United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2001
Gun Show Background Check Act of 2001 - Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to require registration of gun show promoters and to set forth the responsibilities of promoters, licensees, and other transferors. Provides that if any part of a firearm transaction takes place at a gun show, each licensed importer, manufacturer, and dealer who transfers one or more firearms to a person who is not licensed shall, within ten days after the transfer, submit a report of the transfer to the Secretary of the Treasurer. Sets forth penalties for violations. Grants the Secretary authority to enter the place of business of any gun show promoter and any place where a gun show is held, during business hours and without a showing of reasonable cause or a warrant, for purposes of examining records and the inventory of licensees conducting business to determine compliance with this Act. Increases penalties for: (1) serious record-keeping violations by licensees; and (2) violations of criminal background check requirements. Modifies provisions regarding the national instant criminal background check system and the destruction of records in cases where receipt of a firearm would not violate the Brady Act or State law to provide for such destruction as soon as possible, consistent with the Attorney General's responsibility to ensure privacy and security of the system and to prevent system fraud and abuse, but in no event later than 90 days after the licensee first contacts the system.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2001
Designates April 2001 as National Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Encourages individual and collective efforts that reflect the vision of a Nation where: (1) no sexual assault victim goes un-served or ever feels there is no path to justice; and (2) citizens work toward eliminating all forms of sexual violence.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2001
Retirement Security and Savings Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (the Code) with respect to pensions. (All the following are amendments to the Code, except where the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, ERISA, is mentioned.) Increases: (1) annual dollar Individual Retirement Account (IRA) contribution limits; and (2) benefit and contribution limits, with indexes for inflation. Amends the Code and ERISA to deem certain voluntary employee contributions to accounts and annuities as IRAs rather than pension plans. Provides for tax-free distributions from IRAs for charitable purposes. Modifies adjusted gross income limits for Roth IRAs. Revises requirements relating to: (1) plan loans for subchapter S owners, partners, and sole proprietors; and (2) specified top-heavy rules. Provides that elective deferrals shall not be taken into account for purposes of limits on certain plan contributions. Repeals specified coordination requirements for deferred compensation plans of State and local governments and tax-exempt organizations. Revises certain deduction limits for stock bonus and profit sharing trusts and for defined contribution plans. Provides for optional treatment of elective deferrals as after-tax contributions. Establishes nonrefundable tax credits for elective deferrals and IRA contributions. Establishes refundable tax credits for: (1) qualified pension plan contributions of small employers; and (2) the pension plan startup costs of small employers. Allows individuals age 50 or older to make additional contributions to an applicable employer plan (section 401(k) or similar plan). Sets forth requirements relating to equitable treatment for contributions of employees to defined contribution plans. Provides for faster vesting of certain employer matching contributions under the Code and ERISA. Revises: (1) minimum distribution rules; and (2) requirements relating to tax treatment of division of section 457 plan benefits upon divorce. Sets forth provisions: (1) relating to hardship distributions; and (2) for waiver of a tax on nondeductible contributions for domestic or similar workers. Permits, under certain conditions, rollovers: (1) from and to various types of plans; (2) of IRAs into workplace retirement plans; and (3) of after-tax contributions in an exempt trust. Sets forth a hardship exception to the 60-day rule. Sets forth requirements for treatment of forms of distribution available under transferor and transferee plans under the Code and ERISA. Revises restrictions on distributions, including the same desk exception. Allows trustee-to-trustee transfers to purchase permissive service credit with respect to governmental defined benefit plans. Allows employers to disregard rollovers for purposes of cash-out amounts, under retirement plan provisions of the Code. Revises minimum distribution and inclusion requirements for section 457 plans. Repeals, for plan years beginning in 2004 and following years, the current liability full funding limit under the Code and ERISA. Revises maximum contribution deduction rules, and applies them to all defined benefit plans. Allows an employer, in determining the amount of nondeductible contributions for any taxable year, to elect not to take into account any contributions to a defined benefit plan except to the extent they exceed the full-funding limitation. Makes certain compensation limitations for defined benefit plans inapplicable to governmental and multiemployer plans. Prohibits combining or aggregating a multiemployer plan with any other plan maintained by the employer for the purpose of applying such limitations. Amends the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 to protect the investment of employee contributions to 401(k) plans by providing that specified requirements apply to elective deferrals for plan years beginning after December 31, 1998. Requires that pension benefit statements be furnished annually (once every three years for defined benefit plans) or on request. Establishes an excise tax for certain prohibited allocations of stock in an S corporation ESOP. Provides for automatic rollovers of certain mandatory distributions. Establishes an excise tax for the failure of a defined benefit plan or an individual account plan (except governmental, church, and other specified plans), subject to minimum funding standards to meet specified notice requirements, under the Code and ERISA, for plan amendments which significantly reduce benefit accruals. Revises Code and ERISA requirements relating to timing of plan valuations. Allows applicable dividends of ESOPs to be reinvested without loss of dividend deduction. Repeals a transition rule relating to certain highly compensated employees under the Tax Reform Act of 1986. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to modify specified regulations with respect to certain plan participation by employees of tax-exempt entities. Treats the provision of certain retirement planning services by an employer for an employee as a de minimis fringe benefit to the extent it is not treated as a working condition fringe. Directs the Secretary to provide simplified annual filing requirements for retirement plans with assets below a specified amount, if they cover: (1) one participant (an owner and spouse); or (2) fewer than 25 employees. Directs the Secretary to continue to update and improve the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System, or any successor program. Repeals a multiple use test. Allows certain alternative ways of satisfying nondiscrimination, coverage, and line of business rules. Exempts plans maintained by any governmental entity from certain nondiscrimination rules. Directs the Secretary to modify specified regulations relating to the notice and consent period regarding distributions. Directs the Secretary to study and report on pension coverage and preretirement use of benefits. Revises ERISA provisions relating to: (1) annual report dissemination; (2) the National Summit on Retirement Savings; (3) missing participants; (4) Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) reduction of premiums for new plans of small employers and of additional premiums for new and small plans; (5) PBGC authority to pay interest on premium overpayment refunds; (6) substantial owner benefits in terminated plans; (7) civil penalties for breach of fiduciary responsibility; and (8) benefit suspension notices. Prescribes time requirements for plan amendments or annuity contract amendments.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2001
Holocaust Victims Tax Fairness Act of 2001 - Excludes from gross income and from adjusted gross income computations which consider excluded income (including Social Security benefits) specified restitution payments received by persons (or heirs) persecuted for racial or religious reasons by Nazi Germany, its allied or controlled countries, or any other Axis regime. Excludes such payments from eligibility and benefits determinations for purposes of Federal or federally assisted means-tested programs.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2001
Opposes the elimination of Saturday home and business mail delivery and calls on the U.S. Postal Service to take all of the necessary steps to assure that six-day home and business mail delivery not be reduced.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2001
Rural Heritage Conservation Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to farm and ranch land, to: (1) establish special rules for the charitable contribution of such land; (2) treat a farmer or rancher as an individual with respect to any such contribution with respect to the charitable contribution limit; and (3) expand, for estate tax purposes, the definition of land which may qualify for a conservation contribution.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2001
Nurse Reinvestment Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for nurse education training payments to qualified entities. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to temporarily increase the matching rate for Medicaid nurse aide training and competency evaluation programs. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the exclusion from gross income of amounts received under the National Nursing Service Corps Scholarship Program. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) develop and issue public service announcements that advertise and promote the nursing profession, highlight the advantages and rewards of nursing, and encourage individuals from diverse communities and backgrounds to enter the nursing profession; and (2) award grants to designated eligible educational entities in order to increase the number of nurses. Authorizes appropriations. Establishes a National Nurse Service Corps Scholarship program that provides scholarships to individuals seeking nursing education in exchange for service by such individuals in areas with nursing shortages. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2001
Expresses the Senate's regret at the damage and loss of life occasioned by the accidental collision of a U.S. military EP-3E Aries II reconnaissance aircraft and an F-8 jet fighter from the Air Force of the People's Republic of China. Calls for the Chinese Government to release the crew members of the EP-3E and return the aircraft and its equipment to the United States. Supports the President's continuing efforts to ensure the safe return of the crew and aircraft.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2001
Railroad Retirement and Survivors' Improvement Act of 2001 - Amends the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 to increase benefits to railroad employees and their beneficiaries and to revise financing of the pension part (tier II) of the railroad retirement system. Establishes a Railroad Retirement Trust Fund and a Railroad Retirement Investment Trust to manage and invest Fund assets. Abolishes the Railroad Retirement Supplemental Annuity Account and provides for transfer of its funds to the Fund. Provides for transfer to the Fund of certain portions of the Railroad Retirement Account and of Social Security Equivalent Benefit account funds. Transfers to the disbursing agent from the Dual Benefits Payments Account the amount necessary to make dual benefit payments. Requires the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) to calculate the ratio of assets to benefits to determine annual tier II tax rates for employers, employee representatives, and employees. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt the Fund from taxation. Repeals a supplemental annuity tax that railroad employers pay to finance a benefit for long-time rail employees. Provides for adjustments to railroad employers, employee representatives, and employee tier II tax rates.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2001
