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351 records in US in 2000
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2000
Designates the Army missile testing range at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands as the Ronald Reagan Strategic Defense Initiative Test Site at Kwajalein Atoll.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2000
Innocence Protection Act of 2000 - Title I: Exonerating the Innocent through DNA Testing - Amends the Federal judicial code to authorize a person in custody pursuant to the judgment of a court established by an Act of Congress, at any time after conviction, to apply to the court that entered the judgment for forensic DNA testing of any biological material that: (1) is related to the investigation or prosecution that resulted in the judgment; (2) is in the actual or constructive possession of the Government; and (3) was not previously subjected to DNA testing, or can be subjected to retesting with new DNA techniques that provide a reasonable likelihood of more accurate and probative results. Sets forth procedures regarding notice to the Government and preservation of remaining biological material. Directs the court to order DNA testing pursuant to such application upon a determination that testing may produce non-cumulative, exculpatory evidence relevant to an applicant's claim that the applicant was wrongfully convicted or sentenced. Specifies that the cost of DNA testing shall be borne by the Government or the applicant, as the court may order in the interests of justice, if it is shown that the applicant is not indigent and possesses the means to pay. Authorizes the court at any time to appoint counsel for an indigent applicant. Establishes post-testing procedures, including ordering a hearing and entering any order that serves the interests of justice, including an order setting aside the judgment or granting a new trial or re-sentencing if the results of the DNA testing are favorable to the applicant. Requires the Government to preserve any biological material secured in connection with a criminal case for such period as any person remains incarcerated in connection with that case, with exceptions. (Sec. 103) Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (Safe Streets Act) to include among the requirements for DNA identification grants, and for drug control and system improvement (Byrne) grants, that the State will: (1) preserve all biological material secured in connection with a State criminal case for not less than the period of time that biological material is required to be preserved under this Act in the case of a person incarcerated in connection with a Federal criminal case (biological material preservation requirements); and (2) make DNA testing available to any person convicted in State court to the same extent, and under the same conditions, that DNA testing is available under this Act to any person convicted in a court established by an Act of Congress. Makes DNA samples obtained by, and DNA analyses performed at, a forensic laboratory accessible for criminal defense purposes to a defendant, who shall have access to samples and analyses performed in connection with the case in which such defendant was charged or convicted. Requires applications for public safety and community policing grants, if any part of funds received from such a grant is to be used to develop or improve a DNA analysis capability in a forensic laboratory, or to obtain or analyze DNA samples for inclusion in the Combined DNA Index System, to make specified certifications including that: (1) DNA analyses performed at such laboratory will satisfy or exceed the current standards for a quality assurance program for DNA analysis issued by the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation under the DNA Identification Act of 1994; (2) DNA samples and analyses obtained and performed by such laboratory will be accessible only consistent with specified requirements; (3) the laboratory and each analyst performing DNA analyses at the laboratory will undergo, at regular intervals not exceeding 180 days, external proficiency testing by a DNA proficiency testing program that meets certain standards; and (4) the State will meet biological material preservation requirements. (Sec. 104) Prohibits a State from denying a request, made by a person in custody resulting from a State court judgment, for DNA testing of biological material that: (1) is related to the investigation or prosecution that resulted in the conviction of the person or the sentence imposed on the person; (2) is in the actual or constructive possession of the State; and (3) was not previously subjected to DNA testing, or can be subjected to retesting with new DNA techniques that provide a reasonable likelihood of more accurate and probative results. Makes an exception upon a judicial determination that testing could not produce non-cumulative evidence establishing a reasonable probability that the person was wrongfully convicted or sentenced. Bars a State from relying upon a time limit or procedural default rule to deny a person an opportunity to present non-cumulative, exculpatory DNA results in court, or in an executive or administrative forum in which a decision is made in accordance with procedural due process. Authorizes a person to enforce this section in a civil action for declaratory or injunctive relief, filed either in a State court of general jurisdiction or in U.S. district court. Specifies that no State or State executive or judicial officer shall have immunity from such actions. Title II: Ensuring Competent Legal Services in Capital Cases - Amends the Safe Streets Act (regarding Byrne grant programs) to require that State applications include, if the State prescribes, authorizes, or permits the death penalty for any offense, a certification that the State has established and maintains an effective system for providing competent legal services to indigents at every phase of a State criminal prosecution in which a death sentence is sought or has been imposed, up to and including direct appellate review and post-conviction review in State court. Requires the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts to promulgate regulations specifying the elements of an "effective system" including: (1) a centralized and independent appointing authority which shall have authority and responsibility to undertake specified activities, such as to recruit attorneys who are qualified to represent indigents in capital proceedings, draft and annually publish a roster of such attorneys, draft and annually publish qualifications and performance standards for such attorneys, and periodically review the roster, monitor attorney performance, provide a mechanism by which members of the Bar may comment on the performance of their peers, and delete the name of any attorney who fails to meet specified requirements; and (2) specified compensation and reimbursement requirements of private attorneys and public defender organizations. Requires applications for discretionary (justice system improvement) grants to include satisfying such certification requirement. Requires the Director of the National Institute of Justice to include in a report to Congress on such grants to each State a description and a comparative analysis of the systems established by each State in order to satisfy the certification requirement, including qualifications and performance standards, rates of compensation, and rates of reimbursement. (Sec. 202) Amends the judicial code to direct the court, in a proceeding instituted by an indigent applicant under sentence of death, to neither presume a finding of fact made by a State court to be correct nor decline to consider a claim on the ground that the applicant failed to raise such claim in State court at the time and in the manner prescribed by State law, unless: (1) the State provided the applicant with legal services at the stage of the State proceedings at which the State court made the finding of fact or the applicant failed to raise the claim; and (2) the legal services the State provided satisfied the regulations promulgated by the Director of the Administrative Office pursuant to the Safe Streets Act. (Sec. 203) Amends the Federal criminal code to require the Director of the Administrative Office to: (1) award grants to, or enter into contracts with, public or private nonprofit organizations for the purpose of providing defense services in capital cases; and (2) develop guidelines to ensure that defense services provided by recipients of such grants and contracts are consistent with applicable legal and ethical proscriptions governing the duties of counsel in capital cases. Title III: Compensating the Unjustly Condemned - Rewrites judicial code provisions regarding compensation for unjust imprisonment. Limits the amount of damages awarded to $50,000 for each 12-month period of incarceration, except that a plaintiff who was unjustly sentenced to death may be awarded not more than $100,000 for each 12-month period of incarceration. Directs the court, in assessing damages, to consider: (1) the circumstances surrounding the unjust conviction, including any misconduct by Federal officers or employees; (2) the length and conditions of the unjust incarceration; and (3) family circumstances, loss of wages, and pain and suffering of the plaintiff. (Sec. 302) Amends the Safe Streets Act to require applicants for criminal justice facility construction grants to provide reasonable assurance that the applicant, or the State in which it is located, does not prescribe, authorize, or permit the death penalty for any offense, or: (1) has established and maintains an effective procedure by which any person unjustly convicted of an offense against the State and sentenced to death may be awarded reasonable damages upon substantial proof that the person did not commit any of the acts with which the person was charged; and (2) the conviction of that person was reversed or set aside on the ground that the person was not guilty of the offense or offenses of which the person was convicted, the person was found not guilty of such offenses on new trial or rehearing, or the person was pardoned upon the stated ground of innocence and unjust conviction. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Amends the criminal code to prohibit the Government from seeking the death penalty in any case initially brought before a U.S. district court that sits in a State that does not prescribe, authorize, or permit the imposition of such penalty for the alleged conduct, except upon written certification of the Attorney General (or designee) that: (1) the State does not have jurisdiction or refuses to assume jurisdiction over the defendant with respect to the alleged conduct; (2) the State has requested that the Government assume jurisdiction; or (3) the offense charged is one of certain listed offenses, including destruction of aircraft or aircraft facilities, assassination, kidnapping, and assault of specified Government officials. (Sec. 402) Rewrites Controlled Substances Act provisions regarding continuing criminal enterprises to direct the court, upon a recommendation that the defendant should be sentenced to death or life imprisonment without possibility of release, to sentence the defendant accordingly (otherwise, the court shall impose any lesser sentence that is authorized by law). (Sec. 403) Rewrites provisions of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 regarding Violent Offender Incarceration and Truth-In-Sentencing Incentive Grants to require State applicants to provide assurances to the Attorney General that: (1) the State has implemented policies that provide for the recognition of the rights and needs of crime victims; and (2) in any capital case in which the jury has a role in determining the sentence imposed on the defendant, the court, at the defendant's request, shall inform the jury of all statutorily authorized sentencing options in the particular case, including applicable parole eligibility rules and terms. (Sec. 404) Requires the Attorney General, within two years and annually thereafter, to prepare and transmit to Congress a report concerning the administration of capital punishment laws by the Government and the States. Directs the Attorney General or the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, as appropriate, to ensure that the reports are: (1) distributed to national print and broadcast media; and (2) posted on an Internet website maintained by the Department of Justice. (Sec. 405) Amends the judicial code to provide that, regarding exhaustion of remedies available in State courts, if the highest court of a State has discretion to decline appellate review of a case or a claim, a petition asking that court to entertain a case or a claim is not an available State court procedure.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2000
Congratulates the people of the Republic of Senegal on their multi-party elections of March 19, 2000. Urges the Economic Community Of Western African States to follow Senegal's lead and make efforts to promote democratic reforms and prevent future conflicts. Calls upon: (1) Senegal's newly elected President Wade to involve all Senegalese to accept the election results and move the country forward; (2) all factions within the Secessionist Movement of Democratic Forces in the Casamance (MFDC) to commit to a cessation of hostilities and create stability for its people; and (3) President Wade to continue the peace initiative started by President Diouf with MFDC. Recognizes Senegal as one of the first African states to adopt a multi-party system in the early 1980's and as a nation of democracy on a continent of one-party states and military dictatorships.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2000
Amends Federal provisions concerning military annuities under the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) to: (1) increase the SBP annuity for beneficiaries age 62 or older from 35 to 55 percent of the base amount of military retired pay; and (2) repeal the Supplemental Survivor Benefit Plan program.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2000
United States-Southeastern Europe Democratization and Burdensharing Act of 2000 - Title I: United States Assistance for the Countries of Southeastern Europe - Authorizes the President to provide specified U.S. foreign assistance for political and economic reforms in the countries of southeastern Europe (Republic of Slovenia, the Republic of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Albania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the Republic of Bulgaria, and Romania) and the Kosovo region of the Republic of Serbia. Prohibits such assistance (except humanitarian assistance) to the Republic of Serbia, except if the President determines that such government has undertaken steps to become democratic and ensure equal rights for all of its citizens. Title II: Assistance for Democracy Building in the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Montenegro - Declares that the United States supports the development of democracy in Serbia and Montenegro and those who are committed to the building of democratic institutions, defending human rights, promoting rule of law, and fostering tolerance in society. (Sec. 204) Earmarks certain U.S. foreign assistance funds for democracy building in all regions of the Republic of Serbia (with a separate availability for Kosovo) and in the Republic of Montenegro. (Sec. 205) Prohibits U.S. foreign assistance to: (1) rebuild the civilian infrastructure in the Republic of Serbia; and (2) the Government of the Republic of Serbia, the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (other than Montenegro), or individuals connected with these governments particularly if the governments are under the direction of Slobodan Milosevic, the Socialist Party of Serbia, or any other non-democratic party. (Sec. 206) Expresses the sense of Congress that political contacts between the U.S. officials and those who represent a genuine desire for democratic governance in the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Montenegro should be developed through regular and well publicized meetings. Authorizes appropriations for a voluntary U.S. contribution to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. Title III: Assistance to the Republic of Montenegro - Declares that the United States supports the development in Montenegro of a market-based economy and a democratic government based on equal rights for all of its citizens, regardless of ethnic background. Earmarks a specified amount of U.S. foreign assistance funds for political and economic reforms in the republic of Montenegro. Title IV: Assistance to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia - Earmarks a specified amount of U.S. foreign assistance funds for economic and political reforms in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. (Sec. 403) Earmarks specified amounts for: (1) the establishment and support of the faculty and programs of an American University for Southeastern Europe at Skopje, Macedonia, or at another suitable site there; (2) microenterprise credits and loans through existing programs funded by the United States in Macedonia; (3) the Trade and Development Agency for additional activities under the South Balkans Development Initiative and activities in support of related infrastructure projects in Macedonia, including those projects that, in cooperation with the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Albania, would expedite completion of an East-West trade corridor across those countries; (4) foreign military assistance for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; and (5) international military education and training (IMET) for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Title V: Equitable Burdensharing Requirement for Assistance for Southeastern Europe Region - Limits the total amount of U.S. foreign assistance to the countries of southeastern Europe, the Republic of Montenegro, and the Kosovo region of the Republic of Serbia to no more than 15 percent of the total amount of certain multilateral assistance provided to such countries and region. (Sec. 502) Urges the European Union member states to make a far greater effort to provide adequate numbers of personnel for the International Police in Kosovo so that the goal of an effective 4,700-officer International Police in Kosovo force is attained as soon as possible. Title VI: Policy Regarding Individuals Indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia - Declares that it is U.S. policy to assist the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia as fully as possible in its apprehension and prosecution of individuals indicted for war crimes (including Slobodan Milosevic), and to encourage other North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries and other interested countries to do the same.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2000
Recognition of Physician Assistants in the Department of Veterans Affairs Act of 2000 - Establishes within the Office of Under Secretary for Health of the Department of Veterans Affairs the position of Advisor on Physician Assistants to advise the Under Secretary on matters regarding the optimal utilization of physician assistants by the Veterans Health Administration and policies affecting the employment of such assistants.
