United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1997
Late Term Abortion Restriction Act - Makes it unlawful, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, to knowingly perform an abortion after the fetus has become viable, unless, in the medical judgment of the attending physician, it is necessary to preserve the life of the woman or to avert serious adverse health consequences to her. Subjects a physician who violates this Act to a civil penalty of up to $10,000.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1997
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the post-1987 reduction in the State ceiling on private activity bonds. Provides, beginning in 1999, for cost-of-living adjustments in the State ceiling on such bonds.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1997
United States-Puerto Rico Political Status Act - Declares it is the policy of the Congress that: (1) English shall be the common language of mutual understanding in the United States, and this policy shall apply in all of the States freely admitted to the Union; and (2) if the referenda under this Act result in approval of sovereignty leading to Statehood for Puerto Rico, it is anticipated that English would become the official language of the Federal Government in Puerto Rico. Declares that Congress has the authority to expand existing English language requirements in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Requires a referendum to be held by December 31, 1998, on Puerto Rico's political status, for either: (1) retention of its present Commonwealth status; (2) full self-government through separate sovereignty leading to independence or free association; or (3) full self-government through U.S. sovereignty leading to statehood. Requires the President to develop and submit to the Congress for approval legislation for: (1) a transition plan of at least ten years which leads to full self-government for Puerto Rico; and (2) a recommendation for the implementation of such self-government consistent with Puerto Rico's approval. Requires the transition plan, if the vote favors statehood, to include proposals and incentives to increase the opportunities of the people of Puerto Rico to learn English, including the teaching of English in public schools, fellowships, and scholarships. Requires another referendum within four years, and every four years thereafter (but not in a general election year), if the referendum conducted under this Act, and any subsequent referendum, does not result in a majority vote for separate sovereignty or statehood. Sets forth specified requirements with respect to the referendum and congressional procedures for consideration of legislation. Makes funds available for the referendum, including those derived from the Federal excise tax on foreign rum. Requires the Government of Puerto Rico to make grants to the State Elections Commission of Puerto Rico for referenda held under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1997
Domestic Violence Victims Housing Act - Increases specified authorizations of appropriations under the United States Housing Act of 1937 to provide rental relocation assistance to victims of domestic violence.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1997
Increases the salaries of the Chief Justice and associate Supreme Court justices of the United States and the judges of the United States courts of appeals, the United States district courts, and the United States Court of International Trade by 9.6 percent. Requires future adjustments in judicial salaries to equal the percentage by which General Schedule pay rates are adjusted (currently, the percentage change in the Employment Cost Index).
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1997
Filipino Veterans Equity Act of 1995 (sic) - Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to include certain service in the organized military forces of the Philippines and service as Philippine Scouts within the definition of active U.S. military service for purposes of eligibility for various veterans' benefits for former active-duty military personnel.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1997
Access to Emergency Medical Services Act of 1997 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and the Public Health Service Act to require any group health plan which provides emergency health services to cover emergency services furnished to a plan participant: (1) without need for any prior authorization; (2) subject to stated exceptions, whether or not the physician or provider is plan participant; and (3) subject to stated exceptions, without regard to any other term or condition of the plan. Defines "emergency medical services" and related terms. Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) to provide for the provision of the same benefits to Medicare and Medicaid plan participants. Provides for the establishment of guidelines by the appropriate Secretaries in order carry out the provisions of this Act. Directs the Secretaries to jointly establish an advisory panel to assist in the development of such guidelines.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 1997
Child Passenger Protection Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to enter into contracts with, and make grants to, State highway offices and other experienced child passenger safety organizations to distribute national, State, and local motor vehicle child restraint education programs and supporting educational materials. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1997
Amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to define "special agent," for foreign service retirement and disability provisions, as an employee of the Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security in a position classified as a foreign service specialist, 2501 series or skill code. Sets forth the rate applicable to special agents for contributions to the Foreign Service Retirement and Disability Fund. Provides for: (1) the application of provisions relating to contributions for civilian service to prior service as a special agent; (2) the computation of annuities; and (3) the treatment of service if the participant transfers to the Civil Service Retirement System or the Federal Employees' Retirement System. Allows current participants and certain retirees to make specified elections concerning the applicability of amendments made by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1997
Requires the House of Representatives to participate in State and local government transit programs to encourage House employees to use public transportation. Directs the Committee on House Oversight to issue appropriate regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1997
Repeals the Federal charter granted to Group Hospitalization and Medical Services, Inc. Authorizes the corporation to file articles of incorporation under the District of Columbia Nonprofit Corporation Act. Provides that, notwithstanding provisions of the District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act that require congressional review of certain acts passed by the District of Columbia Council before they become effective, the Hospital and Medical Services Corporation Regulatory Act of 1996 shall become effective upon its enactment or the enactment of this Act, whichever occurs later.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1997
Expresses the sense of the Congress that cost-of-living adjustments for Federal retirees should be paid beginning in January of each year, as current law prescribes, and should not be delayed, whether as part of a budget agreement or otherwise.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 1997
