United States · United States Congress · 19 January 1999
Direct Check for Education Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make direct awards to local educational agencies (LEAs) to support programs or activities, that the LEA deems appropriate, for students in kindergarten through grade 12. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to use funds under this Act to continue to make payments to eligible recipients pursuant to, and for the duration of, any multiyear award made prior to enactment of this Act. Repeals the Goals 2000: Educate America Act. Repeals certain provisions of the Department of Education Appropriations Act, 1999 which vested in the National Assessment Governing Board exclusive authority for developing voluntary national tests pursuant to a specified contract. Repeals the following programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965: (1) the Technology for Education program, including national programs, State and local programs for school technology resources, Star Schools, Ready-to-Learn Television, telecommunications demonstration project for mathematics, elementary mathematics and science equipment, and elementary and secondary school library media resources; (2) the State programs component of Innovative Education Program Strategies; and (3) the Fund for the Improvement of Education. Repeals the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994. Directs the Secretary to determine a per-child amount to be awarded to each LEA. Authorizes the Secretary to conduct audits of LEA expenditures under this Act and to enforce certain sanctions and penalties if such funds are not used in accordance with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 1999
Constitutional Amendment - Requires a two-thirds vote of each House of the Congress in order to pass any bill levying a new tax or increasing the rate or base of any tax. Allows the Congress to waive that requirement during war or certain military conflict. Requires all votes under this Amendment to be by yeas and nays and the names of persons voting for and against to be entered in the Journal of each House.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 1998
Iraq Liberation Act of 1998 - Declares that it should be the policy of the United States to seek to remove the Saddam Hussein regime from power in Iraq and to replace it with a democratic government. Authorizes the President, after notifying specified congressional committees, to provide to the Iraqi democratic opposition organizations: (1) grant assistance for radio and television broadcasting to Iraq; (2) Department of Defense defense articles and services and military education and training; and (3) humanitarian assistance, with emphasis on addressing the needs of individuals who have fled from areas under the control of the Hussein regime. Prohibits assistance to any group or organization that is engaged in military cooperation with the Hussein regime. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the President to designate one or more Iraqi democratic opposition organizations that meet specified criteria as eligible to receive assistance under this Act. Urges the President to call upon the United Nations to establish an international criminal tribunal for the purpose of indicting, prosecuting, and imprisoning Saddam Hussein and other Iraqi officials who are responsible for crimes against humanity, genocide, and other criminal violations of international law. Expresses the sense of the Congress that once Saddam Hussein is removed from power in Iraq, the United States should support Iraq's transition to democracy by providing humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people and democracy transition assistance to Iraqi parties and movements with democratic goals, including convening Iraq's foreign creditors to develop a multilateral response to the foreign debt incurred by the Hussein regime.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 1998
Calls upon the President to: (1) pursue enhanced enforcement of U.S. trade laws with respect to the increase in steel imports into the United States, including imposition of offsetting duties, quantitative restrictions, and other appropriate remedial measures; (2) pursue with all methods at the President's disposal to achieve a more equitable sharing of the burden of accepting imports of finished steel products from Asia and the independent states of the former Soviet Union; (3) establish a task force that has responsibility for closely monitoring U.S. imports of steel; and (4) report to the Congress by January 5, 1999, with a comprehensive plan for responding to the increase in steel imports, including ways of limiting the deleterious effects on employment, prices, and investment in the U.S. steel industry.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Enhanced Source and Transit Country Coverage Title II: Enhanced Eradication and Interdiction Strategy in Source Countries Title III: Enhanced Alternative Crop Development Support in Source Zone Title IV: Enhanced International Law Enforcement Training Title V: Enhanced Drug Transit and Source Zone Law Enforcement Operations and Equipment Title VI: Relationship to Other Laws Title VII: Criminal Background Checks on Port Employees Title VIII: Drug Currency Forfeitures Western Hemisphere Drug Elimination Act - Declares that it is U.S. policy to: (1) reduce the supply of drugs and drug use through an enhanced drug interdiction effort in the major drug transit countries and support a comprehensive supply country eradication and crop substitution program, because a commitment of increased resources in international drug interdiction efforts will create a balanced national drug control strategy among demand reduction, law enforcement, and international drug interdiction efforts; and (2) develop and establish comprehensive drug interdiction and drug eradication strategies, and dedicate the resources necessary to reduce the flow of illegal drugs into the United States by 80 percent by December 31, 2001. Title I: Enhanced Source and Transit Country Coverage - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1999 through 2001 for the Department of the Treasury for the enhancement of radar coverage in drug source and transit countries. (Sec. 101) Directs the Secretary of Defense to examine and report to specified congressional committees on the options available to the United States for improving Relocatable Over the Horizon (ROTHR) capability to provide enhanced radar coverage of narcotics source zone countries in South America and transit zones in the Eastern Pacific. (Sec. 102) Authorizes appropriations for FY 1999 through 2001 to the Secretary of Transportation for operating expenses of the Coast Guard (including acquisition, construction, and improvement of facilities and equipment) associated with expansion of drug interdiction activities around Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and other transit zone areas of operation. Directs the Secretary to accept seven patrol craft for use by the Coast Guard for expanded drug interdiction activities. (Sec. 103) Authorizes appropriations for FY 1999 through 2001 for the Department of the Treasury for the enhancement of air coverage and operation for drug source and transit countries. Directs the Secretary of Defense to examine and report to specified congressional committees on the available options in the source and transit zones to replace Howard Air Force Base in Panama, specifying U.S. requirements to establish an airbase or airbases for use in support of counternarcotics operations to optimize operational effectiveness in the source and transit zones. Directs the Secretary of the Navy to transfer to the U.S. Customs Service 20 currently retired and previously identified heavyweight P- 3B aircraft for modification, half into P-3 AEW&C aircraft and half into P-3 Slick aircraft. q04q Title II: Enhanced Eradication and Interdiction Strategy in Source Countries - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1999 through 2001 for the Department of State for the enhancement of drug-related eradication efforts in Colombia. (Sec. 201) Prohibits U.S. counternarcotics assistance to the Government of Colombia if it negotiates or permits the establishment of any demilitarized zone in which the eradication of drug production by Colombian security forces (including the Colombian National Police antinarcotics unit) is prohibited. (Sec. 202) Authorizes appropriations for FY 1999 through 2001 for the Department of State for the establishment of a third drug interdiction site in Peru to support air bridge and riverine missions for enhancement of drug-related eradication efforts. Directs the Secretary of Defense to study and report to the Congress on Peruvian counternarcotics air interdiction requirements. (Sec. 203) Authorizes appropriations for FY 1999 through 2001 for the Department of State for enhancement of drug-related eradication efforts in Bolivia. (Sec. 204) Authorizes appropriations for FY 1999 through 2001 for enhanced precursor chemical control projects. (Sec. 205) Expresses the sense of the Congress that any individual serving as an assistant secretary of any Federal agency or department who has primary responsibility for international narcotics control and law enforcement (including the principal deputy of any such assistant) shall have substantial professional qualifications in the fields of management and Federal law enforcement or intelligence. Declares that the Department of Defense (DOD) shall be the principle agency responsible for implementation and processing of counternarcotics foreign military sales