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151 records in US in 1998
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 1998
Farm Life Extension Act of 1998 - Amends the Agricultural Market Transition Act to provide an alternative single payment for production flexibility contracts. Authorizes the financing of such payments' additional costs through issuance of Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation securities.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 1998
Food Safety Enforcement Enhancement Act of 1998 - Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act to: (1) require a person, other than a household consumer, who has reason to believe meat or poultry products to be adulterated or misbranded to so notify the Secretary of Agriculture; and (2) provide the Secretary with authority for voluntary and mandatory nondistribution and recall, withdrawal of inspectors from violating facilities, and civil penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 1998
Emergency Farm Financial Relief Act - Amends the Agricultural Market Transition Act to provide that FY 1999 production flexibility contract payments shall be paid at such time or times as the owner or producer so requests as long as payment is completed by such fiscal year's end.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 1998
Shipping Relief for Agriculture Act of 1998 - Amends Merchant Marine Act, 1920 provisions concerning transportation of merchandise between points in the United States in other than domestic or rebuilt and documented vessels to remove the restriction that a vessel must be constructed in the United States in order to engage in deepwater transportation of agricultural cargo, bulk cargo, and forest products, if the vessel: (1) is documented under U.S. laws; (2) is owned by U.S. citizens; and (3) otherwise meets the requirements of such provisions. Amends other Federal law concerning the endorsement of a certificate of documentation with a coastwise endorsement to permit a freight vessel that was not built in the United States to be endorsed with a coastwise endorsement if the vessel is eligible for documentation and is otherwise qualified, but only with respect to the deepwater transportation of the types of cargo listed above.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 1998
Agricultural Credit Improvement Act of 1998 - Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to prohibit agricultural loan guarantees to borrowers who have received debt forgiveness after a specified date. Authorizes emergency loans to be made to borrowers who have received debt forgiveness after a specified date. (Sec. 3) States that with respect to agricultural real estate, operating, and emergency loans, the primary factor in determining whether an applicant is primarily and directly engaged in farming or ranching shall be whether he or she participates in ongoing farm activities and decision making. (Sec. 4) Increases the respective limits and provides inflation indexing for guaranteed farm ownership and operating loans. (Sec. 5) Eliminates the prohibition on providing beginning farmer direct operating loans to persons who have operated a farm or ranch for more than five years. (Sec. 6) Gives loan and grant priority to projects that encourage farmer-owned value-added processing facilities. (Sec. 7) Requires borrowers under shared appreciation arrangements to be given notice of recapture. (Sec. 8) Provides for reservation and reallocation of specified loan funds for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. (Sec. 9) Prohibits emergency loan denial based upon insufficient collateral if it is reasonably certain that the borrower will be able to repay the loan. (Sec. 10) Provides that under specified conditions a grower-shipper agreement shall not disqualify the applicant-grower from receiving a real estate, operating, or emergency loan.
United States · United States Senate · 15 July 1998
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1998
India-Pakistan Sanctions Flexibility Act - Amends the Arms Export Control Act to exempt Department of Agriculture assistance for the purchase of food or other agricultural commodities, or Export-Import Bank of the United States or Overseas Private Investment Corporation assistance, from the prohibition against extensions of U.S. Government credit, credit guarantees, or other financial assistance to countries involved in the transfer or use of nuclear explosive devices. Declares that such assistance shall be available only to the extent that an official budget request that includes designation of such assistance as an emergency requirement as defined in the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman- Hollings Act) is transmitted by the President to the Congress. Authorizes the President to suspend until March 1, 1999, the application of any sanction or prohibition contained in specified Federal laws with respect to India and Pakistan.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1998
New Mexico Forest Health and Fire Prevention of 1998 - Directs the District 3 Regional Forester of the State of New Mexico to commence a statewide program to restore and protect forest resources located on Federal forest lands within New Mexico through the performance of recovery projects in identified recovery areas. Requires: (1) the initial project under such program to be the thinning of Monument Canyon Research Natural Area located near Jemez Springs, New Mexico, on the Santa Fe National Forest; and (2) the research scientists located at such Area to provide the initial project standards and guidelines. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture, for each fiscal year of the New Mexico program, to allocate amounts from the Forest Health and Fire Prevention Fund (to be established under this Act) to Region 3 of the Forest Service for the purpose of conducting five-year recovery projects in identified recovery areas. Requires the District 3 Regional Forester to: (1) identify recovery areas within which allocated amounts should be used to conduct such projects; (2) prioritize such areas for the purpose of their receiving allocated amounts; and (3) select, in accordance with specified requirements, projects to be carried out within each area. Prohibits the selection or implementation of a project in specified locations, including units of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Credits to the Fund: (1) authorized and appropriated amounts; (2) unobligated amounts in, or that would otherwise be deposited in, the roads and trails fund; and (3) the Federal share of revenues generated by recovery projects undertaken pursuant to the Program. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Comptroller General to conduct a specified audit of the program at the end of the fourth full fiscal year following the implementation date.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1998
Agriculture Export Relief Act of 1998 - Amends the Arms Export Control Act to exempt, through September 30, 1999, Department of Agriculture assistance for the purchase or other provision of food or other agricultural commodities (including fertilizer, medicines, and medical equipment) from the prohibition against extensions of U.S. Government credit, credit guarantees, or other financial assistance to countries involved in the transfer or use of nuclear explosive devices.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: School Lunch and Related Programs Title II: School Breakfast and Related Programs Title III: Commodity Distribution Programs Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Amendments of 1998 - Title I: School Lunch and Related Programs - Amends the National School Lunch Act (NSLA) with respect to direct expenditures for agricultural commodities and other foods to repeal requirements for: (1) interim sources of funds pending supplemental appropriations; and (2) State matching funds for such interim funds and for cash donations in lieu of commodity donations. (Sec. 102) Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to waive, through FY 2003, any regulatory requirement for using weighted averages for nutrient analysis of menu items and foods offered or served as part of a reimbursable meal under the school breakfast or lunch program. (Sec. 103) Requires all schools participating in the National School Lunch Program (lunch program) under NSLA or the School Breakfast Program (breakfast program) under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (CNA), in which meals are prepared on site, to obtain inspections at least once during each school year that indicate food service operations meet State or local health and safety standards. (Sec. 104) Repeals a prohibition against requiring a State to match Federal funds for meals in private schools if the State educational agency is prohibited by law from disbursing State appropriated funds to private schools. Sunsets the Secretary of Agriculture's authority to disburse NSLA program funds to schools directly during the period FY 1999 through FY 2001 (or through FY 2003, if an extension is needed before a State will be able to assume responsibility). Requires the Secretary to provide training and technical assistance to State agencies which assume program administration from the Secretary during such period. (Sec. 105) Revises certain initial and extension time periods under special assistance alternative eligibility provisions. (Sec. 106) Revises requirements for calculating reimbursement rates for school meals. (Sec. 107) Authorizes the Secretary to adjust summer food service program reimbursement rates in non-contiguous States and territories where the cost of providing meals is greater than that in the contiguous States. (Sec. 108) Increases the maximum fine, from $10,000 to $25,000, upon anyone who embezzles, willfully misapplies, steals, or obtains by fraud any funds, assets, or property that are the subject of a grant or other form of assistance under CNA or NSLA if such funds, assets, or property are worth $100 or more. (Sec. 109) Extends the authorization of appropriations for food and nutrition projects through FY 2003. (Sec. 110) Requires schools participating in the lunch program or breakfast program to make every effort to establish meal service periods that provide children adequate time to fully consume their meals in an environment conducive to eating. (Sec. 111) Directs the Secretary to require that schools in the contiguous United States purchase for the lunch program and breakfast program, whenever possible, only food products that are produced in the United States. (Sec. 112) Allows States, State agencies, or schools to enter into procurement contracts, using funds under NSLA or CNA, with persons that have assisted them in drafting contract specifications. (Sec. 113) Revises the eligibility criteria for private nonprofit institutions under the NSLA summer food service program to increase from five to 25 the number of sites they may operate. Repeals certain summer food service program requirements relating to: (1) a March 1 deadline for indication of interest; (2) restrictions on meal contracting; and (3) vendor registration. Extends through FY 2003 the authorization of appropriations for the NSLA summer food service program. (Sec. 114) Reauthorizes through FY 2003 the NSLA commodity distribution program, which may use Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) and other specified funds to purchase agricultural commodities for use in programs under NSLA, CNA, and the Older Americans Act of 1965. (Sec. 115) Revises NSLA child and adult care food program requirements for licensing and alternate approval for schools and outside school hours child care. Repeals automatic eligibility, under the NSLA child care food program, for participants in the Even Start program of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Requires State agencies to: (1) perform a site visit to a private institution before approval for participation in the child care food program; and (2) conduct periodic site visits to private institutions determined to have a high probability of program abuse. Revises conditions for child and adult care program participation by institutions moving toward compliance with the requirement for tax-exempt status. Repeals a notification requirement for incomplete applications. Requires funding for FY 1999 through 2003 for demonstration projects for child care food program qualification of private for-profit organizations providing nonresidential day care services. Directs the Secretary to provide State agencies with increased levels of training and technical assistance for their management and oversight of the child and adult care program. Allows institutions that provide care to at-risk school children during after-school hours, weekends, or holidays during the regular school year to participate in the child care food program. Defines as at-risk any children who: (1) are age 12 through 18; and (2) live in a geographical area served by a school enrolling elementary students in which at least 50 percent of the total number of children enrolled are certified eligible to receive free or reduced price school meals under NSLA or CNA. Allows such institutions to claim reimbursements, at the free supplement rate, only for: (1) supplements served without charge to at-risk school children during after-school hours, weekends, or holidays during the regular school year; and (2) one supplement per child per day. Directs the Secretary to provide State agencies with information concerning the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC program) under CNA. Requires State agencies to ensure that each participating child care center (other than institutions providing care to school children outside of school hours) receives certain WIC program informational materials and updates, and provides such information to parents of enrolled children annually. (Sec. 116) Allows emergency shelter homeless programs to participate in the child and adult care food program. Allows shelters to claim reimbursements, at the free supplement rate, only for: (1) supplements served without charge to resident children through age 12; and (2) not more than three meals or two meals and a supplement per child per day. Repeals the homeless children nutrition program. (Sec. 117) Limits reimbursements for after-school supplements to supplements provided to children in after-school programs organized primarily to provide care with an educational or enrichment component. Provides for a free supplement to at-risk children in after-school programs operated by schools in low income areas. (Sec. 118) Extends through FY 2003 the authority of the Secretary to administer pilot projects designed to provide food and nutrition services to homeless pregnant women and homeless mothers or guardians of infants, and the children of the mothers and guardians. Repeals authority for certain demonstration projects involving: (1) meals and supplements outside of school hours; (2) fortified fluid milk; (3) fruits, vegetables, legumes, cereals, and grain-based products; (4) low-fat dairy products and lean meat and poultry products; and (5) reduced paperwork and application requirements and increased participation. (Sec. 119) Directs the Secretary to: (1) make grants to State agencies for free breakfast pilot projects, in elementary schools under the jurisdiction of not more than six school food authorities in each of the school years 1999 through 2001; and (2) report to specified congressional committees on the project evaluations. (Sec. 120) Extends through FY 2003 the authorization of appropriations for training and technical assistance under the child and adult care food program. (Sec. 121) Extends authority to fund the food service management institute, including mandatory and discretionary activities. (Sec. 122) Extends through FY 2003 the authorization of appropriations for compliance and accountability activities under the child and adult care food program. (Sec. 123) Extends through FY 2003 the authorization of appropriations for the information clearinghouse for nongovernmental groups on food assistance and self-help activities for low-income individuals and communities. (Sec. 124) Repeals the requirement that the Secretary provide guidance and grant assistance to eligible entities for accommodating special dietary needs of individuals with disabilities who participate in covered programs under NSLA and CNA. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out accommodation activities, including guidance, technical assistance, training, and grants for State agencies and eligible entities. Title II: School Breakfast and Related Programs - Amends CNA to sunset the Secretary of Agriculture's authority to disburse CNA program funds to schools directly during the period FY 1999 through FY 2001 (or through FY 2003, if an extension is needed before a State will be able to assume responsibility). Requires the Secretary to provide training and technical assistance to State agencies which assume program administration from the Secretary during such period. (Sec. 202) Repeals specified requirements for reallocation of State administrative expense funds. Eliminates the ten percent limitation on the transfer of administrative expense funds under CNA and NSLA. Extends through FY 2003 the authorization of appropriations for State administrative expenses under CNA. (Sec. 203) Reauthorizes and revises WIC requirements. Establishes additional WIC program application requirements involving the certification period for infants, physical presence, income documentation, and verification. Authorizes the Secretary to provide bulk quantities of WIC program nutrition education materials to State agencies administering the Commodity Supplemental Food Program under the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973 at no cost to that program. Adds WIC program requirements for: (1) limiting retail grocery store participation to those that offer a variety of foods; (2) State use of funds recovered from vendors and participants; (3) identifying recipients who participate at more than one site; and (4) identifying and investigating high risk vendors. Allows State agencies, beginning in FY 2000, to use specified WIC funds for the purchase of breast pumps. Extends through FY 2003: (1) the authorization of appropriations for the WIC program and for the WIC farmers market nutrition program; and (2) requirements to use certain WIC funds for allocations to State agencies for costs of nutrition services and administration, and for program infrastructure and information, projects of regional or national significance, and breastfeeding promotion and support activities. Revises WIC program requirements relating to: (1) infant formula procurement; (2) level of per-participant expenditure for nutrition services and administration; (3) conversion of amounts for supplemental foods to amounts for nutrition services; (4) use of funds in preceding and subsequent years; (5) farmers market nutrition program State plans; and (6) disqualification of certain vendors convicted of trafficking or illegal sales. Directs the Secretary to establish (and report to specified congressional committees on) a long-range plan for developing and implementing management information systems for the WIC program. Authorizes courts to order, in addition to other penalties or sentences, criminal forfeitures of property for embezzlement, willful misapplication, stealing, obtaining by fraud, or trafficking in food instruments, funds, assets, or property that are worth $100 or more under the WIC program. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to the Secretary and specified congressional committees on WIC program: (1) cost containment practices; and (2) services and costs. (Sec. 204) Authorizes appropriations in necessary amounts (currently gives a specified amount for each fiscal year) for FY 1997 through 2003 for the nutrition education and training program under CNA. Title III: Commodity Distribution Programs - Amends the Commodity Distribution Reform Act and WIC Amendments of 1987 to revise requirements relating to applicability and customer acceptability information. (Sec. 302) Prescribes food distribution requirements relating to the Secretary of Agriculture's authority to: (1) transfer commodities between programs; (2) resolve claims; (3) use specified funds to make payment of costs associated with management of commodities which pose a health or safety hazard; and (4) accept commodities donated by Federal sources. Title IV: Effective Date - Sets forth the effective date for this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 1998
Agriculture Export Relief Act of 1998 - Amends the Arms Export Control Act to exempt Department of Agriculture assistance for the purchase or other provision of food or other agricultural commodities (including fertilizer, medicines, and medical equipment) from the prohibition against extensions of U.S. Government credit, credit guarantees, or other financial assistance to countries involved in the transfer or use of nuclear explosive devices. Declares that such assistance shall be available only to the extent that an official budget request that includes designation of such assistance as an emergency requirement as defined in the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) is transmitted by the President to the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Assistance for Sub-Saharan Africa Title II: Worldwide Food Assistance and Agricultural Programs Subtitle A: Nonemergency Food Assistance Programs Subtitle B: Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust Act of 1998 Title III: Miscellaneous Provisions Africa: Seeds of Hope Act of 1998 - Declares it to be U.S. policy, consistent with title XII of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act, to support governments of sub-Saharan African countries, U.S. and African nongovernmental organizations, universities, businesses, and international agencies to help ensure the availability of basic nutrition and economic opportunities for sub-Saharan individuals, through sustainable agricultural and rural development. Title I: Assistance for Sub-Saharan Africa - Directs the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (AID), in providing development assistance under the Africa Food Security Initiative, or any comparable or successor program, to: (1) emphasize programs and projects that improve the food security of children, women, and food-insecure households, or that improve the agricultural productivity, incomes, and marketing of the rural poor in Africa; (2) solicit and take into consideration the views and needs of intended beneficiaries and program participants during the selection, planning, implementation, and evaluation phases of projects; and (3) ensure that programs are designed and conducted in cooperation with African and U.S. organizations and institutions (such as private and voluntary organizations, cooperatives, land-grant and other appropriate universities, and local producer-owned cooperative marketing and buying associations) that have expertise in addressing the needs of the poor, small-scale farmers, entrepreneurs, and rural workers, including women. (Sec. 101) Expresses the sense of the Congress that, if there is an increase in funding for sub-Saharan programs, the Administrator of AID should proportionately increase resources to the Africa Food Security Initiative, or any comparable or successor program, for FY 2000 and subsequent fiscal years in order to meet the needs of the countries participating in such Initiative. (Sec. 102) Directs the Administrator of AID to use, through bilateral and multilateral assistance, microenterprise assistance (including credit) to improve the capacity and efficiency of agricultural production in sub-Saharan Africa of small-scale farmers and small rural entrepreneurs (specifically taking into consideration the needs of women, and using the applied research and technical assistance capabilities of U.S. land-grant universities). (Sec. 103) Authorizes the Administrator of AID to utilize foreign assistance programs and initiatives for sub-Saharan Africa to support private producer-owned cooperative marketing associations there, including rural business associations owned by farmer shareholders. (Sec. 104) Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) should issue loans, guaranties, and insurance, and utilize existing equity funds and loan and insurance funds, to support private agricultural and rural development in sub-Saharan Africa (particularly intermediary organizations that directly serve the needs of small-scale farmers, small rural entrepreneurs, and rural producer-owned cooperative purchasing and marketing associations). (Sec. 105) Directs the Administrator of AID to develop a comprehensive plan to coordinate and build on the research and extension activities of U.S. land-grant universities, international agricultural research centers, and national agricultural research and extension centers in sub-Saharan Africa. Title II: Worldwide Food Assistance and Agricultural Programs - Subtitle A: Non-Emergency Food Assistance Programs - Sets forth general requirements for the administration of non-emergency assistance programs under title II of the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954. Subtitle B: Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust Act of 1998 - Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust Act of 1998 - Amends the Food Security Commodity Reserve Act of 1996 and the Food Security Wheat Reserve Act of 1980 to rename specified provisions of the Food for Development Program as the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust Act. (Sec. 212) Includes, as part of the established trust stock of wheat, rice, corn, or sorghum used to meet emergency humanitarian food needs in developing countries, certain funds for Commodity Credit Corporation programs under the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 that are available to acquire such eligible commodities through purchases from producers or in the market to replenish the trust. Authorizes the release of eligible commodities from the trust for emergency food assistance to developing countries, provided such release is at levels consistent with maintaining the long-term value of the trust. Makes permanent the authority for the trust. Title III: Miscellaneous Provisions - Directs the Administrator of AID to report to the Congress on AID's plans for implementing the Africa Food Security Initiative and an estimate of all amounts expended or to be expended on related activities during the current and previous four years.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 1998
Amends the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Research Act of 1978, as amended by the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998, to provide that at the request of the Governor of Maine, New Hampshire, New York, or Vermont, the Secretary of Agriculture may cooperate with certain agricultural research programs. Amends the Honey Research, Promotion, and Consumer Information Act, as amended by the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Educational Reform Act of 1998, to increase the honey assessment rate.