United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2001
Reserve Component Tax Assistance Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow as a business or trade deduction the expenses of a member of the reserve component of the U.S. armed forces in connection with such service. Makes such deduction available to itemizers and non-itemizers. Establishes related reserve component business-related employment and self-employment credits.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2001
Assure Access to Mammography Act of 2001 - Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 to delay until 2003 the inclusion of payment for screening mammography in the Medicare physician fee schedule. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for a change in the payment amount for screening mammography performed in 2002 under Medicare. Provides that, for cost reporting periods between October 1, 2001, and October 1, 2006, in applying the limitations regarding the total number of full-time equivalent residents in the field of allopathic or osteopathic medicine under Medicare for a hospital, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall not take into account a maximum of three residents in the field of radiology to the extent the hospital increases the number of radiology residents above the number of such residents for the hospital's most recent cost reporting period ending before October 1, 2001. Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise authorization of appropriations and allocation provisions with regard to interdisciplinary, community-based linkages, with changes establishing a specified authorization of appropriations for FY 2002 and a specified amount to be available for awards of grants and contracts under provisions on allied health and other disciplines. Directs the Comptroller General to study the relative value units established by the Secretary of Health and Human Services under the Medicare physician fee schedule for physicians' services that are gender-specific. Directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission to study the relative value units established by the Secretary under the such fee schedule for screening services that are reimbursed under it.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2001
Andean Trade Preference Expansion Act - Amends the Andean Trade Preference Act to extend, for a specified transition period, treatment free of any duties, quantitative restrictions, limitations, or consultation levels to certain textile and apparel articles (including preferential tariff treatment under the North American Free Trade Agreement to certain non-apparel articles) imported into the United States from Andean Trade Preference Expansion Act (ATPEA) beneficiary countries (Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru) designated under such Act. Sets forth penalties for exporters and countries that have engaged in the transshipment of such articles from an ATPEA beneficiary country.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2001
Landmine Elimination and Victim Assistance Act of 2001 - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Department of Defense should field currently available weapons, other technologies, tactics, and operational concepts that provide suitable alternatives to anti-personnel mines and mixed anti-tank mine systems; and (2) the United States should end its use of such mines and join the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction. Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1993 to make permanent (currently terminates on October 23, 2003) the prohibition on the transfer of anti-personnel landmines. Directs the President to establish an interagency working group to develop a comprehensive plan for expanded mine action programs, including victim rehabilitation, social support, and economic reintegration.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2001
Innocence Protection Act of 2001 - Amends the Federal judicial code to authorize a person convicted of a Federal crime to apply to the appropriate Federal court for DNA testing to support a claim that the person did not commit: (1) the Federal crime of which the person was convicted; or (2) any other offense that a sentencing authority may have relied upon when it sentenced the person with respect to such crime. Sets forth: (1) guidelines for the court to use in ordering DNA testing; (2) post-testing procedures; (3) provisions regarding preservation of evidence; (4) criminal penalties for destroying or altering DNA evidence; and (5) provisions regarding post-conviction DNA testing in State criminal justice systems. Prohibits a State from denying an application for DNA testing made by a prisoner in State custody who is under sentence of death if specified conditions apply. Provides grants to prosecutors for DNA testing programs. Establishes the National Commission on Capital Representation. Withholds funds from States not complying with standards for capital representation. Provides for capital defense incentive grants and resource grants. Increases compensation in Federal cases, and sets forth provisions regarding compensation in State cases, where an individual is unjustly sentenced to death. Adds a certification requirement in Federal death penalty prosecutions. Expresses the sense of Congress regarding the execution of juvenile offenders and the mentally retarded.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2001
Expresses the sense of Congress that any long-term Federal surplus-reducing actions adopted by the 107th Congress shall include a legislative "trigger" mechanism that: (1) links the phase in of such actions to actual budgetary outcomes over the next ten fiscal years; and (2) outlines specific action that shall be taken should specified levels of Federal debt reduction or on-budget surpluses not be realized, in order to maintain fiscal discipline and continue reduction of the national debt.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2001
Global Democracy Promotion Act of 2001 - Declares that, in eligibility determinations for certain assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, foreign nongovernmental organizations shall not be: (1) ineligible for such assistance solely on the basis of health or medical services (including counseling and referral services) provided by them with non-U.S. Government funds if such services do not violate the laws of the country in which they are being provided, and would not violate U.S. Federal law if provided in the United States; and (2) subject to requirements relating to the use of non-U.S. Government funds for advocacy and lobbying activities other than those that apply to U.S. nongovernmental organizations receiving such assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2001