United States · United States Senate · 20 March 2000
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2000
Resolves that Congress: (1) joins the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA) in recognizing AHEPA members who served as members of the U.S. armed forces; and (2) acknowledges the honor with which that service is being commemorated by the presentation of the special commemorative AHEPA Medal for Military Service to those members on March 20, 2000.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2000
Enhancement of Military Benefits Act - Waives any FY 2001 military pay increases tied to increases in the General Schedule of Compensation for Government employees. Increases by 4.8 percent, effective January 1, 2001, the rates of basic pay for military personnel. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to extend to up to 16 (currently six) the number of authorized sites for the Medicare subvention demonstration project (a project under which the Secretary of Health and Human Services reimburses the Secretary of Defense (Secretary) for certain services provided through the Department of Defense for Medicare-eligible military retirees and dependents). Makes such demonstration project permanent (currently terminates on January 1, 2001), designating it as a program. Authorizes such reimbursement on a fee-for-service basis in lieu of a current percentage rate. Eliminates a program eligibility restriction based on whether the retiree or dependent has a civilian primary care manager instead of a military primary care manager. Provides Medigap protection for program enrollees in the same manner as applied to enrollment with a Medicare+Choice plan. Increases from 35 to 55 percent of the base amount of military retired pay the military Survivor Benefit Plan annuity for beneficiaries age 62 or older. Directs the Secretary to terminate the Supplemental Survivor Benefit Plan program. Directs the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the Office of Personnel Management under which members and former members entitled to retired or retainer pay, and their dependents, may enroll in health benefits plans offered through the Federal Employees Health Benefits program (FEHBP). Prohibits such individuals from being required to satisfy any FEHBP eligibility criteria. Makes the Secretary responsible for required Government contributions for such enrollees.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2000
Veterans' Special Monthly Compensation Gender Equity Act - Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to provide a monthly rate of compensation for the service-connected loss of one or both breasts due to a radical or modified radical mastectomy.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2000
Recognizes the flag designed by Gregory J. Sanders of Lorain, Ohio, and distributed by American Veteran Pride, Inc., as the National Veterans Flag. Requires such Flag to be displayed on specified days at: (1) the building housing the office of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; (2) each Department of Veterans Affairs medical center; and (3) each national cemetery.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2000
Constitutional Amendment - Prohibits Federal expenditures from exceeding revenues for any fiscal year unless three-fifths of the whole number of each House of Congress provides by law for a specific excess of expenditures over revenues by a rollcall vote. Authorizes Congress to waive such prohibition when: (1) a declaration of war is in effect; or (2) the United States is engaged in military conflict which causes an imminent and serious military threat to national security as declared by a joint resolution that is adopted by a majority of each House and that becomes law. Declares that: (1) total revenues shall include all Federal receipts except those derived from borrowing; and (2) total expenditures shall include all Federal outlays except those for repayment of debt principal.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2000
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States should ensure the safety and well being of the U.S. citizen and Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia nun, Sister Maria, in the Jericho Gardens Monastery in Jericho; (2) the United States should express to the Palestine Authority its concerns that property disputes in Jericho and Hebron are being settled arbitrarily by military fiat rather than in courts of law; (3) the dispute over seizure of the Church by the Palestinian Authority must be resolved in accordance with the rule of law; (4) the Palestinian Authority must ensure the rights of Sister Maria and the Church so that the dispute can be resolved in a fair manner; (5) the Monastery, as well as the other Church property in Jericho and Hebron, should be returned to the conditions that existed before the illegal seizures, pending a resolution of this dispute in a court of law following international standards of due process; and (6) the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem is to be commended for its immediate response and ongoing support for the two U.S. citizen nuns in Jericho.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2000
Resolves that Congress: (1) joins the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA) in recognizing AHEPA members who served as members of the U.S. armed forces; and (2) acknowledges the honor with which that service is being commemorated by the presentation of the special commemorative AHEPA Medal for Military Service to those members on March 20, 2000.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2000
Designates cyberterrorism as an emerging threat to the national security of the United States and the nation's electronic infrastructure. Calls for: (1) a partnership between the Federal Government and private industry in combating the cyber menace; (2) a revised legal framework for the prosecution of hackers and cyberterrorists; and (3) a new interagency study to be conducted by the Departments of Commerce and Defense, the National Security Agency, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to assess the threat posed by cyberterrorists.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2000
External Regulation of the Department of Energy Act - Transfers from the Department of Energy to: (1) the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) nuclear safety regulatory and enforcement responsibilities under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954; and (2) the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulatory and enforcement jurisdiction relating to matters covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Act for DOE facilities. (Sec. 3) Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to abolish the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. (Sec. 4) Provides that if a hazard at a DOE facility presents a risk of occupational exposure and contains both a radiological and non-radiological component, OSHA and the NRC shall share regulatory and enforcement responsibilities in accordance with a mandated Memorandum of Understanding governing their respective authorities over nuclear safety and occupational health and safety at DOE facilities. (Sec. 6) Shields a DOE contractor from civil liability for actions taken before October 1, 2001, pursuant to the instructions of a Federal agency in preparation for the transfer of functions under this Act. (Sec. 7) Maintains the responsibility of the Secretary of Energy (Secretary) to indemnify DOE facilities in accordance with specified provisions of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954. (Sec. 8) Instructs the Secretary to transmit to certain congressional committees a termination plan for DOE regulatory and enforcement responsibilities with respect to DOE facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2000
2000 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act - Makes emergency supplemental appropriations for FY 2000. Title I: Counternarcotics - Chapter 1: Department of Justice - Makes additional funds available for salaries and expenses of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Chapter 2: Department of Defense--Military - Makes additional funds available for defense drug interdiction and counter-drug activities. Makes a limited amount available out of amounts appropriated in this Act for the Department of Defense (DOD) for support for counter-drug activities of the Government of Colombia. Subjects the obligation or expenditure of such funds to a specified certification by the Secretary of Defense under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1998 with respect to authorized uses, security of equipment, review by U.S. personnel, and certain other related factors. Chapter 3: Bilateral Economic Assistance - Makes funds available to the Department of State for Plan Colombia and Andean regional counternarcotics activities. Requires the Secretary of State, prior to obligation of such funds, to report to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Appropriations Committees on proposed uses of such funds on a country-by-country basis. Chapter 4: Military Construction, Defense-Wide - Provides additional funds for defense-wide military construction. Title II: Peacekeeping Operations in Kosovo and Other National Security Matters - Chapter 1: Department of State - Makes additional funds available for security and maintenance of U.S. missions. Chapter 2: Department of Defense--Military - Provides additional funds for Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard operation and maintenance (O&M) as well as defense-wide O&M for assistance to Vieques, Puerto Rico. Makes additional funds available for: (1) the Overseas Contingency Operations Transfer Fund; (2) Air Force aircraft procurement; and (3) the Defense Health Program. (Sec. 2201) Requires members of the uniformed services (from January 1, 2000 through FY 2001) entitled to a basic allowance for housing for a U.S. military housing area to be paid the allowance at a monthly rate not less than the rate in effect on December 31, 1999, in such area for members serving in the same pay grade and with the same dependency status. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense, in light of the rates so authorized, to exceed the limitation on the total amount paid for the basic housing allowance in FY 2000 and 2001. (Sec. 2202) Appropriates additional funds for the Defense-Wide Working Capital Fund for price increases resulting from worldwide increases in the price of petroleum. (Sec. 2205) Makes additional appropriations for the Defense Health Program for unanticipated increases in TRICARE contract costs for FY 1998 through 2001. Chapter 3: Bilateral Economic Assistance - Provides additional funds for: (1) operating expenses of the Agency for International Development; (2) assistance for Eastern Europe and the Baltic States only for assistance for Montenegro and Croatia, assistance to promote democratization in Serbia, and assistance for Kosovo for police activities; (3) international military education and training and foreign military financing for grants to Balkan and southeastern European countries. Chapter 4: Military Construction, Defense-Wide - Appropriates additional funds to DOD to cover incremental O&M costs to family housing. (Sec. 2403) Provides that this section supersedes authority provided in the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2000. Incorporates provisions similar to those contained in such Act that authorize the Secretary of the Air Force to carry out a Base Efficiency Project at Brooks Air Force Base in Texas. Bars the Secretary from exercising such authority until he submits a master plan for Base development to the appropriate congressional committees. Subjects the use of the Base Efficiency Project Fund to advance appropriations. Makes additional funds available for Army Reserve military construction to cover the costs arising from the consequences of Hurricane Floyd. Title III: Natural Disaster Assistance and Other Emergency Appropriations - Chapter 1: Department of Agriculture - Provides additional funds for: (1) the Office of the Inspector General; (2) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service salaries and expenses; and (3) Farm Service Agency salaries and expenses. Authorizes the use of unobligated balances under the emergency conservation program to be used to repair and reconstruct farm structures and equipment after a finding by the Secretary of Agriculture that: (1) the damage or destruction is the result of Hurricanes Dennis, Floyd, or Irene; and (2) insurance was not available to the grantee or the grantee lacked financial resources to obtain insurance. Makes additional funds available for the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Fund to provide premium discounts to purchasers of crop insurance reinsured by the Corporation (except for catastrophic risk protection coverage). Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to reduce the amount of any principal due on a loan made to a marketing association for the 1999 crop of an agricultural commodity by up to 75 percent if the association suffered losses to the commodity due to Hurricanes Dennis, Floyd, or Irene. Makes additional funds available for the Rural Community Advancement Program for water and waste grants and community facilities grants. Provides additional funds for the Rural Housing Service for: (1) the Rural Housing Insurance Fund Program Account for needs resulting from natural disasters; (2) the rental assistance program for emergency needs resulting from Hurricanes Dennis, Floyd, or Irene; (3) mutual and self-help and rural housing assistance grants and contracts for needs resulting from natural disasters; and (4) the farm labor program account for grants to assist low-income migrant and seasonal farm workers for needs resulting from natural disasters. Makes additional funds available for the Rural Utilities Service for the Rural Electrification and Telecommunications Loans Program Account for loans to enable nonprofit cooperatives to purchase a utility to address the high cost of electric power in a service area attributable in part to a hurricane disaster. Provides additional funds for: (1) the Foreign Agricultural Service and General Sales Manager; (2) Food and Drug Administration buildings and facilities; and (3) technical assistance performed by any Department of Agriculture agency in carrying out the Conservation or Wetlands Reserve Programs. Chapter 2: Department of Commerce - Makes additional funds available for: (1) the Economic Development Administration for economic development assistance programs for communities affected by Hurricane Floyd and other recent hurricanes and disasters; (2) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for operations, research, and facilities to provide disaster assistance; and (3) the Small Business Administration for the disaster loans program account. Chapter 3: Department of Defense--Civil - Provides additional funds for: (1) a Corps of Engineers study and report to Congress on the feasibility of a flood damage reduction project for Princeville, North Carolina; and (2) O&M for emergency expenses due to natural disasters. Provides additional funds for the Department of Energy (DOE) for: (1) the Uranium Enrichment Decontamination and Decommissioning Fund; and (2) atomic energy defense activities. Chapter 4: Department of the Interior - Makes additional funds available for: (1) Bureau of Land Management wildland fire management for emergency rehabilitation and wildfire suppression activities; (2) Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service construction activities with respect to facilities and sites damaged by natural disasters; and (3) Geological Survey surveys, investigations, and research to repair or replace stream monitoring equipment and associated facilities damaged by natural disasters. Provides additional funds for Forest Service wildland fire management for emergency rehabilitation, presuppression, and wildfire suppression. Chapter 5: Department of Health and Human Services - Makes additional funds available for the Administration for Children and Families for emergency low income home energy assistance. Chapter 6: Department of Transportation - Provides additional funds for: (1) Coast Guard operating expenses; (2) the Federal-aid highways emergency relief program; and (3) National Transportation Safety Board salaries and expenses for emergency expenses associated with the investigations of the EgyptAir 990 and Alaska Air 261 accidents. (Sec. 3601) Bars the use of funds provided in the Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000 for operation of the transportation computer center. (Sec. 3602) Makes the Executive Draft on Federal Transportation in the National Capital Region submitted by the Secretary of Transportation effective on this Act's enactment date. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress on the implementation of the Executive Draft. Chapter 7: Department of Housing and Urban Development - Provides additional funds for the HOME investment partnerships program. Makes unobligated amounts available under Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 available for certain one-year grants for permanent or rental housing for homeless persons with disabilities. Authorizes an increase in Federal Emergency Management Agency authority to use unobligated balances of disaster relief. Provides additional funds for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for: (1) human space flight for upgrades to the space shuttle fleet; (2) science, aeronautics and technology for unanticipated program needs; and (3) mission support for augmentation of personnel required to support the space shuttle program. Title IV: Supplemental Appropriations and Offsets - Chapter 1: Department of Energy - Makes additional funds available for atomic energy weapons activities. Chapter 2: Related Agencies - Provides additional funds for: (1) the Forest Service for State and private forestry to be derived by transfer from unobligated wildland fire management funds for volunteer fire assistance programs in eastern North Carolina; and (2) DOE energy conservation for weatherization assistance grants. Chapter 3: Department of Labor - Amends the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000 to authorize funds to be collected by the National Mine Health and Safety Academy for authorized activities under provisions making appropriations for salaries and expenses of the Mine Safety and Health Administration. Provides additional funds for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the Health Resources and Services Administration to make competitive grants to provide abstinence education to adolescents. Makes FY 2000 Administration for Children and Families refugee and entrant assistance provided under the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000 available through FY 2002. Provides additional funds for payments to States for foster care and adoption assistance. (Sec. 4302) Repeals a provision of the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000 that withholds the obligation of specified Department of HHS funds until certain dates. Chapter 4: Legislative Branch - Provides additional funds for: (1) the Capitol Police Board for security enhancements to Library of Congress buildings and grounds; and (2) Capitol buildings and grounds fire safety. Chapter 6 (sic): Department of Veterans Affairs - Makes funds appropriated for the Veterans Health Administration for medical care available for assistance for the 2000 Paralympic Games. Makes additional funds available for the Federal Housing Administration for the general and special risk program account. Chapter 7: Offsets - Bars the use of funds made available by any Act to pay the salaries and expenses of personnel to carry out provisions of law relating to the Fund for Rural America or the Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems. Rescinds specified amounts of funds made available for: (1) DOE defense environmental restoration and waste management and for implementation of a U.S.