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67 records in 1998
European Union · EUR-Lex · 30 March 1998
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Chapter 1: Department of Agriculture Chapter 2: Department of Defense Chapter 3: Department of Defense - Civil Chapter 4: Department of the Interior Chapter 5: Department of Defense - Military Construction Chapter 6: Department of Transportation Title II: Rescissions Title III: General Provisions - This Act 1998 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act - Makes emergency supplemental appropriations and rescissions for FY 1998. Title I: Emergency Supplemental Appropriations - Chapter 1: Department of Agriculture - Makes emergency supplemental appropriations for the Department of Agriculture for: (1) the Emergency Conservation Program; (2) the tree assistance program; (3) the Agricultural Credit Insurance Fund Program Account for emergency insured loans; (4) the Commodity Credit Corporation Fund for livestock and dairy production disaster assistance; and (5) the Natural Resources Conservation Service for watershed and flood prevention operations. Chapter 2: Department of Defense - Makes emergency supplemental appropriations for the Department of Defense (DOD) for: (1) military personnel, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force and for reserve personnel, Navy; (2) operation and maintenance (O&M), Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Army Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Army National Guard, and Air National Guard as well as defense-wide O&M; (3) the Overseas Contingency Operations Transfer Fund; (4) the Navy Working Capital Fund; (5) the Defense-Wide Working Capital Fund; and (6) the Defense Health Program. (Sec. 203) Appropriates an additional amount for DOD for the Reserve Mobilization Income Insurance Fund. (Sec. 204) Directs the Secretary of Defense to appoint an independent panel of experts to evaluate recent measures taken to improve the quality of care provided by the Military Health Services System. Requires the panel to: (1) review the DOD Access and Quality Improvement Initiative to assess whether all measures have been taken to ensure that the System delivers services in accordance with high professional standards; and (2) report findings and recommendations to the Secretary, to be forwarded to the Congress. Makes specified funds available for the panel and for any activity identified by the panel that will improve System health care. Chapter 3: Department of Defense - Civil - Makes emergency supplemental appropriations for DOD for the Army Corps of Engineers for general O&M for emergency repairs. Makes additional funds available for the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation for water and related resources to repair damage caused by natural disasters. Chapter 4: Department of the Interior - Makes emergency supplemental appropriations for the Department of the Interior for: (1) the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service for construction to repair damage caused by natural disasters; and (2) the U.S. Geological Survey for surveys, investigations, and research related to emergency expenses. Makes additional funds available for the Forest Service for State and private forestry and National Forest System emergency expenses. Chapter 5: Department of Defense - Military Construction - Makes emergency supplemental appropriations available for DOD for: (1) the Base Realignment and Closure Account, Part III for costs arising from El Nino damage; and (2) family housing, Navy and Marine Corps and Air Force for costs arising from Typhoon Paka and El Nino damage. Chapter 6: Department of Transportation - Makes emergency supplemental appropriations for the Department of Transportation for: (1) Federal-Aid Highways emergency expenses; and (2) the Federal Railroad Administration for emergency railroad rehabilitation and repair. Title II: Rescissions - Rescinds specified amounts of funds for: (1) the Department of Education for bilingual and immigrant education; (2) Federal Aviation Administration grants-in-aid for airports; (3) the Department of Housing and Urban Development for Section 8 reserves; and (4) the Corporation for National and Community Service for operating expenses of national and community service programs. Title III: General Provisions - This Act - Bars the use of funds made available by this Act for offensive operations by the armed forces against Iraq for purposes of obtaining compliance with United Nations Security Council resolutions relating to inspection and destruction of weapons of mass destruction unless such operations are authorized by a law enacted after this Act's enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Supplemental Appropriations Chapter 1: Department of Agriculture Chapter 2: Department of State Chapter 3: Department of Energy Chapter 4: Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Chapter 5: Department of the Interior Chapter 6: Department of Health and Human Services Chapter 7: Legislative Branch Chapter 8: Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Chapter 9: Department of the Treasury Chapter 10: Department of Veterans Affairs Chapter 11: Department of Defense - Military Construction Title II: Rescissions Title III: General Provisions - This Act 1998 Supplemental Appropriations and Rescissions Act - Makes supplemental appropriations and rescissions for FY 1998. Title I: Supplemental Appropriations - Chapter 1: Department of Agriculture - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to compensate for economic losses of persons who had or will have wheat stored in a storage facility that was, or may be, subject to an emergency action notice relating to the presence of Karnal bunt. Makes supplemental appropriations for the Department of Agriculture for: (1) departmental administration; (2) the Office of the General Counsel; and (3) the Agricultural Credit Insurance Fund Program Account for direct and unsubsidized guaranteed farm ownership loans, direct and