requests (with the Department of State having a consultative role in such requests). Expresses the sense of the Congress that the responsiveness and effectiveness of Department of State international narcotics assistance activities have been hampered due, in part, to the lack of law enforcement expertise by responsible Department of State personnel. Title III: Enhanced Alternative Crop Development Support in Source Zone - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1999 through 2001 for the U.S. Agency for International Development (AID) for certain alternative crop development programs in Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. (Sec. 302) Authorizes appropriations for FY 1999 through 2001 to the Secretary of Agriculture to support the counternarcotics research efforts of the Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service. (Sec. 303) Requires the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy to develop, and report to the Congress on, a ten-year master plan for the use of mycoherbicides to control narcotic crops (including coca, poppy, and cannabis) in the United States and internationally. Title IV: Enhanced International Law Enforcement Training - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1999 through 2001 for the Department of Justice for the establishment and operation of international law enforcement academies to carry out law enforcement training activities in Latin America and the Caribbean, Thailand, and South Africa. (Sec. 401) Authorizes appropriations for FY 1999 through 2001 for the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Department of the Treasury for the joint establishment, operation, and maintenance in San Juan, Puerto Rico, of a center for training law enforcement personnel of countries located in Latin America and the Caribbean in matters relating to maritime law enforcement (including customs-related ports management matters). Authorizes appropriations for FY 1999 through 2001 for the DOT for the establishment, operation, and maintenance of maritime training vessels. (Sec. 402) Authorizes appropriations for FY 1999 through 2001 for the Department of Justice for: (1) substantial exchanges for Mexican judges, prosecutors, and police; and (2) enhanced support for the Brazilian Federal Police Training Center. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1999 through 2001 for the DOT for operation and maintenance for locating and operating Coast Guard assets so as to strengthen the capability of the Coast Guard of Panama to patrol the Atlantic and Pacific coasts for drug enforcement and interdiction activities. Makes members of the national police of Panama eligible to receive training through the International Military Education Training (IMET) program. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1999 through 2001 for the Department of Justice for support for the Venezuelan Judicial Technical Police Counterdrug Intelligence Center. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1999 through 2001 for the DOT and the Department of the Treasury for the buildup of local coast guard and port control in: (1) Guayaquil and Esmeraldas, Ecuador; (2) Haiti and the Dominican Republic; and (3) Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua (Central America). (Sec. 403) Authorizes the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to transfer or lease a specified amount of nonlethal equipment each year to foreign law enforcement organizations for the purpose of establishing and carrying out cooperative illicit narcotics control activities. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) all U.S. law enforcement personnel serving in Mexico should be accorded the same status as diplomatic and consular personnel serving at U.S. posts in Mexico; and (2) all Mexican narcotics law enforcement personnel serving in the United States should be accorded the same diplomatic and consular status as DEA personnel serving in Mexico. Title V: Enhanced Drug Transit and Source Zone Law Enforcement Operations and Equipment - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1999 through 2001 for the DEA and the U.S. Customs Service of Department of the Treasury for enhancement of counternarcotics operations in drug transit and source countries. (Sec. 501) Authorizes appropriations for FY 1999 through 2001 for the Department of State for the deployment of commercial unclassified intelligence and imaging data and a Passive Coherent Location System for counternarcotics and interdiction purposes in the Western Hemisphere. Directs the Secretary of Defense to examine and propose to specified congressional committees recommendations regarding any organizational changes to optimize counterdrug activities, including certain alternative cost-sharing arrangements. (Sec. 502) Authorizes appropriations for the development and purchase of computer software and hardware to facilitate direct communication between agencies that perform drug interdiction activities at U.S. borders, including the Customs Service, the Border Patrol, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the DEA, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). (Sec. 503) Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Secretary of Defense should revise DOD's Global Military Force Policy in order to: (1) treat DOD international drug interdiction and counter-drug activities as a military operation other than war (thus elevating its priority to just below that for war); and (2) allocate DOD assets to drug interdiction and counter-drug activities in accordance with such priority. Title VI: Relationship to Other Laws - Declares that funds authorized to be appropriated for any Federal department or agency for FY 1999 through 2001 are in addition to funds authorized to be appropriated for that department or agency for those fiscal years by any other provision of law. Title VII: Criminal Background Checks on Port Employees - Directs the Attorney General, upon request, to grant access to identification records to any State, county, port authority, or other local jurisdiction to allow it to conduct criminal background checks on employees, or applicants for employment, at any port under its jurisdiction. Title VIII: Drug Currency Forfeitures - Drug Currency Forfeitures Act - Amends the Controlled Substances Act to cite four alternative circumstances that create a rebuttable presumption that property is subject to forfeiture if the Government offers a reasonable basis to believe that there is a substantial connection between the property and a drug trafficking offense. Requires the property at issue to be currency in excess of $10,000 that, at the time of the seizure, was being transported through an airport, on a highway, or at a port-of-entry, and meeting one of several other criteria. Subjects to such presumption, also, any property: (1) acquired during a time period when the person who acquired it was engaged in a drug trafficking offense or within a reasonable time afterwards, and there is no other likely source for such property; (2) that was, or was intended to be, transported, transmitted, or transferred to or from a major drug-transit country, illicit drug producing country, or money laundering country; or (3) involved in a transaction including any person who has been convicted in any Federal, State, or foreign jurisdiction of a drug trafficking offense or a felony involving money laundering, or is a fugitive from prosecution for such an offense. Amends the Federal criminal code to create a rebuttable presumption that property involved in drug money laundering subject to civil forfeiture is the proceeds of an offense involving the felonious manufacture, importation, or other dealing in a controlled substance, thus constituting the proceeds of specified unlawful activity if any of the circumstances set forth in this title apply.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 1998
Library of Congress Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act of 1998 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue five-dollar gold coins and one-dollar silver coins emblematic of the Library of Congress. Authorizes the Secretary to mint and issue $10 bimetallic coins of gold and platinum in lieu of the gold coins. Requires payment of coin sale surcharges to the Library of Congress Trust Fund Board to support Library activities.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 1998
Declares that the Congress supports the existing Federal legal process for determining the safety and efficacy of drugs and opposes efforts to circumvent this process by legalizing marijuana, and other Schedule I drugs, for medicinal use without valid scientific evidence and Food and Drug Administration approval. Directs the Attorney General to report to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, regarding specified years, on: (1) the total quantity of marijuana eradicated in the United States; and (2) the annual number of arrests and prosecutions for Federal marijuana offenses. Requires the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to report to specified congressional committees on the specific efforts underway to enforce specified provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act regarding marijuana and other Schedule I drugs.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 1998
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the deduction for meals and entertainment expenses of small businesses from 50 percent to the applicable percentage for individuals subject to Federal hours of service (which ranges from 55 per cent in 1998 and 1999 up to 80 percent in 2008 and thereafter).