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Department of the Interior Title II: Related Agencies Title III: General Provisions Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 - Makes appropriations for the Department of the Interior and related agencies for FY 1999. Title I: Department of the Interior - Makes appropriations for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for: (1) land and resource management; (2) wildland fire management; (3) remedial action of hazardous waste substances; (4) construction; (5) payments in lieu of taxes to local governments; (6) land acquisition; (7) Oregon and California grant lands; (8) range improvements; (9) service charges, deposits, and forfeitures with respect to public lands; and (10) miscellaneous trust funds. Amends Federal law to extend provisions regarding claim maintenance fees to be paid by holders of unpatented mining claims, mills, or tunnel sites and location fees to be paid by locators. Appropriates funds for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for: (1) resource management; (2) construction; (3) land acquisition; (4) expenses related to carrying out the Endangered Species Act of 1973; (5) the National Wildlife Refuge Fund; (6) expenses related to carrying out the North American Wetlands Conservation Act; (7) the Wildlife Conservation and Appreciation Fund; and (8) expenses related to carrying out the African Elephant Conservation Act, the Asian Elephant Conservation Act of 1997, and the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994. Makes appropriations for the National Park Service (NPS) for: (1) the National Park System; (2) national recreation and preservation activities; (3) expenses related to carrying out the Historic Preservation Act of 1966; (4) construction; and (5) land acquisition and State assistance from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Rescinds specified contract authority to obligate funds from the Land and Water Conservation Fund for FY 1999. Makes appropriations for: (1) the U.S. Geological Survey for surveys, investigations, and research; (2) the Minerals Management Service for royalty and offshore minerals management and oil spill research; (3) the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement for regulation and technology and the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund; (4) the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) for operation of Indian programs, construction, miscellaneous payments to Indians, and Indian guaranteed loans; (5) assistance to U.S. territories and for carrying out the Compacts of Free Association with respect to Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau; (6) departmental management and the Offices of the Solicitor and the Inspector General; (7) trust programs for Indians; and (8) natural resource damage assessment. Sets forth authorized and prohibited uses of specified funds. (Sec. 107) Prohibits the use of funds provided in this title for specified offshore leasing and related activities. (Sec 112) Incorporates provisions similar to those contained in the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998 (Public Law 105-83) concerning employees of BLM's Helium Operations. (Sec. 116) Sets forth provisions regarding voluntary separation incentives, severance pay, and continued health benefits for employees of the NPS Denver Service Center. (Sec. 118) Designates the River Valley Trail from the town of Delaware Gap to the edge of the town of Milford, Pennsylvania, located within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area as the Joseph M. McDade Recreational Trail. Title II: Related Agencies - Makes appropriations for the Department of Agriculture for the Forest Service for: (1) forest and rangeland research; (2) State and private forestry; (3) the National Forest System; (4) wildland fire management; (5) construction and reconstruction; (6) land acquisition; (7) range rehabilitation and improvement; and (8) forest and rangeland research. Makes appropriations for the Department of Energy for: (1) fossil energy research and development activities; (2) naval petroleum and oil shale reserve activities; (3) energy conservation; (4) economic regulation activities of the Office of Hearings and Appeals; (5) the Strategic Petroleum Reserve; and (6) the Energy Information Administration. Makes appropriations for the Department of Health and Human Services for the Indian Health Service and Indian health facilities. Makes appropriations for: (1) the Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation; (2) the Smithsonian Institution, including amounts for repair and restoration of buildings owned or occupied by the Smithsonian; (3) construction and improvements at the National Zoological Park; (4) construction; (5) the National Gallery of Art, including an amount for repair and restoration of facilities owned or occupied by the National Gallery; (6) operations, maintenance, and construction expenses of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; (7) carrying out the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Act of 1968; (8) the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA); (9) the National Endowment for the Humanities; (10) the Institute of Museum and Library Services; (11) the Commission of Fine Arts; (12) the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; (13) the National Capital Planning Commission; (14) the Holocaust Memorial Council; and (15) the Presidio trust. Sets forth provisions regarding uses of, and limitations on, funds under this title. Title III: General Provisions - Sets forth limitations on the use of funds under this Act, including Buy American requirements. Incorporates provisions similar to those contained in the Department of Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998 (Public Law 105-83) concerning: (1) the sale of timber from giant sequoias; (2) the underground lunchroom at Carlsbad Caverns National Park; (3) funding for the Americorps program; (4) the bridge between Jersey City, New Jersey, and Ellis Island; (5) patents for mining or mill site claims; (6) land acquisition for the Wayne National Forest; (7) competition for watershed restoration project contracts in the Pacific Northwest; (8) the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore; (9) designation of Biosphere Reserves; (10) nudity in Canaveral National Seashore in Brevard County, Florida; (11) restrictions on NEA grants; and (12) watershed restoration and enhancement agreements. (Sec. 326) Names the Auditors West Building (Annex 3) located at Raoul Wallenberg Place and Independence Avenue in Washington, D.C., the Sidney R. Yates Building. (Sec. 327) Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to grant Chugach Alaska Corporation an easement for the construction, use, and maintenance of public roads and facilities necessary for access to, and economic development of, land interests in the Carbon Mountain and Katalla vicinity conveyed to the Corporation under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. (Sec. 328) Amends Federal law to extend the authority of the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture (acting through the BLM and the Forest Service, respectively) to collect fees to be used for operation and maintenance of recreation areas and habitat enhancement through FY 2001. (Sec. 330) Prohibits, in the financing of any forest development road, amortization of road costs in any contract with, or the provision of credit for road construction to, any purchaser of national forest timber or products. Sets forth related provisions regarding the construction of roads by timber purchasers. (Sec. 331) Amends the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965 to increase the number of Senators appointed by the Senate Majority Leader to serve on the National Council on the Arts from one to two. (Sec. 332) Makes this section effective only if the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 1999 does not appropriate at least $6 million in new funds for the management by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) of the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in Kentucky and Tennessee. Requires the TVA to transfer, without reimbursement, the Land Between the Lakes Recreation Area to the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary of Agriculture. Establishes the Area as a unit of the National Forest System upon such transfer. Directs the Secretary to manage the Area for multiple use. Requires the Secretary to conduct an inventory of and ensure access to all Area cemeteries for burial, visitation, and maintenance. Authorizes the Secretary to charge reasonable fees for admission to and use of designated sites, or for activities, in the Area, with receipts to be deposited into the Land Between the Lakes Management Fund and used for management expenses. Makes Federal lands within the Area subject to provisions for payments in lieu of taxes and requires the TVA to continue to be responsible for payments. Calls for the transfer to be completed in an efficient and cost-effective manner to minimize disruption of the personal lives of TVA and Forest Service employees affected by such transfer. Directs the Secretary and the TVA to enter into a memorandum of agreement implementing the transfer. Sets forth additional employee transition provisions. Requires the Secretary to establish a citizen advisory board to advise the Secretary on environmental education in the Area and means of promoting public participation for the Area's land and resource management plan. (Sec. 333) Sets forth reporting and other requirements with respect to the obligation of funds for the operation or implementation of the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project. (Sec. 335) Amends the Arts and Artifacts Indemnity Act to increase certain coverage limits for loss or damage of items covered by indemnity agreements under such Act. Adds new coverage provisions for loss or damage exceeding $3 million. (Sec. 336) Validates all conveyances of specified real property made by the Southern Pacific Transportation Company or its successors to the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Tulare, California, to the extent that such conveyances would be legal or valid if all U.S. rights and interest (except minerals) were held by such Company. Disclaims any and all U.S. right of surface entry to the mineral estate of such lands.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Department of the Interior Title II: Related Agencies Title III: General Provisions Title IV: To Amend the Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act Title V: Land Between the Lakes Protection Act Subtitle A: Establishment, Administration, and Jurisdiction Subtitle B: Management Provisions Subtitle C: Transfer Provisions Subtitle D: Funding Title VI: Department of Commerce Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 - Makes appropriations for the Department of the Interior and related agencies for FY 1999. Title I: Department of the Interior - Makes appropriations for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for: (1) land and resource management; (2) wildland fire management; (3) remedial action of hazardous waste substances; (4) construction; (5) payments in lieu of taxes to local governments; (6) land acquisition; (7) Oregon and California grant lands; (8) range improvements; (9) service charges, deposits, and forfeitures with respect to public lands; and (10) miscellaneous trust funds. Amends Federal law to increase claim maintenance fees to be paid by holders of unpatented mining claims, mills, or tunnel sites for FY 1999 and subsequent years. Increases and permanently extends location fees for such claims. Makes fees available for mining law administration program operations. Appropriates funds for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for: (1) resource management; (2) construction; (3) land acquisition; (4) expenses related to carrying out the Endangered Species Act of 1973; (5) the National Wildlife Refuge Fund; (6) expenses related to carrying out the North American Wetlands Conservation Act; (7) the Wildlife Conservation and Appreciation Fund; and (8) expenses related to carrying out the African Elephant Conservation Act, the Asian Elephant Conservation Act of 1997, and the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994. Makes appropriations for the National Park Service (NPS) for: (1) the National Park System; (2) national recreation and preservation activities; (3) expenses related to carrying out the Historic Preservation Act of 1966; (4) construction; and (5) land acquisition and State assistance from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Rescinds specified contract authority to obligate funds from the Land and Water Conservation Fund for FY 1999. Makes appropriations for: (1) the U.S. Geological Survey for surveys, investigations, and research; (2) the Minerals Management Service for royalty and offshore minerals management and oil spill research; (3) the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement for regulation and technology and the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund; (4) the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) for operation of Indian programs, construction, miscellaneous payments to Indians, and Indian guaranteed loans; (5) assistance to U.S. territories and for carrying out the Compacts of Free Association with respect to Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau; (6) departmental management, the Offices of the Solicitor and the Inspector General; (7) trust programs for Indians; and (8) natural resource damage assessment. Sets forth authorized and prohibited uses of specified funds. (Sec. 107) Prohibits the use of funds provided in this title for specified offshore leasing and related activities. (Sec. 115) Sets forth provisions regarding voluntary separation incentives, severance pay, and continued health benefits for employees of the NPS Denver Service Center. (Sec. 117) Directs the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to enter into an agreement with and provide funding to the National Academy of Sciences, the Board on Earth Sciences and Resources, to conduct a study of the environmental and reclamation requirements related to mining of locatable materials on Federal lands and the adequacy of those requirements in preventing degradation of such lands in each State in which such mining occurs. Requires a report to appropriate Federal agencies, the Congress, and Governors of affected States. Bars the Secretary from promulgating any final regulations to change BLM surface management regulations until at least 90 days after publication of such report. (Sec. 119) Requires the Secretary to convey certain property in Nome, Alaska, to Kawerak, Inc., a nonprofit tribal organization. Subjects such conveyance to valid existing rights and specified rights of way. (Sec. 120) Bars the expenditure of funds made available in any Act by the Secretary to promulgate regulations affecting commercial or subsistence fishing in Glacier Bay National Park or to enforce any prohibition against such fishing if such fishing is conducted in accordance with the laws of the State of Alaska. (Sec. 122) Prohibits the expenditure of funds provided in this title for the administration, approval, or permitting, during FY 1999, of drilling of any kind on leases within the Manteo Exploration Unit and adjacent lease blocks of the Mid Atlantic planning area prior to completion of all State coastal consistency determinations pursuant to the Coastal Zone Management Act and conclusion of litigation and administrative appeals. (Sec. 123) Authorizes the renewal of grazing permits which expire during FY 1999, for the balance of FY 1999 or until the BLM completes permit processing, whichever comes first. Provides for modification of such permits, if necessary, and authorizes reissuance for a term of up to ten years. (Sec. 125) Requires the Secretary, acting through the BLM Director, to convey specified property to the town of Pahrump, Nevada, subject to valid existing rights and a specified right of way. Subjects such property to reversion to the United States if it is used for purposes other than that of a public fairground or related public purpose. (Sec. 126) King Cove Health and Safety Act of 1998 - Directs the Secretary to grant the Aleutians East Borough a perpetual right-of-way of 