Higher Education Affordability and Fairness Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a limited tax deduction for qualified higher education tuition and related expenses. Provides that the increase in the Lifetime Learning Credit to 20 percent of $10,000 of tuition from $5,000 of tuition shall be effective starting in 2002 rather than 2003. Directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct an annual study to examine whether the Federal income tax incentives to provide education assistance affect higher education tuition rates in order to identify if institutions of higher education are absorbing the intended savings by raising tuition rates. Expresses the sense of the Senate that the maximum Pell Grant should be increased to $4,700 to pay approximately: (1) 20 percent of the tuition, fees, room and board, and other expenses of the average college; or (2) the tuition and fees of the average public college.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2001
Fair Pay Act of 2001 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to prohibit discrimination in the payment of wages on account of sex, race, or national origin. (Allows payment of different wages under seniority systems, merit systems, systems that measure earnings by quantity or quality of production, or differentials based on bona fide factors that the employer demonstrates are job-related or further legitimate business interests.) Prohibits the discharge of or any other discrimination against an individual for opposing any act or practice made unlawful by this Act, or for assisting in an investigation or proceeding under it. Directs courts, in any action brought under this Act for violation of such prohibition, to allow expert fees as part of the costs awarded to prevailing plaintiffs. Allows any such action to be maintained as a class action. Requires employers subject to such prohibition to: (1) preserve records which document and support the method, system, calculations, and other bases used by the employer in establishing, adjusting, and determining the wages paid to their employees, for periods of time prescribed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC); and (2) make reports to the EEOC. Directs the EEOC to: (1) undertake studies and provide information and technical assistance to employers, labor organizations, and the general public concerning effective means available to implement this Act; (2) carry on a continuing program of research, education, and technical assistance with specified components related to the purposes of this Act; and (3) include a separate evaluation and appraisal regarding the implementation of this Act in its annual report to the Congress. Makes conforming amendments relating to congressional and executive branch employees to the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 and the Presidential and Executive Office Accountability Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2001
Fair Care for the Uninsured Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an individual a tax credit in an amount equal to the amount paid for qualified health insurance, subject to stated limitations. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to make payments to the provider of an individual's qualified health insurance equal to such individual's qualified health insurance credit advance amount (the Secretary's estimate of the amount of credit allowable) with respect to such provider. Requires each health insurer, health maintenance organization, and health service organization to participate in a health insurance safety net which shall assure the availability of health insurance to uninsurable individuals. Funds such safety nets through assessments against such insurers and organizations. Permits such insurers and organizations to add the costs of such assessments to the costs of its insurance or coverage. Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow health benefits coverage through individual membership associations (IMAs). Sets forth IMA requirements, including that the IMA be an organization operated under the direction of an association and that IMA health benefits coverage only be provided through contracts with health insurance issuers. Requires IMAs to include a minimum of two health insurance coverage options.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2001
Housing Bond and Credit Modernization and Fairness Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) repeal the required use of certain principal repayments on mortgage subsidy bond financings to redeem bonds; (2) modify the purchase price limitation under mortgage subsidy bond rules based on median family income; and (3) define the term "area median gross income" for low-income housing credit projects.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2001
Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to taxation of U.S. shareholders of controlled foreign corporations, to permanently extend the subpart F exemption (which excludes such income from the shareholder's foreign personal holding company income) for active financing (banking, financing, or similar business) income earned on business operations overseas. (Thus permits American financial services firms doing business abroad to defer U.S. tax on their earnings from their foreign financial services operations until such earnings are returned to the U.S. parent company.)
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2001
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit a taxpayer to elect to use the completed contract accounting method with respect to a qualified naval construction contract (more than 24 months in duration).