Designates the headquarters offices of the Peace Corps, wherever situated, as the Paul D. Coverdell Peace Corps Headquarters. Amends the Paul D. Coverdell World Wise Schools Act of 2000 to require the Director of the Peace Corps to ensure that references in Peace Corps documents to the World Wise Schools Program be references to the Paul D. Coverdell World Wise Schools Program. Provides funding to the University of Georgia to support the construction of the Paul D. Coverdell Building at the Institute of the Biomedical and Health Sciences at the University.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2001
Brownfields Revitalization and Environmental Restoration Act of 2001 - Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) to provide for grant programs for inventorying, characterizing, assessing, remediating, and conducting planning related to brownfield sites. Defines a "brownfield site," with exceptions, as real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which is complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance or pollutant. Exempts from liability under CERCLA certain owners of real property contiguous to property on which there has been a hazardous substance release or threatened release and bona fide prospective purchasers. Provides for grants to States or Indian tribes for establishing or enhancing response programs. Restricts authority to take enforcement actions under CERCLA in cases of hazardous substance releases addressed by a State response plan.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2001
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Commemorative Coin Act of 2001 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue one-dollar silver coins emblematic of the human rights legacy and leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Home Health Payment Fairness Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000, to eliminate a specified 15 percent reduction in cost and per beneficiary limits with respect to payment rates for home health services under the Medicare prospective payment system (PPS). Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to increase payment by ten percent for home health services furnished in a rural area on or after April 1, 2001; but prohibits the Secretary from reducing the standard PPS amount (or amounts) applicable to such services furnished during a period to offset the payment increase resulting from such requirement.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Calls for the United States, at the 57th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva, Switzerland, to solicit co-sponsorship for, and take the lead in organizing multilateral support to obtain passage of, a resolution calling upon the Government of the People's Republic of China to end its human rights abuses in China and Tibet.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Supports the goals and ideas of National Donor Day. Encourages all Americans to learn about the importance of organ, tissue, bone marrow, and blood donation and to discuss such donations with their families and friends.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Building Health Promotion and Disease Prevention into the National Agenda Resolution of 2001 - Calls on the Federal Government to: (1) increase resources to enhance the science base required to further develop the field of health promotion and disease prevention; and (2) explore strategies to integrate life-style improvement programs into national policy, health care, schools, workplaces, families, and communities in order to promote health and prevent disease.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2001
Family Opportunity Act of 2001 or Dylan Lee James Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) give States the option of allowing families of disabled children to purchase Medicaid coverage for such children; and (2) provide for treatment of inpatient psychiatric hospital services for individuals under age 21 under waivers allowing for payment of part or all of the cost of home or community-based services. Authorizes a State to apply to the Secretary of Health and Human Services for approval of a demonstration project to provide Medicaid coverage of up to a specified maximum number of children with a potentially severe disability. Amends SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) to make appropriations to the Secretary for special projects of regional and national significance for development and support of family-to-family health information centers. Amends SSA title XIX to provide for the restoration of Medicaid eligibility to certain SSI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSA title XVI) beneficiaries under age 21.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2001
Biomedical Revitalization Resolution of 2001 - Expresses the sense of the Senate that funding for the National Institutes of Health should be increased by $3.4 billion in FY 2002.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2001
Small Business Energy Emergency Relief Act of 2001 - Amends the Small Business Act to authorize the Small Business Administration (SBA) to make disaster loans to assist small businesses that have suffered or are likely to suffer substantial economic injury as the result of a sharp and significant increase in the price of heating fuel. Prohibits any such loan from being made if the total amount outstanding and committed to the borrower would exceed $1.5 million, unless the applicant is a major source of employment in its surrounding area. Requires, for such assistance: (1) a declaration of a disaster by the President or the SBA Administrator; or (2) a certification from the governor of the State that its small businesses have suffered such economic injury and are in need of assistance which is not otherwise available.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2001
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Education Act - Authorizes the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc., to construct a temporary education center for educating people about the Memorial. Requires the center to remain for ten years, after which Congress may reevaluate the continuing need for the center. Sets forth conditions for the use of excess coin funds under the United States Veterans Commemorative Coin Act of 1993 in the construction of such center, including that the Fund provide detailed information with respect to the use of such funds.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2001
Bipartisan Patient Protection Act of 2001 - - Part II - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) with respect to Archer Medical Savings Accounts, increase the number of permitted account participants, increase the permitted size of a "small employer" from 50 to 100 or fewer employees, and extend, by two years, the cut-off year; (2) allow an eligible small employer a limited health insurance expenses credit; and (3) consider a "qualified health benefit purchasing coalition" (a non-profit corporation selling health insurance for small employers through licensed insurers) distribution as a distribution for a charitable purpose. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a program to award demonstration grants to States to allow States to demonstrate the effectiveness of innovative ways to increase access to health insurance through market reforms and other innovative means. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2001