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 1998
Declares the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Transportation should rescind the directive requiring establishment of peanut-free zones on airline flights.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Reduction in Individual Capital Gains Tax Rates Title II: Tax Incentives for Farmers Family Investment and Rural Savings Tax Act - Title I: Reduction in Individual Capital Gains Tax Rates - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce individual capital gains tax rates. Title II: Tax Incentives for Farmers - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit an eligible farmer or rancher to establish a Farm and Ranch Risk Management Account (FARRM Account). States that: (1) up to 20 percent of farm-derived income may be deposited as an annual income deduction; and (2) deferred amounts shall be taxed upon withdrawal without penalty if distributed within five years. Amends the Taxpayer Relief of 1997 to permanently extend income averaging for farmers.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1998
Declares that the Congress honors the memory of Detective John Michael Gibson and Private First Class Jacob Joseph Chestnut of the U.S. Capitol Police for the selfless acts of heroism they displayed on July 24, 1998, in sacrificing their lives in the line of duty so that others might live. Provides that, when the Senate and the House of Representatives adjourn on this date, they shall do so out of respect for the memory of Officers Gibson and Chestnut.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1998
Authorizes the use of the rotunda of the Capitol for a memorial service for Detective John Michael Gibson and Private First Class Jacob Joseph Chestnut of the U.S. Capitol Police. Directs the Architect of the Capitol to place a plaque in honor of the memory of Officers Gibson and Chestnut at an appropriate site in the U.S. Capitol, with the approval of the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. Directs the Sergeant at Arms of the House of Representatives to make arrangements for funeral services for Officers Gibson and Chestnut, including payments for travel expenses of immediate family members, and for expenses incurred by Members of the House of Representatives in attending such services. Directs the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives to pay survivor's gratuities to the widows of Officers Gibson and Chestnut. Expresses the sense of the Congress that there should be established under law a U.S. Capitol Police Memorial Fund for the surviving spouses and children of members of the U.S. Capitol Police who are slain in the line of duty.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 1998
Medicare Home Health Beneficiary Protection Act of 1998 - Amends part D (Miscellaneous Provisions) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA), as amended by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA '97), to revise reasonable cost requirements with regard to the interim system of limited payments for services provided by home health agencies. Establishes a moratorium on implementation of per beneficiary limits and a three-year freeze on cost limits. Amends BBA '97 to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) establish a process for eliminating inappropriate utilization of Medicare home health services by reviewing claims in which the number of home health visits provided to a beneficiary in a year exceeds the regional average of per beneficiary annual visits; (2) if appropriate, issue a determination denying payment for such a claim, and refer the name of the claimant-provider to the HHS Inspector General for investigation; and (3) include in the annual reports to the Congress on home health cost containment any recommendations for changes to the method of payment, claims review, and scope of benefits that the Secretary determines is necessary to achieve actual outlays equal to estimated outlays under Medicare parts A (Hospital Insurance) and B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) for such services during the following fiscal year. (Sec. 4) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for: (1) establishment of limits for calculating prospective payment rates for home health services under the payment system for such services; and (2) temporary restoration of periodic interim payment for such services.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1998
Small Business and Financial Institutions Tax Relief Act of 1998 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit S corporation eligible shareholders to include individual retirement accounts. (Sec. 3) Excludes investment securities income held by a bank from passive income limits for purposes of S status termination. (Sec. 4) Increases the number of eligible S corporation shareholders. (Sec. 5) States that stock held by a bank director as required by banking regulations (director qualifying stock) shall not be considered a disqualifying second class of S corporation stock. (Sec. 6) Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to modify a certain Regulation to permit an S corporation bank to charge certain bad debt deductions over a related bad debt reserve recapture period. (Sec. 7) Includes all banks within the three-year deduction preference rule.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 1998
Emergency Farm Financial Relief Act - Amends the Agricultural Market Transition Act to provide that FY 1999 production flexibility contract payments shall be paid at such time or times as the owner or producer so requests.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Patients' Bill of Rights Subtitle A: Right to Advice and Care Subtitle B: Right to Information about Plans and Providers Subtitle C: Right to Hold Health Plans Accountable Title II: Individual Rights with Respect to Personal Medical Information Subtitle A: Access to Medical Records Subtitle B: Establishment of Safeguards Subtitle C: Enforcement; Definitions Title III: Genetic Information and Services Title IV: Healthcare Quality Research Title V: Women's Health Research and Prevention Subtitle A: Provisions Relating to Women's Health Research at the National Institutes of Health Subtitle B: Provisions Relating to Women's Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Subtitle C: Women's Health and Cancer Rights Title VI: Enhanced Access to Health Insurance Coverage Patients' Bill of Rights Act - Title I: Patients' Bill of Rights - Subtitle A: Right to Advice and Care - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to require a group health plan covering emergency medical care to provide coverage, without requiring preauthorization, for appropriate emergency medical screening examinations to the extent that a prudent layperson, possessing an average knowledge of health and medicine, would determine such examinations to be necessary to determine whether emergency medical care is necessary. (Sec. 101) Requires a plan to cover additional emergency medical services following such an examination to the extent that a prudent emergency medical professional would determine such services to be necessary to avoid specified serious consequences. Requires a plan (other than a small employer's plan) providing benefit coverage only through a defined set of participating health care professionals to offer the option of point-of-service coverage (of the same benefits provided by a nonparticipating health care professional), unless the plan offers multiple issuer or coverage options. Requires any plan offering gynecological, obstetric, or pediatric care not to require prior authorization from a participant's primary care provider if such provider is not a gynecologist, obstetrician, or pediatrician. Requires a plan to permit a participant or beneficiary undergoing a course of treatment to continue such treatment for a period of time even though the contract between the plan and a health care provider is terminated, or the schedule of benefits or coverage is terminated by a change in the terms of the provider's participation in the plan. Specifies a 90-day continuation of coverage generally, and other transitional periods for institutionalization (until discharge), pregnancy (through post-partum care), and terminal illness (remainder of life). Declares that a plan shall not prohibit a health care professional from advising a patient about the patient's health status, medical care, or treatment for the patient's condition or disease, regardless of whether coverage for such care or treatment is provided under the contract, if the professional is acting within the lawful scope of the practice. Applies the requirements of this subtitle to group health plans, but not to a health insurance issuer licensed by a State and subject to State insurance regulation while engaged in the business of insurance in such State. Subtitle B: Right to Information about Plans and Providers - Requires plans and group health insurance issuers to disclose specified plan information to enrollees and (upon request) potential enrollees. (Sec. 112) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to contract with the Institute of Medicine for a study and report to the appropriate congressional committees on: (1) health care professionals information currently available to patients, consumers, States, and professional societies, nationally and on a State-by-State basis; (2) the legal and other barriers to the sharing of information about health care professionals; and (3) recommendations for disclosure of such information on health care professionals, including their competencies and professional qualifications, to better facilitate patient choice, quality improvement, and market competition. Subtitle C: Right to Hold Health Plans Accountable - Revises requirements for plan provision of a procedure for appealing denied claims. (Sec. 121) Requires a plan or health insurance issuer conducting utilization review to have: (1) specified procedures in place for coverage