Marine Resources Revitalization Act of 1997 - Amends the National Sea Grant College Program Act to add or modify various definitions. Modifies the duties of the Program's Director. Sets forth the duties of sea grant institutions (defined as sea grant colleges, sea grant regional consortia, and certain types of entities conducting a sea grant program with amounts under the Act), including merit-reviewing grant and contract applications. Repeals provisions relating to the sea grant international program. Revises requirements for designating sea grant colleges and consortia. Repeals provisions mandating postdoctoral fellowships. Authorizes appropriations for grants, contracts, and fellowships. Removes the separate authorization of appropriations for administration, limiting administration expenditures to a percentage of funds appropriated for grants, contracts, and fellowships. Repeals provisions authorizing appropriations for priority oyster disease research. Modifies the maximum pay for the Program's Director and for voting members of the sea grant review panel.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 1997
Uniformed Services Medicare Subvention Program Act - Directs the Secretaries of Defense and of Health and Human Services (HHS) to jointly establish a subvention program to provide the Department of Defense (DOD) with reimbursement from the Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act for health services provided to Medicare-eligible covered military beneficiaries who agree to receive such services through the managed care option of the TRICARE program (a DOD-managed health care program). Makes program enrollment voluntary. Requires the Secretary of Defense to waive the TRICARE enrollment fee for program participants for whom Medicare reimbursement may be made. Directs the HHS Secretary to make monthly payments to DOD from the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund representing appropriate reimbursement amounts. Provides for the determination of such amounts. Directs the Secretary of Defense to: (1) maintain DOD health care efforts for Medicare-eligible covered military beneficiaries; (2) estimate, for the first fiscal year of the subvention program, the amount expended by DOD for FY 1997 for providing health care items and services to such beneficiaries; and (3) establish monthly targets of the number of such beneficiaries for whom reimbursement will not be provided to DOD. Requires the Comptroller General, for each program year, to report to the Secretaries and the Congress on the extent to which costs under the TRICARE program and the Medicare program have increased as a result of the subvention program. Requires the Secretaries to take necessary steps to offset any excess costs and prevent future excess costs, including: (1) suspension or termination of the subvention program; (2) adjustment of the payment rate; or (3) adjustment of DOD maintenance of effort requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 1997
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination in Health Insurance Act of 1997 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to prohibit a group health plan or a health insurance issuer offering group coverage from discriminating on the basis: (1) of genetic information; or (2) that the participant or beneficiary has requested or received genetic services. Regulates genetic information collection and disclosure by plans and issuers. Provides for compensatory, consequential, and punitive damages. Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit a group health plan, a health insurance issuer offering group coverage, or a health issuer in the individual market from so discriminating. Regulates genetic information collection and disclosure by plans and issuers. Provides for compensatory, consequential, and punitive damages. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit an issuer of a Medicare supplemental policy from so discriminating. Provides for compensatory, consequential, and punitive damages. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit a group health plan or a health insurance issuer offering group coverage from so discriminating. Regulates genetic information collection and disclosure by plans and issuers.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 1997
Reconstructive Breast Surgery Benefits Act of 1997 - Amends the Public Health Service Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to require group health plans and insurers offering group health coverage, if they cover a mastectomy, to also cover reconstructive breast surgery resulting from the mastectomy, including surgery on a nondiseased breast to establish symmetry. Prohibits related: (1) denial of coverage or monetary incentives to women; and (2) penalties or incentives to providers. Amends the Public Health Service Act to apply the above requirements to individual health insurance coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 1997
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of the Congress, a congressional gold medal to Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 1997
Uniformed Services Medicare Subvention Demonstration Project Act - Directs the Secretaries of Defense and Health and Human Services (HHS) to jointly establish a demonstration project to provide the Department of Defense (DOD) with reimbursement, under provisions of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, for health services provided to Medicare-eligible covered military beneficiaries who participate in the project and receive such services through the managed care option of the TRICARE program (a DOD managed health care program). Requires the project to be conducted during the three-year period beginning on January 1, 1998, in no more than five geographic regions designated by the Secretaries. Makes project enrollment voluntary. Requires the Secretary of Defense to waive the TRICARE enrollment fee for project participants for whom Medicare reimbursement may be made. Requires inclusion in the project of a provision for expansion to incorporate health care services provided to such beneficiaries under the fee-for-services options of the TRICARE program if the Secretaries determine that such expansion is feasible and advisable. Directs the HHS Secretary to make monthly payments to DOD from the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund representing appropriate reimbursement amounts. Provides for the determination of such amounts. Directs the Secretary of Defense to: (1) maintain the DOD health care efforts for Medicare-eligible covered military beneficiaries; (2) estimate the amount expended by DOD for FY 1997 for providing health care items and services to such beneficiaries; and (3) establish monthly targets for the number of such beneficiaries enrolled in the project necessary to meet DOD maintenance of health care efforts for such individuals. Limits to $65 million the annual payments to DOD for the project. Requires the Comptroller General, for each project year, to submit to the Secretaries and the Congress a report on the extent to which costs under the TRICARE program and the Medicare program have increased as a result of the project. Directs the Secretaries to modify the project at the end of each year to correct for any discrepancy between cost targets and actual spending under the project. Directs the Secretaries to submit to the Congress an interim and final report on various project aspects.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 1997
Amends the Social Security Act to require States, as a condition of Federal funding of State child support enforcement programs, to impose criminal penalties on persons who willfully fail to pay child support.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 1997
Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 1997 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit group health plans and health insurance issuers offering group health insurance coverage, with regard to hospital stays in connection with breast cancer treatment, from: (1) covering less than 48 hours after mastectomies or less than 24 hours after lymph node dissections; or (2) requiring plan or issuer authorization for prescribing any length of stay. Prohibits: (1) denying eligibility, enrollment, or renewal to avoid these requirements; (2) providing payments or rebates to women; or (3) penalizing or providing incentives to providers. Applies the same requirements to issuers in the individual market.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 1997
Constitutional Amendment - Prohibits outlays for a fiscal year (except those for repayment of debt principal) from exceeding total receipts (except those derived from borrowing) for that fiscal year unless the Congress, by a three-fifths roll call vote of each House, authorizes a specific excess of outlays over receipts. Requires a three-fifths roll call vote of each House to increase the public debt. Directs the President to submit a balanced budget to the Congress. Requires the approval of a majority of each House by roll call vote before any bill to increase revenue may become law. Authorizes the Congress to waive these provisions when: (1) a declaration of war is in effect; or (2) the United States is engaged in a military conflict which poses a threat to national security as declared by a joint resolution adopted by a majority of each House. Makes this article effective beginning with FY 2002 or with the second fiscal year beginning after its ratification, whichever is later.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 1997
Declares that the United States is fully committed to the goals enunciated in the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and associated annexes negotiated in Dayton, Ohio, and signed in Paris, France (Agreement), and to the unified state of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Commends the NATO-led Implementation Force (IFOR) for its work in establishing peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Encourages the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), other institutions, and non-governmental organizations to promote further rebuilding of democratic institutions and civic society in Bosnia and Herzegovina and neighboring countries. Opposes admission to international organizations and fora of, and the receipt of certain loans and financial or technical assistance from international financial institutions by, the parties to the Agreement until such states have complied with their obligations under the Agreement and United Nations Security Council Resolutions to cooperate fully with the International Criminal Tribunal. Urges: (1) the United States and the international community to oppose secession by any entity from the unified state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to actively support the work of the parties to establish democratic institutions and the rule of law in Bosnia and Herzegovina, to increase support for the efforts of the Tribunal, and to support the request of the Tribunal President for the High Representative to impose sanction on those who have not complied with their obligations to cooperate fully with the Tribunal; (2) the signatories to the Agreement and those nations and organizations participating in its implementation to ensure full implementation of the arms control and confidence-building agreements reached as part of the Agreement; (3) IFOR, the NATO-led Stabilization Force (SFOR), the International Police Task Force, and other designated missions to make it an urgent priority to detain and bring to justice persons indicted by the Tribunal; (4) IFOR and SFOR to take an active role in ensuring respect by the parties to the Agreement for freedom of movement throughout the country; and (5) the United States, OSCE, and the international community to press the Serbian Government to recognize the results of recent elections, facilitate installation of duly elected opposition candidates, undertake a dialogue with democratic forces working for reform, and act immediately to improve respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1996
Late Term Abortion Restriction Act - Makes it unlawful, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, to knowingly perform an abortion after the fetus has become viable, except, if in the medical judgment of the attending physician, it is necessary to preserve the life of the woman or to avert serious adverse health consequences to her.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1996
Child Passenger Protection Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to enter into contracts with, and make grants to, State highway offices and other experienced child passenger safety organizations to distribute national, State, and local motor vehicle child restraint education programs and supporting educational materials. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1996
Welcomes the efforts of many post-Communist countries to address the status of plundered properties. Urges: (1) countries which have not already done so to return plundered properties to their rightful owners or, as an alternative, pay compensation in accordance with principles of justice and in a manner that is just, transparent, and fair; and (2) post-Communist countries to pass and effectively implement laws that provide for restitution of, or compensation for, plundered property. Calls for: (1) the urgent return of property formerly belonging to Jewish communities as a means of redressing the particularly compelling problems of aging and destitute survivors of the Holocaust; and (2) the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and other countries to remove restrictions which require those whose properties have been wrongfully plundered by Nazi or Communist regimes to reside in or have the country's citizenship from which they now seek restitution or compensation. Calls upon foreign financial institutions, and the states having legal authority over their operation, that possess wrongfully and illegally property confiscated from Holocaust victims, from residents of former Warsaw Pact states who were forbidden by Communist law from obtaining restitution of such property, and from states that were occupied by Nazi, Fascist, or Communist forces, to assist and to cooperate fully with efforts to restore this property to its rightful owners.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 1996
Declares that the United States is committed to the goals enunciated in the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia, Herzegovina, and associated annexes. Urges: (1) the United States and the international community to oppose efforts to advocate secession and to support the work of the parties to the Agreement to establish democratic institutions and the rule of law in Bosnia and Herzegovina; (2) the signatories to such Agreement and those nations and organizations participating in its implementation to make it an urgent priority to bring to justice persons indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia; and (3) the latter entities to ensure implementation of the arms control and confidence building agreements reached as part of the Agreement, including the Agreement on Sub-Regional Arms Control, and to undertake the destruction of those weapons above agreed ceilings. Commends the members of the NATO-led Peace Implementation Forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina for their work in carrying out their mandate and in ensuring a calm and orderly election process.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 1996