Bipartisan Patient Protection Act of 2001 - Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and the Internal Revenue Code with respect to health care coverage. Requires group health plans, and health insurance issuers providing health insurance coverage, to conduct utilization review activities in connection with the provision of benefits under such plans or coverage only in accordance with an approved utilization review program. Requires health plans and insurers to offer consumers: (1) more care options; and (2) greater access to patient information. Restricts interference by health plans and insurers with the doctor-patient relationship. Prohibits health plans and insurers from discriminating against a licensed health care professional with respect to participation or indemnification. Requires health plans and insurers to comply with patient protection requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2001
Constitutional Amendment - Grants authority to: (1) Congress to set reasonable limits on contributions and expenditures made by, in support of, or in opposition to, a candidate for nomination or election to Federal office; as well as (2) a State to set similar reasonable limits with regard to nomination or election to State or local office.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2001
High-Speed Rail Investment Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit (to be included in gross income as interest) to holders of qualified Amtrak bonds issued by the National Railroad Passenger Corporation. Requires, with exceptions, State matching contributions for qualifying projects, which shall be used to redeem project-specific bonds, and if amounts remain, to fund other projects or bonds. Treats such contributions as tax-exempt facility bonds. Eliminates, for tax exemption for purposes, the governmental ownership requirement for mass commuting facility bonds. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to allocate bond funds for Alaska Railroad issuances. Requires the Corporation to annually submit a multi-year capital spending plan.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2001
Commission on the Comprehensive Study of Voting Procedures Act of 2001 - Establishes the Commission on the Comprehensive Study of Voting Procedures to: (1) study and report to the President and Congress on all issues relating to voting procedures in Federal, State, and local elections; and (2) develop recommendations with respect to Federal election matters. Directs the Attorney General to award grants to eligible State and local government applicants to enable them to implement Commission recommendations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2001
Postmasters Fairness and Rights Act - Amends Federal law to prescribe guidelines within which the Postal Service shall propose changes in pay policies, schedules, and fringe benefit programs affecting postmasters which are to be in effect during the period covered by a collective bargaining agreement between the Postal Service and certain recognized bargaining representatives. Grants certain qualified postmasters' organizations the right to participate in program planning and development pertaining to pay policies, schedules, and fringe benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2001
Retired Pay Restoration Act of 2001 - Permits retired members of the armed forces with service-connected disabilities to be paid both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation. Repeals a special compensation program for certain severely disabled military retirees.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2001
Department of Environmental Protection Affairs Act of 2001 - Redesignates the Environmental Protection Agency as the Department of Environmental Protection Affairs, an executive department.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Unaccompanied Alien Child Protection Act of 2001 - Establishes within the Department of Justice (DOJ) the Office of Children's Services which shall be responsible for coordinating and implementing law and policy for unaccompanied alien children. Establishes an Interagency Task Force on Unaccompanied Alien Children. States that an unaccompanied alien child found in the United States shall be promptly paroled into the United States and placed under the jurisdiction of the Office. Sets forth a family reunification preference order. Prohibits, with an exception for violent children, detention in adult or delinquent children facilities. Directs the Office to develop procedures for prohibited detention practices. Prohibits an unaccompanied alien child from being repatriated to a country unless an appropriate voluntary agency has conducted an assessment of the country conditions and the Office has conducted an assessment of the suitability of the placement of the child. Directs the Office to provide that each unaccompanied child have counsel and guardian ad litem. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish a special immigrant juvenile visa (J Visa). Expresses congressional commendation of the Immigration and Naturalization Service' s issuance of its "Guidelines for Children's Asylum Claims." Directs the Attorney General to provide immigration officers with related training. Amends the Act to exempt unaccompanied alien children from certain removal and asylum filing provisions. Directs the Comptroller General to report respecting the Office's effectiveness.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Equity in Prescription Insurance and Contraceptive Coverage Act of 2001 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Public Health Service Act to prohibit a group health plan, and a health insurance issuer providing group coverage, from: (1) excluding or restricting benefits for prescription contraceptive drugs, devices, and outpatient services if the plan provides benefits for other outpatient prescription drugs, devices, or outpatient services; (2) denying eligibility based on use or potential use of such items or services; (3) providing monetary payments or rebates to a covered individual to encourage acceptance of less than the minimum protections available; (4) penalizing, reducing, or limiting a professional's reimbursement because the professional prescribed such drugs or devices or provided such services; or (5) providing incentives to a professional to induce the professional to withhold drugs, devices, or services. Amends the Public Health Service Act to apply those prohibitions to coverage offered in the individual market.