determinations, including expedited determinations; (2) written procedures for addressing grievances between a plan and enrollees; (3) an internal procedure for coverage determination appeals; and (4) an external review procedure for enrollee appeals, involving specified entities and independent medical experts, whose determination shall be binding. Prescribes external review standards. Directs the General Accounting Office to study and report to the appropriate congressional committees on a statistically appropriate sample of completed external reviews. Title II: Individual Rights with Respect to Personal Medical Information - Personal Medical Information Access Act - Subtitle A: Access to Medical Records - Amends ERISA to require any health care provider, health plan, employer, health or life insurer, school, or university, except in specified circumstances, to: (1) permit an individual who is the subject of protected health information (or the individual's designee) to inspect and copy protected health information concerning the individual; (2) amend such information upon the individual's request; and (3) make reasonable efforts to inform any person to whom the unamended portion of the information was previously disclosed of any nontechnical amendment that has been made. (Sec. 212) Prescribes procedures for: (1) an entity's denial of a request to amend such information; and (2) an individual's filing of a statement of disagreement with such denial, which shall accompany any subsequent disclosure of the disputed portion of the information. (Sec. 213) Requires any health care provider, health plan, employer, health or life insurer, school, or university to post notice of the entity's confidentiality practices, including specified information. Requires the Secretary to develop and disseminate model notices of confidentiality practices. Subtitle B: Establishment of Safeguards - Requires any health care provider, health plan, employer, health or life insurer, school, or university to establish and maintain appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect the confidentiality, security, accuracy, and integrity of protected health information the entity creates, receives, obtains, maintains, uses, transmits, or disposes of. Subtitle C: Enforcement; Definitions - Prescribes civil money penalties for substantial and material failure to comply with this Act. (Sec. 232) Sets forth definitions. Title III: Genetic Information and Services - Genetic Information Nondiscrimination in Health Insurance Act of 1998 - Amends ERISA, the Public Health Service Act (PHSA), and the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit a health care plan or health insurance issuer from restricting enrollment or adjusting premium or contribution amounts for a group on the basis of predictive genetic information concerning an individual in the group or a family member of the individual (including information about a request for or receipt of genetic services). (Sec. 302) Prohibits a plan or issuer from requesting or requiring predictive genetic information concerning an individual or a family member of the individual (including information about a request for or receipt of genetic services). Permits a plan or issuer to request, but not require, such information for diagnosis, treatment, or payment purposes only. Title IV: Healthcare Quality Research - Healthcare Quality Research Act of 1998 - Amends PHSA to establish within the Public Health Service (PHS) an Agency for Healthcare Quality Research to replace the current Agency for Health Care Policy and Research. (Sec. 402) Directs the Agency to identify and disseminate methods or systems used to assess healthcare research results, particularly to rate the strength of the scientific evidence behind healthcare practice and technology recommendations in the research. Requires the Agency to employ research strategies and mechanisms that will link research directly with clinical practice in geographically diverse locations throughout the United States, including: (1) Healthcare Improvement Research Centers that combine demonstrated multidisciplinary expertise in outcomes or quality improvement research with linkages to relevant sites of care; (2) Practice-based Research Networks, including plan, facility, or delivery system sites of care (especially primary care), that can evaluate and promote quality improvement; and (3) other innovative mechanisms or strategies. Directs the Agency to: (1) award grants to enable eligible entities at geographically diverse locations throughout the United States to carry out research training programs dedicated to health services research training at the doctoral, post-doctoral, and junior faculty levels; and (2) provide specified scientific and technical support for private and public efforts to improve healthcare quality, including accrediting organizations. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Agency Director, to establish a demonstration program of grants for one or more centers to conduct: (1) state-of-the-art clinical research on drugs, biological products, and devices; (2) research on the comparative effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and safety of drugs, biological products, and devices; and (3) other appropriate activities (excluding the review of new drugs). Requires the Agency Director to: (1) collect certain data on the cost and quality of healthcare; (2) support research on and initiatives to advance the use of information systems for the study of healthcare quality; and (3) provide ongoing administrative, research, and technical support for the Preventive Services Task Force, which shall review scientific evidence on the effectiveness, appropriateness, and cost-effectiveness of clinical preventive services regarding their usefulness in daily clinical practice. Establishes within the Agency a Center for Primary Care Delivery Research to serve as the principal funding source for HHS primary care delivery research and demonstrations with respect to the first contact when illness or health concerns arise, the diagnosis, treatment or referral to specialty care, preventive care, and the relationship between the clinician and the patient in the context of the family and community. Requires the Agency Director by specified activities to promote innovation in evidence-based clinical practice and healthcare technologies. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director, to coordinate all research, evaluations, and demonstrations related to health services research and quality measurement and improvement activities undertaken and supported by the Federal Government. Requires the Secretary to contract with the Institute of Medicine to: (1) describe and evaluate current quality improvement research and monitoring processes; and (2) recommend options to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of such processes, and optimize public- private sector accreditation bodies. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director, to establish a nonprofit, nongovernmental Foundation for Healthcare Research, which shall: (1) support the Agency and foster public-private partnerships to support Agency programs and activities; (2) advance collaboration with healthcare researchers from universities, industry, and nonprofit organizations; and (4) develop linkages with users of healthcare and quality research. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Agency Director, to make grants each fiscal year to support the Foundation. Establishes an Advisory Council for Healthcare Quality Research to replace the current Advisory Council for Health Care Policy, Research, and Evaluation. Requires the Agency Director to establish technical and scientific peer review groups to review each application for a grant, cooperative agreement, or contract under this title. Repeals the mandates for: (1) a demonstration program regarding centers for education and research on therapeutics; and (2) the Office of the Forum for Quality and Effectiveness in Health Care. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 404) Requires the Secretary, within 30 days after enactment of any Act providing for a qualifying health care benefit, to evaluate scientifically and report to the appropriate congressional committees on: (1) the safety, efficacy, cost, benefits and value of such benefit; (2) alternative approaches in improving care compared with such benefit; and (3) the benefit's overall impact on health care as measured through research. Title V: Women's Health Research and Prevention - Women's Health Research and Prevention Amendments of 1998 - Subtitle A: Provisions Relating to Women's Health Research at the National Institutes of Health - Amends PHSA to extend the authorization of appropriations for research on the drug diethylstilbestrol (commonly known as DES). Directs the Secretary, acting through PHS agency heads, to carry out a national program to educate health professionals and the public about DES. (Sec. 512) Extends the authorization of appropriations for research on: (1) osteoporosis, Paget's disease, and related bone disorders; (2) breast and ovarian cancers; and (3) aging processes relating to women. (Sec. 514) Requires the Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to expand, intensify, and coordinate research and related activities with respect to heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases in women. (Sec. 516) Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (currently, the Director of the Office of Research on Women's Health) to appoint members of the Advisory Committee on Research on Women's Health. Subtitle B: Provisions Relating to Women's Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Amends PHSA to extend the authorization of appropriations for: (1) the National Center for Health Statistics; (2) the National Program of Cancer Registries; (3) the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program; (4) Centers for Research and Demonstration of Health Promotion; and (5) community programs on domestic