Education

Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001

United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2000

Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001 - Title I: Department of Transportation - Makes appropriations for FY 2001 (with specified transfers of funds, limitations on obligations and administrative expenses, and liquidations and rescissions of contract authorizations) for: (1) the Office of the Secretary of Transportation; (2) the Coast Guard; (3) the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); (4) the Federal Highway Administration (FHA); (5) the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; (6) the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; (7) the Federal Railroad Administration; (8) the Federal Transit Administration (FTA); (9) the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation; (10) the Research and Special Programs Administration; (11) the Office of Inspector General; and (12) the Surface Transportation Board. Title II: Related Agencies - Makes appropriations for FY 2001 for: (1) the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board; and (2) the National Transportation Safety Board. Title III: General Provisions - Sets forth specified prohibitions, limitations, permissions, and mandates with respect to the use of appropriations under this Act identical or similar to those enacted in the Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000 (P.L. 106-69). (Sec. 303) Makes funds appropriated under this Act for FAA expenditures available for: (1) expenses of primary and secondary schooling for dependents of FAA personnel stationed outside the continental United States at costs for any given area not in excess of those of the Department of Defense for the same area, when it is determined that the schools, if any, available in the locality are unable to provide adequately for the education of such dependents; and (2) transportation of such dependents between schools serving the area that they attend and their places of residence when it is determined that such schools are not accessible by public means of transportation on a regular basis. (Sec. 305) Bars the availability of funds under this Act for salaries and expenses of more than 104 political and presidential appointees in the Department of Transportation (DOT). (Sec. 309) Prohibits a recipient of funds made available under this Act from disseminating personal information obtained by a State department of motor vehicles in connection with a motor vehicle record, except as permitted under specified law. Bars a State department of motor vehicles (including any officer, employee, or contractor thereof) from knowingly disclosing or otherwise making available to any person or entity: (1) personal information about an individual from a motor vehicle record that identifies the individual, including the individual's photograph, social security number, driver identification number, name, address (except for the five-digit zip code), telephone number, and medical or disability information (except for information on vehicular accidents, driving violations, and driver's status); or (2) highly restricted personal information about an individual from a motor vehicle record such as the individual's photograph or image, social security number, medical or disability information without the person's express consent, except as permitted under specified law. Declares that such requirements shall not affect the use of organ donation information on the individual's driver license or affect the administration of organ donation initiatives in the States. Prohibits a State from conditioning or burdening in any way the issuance of an individual's motor vehicle record to obtained express consent. (Sec. 313) Bars the use of funds under this Act to establish a vessel traffic safety fairway less than five miles wide between the Santa Barbara Traffic Separation Scheme and the San Francisco Traffic Separation Scheme. (Sec. 314) Authorizes airports to transfer to the FAA, without consideration, instrument landing systems (along with associated approach lighting equipment and runway visual range equipment) which conform to FAA design and performance specifications and which were purchased with airport development grant funds. (Sec. 318) Bars the use of funds under this Act to compensate in excess of 335 technical staff-years under the federally funded research and development center contract between the FAA and the Center for Advanced Aviation Systems Development during FY 2001. (Sec. 323) Prohibits the use of funds for employee training which: (1) does not meet identified needs for knowledge, skills, and abilities bearing directly upon the performance of official duties; (2) contains elements likely to induce high levels of emotional response or psychological stress in some participants; (3) does not require prior employee notification of the content and methods to be used in the training and written end of course evaluations; (4) contains any methods or content associated with religious or quasi-religious belief systems or "new age" belief systems; (5) is offensive to, or designed to change, participants' personal values or lifestyle outside the workplace; or (6) includes content related to human immunodeficiency virus-acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV-AIDS) other than that necessary to make employees more aware of its medical ramifications and the workplace rights of HIV-positive employees. (Sec. 324) Bars the use of funds, unless authorized by Congress, to pay for specified lobbying activities with respect to a Member of Congress or a State legislature. Permits DOT or related agency employees to communicate to Members of Congress or to a State legislature with respect to requests for legislation or appropriations which they deem necessary for the efficient conduct of business. (Sec. 325) Prohibits expenditure of funds made available under this Act by any entity that does not agree to comply with the Buy American Act. Expresses the sense of Congress that entities receiving assistance under this Act should purchase only U.S.-made equipment and products to the greatest extent practicable. Prohibits the use of funds for contracts with persons falsely labeling products as made in America. (Sec. 326) Earmarks a certain amount from the Highway Trust Fund for construction of, and improvements to, corridors of the Appalachian Development Highway System. (Sec. 329) Authorizes appropriations for expenses of the Amtrak Reform Council for FY 2002. Includes within the duties of such Council the identification of Amtrak routes which are candidates for closure or realignment based on performance rankings developed by Amtrak which incorporate information on each route's fully allocated costs and ridership on core intercity passenger service, and which assume that Federal subsidies for Amtrak will decline from FY 1999 to FY 2002. (Sec. 331) Bars the use of funds in this Act to make a grant unless the Secretary of Transportation notifies the Committees on Appropriations not less than three full business days before any discretionary grant award, letter of intent, or full funding grant agreement totaling $1 million or more is announced by the DOT or its modal administrations from: (1) any discretionary grant program of the FHA other than the emergency relief program; (2) the FAA airport improvement program; or (3) any FTA program other than the formula grants and fixed guideway modernization programs. (Sec. 332) Earmarks certain funds for fire and life safety improvements to enable the James A. Farley Post Office in New York City to be used as a train station and commercial center. (Sec. 333) Bars the use of funds under this Act for the planning, design, or construction of a light rail system in Houston, Texas. (Sec. 334) Amends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century to add the Wilmington Downtown transit corridor and the Honolulu Bus Rapid Transit project to the list of projects for new fixed guideway systems and extensions to existing systems. (Sec. 336) Amends the Federal Transit Act of 1998 to increase from 50 percent to 90 percent the Federal share of costs with respect to grants for increasing over-the-road bus service accessibility to persons with disabilities (particularly in rural areas). (Sec. 337) Amends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century to replace the high priority project to reconstruct I-235 and improve the interchange for access to the Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway in Des Moines, Iowa, with a high priority project to construct the north-south segments of such Parkway. (Sec. 338) Revises the high priority project for a feasibility and design study of Louisiana Highway 30 between Louisiana Highway 44 and I-10 to include, as an alternative to the study, construction of that segment of Louisiana Highway 30. (Sec. 339) Eliminates the high priority project for the upgrade of U.S. Route 5 between the vicinity of Chillicothe, Ohio, and the Village of Richmond Dale, Ohio. Increases the authorized funding for the high priority project to construct the Chesapeake Bypass in Lawrence County, Ohio. (Sec. 340) Directs the Secretary to withhold the obligation of Federal-aid highway funds for the Central Artery-Tunnel project in Boston, Massachusetts, unless certain conditions are met. Sets a limit on the total Federal contribution to such project. (Sec. 341) Amends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century to increase the maximum annual amount of mass transportation funds that may be provided to a transit provider that operates 20 or fewer vehicles in an urbanized area with a population of at least 200,000 to finance the operating costs of equipment and facilities used by it in providing mass transportation services to the elderly and persons with disabilities. (Sec. 342) Authorizes the use of unobligated balances for the Ebensburg Bypass Demonstration Project (contained in Public Law 101-164) for improvements along Route 56 in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, including the construction of a parking facility in the vicinity. (Sec. 343) Bars the use of funds under this Act for the planning, development, or construction of California State Route 710 freeway extension project through South Pasadena, California. (Sec. 344) Bars the use of funds under this Act for engineering work related to an additional runway at New Orleans International Airport. (Sec. 345) Earmarks up to a specified amount of unobligated balances from capital investment grants for Fayette County, Pennsylvania, intermodal facilities and buses in the Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 (Public Law 105-277) and the Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000 (Public Law 106-69) for an intermodal parking facility in Cambria County, Pennsylvania. (Sec. 346) Bars the use of funds appropriated under this Act to propose or issue regulations or orders for implementation of the Kyoto Protocol (adopted on December 11, 1997, in Kyoto, Japan, at the Third Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) which has not been submitted to the Senate for advice and consent to ratification and has not been entered into force. (Sec. 349) Bars the use of funds in this Act to adopt guidelines or regulations requiring airport sponsors to provide to the FAA without cost building construction, maintenance, utilities and expenses, or space in airport sponsor-owned buildings for services relating to air traffic control, air navigation, or weather reporting. Provides that such prohibition does not apply to negotiations between the FAA and airport sponsors to achieve agreement on "below-market" rates for such items or to grant assurances that require airport sponsors to provide land without cost to the FAA for ATC facilities. (Sec. 350) Bars the availability of funds under this Act or prior Appropriations Acts for Coast Guard acquisition, construction, and improvements after the 15th of any quarter of any fiscal year beginning after December 31, 1999, unless the Commandant of the Coast Guard first reports quarterly to the Committees on Appropriations on all major Coast Guard acquisition projects executed for it by the U.S. Navy and vessel traffic service projects. (Sec. 351) Amends Federal transportation law to require the Secretary to withhold two percent of the funds authorized for Federal aid highway programs for FY 2004, and increased specified percentages of such amounts for subsequent fiscal years, from any State that has not enacted and is not enforcing a law that considers as intoxicated an individual who has an alcohol concentration level of 0.08 percent or greater while operating a motor vehicle in such State. Allows funds withheld from a State during FY 2004 to be available for up to four fiscal years after such date (to allow a State to meet such requirement within such period), but allows no grace period with respect to funds withheld during subsequent fiscal years. (Sec. 352) Authorizes the Secretary to waive, without charge, any terms contained in the deed conveying U.S. lands to a public institution of higher education in Oklahoma that restrict the use of such land that, as of the date of enactment of this Act, is not being used for the operation of an airport or for air traffic. (Sec. 353) Amends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century to modify a certain highway project in Polk County, Iowa, to replace the extension of NW 86th Street from NW 70th Street with the construction of a road from State Highway 141. (Sec. 354) Authorizes the State of Mississippi to use funds previously allocated to it under the transportation enhancements program, if available, for construction of an underpass to improve access and enhance highway-rail safety and economic development along Star Landing Road in DeSoto County, Mississippi. (Sec. 355) Amends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century with respect to the high priority project for the environmental review, planning, design, and construction of the Beartooth Highway in Wyoming and Montana. Declares that the non-Federal share of the project may be funded by Federal funds from a non-DOT agency or agencies. (Sec. 356) Designates the New Jersey Transit commuter station to be located at the intersection of the Main-Bergen line and the Northeast Corridor line, New Jersey, as the "Frank R. Lautenberg Station." (Sec. 357) Bars the use of funds under this Act for the planning, development, or construction of a multi-lane, limited access expressway at section 800, Pennsylvania Route 202 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. (Sec. 359) Directs each executive agency to establish a policy in which eligible employees may participate in telecommuting to the maximum extent possible without diminished employee performance. Requires the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to provide that such requirements are applied to 25 percent of the Federal workforce, and to an additional 25 percent of such workforce each year thereafter. (Sec. 360) Authorizes new fixed guideway system funds for the Jackson, Mississippi, Intermodal Corridor in the Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998, Public Law 105-66, to be available for obligation for studies to evaluate and define transportation alternatives for such project, including an intermodal facility at Jackson International Airport and for related preliminary engineering, final design, or construction. (Sec. 361) Earmarks specified funds for corridor planning studies between western Baldwin County and Mobile Municipal Airport, Alabama. (Sec. 362) Amends the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 to revise certain innovative highway projects to include the Akron (Ohio) Innerbelt (State Route 59) corridor, Broadway viaduct replacement, and the High Street viaduct replacement. (Sec. 363) Amends Federal highway law to declare that the Federal share of costs shall be 100 percent for the reconstruction of a road and causeway in Shiloh Military Park in Hardin County, Tennessee. (Sec. 364) Amends Federal transportation law to require a manufacturer of a motor vehicle, original equipment, or replacement equipment to review and consider information (including information received from any foreign source) to learn whether the vehicle or equipment contains a defect or does not comply with an applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standard. (Sec. 365) Directs the transfer of certain FTA transit planning and research funds for international activities to and administered by the Agency for International Development (AID) for transportation needs in the frontline states to the Kosovo conflict. (Sec. 366) Makes certain discretionary grant funds available for the transit and other transportation-related portions of the Salt Lake City regional commuter system and Gateway intermodal terminal. (Sec. 367) Earmarks a specified amount of Federal-aid highway funds to the Commonwealth of Kentucky for safety grants to help prevent the operation of motor vehicles by intoxicated persons, provided it adopts a 0.08 blood alcohol content standard. (Sec. 368) Directs the Secretary to waive repayment of any Federal-aid highway funds expended by the City of Spokane, Washington, on the Lincoln Street Bridge Project. (Sec. 370) Amends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century to revise the high priority project for reconstruction of U.S. 89 and interchange at 200 North in Kaysville, Utah, to earmark a specified amount for repair and reconstruction of the North Ogden Divide Highway. (Sec. 371) Authorizes States to use allocated highway safety program funds to produce and place highway safety public service messages in television, radio, cinema, and print media, and on the Internet with guidance issued by the Secretary. (Sec. 373) Amends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century to revise the high priority project for construction of the New Jersey Exit 13A Flyover (extension of Kapkowski Road to Trumbull Street) to include the study, design, and construction related to local street improvements needed to complement such extension. (Sec. 374) Revises the high priority project to improve highway access to Humboldt Bay and Harbor Port, California, to also include freight access to such places. (Sec. 375) Authorizes appropriations to the Alabama Department of Transportation for capital costs associated with track relocation, track construction and rehabilitation, highway-rail separation construction activities including right-of-way acquisition and utility relocation, and signal improvements in Muscle Shoals, Tuscumbia, and Sheffield, Alabama. Conditions Federal funding upon matching of no less than 75 percent from non-federal sources. (Sec. 376) Authorizes appropriations to Valley Trains and Tours for capital costs associated with track acquisition and rehabilitation between Strasburg Junction and Shenandoah Caverns, Virginia. Sets forth specified conditions. (Sec. 377) Amends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century to replace the high priority project to replace Barton Road-M 14 interchange, Ann Arbor, Michigan, with a high priority project to study all possible alternatives to the current M-14-Barton Drive interchange in Ann Arbor, including relocation of M-14-U.S. 23 from Maple Road to Plymouth Road, mass transit options, and other means of reducing commuter traffic and improving highway safety. (Sec. 378) Authorizes appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund for specified transportation projects. (Sec. 379) Amends the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge Authority Act of 1995 to authorize the appropriation of an additional $600 million for FY 2001 for replacement of the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge. Sets forth specified limitations and conditions. (Sec. 380) Amends Federal transportation law to authorize appropriations for FY 2001 (equal to the last three fiscal years) for discretionary grants and loans for new fixed guideway systems and extensions to such systems. Earmarks amounts for specified commuter transit projects. (Sec. 381) Directs the Federal Transit Administrator to sign a Full Funding Grant Agreement for the MOS-2 segment of the New Jersey Urban Core-Hudson Bergen project. (Sec. 382) Bars the use of funds in this Act or any other Act to adjust the boundary of the point Retreat Light Station, Alaska, or to otherwise limit such property. Title IV: Department of the Treasury - Makes additional appropriations for FY 2001 to reduce the public debt. Title V: Department of the Treasury - Makes appropriations for FY 2001 for: (1) the Department of the Treasury; (2) the Executive Office of the President; (3) the General Services Administration; and (4) the National Archives and Records Administration. General Provisions: This Title - Prohibits funds in the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 2001 from being used by any Federal agency to monitor personal identifiable information on the use of the Internet. Sets forth specified exceptions. (Sec. 502) Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) to authorize a person (other than a political committee) required to file an independent expenditure statement under the FECA to file such statement by facsimile or electronic mail. Requires the Federal Election Commission to make such statements accessible to the public on the Internet within 24 hours after its receipt by the Commission. Exempts from the definition of "contribution" candidate loans based on lines of credit if such a loan is made in accordance with applicable law and under commercially reasonable terms and in the normal course of business. Mandates the time at which certain statements on independent expenditures are received by the appropriate recipient to whom notification is required to be sent as the time of filing with the recipient. (Sec. 503) Earmarks amounts provided to the Office of National Drug Control Policy for the anti-doping efforts of the U.S. Olympic Committee to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, Inc., for the conduct of such activities as they relate to U.S. athletes in the Olympic, Pan American, and Paralympic Games. (Sec. 504) Declares that a certain section of the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 2001 relating to the Civil Service Retirement System shall have no effect. (Sec. 505) Amends Federal civil service retirement law to reduce to seven percent after December 31, 2000, the required retirement contribution by Federal employees participating under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). (Such contribution currently is scheduled to be 7.5 for calendar years 2001 and 2002, and seven percent after December 31, 2002). Reduces similarly the required percentage contribution under the CSRS for Members of Congress and congressional employees, law enforcement and firefighting personnel, certain judges and magistrates, Capitol Police, and nuclear materials couriers. Makes similar reductions for participants in the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS). Repeals the scheduled 3.5 percent retirement contribution for calendar years 2001 and 2002 for military and volunteer service personnel under FERS. Amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to make similar employee retirement contribution reductions under the Foreign Service Pension System. Replaces for FY 2002 (other than employees of the U.S. Postal Service or the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority) the current schedule of required retirement contributions under the CSRS for Federal and congressional employees, law enforcement and firefighting personnel, Capitol Police, nuclear materials couriers, Members of Congress, and certain judges and magistrates. Makes similar changes with respect to employees under the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System and the Foreign Service Retirement and Disability System. (Sec. 506) Earmarks specified funds to the U.S. Secret Service for forensic and related support of investigations of missing and exploited children. (Sec. 507) Amends the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2001 to revise provisions establishing within the Capitol Police an Office of Administration to be headed by a Chief Administrative Officer. Requires the Chief Administrative Officer to be appointed by the Chief of the Capitol Police (currently, such Officer is to be appointed by the Comptroller General after consultation with the Capitol Police Board).