Jackie Robinson Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) mint and issue one-dollar silver coins emblematic of Jackie Robinson in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the breaking of the color barrier in major league baseball; and (2) distribute surcharge proceeds to the Jackie Robinson Foundation to enhance its education and youth leadership programs, and increase the availability of scholarships for economically disadvantaged youths.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 1996
States that the Congress consents to amendments made by Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia to title III of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Regulation Compact.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Title II: General Provisions Emergency Disaster Assistance Supplemental Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 1996 - Title I: Emergency Supplemental Appropriations - Makes emergency supplemental appropriations for FY 1996 to provide relief from the damages caused by Hurricane Fran and other natural disasters of 1996. Chapter 1: Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies - Makes such FY 1996 emergency supplemental appropriations to: (1) the Department of Agriculture, for the Farm Service Agency's emergency conservation program; (2) the Natural Resources Conservation Service, for watershed and flood prevention operations; (3) the Rural Housing Service, for Rural Housing Insurance Fund Program Account direct loans, and for very low-income housing repair grants; (4) the Rural Utilities Service, for the rural utilities assistance program; and (5) the Commodity Credit Corporation, for covering 1996 crop losses. Chapter 2: Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies - Makes such FY 1996 emergency supplemental appropriations to: (1) the Department of Commerce, for the Economic Development Administration's economic development assistance programs; and (2) the Small Business Administration, for the Disaster Loans Program Account. Chapter 3: Energy and Water Development - Makes such FY 1996 emergency appropriations to the Department of Defense-Civil, Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers-Civil, for: (1) general operation and maintenance; and (2) flood control and coastal emergencies. Chapter 4: Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies - Makes such FY 1996 emergency appropriations to: (1) the Department of Housing and Urban Development for community development grants; and (2) the Federal Emergency Management Agencies for disaster relief. Title II: General Provisions - Designates each amount provided for a program or activity in title I as an emergency requirement for all purposes of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act). Makes such amount available only to the extent of a specific dollar amount for such program or activity that is: (1) included in an official budget request submitted by the President to the Congress; and (2) designated as an emergency requirement for all purposes of that Act. (Sec. 202) Authorizes Federal department or agency heads to waive certain restrictions in administering funds provided under title I.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 1996
Establishes in the House of Representatives the Select Committee to Investigate CIA involvement in Crack Cocaine Sales in South Central Los Angeles to investigate and report to the House on the alleged involvement of the Central Intelligence Agency in: (1) the financing, distribution, and sale of crack cocaine in south central Los Angeles and the surrounding area; and (2) the use of profits from such alleged activities to fund anti-government forces in Nicaragua.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1996
Condemns human rights abuses and denials of religious liberty to Christians around the world and calls upon the responsible regimes to cease such abuses. Recommends that the President expand and invigorate U.S. international advocacy on behalf of persecuted Christians and initiate a thorough examination of all U.S. policies that affect persecuted Christians. Encourages the President to proceed expeditiously in appointing a White House special advisor on religious persecution. Applauds the actions of the World Evangelical Fellowship in declaring an annual international day of prayer on behalf of persecuted Christians.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1996
Clinical Research Enhancement Act of 1996 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the President to establish the President's Clinical Research Panel, as part of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), to evaluate the status of the U.S. clinical research environment. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Advisory Committee to the Director (of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)) on Clinical Research to report to the Director and to the Panel and to implement recommendations as the Committee determines necessary to remedy NIH clinical research deficiencies. Terminates the Committee five years after enactment of this Act. Requires the OSTP to review the compositions, functions, and outcomes of study section activities at all Federal agencies as such activities relate to clinical research proposals for investigator-initiated support. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Director to: (1) support and expand NIH's clinical research involvement; (2) support and expand available resources; and (3) establish certain peer review mechanisms. Mandates grants for: (1) the establishment of general clinical research centers to provide the infrastructure for clinical research training and career enhancement; (2) clinical research career enhancement awards; and (3) innovative medical science awards to support individual clinical research projects. Authorizes appropriations. Increases the maximum aggregate number of contracts that may be made under existing provisions relating to: (1) undergraduate scholarships regarding professions needed by NIH; and (2) loan repayments regarding clinical researchers (currently, clinical researchers from disadvantaged backgrounds). Authorizes appropriations for the loan repayment program. Requires that at least 50 percent of such funds for a fiscal year be used for contracts with qualified health professionals from disadvantaged backgrounds.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 1996
District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority Act of 1996 - Amends the District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act to authorize the District of Columbia Council to issue revenue bonds, notes, and other obligations to borrow money to finance water and sewer facilities (defined as facilities for the obtaining, treatment, storage, and distribution of water, the collection, storage, treatment, and transportation of wastewater, storm drainage, and the disposal of liquids and solids resulting from treatment). Allows water and sewer enterprise fund revenues, assets, or other property to be used as payments and security for obligations issued with respect to water and sewer facilities. Permits the D.C. Council to delegate to the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority the authority to issue obligations to finance utilities facilities, pollution control facilities, and water and sewer facilities. Provides that such obligations issued by the Authority shall be issued by resolution of the Authority and not by an act of the Council. Makes provisions requiring congressional approval before amounts may be obligated or expended by District government employees or officers inapplicable with respect to any amount obligated or expended: (1) from the proceeds of the sale of such obligations; (2) for the payment of the principal of, interest on, or any premium for such obligations; (3) to secure such obligations; and (4) for repair, maintenance, and capital improvements to