violence. (Sec. 523) Authorizes a State receiving a Federal grant to make grants to or contract with for-profit private entities to carry out programs of preventive health measures for breast and cervical cancers. Subtitle C: Women's Health and Cancer Rights - Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1998 - Amends ERISA, PHSA, and the Internal Revenue Code to require certain group health plans and health insurance issuers to ensure specified minimum coverage regarding: (1) breast cancer mastectomies, lumpectomies, and lymph node dissections; (2) post-mastectomy breast reconstruction on both breasts; and (3) the costs of prostheses and complications of mastectomy, including lymphedemas. Prohibits: (1) denial of eligibility to a patient, and other related practices, solely to avoid the requirements of this subtitle; (2) incentives or rebates to encourage individuals to accept less than the minimum coverage; and (2) certain penalties or incentives to providers to evade application of this subtitle. (Sec. 535) Amends PHSA to apply the same requirements to health insurance issuers in the individual market. (Sec. 537) Directs the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research to study and report to the appropriate congressional committees on the scientific issues relating to prevention and treatment of breast cancer. Title VI: Enhanced Access to Health Insurance Coverage - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow the annual carryover of up to $500 of unused benefits from cafeteria plans, flexible spending arrangements, and health flexible spending accounts; (2) allow a full deduction from gross income of the health insurance costs of self-employed individuals; and (3) repeal the limitation of the availability of medical savings accounts (MSAs) to employees of small employers and the self-employed. (Sec. 603) Reduces from $1,500 to $1,000 (self-only coverage) and from $3,000 to $2,000 (family coverage) the minimum annual deductible of a high deductible health plan. Revises the formula for the monthly limitation on the allowable deduction for MSAs to increase the contribution limit to 100 percent of the annual deductible under a high deductible health plan. Waives the additional tax on MSA distributions not used for qualified medical expenses to the extent any payment or distribution does not reduce the fair market value of the MSA assets to an amount less than the annual deductible for the account holder's high deductible health plan. (Sec. 604) Authorizes the Office of Personnel Management to contract for or approve catastrophic FEHBP plans, whose covered expenses exceed $500. Amends Federal civil service law, with respect to Government contributions under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), to require an additional Government contribution, according to a certain formula, to an individual's MSA with respect to a catastrophic plan. Increases the Government's biweekly contribution to an employee's or annuitant's FEHBP catastrophic plan from 75 percent to 100 percent of the subscription charge.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Department of Transportation Title II: Related Agencies Title III: General Provisions Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 - Title I: Department of Transportation - Makes appropriations for FY 1999 (with specified rescissions, transfers of funds, limitations on obligations, and liquidations 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) (earmarking specified amounts for certain Intelligent Transportation System projects); (5) the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; (6) the Federal Railroad Administration; (7) the Federal Transit Administration (including specified national planning and research program projects, new and existing fixed guideway systems, and buses and bus-related facilities projects); (8) the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation; (9) the Research and Special Programs Administration; (10) the Office of the Inspector General; and (11) the Surface Transportation Board. Title II: Related Agencies - Makes appropriations for FY 1999 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 very similar to those enacted in the Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998 (Public Law 105-66). (Sec. 320) Reduces the amount of funds provided in this Act for the Transportation Administrative Service Center (TASC). (Sec. 322) Prohibits any funds under this Act from being used to impose on any federally-funded project or any applicant for any federally-funded grant or award any government-mandated conditions or requirements with regard to benefits, labor or employment practices or working conditions, which are not expressly authorized as to public works by Federal or State statutes. (Sec. 325) Prohibits any funds under this Act from being used for grants to the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) (except that such prohibition shall not apply upon the public disclosure by Amtrak of its national average per passenger loss during the previous fiscal year for which data is available). (Sec. 328) Requires the interest produced from the investment of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Liability Fund balance that is transferred and deposited into the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund to be transferred annually by the National Pollution Funds Center to the Denali Commission to repair or replace bulk fuel storage tanks in Alaska which are not in compliance with Federal law, the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, or State law. (Sec. 330) 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. 331) Makes receipts collected from users of fitness centers operated by or for the Department of Transportation available to support their operation and maintenance. (Sec. 332) Prohibits the provision of essential air service to communities in the 48 contiguous States that are fewer than 70 highway miles from the nearest large and medium hub airport, or that require a rate of subsidy per passenger in excess of $200 unless such point is greater than 210 miles from the nearest large or medium hub airport. (Sec. 334) Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to convey to North Carolina such portion of Coast Guard Station Ocracoke, North Carolina, as the Secretary considers to be appropriate for transportation, education, environmental, or other public purposes. (Sec. 335) Declares that appropriated funds intended for highway demonstration projects, railroad-highway crossings demonstration projects or railroad relocation projects in Augusta, Georgia, are available for implementation of a project consisting of modifications and additions to streets, railroads, and related improvements in the vicinity of the grade crossing of the CSX railroad and 15th Street in Augusta, Georgia. (Sec. 336) Amends Federal transportation law to revise requirements for operating a commercial motor vehicle to authorize an individual to operate such vehicle solely within the borders of a State if the individual: (1) has passed written and driving tests to operate the vehicle that meet such minimum standards as may be prescribed by the State; and (2) has a driver's license that is not suspended, revoked, or canceled. (Currently, the Secretary may prescribe regulations providing for such operation by an individual for not more than a 90 day period). (Sec. 337) Declares that no approval from the Secretary of Transportation (other than review of the project final design) shall be required to construct additional entrances and exits between exits 57 and 58 for a pilot project to demonstrate a streamlined process for project implementation on Interstate 495 in Suffolk County, New York, provided such entrances and exits are designed, constructed or otherwise authorized by the responsible state transportation agency through the appropriate state environmental process. (Sec. 338) Directs the Secretary of Transportation to enter into agreements with the New York State Department of Transportation that would allow automotive service stations or other commercial establishments for serving motor vehicle users to be sited and constructed in the vicinity of exit 51 and either exits 66, 67, or 68 of the Long Island Expressway (Interstate 495) in Suffolk County. (Sec. 339) Amends Federal law to authorize the Secretary of Transportation to grant a temporary exemption to passenger motor vehicles from a prescribed bumper standard. (Sec. 340) Specifies funds for the Norfolk-Virginia Beach Corridor project, the Massachusetts North Shore Corridor project, the San Diego Mission Valley and Mid-Coast Corridor projects, the Hartford, Connecticut, light rail project, the Stanford, Connecticut, fixed guideway connector, and the Old Saybrook-Hartford rail extension project. (Sec. 341) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act by the Coast Guard to issue or enforce certain regulations under the Edible Oil Regulatory Reform Act, unless such regulations recognize and provide, with respect to (animal) fats, (vegetable) oils, and greases, for differences in physical, chemical, biological, and other relevant properties, and in environmental effects. (Sec. 343) Authorizes the use of specified funds to support a direct loan of $85 million to Reno, Nevada, for the Reno Transportation Corridor project, including the grade separation of at-grade rail lines and cross streets with a primarily below-grade corridor. (Sec. 344) Makes certain funds allocated or authorized from the highway trust fund for Miller Highway in New York City, New York, available to the State of New York, subject to the State and local planning and environmental review process. (Sec. 345) Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation, upon specified assurances from the State of New Jersey, to waive repayment of any Federal-aid highway funds expended on the construction of high occupancy vehicle lanes or auxiliary lanes on I-287 in the State of New Jersey. (Sec. 346) Amends the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, as amended by the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, to change from mandatory to discretionary the authority of the Secretary of Transportation to approve one or more substitute highway, bus transit, or light rail transit projects in lieu of construction of the I-94 East-West Transitway project in Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties, Wisconsin. Requires the Governor of Wisconsin to consult with appropriate local government officials before requesting the Secretary to approve such a substitute project. (Sec. 347) Authorizes the use of certain discretionary grants funds (hitherto available for the Virtual Transit Enterprise project) to fund any aspect of the Virtual Transit Enterprise integration of information project in South Carolina. (Sec. 348) Amends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century to authorize Vermont to use certain pilot project funds from the Highway Trust Fund Mass Transit Account for capital improvements to, and operating assistance for, intercity passenger rail service.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1998