Educational Assistance for Military Connected Children Act of 2000

United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2000

Educational Assistance for Military Connected Children Act of 2000 - Amends title VIII (Impact Aid) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary of Education to determine, for each local educational agency (LEA) receiving impact aid assistance under such Act: (1) the amount of payment in each fiscal year attributable to the presence of a military installation; (2) the number of military connected children served by such agency in a fiscal year; and (3) the amount provided to each LEA in each fiscal year. Requires the Secretary to determine the total amount of all such payments. Directs the Secretary of Defense to transfer to the Secretary in each fiscal year the total amount of funds necessary to make all such payments. Makes the transferred funds the only funds available for such payments for military connected children or property.

To designate a building proposed to be located within the boundaries of the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, as the "Herbert H. Bateman Educational and Administrative Center".

United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2000

Designates a building proposed to be located within the boundaries of the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, on Assateague Island, Virginia, as the Herbert H. Bateman Education And Administrative Center.

A bill to provide for the collection of information relating to nonimmigrant foreign students and other exchange program participants.

United States · United States Congress · 3 October 2000

Amends the Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1997 to provide for direct foreign student payment to the Attorney General of the required information fee under the foreign student and exchange program participant information collection program. (Currently such fee is collected and remitted by the institution of higher education or the exchange program.) Extends the deadline for such program's expansion to nationals of all countries.

Foreign University Loan Security Act

United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2000

Foreign University Loan Security Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to carry out a fraud control pilot program to reduce the incidence of fraud in student loan programs under the Higher Education Act of 1965 with respect to students at foreign institutions.

ABC Act

United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2000

Access to Books for Children Act - ABC Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to revise and rename title X part E as Access to Books for Children (ABC). Extends the authorization of appropriations for the Inexpensive Book Distribution Program, under which the Secretary of Education contracts with Reading Is Fundamental (RIF). Establishes and authorizes appropriations for the following new programs. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) contract with a national organization to support programs that pay the Federal share of the cost of distributing books to disadvantaged children and families through tutoring, mentoring, and family education, and to promote local partnerships to leverage Federal book distribution efforts and build on community programs to enhance reading motivation for at- risk children (Local Partnerships for Books program); (2) contract with a national organization to support programs that distribute books to children five years of age and younger, provide guidance from pediatric clinicians to parents and guardians in reading aloud to children, and help build reading readiness skills (Partnerships for Infants and Young Children program); and (3) annually evaluate part E programs and local literacy programs conducted under part E that link children with book ownership and mentoring in literacy.

Paul D. Coverdell World Wise Schools Act of 2000

United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2000

Paul D. Coverdell World Wise Schools Act of 2000 - Designates the Peace Corps World Wise Schools Program as the Paul D. Coverdell World Wise Schools Program.

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to limit the application of the one-year lag in the intern and resident-to-bed ration and the rolling average for the number of residents for which payments to hospitals are made under the Medicare Program for the indirect costs of graduate medical education to residents in the fields of allopathic and osteopathic medicine.

United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2000

Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to limit to residents in allopathic and osteopathic medicine the application of the freeze in the intern and resident-to-bed ratio and the rolling average for the number of residents for which Medicare payments are made to hospitals for the indirect costs of graduate medical education. Makes this Act effective as if included in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-33).

Medicare Billing and Education Act of 2000

United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2000

Medicare Billing and Education Act of 2000 - Title I: Regulatory Reform - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) with regard to: (1) the prospective-only, non-retroactive application of regulations of the Secretary of Health and Human Services that establish or change a substantive legal standard governing the scope of benefits, the payment for services, or the eligibility of individuals, entities, or organizations to furnish or to receive Medicare services or benefits; and (2) allowance of civil actions against the Secretary challenging the constitutionality of regulations or policies. Prohibits the Secretary from recovering past Medicare overpayments by offsetting future payments to a health care provider or while a provider is appealing a determination that an overpayment has been made or the amount of such an overpayment. Title II: Appeals Process Reforms - Revises requirements for the post-payment audit process, particularly the recoupment of overpayments. Requires the Secretary to permit any health care provider to appeal any determination of the Secretary under Medicare on behalf of a deceased beneficiary where no substitute party is available. Title III: Education Components - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for education programs for physicians, providers of services, and suppliers. Requires fiscal intermediaries and carriers to do their utmost to provide health care providers with one, straight, and correct answer regarding Medicare billing and cost reporting questions, as well as their true first and last names. Requires the Secretary to establish a process for providers to request assistance in writing (advisory opinions) from fiscal intermediaries or carriers in addressing questionable Medicare coverage, billing, documentation, coding and cost reporting procedures. Title IV: Sustainable Growth Rate Reforms - Requires the inclusion of regulatory costs in the estimate of the sustainable growth rate for all physicians' services for a fiscal year. Title V: Studies and Reports - Requires the Comptroller General to audit and report to Congress on: (1) Health Care Financing Administration compliance with statutes administered by it and with administrative procedure and other requirements under Federal civil service law; and (2) the statistical validity, necessity, and effects of random sample audits, as well as the percentage of claims found to be improper from these audits. Requires the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on whether policies or enforcement efforts against health care providers have reduced access to care for Medicare beneficiaries.