facilities financed by such obligations. Removes from the calculation of the District's debt service ceiling: (1) revenues, charges, or fees dedicated for the purposes of water and sewer facilities; and (2) obligations incurred pursuant to general obligation bonds issued before FY 1997 for the financing of Department of Public Works, Water and Sewer Utility Administration capital projects. Requires: (1) the Authority to submit to the Mayor for inclusion in the annual budget annual estimates of the expenditures and appropriations necessary for its operation for the year; and (2) the Mayor, without revision but subject to recommendations, to forward the estimates to the Council for its action. Permits the Council to comment or make recommendations concerning, but not revise, such annual estimates. Prohibits the Mayor from reducing amounts appropriated or otherwise made available to the Authority if determined necessary to reduce the District's budget in a fiscal year. Requires employees transferred from the Department of Public Works to the Authority to perform their duties under the personnel system developed by the Authority's Board or a collective bargaining agreement entered into after the enactment of such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 1996
Condemns the rash of arson against African-American churches across the United States during the past 18 months. Pledges to take steps to assist law enforcement authorities in apprehending the persons responsible. Supports the bipartisan legislation introduced by Representatives Conyers and Hyde to facilitate the prosecution of, and increase penalties against, arsonists who target houses of worship. Encourages the people of the United States to work within their own communities to prevent arson against African-American houses of worship.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1996
Federal Employment Reduction Assistance Act of 1996 - Authorizes the head of an agency to submit a plan to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to pay voluntary separation incentives to employees of the agency who agree to separate from the agency by retirement or resignation. (Sec. 4) Provides that a voluntary separation incentive payment be paid in a lump sum after the employee's separation and be equal to the lesser of: (1) the amount the employee would have been entitled to receive (without adjustment for any previous payment); or (2) if the employee separates during a certain fiscal year, according to a specified payment amount for such fiscal year, from FY 1996 through FY 2000. (Sec. 5) Prescribes that an individual who has received a voluntary separation incentive payment and accepts any subsequent employment with the Government within five years after the date of separation shall be required to repay, prior to the first day of employment, the entire amount of the incentive payment to the agency that paid the incentive payment. Provides for waiver of repayment if the individual involved possesses unique abilities and is the only qualified applicant for the position. (Sec. 6) Requires that an agency make a contribution to the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund in an amount equal to 15 percent of the final basic pay of each agency employee to whom a voluntary separation incentive has been paid. (Sec. 7) Mandates the reduction of total full-time equivalent employment in each agency by one for each employee receiving a voluntary separation payment. Requires that the President take appropriate action to ensure that functions involving more than ten full-time equivalent employees are not converted to contracts except in cases in which a cost comparison demonstrates that such contracts would be to the advantage of the Government. Provides for the preceding two clauses to be waived upon a determination by the President that the existence of a state of war or other national emergency, or the existence of an extraordinary emergency so requires. (Sec. 8) Mandates certain reports. Makes technical amendments to the Federal Workforce Restructuring Act of 1994. (Sec. 9) Modifies requirements regarding the order of retention in a voluntary participation in a reduction in force. (Sec. 10) Provides for continued health insurance coverage for separated employees.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1996
Women's Pension Equity Act of 1996 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to provide for the development of a model: (1) spousal consent form when an election is made to waive a qualified joint and survivor annuity or a qualified preretirement survivor annuity; and (2) qualified domestic relations order. Amends the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 to extend the payment of any portion of Tier II Railroad Retirement benefits to surviving former spouses pursuant to divorce agreements. Amends Federal law to provide for a survivor annuity to widows, widowers, and certain former spouses of Federal employees who die after having separated from the service with title to a deferred annuity, but before attaining age for such annuity under the Civil Service Retirement System on the same basis as is currently provided to certain survivors of former Members of Congress. Revises provisions concerning Federal retirement benefits subject to a court order.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1996
Ballistic Missile Defense Act of 1996 - Declares that it is U.S. policy to develop by the year 2000 a National Missile Defense System (System) that: (1) can be deployed in 2003; (2) shall be capable of providing a highly effective defense of the United States against limited ballistic missile attacks; and (3) shall be rigorously tested during development. Sets forth, in the following order, U.S. policy regarding the priority for the development and deployment of ballistic missile defense programs: (1) maintaining the operational readiness of the armed forces and modernization of weapon systems to ensure mission effectiveness in the future; (2) completing the development and deployment of essential theater missile defense systems; and (3) developing the System by the year 2000 for deployment in the year 2003 and developing space-based sensors. Directs the Secretary, in order to implement that policy, to initiate a National Missile Defense Program which shall include: (1) a ground-based interceptor system that provides coverage of the continental United States (including Alaska) and Hawaii; (2) fixed ground-based radars; (3) space-based sensors; and (4) battle management, command, control, and communications. Specifies Program implementing and reporting requirements. Requires the President to take specified actions to: (1) defend against weapons of mass destruction by preventing the spread of fissile materials and other components; (2) reduce the threat to the United States from such weapons delivered by intercontinental ballistic missiles (including by urging Russia to ratify the START II Treaty); and (3) carry out a program to enhance U.S. capabilities relating to the threat to the United States of a chemical or biological weapons attack inside the United States by unconventional means (establishes in the executive branch an interagency task force to assess and make recommendations concerning such capabilities). Requires the President to: (1) carry out requirements of this Act in a manner consistent with the ABM Treaty; (2) seek Treaty amendments necessary to deploy the System; and (3) treat any negotiated Treaty amendment as having entered into force only if it is made in the same manner as a treaty. Specifies conditions to be satisfied in order for Treaty modifications restricting theater ballistic missile defense systems to be binding on the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Eligibility for Services; Distribution of Payments