Declares that the Government of Iraq is in material and unacceptable breach of its international obligations and urges the President to act accordingly.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1998
Sets a one-year moratorium during which the Secretary of Health and Human Services may not modify regulations governing the operation of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, including pertinent regulations under the Social Security Act. States that a related final rule published in the Federal Register has no legal effect. Directs the Secretary to: (1) consult with the medical community and organ donation organizations to develop workable guidelines for Network operation; and (2) study the impact of proposed regulations on indigent care, economic and geographic access to transplantation services, transplantation outcome and survival rate, and waiting list time by organ.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1998
Superfund Recycling Equity Act of 1998 - Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to absolve persons (other than owners or operators) who arranged for the recycling of recyclable material from liability for environmental response actions. Deems transactions involving scrap paper, plastic, glass, textiles, or rubber (other than whole tires) to be arranging for recycling if the person who arranged the transaction demonstrates that the following criteria were met: (1) the recyclable material met a commercial specification grade and a market existed for the material; (2) a substantial portion of the material was made available for use as a feedstock for the manufacture of a new saleable product; (3) the material (or product to be made from the material) could have been a replacement for a virgin raw material; and (4) with respect to transactions occurring 90 days after this Act's enactment, the person exercised reasonable care to determine that the facility where the material would be managed by another was in compliance with Federal, State, or local environmental laws or regulations. Deems transactions involving scrap metal to be arranging for recycling if the person who arranged the transaction demonstrates that: (1) the criteria for scrap materials were met; (2) he or she complied with applicable standards regarding activities associated with the recycling of scrap metals; and (3) the scrap metal was not melted prior to the transaction. Deems transactions involving spent lead-acid, nickel-cadmium, or other batteries to be arranging for recycling if the person involved demonstrates that: (1) the criteria for scrap materials were met; and (2) he or she complied with applicable Federal environmental regulations or standards regarding such batteries. Makes the exemptions from liability under this Act inapplicable if the person: (1) had an objectively reasonable basis to believe at the time of the recycling transaction that the recyclable material would not be recycled or would be burned as fuel or for energy recovery or incineration or that the consuming facility was not in compliance with Federal, State, or local environmental laws or regulations; (2) had reason to believe that hazardous substances had been added to the material for purposes other than processing for recycling; or (3) failed to exercise reasonable care with respect to the management of the material. Makes such exemptions inapplicable if the recyclable material contained polychlorinated biphenyls in excess of 50 parts per million or any new Federal standard or if such material is an item of scrap paper containing, at the time of recycling, a concentration of a hazardous substance determined to present a significant human health or environmental risk.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 1998
Printed Circuit Investment Act of 1998 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to classify as three-year depreciable property any printed wiring board or printed wiring assembly equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1998
Disapproves the rule submitted by the Health Care Financing Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, on June 1, 1998, relating to surety bond requirements for home health agencies under titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1998
Manufactured Housing Improvement Act - Amends the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974 to revise Federal construction and safety provisions for manufactured homes based upon a consensus standards development process. Eliminates the National Manufactured Home Advisory Council.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 1998
No Gun Tax Act of 1998 - Prohibits the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from collecting any fee, assessment, third party collection, or other charge from any person or agency in connection with any background check required under the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Research on Lupus Title II: Delivery of Services Regarding Lupus Lupus Research and Care Amendments of 1998 - Title I: Research on Lupus - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases to expand and intensify research and related activities of the Institute with respect to lupus. Requires the Director to: (1) coordinate such activities with similar activities conducted by other national research institutes and agencies of the National Institutes of Health; and (2) conduct or support research to expand the understanding of the causes of, and to find a cure for, lupus, including research to determine the reasons underlying the elevated prevalence of the disease among African-American and other women. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Delivery of Services Regarding Lupus - Mandates grants for the establishment, operation, and coordination of effective and cost-efficient systems for the delivery of essential services to individuals with lupus and their families. Regulates fees imposed by grantees on service recipients. Authorizes technical assistance. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1998
Equality for Israel at the United Nations Act of 1998 - Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the United States must promote an end to the exclusion of Israel from any of the United Nations regional blocs, including rotating membership on the UN Security Council; and (2) the U.S. Ambassador to the UN should take all steps necessary to ensure Israel's acceptance in the Western Europe and Others Group (WEOG) regional bloc (membership which includes the non-European countries of Canada, Australia, and the United States). Directs the Secretary of State to report to appropriate congressional committees on efforts taken to achieve such goals.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1998
Cuban Solidarity (SOLIDARIDAD) Act of 1998 - Directs the President to: (1) instruct the heads of all relevant U.S. agencies to increase support for democratic opposition groups in Cuba; (2) initiate broadcasting of Radio Marti and Television Marti from the United States Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, or other suitable sites in proximity to Cuba; (3) provide not less than $5 million of funds otherwise available for U.S. voluntary contributions to the Organization of American States (OAS) in FY 1999, solely for the purpose of establishing a fund for the deployment of human rights observers, election support, and election observation in Cuba; (4) direct the Secretary of the Treasury to increase the number of personnel of the Office of Foreign Assets Control having responsibilities with respect to the economic embargo on Cuba in order to enforce the embargo more vigorously and to license expeditiously lawful transactions involving Cuba; and (5) take steps to secure a commitment from the Cuban government to allow the direct delivery of mail from the United States to Cuba. (Sec. 5) Urges the President to instruct: (1) the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) to introduce a resolution in the UN Security Council calling upon the Cuban government to immediately respect all human rights, free all political prisoners, legalize independent political parties, allow independent trade unions, and conduct internationally monitored and freely contested elections; and (2) the Attorney General to seek an indictment of Fidel Castro and-or other Cuban government officials for the willful, premeditated attack on and destruction of two unarmed "Brothers to the Rescue" humanitarian aircraft on February 24, 1996 within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, and the violence against and incapacitation and murder of four individuals on such aircraft, Pablo Morales, Carlos Costa, Mario de la Pena, and Armando Alejandre. Requires specified reports on Cuba. (Sec. 6) Earmarks specified amounts of economic support fund and development assistance funds for individuals and independent nongovernmental organizations to support democracy-building efforts, and to provide humanitarian assistance to victims of political repression, in Cuba. Requires notification of the appropriate congressional committees with respect to such funds. Prohibits the provision of assistance under this Act to the Cuban government, to any organization affiliated with the Cuban government, or to any organization that has violated any U.S. law prohibiting or restricting trade or other financial transactions with Cuba. (Sec. 7) Authorizes the President to authorize air transportation flights directly from the United States to Cuba for a period of six months (including additional six month periods) only if the President certifies to the Congress that: (1) those flights are necessary for, and will be used solely for, the delivery of humanitarian assistance (including medicines and medical supplies) by independent nongovernmental organizations to victims of political repression in Cuba; and (2) adequate monitoring is in place to ensure that such assistance will be delivered by such organizations only to the intended recipients and will not be diverted to ineligible persons.