Small Business Reauthorization Act of 2000

United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2000

Small Business Reauthorization Act of 2000 - Title I: Reauthorization of Small Business Programs - Amends the Small Business Act (the Act) to authorize appropriations and provide funding levels for FY 2001 through 2003 for various small business loans under the Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958, including guaranteed business loans, development company loans, microloans, disaster loans, and small business investment company debentures and participating securities. Title II: Quadrennial Small Business Summit - Quadrennial Small Business Summit Act of 2000 - Mandates a national Quadrennial Summit on Small Business, once every four years, to: (1) increase public awareness of the contribution of small business to the national economy; (2) identify the problems of small businesses; (3) examine the status of minorities and women as small business owners; (4) assist small businesses in carrying out its role as the Nation's job creators; (5) assemble small businesses to develop recommendations for legislative and regulatory action for maintaining and encouraging the economic viability of small businesses and, thereby, the Nation; and (6) review the status of recommendations adopted at the prior Summit. Requires each Summit to be preceded by a State Summit on Small Business. (Sec. 206) Establishes the Quadrennial Commission on Small Business. Requires the Commission to: (1) conduct the Quadrennial and State Summits to bring together individuals concerned with issues relating to small business; (2) appoint a Summit Advisory Committee from participants at the last Quadrennial Summit; and (3) report to the President and the Chairpersons and ranking Members of the congressional small business committees on Summit findings, recommendations, and proposals, as well as necessary legislative action to implement such recommendations. Directs the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to assist in carrying out the Quadrennial and State Summits. (Sec. 207) Authorizes appropriations to carry out each Quadrennial and State Summit. Title III: Small Business Involvement in Government Regulation - Small Business Advocacy Review Panel Technical Amendments Act of 2000 - Amends Federal provisions concerning the promulgation of Federal rules to allow representatives of small entities that may be affected to make an oral presentation to a review panel for a proposed rule. Requires the head of an agency covered by the rule to print the report of the review panel in the Federal Register within 180 days after receiving it or as part of the publication of the notice of proposed rulemaking. Prohibits such report from including confidential business information submitted by any small entity representative. Defines as agencies covered by the rule the Environmental Protection Agency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the Internal Revenue Service. Title IV: Office of Advocacy of the Small Business Administration - Independent Office of Advocacy Act - Establishes in the SBA an Office of Advocacy to undertake specified advocate actions on behalf of small businesses, including an assessment of the effectiveness of Federal subsidy and assistance programs for small business, the impact of Federal regulations on small business, and the development and strengthening of minority, women-owned, and other small businesses. Directs the Office to make recommendations to the Chairmen and ranking Members of the small business committees and the SBA Administrator with respect to issues and regulations affecting small business and the necessity for corrective action by the SBA, any Federal department or agency, or Congress. Directs the Chief Counsel to report at least annually to specified congressional committees on Federal agency compliance with certain small business deregulation requirements. Authorizes appropriations. Title V: Credit Programs - Amends the Act to authorize the SBA to guarantee a general business loan made by a bank or other financial institution to a small business in the amount of: (1) 75 percent of the outstanding balance of such loan, if such balance exceeds $150,000 (currently $100,000); or (2) 85 percent of the outstanding balance of $150,000 or less (also currently $100,000). Prohibits any such loan from being made to a borrower if the total amount outstanding and committed to the borrower from the business loan and SBA investment funds would exceed $1 million (currently $750,000). Makes current provisions requiring the payment of accrued interest on defaulted guaranteed loans inapplicable to loans made on or after October 1, 2000. Requires a borrower who prepays any loan guaranteed by the SBA to remit to the SBA a subsidy recoupment fee (calculated under this title) if: (1) the loan is for a period of less than 15 years; (2) the prepayment is voluntary; (3) the amount of prepayment in any calendar year is more than 25 percent of the outstanding loan balance; and (4) the prepayment is made within the first three years after disbursement of the loan proceeds. Revises loan guarantee fee amounts, requiring progressively higher percentage fees for amounts in excess of $150,000, between $150,000, and $700,000, and over $700,000. Authorizes a borrower to permanently lease to one or more tenants not more than 20 percent of any property constructed using guaranteed loan proceeds, as long as the borrower permanently occupies and uses not less than 60 percent of the total business space in the property. Authorizes the Administrator to conduct criminal background checks of loan applicants. (Current law authorizes the SBA only to verify an applicant's background through the best available means.) Authorizes the Administrator to require an applicant to provide identifying information to aid in such check. Requires the Federal Bureau of Investigation to make available to the Administrator for such checks the National Crime Information Center computer system. (Sec. 502) Authorizes any Federal savings association to invest in any one or more small business investment companies, but limits the total amount of such investments to five percent of the capital and surplus of such association. Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to provide applicable Federal and State statutes of limitations for violations under such Act. Includes a licensee's employees, agents, or other participants in the management or conduct of the affairs of such licensee among those subject to disciplinary action by the SBA. Defines "long-term," when used in connection with equity capital or loan funds invested in any small business or smaller enterprise, as not less than one year. Revises the amount of subsidy fees charged for debentures and participating securities under the small business investment company debenture program. (Sec. 503) Amends the SBA Microloan program to: (1) increase certain loan limits; (2) remove the requirement that participating intermediaries make only short-term loans; (3) allow loan intermediaries to expend more of grant funds to provide needed information and technical assistance to small business lendees; (4) increase the number of grants and participating intermediaries; and (5) authorize the Administrator to use up to $1 million of the annual appropriation to the SBA for technical assistance grants to subcontract with national trade associations or eligible intermediaries to provide peer-to-peer capacity building and training to participating lenders and organizations seeking to become lenders. (Sec. 504) Requires small business lending companies to pay the costs of annual SBA examinations. (Sec. 505) Increases from $1.25 million to $2 million the maximum size of surety bonds that can be guaranteed by the SBA under the Small Business Investment Act of 1958. Extends through FY 2003 the Preferred Surety Bond program. (Sec. 506) Revises the interest rate charged for SBA development company debentures. Title VI: HUBZone Program - Subtitle A: HUBZones in Native America - HUBZones in Native America Act of 2000 - Amends the Act to include small businesses owned and controlled by Alaska Native Corporations or by Natives (Alaska or Indian) or Indian tribal governments as eligible entities under the HUBZone Program (a program offering business start-up loans for entities in historically underutilized business zones). (Sec. 603) Includes as a qualified HUBZone small business one which is owned in whole or part by an Indian tribal government, when at least 35 percent of its employees performing an SBA-awarded HUBZone contract reside either within an Indian reservation or in any HUBZone adjoining such reservation. Includes within a HUBZone pilot program for sparsely populated areas a small business located in Alaska if it is located within an Alaska HUBZone and at least 35 percent of its employees performing a HUBZone contract live in Alaska or an Alaska HUBZone. Subtitle B: Other HUBZone Provisions - Revises certain definitions under the HUBZone Program. Provides transitional qualification for a business that was in a qualified nonmetropolitan county which is later disqualified as a result of newly-updated unemployment data. Provides that, with respect to a ten percent price evaluation preference currently awarded to small businesses over other businesses in the procurement of commodity items, such preference shall not apply to commodities purchased under full and open competition if: (1) the contracting officer sets aside at least ten percent of the offer for competition restricted to certain socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses or for sole source contracts for such businesses; and (2) such officer provides a set-aside or sole source contract of not less than an additional ten percent of the quantity of the commodity to be purchased. Requires such contracting officer to give a preference in awarding such commodity contracts to qualified HUBZone small businesses that are also eligible to be awarded contracts under the SBA general business loan program. (Sec. 614) Includes as an eligible HUBZone small business one which is: (1) wholly owned by a community development corporation that has received financial assistance under the Community Economic Development Act of 1981; or (2) owned in part by one or more community development corporations, if all other owners are either U.S. citizens or small businesses. Title VII: National Women's Business Council Reauthorization - National Women's Business Council Reauthorization Act of 2000 - Amends the Women's Business Ownership Act of 1988 to add specified duties of the National Women's Business Council, including working with Federal agencies to assist them in meeting the five percent women's procurement goal (obtaining five percent of all Federal procurement contracts and subcontracts) established under the Act. (Sec. 704) Repeals a required Council study on the award of Federal prime contracts and subcontracts to women-owned businesses. Directs the Council to work with State and local officials and business leaders to develop the infrastructure for women's business enterprise so as to increase women's effectiveness in shaping the economic agendas of their States and communities. (Sec. 706) Extends through FY 2003 the authorization of appropriations for Council activities. Title VIII: Miscellaneous Provisions - Authorizes the Administrator to establish a Native American Small Business Development Center Network and a Tribal Electronic Commerce Small Business Resource Center. Authorizes the Administrator to provide one or more contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements to any established tribal organization to establish the Network and Resource Center. Provides authorized Network services, including: (1) providing current business management and technical assistance that primarily serves Alaska Natives, members of Indian tribes, or Native Hawaiians; (2) providing tribal business information centers with current electronic commerce information, training, and technical assistance; (3) supporting the Resource Center; and (4) providing any service that any other small business development center is authorized to provide. Provides matching funds requirements, with an authorized waiver by the Administrator and an exception for contracts, grants, or agreements made to a tribal organization for the Resource Center. Authorizes appropriations for the Network and the Resource Center. (Sec. 802) Adds informational aids and education to the types of assistance authorized to be provided to small businesses by the SBA. (Sec. 803) Amends the Federal criminal code to include as an enforceable offense a false statement made to the SBA in connection with an activity of a small business investment company. Subjects individuals making such statements to civil penalties set forth under the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989. (Sec. 805) Amends the: (1) Small Business Administration Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 1994 to extend through FY 2003 the Very Small Business Program; and (2) Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994 to extend through FY 2005 Federal procurement procedures aimed at obtaining certain contracting goals for small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. (Sec. 807) Includes small businesses owned and controlled by veterans and service-disabled veterans within a preference for small businesses for the performance of contracts let by any Federal agency. (Sec. 808) Revises industry size standards for purposes of placing an appropriate amount of contracts offered by such industries among small businesses. Increases from $500,000 to $750,000 the maximum annual receipts permitted to be realized by an agricultural enterprise to still be considered a small business for purposes of the Act. Provides a 200-employee limit for fresh fruit and vegetable packing houses for such consideration. (Sec. 809) Extends through FY 2002 the SBA's drug-free workplace program.

Famine Prevention and Freedom From Hunger Improvement Act of 2000

United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2000

Famine Prevention and Freedom From Hunger Improvement Act of 2000 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to revise congressional declarations of policy with respect to famine prevention and freedom from hunger in developing countries. (Sec. 2) Urges the United States, among other things, to: (1) engage the U.S. university community more extensively in the agricultural research, trade, and development initiatives undertaken outside the United States with the objectives of strengthening its capacity to carry out research, teaching, and extension activities for solving problems in food production, processing, marketing, and consumption in agriculturally developing nations, and for transforming progress in global agricultural research and development (R&D) into economic growth, trade, and trade benefits for aid recipient countries and U.S. communities and industries and for the wise use of natural resources; and (2) ensure that all federally funded support to universities and their public and private partners relating to the goals of this Act is periodically reviewed for its performance. Includes Native American land-grant colleges within the definition of "universities". (Sec. 3) Authorizes the President to provide U.S. foreign assistance for long-term program support for U.S. university global agricultural and related environmental collaborative research and learning opportunities for students, teachers, extension specialists, researchers, and the general public. Urges the involvement of multilateral banks and U.S. and foreign nongovernmental organizations supporting extension and other productivity-enhancing programs in the international network of agricultural science in order to help agriculturally developing countries in international agricultural problem-solving efforts to prevent famine and hunger in such countries. Directs the Administrator of the Agency for International Development to establish and carry out special programs as part of ongoing programs for child survival, democratization, development of free enterprise, environmental and natural resource management, and other related programs. (Sec. 4) Revises the duties of the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development to include: (1) improving agricultural production, trade, and natural resource management in developing countries; and (2) with private organizations seeking to increase agricultural production and trade, natural resources management, and household food security in developing and transition countries.

Teachers For Tomorrow Act of 2000

United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2000

Teachers for Tomorrow Act of 2000 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to establish new programs for teacher student loan forgiveness, under the guaranteed loan program and the direct loan program. Requires for eligibility for such new programs three consecutive complete school years of full-time teaching in a public elementary or secondary school, as: (1) a secondary school teacher of a subject area relevant to the borrower's academic major; or (2) an elementary school teacher who has demonstrated knowledge and teaching skills in reading, writing, mathematics, and other curriculum areas. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that amounts of student loan forgiveness for teachers, under both the current HEA programs and those added by this Act, shall not be included in an individual's gross income for income tax purposes.

Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 2000

United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2000

Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 2000 - Title I: Provisions Relating to Part A - Subtitle A: Skilled Nursing Facilities - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) with regard to eliminating the reduction in the skilled nursing facility (SNF) market basket update. (Sec. 102) Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 (BBRA) to revise the BBRA increase for SNFs in FY 2001 and 2002. (Sec. 103) Requires a Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) study and report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Congress on nursing home costs to determine the adequacy of Medicare payment rates for items and services furnished by SNFs. Grants the Secretary the authority to make payment adjustments for covered SNF services if appropriate as a result of the study. Subtitle B: PPS Hospitals - Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) revise the reduction of indirect graduate medical education payments; (2) eliminate the reduction in the Prospective Payment System (PPS) hospital payment update; (3) eliminate the reduction in disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments; and (4) change the payment formulas for DSH hospitals; and (5) modify the payment rate for Puerto Rico hospitals. (Sec. 115) Increases the DSH allotments under Medicaid for the District of Columbia. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) to provide for the optional eligibility of certain alien pregnant women and children for Medicaid and SCHIP. (Sec. 117) Requires a MedPAC study on hospital area wage indexes for a report to the Secretary and Congress. Subtitle C: PPS Exempt Hospitals - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for the treatment of certain cancer hospitals (Sec. 122) Makes certain changes with regard to the PPS for inpatient rehabilitation services and payment during the transition period under current law. Subtitle D: Hospice Care - Amends SSA title XVIII to revise payments for hospice care. Subtitle E: Other Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII to outline various provisions concerned with: (1) hospital compliance with the Bloodborne Pathogens standard; (2) an Informatics and Data Systems Grant Program; and (3) relief from the Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) late enrollment penalty for a group buy-in for State and local retirees. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle F: Transitional Provisions - Reclassifies certain counties and areas in specified States (including the Boston and Barnstable-Yarmouth Metropolitan Statistical Areas) for purposes of reimbursement under the Medicare program. Title II: Provisions Relating to Part B - Subtitle A: Hospital Outpatient Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for reduction of the effective hospital outpatient department (HOPD) coinsurance rate to 20 percent by 2019. (Sec. 202) Revises the formula for calculating the base payment-to-cost-ratio component of HOPD PPS transitional corridor payments to include in such formula (and so cover) certain hospitals that did not submit cost reports for 1996. (Sec. 203) Provides a permanent guarantee of pre-Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA '97) payment levels for HOPD services furnished by children's hospitals. Subtitle B: Provisions Relating to Physicians - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to grant medical students a deferment on their student loans for a period not to exceed the length of their full initial residency period. (Sec. 212) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on: (1) the post-payment audit process under Medicare as it applies to physicians; and (2) the aggregate effects of regulatory, audit, oversight, and paperwork burdens on physicians and other health care providers participating in Medicare. (Sec. 213) Directs MEDPAC to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on the refinements to the practice expense relative value units during the transition to a resource-based practice expense system for physician payments under Medicare. Subtitle C: Ambulance Services - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to the establishment of a fee schedule for ambulance services to allow a supplier of ambulance services to elect to forego phase-in of such schedule and receive payments based only upon it. (Sec. 222) Establishes a prudent layperson standard for emergency ambulance services. (Sec. 223) Eliminates the reduction in inflation adjustments for ambulance services. (Sec. 224) Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on the means by which rural areas with low population densities can be identified for the purpose of designating areas in which the cost of providing ambulance services would be expected to be higher than similar services provided in more heavily populated areas because of low usage. (Sec. 225) Outlines provisions for interim payments for rural ground ambulance services until such time as the established fee schedule is modified by a specified regulation. (Sec. 226) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on the costs of providing emergency and medical transportation services across the range of acuity levels of conditions for which such transportation services are provided. Subtitle D: Preventive Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) prohibit deductibles and coinsurance for various specified preventive benefits; (2) add lancets to the definition of durable medical equipment; and (3) provide coverage of counseling for cessation of tobacco use, glaucoma detection tests, and medical nutrition therapy services for beneficiaries with diabetes, a cardiovascular disease, or a renal disease. (Sec. 235) Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a series of studies, for an annual report to the Congress, designed to identify preventive interventions that can be delivered in the primary care setting that are most valuable to older Americans; and (2) contract with the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences to study and report periodically to the President on current literature and best practices in the field of health promotion and disease prevention among Medicare beneficiaries. (Sec. 237) Provides for fast-track consideration of preventive benefit legislation resulting from recommendations accompanying such study reports. Subtitle E: Other Services - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to: (1) revision of the moratorium on caps for therapy services; (2) revision of coverage of immunosuppressive drugs; (3) extension of certain secondary payer requirements; (4) State accreditation of diabetes self-management training programs; (5) elimination of the reduction in payment amounts for orthotics and prosthetics, parenteral and enteral nutrients, supplies, and equipment and oxygen and oxygen equipment; (6) standards regarding payment for certain orthotics and prosthetics; (7) revision of the definition of orthotics; (8) new pap smear technologies and other new clinical laboratory test technologies; (9) increase in payments for certified nurse-midwife services; and (10) payment for administration services associated with chemotherapy and for blood clotting drug-related activities. (Sec. 249) Directs MEDPAC to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on the provision of in-home infusion therapy nursing services. (Sec. 250) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for Medicare coverage of vision rehabilitation services. (Sec. 251) Amends SSA title XVIII part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) with respect to the amounts of part B premiums to limit the Medicare late enrollment penalty to ten percent and twice the period of no enrollment. Title III: Provisions Relating to Parts A and B - Subtitle A: Home Health Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to eliminate a specified 15 percent reduction in cost and per beneficiary limits with respect to payment rates for home health services under the Medicare PPS. (Sec. 302) Provides for additional payments: (1) for outliers; and (2) under the PPS for services furnished in rural areas and security services. (Sec. 304) Excludes from the Medicare PPS certain nonroutine medical supplies furnished by a home health agency. Details certain study and reporting requirements with regard to such exclusion. (Sec. 305) Declares that, with regard to eligibility for Medicare home health benefits, any absence of an individual from the home attributable to health care treatment, including regular absences for such treatment in an adult day-care program, shall not disqualify the individual from being considered confined to home. (Sec. 306) Directs the Secretary to establish standards for the operation of a branch office, a service site for home health services controlled and supervised by a home health agency. (Sec. 307) Provides for the treatment of home health services provided in certain counties in the State of New York. (Sec. 308) Permits a home health agency to receive Medicare payments for a home health service furnished via a telecommunications system. Subtitle B: Direct Graduate Medical Education - Provides that, for cost reporting periods between October 1, 2000, and October 1, 2005, in applying the limitations regarding the total number of full-time equivalent interns and residents in the field of allopathic or osteopathic medicine under Medicare for a hospital, the Secretary shall not take into account a maximum of three interns or residents in the field of geriatric medicine to the extent the hospital increases the number of geriatric interns or residents above the number of such interns or residents for the hospital's most recent cost reporting period ending before October 1, 2000. (Sec. 312) Amends SSA title XI part A (General Provisions) to establish a program of payments to children's hospitals that operate graduate medical education programs. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 313) Provides that, effective for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 1999, for purposes of Medicare payments to hospitals for costs of approved educational activities, such activities shall include the clinical portion of professional educational training programs recognized by the Secretary for clinical psychologists. (Sec. 314) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for the treatment of certain newly established residency programs in computing Medicare payments for the costs of medical education. (Sec. 315) Revises the limitation during FY 1997 on allopathic and osteopathic residents for payment of both the indirect and direct costs of graduate medical education at an accredited community health center, if the hospital conducting the residency program incurred all or substantially all of the training costs. Subtitle C: Miscellaneous Provisions - Amends SSA title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) to provide for a waiver of the 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage of individuals disabled with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Title IV: Rural Provider Provisions - Subtitle A: Critical Access Hospitals - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to payments to critical access hospitals for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests. (Sec. 402) Amends SSA title XVIII, as amended by BBRA, to revise the payment for professional services provided by a critical access hospital. (Sec. 403) Amends SSA title XVIII to permit critical access hospitals to operate PPS-exempt distinct part psychiatric and rehabilitation units. Subtitle B: Medicare Dependent, Small Rural Hospital Program - Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) make the Medicare-dependent, small rural hospital program permanent; and (2) give any hospital under such program the option of basing eligibility for payment on discharges during any of the three most recent audited cost reporting periods in lieu of the current basing of eligibility for payment on discharges during the cost reporting period beginning in FY 1987. Subtitle C: Sole Community Hospitals - Amends SSA title XVIII to extend the option to use rebased target amounts to all sole community hospitals. (Sec. 422) States that, for purposes of discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2000, the Greensville Memorial Hospital located in Emporia, Virginia, shall be deemed to have satisfied the travel time criteria under applicable Medicare provisions for classification as a sole community hospital. Subtitle D: Other Rural Hospital Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII to exempt Medicare swing bed hospitals from the PPS for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). (Sec. 431) Amends BBRA to make January 1, 2001, the effective date of the elimination of certain restrictions with respect to the hospital swing bed program. (Sec. 432) Amends SSA title XVIII to mandate pre-BBA '97 payment levels for outpatient services furnished by rural hospitals. (Sec. 433) Provides for the treatment of certain physician pathology services under Medicare. Subtitle E: Other Rural Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to bonus payments in the case of physicians' services furnished to an individual who is covered under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) and who incurs expenses for such services in a health professional shortage area. Extends such bonus payments to physician assistant and nurse practitioner services. Eliminates the requirement to make such payments on a monthly or a quarterly basis. (Sec. 442) Modifies: (1) the exemption to the limits established on payment for provider-based rural health clinic services in the case of such clinics in rural hospitals with less than 50 beds; and (2) payment for certain physician assistant services. (Sec. 444) Excludes clinical social worker services and worker services performed under a contract with a rural health clinic or a Federally-qualified health center from the PPS for SNFs. (Sec. 445) Covers marriage and family therapist services provided in rural health clinics under Medicare. (Sec. 446) Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to: (1) create a capital infrastructure revolving loan program for rural entities for projects for capital improvements; (2) provide for grants to assist eligible small rural hospitals in offsetting the costs of establishing data systems to implement PPSs under Medicare, and to comply with administrative simplification requirements under Medicare part C (Medicare+Choice), or to reduce medication errors; (3) provide for grants to eligible small rural hospitals to provide relief for financial distress that has a negative impact on access to care for Medicare beneficiaries who reside in a rural area. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 449) Amends BBA '97 to revise provisions for Medicare reimbursement for telehealth services with respect to: (1) the methodology for determining the amount of payments; (2) reimbursement for Medicare beneficiaries who do not reside in a health professional shortage area; (3) telehealth coverage for direct patient care; (4) eligibility for telehealth reimbursement for all physicians and practitioners; and (5) telehealth services provided using store-and-forward technologies. (Sec. 450) Directs MEDPAC to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on the effect of low patient and procedure volume on the financial status of low-volume, isolated rural health care providers participating in Medicare. Title V: Provisions Relating to Part C (Medicare+Choice Program) and Other Medicare Managed Care Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII part C (Medicare+Choice) with regard to eligibility, election, and enrollment to provide for restoring the effective date of elections and changes of elections of Medicare+Choice plans. (Sec. 502) Amends SSA title XVIII part D (Miscellaneous) with regard to certification of Medicare supplemental health insurance (Medigap) policies. Sets forth a special Medigap enrollment anti-discrimination provision for certain beneficiaries. (Sec. 503) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to: (1) increase the national per capita Medicare+Choice growth percentage in 2001 and 2002; and (2) modify area-specific and national percentages provisions with respect to calculation of annual Medicare+Choice capitation rates. (Sec. 505) Delays from July 1, 2000, to November 1, 2000, the deadline for a Medicare+Choice organization to withdraw the offering of a Medicare+Choice plan under part C (or otherwise to submit information required for the offering of such a plan) for 2001. (Sec. 506) Amends SSA title XVIII to make certain amounts in the Medicare trust funds available for the Secretary's share of Medicare+Choice education and enrollment-related costs. (Sec. 507) Amends BBRA to revise terms and conditions for extension of Medicare community nursing organization demonstration projects. (Sec. 508) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to modify payment rules for certain frail elderly Medicare beneficiaries. Title VI: Provisions Relating to Individuals with End-Stage Renal Disease - Amends SSA title XVIII part D with respect to Medicare coverage for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients to change the methodology for determining the update in the renal dialysis composite rate for end state renal dialysis services furnished after January 1, 2001. (Sec. 602) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to provide for revision of payment rates for ESRD patients enrolled in Medicare+Choice plans. (Sec. 603) Permits ESRD beneficiaries to enroll in another Medicare+Choice plan if the plan in which they are enrolled is terminated. (Sec. 604) Amends SSA title XVIII part B to provide for the coverage of certain vascular access services for ESRD beneficiaries provided by ambulatory surgical centers. (Sec. 605) Directs the Secretary to: (1) collect information on the satisfaction of each ESRD Medicare beneficiary with the quality of health care under the original fee-for-service Medicare program and the Medicare+Choice program, and the access of each beneficiary to that care; (2) analyze such information to determine, among other things, the kinds of health care that each nondialysis health care provider provides to each ESRD Medicare beneficiary for the treatment of ESRD and each comorbidity and the quality of health care provided to each such beneficiary enrolled under the Medicare+Choice program compared to each beneficiary enrolled under the original fee-for-service Medicare program; and (3) make such information collected and analysis conducted available to the public each year. Title VII: Access to Care Improvements Through Medicaid and SCHIP - Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to create a new PPS for federally-qualified health centers and rural health clinics. (Sec. 702) Amends SSA title XIX to make permanent the extension of eligibility for medical assistance, and give States the option of electing a 12-month initial eligibility period in lieu of the current six month initial eligibility period. (Sec. 703) Amends SSA title XIX with regard to State Medicaid plans to provide for coordination with Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) under SSA title XXI of the application of resource and income eligibility standards for certain Medicaid-eligible individuals under certain conditions, as well as providing for the automatic reassessment of eligibility for Medicaid and SCHIP benefits for children losing Medicaid- or SCHIP-eligibility. (Sec. 704) Amends SSA titles XIX and XXI to qualify additional entities to determine presumptive eligibility for low-income children under Medicaid and SCHIP. (Sec. 705) Amends SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) to: (1) increase the authorization of appropriations; and (2) provide for coordination with Medicaid and SCHIP. (Sec. 706) Amends SSA title XIX to provide for increased access to Medicare cost-sharing assistance for low-income beneficiaries. (Sec. 707) Provides for: (1) optional State Medicaid coverage of breast and cervical cancer prevention and treatment coverage for certain breast and cervical cancer patients; (2) optional State Medicaid presumptive eligibility for certain breast or cervical cancer patients; and (3) an enhanced Federal match to be used under SCHIP with respect to medical assistance provided to such breast and cervical cancer patients receiving such optional State Medicaid coverage. (Sec. 708) Revises Medicaid coverage of services furnished by certified nurse practitioners, including coverage of services furnished by clinical nurse specialists. Title VIII: Other Provisions - Amends the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act of 1998 to make appropriations to the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund for FY 2001. (Sec. 802) Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to increase appropriations for special diabetes programs for children with type 1 diabetes and for Indians. (Sec. 803) Directs the Secretary to award demonstration grants to up to seven States to conduct innovative programs designed to improve outreach to homeless individuals and families under specified Social Security programs with respect to enrollment and the provision of services under such programs. Makes appropriations. (Sec. 804) Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and PHSA to prohibit health insurance provided through a managed care organization under a group health plan, or through a health insurance issuer providing coverage in connection with a group health plan, (and, for the PHSA, health insurance in the individual market) from denying coverage of services provided by a continuing care retirement community or other qualified facility if they are: (1) post-hospitalization services in the same community or facility as in pre-hospitalization; (2) skilled nursing services, without a preceding hospitalization, which are necessary to prevent hospitalization; or (3) furnished in the same facility the participant's or beneficiary's spouse already resides in. Makes the prohibition: (1) depend on whether such services are otherwise covered; and (2) regardless of whether the organization is under contract with the community or facility. Prohibits related denial of enrollment or renewal, incentives to enrollees, and penalties or incentives to physicians. Declares that State laws are not preempted which meet certain requirements, including any more protective of participants or beneficiaries than those of this Act. Provides for enforcement. (Sec. 805) Directs the Secretary to award grants to eligible States to support real choice systems change initiatives that establish specific action steps and specific timetables to: (1) achieve enduring system improvements; and (2) provide consumer-responsive long-term services and supports to eligible individuals in the most integrated setting appropriate based on the unique strengths and needs of the individual, the priorities and concerns of the individual (or, as appropriate, the individual's representative), and the individual's desires with regard to participation in community life. Requires each State, in order to receive such a grant, to establish a Consumer Task Force to assist in the development, implementation, and evaluation of real choice systems change initiatives. Provides funding.