Title II: Locate and Case Tracking Title III: Streamlining and Uniformity of Procedures Title IV: Paternity Establishment Title V: Program Administration and Funding Title VI: Establishment and Modification of Support Orders Title VII: Enforcement of Support Orders Title VIII: Medical Support Title IX: Enhancing Responsibility and Opportunity for Non- Residential Parents Title X: Effective Dates and Conforming Amendments Child Support Improvement Act of 1996 - Title I: Eligibility for Services; Distribution of Payments - Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require State plans for child and spousal support to provide: (1) certain services relating to paternity establishment or enforcement of child support obligations; and (2) continuation of services for families ceasing to receive assistance under Aid to Families with Dependent Children. (Sec. 102) Revises payment distribution guidelines for support obligations collected by the State on behalf of a family. (Sec. 103) Requires State plans to establish procedural guidelines for: (1) privacy safeguards regarding paternity and child support actions; and (2) notification to services applicants or recipients of all proceedings and orders affecting child support obligations. Title II: Locate and Case Tracking - Mandates that single statewide automated data systems include a State case registry containing records of: (1) each case in which services are provided by the State agency; and (2) each support order established on or after a specified date. Permits the linking of local registries. (Sec. 202) Requires State plans to include a centralized, automated unit for the collection and disbursement of support payments. Permits the unit to be established by linking local disbursement units through an automated information network if the Secretary agrees that it will not cost more or take more time to establish or operate than a centralized system. (Sec. 203) Requires State plans to: (1) provide for a State-operated and automated State Directory of New Hires containing prescribed information furnished by employers on new personnel; and (2) transmit such information to the National Directory of New Hires. (Sec. 204) Requires States to have statutorily prescribed procedures: (1) for mandatory income withholding for support payments subject to enforcement; and (2) under which wages of a person with a support obligation imposed by a child support order issued before October 1, 1996, shall become subject to withholding if arrearages occur, without the need for a judicial or administrative hearing. Revises the procedural guidelines for income withholding for child support enforcement. (Sec. 205) Requires the States to have statutorily prescribed procedures to ensure that Federal and State agencies conducting income-withholding activities have access to State locator systems for motor vehicle or law enforcement purposes. (Sec. 206) Revises the Federal Parent Locator Service to provide for additional information which may be transmitted to locate individuals and assets for purposes of: (1) establishing parentage; (2) establishing, setting the amount of, modifying, or enforcing child support obligations; and (3) enforcing child custody or visitation orders. Directs the HHS Secretary to establish in the Federal Parent Locator Service an automated Federal Case Registry of Child Support Orders and an automated National Directory of New Hires. Requires the Secretaries of Labor and of HHS to jointly develop cost-effective methods of accessing information in the various State directories of new hires and the National Directory of New Hires, taking into account impact and cost to the States, and the need to insure authorized use of wage record information. (Sec. 207) Requires States to have statutorily prescribed procedures requiring recordation on such documents of the Social Security number of: (1) specified driver's, marriage, and occupational, and professional license applicants; (2) individuals subject to certain domestic relations orders; and (3) deceased persons (on death records). Title III: Streamlining and Uniformity of Procedures - Requires each State to have the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act in effect as of January 1, 1998. Amends the Federal judicial code to revise the procedures for the court to apply when determining which State order to recognize for purposes of continuing, exclusive jurisdiction and enforcement for child support orders. (Sec. 303) Requires the States to have statutorily prescribed procedures requiring: (1) expedited administrative enforcement in interstate cases and support orders; and (2) expedited administrative and judicial procedures for establishing paternity and enforcing support obligations. Title IV: Paternity Establishment - Revises the guidelines for State laws governing paternity establishment. Requires State procedures under which the name of the father shall be included on the birth certificate only: (1) if the mother and father have signed a voluntary acknowledgment of paternity; or (2) pursuant to a judicial or administrative order. (Sec. 403) Requires State plans for child and spousal support to provide that the State agency administering the plan will make a determination as to whether a program recipient is cooperating in good faith with State efforts to establish paternity and secure support. Title V: Program Administration and Funding - Directs the Secretary to develop a new incentive system to replace the current one. Revises the guidelines for Federal performance-based incentive payments to the States for effective child support enforcement programs. (Sec. 502) Requires a State plan for child and spousal support to include prescribed procedures for State reviews and audits. Revises the guidelines for Federal evaluation and audit of State programs governing paternity, child and spousal support, and parent location. (Sec. 504) Revises the automated data processing requirements for State plans to mandate a single statewide automated data processing and information retrieval system which can perform specified tasks. (Sec. 505) Makes funds available to the Secretary for: (1) training of Federal and State staff, research and demonstration programs, and special projects of regional and national significance; and (2) operation of the Federal Parent Locator Service. Title VI: Establishment and Modification of Support Orders - Revises the requirements for State plan procedures for the review and adjustment of support orders. (Sec. 602) Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to authorize a consumer agency to furnish a consumer report: (1) in response to a request by a governmental child support enforcement agency; or (2) to the State administrative agency which sets child support awards. (Sec. 603) Shields a depository institution from Federal or State liability for disclosing any financial record of an individual to a State child support enforcement agency. Prohibits such agency from disclosing such a financial record except for the purpose of, and to the extent necessary in, establishing, modifying, or enforcing a child support obligation. Sets forth civil penalties for knowing or negligent violation of such prohibition. Title VII: Enforcement of Support Orders - Amends Internal Revenue Code procedural guidelines for the collection of arrearages to provide that no additional fee may be assessed for adjustments to a previously certified amount. (Sec. 702) Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of SSA title IV to revise procedural guidelines for: (1) consent by the United States to income withholding, garnishment, and similar proceedings for enforcement of child support and alimony obligations of current and retired Federal employees; and (2) enforcement of child support obligations of members of the armed forces. (Sec. 