atlantic swordfish dealers. States that a vessel registered in an affected State (South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas) shall not be required to purchase a Federal fishery conservation permit if such State, within 240 days after the enactment of this Act, makes a binding agreement to pay fully, within four years, that State's recreational share allocation, plus associated interest. Provides State share allocations. Directs the Secretary to issue for $25 each an annual fishery conservation permit to vessels over 18 feet in length wishing to engage in recreational HMS fishing in any area closed to commercial fishing under this Act. Prohibits any such vessels without permits from engaging in such fishing. (Sec. 10) Considers a person violating this Act to also have committed an act prohibited under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. (Sec. 11) Establishes within the National Marine Fisheries Service at the Southeast Fisheries Science Center a Pelagic Longline Billfish Bycatch and Mortality Reduction Research Program to identify and test a variety of fishing gear configurations and uses for reducing billfish bycatch mortality in the pelagic longline fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico and in the exclusive economic zone north of the Atlantic Conservation Zone established by this Act. Requires observers to be placed on such vessels for monitoring purposes. Provides for Program design, monitoring by the Secretary, and reports to specified congressional committees. (Sec. 12) Prohibits interim regulations (with exceptions) by the Secretary prior to such report with respect to any time-area closures for pelagic longline fishing in the Atlantic by U.S. fishing vessels that are in addition to, or expand, regulations established by this Act. (Sec. 13) Prohibits, after the 165th day of enactment of this Act, any pelagic longline vessel from operating within the Atlantic HMS fishery without a vessel monitoring device approved by the Secretary. States that vessels accepting buyouts under this Act will not be required to carry such a device. (Sec. 15) Authorizes appropriations.
![Official portrait of Sen. Shelby, Richard C. [R-AL]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s000320_200.jpg)