Social Security Students' Benefits Restoration Act of 2000

United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2000

Social Security Students' Benefits Restoration Act of 2000 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to provide for the restoration of child's insurance benefits for students attending postsecondary schools.

Medicare Quality Assurance Act of 2000

United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2000

Medicare Quality Assurance Act of 2000 - Title I: Medicare Fee for Service Payment Improvements - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) with regard to payment to hospitals for inpatient hospital services, providing for: (1) revision of the prospective payment system (PPS) hospital payment update; and (2) modification of the reduction of indirect graduate medical education payments. (Sec. 103) Provides for: (1) an increase in the FY 2001 market basket percentage increase with regard to payment to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) for routine service costs; and (2) revision of the definition of the SNF market basket index. (Sec. 104) Eliminates the 15 percent reduction in payment rates under the Medicare PPS for home health services. Makes this amendment effective as if included in the enactment of the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999. (Sec. 105) Amends SSA title XVIII part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) to extend for two years the moratorium on caps for therapy services. Title II: Medicare+Choice Program Improvements - Amends SSA title XVIII part C (Medicare+Choice) with regard to calculation of annual Medicare+Choice capitation rates to provide, among other changes, for: (1) elimination of the budget neutrality adjustment for 2001 and 2002; (2) an increase in the minimum payment amount; (3) an increased update for payment areas with only one or no Medicare+Choice contracts; and (4) higher negotiated rates in certain Medicare+Choice payment areas below the national average. Title III: Social Security and Medicare Lock-Box - Social Security and Medicare Lock-box Act of 2000 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to make it out of order in the House or the Senate to consider any bill, joint resolution, amendment, motion, or conference report if its enactment would: (1) cause or increase an on-budget deficit for any fiscal year; or (2) cause the on-budget surplus for any fiscal year to be less than the projected surplus of the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund for such year, or increase the amount by which the on-budget surplus for any fiscal year would be less than such trust fund surplus for that year. Makes the first point of order inapplicable to social security reform legislation, and the second inapplicable to Medicare reform legislation. Includes the receipts, outlays, and surplus or deficit in the Federal Old-Age and Survivors and Disability Insurance Trust Funds within the content of the concurrent budget resolution.

CARE Act

United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2000

Children's Act for Responsible Employment - CARE Act - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLRA) to revise child labor prohibitions. (Sec. 2) Repeals certain exemptions from child labor prohibitions for agricultural employment. Applies the same age restrictions to agricultural employment as to other forms of employment. Limits exemptions to agricultural labor outside of school hours, if the individual is employed by his or her parent or legal guardian, on a farm owned or operated by such parent or legal guardian. Raises from 16 to 18 years old the minimum age for engaging in hazardous agricultural employment. (Sec. 3) Prohibits employment of individuals under age 16 in youth peddling. Excludes from the definition of youth peddling volunteer selling of goods or services on behalf of not-for-profit organizations. (Sec. 4) Increases civil and criminal penalties for child labor violations. (Sec. 5) Directs the Secretary of Labor (the Secretary) to determine the circumstances under which goods tainted by oppressive child labor may be allowed to be shipped or delivered for shipment in interstate commerce. (Sec. 6) Directs the Secretary to establish closer working relationships with non-governmental organizations and with State and local government agencies having responsibility for administering and enforcing labor and safety and health laws. Requires State and local government agencies to submit information regarding injuries and deaths of employees to the Secretary, upon request, for specified use in enforcement and other uses under FLRA. Authorizes the Secretary to reimburse such agencies for such services. (Sec. 7) Directs the Secretary to: (1) collaborate with the Secretary of Agriculture on regulations to identify agricultural occupations which are particularly hazardous for the employment of children under the age of 18 or detrimental to the health or well-being of such children; and (2) include in such regulations a process by which children may be employed in such occupations as vocational agriculture student-learners if they have successfully completed a Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service training program or a bona fide agricultural education training program. (Sec. 8) Authorizes appropriations.

To amend the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 to add White Earth Tribal and Community College to the list of 1994 Institutions.

United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2000

Amends the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 to add White Earth Tribal and Community College to the list of 1994 Institutions, which are considered land-grant colleges but which are not considered eligible for certain types of funding.

Making continuing appropriations for the fiscal year 2001, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2000

Makes appropriations for FY 2001 for continuing projects or activities, including the costs of direct loans and loan guarantees, which were conducted in FY 2000 and for which appropriations, funds, or other authority would be available in: (1) the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001; (2) the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001; (3) the District of Columbia Appropriations Act, 2001; (4) the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 2001; (5) the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2001; (6) the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001; (7) the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001; (8) the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2001; (9) the Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001; (10) the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 2001; and (11) the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001. Continues funding of projects or activities at the current rate of operations and sets forth limitations on such funding. (Sec. 106) Provides funding under this resolution until enactment into law of any covered appropriation or the applicable appropriations Act (without any provision for the covered appropriation) or October 6, 2000, whichever occurs first. (Sec. 115) Continues certain activities authorized by the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 and the Russian Leadership Program under the 1999 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act through the date for which funding is provided under this resolution. (Sec. 117) Requires the rate for operations for decennial census programs that would be funded under the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001 to be the budget request. (Sec. 118) Authorizes the U.S. Geological Survey to sign a contract to maintain Landsat-7 flight operations consistent with the President's budget proposal to transfer flight operations responsibility from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to the Geological Survey. (Sec. 119) Authorizes the obligation and expenditure in FY 2001 of funds previously appropriated to the American Section of the International Joint Commission in the Emergency Supplemental Act, 2000.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Education Act

United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2000

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Education Act - Authorizes the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc., to construct a temporary education center for educating people about the Memorial. Requires the center to remain for ten years, after which Congress may reevaluate the continuing need for the center. Requires the Fund, in designing the center, to consult with the Commission on Fine Arts.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Education Act

United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2000

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Education Act - Authorizes the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc., to construct a temporary education center for educating people about the Memorial. Requires the center to remain for ten years, after which Congress may reevaluate the continuing need for the center. Requires the Fund, in designing the center, to consult with the Commission on Fine Arts.

A bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate regulations regarding allowable costs under the medicaid program for school based services provided to children with disabilities.

United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2000

Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Education to issue proposed regulations relating to allowable costs under the administrative outreach program of the school based services program that is part of the Medicaid program under title XIX of the Social Security Act with respect to services provided to children with disabilities.

School and Day-Care Lead-Based Paint Reduction Act of 2000

United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2000

School and Day-Care Lead-Based Paint Reduction Act of 2000 - Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make matching grants to States, local governments, and local educational agencies to evaluate and reduce lead-based paint hazards at public elementary schools and licensed child day-care facilities. Authorizes appropriations.

Vocational and Technical Entrepreneurship Development Act of 2000

United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2000

Vocational and Technical Entrepreneurship Development Act of 2000 - Amends the Small Business Act to direct the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to establish a demonstration program under which the Administrator may make grants to, or enter into cooperative agreements with, small business development centers to provide technical assistance to secondary schools, or to postsecondary vocational or technical schools, for the development and implementation of curricula designed to promote vocational and technical entrepreneurship. Establishes a minimum grant amount of $500,000. Requires each center receiving such assistance to report to the Administrator on the use of such assistance. Requires the Administrator to: (1) evaluate the vocational and technical entrepreneurship educational programs carried out with such assistance; and (2) report to Congress on evaluation results. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2001 through 2003.