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Intelligence Activities Title II: Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System Title III: General Provisions Title IV: Central Intelligence Agency Title V: Disclosure of Information to Congress Title VI: Foreign Intelligence and International Terrorism Investigations Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999 - Title I: Intelligence Activities - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1999 for the conduct of intelligence and intelligence-related activities of the: (1) Central Intelligence Agency (CIA); (2) Department of Defense; (3) Defense Intelligence Agency; (4) National Security Agency; (5) Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force; (6) Departments of State, the Treasury, and Energy; (7) Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); (8) National Reconnaissance Office; and (9) National Imagery and Mapping Agency. (Sec. 102) Specifies that the amounts authorized to be appropriated and the authorized personnel ceilings as of September 30, 1999, 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 the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, to authorize employment of civilian personnel in excess of the number authorized for FY 1999 when necessary to the performance of important intelligence functions, subject to specified limitations. Requires notification of the Senate and House Intelligence Committees whenever such authority is exercised. (Sec. 104) Authorizes appropriations for the Community Management Account of the DCI for FY 1999. Authorizes full-time personnel for the Community Management Staff of the DCI as of September 30, 1999, as well as any additional amounts specified in the classified Schedule of Authorizations. Provides for the reimbursement of any U.S. officer or employee, or any member of the armed forces, who is detailed to such Staff. Earmarks Account Funds for the National Drug Intelligence Center. Title II: Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1999 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 not otherwise authorized by the Constitution or laws of the United States. (Sec. 303) Amends the National Security Act of 1947 to extend through January 6, 2000, the authority of the President to stay the application of certain sanctions against a foreign country, organization, or person upon a determination of an adverse effect of such sanction on the conduct of ongoing intelligence activities. (Sec. 304) Extends through December 31, 2000, the authority of the Secretary of Defense (Secretary) to engage in commercial activities as security for authorized intelligence collection activities. (Sec. 305) Amends the David L. Boren National Security Education Act of 1991 to: (1) authorize the Secretary to award fellowships and grants for the conduct of counterproliferation studies; and (2) replace the Director of the U.S. Information Agency with the Secretary of Energy on the membership of the National Security Education Board. Title IV: Central Intelligence Agency - Amends the Central Intelligence Agency Voluntary Separation Pay Act to extend through FY 2001 the separation pay program for the voluntary separation of CIA employees. (Sec. 402) Amends the Central Intelligence Agency Act of 1949 to include as an additional duty of the CIA Inspector General the review of the impact of legislation on the prevention and detection of fraud and abuse in programs and operations administered or financed by the CIA. Title V: Disclosure of Information to Congress - Directs the President to inform employees of the various intelligence agencies, as well as employees of contractors carrying out activities under classified contracts with such agencies, that: (1) the disclosure to members of a congressional oversight committee of information relating to a possible violation of law, a false statement to Congress, gross mismanagement or waste of funds, the flagrant abuse of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety is not prohibited by law or contrary to public policy; (2) such committee members are presumed to have a need to know and be authorized to receive such information; and (3) such committee members may receive such information only in their capacity as members of such committees. Requires a report from the President to the Congress on actions taken under this title. Title VI: Foreign Intelligence and International Terrorism Investigations - Amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 to authorize the Attorney General (AG) or other designated Federal attorney to apply for an order or the extension of an order authorizing or approving the installation and use of a pen register or trap and trace device (device) for any investigation to gather foreign intelligence or international terrorism information (information) which is being conducted by the FBI under guidelines approved by Executive order. Outlines application requirements. Limits to 90 days the authorized period for the use of such device, with an extension of an additional 90 days in appropriate circumstances. Authorizes the AG to approve the installation of such a device on an emergency basis to gather such information if: (1) a judge is informed of the AG's decision to do so; and (2) an application is made to such judge within 48 hours after the installation. Prohibits any information from being utilized if the application is denied. Authorizes the AG to allow the use of such a device to acquire such information for a period not to exceed 15 days following a declaration of war by the Congress. Requires notification to the person involved that information so obtained is to be used or disclosed. Allows such person to move to suppress such evidence, and requires the motion to be heard before the use of such information. Provides for in camera and ex parte hearings when the national security is or may be involved. Prohibits the use of information so obtained when a motion to suppress is granted or a court determines that the use of such a device was not lawfully authorized or conducted. Requires the AG, on a semiannual basis, to fully inform the intelligence and judiciary committees concerning the use of such devices and related information. (Sec. 602) Authorizes the FBI Director to apply for an order authorizing a common carrier, public accommodation facility, physical storage facility, or vehicle rental facility to release records for an investigation to gather foreign intelligence or international terrorism information being conducted by the FBI under Executive order. Outlines application requirements. Requires the AG, on a semiannual basis, to fully inform the intelligence and judiciary committees concerning the use of all such records and related information.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1998
Internal Revenue Service Random Audit Prohibition Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to Internal Revenue Service audit authority, to: (1) require an examination notice to identify the purpose and basis for such examination; and (2) prohibit random audits and provide civil damages for their knowing performance.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1998
Recognizes the historic significance of the 50th anniversary of the reestablishment of the State of Israel. Commends the Israeli people for their achievements in building a new state and a pluralistic democratic society in the Middle East. Reaffirms the bonds of friendship and cooperation between the United States and Israel. Extends congratulations and best wishes to the State of Israel and her people for a peaceful, prosperous, and successful future.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1998
Federal Home Loan Bank System Regulatory Restructuring Act of 1998 - Amends the Federal Home Loan Bank Act to abolish the Federal Housing Finance Board and transfer its oversight functions for safety and soundness to the Director of Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, and its mission oversight to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Makes technical and conforming amendments to the Federal Housing Enterprise Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 1998
Technical Workers Fairness Act of 1998 - Amends the Revenue Act of 1978, as amended by the Tax Reform Act of 1986, with respect to the standards that a taxpayer must apply to treat certain individuals as not being employees for employment tax purposes. Repeals the exception to such standards for an individual who, pursuant to an arrangement between the taxpayer and another person, provides services for such other person as an engineer, designer, drafter, computer programmer, systems analyst, or other similarly skilled worker (technical worker) engaged in a similar line of work. (Thus, restores the standards used for determining whether technical workers are not employees as in effect before the Tax Reform Act of 1986.)