60 feet in width through specified land in Seward Meridian, Alaska, for the construction, operation, and maintenance of certain utility-related fixtures and of a public road between the cities of Cold Bay and King Cove, Alaska, if the King Cove Corporation offers to transfer specified lands to the United States. Requires the lands transferred to the United States to be managed in accordance with the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. Includes such lands in the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. Directs the Secretary and the Aleutians East Borough to jointly prepare a plan setting forth: (1) the times of the year a road may be reasonably constructed when there are not high concentrations of migratory birds in Kinzarof Lagoon; and (2) limitations on non-emergency road traffic during periods of the year when there are high concentrations of such birds in the Lagoon. Grants the Aleutians East Borough the right-of-way described in this Act if agreement is not reached with the Secretary within a specified time frame. (Sec. 127) Bars the use of funds provided by any Act by the Secretary to acquire State, private, or other non-Federal lands in the State of Alaska unless the Secretary seeks to exchange unreserved public lands before purchasing lands in Alaska. (Sec. 128) Designates the Charleston Public School complex in Charleston, Arkansas, as the Charleston National Commemorative Site in commemoration of the Charleston schools' role as the first public school district to integrate following the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision. (Sec. 129) Requires the Secretary, through the BIA and prior to distribution of tribal priority allocations (TPA) for FY 1999, to identify the top ten percent of tribes in the lower 48 States in terms of tribal revenue measured on a per capita basis during FY 1997. Requires such tribes to receive 50 percent of their TPA funding in FY 1999 and distributes the remainder among the tribes in the bottom 20 percent of tribes in the lower 48 States in terms of tribal revenue measured during FY 1997. Directs the BIA to develop, and submit to the Congress, need-based distribution formulas for TPA funds. (Sec. 131) Prohibits the use of funds in any Act to issue a notice of final rulemaking with respect to the valuation of crude oil for royalty purposes until FY 2000 or until there is a negotiated agreement on the rule. Incorporates provisions similar to those contained in the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998 (Public Law 105-83) concerning: (1) employees of BLM's Helium Operations; and (2) Huron Cemetery in Kansas City, Kansas. Title II: Related Agencies - Makes appropriations for the Department of Agriculture for the Forest Service for: (1) forest and rangeland research; (2) State and private forestry; (3) the National Forest System; (4) wildland fire management; (5) construction and reconstruction; (6) land acquisition; (7) range rehabilitation and improvement; and (8) forest and rangeland research. Limits the amount of funds to be made available to the Department of Energy in FY 2000, 2001, and 2002 that were made available in prior years for clean coal technology projects. Makes appropriations for the Department of Energy for: (1) fossil energy research and development activities; (2) naval petroleum and oil shale reserve activities; (3) energy conservation; (4) economic regulation activities of the Office of Hearings and Appeals; (5) the Strategic Petroleum Reserve; and (6) the Energy Information Administration. Makes appropriations for the Department of Health and Human Services for the Indian Health Service and Indian health facilities. Makes appropriations for: (1) the Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation; (2) the Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development; (3) the Smithsonian Institution, including amounts for repair and restoration of buildings owned or occupied by the Smithsonian; (4) construction and improvements at the National Zoological Park; (5) construction; (6) the National Gallery of Art, including an amount for repair and restoration of facilities owned or occupied by the National Gallery; (7) operations, maintenance, and construction expenses of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; (8) carrying out the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Act of 1968; (9) the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA); (10) the National Endowment for the Humanities; (11) the Institute of Museum and Library Services; (12) the Commission of Fine Arts; (13) the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; (14) the National Capital Planning Commission; (15) the Holocaust Memorial Council; and (16) the Presidio trust. Sets forth provisions regarding uses of, and limitations on, funds under this title. Title III: General Provisions - Sets forth limitations on the use of funds under this Act, including Buy American requirements. Incorporates provisions similar to those contained in the Department of Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998 (Public Law 105-83) concerning: (1) the sale of timber from giant sequoias; (2) the underground lunchroom at Carlsbad Caverns National Park; (3) funding for the Americorps program; (4) the bridge between Jersey City, New Jersey, and Ellis Island; (5) patents for mining or mill site claims; (6) land acquisition for the Wayne National Forest; (7) competition for watershed restoration project contracts in the Pacific Northwest; (8) designation of Biosphere Reserves; (9) restrictions on NEA grants; (10) watershed restoration and enhancement agreements; and (11) introduction of the grizzly bear in specified areas in Idaho and Montana. (Sec. 318) Reduces the budget authority made available in this Act by specified amounts in certain accounts. (Sec. 325) Amends the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965 to increase the number of Senators appointed by the Senate Majority Leader to serve on the National Council on the Arts from one to two. (Sec. 326) Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to accept full title to specified real property in Skamania County, Washington, effective January 1, 1999. Requires the Secretary, for all identified property not acquired as of such date, to add to the agreed upon purchase price a timber growth adjustment equal to the adjustment made for the property on December 31, 1997. (Sec. 327) Adjusts the boundary of: (1) the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, Washington, to exclude a certain parcel of land and waters; and (2) the Wenatchee National Forest, to include such parcel. Transfers administrative jurisdiction over Federal land and waters in the parcel from the Secretary of the Interior to the Secretary of Agriculture. Considers the boundaries of the Forest to be those as of January 1, 1965, for purposes of Federal provisions concerning allocation of Land and Water Conservation Fund monies for Federal purposes. (Sec. 328) Grants the Forest Service authority independent of the Department of Agriculture to obtain and implement a general ledger. Requires the Forest Service to report to the Appropriations Committees on information systems being considered for such purposes. (Sec. 329) Provides that current forest plans will remain in effect until revised, notwithstanding a provision of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974. (Sec. 330) Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct technology transfer and development, training, dissemination of information, and applied research in the management, processing, and utilization of the hardwood forest resource. Permits the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) assume all rights, title, and interest of the Robert C. Byrd Hardwood Technology Center, a nonprofit corporation operating under the laws of the State of West Virginia; and (2) operate and utilize Center assets as part of a newly formed Institute of Hardwood Technology Transfer and Applied Research. Requires Institute revenues to be deposited in a special Treasury fund known as the Hardwood Technology Transfer and Applied Research Fund. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 331) Requires the Forest Service to rescind its decision prohibiting the use of fixed anchors for rock climbing in wilderness areas of national forests. (Sec. 332) Prohibits the use of funds appropriated by any Act to undertake prescribed burning until the Forest Supervisor certifies that every effort has been made to remove all economically viable, commercial wood products from the proposed burn area. (Sec. 335) Authorizes the Forest Service, until September 30, 2002, to enter into contracts with private persons to perform services to achieve land management goals for each national forest in Idaho and Montana and in the Umatilla National Forest, Oregon, that meet local and rural community needs. Permits the Forest Service, in connection with a contract, to apply the value of timber or other forest products removed as an offset against the cost of services received. (Sec. 336) Directs the Forest Service and the Federal Highway Administration to make a specified amount available to the State of Utah for construction of the Trappers Loop connector road. (Sec. 337) Sets forth reporting and other requirements with respect to the obligation of funds for the operation or implementation of the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project. (Sec. 338) Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to prepare and offer for sale each year an economically viable supply of unharvested timber in the Tongass National Forest, Alaska, which: (1) has been cleared through the National Environmental Policy Act process and meets requirements of other applicable Federal or State laws; and (2) is equal to at least 90 percent of the allowable sale quantity identified in the May 1997 Record of Decision for the Tongass Land Management Revision. Grants the U.S. District Court for Alaska jurisdiction: (1) over civil suits brought by a person economically dependent upon the Secretary's performance under this section and adversely affected by failure to prepare or offer for sale the required volume of timber; and (2) to enforce this section or otherwise provide relief. Requires the Chief of the Forest Service, in addition to any ordered relief, to make annual payments to local governments in southeast Alaska equal to 25 percent of the receipts that would have been received from required timber sales if such timber was not offered for sale. (Sec. 339) Prohibits, in the financing of any forest development road, amortization of road costs in any contract with, or the provision of credit for road construction to, any purchaser of national forest timber or products. Sets forth related provisions regarding the construction of roads by timber purchasers. (Sec. 340) Requires all timber sold in Region 10 in FY 1999 to be sold using a residual value appraisal system. Sets forth additional requirements for the sale of such timber, including those regarding the volume of western red cedar timber available for processors. (Sec. 343) Prohibits Federal or State agencies, unless specifically authorized by the Congress, from requiring, authorizing, funding, or undertaking any action that would remove or diminish the congressionally authorized uses of any dam on the Federal Columbia Power System or on the Columbia or Snake Rivers or their tributaries licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Title IV: To Amend the Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act - Amends the Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior, as soon as sums are appropriated, to acquire the Elwha and Glines Canyon Projects (Clallam County, Washington, hydroelectric power projects) for a purchase price of $29.5 million. Conditions such acquisition on a release of the owner and local industrial consumer from liability to the United States arising from such Projects. Prohibits the United States from assuming or satisfying the liability of such owner or consumer to any federally recognized Indian tribe. Directs the Secretary: (1) after acquiring the Elwha Project and as soon as sums are appropriated for such purpose, to remove the Elwha dam, taking necessary action to ensure the continued availability of current water quality and quantity to specified areas and users; (2) during the removal phase, to thoroughly evaluate the removal's impact on fish runs; and (3) subject to appropriations, to pay specified compensation for a period of 12 years to the Clallam County Board of Commissioners for revenues lost due to such removal (with a specified condition). Directs the Secretary to continue operation of the Glines Canyon dam after the Elwha dam has been removed, subject to appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary, subject to appropriations and after completion of removal of the Elwha Project and specified fisheries studies, to remove the Glines Canyon Project if the benefit to fisheries and natural restoration of the Elwha River exceeds the value of power and the desirability of the lake by a margin sufficient to warrant the expenditure of the removal cost. Directs the Secretary to: (1) complete a Glines Canyon engineering and design study concerning the reconfiguration of transmission lines and dam operational controls; and (2) evaluate the impact that managing such Project for fisheries restoration will have on future hydropower operations. Directs the Secretary to develop and implement a comprehensive fish enhancement plan with the Elwha Citizens Commission, the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and other entities directly affected by management decisions on the Elwha River. Title V: Land Between the Lakes Protection Act - Land Between the Lakes Protection Act of 1998 - Subtitle A: Establishment, Administration, and Jurisdiction - Establishes, after a specified transfer under this Act, the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in Kentucky and Tennessee as a unit of the National Forest System. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to manage the Area for multiple uses, including public recreation, fish and wildlife habitat conservation, plant and animal diversity, hunting and fishing, and environmental education. (Sec. 513) Provides for payments to States and counties in lieu of taxes, including payments by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). (Sec. 514) Considers all Area paved roads as forest highways. Subtitle B: Management Provisions - Directs the Secretary, as soon as practicable after the transfer, to prepare a land and resource management plan for the Area in conformity with the National Forest Management Act of 1976, allowing the existing TVA management plan to provide interim management direction. (Sec. 522) Establishes the Land Between the Lakes Advisory Board. (Sec. 523) Authorizes the Secretary to charge reasonable fees for admission to and use of designated sites, or for activities, within the Area, with receipts to be deposited into the Land Between the Lakes Management Fund and used for Area management expenses. (Sec. 526) Authorizes the Secretary to issue a special use authorization to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for management of facilities and land agreed on by the Secretary and the Secretary of the Interior. Authorizes the charge of reasonable fees upon lands administered by the Service. Subordinates Service fish and wildlife activities to overall Area management. (Sec. 527) Designates the North-South Trail in the Area as a national recreation trail under the National Trails System Act. (Sec. 528) Directs the Secretary to maintain an inventory of and ensure access to all Area cemeteries for burial, visitation, and maintenance. (Sec. 529) Withdraws Area lands from operation under the Federal mining and mineral leasing laws. Authorizes the Secretary to permit the use of mineral materials for Area development and maintenance. Directs the Secretary to permit hunting and fishing within the Area, with exceptions for reasons of public safety, administration, or public use and enjoyment. (Sec. 530) Makes the TVA and the Army Corps of Engineers responsible for all Area dams, impoundments, and other water facilities. (Sec. 531) Establishes the Land Between the Lakes Trust Fund for: (1) public education, grants, and internships relating to Area recreation, conservation, and multiple use land management; and (2) regional promotion in the Area. Directs the TVA to deposit $1 million annually into the Fund for each of five fiscal years commencing in FY 2000. Subtitle C: Transfer Provisions - Transfers administrative jurisdiction over the Area from the TVA to the Secretary, effective on October 1 of the first year for which the Congress does not appropriate to the TVA at least $6 million for the Area. Calls for the transfer to be completed in an efficient and cost-effective manner, with due consideration to minimum disruption of the personal lives of TVA and Forest Service employees and others affected by such transfer. Directs the Secretary and the TVA to enter into a memorandum of agreement implementing the transfer. Provides the Secretary with access to all TVA Area management records. (Sec. 545) Directs the TVA to: (1) provide the Secretary with an inventory of all Area property and facilities; and (2) use existing funds and current TVA Area personnel (eligible employees) to facilitate the transfer of necessary property and facilities. Authorizes the Secretary to declare as excess any personal property that cannot be efficiently managed and maintained either by the Forest Service or by lease or permit to others. (Sec. 546) Requires transfer compliance with all applicable environmental laws, under specified procedures. (Sec. 547) Authorizes the Secretary to hire appropriate personnel and retain eligible employees. Directs the TVA to notify all eligible employees of openings in other TVA units before notifying other individuals of such openings. Requires the Secretary and the heads of the Office of Personnel Management and the Tennessee Valley Authority Retirement System to enter into a memorandum of understanding for the transition of all eligible employees with respect to compensation made available through such System. Sets forth other employee transition provisions. Limits funds from available TVA balances and nonpower proceeds to be used for the transfer. Subtitle D: Funding - Transfers a specified amount of TVA available balances and nonpower proceeds to the Secretary and makes funds available to the Secretary of the Interior available to the Fish and Wildlife Service for their Area administration. (Sec. 552) Authorizes appropriations to the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior for Area administration and activities. Title VI: Department of Commerce - Makes funds available from the Environmental Improvement and Restoration Fund for marine research activities of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1998
Amends the Agricultural Market Transition Act to prohibit inclusion of storage charges in calculating loan deficiency payments or loans made to producers for loan commodities.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1998
Directs: (1) the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out a trade compensation assistance program if the President, any other member of the executive branch, or any other provision of law causes suspension of U.S. exports to another country for reasons of national security or foreign policy; and (2) the Secretary of Defense to reimburse the Commodity Credit Corporation for such program costs.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1998
Export Apple Act - Amends the Export Apple and Pear Act to: (1) exclude pears from its coverage; and (2) rename the Act the Export Apple Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1998
Forest Service Cost Reduction and Fiscal Accountability Act of 1998 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, to prepare an implementation schedule for a Forest System accounting system to be known as the All Resources Accounting System which shall include: (1) specified program areas; (2) cost allocations; (3) identification of indirect expenditures and general administration costs; and (4) separate reports for Forest System units, State and private forestry, and research. Directs the Secretary to: (1) limit and eliminate within a certain period indirect expenditures from Forest Service trust funds or permanent appropriations; (2) disclose indirect expenditures and general administration costs in annual budget requests; and (3) prepare a five-year Forest System cost reduction strategic plan.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1998
Amends the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act to provide that the Secretary of Agriculture and other executive officials and employees may not prohibit or condition the ability of a State or local government to remove from land or waters any rocks, vegetation, soil, or other debris deposited by flood waters when the primary purpose of such removal is to reduce the risk and severity of subsequent flooding.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1998
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Secretary of Agriculture should provide timely assistance to Texas farmers and livestock producers in drought-stricken areas.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1998
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Secretary of Agriculture should provide timely assistance to Texas farmers and livestock producers in drought-stricken areas.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1998
Amends the Rural Development Act of 1972 to state that rural development extension programs should emphasize market development education and technical assistance for small and medium sized farms. Amends the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 to authorize Fund for Rural America amounts to be used for rural development technical assistance. Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to provide project priority for farmer-owned value-added processing facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1998
Sets forth the rule (open) for the consideration of H.R. 4101 (Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies program appropriations).
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1998
Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to sell or exchange specified tracts of land in Mississippi, including the Gulfport Research Laboratory, for: (1) construction of a research laboratory and office facility at the Mississippi State University Forest Service administrative site at Starkville, Mississippi; and (2) acquisition of National Forest System land and administrative facilities in Mississippi.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Agricultural Programs Title II: Conservation Programs Title III: Rural Economic and Community Development Programs Title IV: Domestic Food Programs Title V: Foreign Assistance and Related Programs Title VI: Related Agencies and Food and Drug Administration Title VII: General Provisions Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 - Title I: Agricultural Programs - Appropriates funds for FY 1999 for the following Department of Agriculture programs and services: (1) Office of the Secretary of Agriculture; (2) executive operations (Chief Economist, National Appeals Division) (3) Office of Budget and Program Analysis; (4) Office of the Chief Information Officer; (5) Chief Financial Officer; (6) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration; (7) Agriculture buildings and facilities and rental payments; (8) hazardous waste management; (9) departmental administration; (10) outreach for socially disadvantaged farmers; (11) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations; (12) Office of Communications; (13) Office of the Inspector General; (14) Office of the General Counsel; (15) Office of the Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics; (16) Economic Research Service; (17) National Agricultural Statistics Service; (18) Agricultural Research Service; (19) Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service; (20) Native American Institutions Endowment Fund; (21) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs; (22) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; (23) Agricultural Marketing Service; (24) funds for strengthening markets, income, and supply; (25) payments to States and possessions; (26) Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration; (27) Food Safety and Inspection Service; (28) Office of the Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services; (29) Farm Service Agency; (30) State mediation grants; (31) dairy indemnity program; (32) Agricultural Credit Insurance Fund account; (33) Risk Management Agency; (34) Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Fund; and (35) Commodity Credit Corporation Fund. Title II: Conservation Programs - Appropriates funds for the: (1) Office of the Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment; and (2) Natural Resources Conservation Service. Title III: Rural Economic and Community Development Programs - Appropriates funds for the following: (1) Office of the Under Secretary for Rural Development; (2) Rural Housing Service; (3) Rural Business-Cooperative Service; and (4) Rural Utilities Service. Title IV: Domestic Food Programs - Appropriates funds for the following: (1) child nutrition programs; (2) special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children (WIC) (3) food stamp program; (4) commodity assistance program; and (5) specified food donation programs. Title V: Foreign Assistance and Related Programs - Appropriates funds for the Foreign Agricultural Service and General Sales Manager. Title VI: Related Agencies and Food and Drug Administration - Appropriates funds for the following: (1) Food and Drug Administration; (2) Farm Credit System Financial Assistance Corporation; (3) Commodity Futures Trading Commission; and (4) Farm Credit Administration. Title VII: General Provisions - Specifies certain uses and limits on or prohibitions against the use of funds appropriated by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 1998
Imported Food Safety Act of 1998 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the prior approval of the Secretary of Health and Human Services for commercial distribution of food imported into the United States. Cites factors for mandatory consideration by the Secretary when determining whether to grant such approval. Requires the Secretary to: (1) deny approval of foreign food for import if the foreign system for food inspection does not provide at least the same level of protection as domestic laws, or if the foreign country does not permit the Secretary to conduct food inspections within its borders; and (2) give high priority to increasing significantly the number of inspections, including port-of-entry testing for pesticide and microbial contamination. Sets forth criminal penalties for noncompliance. Deems certain foods to be misbranded if the country-of-origin labeling is not provided at the time they are offered for retail sale. Instructs the Secretary to prioritize research on port-of-entry food safety testing techniques whose results are available within 60 minutes after test administration. Directs the Secretary to impose user fees on imported food in order to defray increased expenses needed to implement this Act. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1998 through 2003.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 1998
Rural Enterprise Communities Act of 1998 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to authorize: (1) 33 additional rural enterprise communities (with an extended designation deadline); (2) designation of certain noncontiguous parcels as empowerment zones or enterprise communities; (3) a special designation exception for certain areas based upon emigration, underemployment, or economic adjustment; and (4) empowerment zone eligibility for Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Provides for: (1) designation priority to be given to top performing enterprise communities; and (2) additional specified grants and grant amounts for rural empowerment zones and rural enterprise communities. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to use certain community planning amounts under the Social Security Act to help communities apply for empowerment zone or enterprise community designation. Amends the Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 to authorize conveyance of Department of Agriculture excess property to support empowerment zones and enterprise communities.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1998