Younger Americans Act

United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2000

Younger Americans Act - Title I: Short Title; Policy; Findings; Definitions - Sets forth a national youth policy to assure that all youth have access to the full array of core resources, including: (1) ongoing relationships with caring adults; (2) safe places with structured activities in which to grow and learn; (3) services that promote healthy lifestyles, including those designed to improve physical and mental health; (4) opportunities to acquire marketable skills and competencies; and (5) opportunities for community service and civic participation. Title II: Coordination of National Youth Policy - Establishes in the Executive Office of the President: (1) the Office of National Youth Policy (the Office); (2) a Director of the Office; and (3) the Council on National Youth Policy within the Office. Authorizes appropriations. Title III: Grants for State and Community Programs - Authorizes appropriations for the Associate Commissioner of the Family and Youth Services Bureau of the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families in the Department of Health and Human Services to make block grant allotments to States for State and community programs for youth to assure access to the five core resources listed in the national youth policy. Provides for reservations of funds for Native American organizations, outlying areas, and Federal discretionary programs to respond to needs of youth in correctional and other out-of-home settings, high poverty areas, rural areas, and other high-risk situations. (Sec. 304) Sets forth requirements for State agencies, planning and mobilization areas, distribution of funds for State activities and local allocations, community boards and area agencies on youth, area plans, grants and contracts to eligible entities, and youth development program activities. Title IV: Training, Research, and Evaluation - Authorizes awarding of grants and contracts to eligible entities for specified evaluation, education and training, research, and dissemination activities. (Sec. 402) Directs the Associate Commissioner to: (1) develop and establish systems for evaluating activities under this Act, and for providing education and training of personnel of States, area agencies, and community boards to work with youth; and (2) conduct an independent biennial evaluation of the impact of programs assisted under this act and other initiatives to promote positive youth development. Authorizes appropriations.

To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate regulations regarding allowable costs under the Medicaid Program for school based services provided to children with disabilities.

United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2000

Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Education to issue proposed regulations relating to allowable costs under the administrative outreach program of the school based services program that is part of the Medicaid program under title XIX of the Social Security Act with respect to services provided to children with disabilities.

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to voluntary school prayer.

United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2000

Constitutional Amendment - Declares that: (1) nothing in the Constitution shall be construed to prohibit voluntary individual or group prayer in public schools or other public institutions; (2) no person shall be required by the United States or any State to participate in prayer; and (3) neither the United States nor any State shall compose the words of any prayer to be said in public schools.

Expressing appreciation to the people of Okinawa for hosting United States defense facilities, commending the Government of Japan for choosing Okinawa as the site for hosting the summit meeting of the G-8 countries, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2000

Commends the Government of Japan for its choice of Okinawa as the site for hosting the leaders of the G-8 countries. Thanks the people of Okinawa for their role in ensuring the summit's success. Expresses the House of Representatives' deep appreciation to the people of Okinawa for hosting the U.S. military facilities in Okinawa. Urges the President to work with Japanese leaders to devise a joint U.S.-Japan education initiative that strengthens the human resource base in Okinawa, particularly with a view to meeting Okinawa's economic needs and Asia-Pacific aspirations.

Traumatic Brain Injury Act Amendments of 2000

United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2000

Traumatic Brain Injury Act Amendments of 2000 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to implement a national traumatic brain injury education and awareness campaign in conjunction with Health People 2010. Requires the Secretary to determine: (1) the incidence and prevalence of such injury in all age groups; and (2) appropriate methodological strategies to obtain data on the incidence and prevalence of mild traumatic brain injury. Requires certain programs of the National Institutes of Health to include research on brain injury, its treatment, and nuerobehavioral consequences of such injury. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States to carry out projects (currently, demonstration projects) to improve access to health and other services regarding traumatic brain injury. Allows such grant funds to be used: (1) for community services and support for those with such injuries and their families; and (2) to build a State's capacity to address and treat such injuries. Requires such services and support to reflect best practices in the field of traumatic brain injury and to be supported by quality assurance measures.

Younger Americans Act

United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2000

Younger Americans Act - Title I: Short Title; Policy; Findings; Definitions - Sets forth a national youth policy to assure that all youth have access to the full array of core resources, including: (1) ongoing relationships with caring adults; (2) safe places with structured activities in which to grow and learn; (3) services that promote healthy lifestyles, including those designed to improve physical and mental health; (4) opportunities to acquire marketable skills and competencies; and (5) opportunities for community service and civic participation. Title II: Coordination of National Youth Policy - Establishes in the Executive Office of the President: (1) the Office of National Youth Policy (the Office); (2) a Director of the Office; and (3) the Council on National Youth Policy within the Office. Authorizes appropriations. Title III: Grants for State and Community Programs - Authorizes appropriations for the Associate Commissioner of the Family and Youth Services Bureau of the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families in the Department of Health and Human Services to make block grant allotments to States for State and community programs for youth to assure access to the five core resources listed in the national youth policy. Provides for reservations of funds for Native American organizations, outlying areas, and Federal discretionary programs to respond to needs of youth in correctional and other out-of-home settings, high poverty areas, rural areas, and other high-risk situations. (Sec. 304) Sets forth requirements for State agencies, planning and mobilization areas, distribution of funds for State activities and local allocations, community boards and area agencies on youth, area plans, grants and contracts to eligible entities, and youth development program activities. Title IV: Training, Research, and Evaluation - Authorizes awarding of grants and contracts to eligible entities for specified evaluation, education and training, research, and dissemination activities. (Sec. 402) Directs the Associate Commissioner to: (1) develop and establish systems for evaluating activities under this Act, and for providing education and training of personnel of States, area agencies, and community boards to work with youth; and (2) conduct an independent biennial evaluation of the impact of programs assisted under this act and other initiatives to promote positive youth development. Authorizes appropriations.

Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 2000

United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2000

Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 2000 - Title I: Provisions Relating to Part A - Subtitle A: Skilled Nursing Facilities - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) with regard to eliminating the reduction in the skilled nursing facility (SNF) market basket update. (Sec. 102) Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 (BBRA) to revise the BBRA increase for SNFs in FY 2001 and 2002. (Sec. 103) Requires a Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) study and report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Congress on nursing home costs to determine the adequacy of Medicare payment rates for items and services furnished by SNFs. Grants the Secretary the authority to make payment adjustments for covered SNF services if appropriate as a result of the study. Subtitle B: PPS Hospitals - Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) revise the reduction of indirect graduate medical education payments; (2) eliminate the reduction in the Prospective Payment System (PPS) hospital payment update; (3) eliminate the reduction in disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments; and (4) change the payment formulas for DSH hospitals; and (5) modify the payment rate for Puerto Rico hospitals. (Sec. 115) Increases the DSH allotments under Medicaid for the District of Columbia. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) to provide for the optional eligibility of certain alien pregnant women and children for Medicaid and SCHIP. (Sec. 117) Requires a MedPAC study on hospital area wage indexes for a report to the Secretary and Congress. Subtitle C: PPS Exempt Hospitals - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for the treatment of certain cancer hospitals (Sec. 122) Makes certain changes with regard to the PPS for inpatient rehabilitation services and payment during the transition period under current law. Subtitle D: Hospice Care - Amends SSA title XVIII to revise payments for hospice care. Subtitle E: Other Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII to outline various provisions concerned with: (1) hospital compliance with the Bloodborne Pathogens standard; (2) an Informatics and Data Systems Grant Program; and (3) relief from the Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) late enrollment penalty for a group buy-in for State and local retirees. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle F: Transitional Provisions - Reclassifies certain counties and areas in specified States for purposes of reimbursement under the Medicare program. Title II: Provisions Relating to Part B - Subtitle A: Hospital Outpatient Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for reduction of the effective hospital outpatient department (HOPD) coinsurance rate to 20 percent by 2019. (Sec. 202) Revises the formula for calculating the base payment-to-cost-ratio component of HOPD PPS transitional corridor payments to include in such formula (and so cover) certain hospitals that did not submit cost reports for 1996. (Sec. 203) Provides a permanent guarantee of pre-Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA '97) payment levels for HOPD services furnished by children's hospitals. Subtitle B: Provisions Relating to Physicians - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to grant medical students a deferment on their student loans for a period not to exceed the length of their full initial residency period. (Sec. 212) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on: (1) the post-payment audit process under Medicare as it applies to physicians; and (2) the aggregate effects of regulatory, audit, oversight, and paperwork burdens on physicians and other health care providers participating in Medicare. (Sec. 213) Directs MEDPAC to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on the refinements to the practice expense relative value units during the transition to a resource-based practice expense system for physician payments under Medicare. Subtitle C: Ambulance Services - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to the establishment of a fee schedule for ambulance services to allow a supplier of ambulance services to elect to forego phase-in of such schedule and receive payments based only upon it. (Sec. 222) Establishes a prudent layperson standard for emergency ambulance services. (Sec. 223) Eliminates the reduction in inflation adjustments for ambulance services. (Sec. 224) Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on the means by which rural areas with low population densities can be identified for the purpose of designating areas in which the cost of providing ambulance services would be expected to be higher than similar services provided in more heavily populated areas because of low usage. (Sec. 225) Outlines provisions for interim payments for rural ground ambulance services until such time as the established fee schedule is modified by a specified regulation. (Sec. 226) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on the costs of providing emergency and medical transportation services across the range of acuity levels of conditions for which such transportation services are provided. Subtitle D: Preventive Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) prohibit deductibles and coinsurance for various specified preventive benefits; (2) add lancets to the definition of durable medical equipment; and (3) provide coverage of counseling for cessation of tobacco use, glaucoma detection tests, and medical nutrition therapy services for beneficiaries with diabetes, a cardiovascular disease, or a renal disease. (Sec. 235) Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a series of studies, for an annual report to the Congress, designed to identify preventive interventions that can be delivered in the primary care setting that are most valuable to older Americans; and (2) contract with the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences to study and report periodically to the President on current literature and best practices in the field of health promotion and disease prevention among Medicare beneficiaries. (Sec. 237) Provides for fast-track consideration of preventive benefit legislation resulting from recommendations accompanying such study reports. Subtitle E: Other Services - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to: (1) revision of the moratorium on caps for therapy services; (2) revision of coverage of immunosuppressive drugs; (3) extension of certain secondary payer requirements; (4) State accreditation of diabetes self-management training programs; (5) elimination of the reduction in payment amounts for orthotics and prosthetics, parenteral and enteral nutrients, supplies, and equipment and oxygen and oxygen equipment; (6) standards regarding payment for certain orthotics and prosthetics; (7) revision of the definition of orthotics; (8) new pap smear technologies and other new clinical laboratory test technologies; (9) increase in payments for certified nurse-midwife services; and (10) payment for administration services associated with chemotherapy and for blood clotting drug-related activities. (Sec. 249) Directs MEDPAC to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on the provision of in-home infusion therapy nursing services. Title III: Provisions Relating to Parts A and B - Subtitle A: Home Health Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to eliminate a specified 15 percent reduction in cost and per beneficiary limits with respect to payment rates for home health services under the Medicare PPS. (Sec. 302) Excludes from such PPS certain nonroutine medical supplies furnished by a home health agency. Details certain study and reporting requirements with regard to such exclusion. (Sec. 303) Permits home health patients with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia to participate in adult-day care programs. (Sec. 304) Directs the Secretary to establish standards for the operation of a branch office, a service site for home health services controlled and supervised by a home health agency. (Sec. 305) Provides for the treatment of home health services provided in certain counties in the State of New York. Subtitle B: Direct Graduate Medical Education - Provides that, for cost reporting periods between October 1, 2000, and October 1, 2005, in applying the limitations regarding the total number of full-time equivalent interns and residents in the field of allopathic or osteopathic medicine under Medicare for a hospital, the Secretary shall not take into account a maximum of three interns or residents in the field of geriatric medicine to the extent the hospital increases the number of geriatric interns or residents above the number of such interns or residents for the hospital's most recent cost reporting period ending before October 1, 2000. (Sec. 312) Amends SSA title XI part A (General Provisions) to establish a program of payments to children's hospitals that operate graduate medical education programs. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 313) Provides that, effective for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 1999, for purposes of Medicare payments to hospitals for costs of approved educational activities, such activities shall include the clinical portion of professional educational training programs recognized by the Secretary for clinical psychologists. (Sec. 314) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for the treatment of certain newly established residency programs in computing Medicare payments for the costs of medical education. Subtitle C: Miscellaneous - Amends SSA title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) to provide for a waiver of the 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage of individuals disabled with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Title IV: Rural Provider Provisions - Subtitle A: Critical Access Hospitals - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to payments to critical access hospitals for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests. (Sec. 402) Amends SSA title XVIII, as amended by BBRA, to revise the payment for professional services provided by a critical access hospital. (Sec. 403) Amends SSA title XVIII to permit critical access hospitals to operate PPS-exempt distinct part psychiatric and rehabilitation units. Subtitle B: Medicare Dependent, Small Rural Hospital Program - Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) make the Medicare-dependent, small rural hospital program permanent; and (2) give any hospital under such program the option of basing eligibility for payment on discharges during any of the three most recent audited cost reporting periods in lieu of the current basing of eligibility for payment on discharges during the cost reporting period beginning in FY 1987. Subtitle C: Sole Community Hospitals - Amends SSA title XVIII to extend the option to use rebased target amounts to all sole community hospitals. (Sec. 422) States that, for purposes of discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2000, the Greensville Memorial Hospital located in Emporia, Virginia, shall be deemed to have satisfied the travel time criteria under applicable Medicare provisions for classification as a sole community hospital. Subtitle D: Other Rural Hospital Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII to exempt Medicare swing bed hospitals from the PPS for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). (Sec. 431) Amends BBRA to make January 1, 2001, the effective date of the elimination of certain restrictions with respect to the hospital swing bed program. (Sec. 432) Amends SSA title XVIII to mandate pre-BBA '97 payment levels for outpatient services furnished by rural hospitals. (Sec. 433) Provides for the treatment of certain physician pathology services under Medicare. Subtitle E: Other Rural Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to bonus payments in the case of physicians' services furnished to an individual who is covered under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) and who incurs expenses for such services in a health professional shortage area. Extends such bonus payments to physician assistant and nurse practitioner services. Eliminates the requirement to make such payments on a monthly or a quarterly basis. (Sec. 442) Modifies: (1) the exemption to the limits established on payment for provider-based rural health clinic services in the case of such clinics in rural hospitals with less than 50 beds; and (2) payment for certain physician assistant services. (Sec. 444) Directs the Secretary to provide for bonus payments for rural home health agencies in the case of home health services furnished in a rural area in 2001 and 2002. (Sec. 445) Excludes clinical social worker services and worker services performed under a contract with a rural health clinic or a Federally-qualified health center from the PPS for SNFs. (Sec. 446) Covers marriage and family therapist services provided in rural health clinics under Medicare. (Sec. 447) Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to: (1) create a capital infrastructure revolving loan program for rural entities for projects for capital improvements; (2) provide for grants to assist eligible small rural hospitals in offsetting the costs of establishing data systems to implement PPSs under Medicare, and to comply with administrative simplification requirements under Medicare part C (Medicare+Choice), or to reduce medication errors; (3) provide for grants to eligible small rural hospitals to provide relief for financial distress that has a negative impact on access to care for Medicare beneficiaries who reside in a rural area. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 450) Amends BBA '97 to revise provisions for Medicare reimbursement for telehealth services with respect to: (1) the methodology for determining the amount of payments; (2) reimbursement for Medicare beneficiaries who do not reside in a health professional shortage area; (3) telehealth coverage for direct patient care; (4) eligibility for telehealth reimbursement for all physicians and practitioners; and (5) telehealth services provided using store-and-forward technologies. (Sec. 451) Directs MEDPAC to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on the effect of low patient and procedure volume on the financial status of low-volume, isolated rural health care providers participating in Medicare. Title V: Provisions Relating to Part C (Medicare+Choice Program) and Other Medicare Managed Care Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII part C (Medicare+Choice) with regard to eligibility, election, and enrollment to provide for restoring the effective date of elections and changes of elections of Medicare+Choice plans. (Sec. 502) Amends SSA title XVIII part D (Miscellaneous) with regard to certification of Medicare supplemental health insurance (Medigap) policies. Sets forth a special Medigap enrollment anti-discrimination provision for certain beneficiaries. (Sec. 503) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to: (1) increase the national per capita Medicare+Choice growth percentage in 2001 and 2002; and (2) modify area-specific and national percentages provisions with respect to calculation of annual Medicare+Choice capitation rates. (Sec. 505) Delays from July 1, 2000, to November 1, 2000, the deadline for a Medicare+Choice organization to withdraw the offering of a Medicare+Choice plan under part C (or otherwise to submit information required for the offering of such a plan) for 2001. (Sec. 506) Amends SSA title XVIII to make certain amounts in the Medicare trust funds available for the Secretary's share of Medicare+Choice education and enrollment-related costs. (Sec. 507) Amends BBRA to revise terms and conditions for extension of Medicare community nursing organization demonstration projects. (Sec. 508) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to modify payment rules for certain frail elderly Medicare beneficiaries. Title VI: Provisions Relating to Individuals with End-Stage Renal Disease - Amends SSA title XVIII part D with respect to Medicare coverage for end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients to change the methodology for determining the update in the renal dialysis composite rate for end state renal dialysis services furnished after January 1, 2001. (Sec. 602) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to provide for revision of payment rates for ESRD patients enrolled in Medicare+Choice plans. (Sec. 603) Permits ESRD beneficiaries to enroll in another Medicare+Choice plan if the plan in which they are enrolled is terminated. (Sec. 604) Amends SSA title XVIII part B to provide for the coverage of certain vascular access services for ESRD beneficiaries provided by ambulatory surgical centers. (Sec. 605) Directs the Secretary to: (1) collect information on the satisfaction of each ESRD Medicare beneficiary with the quality of health care under the original fee-for-service Medicare program and the Medicare+Choice program, and the access of each beneficiary to that care; (2) analyze such information to determine, among other things, the kinds of health care that each nondialysis health care provider provides to each ESRD Medicare beneficiary for the treatment of ESRD and each comorbidity and the quality of health care provided to each such beneficiary enrolled under the Medicare+Choice program compared to each beneficiary enrolled under the original fee-for-service Medicare program; and (3) make such information collected and analysis conducted available to the public each year. Title VII: Access to Care Improvements Through Medicaid and SCHIP - Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to create a new PPS for federally-qualified health centers and rural health clinics. (Sec. 702) Amends SSA title XIX to make permanent the extension of eligibility for medical assistance, and give States the option of electing a 12-month initial eligibility period in lieu of the current six month initial eligibility period. (Sec. 703) Amends SSA title XIX with regard to State Medicaid plans to provide for coordination with Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) under SSA title XXI of the application of resource and income eligibility standards for certain Medicaid-eligible individuals under certain conditions, as well as providing for the automatic reassessment of eligibility for Medicaid and SCHIP benefits for children losing Medicaid- or SCHIP-eligibility. (Sec. 704) Amends SSA titles XIX and XXI to qualify additional entities to determine presumptive eligibility for low-income children under Medicaid and SCHIP. (Sec. 705) Amends SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) to: (1) increase the authorization of appropriations; and (2) provide for coordination with Medicaid and SCHIP. (Sec. 706) Amends SSA title XIX to provide for increased access to Medicare cost-sharing assistance for low-income beneficiaries. (Sec. 707) Provides for: (1) optional State Medicaid coverage of breast and cervical cancer prevention and treatment coverage for certain breast and cervical cancer patients; (2) optional State Medicaid presumptive eligibility for certain breast or cervical cancer patients; and (3) an enhanced Federal match to be used under SCHIP with respect to medical assistance provided to such breast and cervical cancer patients receiving such optional State Medicaid coverage. Title VIII: Other Provisions - Amends the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act of 1998 to make appropriations to the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund for FY 2001. (Sec. 802) Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to increase appropriations for special diabetes programs for children with type 1 diabetes and for Indians. (Sec. 803) Directs the Secretary to award demonstration grants to up to seven States to conduct innovative programs designed to improve outreach to homeless individuals and families under specified Social Security programs with respect to enrollment and the provision of services under such programs. Makes appropriations. (Sec. 804) Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and PHSA to prohibit health insurance provided through a managed care organization under a group health plan, or through a health insurance issuer providing coverage in connection with a group health plan, (and, for the PHSA, health insurance in the individual market) from denying coverage of services provided by a continuing care retirement community or other qualified facility if they are: (1) post-hospitalization services in the same community or facility as in pre-hospitalization; (2) skilled nursing services, without a preceding hospitalization, which are necessary to prevent hospitalization; or (3) furnished in the same facility the participant's or beneficiary's spouse already resides in. Makes the prohibition: (1) depend on whether such services are otherwise covered; and (2) regardless of whether the organization is under contract with the community or facility. Prohibits related denial of enrollment or renewal, incentives to enrollees, and penalties or incentives to physicians. Declares that State laws are not preempted which meet certain requirements, including any more protective of participants or beneficiaries than those of this Act. Provides for enforcement. (Sec. 805) Directs the Secretary to award grants to eligible States to support real choice systems change initiatives that establish specific action steps and specific timetables to: (1) achieve enduring system improvements; and (2) provide consumer-responsive long-term services and supports to eligible individuals in the most integrated setting appropriate based on the unique strengths and needs of the individual, the priorities and concerns of the individual (or, as appropriate, the individual's representative), and the individual's desires with regard to participation in community life. Requires each State, in order to receive such a grant, to establish a Consumer Task Force to assist in the development, implementation, and evaluation of real choice systems change initiatives. Provides funding.

21st Century Community Learning Centers Act

United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2000

Amends the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Act (part I of title X of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965) to increase the maximum monetary amount of individual grants to public schools for center after-school activities and services that address rural or inner- city communities' education, health, social service, cultural, and recreational needs. Retains the provision that authorizes such grants be used to plan, implement, or expand community learning centers, but eliminates the requirement that such centers include four or more of specified activities. Extends the authorization of appropriations for such grants program.

Safer America For Everyone's Children (SAFE Children) Act

United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2000

Safer America For Everyone's Children (SAFE Children) Act - Title I: Safe Communities - Authorizes the Attorney General to provide grants to units of local governments that have in effect specified gun buyback programs, school violence initiatives, and activities to meet the child care needs of parents during non-school hours. Title II: Safe States - Authorizes the Attorney General to provide grants to States that have in effect laws which: (1) impose criminal penalties on a person under age 21 who purchases a handgun in the State; (2) require each licensed manufacturer, importer, or dealer of firearms to sell a secure gun storage or safety device with each firearm sold; and (3) create a public-private partnership to support organizations and units of local governments that promote safe schools and gun safety. Title III: Federal Firearms Laws - Subtitle A: Ban on Importation of Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Devices - Juvenile Assault Weapon Loophole Closure Act - Bans the importation of large capacity ammunition feeding devices. Defines such devices to cover those manufactured before the enactment of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. Subtitle B: Community Protection Act - Community Protection Act - Amends the Federal criminal code to authorize qualified government agency law enforcement officers carrying an official badge and photographic identification to carry a concealed firearm, notwithstanding State or local laws. Specifies that this Act shall not be construed to supersede or limit the laws of any State that: (1) permit private persons or entities to prohibit or restrict the possession of concealed firearms on their property; or (2) prohibit or restrict the possession of firearms on any State or local government property, installation, building, base, or park. Sets forth similar provisions authorizing qualified retired law enforcement officers to carry concealed firearms notwithstanding State or local laws. Title IV: School Psychological Counseling - Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to award grants or enter into contracts to establish or expand elementary and secondary school counseling programs.