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Public Safety Medal of Valor Act- Authorizes the President to award, and present in the name of the Congress, a Medal of Valor to a public safety officer cited by the Attorney General, upon the recommendation of the Medal of Valor Review Board, for extraordinary valor above and beyond the call of duty. States that the Public Safety Medal of Valor is the highest national award for valor by a public safety officer. Establishes a Medal of Valor Review Board to select candidates to receive the Medal from among applications received by the National Medal Office. Establishes within the Department of Justice a National Medal Office to support the Board and establish criteria and procedures for the submission of nominee recommendations for the Medal. Repeals provisions of the Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 establishing the President's Award for Outstanding Public Safety Service and the Secretary of Commerce's Award for Distinguished Public Safety Service.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Health Assurance Act of 2001 - Amends provisions of the Social Security Act to increase, by revising income requirements, the number of individuals eligible for: (1) Medicaid coverage; and (2) a State's child health assistance program. Provides grants to States to develop and establish choice systems change initiatives for long-term care. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to mandate: (1) a set of rules for determining the actuarial value of the coverage offered by a plan or group health insurance coverage; and (2) a target actuarial value. Mandates model regulations specifying standards for making qualified group health plans available to small employers. Allows a State to implement more stringent standards, so long as the State standards do not prevent the offering of at least one plan that provides standard coverage. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose taxes on the failure to comply with requirements. Revises Medicare provisions to cover: (1) annual pap smears, pelvic exams, and mammography screening for women, with a coinsurance waiver; and (2) insulin pumps for the computerized delivery of insulin to certain Type I diabetics in lieu of multiple daily manual insulin injections. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the healthy start program under the PHSA Establishes: (1) a comprehensive school health education and prevention program for elementary and secondary schools; and (2) a comprehensive early childhood health education program. Sets forth provisions concerning a patient's right to decline medical treatment. Establishes: (1) a program to provide general medicine practice grants; (2) the Trust Fund for Medical Treatment Outcomes Research; (3) a State-based medical error reporting system; and (4) the National Fund for Health Research. Provides a tax credit for qualified long-term care premiums.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
National Electricity and Environmental Technology Act - Directs the Secretary of Energy to: (1) identify technology costs and associated performance goals that would permit continued cost-competitive use of coal for electricity generation, chemical feedstocks, and transportation fuel; (2) implement research and development programs that include demonstration and commercial application of coal-based technologies; and (3) implement a power plant improvement initiative program demonstrating commercial applications of advanced coal-based technologies applicable to new or existing power plants including co-production plants, which must advance the effectiveness, environmental performance, and cost competitiveness well beyond that which is in operation or has been demonstrated on the date of enactment of this Act. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax credits for investment in: (1) a qualifying clean coal technology unit in an existing coal-based electricity generation facility; and (2) early commercial applications of qualifying advanced clean coal technologies. Sets forth formulae for determining tax credits for unit production of both kinds of technologies. Exempts the installation of a qualifying system of continuous emission control from new source review requirements under the Clean Air Act. Grants a ten-year exemption from any new or increased emission control requirements for the specific pollutant controlled by such a system to any existing coal-based electricity generating unit on which it has been installed, if the system meets or exceeds the specified standard of performance for new stationary sources. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a financial risk pool for a limited time to offset the modification costs resulting from the failure of qualifying advanced clean coal technology to achieve its design performance. Cites conditions under which credits for emission reductions and efficiency improvements in existing coal-based generating facilities of electric cooperatives or publicly owned electric utilities may be treated as offset credits. Entitles the Tennessee Valley Authority to aggregate certain clean coal technology credits and apply them as a credit against obligations for annual returns on the appropriations investment and annual repayment sums.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
New Urban Agenda Act of 2001 - Amends the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act to establish executive agency purchase requirements, including recycled products, for businesses located in empowerment zones or enterprise communities. Requires specified amounts of foreign assistance to be in the form of credits for the purchase of goods produced in such zones and communities. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to provide assistance preference to Manufacturing Technology Outreach Centers located in such zones and communities. Establishes a preference for Federal facility construction or relocation in distressed urban areas. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide specified tax incentives to stimulate urban development, including provisions respecting: (1) rehabilitation credit treatment; (2) tax-exempt commercial development bonds; (3) small issue bonds; (4) arbitrage interest rebate waiver; (5) residential rental project bonds; and (6) the targeted jobs tax credit. Allows a home buyer tax credit for principal residence purchases in such zones or communities. Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to study the feasibility of consolidating public and low-income housing programs into a comprehensive block grant system. Amends the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act and the Housing and Community Development Act, respectively, to make home ownership assistance available to qualifying municipal employees and teachers. Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to establish a Brownfield program in the Environmental Protection Agency.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Self-Employed Health Insurance Fairness Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a deduction for 100 percent of a self-employed individual's health insurance costs for himself or herself, spouse, and dependents, unless such individual participates in an employer-maintained health plan. (Current law provides for a phased-in 100 percent deduction and disallowance upon participation eligibility.)