Selective Agriculture Embargo Prohibition Act - Amends the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to require the President to report to the Congress on any national emergency export controls (which may not exceed one year) that he imposes on agricultural commodities. Declares that, if within 60 days the Congress adopts a joint resolution of approval, such controls shall remain in effect for the period specified, or until the President terminates them, whichever occurs first. States that if Congress fails to adopt a joint resolution of approval, such controls shall cease to be effective upon the expiration of the initial 60-day period.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Agricultural Programs Title II: Conservation Programs Title III: Rural Economic and Community Development Programs Title IV: Domestic Food Programs Title V: Foreign Assistance and Related Programs Title VI: Related Agencies and Food and Drug Administration Title VII: General Provisions Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 - Title I: Agricultural Programs - Appropriates funds for FY 1999 for the following Department of Agriculture programs and services: (1) Office of the Secretary of Agriculture; (2) executive operations (Chief Economist, National Appeals Division) (3) Office of Budget and Program Analysis; (4) Office of the Chief Information Officer; (5) Chief Financial Officer; (6) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration; (7) Agriculture buildings and facilities and rental payments; (8) hazardous waste management; (9) departmental administration; (10) outreach for socially disadvantaged farmers; (11) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations; (12) Office of Communications; (13) Office of the Inspector General; (14) Office of the General Counsel; (15) Office of the Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics; (16) Economic Research Service; (17) National Agricultural Statistics Service; (18) Agricultural Research Service; (19) Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service; (20) Native American Institutions Endowment Fund; (21) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs; (22) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; (23) Agricultural Marketing Service; (24) funds for strengthening markets, income, and supply; (25) payments to States and possessions; (26) Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration; (27) Food Safety and Inspection Service; (28) Office of the Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services; (29) Farm Service Agency; (30) State mediation grants; (31) dairy indemnity program; (32) Agricultural Credit Insurance Fund account; (33) Risk Management Agency; (34) Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Fund; and (35) Commodity Credit Corporation Fund. Title II: Conservation Programs - Appropriates funds for the: (1) Office of the Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment; and (2) Natural Resources Conservation Service. Title III: Rural Economic and Community Development Program s - Appropriates funds for the following: (1) Office of the Under Secretary for Rural Development; (2) Rural Housing Service; (3) Rural Business-Cooperative Service; and (4) Rural Utilities Service. Title IV: Domestic Food Programs - Appropriates funds for the following: (1) Office of the Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services; (2) child nutrition programs; (3) special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children (WIC) (4) food stamp program; (5) commodity assistance program; and (6) specified food donation programs. Title V: Foreign Assistance and Related Programs - Appropriates funds for the Foreign Agricultural Service and General Sales Manager. Title VI: Related Agencies and Food and Drug Administration - Appropriates funds for the following: (1) Food and Drug Administration; (2) Farm Credit System Financial Assistance Corporation; and (3) Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Title VII: General Provisions - Specifies certain uses and limits on or prohibitions against the use of funds appropriated by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: School Lunch and Related Programs Title II: School Breakfast and Related Programs Title III: Commodity Distribution Programs Title IV: Effective Date Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Amendments of 1998 - Title I: School Lunch and Related Programs - Amends the National School Lunch Act (NSLA) with respect to direct expenditures for agricultural commodities and other foods to repeal requirements for: (1) interim sources of funds pending supplemental appropriations; and (2) State matching funds for such interim funds and for cash donations in lieu of commodity donations. (Sec. 102) Allows State agencies to retain up to one-half of any program funds recovered during State-conducted audits or reviews of school food authorities, institutions, and service institutions participating in food assistance programs authorized under NSLA and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (CNA). Requires State agencies to use such funds for otherwise allowable program costs (including the cost of providing funds to participating school food authorities, institutions, and service institutions) to improve their management operations within the State. (Sec. 103) Repeals a prohibition against requiring a State to match Federal funds for meals in private schools if the State educational agency is prohibited by law from disbursing State appropriated funds to private schools. Sunsets the Secretary of Agriculture's authority to disburse NSLA program funds to schools directly at the end of FY 2000. Requires the Secretary to provide training and technical assistance to State agencies which assume program administration from the Secretary on or before October 1, 2000. (Sec. 104) Requires all schools participating in the National School Lunch Program (lunch program) under NSLA or the School Breakfast Program (breakfast program) under CNA, in which meals are prepared on site, to obtain inspections twice during each school year that indicate food service operations meet State or local health and safety standards. (Sec. 105) Repeals the Secretary's authority, acting through the Administrator of the Food and Nutrition Service or through the Extension Service, to award grants for food and nutrition demonstration projects. Requires schools participating in the lunch program or breakfast program to make every effort to establish meal service periods that provide children adequate time to fully consume their meals in an environment conducive to eating. (Sec. 106) Directs the Secretary to require that schools in the contiguous United States purchase for the lunch program and breakfast program, whenever possible, only food products that are produced in the United States. (Sec. 107) Revises the NSLA summer food service program to apply to suppers and supplements the Secretary's authority to establish adjustments to reimbursement rates in the States of Alaska and Hawaii, and in specified territories, to reflect differences in costs from those in all other States. Revises the eligibility criteria for private nonprofit institutions under the summer food service program to increase from five to 25 the number of sites they may operate. Repeals certain summer food service program requirements relating to: (1) a March 1st deadline for indication of interest; (2) restrictions on meal contracting; and (3) vendor registration. Extends through FY 2002 the authorization of appropriations for the NSLA summer food service program. (Sec. 108) Reauthorizes through FY 2002 the NSLA commodity distribution program, which may use Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) and other specified funds to purchase agricultural commodities for use in programs under NSLA, CNA, and the Older Americans Act of 1965. (Sec. 109) Revises NSLA child and adult care food program requirements for licensing and alternate approval for schools and outside school hours child care. Reinstates categorical eligibility, under the NSLA child care food program, for participants in the Even Start program of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. (Extends such eligibility through FY 2002; it had ended with FY 1997.) Revises conditions for child and adult care program participation by institutions moving toward compliance with the requirement for tax exempt status. Repeals a notification requirement for incomplete applications. Requires State agencies, at least once every two years, to provide notification of child and adult care program availability, participation requirements, and application procedures to each nonparticipating institution or family or group day care home that is located in a needy area within the State, and has Federal, State, or local licensing or approval or receives funds under Social Security Act block grants to States for social services. Repeals the requirement that a participating State provide sufficient training, technical assistance, and monitoring to facilitate effective program operation. Repeals the Secretary's mandate to make funds available each fiscal year for State audits of participating institutions in the child care food program. Directs the Secretary to provide State agencies with increased levels of training and technical assistance for their management and oversight of the child and adult care program. Allows institutions that provide care to at-risk school children during after-school hours, weekends, or holidays during the regular school year to participate in the child care food program. Defines as at-risk any children who: (1) are age 12 through 18; and (2) live in a geographical area served by a school enrolling elementary students in which at least 50 percent of the total number of children enrolled are certified eligible to receive free or reduced price school meals under NSLA or CNA. Allows such institutions to claim reimbursements, at the free supplement rate, only for: (1) supplements served without charge to at-risk school children during after-school hours, weekends, or holidays during the regular school year; and (2) one supplement per child per day. Directs the Secretary to provide State agencies with information concerning the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC program) under CNA. Requires State agencies to ensure that each participating child care center (other than institutions providing care to school children outside of school hours) receives certain WIC program informational materials and updates, and provides such information to parents of enrolled children annually. Repeals specified termination dates to grant permanent authorization to demonstration projects for child care food program qualification of private for-profit organizations providing nonresidential day care services. (Sec. 110) Allows emergency shelter homeless programs to participate in the child and adult care food program. Allows shelters to claim reimbursements, at the free supplement rate, only for: (1) supplements served without charge to resident children through age 12; and (2) not more than three meals or two meals and a supplement per child per day. Repeals the homeless children nutrition program. (Sec. 111) Repeals authority for certain demonstration projects involving: (1) meals and supplements outside of school hours; (2) fortified fluid milk; (3) fruits, vegetables, legumes, cereals, and grain-based products; (4) low-fat dairy products and lean meat and poultry products; and (5) reduced paperwork and application requirements and increased participation. (Sec. 112) Extends through FY 2002 the authorization of appropriations for training and technical assistance under the child and adult care food program. (Sec. 113) Extends through FY 1999 authority to fund the food service management institute, including mandatory and discretionary activities. (Sec. 114) Extends through FY 2002 the authorization of appropriations for compliance and accountability activities under the child and adult care food program. (Sec. 115) Extends through FY 1999 authority to fund an information clearinghouse for nongovernmental groups on food assistance and self-help activities for low-income individuals and communities. Makes the Secretary's authority to contract for such a clearinghouse discretionary rather than mandatory. Waives competition requirements for a contract with any organization that has performed satisfactorily under a previous clearinghouse contract. (Sec. 116) Repeals the requirement that the Secretary provide guidance and grant assistance to eligible entities for accommodating special dietary needs of individuals with disabilities who participate in covered programs under NSLA and CNA. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out accommodation activities, including guidance, technical assistance, training, and grants for State agencies and eligible entities. Title II: School Breakfast and Related Programs - Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (CNA) to sunset the Secretary of Agriculture's authority to disburse CNA program funds to schools directly at the end of FY 2000. Requires the Secretary to provide training and technical assistance to State agencies which assume program administration from the Secretary on or before October 1, 2000. (Sec. 202) Repeals specified requirements for reallocation of State administrative expense funds. Eliminates the ten percent limitation on the transfer of administrative expense funds under CNA and NSLA. Extends through FY 2002 the authorization of appropriations for State administrative expenses under CNA. (Sec. 203) Establishes additional program application requirements, involving physical presence, income documentation, and verification, for the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children (WIC program). Authorizes the Secretary to provide bulk quantities of WIC program nutrition education materials to State agencies administering the Commodity Supplemental Food Program under the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973 at no cost to that program. Extends through FY 2002: (1) the authorization of appropriations for the WIC program and for the WIC farmers market nutrition program; and (2) requirements to use certain WIC funds for allocations to State agencies for costs of nutrition services and administration, and for program infrastructure and information, projects of regional or national significance, and breastfeeding promotion and support activities. Revises WIC program requirements relating to: (1) infant formula procurement; (2) spend-forward authority; (3) matching funds requirements and ranking criteria for farmers market nutrition program State plans; and (3) disqualification of certain vendors convicted of trafficking or illegal sales. (Sec. 204) Authorizes appropriations in necessary amounts (currently gives a specified amount for each fiscal year) for FY 1997 through 2002 for the nutrition education and training program under CNA. Title III: Commodity Distribution Programs - Amends the Commodity Distribution Reform Act and WIC Amendments of 1987 to revise requirements relating to applicability and customer acceptability information. (Sec. 302) Prescribes food distribution requirements relating to the Secretary of Agriculture's authority to: (1) transfer commodities between programs; (2) resolve claims; (3) use specified funds to make payment of costs associated with management of commodities which pose a health or safety hazard; and (4) accept commodities donated by Federal sources. Title IV: Effective Date - Sets forth the effective date for this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 1998