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 1998
U.S. Holocaust Assets Commission Act of 1998 - Establishes the Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States to: (1) study and develop an historical record of the collection and disposition of specified assets of Holocaust victims if they came into the possession or control of the Federal Government, including the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and any Federal reserve bank, at any time after January 30, 1933; (2) coordinate its activities with those of private and governmental entities; (3) review comprehensively research conducted by other entities regarding such assets in the United States; and (4) report its recommendations to the President. Instructs the President to report recommendations for action to the Congress. Provides for funding of Commission activities.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 1998
Constitutional Amendment - Grants victims of crimes of violence the right to: (1) reasonable notice of, and to not be excluded from, all public proceedings relating to the crime; (2) be heard, if present, and to submit a statement at all public proceedings to determine a release from custody, an acceptance of a negotiated plea, or a sentence (grants such rights at a non-public parole proceeding to the extent they are afforded to the convicted offender); (3) reasonable notice of a release or escape from custody relating to the crime; (4) consideration for the interest of the victim in a trial free from unreasonable delay; (5) an order of restitution from the convicted offender; (6) consideration for the safety of the victim in determining any release from custody; and (7) reasonable notice of the rights established by this amendment. Grants the victim or the victim's representative standing to assert such rights. Provides that nothing in this amendment shall: (1) provide grounds for the victim to challenge a charging decision or a conviction, to overturn a sentence or negotiated plea, to obtain a stay of trial, or to compel a new trial; and (2) give rise to a claim for damages against the United States, a State, a political subdivision, or a public official. Empowers the Congress and the States to implement and enforce this amendment within their respective jurisdictions by appropriate legislation, including by enacting exceptions when necessary to achieve a compelling interest.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 1998
Marion National Fish Hatchery and Claude Harris National Aquacultural Research Center Conveyance Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey, without reimbursement, specified properties and related rights involving the Marion National Fish Hatchery and the Claude Harris National Aquacultural Research Center to the State of Alabama for use by its Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' Game and Fish Division, subject to the Division's offer to lease Research Center property, at no cost, to the Alabama Agriculture Experiment Station or, if the Station declines, to another public entity.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 1998
American Missile Protection Act of 1998 - States as U.S. policy to deploy as soon as technologically possible an effective National Missile Defense system capable of defending U.S. territory against limited ballistic missile attack (whether accidental, unauthorized, or deliberate).
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1998
Declares that the Senate: (1) expresses gratitude to, and calls upon all Americans to show their gratitude to, John McCain and the men who were held as prisoners of war during the Vietnam conflict and for the return of Senator McCain to the United States; and (2) will not forget that more than 2,000 members of the armed forces remain unaccounted for from such conflict and will continue to press for the fullest accounting for such members.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1998
Office of Surgeon General Sunset Act - Terminates the Office and position of the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service, transferring the Office's functions to the Assistant Secretary for Health of the Department of Health and Human Services. Requires that the Office of Management and Budget make determinations of the functions transferred. Provides for related delegation, reorganization, rules and regulations, transfer and allocations of appropriations and personnel, other transfers, the effect on personnel, and the effect on legal documents, proceedings, and administrative actions.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1998
Tax Code Termination Act - Prohibits the imposition of any tax by the Internal Revenue Code: (1) for any taxable year beginning after December 31, 2001; and (2) in the case of any tax not imposed on the basis of a taxable year, on any taxable event or for any period after December 31, 2001. Excepts the: (1) tax on self-employment income (chapter 2 of the Code); (2) Federal Insurance Contributions Act (chapter 21 of the Code); and (3) Railroad Retirement Tax Act (chapter 22 of the Code). Declares that any new Federal tax system should be a simple and fair system.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1998
Congressional Office of Regulatory Analysis Act - Establishes a Congressional Office of Regulatory Analysis. Authorizes appropriations. Transfers to the Director of such Office (the Director) the functions of the Comptroller General with respect to congressional review of agency rulemaking. Requires the Office to conduct its own specified regulatory impact analysis of major rules. Extends the deadline by which the Director must report to appropriate congressional committees on each major rule from 15 to 45 calendar days after its submission to the Congress or publication in the Federal Register. Requires the Office to conduct a regulatory impact analysis of any nonmajor rule when requested to do so by a congressional committee or Member of Congress. Amends the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 to: (1) transfer functions of the Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to the Director with respect to the comparison between agency and CBO mandate cost estimates; and (2) require the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), at the request of the CBO Director or the Director, to cooperate in providing mandate cost estimates and related data. Directs the OMB Director to collect agency statements prepared under such Act for forwarding to the Director (currently the CBO Director) after promulgation of the general notice of proposed rulemaking or of the final rule for which the statement was prepared.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1998
Expresses the sense of the Senate that March 2, 1998, shall be known as Read Across America Day, in honor of Dr. Seuss's birthday. Encourages reading with children on that day.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Taxpayer Rights Title II: Penalty Reform Title III: Internal Revenue Service Restructuring Title IV: Electronic Filing Title V: Regulatory Reform Putting the Taxpayer First Actof 1998 - Title I: Taxpayer Rights - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require court approval prior to the seizure of a taxpayer's property. (Sec. 102) Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to accept an offer-in-compromise if it reasonably reflects the taxpayer's ability to pay. (Sec. 103) Revises provisions concerning the awarding of administrative and litigation costs. (Sec. 104) Applies the confidentiality privilege to communications between a taxpayer and a federally authorized tax practitioner. (Sec. 105) Directs the Secretary, upon a taxpayer's reasonable request, to relocate an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) examination. (Sec. 106) Requires the IRS to pre-notify a taxpayer engaged in a trade or business whenever it issues a summons to another person concerning the taxpayer's trade or business, unless such notification would jeopardize the investigation. (Sec. 107) Requires the Secretary, at least 60 days prior to issuing a notice of deficiency, to notify the taxpayer of any proposed adjustments. Permits the taxpayer to appeal the Secretary's proposal. Title II: Penalty Reform - Revises provisions concerning interest penalties for failure to pay taxes. (Sec. 202) Repeals provisions concerning the penalty for the substantial understatement of income tax. (Sec. 203) Repeals failure-to-pay penalties, while retaining the failure-to-file penalty. Title III: Internal Revenue Service Restructuring - Establishes within the Department of the Treasury the Internal Revenue Service Board of Governors which shall review and approve: (1) strategic plans of the IRS; (2) operational functions of the IRS; (3) the IRS Commissioner's selection, evaluation, and compensation of senior managers; and (4) the IRS budget request. Requires the Board to report annually to the President and the Congress. Reestablishes the Commissioner's office and limits the Commissioner's term to five years. (Sec. 302) Requires the IRS to be organized into divisions representing the following types of taxpayers: (1) individual taxpayers subject to wage withholding; (2) small businesses and the self-employed; (3) large businesses; (4) employee plans and exempt organizations; (5) trusts and estates; and (6) such other divisions as the Board deems necessary. (Sec. 303) Reestablishes the Office of the Taxpayer Advocate as an office that is independent of all other IRS functions. (Sec. 304) Repeals provisions providing for an Assistant Commissioner (Taxpayer Services) and replaces them with provisions establishing an Office of Appeals with functions that are to be independent of all other IRS functions. Mandates the Office to resolve tax controversies without litigation on a fair and impartial basis and in a manner that encourages voluntary compliance and public confidence. (Sec. 305) Directs the Board to convene a taxpayer-communications advisory group which shall: (1) review all standard IRS written communications, forms and instructions; and (2) recommend such revisions to such documents as will render them more easily understood. Title IV: Electronic Filing - Provides for the establishment and implementation of a plan to increase electronic filing gradually over the next ten years while maintaining processing times for paper returns at 40 days. Sets forth reporting requirements concerning such plan, including reporting on the plan's effect on small businesses. Title V: Regulatory Reform - Amends Federal law concerning government organization to include in the definition of the term: (1) "major rule" any rule promulgated by the IRS, if such rule is likely to result in any net increase in Federal revenues; and (2) "covered agency" the IRS, for purposes of provisions concerning receiving comment from small entities on agency rulemaking. (Sec. 503) Expands a taxpayer's options with respect to the recovery of certain costs and fees.
![Official portrait of Sen. Shelby, Richard C. [R-AL]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s000320_200.jpg)