guaranteed subsidized farm operating loans, and boll weevil eradication program loans. Makes additional funds available for salaries and expenses of the Food and Drug Administration. Chapter 2: Department of State - Makes supplemental appropriations for the Department of State for arrearage payments for the United Nations and assessed expenses of international peacekeeping. Prohibits the obligation or expenditure of funds for arrearages and international peacekeeping until the share of all assessed contributions for the regular United Nations budget does not exceed 22 percent (and 25 percent for each peacekeeping operation) for any single member. Chapter 3: Department of Energy - Makes an additional amount available for Department of Energy (DOE) departmental administration to cover increases in the cost of work for others, provided such costs are offset by revenue increases derived from specified fees under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954. (Sec. 301) Sets forth limitations on specified DOE projects. Chapter 4: Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs - Makes supplemental appropriations for foreign operations, export financing, and related programs for: (1) an increase in the U.S. quota in the International Monetary Fund (IMF); and (2) loans to the IMF under the Bretton Woods Agreements Act pursuant to new arrangements to borrow. Declares that a specified amount of bilateral economic assistance should be made available for Bolivia. (Sec. 401) Prohibits the use of funds appropriated for the U.S. quota in the IMF until the Secretary of the Treasury reports to the appropriate congressional committees that it is IMF policy that arrangements in excess of $500 million involving the use of resources available to the IMF shall include provisions committing the borrowing country to: (1) comply with the terms of international trade agreements of which the country is a signatory; (2) eliminate the policy of Government-directed lending by financial institutions; and (3) guarantee nondiscriminatory treatment in debt resolution proceedings between domestic and foreign creditors and debtors and other concerned persons. (Sec. 402) Requires the Secretary to report to the appropriate congressional committees on: (1) the implementation of IMF-led financial stabilization programs in countries in connection with which the United States has made a commitment to provide or has provided financing from the exchange stabilization fund; and (2) impending disbursements to such countries. (Sec. 403) Directs the Secretary to establish an International Financial Institution Advisory Commission that shall report recommendations to the appropriate committees on the future role and responsibilities of the IMF and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. International Monetary Fund Reform and Authorization Act of 1998 - Amends the Bretton Woods Agreement Act to authorize the U.S. Governor of the IMF to consent, subject to appropriations, to a specified increase in the U.S. IMF quota of Special Drawing Rights. Makes such amendment effective only if the Secretary certifies to certain congressional committees that the investors and banks have made a significant contribution in conjunction with a financing package that, in the context of an international financial crisis, might include taxpayer supported official financing. (Sec. 406) Sets forth conforming amendments for Federal participation in new arrangements to borrow. (Sec. 407) Amends the International Financial Institutions Act (the Act) to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the U.S. Executive Director of the IMF to promote specified policies, including: (1) structuring programs and assistance so as to promote policies and actions that will contribute to exchange rate stability and avoid competitive devaluations; (2) promoting market-oriented reform, trade liberalization, economic growth, democratic governance, and social stability through certain measures; (3) strengthening financial systems in developing countries and encouraging the adoption of sound banking principles and practices; (4) facilitating the development and implementation of internationally acceptable domestic bankruptcy laws in developing countries; (5) promoting policies that aim at appropriate burden-sharing by the private sector so that investors and creditors bear more fully the consequences of their decisions; (6) fostering structural reforms, including procurement reform, that reduce opportunities for corruption, bribery, and drug-related money laundering; (7) designing IMF programs and assistance so that governments channel public funds away from unproductive purposes, including large showcase projects and excessive military spending, and toward investment in human and physical capital; (8) structuring IMF programs and assistance so that improvement of labor standards is incorporated as an integral goal in the policy dialogue with recipient countries; (9) discouraging practices which may promote ethnic or social strife in a recipient country; (10) promoting IMF recognition that macroeconomic developments and policies can affect and be affected by environmental conditions and policies; (11) facilitating greater IMF transparency and accountability; and (12) promoting structural reforms which facilitate credit to small businesses, including microenterprise lending, especially in the world's poorest, heavily indebted countries. Directs the Secretary to establish an IMF Advisory Committee to advise the Secretary on the extent to which individual country IMF programs meet the policy goals set out in the Act. (Sec. 408) Denies Federal funds to the IMF unless the Secretary certifies to specified congressional committees that the IMF has made certain meeting minutes and reviews of loan programs available for public inspection. (Sec. 409) Instructs the Secretary to certify to certain congressional committees that the U.S. Executive Director of the IMF will oppose further fund disbursements to Indonesia unless its government complies with