-Russian accord for the disposition of excess weapons plutonium; (2) Department of HHS general departmental management; and (3) conversion of Federal information technology systems that were transferred to the Department of Transportation. Title V: General Provisions--This Act - Repeals provisions of law that require payment of: (1) basic pay and allowances for members of the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and Navy for the pay period ending on September 30, 2000, no earlier than October 1, 2000; and (2) pay of Federal employees that would be payable on September 29 or 30, 2000, for the preceding pay period on October 1, 2000. (Sec. 5104) Prohibits a sequestration under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to eliminate a FY 2000 breach that might be caused by appropriations or other provisions of this Act. (Sec. 5105) Deems funds made available in this Act for intelligence activities to be specifically authorized by Congress for purposes of the National Security Act of 1947. (Sec. 5106) Repeals certain provisions regarding progress payments and payment procedures of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2000. (Sec. 5107) Bars the use of FY 2000 funds appropriated to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the relocation of the Technical Training Center from Chattanooga, Tennessee. (Sec. 5108) Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of State should place the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia) on the list of foreign terrorist organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2000
Reserve Employer Tax Credit Act of 2000 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide: (1) employers a business tax credit for a portion of compensation that was not paid with respect to members of the military reserves who were absent from work on qualified reserve duty; (2) a comparable credit for participating self-employed individuals; and (3) for the deduction of certain expenses paid or incurred by members of a Reserve component of the armed forces.
United States · United States Senate · 9 March 2000
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2000
Military Guard and Reserve Fairness Act of 2000 - Title I: Tax Benefits for Reserves of the Armed Forces - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income pay of certain enlisted and commissioned reservists on active duty overseas contingency operations. (Sec. 102) Provides a business-related tax credit ($30,000 annual maximum) for qualifying employee reserve forces participation, equaling the sum of: (1) the employment credit of all qualified employees of the taxpayer; and (2) the self-employment credit of a qualified self-employed taxpayer. (Sec. 103) Deems the expenses of a reserve component member as away from home in pursuit of a trade or business during any time that such person is away from home on reserve service. Allows such expense for itemizers and non-itemizers. Exempts reserve member expenses from entertainment expense disallowance and partial meal and entertainment limitation. Title II: Additional Benefits for Reserves of the Armed Forces - Reserve Components Equity Act of 2000 - Amends Federal law to authorize armed forces reserve and National Guard personnel traveling to perform annual training duty outside the continental United States to travel on a space-required basis between the member's home and place of duty if there is no available road or rail transportation. Directs the Secretary of Defense to prescribe regulations to provide the following persons with transportation on Department of Defense (DOD) aircraft on a space-available basis under the same terms and conditions that apply to members of the armed forces entitled to retired pay: (1) members of the Selected Reserve in good standing; (2) a former reserve member under 60 years of age who would be eligible for retired pay except for being under such age; and (3) dependents of the above. Limits the required identification for such travel. Directs the Secretary to prescribe regulations authorizing a reserve member traveling to inactive duty training at least 50 miles from home to be eligible for billeting (housing) in DOD facilities on the same basis as active-duty personnel traveling under orders away from such member's duty station. Requires proof of the reason for such travel. Increases the maximum number of reserve retirement points that may be credited in a year for reserve service. Authorizes the Secretary of the military department concerned to provide civil legal services to reserve personnel (and their dependents) not otherwise entitled to such services following a release from active duty under a call or order to such duty for more than 30 days under a mobilization authority, but only for a period that is not in excess of twice the length of the duty period served.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2000
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the indifference of most Western governments, including that of the United States, toward this conflict has encouraged the Government of the Russian Federation to intensify and expand its military campaign in Chechnya; and (2) the Acting President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, is directly responsible for the conduct of Russian troops in and around Chechnya and accountable for war crimes and atrocities committed by them against the Chechen people. Urges the Acting President of the Russian Federation to: (1) immediately cease the military operations in Chechnya and initiate negotiations toward a just peace with the leadership of the Chechen government; (2) grant international missions immediate full and unimpeded access into Chechnya and surrounding regions so that they can monitor and report on the situation there and investigate alleged atrocities and war crimes; (3) allow international humanitarian agencies immediate full and unimpeded access to Chechen civilians; and (4) investigate fully the atrocities committed in Chechnya and initiate prosecutions against officers and soldiers accused of those atrocities. Urges the President of the United States to: (1) affirm respect for human rights, democratic rule of law, and international accountability as a foundation of U.S. foreign policy and as a precondition to U.S.-Russian cooperation; (2) reevaluate U.S. foreign policy toward the Russian Federation given its conduct in Chechnya, remilitarization, and questionable commitment to democracy; (3) support societal forces in the Russian Federation fighting to preserve democracy there; (4) promote peace negotiations between the Government of the Russian Federation and the leadership of the Chechen government through third-party mediation by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the United Nations (UN), or other appropriate parties; (5) endorse the call of UN High Commissioner of Human Rights for an investigation of alleged war crimes committed by the Russian military in Chechnya; and (6) take tangible steps to demonstrate to the Government of the Russian Federation that the United States strongly condemns its conduct in Chechnya and its unwillingness to find a just political solution to the conflict in Chechnya, and not reverse such actions until the Government of the Russian Federation has taken certain actions as described by this Resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2000
Declares that Congress: (1) applauds the officers, scientists, researchers, students, and administrators who were instrumental to the program of partnerships for oceanographic and scientific research between the Government and academic institutions; (2) recognizes that the Nation, in ultimately prevailing in the Cold War, relied to a significant extent on research supported by, and technologies developed through, those partnerships; (3) supports efforts by the Director of the Office of Naval Research to honor those individuals who contributed to the naval mission and the national defense through those partnerships during the period beginning before World War II and continuing through the end of the Cold War; and (4) expresses appreciation for the ongoing efforts of the Office of Naval Research to support oceanographic and scientific research and the development of researchers in those fields to ensure that such partnerships will continue to make important contributions to the defense and the general welfare of the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2000
Designates any visitor's center or museum for Gettysburg National Military Park constructed or designated after this Act's enactment as the George D. and Emily G. Rosensteel Memorial Visitors' Center.