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2001
Pet Safety and Protection Act of 2001 - Amends the Animal Welfare Act regarding permissible sources of research facility dogs and cats, which include licensed dealers, registered public pounds or shelters meeting specified requirements, and research facilities licensed by the Department of Agriculture. Establishes monetary penalties for related violations.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2001
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to restore, increase, and make permanent the exclusion from gross income for amounts received under qualified group legal services plans.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2001
United States-Jordan Free Trade Area Implementation Act - Authorizes the President to proclaim such modifications or continuation of duty, continuation of duty-free or excise treatment, or additional duties as are deemed necessary to carry out the Agreement between the United States of America and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on the Establishment of a Free Trade Area (Agreement), entered into on October 24, 2000. Sets forth certain rules of origin with respect to the reduction or elimination of any duty imposed by the United States on Jordanian articles as provided in such Agreement. Directs the International Trade Commission (ITC), upon the filing of a petition by an entity (including a trade association, firm, certified or recognized union, or group of workers representative of an industry) requesting trade relief from U.S. obligations under the Agreement, to initiate an investigation to determine whether, as a result of the reduction or elimination of a duty provided for under the Agreement, a Jordanian article is being imported into the United States in such increased quantities and under such conditions that such imports alone constitute a substantial cause of serious injury or threat thereof to the domestic industry producing an article that is like, or directly competitive with, such imported article. Prescribes a procedure for ITC action on such a petition. Requires the President, upon an affirmative determination by the ITC, to provide necessary import relief and facilitate efforts of the domestic industry to make a positive adjustment to import competition, unless the provision of such relief is not in the U.S. national economic interest, or in extraordinary circumstances, the provision of relief would cause serious harm to U.S. national security. Requires the ITC, if an affirmative determination about import competition has been made under the Trade Act of 1974, also to find whether imports of Jordanian articles are a substantial cause of serious injury or threat. Requires the President to review such a determination, and authorizes exclusion of such Jordanian imports from remedial action if the final determination is negative. Authorizes a Jordanian national (including any spouse or child, if accompanying or following to join such national) to enter the United States pursuant to the Agreement as a nonimmigrant if such entrance is solely to carry on substantial trade, or solely to develop the operations of an enterprise in which he has invested a substantial amount of capital. Declares that U.S. law shall supercede any inconsistent Agreement provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2001
Neighborhood Watch Partnership Act of 2001 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize within the public safety and community policing ("cops on the beat") program assistance to unincorporated neighborhood watch organizations approved by the appropriate local police or sheriff's department for the purchase of citizen band radios, street signs, magnetic signs, flashlights, and other equipment relating to neighborhood watch patrols.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2001
Explosives Protection Act of 2001 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit the sale, delivery, or transfer of explosive materials to, and the shipment, transport, possession, or receipt of explosives by, certain individuals not allowed to engage in such activities with respect to firearms. Sets forth exceptions and waivers for certain aliens and other individuals lawfully admitted to the United States pursuant to a non-immigrant visa.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2001
Long-Term Care and Retirement Security Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) a deduction (based on years of continuous coverage) for eligible long-term care insurance premiums for a taxpayer, spouse, and dependents, including accelerated deduction percentages for persons who are 55 years old; and (2) long-term care insurance to be offered under cafeteria plans and flexible spending arrangements. Allows an income-adjusted (limited) credit for eligible individuals with long-term care needs. Sets forth specified requirements for qualifying long-term care insurance contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2001
Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2001, or the CAN SPAM Act of 2001 - Amends Federal criminal law to subject to a fine or imprisonment the transmission of unsolicited commercial electronic mail message containing fraudulent routing information accompanied by header information that is materially or intentionally false or misleading. Mandates inclusion of identifier, opt-out, and physical address in unsolicited commercial electronic mail. Confers enforcement powers for violations of this Act upon: (1) upon the Federal Trade Commission; (2) designated Federal agencies; and (3) the States. Permits treble damages in a civil action brought by a provider of Internet access service adversely affected by a violation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2001
Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act of 2001 - Authorizes the Attorney General to provide technical, forensic, prosecutorial, or other assistance in the criminal investigation or prosecution of any crime that: (1) constitutes a crime of violence under Federal law or a felony under State or Indian tribal law; and (2) is motivated by prejudice based on the race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability of the victim or is a violation of the hate crime laws of the State or tribe. Directs the Attorney General to give priority for assistance to crimes committed by offenders who have committed crimes in more than one State and to rural jurisdictions that have difficulty covering the extraordinary investigation or prosecution expenses. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to assist State, local, and Indian law enforcement officials with such extraordinary expenses. Directs the Office of Justice Programs to: (1) work closely with funded jurisdictions to ensure that the concerns and needs of all affected parties are addressed; and (2) award grants to State and local programs designed to combat hate crimes committed by juveniles. Prohibits specified offenses involving actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to study and provide sentencing enhancements for adult recruitment of juveniles to commit hate crimes. Amends the Hate Crimes Statistics Act to require the crime data to be collected and published by the Attorney General to include data about crimes that manifest evidence of prejudice based on gender.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2001
Government Pension Offset Reform Act - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to modify the formula for determining the amount of reduced monthly OASDI benefits payable to a spouse, surviving spouse, or parent receiving monthly payments from a Federal or State pension plan. Declares that such benefit reductions shall be equal to the amount by which two-thirds of the total amount of the combined monthly benefit (before reduction) and monthly pension exceeds $1,200, adjusted for inflation.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2001
Police Gun Buyback Assistance Act - Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to assist eligible States or units of local government in: (1) purchasing new firearms without transferring decommissioned firearms to any person; and (2) destroying decommissioned firearms.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2001
Gun Parts Trafficking Act of 2001 - Amends the Federal criminal code to: (1) include within a prohibition against the shipment or transportation of firearms any parts or combinations thereof that when assembled on a frame or receiver would constitute a firearm; (2) make it unlawful for any person other than a licensed manufacturer to manufacture or assemble a firearm; and (3) increase from $50 to $500 the fee for a license to manufacture firearms. Amends the National Firearms Act to revise generally the prohibition against the possession or transfer of certain combinations of machine gun replacement parts.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2001
Urges the President to undertake efforts to end restrictions on the freedoms and human rights of the enclaved people of Cyprus. Expresses the intention of Congress to remain actively interested until such rights and freedoms are restored, respected, and safeguarded.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
Comprehensive and Balanced Energy Policy Act of 2001 - Establishes: (1) the National Commission on Energy and Climate Change; and (2) the Interagency Working Group on Clean Energy Technology Transfer. Authorizes the States to develop energy infrastructure regional coordination. Mandates periodic reviews of regulations to identify barriers to market entry for emerging energy technologies. Amends the Federal Power Act to establish the Electric Reliability Organization. Establishes the Public Benefits Fund. Amends the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to authorize electrification grants for rural and remote communities. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to mandate a comprehensive Indian energy program. Amends the Department of Energy Organization Act to establish the Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs. Directs the Federal Trade Commission to prescribe disclosure requirements regarding: (1) energy sources used to generate electricity; and (2) specified consumer protections and privacy. Amends the Federal Power Act to require Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to establish: (1) a wholesale electricity market data information system; and (2) wholesale electric energy rates in the western energy market. Prescribes guidelines governing: (1) renewable energy resources; (2) distributed generation facilities; and (3) hydroelectric relicensing. Directs the Secretary of Energy to: (1) assess cost and performance goals for a national coal-based technology development and applications program; and (2) implement a power plant improvement initiative program. Price-Anderson Amendments Act of 2001 - Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to revise indemnification and liability guidelines. Sets a deadline for a specified Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas lease sale. Mandates an accelerated research and development program regarding pipeline integrity of natural gas and hazardous liquids. Prescribes guidelines for statutory mechanisms that increase vehicle fuel efficiency or provide vehicle alternatives in order to limit demand for petroleum products by light-duty vehicles. Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to revise alternative fuel requirements for Federal fleets. Establishes: (1) the Federal Energy Bank; and (2) the High Performance Schools Program. Energy Science and Technology Enhancement Act - Delineates goals for enhanced research and development programs that target: (1) energy efficiency; (2) renewable energy; (3) fossil energy; (4) nuclear energy; and (5) fundamental energy science. Directs the Secretary of Energy to: (1) establish national energy research and development advisory boards; (2) monitor workforce trends pertaining to skilled technical personnel supporting energy technology industries; (3) establish traineeship grant programs for technically skilled personnel; and (4) develop employee training guidelines to support electric supply system reliability and safety.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
Energy Security and Tax Incentive Policy Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to establishing and revising tax credits and deductions concerning: (1) energy efficient property used in business; (2) residential energy systems; (3) electricity facilities and production; (4) commercial applications of advanced clean coal technologies; (5) heating fuels and storage; and (6) oil and gas production and petroleum products.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
Constitutional Amendment - States that equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