the terms of its IMF reform package. (Sec. 410) Expresses the sense of the Congress that Japan should assume a greater regional leadership role, coinciding with its goal of promoting strong domestic demand-led growth and avoiding a significant increase in its external surplus with the United States and the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. (Sec. 412) Instructs the Secretary to submit status reports to certain congressional committees regarding progress made toward achieving specified objectives to strengthen safeguards in the global financial system, including measures to promote more efficient functions of global markets. Requires such a report also on progress the U.S. Executive Director of the IMF has made in influencing the IMF to adopt specified policies and reforms of its internal procedures. (Sec. 414) Directs the Secretary to certify to certain congressional committees that the Secretary has instructed the U.S. Executive Director of the IMF to facilitate timely access by the General Accounting Office (GAO) to IMF information and documents needed by GAO to perform financial reviews of the IMF that will facilitate the conduct of U.S. policy with respect to it. Instructs the Comptroller General to report annually to such congressional committees on IMF financial operations. Chapter 5: Department of the Interior - Makes supplemental appropriations for the Department of the Interior for: (1) the Minerals Management Service for royalty and offshore minerals management to meet increased demand and workload requirements stemming from leasing activity in the Gulf of Mexico; (2) the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund, to be derived from a transfer of funds; and (3) the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) for operation of Indian programs and the Office of Special Trustee for American Indians for Federal trust programs to support litigation involving individual Indian trust fund accounts. Chapter 6: Department of Health and Human Services - Makes additional funds available for the Department of Health and Human Services for Health Care Financing Administration program management. (Sec. 602) Authorizes the obligation of a limited amount of funds in FY 1998 for contracts with Utilization and Quality Control Peer Review Organizations pursuant to the Social Security Act. Chapter 7: Legislative Branch - Makes supplemental appropriations for the legislative branch for: (1) payments to widows of specified Members of Congress; and (2) the Architect of the Capitol for Capitol building salaries and expenses and for the Capitol Square perimeter security plan. Chapter 8: Department of Transportation and Related Agencies - Provides additional funds for the Department of Transportation (DOT) for the Amtrak Reform Council and for National Transportation Safety Board salaries and expenses for expenses resulting from the crash of TWA Flight 800. Chapter 9: Department of the Treasury - Makes supplemental appropriations for the Department of the Treasury for: (1) automation enhancement; (2) Treasury building and annex repair and restoration; and (3) Financial Management Service salaries and expenses for year 2000 century date change conversion requirements. Chapter 10: Department of Veterans Affairs - Provides additional funds for the Veterans Benefits Administration for compensation and pensions. Prohibits requirements set forth in any carbon monoxide Federal implementation plan based on the Clean Air Act as in effect prior to the 1990 amendments from being imposed in Arizona. Authorizes the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to transfer specified funds to the account for human space flight for the International Space Station program. Chapter 11: Department of Defense - Military Construction - Directs the Secretary of the Navy to carry out beach replenishment in connection with the military construction project for North Island Naval Air Station, California. Title II: Rescissions - Rescinds specified amounts of Department of Agriculture funds for: (1) the Agricultural Research Service; (2) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service salaries and expenses; (3) the Agricultural Marketing Service; (4) Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration salaries and expenses; (5) the Food Safety and Inspection Service; (6) Farm Service Agency salaries and expenses; (7) unsubsidized guaranteed operating loans from the Agricultural Credit Insurance Fund; (8) Natural Resources Conservation Service operations; (9) Rural Housing Service salaries and expenses; and (10) Food and Nutrition Service food program administration. Limits specified funds available for salaries and expenses of personnel to carry out a conservation farm options program. Rescinds specified amounts of funds for the Department of the Interior for: (1) Bureau of Land Management management of lands and resources; (2) Oregon and California grant lands; (3) Fish and Wildlife Service resource management and construction; (4) National Park Service and BIA construction; and (5) the Bureau of Mines. Rescinds specified amounts of Forest Service funds for: (1) forest and rangeland research; (2) State and private forestry; (3) the National Forest System; (4) wildland fire management; and (5) reconstruction and construction. Rescinds specified amounts of DOT funds for: (1) payments to air carriers and small community air service; (2) the Federal Aviation Administration for facilities, engineering, and development and grants-in-aid for airports; and (3) the Federal Railroad Administration for Conrail labor protection. Rescinds specified amounts of Department of Treasury funds for: (1) Treasury building and annex repair and restoration; (2) Customs Service salaries and expenses; and (3) Internal Revenue Service information technology investments. Title III: General Provisions - This Act - Prohibits any part of an appropriation contained in this Act from remaining available for obligation beyond the current fiscal year unless provided otherwise.