704) Requires a State plan for child and spousal support to have in effect the Uniform Fraudulent Conveyance Act of 1981, the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act of 1984, or a similar law, as well as certain procedures governing the voiding of fraudulent transfers by a child support debtor. (Sec. 705) Requires a State plan for child and spousal support to include specified procedures to: (1) ensure that persons owing past-due support work or participate in work activities the court deems appropriate; (2) report to credit bureaus the name of the parent in arrears for child support; (3) provide for liens against real and personal property for the support arrearages of an absent parent; and (4) implement the restriction of driver's, professional, occupational, and recreational licenses of individuals owing support arrearages. (Sec. 710) Requires the Secretary of State to deny, revoke, or limit a passport upon certification of nonpayment of child support. (Sec. 711) Authorizes the Secretary of State to negotiate reciprocal agreements with foreign nations: (1) regarding international enforcement of child support obligations; and (2) designating the Department of Health and Human Services as the central authority for such enforcement. (Sec. 712) Requires States to have statutorily prescribed procedures under which a State agency shall enter agreements with financial institutions doing business within the State to develop and operate a data match system to provide identifying information for each absent parent targeted by the State who maintains an account at the institution, and to encumber or surrender such parent's assets at the institution pursuant to a lien or levy. (Sec. 713) Requires States to have statutorily prescribed procedures under which child support orders relating to the child of minor parents, where the custodial parents are receiving assistance, are enforceable against the child's paternal or maternal grandparents. (Sec. 714) Amends Federal bankruptcy law and the Social Security Act to declare a debt for child support nondischargeable in bankruptcy. Title VIII: Medical Support - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to include within the definition of medical child support order an order issued through a State administrative process. (Sec. 802) Amends part D of SSA title IV to mandate statutorily prescribed procedures under which all enforced child support orders shall include a provision for the health care coverage of the child. Title IX: Enhancing Responsibility and Opportunity for Non-Residential Parents - Amends part D of SSA title IV to prescribe guidelines under which the Administration for Children and Families shall make grants to enable States to establish and administer access and visitation programs to facilitate absent parents' access to their children. Title X: Effective Dates and Conforming Amendments - Sets forth effective dates and conforming amendments.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1996
Federal Health Program Benefit Change Accountability Act - Amends Federal law to require that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) prepare an annual report concerning the health benefits program for Federal employees which shall describe any substantial changes in maximums, limitations, exclusions, or other definitions of benefits that it intends to propose for implementation in the upcoming contract year. Directs that OPM publish each report in the Federal Register and submit a copy of each such report to both Houses of the Congress as early in the year as possible.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1996
Directs the President, until certain conditions are met, to impose additional tariffs on Chinese goods in order to compensate for the losses to the U.S. economy resulting from certain Chinese Government acts, polices, and practices with respect to the enforcement of intellectual property rights and market access to persons who rely on intellectual property protection.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1996
Recognizes April 26, 1996, as the tenth anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster. Calls upon the Government of Ukraine to continue its negotiations with the G-7 countries to implement the December 20, 1995, memorandum of understanding which calls for all nuclear reactors at Chernobyl to be shut down. Urges the President to: (1) support U.S. assistance to provide medical relief, humanitarian assistance, social impact planning, and hospital development for Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, and other nations most heavily afflicted by Chernobyl's aftermath; (2) encourage national and international health organizations to expand the scope of research into the public health consequences of Chernobyl so that the global community can benefit; (3) support closing the plant; and (4) support broadening Ukraine's regional energy sources which will reduce its dependence on any individual country.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1996
Aboveground Petroleum Storage Tank Consolidation and Regulatory Improvement Act - Redesignates the Office of Underground Storage Tanks of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and establishes it as the Office of Storage Tanks (OST), to be headed by a Director. Transfers to OST authorities of other EPA officers under the environmental laws. Requires the Administrator, acting through the Director, to enter Memorandums of Understanding with the Secretaries of Labor and Transportation to clarify the authorities of EPA and the respective Secretaries under: (1) the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and worker protection standards provisions of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986; and (2) pipeline safety provisions. Requires the Director, by regulation, to restate the laws he or she administers in consolidated form and streamline their application to owners and operators of aboveground and underground storage tanks. Expresses congressional intent that this direction is not intended to modify the laws' requirements. Imposes, as part of such regulations, a requirement that an owner or operator of an aboveground storage tank report to the national response center established under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act a release of a regulated substance (one regulated under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 or petroleum or a petroleum substance) above a specified threshold, including a description of corrective action taken. Allows the EPA Administrator, after release from an aboveground storage tank of a regulated substance posing an imminent threat to human health, public safety, or the environment, to prohibit the use or operation of all or any portion of a storage tank farm within a facility in which the tank is located until the prohibition is no longer necessary or corrective action has been taken. Authorizes the Director to include in the above regulations release detection, prevention, and correction regulations applicable to owners and operators of aboveground petroleum storage tanks. Requires the Director to determine if there are deficiencies in the law applicable to aboveground petroleum storage tanks and examine industry standards addressing the deficiencies, giving substantial weight to these in designing the regulations. Requires the Director, in conjunction with the restatement of laws required by this Act, to provide that the storage capacity of a facility does not include the capacity of underground storage tanks that are: (1) currently subject to EPA regulations concerning technical standards and corrective action requirements; or (2) permanently closed under such regulations. Establishes requirements for reports to the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1996