Condemns the repressive and totalitarian actions of the Cuban Government against the Cuban people. Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should: (1) establish an action-oriented policy of directly assisting the Cuban people and independent organizations to strengthen the forces of change and to improve human rights in Cuba (with such policy modeled on the bipartisan U.S. support for the Polish Solidarity movement); and (2) make all efforts necessary at the meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva in 2001 to obtain passage of a resolution condemning the Cuban Government for its human rights abuses and to secure the appointment of a Special Rapporteur for Cuba.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2001
Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act of 2001 - Amends titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act to grant States the option of covering certain categories of eligible women and child resident aliens under the Medicaid and SCHIP programs.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2001
Relief, Equity, Access, and Coverage for Health (REACH) Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow as a limited refundable credit the amount paid for qualified health insurance; and (2) provide for the payment, by the Secretary of the Treasury, to an individual's health insurer of an amount equal to an individual's qualified health insurance credit advance amount. Amends the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) provisions of the Social Security Act to provide that, in the case of a targeted low-income child who is eligible for child health assistance and whose parent is eligible for the refundable health insurance costs tax credit, payment may be made to a State for payment by the State to a health insurance issuer that receives advance payment of such credit on behalf of the parent of an amount equal to the estimated cost of providing the child with child health assistance, subject to stated conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2001
Equal Protection of Voting Rights Act of 2001 - Establishes the Commission on Voting Rights and Procedures to study: (1) election technology and systems; (2) ballot design and uniformity; (3) ballot and polling place access; (4) voting systems capacity and election administration efficiency; (5) voter registration and maintenance of voter rolls; (6) alternative voting methods; (7) voter intimidation; (8) accuracy of voting, election procedures, and election technology; (9) voter education; (10) election personnel and volunteer training; (11) implementation of provisions of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act on registration and voting by absent uniformed services voters and overseas voters in elections for Federal office; (12) establishment of the date on which such elections are held as a Federal or a State holiday and on establishment of modified polling place hours; and (13) Federal assistance to State and local authorities to improve the administration of elections for Federal office. Directs the Commission to develop specific recommendations, consistent with certain uniform and nondiscriminatory election technology and administration requirements under this Act, regarding: (1) best practices in voting and election administration; (2) Federal assistance to State and local authorities to improve administration of Federal elections; (3) increased voter registration, accuracy of voter rolls, and participation and inclusion of legal voters, and (4) improved voter education and training of election personnel. Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to approved State, territory, and locality applicants to pay the Federal share of the costs of activities to: (1) improve, acquire, or replace voting equipment or technology and improve the accessibility of polling places; (2) implement new election administration procedures to increase voter participation and reduce disenfranchisement, such as "same-day" voter registration procedures; (3) educate voters concerning voting procedures, voting rights or voting technology, and to train election personnel; and (4) implement Commission recommendations. Specifies certain uniform and nondiscriminatory requirements each voting system used in an election for Federal office must meet with regard to election technology and administration. Outlines requirements for provisional voting and sample ballot mailings to voters. Authorizes the Attorney General to bring a civil action in an appropriate district court to enforce the requirements of this Act for election technology and administration through the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Justice.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2001
Working Families Registry Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to extend the admission date for permanent residence for certain aliens, including additional one-year extensions during specified time periods.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2001
Clean Power Act of 2001 - Amends the Clean Air Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate regulations to achieve specified reductions in emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide, and mercury from powerplants (electric generation facilities with a nameplate capacity of 15 megawatts or greater that use a combustion device to generate electricity for sale) by January 1, 2007. Sets forth additional compliance requirements for outdated powerplants.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2001
Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2001 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Public Health Service Act, respectively, to prohibit certain employee group health plans or related insurances providing both medical-surgical and mental health benefits from imposing mental health treatment limitations or financial requirements unless comparable limitations and requirements are imposed upon medical-surgical benefits. Exempts specified small employers from such requirements. Requires a General Accounting Office study of such requirements' effects upon health insurance costs, access, and quality.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2001
Access to Innovation for Medicare Patients 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 provide for Medicare coverage of self-injected biologicals approved by the Food and Drug Administration that are prescribed as a complete replacement for a drug or a biological that otherwise cannot be self-administered.