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Department of State Activities Title II: Commission on International Religious Persecution Title II: National Security Council Title IV: Sanctions Subtitle I: Targeted Responses to Religious Persecution Abroad Subtitle II: Strengthening Existing Law Title V: Promotion of Religious Freedom Title VI: Refugee, Asylum, and Consular Matters Title VII: Miscellaneous Provisions International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 - Declares it to be U.S. policy to: (1) condemn religious persecution, and to promote, and to assist other governments in the promotion of, the fundamental right to religious freedom; and (2) seek to channel U.S. security and development assistance to governments that are found not to be engaged in gross violations of human rights, including the right to religious freedom. Title I: Department of State Activities - Establishes within the Department of State an Office on International Religious Freedom which shall be headed by an Ambassador at Large on International Religious Freedom. (Sec. 102) Directs the Ambassador at Large to assist the Secretary of State in preparing those portions of the Human Rights Reports that relate to freedom of religion and religious discrimination, and to submit to the appropriate congressional committees, in conjunction with the Human Rights Reports, an Annual Report on Religious Persecution: (1) identifying foreign countries that engage in or tolerate acts of religious persecution; and (2) describing U.S. policies in support of religious freedom in such countries. (Sec. 103) Requires the Ambassador at Large, in order to facilitate access by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and the public around the world to international documents on the protection of religious freedom, to establish an Internet site containing major international documents relating to religious freedom, the Annual Report on Religious Persecution, and any other relevant documentation or references to other sites. (Sec. 104) Amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to direct the Secretary and the Ambassador at Large to establish as part of the standard training for Foreign Service officers, including chiefs of mission, instruction in the field of internationally-recognized human rights. (Sec. 105) Directs U.S. chiefs of mission to seek out and meet with religious NGOs, including imprisoned religious leaders where appropriate. (Sec. 106) Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) U.S. diplomatic missions in countries where the government engages in or tolerates religious persecution should develop, as part of annual program planning, a strategy to promote freedom of religion; and (2) in allocating funds or recommending candidates for U.S. programs and grants, U.S. missions should give particular consideration to those programs and candidates deemed to assist in the promotion of the right to religious freedom. (Sec. 107) Directs the Secretary to permit, on terms no less favorable than that accorded other nongovernmental activities, access to the premises of U.S. diplomatic missions by U.S. citizens seeking to conduct religious activities. (Sec. 108) Expresses the sense of the Congress that, in order to encourage involvement with religious persecution concerns at every possible opportunity and by all appropriate U.S. Government representatives, officials of the executive branch should promote increased advocacy with respect to the preparation of issue briefs consisting of lists of persons believed to be imprisoned for their religious faith during meetings between executive branch and congressional leaders and foreign dignitaries. Title II: Commission on International Religious Persecution - Establishes the United States Commission on International Religious Persecution. (Sec. 202) Makes the Commission's primary responsibility to: (1) consider the facts and circumstances of religious persecution presented in the Annual Report on Religious Persecution, as well as information from other appropriate sources; and (2) make appropriate policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary, and the Congress. Title III: National Security Council - Amends the National Security Act of 1947 to express the sense of the Congress that there should be within the staff of the National Security Council a Special Adviser to the President on Religious Persecution, serving as a resource for executive branch officials, compiling information on the facts and circumstances of religious persecution and violations of religious freedom, and making policy recommendations. Title IV: Sanctions - Subtitle I: Targeted Responses to Religious Persecution Abroad - Directs the President, for each foreign country in which the government engages in or tolerates religious persecution, to oppose that persecution by certain measures and promote the right to freedom of religion in that country. Prescribes a procedure for determining, before the President imposes any sanctions or commensurate actions, whether a foreign government has engaged in a consistent pattern of gross violations of the right to religious freedom. (Sec. 403) Directs the President to: (1) consult with the violating foreign government prior to imposing such sanctions; and (2) report to the Congress. (Sec. 405) Specifies among the measures and sanctions the President may take: (1) public condemnation; (2) cancellation of scientific and cultural exchanges; (3) withdrawal, limitation, or suspension of U.S. development assistance and U.S. security assistance; (4) withdrawal, limitation, or suspension of certain preferential tariff treatment; (5) instruction of U.S. executive directors of international financial institutions to vote against loans primarily benefiting the foreign government responsible for such persecution; (6) restrictions on the issuance of licenses to export any goods or technology to such foreign government; (7) prohibition against the making, guaranteeing, or insuring of loans, or extension of credit by certain U.S. financial institutions