Pays tribute to the remarkable life and career of Ronald H. Brown (the late Secretary of Commerce) and to the contributions of all those who perished in the airplane accident on April 3, 1996, while in service to their country on a mission to Bosnia. Extends condolences to the victims' families.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 1996
Newborns' and Mothers' Health Protection Act of 1996 - Requires health plans and employee health benefit plans that provide maternity (including childbirth) benefits to ensure that coverage is provided for: (1) specified minimum periods after delivery; and (2) certain post-delivery care.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1996
Permits the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby Association to sponsor a free public event, soap box derby races, on the Capitol grounds on July 13, 1996.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1996
Uniformed Services Medicare Subvention Demonstration Project Act - Directs the Secretaries of Defense and Health and Human Services (HHS) to jointly establish a demonstration project (project) to provide the Department of Defense (DOD) with reimbursement, under provisions of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, for health services provided through DOD to certain Medicare-eligible covered military beneficiaries. Requires the project to be conducted in one or more regions in which the TRICARE program (a DOD managed health care program) has been implemented. Allows such project to be conducted for up to two years. Requires such Secretaries to jointly submit to the Congress a first annual report and a final report containing specified information concerning project participants and such project's effects on military medical care access, readiness, and training. Directs the HHS Secretary to make monthly payments to DOD from the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund (HHS trust funds) representing appropriate reimbursement amounts. Provides for the determination of such amounts. Directs such Secretaries to jointly: (1) establish a base level of TRICARE coverage required in a geographic region for eligibility under the project; (2) determine baseline costs of such care and coverage; and (3) establish upper reimbursement limits. Directs the Secretary of Defense to waive the enrollment fee for individuals enrolled in a TRICARE program participating in the project. Establishes in the Treasury the Medicare Subvention Fund (Fund) for providing payments to the HHS Secretary for reimbursement of the HHS trust funds and for the payment of all expenses related to the participation of Medicare-eligible covered military beneficiaries in excess of the base level established under this Act, as well as administrative expenses. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1997 and 1998 for deposit into the Fund to carry out the purposes of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1996
Family Services Improvement Act of 1996 - Directs the President to designate a Federal Coordination Council composed of various specified cabinet secretaries and other Federal agency heads to perform a variety of specified functions for the stated purposes of: (1) removing Federal impediments to coordination of service delivery; (2) enabling more efficient use of Federal, State, and local resources through program coordination and reduction of regulation; (3) facilitating cooperation among and coordination of programs operated by State, local, and tribal governments and private, nonprofit organizations; (4) identifying at least ten qualified consortia of such organizations and State or local agencies that receive federally appropriated funds, together with representatives of specified services, to participate in a demonstration program to determine the benefits of specified accountability procedures; and (5) placing less emphasis in Federal service programs on measuring resources and procedures and more emphasis on accountability for achieving policy goals.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1996
Condemns the terror attacks in Jerusalem, Ashkelon, and Tel Aviv. Extends condolences to the victims' families and to the Government and people of Israel. Reaffirms full support for Israel in its efforts to combat terrorism as it attempts to pursue peace with its neighbors in the region. Calls upon the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinian Council, and Chairman Arafat to: (1) apprehend and punish the perpetrators of terror attacks, prevent such acts in the future, confiscate all unauthorized weapons, and avoid and condemn all statements and gestures which signal tolerance for such acts and their perpetrators; (2) eliminate the terrorist structure and terrorist activities of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and all other terror groups; and (3) adopt legislative and executive measures to ban the existence and operations of all terrorist organizations resident in the Palestinian autonomous areas. Insists that Chairman Arafat ensure the timely inauguration of the Council so that the Palestinian National Covenant will be amended of vile references to Israel within 60 days thereafter. Reaffirms that the Covenant must be amended in order for the peace process to succeed. Calls upon the Palestinian people to support the deletion of anti-Israel language from the Covenant, to express their revulsion for terrorism against Israel, and to condemn and isolate those elements of Palestinian society that employ and support such terrorist acts. Urges: (1) all parties to the peace process to bring to justice the perpetrators of acts of terrorism and to cease harboring, financing, and arming terror groups; and (2) the Clinton Administration to act against those who continue to harbor, arm, or finance terror groups seeking to undermine the peace process. Calls upon: (1) those Arab states that have failed to condemn these acts of terrorism to do so immediately and to support all efforts in the region to combat terrorism; and (2) the international community to cooperate with the United States in isolating states which engage in international terrorism. Insists that Iran and Syria cease all support for all terrorist groups operating in areas under their control and refrain from all activities in opposition to the Middle East peace process. Expresses the intent to reconsider U.S. assistance to the Palestinian Authority in light of the steps that must be taken by the Authority against terrorist infrastructures and operations. Praises efforts to provide Israel with all appropriate antiterrorism resources to eliminate the tide of terrorist incidents against Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1996
Keep the Government Open Act of 1996 - Amends Federal law to allow an officer or employee of the United States or of the District of Columbia to make a contract or obligation before an appropriation is made if the President determines that an appropriation is likely for that purpose before the end of the fiscal year in an amount exceeding the contract or obligation. Allows a U.S. officer or employee to continue to supply personal services before an appropriation or continuing resolution is enacted if the President determines that an appropriation is likely for that purpose before the end of the fiscal year in an amount exceeding the cost to the government. Requires payment for those services even if no appropriation is enacted if the President so determines. Appropriates funds to pay salaries for each day on which funds are not available (unless an appropriations measure is enacted for the applicable department or agency and the measure makes no appropriation for that salary).
![Official portrait of Rep. Hoyer, Steny H. [D-MD-5]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_md_5_hoyer_steny_200.jpg)