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 · 15 March 2001
Infant Crib Safety Act - Makes it unlawful for any commercial user to: (1) manufacture, sell, or contract to sell any full-size or nonfull-size crib which is unsafe for any infant; or (2) sell, contract to sell or resell, lease, sublet, or otherwise place in the stream of commerce any such crib which is not new and is unsafe for any infant. Makes it unlawful for any lodging facility to offer or provide such an unsafe crib. Presumes as unsafe a crib which does not conform to specified standards in the Code of Federal Regulations and the American Society for Testing Materials Voluntary Standards, unless labeled as dangerous for an infant and not intended to be used for one. Authorizes a fine and injunction against violators of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2001
Amends Federal transportation law to instruct the Secretary of Transportation to require the use of dredged material in the construction of federally funded transportation projects.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2001
Justice for the Victims of Pan Am 103 Resolution of 2001 - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the international community should condemn the Government of Libya and its leader, Muammar Qadhafi, for support of international terrorism, including the bombing of Pan Am 103; (2) such Government should make a complete accounting of its involvement in that bombing, accept responsibility, compensate the families of the victims, and renounce support for international terrorism; and (3) the President should instruct the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) to use the voice and vote of the United States to maintain UN sanctions against Libya until all conditions in applicable Security Council resolutions are met, and to seek the reimposition of sanctions if Libya fails to comply. Declares that it should be U.S. policy to: (1) oppose the removal of UN sanctions until the Libyan Government has taken such actions; (2) maintain such sanctions until the Libyan Government has fulfilled the requirements of UN Security Council Resolutions 731, 748, 883, and 1192, the President certifies that Libya no longer provides support for international terrorism, and such Government is not pursuing weapons of mass destruction or the means to deliver them in contravention of U.S. law.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2001
Social Services Block Grant Restoration Act of 2001 - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to restore the authority of States to transfer up to ten percent of TANF funds to carry out State programs pursuant to SSA title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services). Amends SSA title XX to: (1) restore funds to States and territories for FY 2001 and 2002 and each fiscal year thereafter; and (2) require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to compile information on State activities carried out under SSA title XX and report it annually to Congress.
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 · 6 March 2001
Public School Repair and Renovation Act of 2001 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a School Renovation grants program. (This five-year program is similar to a program currently authorized for one year under the Department of Education Appropriations Act, 2001.) Allots program funds, after certain reservations, to States for distribution through competitive grants to high-poverty LEAs, rural LEAs, and other LEAs. Requires: (1) 75 percent of program funds to be used for the urgent repair and renovation of public elementary and secondary schools in high-need areas, including renovations to comply with specified accessibility requirements of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; and (2) 25 percent for technology activities related to school renovation or for special education activities authorized under part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Amends the Department of Education Appropriations Act, 2001 to revise the authorization of appropriations for a charter school credit enhancement initiative program.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2001
Bankruptcy Reform Act of 2001 - Amends Federal bankruptcy law governing: (1) conversion of bankruptcy petitions; (2) abusive creditor practices; (3) debt reaffirmation and credit counseling; (4) domestic support obligations; (5) personal injury claims resulting from drug or alcohol-impaired operation of a motor vehicle or vessel; (6) Federal criminal law enforcement regarding abusive reaffirmations of debt; (7) fraudulent bankruptcy schedules; (8) education and retirement benefits; (9) privacy protection of debtor's nonpublic personal information; and (10) nondischargeability of debts resulting from civil restitution or damages for debtor's willful or malicious injury that caused personal injury or death of an individual, or violations of laws relating to the provision of lawful goods and services. Prescribes guidelines regarding: (1) discouragement of bankruptcy abuse; (2) general and small business bankruptcy; (3) bankruptcy data dissemination and bankruptcy tax provisions; (4) incorporation into the bankruptcy code of the Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency; and (5) financial contracts and transfers entered into with an insolvent insured depository institution before its conservatorship or receivership (including securities broker/commodity broker liquidation). Reenacts Chapter 12, Adjustment of Debts of a Family Farmer with Regular Annual Income. Prescribes guidelines for insolvent health care businesses and attendant patients' rights. Mandates appointments and extensions for certain additional temporary bankruptcy judgeships. Prescribes additional consumer credit disclosures.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2001
Amends the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 to designate a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System under the Wilderness Act.
![Official portrait of Sen. Torricelli, Robert G. [D-NJ]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/t000317_200.jpg)