to the violating government; and (8) prohibition of U.S. Government procurement of goods or services from such government. Provides for commensurate actions in substitution for any of such measures and sanctions. Declares that any such action may not: (1) prohibit or restrict the provision of humanitarian assistance; or (2) impede any U.S. Government action to enforce the right to maintain intellectual property rights. (Sec. 407) Authorizes the President to waive the requirements of this Act if certain conditions are met. (Sec. 409) Provides for congressional review of any sanctions imposed, or the waiver of any requirements, under this Act. Subtitle II: Strengthening Existing Law - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the International Financial Institutions Act to add as a factor for consideration in formulating U.S. development assistance, military assistance, and multilateral assistance programs whether the government of a foreign country has: (1) engaged in gross violations of the right to freedom of religion; or (2) failed to undertake serious and sustained efforts to combat gross violations of the right to freedom of religion, when such efforts could have been reasonably undertaken. (Sec. 423) Requires the inclusion on the list of crime control and detection instruments or equipment controlled for export or reexport under the Export Administration Act of 1979 (and so subject to mandatory licensing) items the Secretary of State has determined are being used or are intended for use directly and in significant measure to carry out gross violations of the right to freedom of religion. Declares that the prohibition on the issuance of a license for export of crime control and detection instruments or equipment under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 shall apply to the export or reexport of such items. Title V: Promotion of Religious Freedom - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the use of development assistance funds to carry out programs and activities in foreign countries which will encourage and promote the right to free religious belief and practice. (Sec. 502) Amends the International Broadcasting Act of 1994 and the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 with respect to promoting respect for freedom of religion. (Sec. 504) Amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to state that service in the promotion of internationally recognized human rights, including the right to religious freedom, shall serve as a basis for the award of performance pay and Foreign Service awards to Foreign Service employees. Title VI: Refugee, Asylum, and Consular Matters - Requires the Annual Report on Religious Persecution to serve as a resource for immigration judges and consular, refugee, and asylum officers in cases involving claims of persecution on the grounds of religion. (Sec. 602) Directs the Attorney General to provide all U.S. officials adjudicating refugee cases with the same training provided to officers adjudicating asylum cases, including training on the right to religious freedom and religious persecution. Requires the Attorney General and the Secretary of State to develop and implement guidelines that address potential hostile biases in Immigration and Naturalization Service personnel hired abroad and involved with duties which could constitute an effective barrier to a refugee claim if such personnel carry a hostile bias toward the claimant on the grounds of religion, race, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion. Requires the Attorney General and the Secretary of State to: (1) develop guidelines to ensure uniform procedures to the extent possible with Joint Voluntary Agencies; and (2) ensure that the Joint Voluntary Agencies process is enhanced, and faulty preparation of claims does not result in the failure of a genuine claim to refugee status. (Sec. 603) Requires the Attorney General and the Secretary of State to develop guidelines to ensure that interpreters with hostile biases, including personnel of airlines owned by governments known to be involved in practices which would meet the definition of persecution under international refugee law, shall not in any manner be used to interpret conversations between aliens and inspection or asylum officers. Requires the Attorney General to provide training to all officers adjudicating asylum cases on the right to religious freedom and the nature of religious persecution abroad, including country-specific conditions. Requires the Executive Office of Immigration Review of the Department of Justice to incorporate into its initial and ongoing training of immigration judges training on the extent and nature of religious persecution internationally, including country-specific conditions. (Sec. 604) Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to make inadmissible for naturalization any alien (including a spouse and children) who, while serving as a foreign government official, directly engaged in gross violations of the right to religious freedom. Title VII: Miscellaneous Provisions - Expresses the sense of the Congress that transnational corporations operating in countries in which the government engages in gross violations of the right to religious freedom should adopt codes of conduct: (1) upholding the right to religious freedom of their employees; and (2) ensuring that a worker's religious views in no way affect the status or terms of his or her employment. (Sec. 702) Expresses the sense of the Congress that in negotiating the definitions of crimes to be included in the subject matter jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, the President should pursue the inclusion of gross violations of the right to religious freedom, to the extent they fall within the meaning in international law of crimes against humanity or genocide.