United States · United States Senate · 7 March 2000
United States · United States Senate · 7 March 2000
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2000
Designates the month of May every year for the next five years as National Military Appreciation Month.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2000
Oil Price Reduction Act of 2000 - Declares it to be U.S. policy: (1) to determine the political, economic, and security relations of the United States with the major net oil exporting countries according to whether they engage in oil price fixing; and (2) to work multilaterally with other countries that are major net oil importers to bring about the complete dismantlement of international oil price fixing arrangements. Directs the President to report to Congress with respect to: (1) the overall economic and security relationship between the United States and each major net oil exporting country (including Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) countries); (2) the effect that coordination among such countries with respect to oil production and pricing has had on the U.S. economy and global energy supplies; (3) information on all assistance programs under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Arms Export Control Act (including licenses for the export of defense articles and defense services) provided to such countries; and (4) whether or not each country is engaging in oil price fixing to the detriment of the U.S. economy. Requires the President, pursuant to such report, to reduce, suspend, or terminate such assistance to each country determined by the President to be engaged in oil price fixing to the detriment of the U.S. economy. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should continue to undertake a diplomatic campaign to convince: (1) all major net oil exporting countries that the current oil price levels are unsustainable and will negatively affect global economic growth rates in oil consuming and developing countries; and (2) other major net oil importing countries to join in multilateral efforts to bring about the complete dismantlement of international oil price fixing arrangements. Requires the President to report to Congress with respect to such diplomatic efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2000
Declares that Congress: (1) applauds the officers, scientists, researchers, students, and administrators who were instrumental to the program of partnerships for oceanographic and scientific research between the Government and academic institutions; (2) recognizes that the Nation, in ultimately prevailing in the Cold War, relied to a significant extent on research supported by, and technologies developed through, those partnerships; (3) supports efforts by the Director of the Office of Naval Research to honor those individuals who contributed to the naval mission and the national defense through those partnerships during the period beginning before World War II and continuing through the end of the Cold War; and (4) expresses appreciation for the ongoing efforts of the Office of Naval Research to support oceanographic and scientific research and the development of researchers in those fields to ensure that such partnerships will continue to make important contributions to the defense and the general welfare of the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2000
Sets a three-year term of office for the first person appointed as Under Secretary for Nuclear Security of the Department of Energy. Makes inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office the exclusive reasons for removing such person from office.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2000
Oil Price Reduction Act of 2000 - Declares it to be U.S. policy: (1) to determine the political, economic, and security relations of the United States with the major net oil exporting countries according to whether they engage in oil price fixing; and (2) to work multilaterally with other countries that are major net oil importers to bring about the complete dismantlement of international oil price fixing arrangements. Directs the President to report to Congress with respect to: (1) the overall economic and security relationship between the United States and each major net oil exporting country (including Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)); (2) the effect that coordination among such countries with respect to oil production and pricing has had on the U.S. economy and global energy supplies; (3) information on all assistance provided to such countries under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Arms Export Control Act (including licenses for the export of defense articles and defense services); and (4) the President's determination as to whether or not each such country is engaging in oil price fixing to the detriment of the U.S. economy. Requires the President to reduce, suspend, or terminate such assistance to each country determined to be engaged in oil price fixing to the detriment of the U.S. economy. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should continue to undertake a diplomatic campaign to convince : (1) all major net oil exporting countries that the current oil price levels are unsustainable and will negatively affect global economic growth rates in oil consuming and developing countries; and (2) other major net oil importing countries to join in multilateral efforts to bring about the complete dismantlement of international oil price fixing arrangements. Requires the President to report to Congress with respect to such diplomatic efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2000
Includes as a service-connected and therefore compensable injury under veterans' disability compensation provisions a stroke or heart attack incurred while performing inactive duty training.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2000
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to add certain inscription information to the markers on graves in the National Cemetery of the Pacific containing the remains of unknown casualties that died in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2000
Stable Oil Supply Home Heating Act - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to mandate that voluntary plans for home heating oil reserve be submitted to the Secretary of Energy by importers, refiners, and wholesalers holding oil inventories for sale to markets in the Northeast in order to ensure stability in energy fuel markets and to protect consumers from dramatic price swings. Prescribes implementation and certification guidelines, including an antitrust defense for actions taken in compliance with this Act. Exempts certain small-sized importers and refiners. Directs the Secretary to: (1) issue an order requiring the establishment of a private home heating oil reserve for the Northeast if a certified plan has not been implemented within a specified time frame for an importer, refiner, or wholesaler that stores heating oil for sale in the Northeast; (2) periodically monitor supply levels to ensure that home heating oil inventories in the Northeast are adequate to supply customer needs during the present or following winter season so as to obviate sudden price increases caused by inadequate inventories; (3) require an importer, refiner, or wholesaler to increase its inventory if the Secretary determines that inventories are insufficient; and (4) establish civil penalties and cooperate with State energy authorities in carrying out this Act. Instructs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to take action to enable importers, refiners, or wholesalers to sell their remaining excess inventories at the end of each winter season.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2000
Prohibits any funds appropriated or otherwise available to the Department of Defense from being used to carry out the destruction of any intercontinental ballistic missile silo in the United States during FY 2001.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2000
Amends the Federal Tort Claims Act to allow claims to be brought for damages against the United States for personal injury or death of a member of the armed forces serving on active duty or on full-time National Guard duty, arising out of medical or dental care furnished to such member in a fixed medical treatment facility operated by the Secretary of a military department or any other fixed medical facility operated by the United States. Provides for a reduction of claims under this Act by the present value of other benefits attributable to such death or injury that are received by the member and by that member's estate, survivors, and beneficiaries pursuant to other Federal provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 29 February 2000
Declares that the wage schedules and rates applicable to prevailing rate employees of the Department of Defense (DOD) in the Macon, Georgia, wage area shall be the same as the wage schedules and rates applicable to DOD prevailing rate employees in the Atlanta, Georgia, wage area.