Amends the Arms Export Control Act to exempt Department of Agriculture assistance for the purchase or other provision of food or other agricultural commodities from the prohibition against extensions of U.S. Government credit, credit guarantees, or other financial assistance to countries involved in the transfer or use of nuclear explosive devices.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 1998
Amends the Arms Export Control Act to exempt Department of Agriculture assistance for the purchase or other provision of food or other agricultural commodities from the prohibition against extensions of U.S. Government credit, credit guarantees, or other financial assistance to countries involved in the transfer or use of nuclear explosive devices.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 1998
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish an Office of Civil Rights in the Department of Agriculture to investigate and resolve certain complaints of discrimination arising from the administration of Department programs.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 1998
Expresses the sense of the Congress with respect to the implementation of the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 and the related responsibilities of the Environmental Protection Agency.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1998
Fair Deal for Northern New Mexico of 1998 - Directs the Secretaries of the Interior and of Agriculture to establish a Settlement Committee to develop comprehensive settlements for land grant claims arising out of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo of 1848. Requires submission of land grant claims by eligible Mexican descendants to the appropriate New Mexico county settlement committee to be reviewed for their validity and settlement. Directs the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and the Settlement Committee to establish a Spanish Land Grant Study program, with a research archive at the Onate Center in Alcalde, New Mexico, in order to assist the Settlement Committee and to archive and interpret the history of land distribution in the southwestern United States under Spanish and Mexican law, including the changes to such distribution system following the transfer of territory from Mexico to the United States under the terms of the Treaty. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1998
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to convey to Kern County, California, three parcels of land under the jurisdiction of the Forest Service in Kern County known as Camp Owen, Wofford Heights Park, and the French Gulch maintenance yard in exchange for Greenhorn Mountain Park in Kern County for inclusion in Sequoia National Forest.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1998
Interstate 90 Land Exchange Act of 1998 - Provides for: (1) an exchange of private and Federal lands in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie, Wenatchee, and Gifford Pinchot National Forests, Washington, between the Secretary of Agriculture and Plum Creek Timber Company, L.P.; (2) land appraisals, including considerations for critical habitat designations and harvested timber, and equalization requirements; and (3) access to acquired lands. Requires lands acquired by the Secretary to become part of the appropriate national forest.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1998
Amends the Arms Export Control Act to exempt Department of Agriculture assistance for the purchase or other provision of food or other agricultural commodities from the prohibition against extensions of U.S. Government credit, credit guarantees, or other financial assistance to countries involved in the transfer or use of nuclear explosive devices.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 1998
Interstate 90 Land Exchange Act of 1998 - Provides for: (1) an exchange of private and Federal lands in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie, Wenatchee, and Gifford Pinchot National Forests, Washington, between the Secretary of Agriculture and Plum Creek Timber Company, L.P.; (2) land appraisals, including considerations for critical habitat designations and harvested timber, and equalization requirements; and (3) access to acquired lands. Requires lands acquired by the Secretary to become part of the appropriate national forest.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 1998
Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain National Forest System administrative sites and to use the proceeds for the acquisition of office sites and the acquisition, construction, or improvement of offices and administrative support buildings for the Coconino, Kaibab, Prescott, and Tonto National Forests, Arizona.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Food and Drug Administration Fees Part A: User Fees Part B: General Provisions Title II: Medicare Administrative Fees Title III: Miscellaneous User Fees User Fee Act of 1998 - Title I: Food and Drug Administration Fees - Part A: User Fees - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish fees to cover activities of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in connection with: (1) petitions and notifications for food additives, food contact substances, and color additives; (2) applications for approval of generic drugs; (3) applications for approval of animal drugs; (4) applications for approval of medical devices; (5) the review of import inspections and export certificates for drugs, devices, and food subject to regulation under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; and (6) regulating entities subject to FDA oversight. Part B: General Provisions - Set forth provisions concerning, among other things: (1) fee amounts and availability; (2) assessment, publication, and reduction or waiver of fees; and (3) with respect to such fees, the FDA agency plan and reporting requirements. Title II: Medicare Administrative Fees - Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary to impose, to the extent provided in appropriations Acts, fees for initial Medicare+Choice contracts and annual fees for renewal of such contracts and monitoring of the ongoing operations of Medicare+Choice organizations. (Sec. 201) Directs the Secretary to establish fee amounts annually, which shall not exceed reasonably estimated costs. Allows the Secretary to provide for reduction or waiver of such fees in exceptional circumstances in the public interest. Requires such fees to be credited to the Health Care Financing Administration Program Management Account. (Sec. 202) Amends SSA title XVIII part D (Miscellaneous Provisions) to repeal the prohibition against the imposition of fees for conducting certification surveys. Requires imposition of such fees, except upon entities subject to the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1998. Prohibits an entity from including such a fee as an allowable item on a cost report under SSA title XVIII or XIX (Medicaid). (Sec. 203) Directs the Secretary to establish a procedure for initial and periodic renewal of registration of individuals and entities that furnish items or services for which Medicare payment may be made and that are not otherwise subject to Medicare provisions for such procedures. Requires the Secretary, to the extent provided in appropriations Acts, to impose: (1) fees for initial agreements with service providers, and initial registrations of other entities and individuals that furnish items or services for which Medicare payment may be made; and (2) annual fees to cover the costs of renewals of agreements and registrations of such individuals and entities. Sets forth fee-related assessment limitations, crediting requirements, and cost-reporting restrictions similar to those for the other fees required by this title. (Sec. 204) Outlines requirements for new mandatory fees for review, audit, and cost settlement activities under the Medicare Integrity Program, to be credited to the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Account. (Sec. 205) Subjects certain claims to a $1 processing fee, including claims which duplicate another claim submitted by the same individual or entity, and claims which are not submitted electronically. Allows the waiver of fees in the latter case where compelling circumstances exist. Sets forth guidelines for the collection, crediting, and availability of such fees similar to the guidelines for initial Medicare+Choice contract and renewal fees. Title III: Miscellaneous User Fees - Amends the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to collect fees to cover costs of providing services under specified agricultural laws. (Sec. 302) Requires the Secretary of Commerce to collect fees for the provision of navigation assistance and fisheries management and enforcement services. Limits a fisheries management fee to one percent of the ex-vessel value of harvested fish with respect to which the fee is collected. (Sec. 304) Amends Federal law to increase patent fees (including maintenance fees), except fees for the filing of provisional applications for original patents. (Sec. 305) Authorizes appropriations to the International Trade Administration, to be derived from fees collected for the provision of export promotion services. (Sec. 306) Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 to increase claim maintenance fees to be paid by holders of unpatented mining claims, mills, or tunnel sites for FY 1999 and subsequent years. Increases and permanently extends location fees for such claims. Makes fees available for mining law administration program operations. (Sec. 307) Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the Secretary of Labor, beginning in FY 2000, to impose fees for the filing of applications for labor certifications, employer attestations, or similar petitions required for programs relating to the provision to an alien of immigrant or nonimmigrant employment-based status. (Sec. 308) Directs the Secretary of Transportation to collect fees for the provision of navigation assistance services. (Sec. 309) Amends Federal law to require the Surface Transportation Board to prescribe a schedule of user fees for carriers subject to the Board's jurisdiction. (Sec. 310) Requires the Secretary of the Army to collect fees from applicants for permits for the discharge of dredged or fill material into navigable waters under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act for: (1) evaluation of permit applications; (2) preparation of environmental impact statements in connection with permit issuance; and (3) delineation of wetlands for major developments affecting wetlands. Establishes the Army Civil Works Regulatory Program Account in the Treasury into which such fees shall be deposited. Makes the Account available to the Secretary for costs incurred in administering laws pertaining to regulation of U.S. navigable waters. (Sec. 311) Establishes in the Treasury a radiological emergency preparedness fund for offsite radiological emergency planning, preparedness, and response. Requires the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to collect fees from persons subject to radiological emergency preparedness regulations, to be deposited in such fund. (Sec. 312) Directs the Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board to collect fees from air carriers to cover partial costs of aviation accident investigations. Caps such fees at $6 million per fiscal year. (Sec. 313) Amends title II (Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to authorize fees to be assessed on persons rendering services in connection with claims for benefits where their service fees are fixed or approved by the Commissioner of Social Security or determined by a court. Authorizes appropriations for administrative expenses in carrying out such title and related laws from amounts credited to a special Treasury account from such assessments. Applies service fee provisions to title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) of the Social Security Act as well. (Sec. 314) Amends Federal law to extend provisions for railroad carrier user fees through FY 2003. (Sec. 315) Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to authorize an increased maximum ad valorem rate adjustment for certain customs merchandise processing. Makes fees collected in excess of the established .21 percent ad valorem to be available for expenses incurred by the Secretary of the Treasury for the National Customs Automation Program. (Sec. 316) Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to levy fees upon applicants for pesticide registration, amendments to registration, and experimental use permits to cover costs associated with application review. Provides for waivers or reductions of fees under specified circumstances. (Sec. 317) Authorizes the Administrator to assess fees from persons required to submit certain test data under the Toxic Substances Control Act without regard to dollar limitations specified in such Act. (Sec. 318) Amends the Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1990 to extend the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's authority to assess certain user fees and annual charges through FY 2003. (Sec. 319) Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA) to require the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to assess fees for examinations against insured depository institutions. Amends the Federal Reserve Act (FRA) to require (currently, authorize) fees to be assessed against banks examined (other than those examined by State authorities) upon order of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve Board). Amends the FDIA to reduce annual regular examination fees imposed on any State depository institution under the FDIA, FRA, or the Home Owners' Loan Act to reflect that the supervision of the institution by a State bank supervisor has reduced the need for Federal supervision. Bars the imposition of such fees on institutions with assets of less than $100 million. Directs the Federal Reserve Board to report to the Congress on: (1) total costs incurred by the Board during the preceding year attributable to examinations of bank holding companies; and (2) total amounts assessed against, and paid by, such holding companies for examinations. (Sec. 319) Extends through FY 2005 National Park Service (NPS) authority under the recreational fee demonstration program. Makes such authority available for all NPS units, except that no recreational admission fee may be charged at Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Lincoln Home National Historic Site. Requires a report from the Secretary of the Interior to specified congressional committees on the program's status. (Sec. 320) Repeals the Concessions Policy Act of 1965. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to authorize, under specified conditions, private persons, corporations, or other entities to provide and operate such facilities and services as the Secretary deems necessary and appropriate in the National Park System. Authorizes the Secretary, upon request and under specified criteria, to allow such entities to provide services to park visitors through a commercial use authorization. Requires the provision of such services to have minimal impact on park resources and values and to be consistent with park purposes. Provides a two-year term limit for the provision of such services. Requires a concession contract to be awarded to the person submitting the best proposal through a competitive selection process to be established by the Secretary. Allows the award of a temporary contract to avoid interruption of services. Requires the Secretary to publish a notice of availability for a prospectus soliciting proposals for contracts for concessions at a park specifying minimum contract requirements and contract terms and conditions. Requires congressional notification of any proposed contract with anticipated annual gross receipts exceeding $5 million or of a duration of ten or more years. Prohibits the Secretary from granting a preferential right to a concessioner to: (1) renew concession contracts under this section, with exceptions; or (2) provide new or additional services at a park. Allows preferential rights of renewal to be granted for certain outfitting and guide contracts and certain contracts with annual gross receipts of under $500,000. Sets forth criteria for determining franchise fees, including fees for multiple concession contracts within a park. Requires all fees to be covered into a special Treasury account established for reallocation to National Park System units for resource management and protection, maintenance activities, interpretation, and research. Directs the Inspector General of the Department of the Interior to conduct biennial audits of concession fees. Establishes a maximum: (1) ten-year duration for a concessions contract, provided that the Secretary may award a contract for up to 20 years if determined necessary; and (2) two-year duration for a temporary contract. Requires the approval of the Secretary before a concession contract can be transferred, assigned, sold, or conveyed and sets forth conditions that preclude such conveyance. Grants possessory interest to concessioners who have commenced acquisition or construction of any structure on Federal land within a park before the enactment of this Act. Places conditions on a concessioner's rates and charges to the public. Directs the Secretary to: (1) periodically evaluate the performance of each concessioner under contract; and (2) terminate a contract if a concessioner fails, within the prescribed time, to meet minimum requirements identified in a notice of unsatisfactory performance. Grants the Comptroller General, until the expiration of five calendar years after the close of the business year for each concessioner, access to and the right to examine any pertinent books, documents, papers, and records of the concessioner related to contracts. Exempts contracts awarded by the Secretary under this section from certain provisions of Federal law relating to the leasing of U.S. buildings and properties. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 321) Amends Federal law to authorize the use of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund for costs incurred by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after FY 1999. Requires fees to be assessed for FAA services obtained outside the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1998
USDA Information Technology Reform and Year-2000 Compliance Act of 1998 - Establishes within the Department of Agriculture the position of Chief Information Officer who shall manage: (1) year-2000 compliance; and (2) planning, funding, and acquisition of information technology and resource management. Requires: (1) funding approval by the Chief Information Officer; and (2) each office or agency to appoint an Agency Chief Information Officer. Makes a technical amendment to the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Medicare Coverage of Certain Ambulance Services Title II: State Emergency Medical Services Agency Participation in Certain Federal Programs Title III: Federal Commission for Emergency Ambulance Services Title IV: Study and Report Regarding Consolidation of Federal Authority Over Emergency Medical Services Emergency Medical Services Efficiency Act of 1998 - Title I: Medicare Coverage of Certain Ambulance Services - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to ensure Medicare reimbursement for ambulance services rendered as a result of the sudden onset of a medical condition manifested by symptoms believed to be serious but whose ultimate diagnosis results in the conclusion that the ambulance services were not necessary. Title II: State Emergency Medical Services Agency Participation in Certain Federal Programs - Amends the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to include State emergency medical services agencies among the entities eligible for financial assistance with regard to telemedicine and distance learning services in rural areas. Amends the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 to allow a State emergency medical services agency to participate in the Informatics, Telemedicine, and Education Demonstration Project as part of an eligible health care provider telemedicine network (consortium). Title III: Federal Commission for Emergency Ambulance Services - Establishes the Federal Commission for Emergency Ambulance Services to study and report to the President and the Congress on all matters relating to emergency ambulance services, including any existing or proposed Federal department or agency rules that impact such services, together with recommendations for improving such matters. Title IV: Study and Report Regarding Consolidation of Federal Authority Over Emergency Medical Services - Directs the Comptroller General of the United States to study and report to the President and the Congress on the consolidation of Federal authority over emergency medical services in a single Federal agency, together with appropriate recommendations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1998
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the European Union should take immediate steps to waive the penalty for failure to use restitution subsidies for barley exported to the United States and establish procedures to ensure that restitution and other subsidies are not used for sales of agricultural commodities to the United States or other North American countries; (2) the President, the United States Trade Representative (USTR), and the Secretary of Agriculture should immediately consult with the European Union regarding the sale of European feed barley to the United States in order to avoid any future sale of such barley to the United States that is based on restitution or other subsidies; and (3) the USTR and the Secretary should report to the Congress on the terms and conditions of such sale, the results of the consultations, and the steps that are being taken or will be taken to address such situations in the future.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1998
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to grant to the Chugach Alaska Corporation a road and facilities easement to land interests in the Carbon Mountain and Katalla vicinity conveyed pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1998
Amends the National School Lunch Act (NSLA) to reauthorize through FY 2003 the commodity distribution program, which may use Commodity Credit Corporation and other specified funds to purchase agricultural commodities for use in programs under NSLA, the Child Nutrition Act, and the Older Americans Act of 1965.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1998
WIC Reauthorization Amendments of 1998 - Amends the Child Nutrition Act to reauthorize and revise requirements for the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children (WIC program). Establishes additional WIC program application requirements, involving physical presence, income documentation, and verification. Authorizes the Secretary to provide bulk quantities of WIC program nutrition education materials to State agencies administering the Commodity Supplemental Food Program under the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973 at no cost to that program. Extends through FY 2003: (1) the authorization of appropriations for the WIC program and for the WIC farmers market nutrition program; and (2) requirements to use certain WIC funds for allocations to State agencies for costs of nutrition services and administration, and for program infrastructure and information, projects of regional or national significance, and breastfeeding promotion and support activities. Revises WIC program requirements relating to: (1) purchase of breast pumps; (2) nutrition services and administration level of per participant expenditure; (3) State plans to reduce average food costs per participant and increase program participation; (4) infant formula procurement; (5) consideration of price levels of retail stores for program participation; (6) spend-forward authority; (7) matching funds requirement and ranking criteria for farmers market nutrition program State plans; and (8) disqualification of certain vendors convicted of trafficking or illegal sales. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Administrator of the Economic Research Service, to study and report to specified congressional committees on the effects of State cost containment practices for the selection of vendors and approved food items (other than infant formula) on certain aspects of the WIC program. Allows amounts collected from penalties from vendors and recipients relating to fraud and abuse violations under the WIC program to be used for nutrition services and administration and food benefits only for the one-year period after they are received. Sets a $25,000 maximum amount on a fine for embezzlement, willful misapplication, stealing, obtaining by fraud, or trafficking in food instruments of funds, assets, or property that are of a value of $100 or more under the WIC program.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Subtitle A (sic): Tobacco Community Revitalization Trust Fund Subtitle B: Agricultural Market Transition Assistance Subtitle C: Farmer and Worker Transition Assistance Subtitle D: Immunity Long-Term Economic Assistance for Farmers Act or the LEAF Act - Subtitle A (sic): Tobacco Community Revitalization Trust Fund - Establishes in the Treasury the Tobacco Community Revitalization Trust Fund to be used for: (1) payments for lost tobacco quota revenue; (2) industry payments for Department of Agriculture tobacco-related costs; (3) tobacco community development grants; (4) tobacco worker transition assistance; and (5) education opportunity grants. (Sec. 1012) Sets forth tobacco manufacturer and importer Fund assessment provisions. Subtitle B: Tobacco Market Transition Assistance - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to make payments to: (1) eligible tobacco quota holders, lessees, and tenants for lost tobacco quota resulting from decreased domestic tobacco production; (2) reimburse the Department for tobacco program-related costs; and (3) States for tobacco community economic development grants. (Sec. 1024) Amends the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 to replace flue-cured marketing quotas with a system of production permits for quota holders who are active principal producers. Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to eliminate the tobacco producer, purchaser, or importer marketing assessment. Subtitle C: Farmer and Worker Transition Assistance - Sets forth group eligibility requirements under the tobacco worker transition program. Authorizes through a certain date the use of specified Fund amounts for such program. (Sec. 1032) Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize through a certain date a higher education farmer opportunity grant program for qualifying tobacco farm families. Subtitle D: Immunity - Grants tobacco producers, growers associations, or warehouse owners and employees immunity from any action resulting from a tobacco product manufacturer's, distributor's, or retailer's noncompliance with the National Tobacco Policy and Youth Smoking Reduction Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1998
Amends the National School Lunch Act with respect to the summer food service program to revise program eligibility criteria for a private nonprofit institution to: (1) increase from five to 25 the number of sites it may operate; and (2) eliminate requirements that it limit to 2,500 the total number of children served per day at all its sites, use its own facilities to prepare meals or obtain meals from a public facility or school participating in the school lunch program, and meet a March 1 deadline for indication of interest. Revises program requirements for food service management companies to: (1) allow private nonprofit organizations to contract with such companies; (2) make discretionary certain components of State registration and review; and (3) eliminate certain recordkeeping duties of the Secretary of Agriculture with respect to such companies that have been seriously deficient in program participation. Extends through FY 2003 the authorization of appropriations for the summer food service program.