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Recovery from Natural Disasters, and for Overseas Peacekeeping Efforts, for the Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 1998, and for Other Purposes Chapter 1: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related Agencies Chapter 2: Subcommittee on Defense Chapter 3: Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development Chapter 4: Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies Chapter 5: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Chapter 6: Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch Chapter 7: Subcommittee on Military Construction Chapter 8: Subcommittee on Transportation and Related Agencies Chapter 9: Subcommittee on Treasury and General Government Chapter 10: Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies Chapter 11: Offsets and Rescissions Title II: General Provisions--This Act 1998 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Recovery From Natural Disasters, and for Overseas Peacekeeping Efforts - Title I: Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Recovery from Natural Disasters, and for Overseas Peacekeeping Efforts, for the Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 1998, and for Other Purposes - Chapter 1: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related Agencies - Makes emergency supplemental appropriations for FY 1998 for the Department of Agriculture for: (1) departmental administration; (2) the Office of the General Counsel; (3) the Farm Service Agency for the Agricultural Credit Insurance Fund Program Account; (4) the Emergency Conservation Program; (5) the Commodity Credit Corporation Fund for the implementation of a dairy and livestock disaster assistance program; and (6) the Natural Resources Conservation Service for watershed and flood prevention operations. Requires certain funds for employment and training under the Food Stamp Program to remain available until expended. Makes additional funds available for certain salaries and expenses of the Food and Drug Administration. Chapter 2: Subcommittee on Defense - Makes additional funds available to the Department of Defense (DOD) for: (1) military personnel, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force and reserve personnel, Navy; (2) operation and maintenance (O&M), Army, Navy, Air Force, Army Reserve, Air Force Reserve, and Army National Guard as well as defense-wide O&M; (3) the Overseas Contingency Operations Transfer Fund; (4) the Navy Working Capital Fund; (5) the Defense-wide Working Capital Fund; and (6) the Defense Health Program. Makes additional funds available for overseas humanitarian, disaster, and civic aid. (Sec. 203) Urges the President to: (1) encourage other nations to contribute to preventing Iraq from using weapons of mass destruction; and (2) seek contributions to help defray the costs being incurred in this operation. Provides for the establishment of a special account in the Treasury to receive such contributions. Directs the Secretary of Defense to report to the Congress on the status of such effort and the results obtained in sharing the burden of common defense. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to report to the Congress on the establishment of the burden-sharing account. Chapter 3: Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development - Makes additional funds available to the Army Corps of Engineers for construction and O&M related to emergency repairs due to flooding and other natural disasters. Makes additional appropriations for the Department of Energy for atomic energy defense weapons activities and departmental administration to cover increases in the cost of Work for Others. (Sec. 302) Amends the Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1996 to direct the Secretary of the Interior to extend the period for repayment by the city of Corpus Christi, Texas, and the Nueces River Authority relating to the Nueces River reclamation project, Texas, until: (1) August 1, 2029, for repayment of the municipal and industrial water supply benefits of the project; and (2) August 1, 2044, for repayment of the fish, wildlife, and recreation benefits of the project. Requires the Secretary to extend the period for repayment by the Canadian River Municipal Water Authority relating to the Canadian River reclamation project, Texas, until October 1, 2021. (Sec. 303) Bars the Army Corps of Engineers, before final disposition of the civil action, Bonnichsen v. United States, from authorizing any action to stabilize, cover, or permanently alter land within 100 yards of where Kennewick Man remains were found unless the court determines such an action to be reasonable and necessary. Chapter 4: Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies - Makes additional funds available to the Department of the Interior for: (1) the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service (NPS) for construction expenses related to repair of damage caused by floods and other natural disasters; (2) the U.S. Geological Survey for surveys, investigations, and research related to emergency expenses resulting from floods and other natural disasters; (3) the Minerals Management Service for royalty and offshore minerals management for increased demand and workload requirements stemming from leasing activity in the Gulf of Mexico; (4) the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund, to be derived from a transfer of funds; and (5) the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) for operation of Indian programs and the Office of Special Trustee for American Indians for Federal trust programs to support litigation involving individual Indian trust fund accounts. Makes additional funds available to the Forest Service for State and private forestry and the National Forest System for emergency expenses resulting from natural disaster damages. Makes an additional amount available for the Indian Health Service for suicide prevention counseling. (Sec. 404) Petroglyph National Monument Boundary Adjustment Act - Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the NPS, and the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, to enter into negotiations for the management of storm water runoff and drainage