United States · United States Congress · 29 February 2000
Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to release a reversionary interest of the United States that required certain real property in Johnson City, Tennessee, which was conveyed to the State of Tennessee, to be used primarily for training of the National Guard and for military purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2000
Counterintelligence Reform Act of 2000 - Amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 to modify procedures regarding the issuance of a court order approving the electronic surveillance of a foreign power or foreign agent suspected of espionage to authorize the issuing judge to consider past activities of the target (as well as facts and circumstances relating to current or future activities of such target) in determining whether or not probable cause exists for issuance of the order. Requires an application for an order approving electronic surveillance or physical searches under the Act to include among other things: (1) any current relationship between the target and any Federal intelligence, intelligence-related, or law enforcement activity; and (2) any prior relationship between such target and such activity that is relevant to a determination of probable cause. Sets forth certain notice requirements with respect to review of such applications. Directs the Attorney General to prescribe and submit to Congress regulations relating to the disclosure for law enforcement purposes of information acquired under this Act. Requires the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to notify the head of the Federal department or agency in which an employee is a target of an espionage investigation that such target should be left in place for investigative purposes. Requires the head of the department or agency to submit to the Director a plan to minimize the unauthorized disclosure of classified information by such target. Directs the FBI to notify appropriate officials within the executive branch (including the head of the department or agency concerned) of the commencement of a full field espionage investigation with respect to an employee within the executive branch. Prohibits a department or agency from conducting a polygraph examination, interrogation, or otherwise take any action that is likely to alert an employee that is considered a target without prior coordination with the FBI. Makes the Director responsible for coordinating all information relating to espionage investigations, including information on any prior or current relationship between the targets and any Federal intelligence or intelligence-related activity, within the intelligence community and within and among Federal law enforcement agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2000
Modifies provisions of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 regarding the use of pen registers and trap and trace devices to require a Government agency authorized to install and use a pen register or trap and trace device under the Act or under State law to use technology reasonably available to it that restricts the recording or decoding of electronic or other impulses to the dialing, routing, addressing, and signaling information utilized in the processing and transmitting of wire and electronic communications. Directs the court, upon application made by: (1) an attorney for the Government, to enter an ex parte order authorizing the installation and use of a pen register or trap and trace device if it finds that such attorney has certified to the court that the information likely to be obtained by such installation and use is relevant to an ongoing criminal investigation (the order shall, upon service, apply to any entity providing wire or electronic communication service in the United States whose assistance is required to effectuate the order); and (2) a State investigative or law enforcement officer (unless prohibited by State law), to enter an ex parte order authorizing the installation and use of such register or device within the court's jurisdiction if it finds that the officer has certified to the court that the information likely to be obtained by such installation and use is relevant to an ongoing criminal investigation. Requires the order to specify a description of the communications to which the order applies, including the number or other identifier and, if known, the location of the telephone line or other facility to which the pen register or trap and trace device is to be attached or applied, and, in the case of an order authorizing installation and use of a trap and trace device with respect to States, the geographic limits of the order. Provides for emergency installation of a pen register or trap and trace device in situations involving: (1) an immediate threat to U.S. national security interests, or to public health or safety; or (2) an attack on the integrity or availability of a protected computer which attack would be an offense punishable under Federal criminal code prohibitions against fraud and related activity in connection with computers. Modifies the definitions of: (1) "court of competent jurisdiction" to mean any U.S. district court or any U.S. Court of Appeals having jurisdiction over the offense being investigated; and (2) "pen register" and "trap and trace device" to cover processes (as well as devices) and dialing, routing, addressing, or signaling information with respect to a wire or electronic communication. (Sec. 2) Revises Federal criminal code (the code) provisions regarding penalties for fraud and related activity in connection with computers to cover certain attempts to commit punishable offenses, and to provide penalties for offenses (or attempts) regarding: (1) loss to one or more persons during any one-year period aggregating at least $5,000 in value; (2) the modification or impairment, or potential modification or impairment, of the medical examination, diagnosis, treatment, or care of one or more individuals; (3) physical injury to any person; (4) a threat to public health or safety; or (5) damage affecting a computer system used by or for a government entity in furtherance of the administration of justice, national defense, or national security. Repeals a limitation on damages in civil actions to economic damages if any of subparagraphs (2) through (5) apply. Directs the court, in imposing sentence on any person convicted of a violation, to order, in addition to any other sentence imposed and irrespective of any State law provision, that such person forfeit to the United States: (1) the interest of such person in any property, real or personal, that was used or intended to be used to commit or to facilitate the commission of such violation; and (2) any property constituting or derived from any proceeds that such person obtained as a result of such violation. Makes specified Controlled Substances Act provisions regarding the criminal forfeiture, seizure, and disposition of property applicable to this section. Sets forth similar provisions with respect to civil forfeiture. (Sec. 3) Amends provisions of the code regarding juvenile delinquency proceedings in district courts, and transfer for criminal prosecution, to cover situations involving fraud and related activity in connection with computers. (Sec. 4) Modifies provisions of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 to direct the United States Sentencing Commission to amend the sentencing guidelines to ensure that any individual convicted of a felony violation of the prohibition against knowingly causing the transmission of a program, information, code, or command, thereby intentionally causing damage without authorization, to a protected computer is imprisoned for not less than six months.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2000
Stable Oil Supply (SOS) Home Heating Act - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to urge importers, refiners, and wholesalers holding primary heating oil inventories for sale to markets in the Northeast to develop and submit voluntary plans to maintain readily available minimum product inventories in order to mitigate the risk of severe price increases and to reduce adverse impacts upon regional and national economies. Directs the Secretary of Energy to report to Congress regarding the certification status of submitted voluntary plans. Provides a defense to an antitrust action brought against such voluntary plans. Requires the Secretary, if a certified plan is not implemented for each such importer, refiner, and wholesaler, to establish a private home heating oil reserve for the Northeast, according to specified requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2000
Expresses the Senate's concern over the conflict and humanitarian tragedy in Chechnya and desire for a peaceful resolution and durable settlement to the conflict. Calls for the Government of the Russian Federation to: (1) cease its military operations in Chechnya and initiate negotiations toward a just peace with the leadership of the Chechen Government; (2) allow into and around Chechnya international missions to monitor and report on the situation there and to investigate alleged atrocities and war crimes; (3) allow international humanitarian agencies immediate full and unimpeded access to Chechen civilians; and (4) investigate fully the atrocities committed in Chechnya. Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President of the United States should: (1) promote peace negotiations between the Government of the Russian Federation and the leadership of the Chechen Government; (2) endorse the call of the United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights for an investigation of alleged war crimes committed by the Russian military in Chechnya; and (3) take tangible steps to demonstrate to the Government of the Russian Federation that the United States strongly condemns its brutal conduct in Chechnya and its unwillingness to find a just political solution to the conflict in Chechnya.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2000