United States · United States Congress · 15 December 2000
Prohibits U.S. assistance to the Palestinian Authority unless the President certifies to Congress that it has removed the anti-Semitic, anti-Israel content included in the textbooks used in schools, and radio and television broadcasts made by publicly funded facilities, in the areas it controls in the West Bank and Gaza. Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should urge U.S. allies to apply equivalent restrictions on assistance to the Palestinian Authority.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2000
Commission on the Comprehensive Study of Voting Procedures Act of 2000 - Establishes the Commission on the Comprehensive Study of Voting Procedures to study and report to the President and Congress on all issues relating to voting procedures in Federal, State, and local elections. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2000
Peace Through Negotiations Act of 2000 - Declares it to be U.S. policy to oppose the unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state, to withhold diplomatic recognition of any Palestinian state that is unilaterally declared, and to encourage other countries and international organizations to withhold diplomatic recognition of any Palestinian state that is unilaterally declared. Sets forth certain measures that shall be applied in the event that a Palestinian state is unilaterally declared, including: (1) to make it unlawful for the government of any unilaterally declared Palestinian state, the Palestinian Authority, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), or any successor entities to establish an office in the United States; (2) to bar of U.S. assistance to the government of any unilaterally declared Palestinian state, the Palestinian Authority (or to any successor entity), and any programs or projects in the West Bank or Gaza (except humanitarian assistance); (3) to withhold a specified percentage of the U.S. contribution to any international organization that recognizes a unilaterally declared Palestinian state; and (4) to oppose such state's membership in any international financial institution or the extension by such institution of any loan or other financial assistance to it. Authorizes the President to suspend, for one year, the application of a specified number of such measures provided he determines and certifies to specified congressional committees that such suspensions are in the national security interests of the United States or the application of such measures would significantly hinder the prospects for a negotiated peace agreement in the Middle East.