within the Petroglyph National Monument. Directs the city of Albuquerque to provide design specifications to the Secretary prior to the initiation of construction within a specified corridor. Amends the Petroglyph National Monument Establishment Act of 1990 to remove a requirement that lands within the Monument boundary owned by the State of New Mexico or a political subdivision be acquired only by donation or exchange. Bars any land owned by New Mexico or a political subdivision from being acquired by purchase before: (1) the land is identified by New Mexico or the political subdivision for disposal; or (2) two years have elapsed after the date on which the Secretary has made a final offer to acquire all remaining private land at fair market value. Adjusts the boundary of the Monument to exclude the Paseo Del Norte corridor in the Piedras Marcadas Unit. Provides that the inclusion of such corridor within the Monument boundary before this Act's enactment shall have no effect on any future ownership, use, or management of the corridor. (Sec. 405) Permits the Chief of the Forest Service to authorize and execute any projects, including timber sales, that were previously scheduled for initiation or completion in FY 1998 or 1999 or that may be scheduled hereafter, notwithstanding any moratorium on construction of roads in roadless areas within the National Forest System. Provides funding to States for any previously scheduled projects. Directs the Chief, during such moratorium, to report to the Appropriations Committees on: (1) whether standards and guidelines in existing land and resource management plans compel or encourage entry into roadless areas within the National Forest System for purposes of constructing roads or undertaking any other ground-disturbing activities; (2) all roads within the System and the uses which they serve; and (3) the economic and social effects of the moratorium. Chapter 5: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies - Makes additional funds available to the Department of Health and Human Services for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for disease control, research, and training and program management of the Health Care Financing Administration. Chapter 6: Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch - Makes additional funds available to the Architect of the Capitol for Capitol buildings, salaries and expenses and Capitol grounds for the Capitol Square Perimeter Security Plan. Chapter 7: Subcommittee on Military Construction - Makes additional funds available to DOD for military construction, Navy and Air Force and family housing, Navy and Marine Corps and Air Force. Chapter 8: Subcommittee on Transportation and Related Agencies - Makes additional funds available to the Department of Transportation (DOT) for: (1) the Office of the Secretary for transportation planning, research, and development; (2) the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for operations and facilities and equipment for expenses relating to the year 2000 computer hardware and software problems; (3) Federal aid highways for the emergency relief program; and (4) salaries and expenses for the National Transportation Safety Board for expenses resulting from the crash of TWA Flight 800. Chapter 9: Subcommittee on Treasury and General Government - Makes additional funds available to the Department of the Treasury for year 2000 century date change conversion requirements and to the Financial Management Service for salaries and expenses related to such requirements. Chapter 10: Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies - Makes additional funds available to the Veterans Benefits Administration for compensation and pensions. Chapter 11: Offsets and Rescissions - Rescinds specified amounts of funds for: (1) the Food Safety and Inspection Service; (2) the Farm Service Agency's Agricultural Credit Insurance Fund Program Account; (3) Rural Housing Service salaries and expenses; (4) the Bureau of Land Management; (5) Oregon and California grant lands; (6) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service resource management and construction; (7) NPS construction; (8) the Bureau of Mines; (9) BIA construction; (10) DOT payments to air carriers and small community air service; (11) FAA grants-in-aid for airports; (12) Federal Railroad Administration Conrail labor protection; (13) Customs Service salaries and expenses; and (14) Internal Revenue Service information technology investments. Authorizes a limited amount of funds to be obligated in FY 1998 for contracts with Utilization and Quality Control Peer Review Organizations pursuant to the Social Security Act. Title II: General Provisions--This Act - Sets forth limitations on funds made available by this Act. (Sec. 2004) Requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to report to the Congress on: (1) a revised structure consisting of a single entity to administer certain programs regarding universal service for schools and libraries and telecommunications services for rural health care providers; and (2) funding for such programs. Directs the FCC to prioritize assistance for the schools and library program on the basis of need. Imposes a cap on the compensation of individuals employed by the administering entity. Bars the FCC, before June 1, 1998, from: (1) adjusting the contribution factors for telecommunications carriers with respect to programs described by this section; or (2) collecting any contribution due for the third or fourth quarter of calendar year 1998.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1998
Airport Safety Act - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations requiring sponsors of airports to install, over a ten-year period, enhanced visual technologies (laser guidance, ultraviolet guidance, and cold cathode technologies) to replace or enhance conventional landing light systems. Amends Federal aviation law to include the installation of such technologies at airports as an activity eligible for airport development project funds.