Expresses the sense of Congress that the aircraft carrier CVN-77 should be named the U.S.S. Lexington to honor the 16 million veterans who served in the U.S. armed forces during World War II, as well as all the U.S. citizens who served on the home front during such War.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 2000
Military Health Care Improvements Act of 2000 - Title I: Demonstration Programs - Subtitle A: TRICARE Demonstration Programs for Seniors - Amends the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999 to extend through December 31, 2005, the TRICARE Senior Supplement Program (a demonstration program under which certain Medicare-eligible senior citizens are given medical care and services under TRICARE (a Department of Defense (DOD) managed health care program) for which DOD is reimbursed through the Medicare program). Amends the Social Security Act to extend through the same date a similar demonstration program known as TRICARE Senior Prime. Authorizes the latter program to be offered at major medical centers of DOD (currently limited to six military treatment facilities). Subtitle B: Other Demonstration Programs - Amends a demonstration program offering health care coverage to certain military personnel, spouses, and dependents through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program to allow eligible beneficiaries who will be at least 65 years of age on December 31, 2002, to enroll, or extend a previous enrollment, during a two-year period of open enrollment for the year 2003. Extends such demonstration program through December 31, 2005. Repeals the ten-site limit for the program. (Sec. 107) Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to charge an enrollment fee for participation in the TRICARE pharmacy system (a program for providing reduced-cost pharmaceuticals to TRICARE-eligible beneficiaries). Authorizes the Secretary to impose one or more cost-sharing requirements upon such participants. Allows participants to pay required premiums on a monthly or annual basis. Title II: TRICARE Prime Permanent Authorities - Amends the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) relating to medical and dental care provided to certain members and former members of the armed forces to: (1) make eligible for such services members and former members of the Coast Guard when not operating as a service in the Navy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Public Health Service; (2) require coverage for immediate family members of eligible individuals to be comparable to coverage for medical care and standards for timely access to such care under TRICARE Prime; and (3) entitle dependents of members performing duty in remote locations who reside with such member to the same care and waiver of such care under CHAMPUS as the members themselves. (Sec. 202) Prohibits a member from being charged a copayment for care provided under TRICARE Prime to an immediate family member. (Sec. 203) Directs the Secretary to improve certain business practices used when administering the access of eligible persons to health care services through the TRICARE program. Title III: Other Defense Health Program Matters - Directs the Secretary to carry out a program that permits the following eligible persons to obtain prescription pharmaceuticals from DOD by mail: (1) individuals 65 years old or older who would be eligible for medical care under CHAMPUS except for also being entitled to hospital insurance benefits under Medicare; and (2) individuals 65 years old or older who are enrolled in the supplemental medical insurance program under part B of Medicare. Authorizes the Secretary to impose an annual program deductible of up to $150. (Sec. 302) Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000 to extend the provision of domiciliary and custodial care for certain CHAMPUS beneficiaries to include a person who formerly was an eligible beneficiary and is enrolled in the TRICARE Senior Prime plan under the Medicare subvention demonstration project for military retirees. Provides a program cost limitation for FY 2000 and thereafter. (Sec. 303) Directs the Secretary to carry out two studies to assess the feasibility and desirability of financing the military health care program for military retirees on an accrual basis. Title IV: Joint Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs Initiatives - Directs the Secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs to jointly: (1) prescribe a centralized process for the reporting, compiling, and analysis of errors in the provision of health care under their respective departments that endanger patients beyond the normal risks associated with such care and treatment; and (2) develop a system for the use of bar codes for the identification of pharmaceuticals. Requires the Secretary of Defense to experiment with the use of such bar codes in the current DOD mail order pharmaceuticals demonstration project.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2000
Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1998 to allow a new composite theoretical performance level established by the President for high-performance computers subject to certain export controls to take effect 30 (currently 180) days after the President reports to specified congressional committees setting forth the new level and its justification.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2000
Veterans Burial Benefits Improvement Act of 2000 - Increases from $300 to $1,000 the authorized allowance for burial and funeral expenses for deceased veterans who: (1) at the time of death were in receipt of veterans' disability compensation or veterans' pension benefits; or (2) were veterans of any war or were discharged or released from active military service for a service- connected disability and for whom there is no next of kin or sufficient resources to cover funeral and burial costs.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2000
Directs the Secretary of Defense to expand and make permanent a demonstration project which allows individuals eligible for medical care and services under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) to obtain pharmaceuticals by mail in order to permit individuals who are entitled to hospital insurance benefits under part A of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act and who are members or former members of the armed forces, dependents of certain former members, or dependents of members who died while on active duty for a period of more than 30 days to participate in the project. Requires the Secretary to modify each managed health care program which includes a managed care network of community retail pharmacies in order to supply pharmaceuticals to the above individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2000
President's Commission on Veterans and Smoking Act - Establishes the President's Commission on Veterans and Smoking to study and report to the President and Congress on issues including: (1) the extent to which the past policy of the armed forces contributed to veterans becoming smokers; (2) the percentage of veteran smokers compared to the percentage of smokers in the general U.S. population; and (3) the incidence and severity of smoking-related illnesses among veterans compared to the general U.S. population. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2000
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) Federal spending on veterans programs should be increased by at least the rate of inflation for each of the next ten fiscal years; (2) at least 20 percent of the funds received by the Federal Government for claims arising from smoking-related illnesses or an increased risk of such illnesses should be used for veterans health programs; and (3) all funds received for such claims brought on behalf of veterans should be used for veterans health programs.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2000
Improved Medical Care for Troops and Retirees Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, Federal armed forces law, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1998, and the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999 to provide, among other things, for: (1) making permanent the current Medicare subvention demonstration project for military retirees and dependents; (2) extending the Federal Employees Health Benefits Optional Demonstration Project; (3) entitling family members of members of the armed forces assigned to certain duty locations far from sources of care to the medical and dental care otherwise available to such member in any facility of any uniformed service; (4) requiring the pharmacy benefits provided under the redesigned pharmacy system under the TRICARE program (a managed health care program of the armed forces) to be at least equivalent to those provided under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1993; and (5) eliminating copayments under TRICARE Prime, and imposing a reduction in the catastrophic cap under TRICARE Standard and TRICARE Extra. Authorizes appropriations for the redesigned pharmacy system under the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2000
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income payments made under Department of Defense education loan repayment programs to members of the armed forces and Selected Reserve with specified military and critical specialties and specified health and critical medical skills.