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 2000
National Moment of Remembrance Act - Establishes a White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance to provide national coordination for, and encourage national, State, local, and tribal participation in, the commemoration of Memorial Day and the National Moment of Remembrance. Establishes as an agency of the Commission the Moment of Remembrance Alliance to assist the Commission, including by: (1) planning, organizing, and implementing an annual White House Conference on the National Moment of Remembrance and other similar events; (2) promoting the observance of Memorial Day and the National Moment of Remembrance; and 3) establishing incentives for Federal, State, and local governments and private entities to sponsor and participate in programs initiated by the Commission or the Alliance. Requires the Director of the Committee Management Secretariat Staff of the General Services Administration to appoint an individual as Executive Director and White House Liaison to: (1) serve as a liaison between the Commission and the President; (2) serve as chief of staff of the Commission; and (3) coordinate the Commission's and the President's efforts on all matters relating to this Act, including matters relating to the National Moment of Remembrance.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2000
James Madison Commemoration Commission Act - Establishes a James Madison Commemoration Commission and an advisory committee to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the birth of James Madison. Prescribes the duties of the Commission, including, in cooperation with the advisory committee and the Library of Congress, to: (1) direct the Government Printing Office to compile and publish a book containing a selection of James Madison's most important writings and tributes to him; and (2) plan and coordinate symposia that will be devoted to providing a better understanding of James Madison's contribution to American culture. Requires the Commission to report to the President and Congress by February 15, 2002, on its recommendations, including regarding disposition of historically significant items donated to it.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2000
Requires the Supreme Court to permit television coverage of all open sessions of the Court unless it decides by majority vote that allowing such coverage would violate the due process rights of any of the parties involved.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2000
Motor Vehicle and Motor Vehicle Equipment Defect Notification Improvement Act - Amends Federal transportation law to authorize the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) cooperate with transportation authorities of foreign countries to enhance motor vehicle and traffic safety by exchanging information about motor vehicle and motor vehicle equipment safety defects, noncompliance with motor vehicle safety, and motor vehicle equipment standards and regulations; and (2) negotiate for an international agreement governing the recall by manufacturers of motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment with safety-related defects. (Sec. 4) Prohibits a person from affixing a label to a motor vehicle or an item of motor vehicle equipment that certifies that it complies with applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards unless that person has established, through testing or engineering analyses, that such vehicle or equipment complies with such standards. (Sec. 5) Requires a manufacturer of a motor vehicle, original equipment, or replacement equipment to review and consider information regarding accidents involving motor vehicles or equipment manufactured by such manufacturer (or related party) that resulted in fatalities, serious injuries, or fires (including information about such accidents outside the United States) and notify the Secretary if the manufacturer has reason to believe that the vehicle or equipment has a safety-related defect or fails to comply with Federal motor vehicle safety standards. (Sec. 6) Extends the period of time for no-charge remedies with respect to defective motor vehicles, replacement equipment, or tires. (Sec. 7) Prohibits: (1) a dealer from selling a used motor vehicle (except for purposes other than resale), or leasing a used motor vehicle to another, unless such dealer informs the purchaser or lessee of any notification of a defect or noncompliance with respect to such vehicle that has not been remedied; and (2) a person who owns or leases a school bus or a motor vehicle used to transport passengers, and who receives a notice of a defect or noncompliance for that bus or vehicle, from operating it unless such defect or noncompliance is remedied. (Sec. 10) Sets forth civil penalties for violations of the requirements of this Act. Makes it unlawful for a manufacturer to introduce a motor vehicle or motor vehicle equipment into interstate commerce with a safety-related defect that causes grievous bodily harm or death to an individual if the manufacturer knows of the defect at the time the vehicle or equipment is introduced into interstate commerce. Sets forth both civil and criminal penalties for violations of such requirements. (Sec. 11) Sets forth certain reporting and recordkeeping requirements for manufacturers of motor vehicles or motor vehicle equipment with respect to: (1) accidents that result in fatalities, injuries, or fires involving such vehicles or equipment; and (2) certain warranty information, consumer complaints, personal injury claims, and other safety-related information as they relate to actual or potential defects. (Sec. 12) Increases civil penalties for tampering with motor vehicle odometers. (Sec. 13) Directs the Secretary to initiate rulemaking proceedings to: (1) review and revise motor vehicle safety standards for pneumatic tires; and (2) improve the labeling of tires in order to improve public understanding of load limits and appropriate tire inflation levels.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2000
Paul Coverdell National Forensic Sciences Improvement Act of 2000 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the use of drug control and system improvement (Byrne) grants to improve the quality, timeliness, and credibility of forensic science services for criminal justice purposes. Conditions such use on the State's grant application including a certification that the State has an established a forensic science laboratory or forensic science laboratory system or a medical examiner's office that meets specified requirements, including accreditation requirements. Establishes a forensic sciences improvement grant program. Directs the Attorney General to award such grants if specified conditions are met, including that any forensic science laboratory system, medical examiner's office, or coroner's office funded uses generally accepted laboratory practices and procedures. Sets forth requirements regarding applications, allocation of funds, permissible uses of grants, and administrative and reporting requirements. Authorizes appropriations for the elimination of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) convicted offender database sample backlogs and for other related purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2000
Privacy Commission Act - Establishes the Commission for the Comprehensive Study of Privacy Protection to study and report to Congress and the President on issues relating to protection of individual privacy and the appropriate balance to be achieved between protecting such privacy and allowing appropriate uses of information, including: (1) the monitoring, collection, and distribution of personal information by the government and by individuals or entities; and (2) privacy protection efforts of the public and private sectors.
![Official portrait of Sen. Specter, Arlen [R-PA]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s000709_200.jpg)