European Union · European Commission · 9 March 1998
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1998
Alaska Air Guide Regulations Act of 1998 - Reinstates regulation of Alaska guide pilots under the Federal Aviation Administration's General Operating and Flight Rules (currently, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has rescinded such regulation under the rules and replaced them with more stringent regulations). Authorizes the FAA to amend the Rules to require Alaska guide pilots to: (1) be inspected no less often than after 125 hours of flight time; (2) participate in an annual flight review as described in the FAA's Certification: Pilots and Flight Instructors; Subpart A - General; Flight Review; (3) have a total of at least 500 hours of flight time as a pilot; and (4) have a commercial rating as described in FAA's Certification: Pilots and Instructors; Subpart F - Commercial Pilots.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1998
Amends Federal aviation law to set a minimum $2,000 per passenger liability limit on certain air carriers for damages resulting from the disappearance of, damage to, or delay in delivery of a passenger's personal property, including baggage, that was in the custody or control of the air carrier immediately prior to such disappearance, damage, or delay. Requires air carriers to include on or with any flight ticket notice of its monetary limitation on baggage liability to passengers.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1998
Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1987 to repeal a provision prohibiting the joint military and civil aviation use of the Robert Gray Army Airfield at Fort Hood, Texas.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1998
Directs the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to convey to Stanislaus County, California, specified lands known as the NASA Ames Research Center, Crows Landing Facility. Prohibits such conveyance from relieving Federal agencies of environmental remediation responsibilities. Retains NASA's right to use such property for aviation activities without consideration and on mutually acceptable terms.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1998
Federal Aviation Research and Evaluation Act (the FARE Act) - Establishes the Federal Aviation Research and Evaluation Board (Commission). Sets forth the duties of the Commission, including to: (1) review complaints alleging predatory practices by air carriers; (2) study airfare marketing and pricing practices and service availability in the airline industry; and (3) submit interim reports to the Congress. Authorizes appropriations.
European Union · European Commission · 17 February 1998
Austria · National Council · 12 February 1998
Bundesgesetz über die Öffnung des Zugangs zum Markt der Bodenabfertigungsdienste auf Flughäfen (Flughafen-Bodenabfertigungsgesetz - FBG)
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1998
Airline Competition and Lower Fares Act - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to determine whether the demand among air carriers for slots at LaGuardia Airport, O'Hare International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, and Metropolitan Washington Airport (commonly known as Washington National Airport) can be met with the slots available to the Secretary. Requires the Secretary, if the demand among dominant air carriers for slots at such an airport cannot be met with the slots available to the Secretary, to withdraw from such carriers up to ten percent of such slots at that airport for redistribution to new entrants and limited incumbents through auction on a competitive bidding basis, as long as the redistribution of the additional slots significantly increases competition between air carriers. Prohibits withdrawal of any slots used for international flights or for direct flights to a low-competition airport. (Sec. 4) Prohibits slots obtained under this Act from being considered an asset (including for collateral) for any agreement which would require its forfeiture, or in any bankruptcy proceeding. (Sec. 5) Directs the Secretary to complete action on all complaints alleging predatory practices by air carriers that were filed with the Secretary on or before December 31, 1997, and after such date, but before the enactment of this Act. Directs the Secretary, after notice and opportunity for a hearing, to enjoin any action that is found to be a predatory practice. Directs the Secretary to report biannually to the Congress about such complaints. (Sec. 8) Directs the Secretary to initiate a rulemaking to determine whether the application of the 80-percent rule with respect to the allocation of airport slots promotes, hinders, or has no effect on airline competition. Directs the Secretary to report annually to the Congress on barriers to entry, predatory pricing, and other limits on competition in the aviation industry. (Sec. 9) Prohibits the Secretary from issuing or approving any regulation or exemption in carrying out this Act which would increase airplane noise in communities surrounding an airport. (Sec. 10) Amends Federal aviation law provisions prohibiting State regulation of air prices, routes, and services to declare that such provisions shall not bar a cause of action brought against an air carrier by one or more private parties seeking to enforce any right under the common law of any State or State statute, other than a statute purporting to directly prescribe fares, routes, or levels of air transportation service.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 1998
Amends Federal air commerce and aviation safety law to revise the term "public aircraft" to include government-owned aircraft transporting passengers for non-commercial purposes if the aircraft is operated: (1) by the National Guard or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; or (2) for prisoner transport.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 1998
Aviation Medical Assistance Act of 1998 - Directs the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to review and reevaluate FAA regulations regarding: (1) the equipment required to be carried in medical kits of aircraft operated by air carriers; and (2) the training required of flight attendants in the use of such equipment. Requires the Administrator to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking to make any revisions to such regulations as a result of such reevaluation. Requires major air carriers to make a good faith effort to report monthly to the Administrator, over the course of a year, regarding deaths on aircrafts. Requires the Administrator to make a decision whether automatic external defibrillators should be required on aircraft and at airports. Prohibits the Administrator from requiring them on helicopters and on aircraft with a maximum payload capacity of 7,500 pounds or less. Declares that an individual shall not be liable for damages in any action brought in Federal or State court arising out of acts or omissions in providing or attempting to provide assistance to a passenger in an in-flight medical emergency, except for gross negligence or willful misconduct.