Medicare Billing and Education Act of 2000

United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2000

Medicare Billing and Education Act of 2000 - Title I: Regulatory Reform - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) with regard to: (1) the prospective-only, non-retroactive application of regulations of the Secretary of Health and Human Services that establish or change a substantive legal standard governing the scope of benefits, the payment for services, or the eligibility of individuals, entities, or organizations to furnish or to receive Medicare services or benefits; and (2) allowance of civil actions against the Secretary challenging the constitutionality of regulations or policies. Prohibits the Secretary from recovering past Medicare overpayments by offsetting future payments to a health care provider, or while a provider is appealing a determination that an overpayment has been made or the amount of such an overpayment. Title II: Appeals Process Reforms - Revises requirements for the post-payment audit process, particularly the recoupment of overpayments. Requires the Secretary to permit any health care provider to appeal any determination of the Secretary under Medicare on behalf of a deceased beneficiary where no substitute party is available. Title III: Education Components - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for education programs for physicians, providers of services, and suppliers. Requires fiscal intermediaries and carriers to do their utmost to provide health care providers with one, straight, and correct answer regarding Medicare billing and cost reporting questions, as well as their true first and last names. Requires the Secretary to establish a process for providers to request assistance in writing (advisory opinions) from fiscal intermediaries or carriers in addressing questionable Medicare coverage, billing, documentation, coding and cost reporting procedures. Title IV: Sustainable Growth Rate Reforms - Requires the inclusion of regulatory costs in the estimate of the sustainable growth rate for all physicians' services for a fiscal year. Title V: Studies and Reports - Requires the Comptroller General to: (1) audit and report to Congress on Health Care Financing Administration compliance with statutes administered by it and with administrative procedure and other requirements under Federal civil service law; and (2) study and report to Congress on whether policies or enforcement efforts against health care providers have reduced access to care for Medicare beneficiaries.

Michael Prescott Goldwater, of Arizona, to be a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation for a term expiring October 13, 2005, vice William W. Quinn, resigned.

United States · United States Senate · 14 September 2000

Hans Mark, of Texas, to be a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation for the remainder of the term expiring April 17, 2002. (Reappointment)

United States · United States Senate · 14 September 2000

Lynda Hare Scribante, of Colorado, to be a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation for a term expiring October 13, 2005. (Reappointment)

United States · United States Senate · 14 September 2000

Steens Mountain Wilderness Act of 2000

United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2000

Steens Mountain Wilderness Act of 2000 - Title I: Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area - Subtitle A: Designation and Purposes - Requires the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Land Management, to designate the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area consisting of Federal land in Harney County, Oregon. Declares that the purpose of the Area is to conserve, protect, and manage the long-term ecological integrity of Steens Mountain. Subtitle B: Management of Federal Lands - Sets forth provisions regarding management of Federal Area lands and requires a plan for the long-range protection and management of such lands. Includes within the plan a transportation plan for Federal lands in the Area. (Sec. 112) Prohibits off-road travel in Federal lands in the Area, except under certain circumstances. Bars construction of roads or trails for motorized vehicles unless the Secretary determines it necessary for public safety or environmental protection. (Sec. 113) Permits uses of Federal lands in the Area only to further the purposes for which the Area is established. Makes such lands unavailable for commercial timber harvest. Permits the removal of trees only if the Secretary determines such removal is needed for ecological restoration and maintenance or public safety. Authorizes the sale of forest products from such removals except in the Steens Mountain Wilderness Area and wilderness study areas described in title II of this Act. Permits fishing, hunting, and trapping on such lands, with authorized limitations. Requires the cancellation of specified grazing in the Lowther and Roaring Springs allotments. Requires replacement of lost livestock forage resulting from the selection of Federal lands within the Fields Basin Allotment to include specified pasture assignments within the Miners Field Allotment. Bars the construction of new facilities on Federal lands in the Area unless the structure is: (1) minimal in nature and consistent with this Act; and (2) necessary for enhancing botanical, fish, wildlife, or watershed conditions, for public information, health, or safety, or for livestock or recreation management. Withdraws all Federal lands in the Area from entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws, except for certain land exchanges that further the purposes of this Act as determined by the Secretary. (Sec. 114) Authorizes the Secretary to acquire non-Federal lands and interests in lands in the Area or the Wilderness Area established by this Act. (Sec. 115) Allows the Secretary to renew a special recreational use permit applicable to Wilderness Area lands if the permit is consistent with the Wilderness Act. Requires the Secretary, if renewal is not consistent with such Act, to seek other opportunities for the permit holder to realize historic permit use. Subtitle C: Cooperative Management - Authorizes the Secretary to work with non-Federal landowners and other parties who agree to participate in the cooperative management of Federal and non-Federal lands in the Area. Permits the Secretary to enter into agreements with the Burns Paiute Tribe to protect cultural sites in the Area. (Sec. 122) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into a nondevelopment or conservation easement with willing landowners to further this Act's purposes. Permits the Secretary to provide technical assistance, cost-share or incentive payments, and education to private landowners in the Area who enter into contracts with the Secretary to protect or enhance ecological resources on private land if those protections or enhancements also benefit public lands. Subtitle D: Advisory Council - Requires the Secretary to establish the Steens Mountain Advisory Council to advise the Secretary in managing the Wilderness Area and the Area and in promoting cooperative management. (Sec. 133) Directs the Secretary to appoint, as needed or at the advisory council's request, a team of scientists to provide advice on questions relating to Area management. Title II: Steens Mountain Wilderness Area - Requires the Secretary to designate certain Federal lands in the Area as the Steens Mountain Wilderness Area. (Sec. 202) Retires certain grazing permits in the Wilderness Area. (Sec. 203) Reserves a quantity of water sufficient to fulfill the purposes for which the Wilderness Area is designated. (Sec. 204) Continues the management of wilderness study areas within the Area excluded from the Wilderness Area as wilderness study areas. Bars management of juniper species in the wilderness study areas with mechanized tools unless the Secretary first considers nonmechanized treatments and the recommendations of the science committee and advisory council. Title III: Wild and Scenic Rivers and Trout Reserve - Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to expand the number of segments of the Donner und Blitzen River in Oregon to be administered as a wild river. Designates specified segments of Little Wildhorse and Wildhorse Creeks located in the Area as a wild river. (Sec. 302) Directs the Secretary to designate the Donner und Blitzen Redband Trout Reserve. Excludes private lands adjacent to the river from the Reserve. Requires the Secretary to remove the dam located below the mouth of Fish Creek and above Page Springs if removal of the dam is scientifically justified and funds are available for such purpose. Title IV: Mineral Withdrawal Area - Requires all Federal lands included within the withdrawal boundary in the Area to be withdrawn from location, entry, and patent under the mining laws and operation of the mineral leasing, geothermal, and minerals materials laws. Authorizes the development of saleable mineral resources for road maintenance use only in locations identified as gravel pits within such boundaries (excluding the Wilderness Area, wilderness study areas, and wild and scenic rivers) where development was previously authorized. (Sec. 402) Requires the Secretary to acquire State lands and mineral interests within the mineral withdrawal area in exchange for: (1) Federal lands or mineral interests outside such area; (2) a monetary payment to the State; or (3) a combination of a conveyance and payment. Title V: Establishment of Wildlands Juniper Management Area - Directs the Secretary to establish a wildlands juniper management area consisting of Area Federal lands. Requires special management practices to be adopted for such area to restore the historic fire regime and native vegetation communities on Steens Mountain. Authorizes appropriations to carry out this title and juniper management provisions of title I of this Act. Title VI: Land Exchanges - Authorizes the Secretary, for purposes of protecting and consolidating Federal lands within the Wilderness Area, to carry out land exchanges with specified corporations and individuals to include acquired private lands in the Wilderness Area. Requires the Secretary to make economic adjustment disbursements to such entities. Title VII: Funding Authorities - Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes appropriations from the Land and Water Conservation Fund for acquisition of non-Federal lands and interests in the Area and Wilderness Area and for entering into nondevelopment and conservation easements.

Bankruptcy Reform Act of 2000

United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2000

Bankruptcy Reform Act of 2000- Title I: Needs Based Bankruptcy - Amends Federal bankruptcy law to revamp guidelines governing dismissal or conversion of a Chapter 7 liquidation petition (complete relief in bankruptcy) to one under Chapter 13 (Adjustment of Debts of an Individual with Regular Income). Allows a bankruptcy panel trustee and any party in interest to move for such dismissal or conversion (current law prohibits a party in interest from such motions). Lowers the "substantial abuse" standard for dismissal or conversion to one of simple abuse. Replaces the presumption in favor of granting the relief sought by the debtor with a presumption that abuse exists if the debtor's current monthly income exceeds specified formulae. (Sec. 102) Provides that the presumption of abuse may be rebutted only with detailed documentation of special circumstances requiring additional expenses or adjustment of current monthly total income. Includes within the calculation of debtor's monthly expenses: (1) those expenses incurred to maintain the safety of the debtor and the debtor's family from family violence as identified under the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act or other applicable Federal law; and (2) continuation of actual expenses paid by the debtor for the care and support of an elderly, chronically ill, or disabled household or non-dependent immediate family member. Requires the debtor's counsel to: (1) reimburse the bankruptcy trustee for legal fees in prosecuting a dismissal or conversion motion if the court finds that counsel's filing under Chapter 7 was either not substantially justified, or frivolous; and (2) pay a civil penalty for the violation of certain bankruptcy rules. Requires the court, upon motion by the victim of a crime of violence or a drug trafficking crime (or at the request of a party in interest), to dismiss a voluntary case filed by an individual debtor convicted of that crime (unless the debtor establishes that filing of the case is necessary to satisfy a claim for a domestic support obligation). (Sec. 103) Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to report to certain congressional committees regarding the utilization of Internal Revenue standards for determining specified monthly expenses of a debtor and the impact of such standards upon debtors and the bankruptcy courts. (Sec. 104) Revises procedural guidelines to mandate written notice to the individual consumer debtor before commencement of a case that credit counseling services approved by the United States Trustee are available. (Sec. 105) Instructs the Director of the Executive Office for U.S. Trustees to: (1) develop a financial management training curriculum and materials to educate individual debtors on how to better manage their finances; and (2) test, evaluate, and report to the Congress on the curriculum's effectiveness. (Sec. 106) Precludes an individual debtor from filing under Federal bankruptcy law unless the individual has received a briefing from an approved nonprofit credit counseling service prior to filing a bankruptcy petition, unless the U.S. trustee or bankruptcy administrator determines that the service for the district in which the debtor lives is not reasonably able to provide adequate services to the additional individuals who would otherwise seek credit counseling because of such requirement. Conditions a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 discharge in bankruptcy upon the debtor's completion of an approved instructional course concerning personal financial management. Prohibits such counseling service from informing a credit reporting agency whether an individual debtor has received or sought personal financial management instruction. Establishes civil penalties for noncompliance. Title II: Enhanced Consumer Protection - Subtitle A: Penalties for Abusive Creditor Practices - Cites circumstances under which the court may reduce by up to 20 percent a claim based in whole upon unsecured consumer debts if the debtor can show by clear and convincing evidence that the claim was filed by a creditor who unreasonably refused to negotiate a reasonable alternative repayment schedule proposed by an approved credit counseling agency acting on the debtor's behalf. (Sec. 202) Modifies guidelines governing the discharge of a debtor's liability, as well as the automatic stay, to entitle an individual who is injured by the willful failure of a creditor to credit payments received to bring an action for actual damages and legal fees. (Sec. 203) Modifies debt reaffirmation guidelines governing wholly unsecured consumer debts to mandate specified detailed disclosures and explanations to the debtor for dischargeable debt agreements. Amends Federal criminal law to instruct the Attorney General to designate U.S. attorneys and agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to implement enforcement activities in addressing: (1) abusive reaffirmations of debt; and (2) materially fraudulent statements in bankruptcy schedules that are intentionally false or misleading. Directs the bankruptcy court to establish procedures for referring those cases to such U.S. attorneys and agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Subtitle B: Priority Child Support - Revises Chapter 7 priority payment guidelines to place within the first priority claim category certain claims for domestic support obligations, on the condition that funds received by a governmental unit be applied in a prescribed order. (Sec. 213) Conditions court confirmation of a debt repayment plan under Chapters 12 (Debts of a Family Farmer) and 13 (and the subsequent discharge of debts) upon certification of debtor's full payment of all adjudicated domestic support obligations that are due after the petition filing date. (Sec. 214) Excepts from an automatic stay specified choses-in-action pertaining to domestic support obligations proceedings including: (1) child custody or visitation; (2) dissolution of marriage; (3) domestic violence; (4) withholding of income that is property of the bankrupt estate for payment of domestic support obligations; (5) suspension of drivers' licenses and professional licenses; (6) reporting of overdue support owed by a parent to certain consumer reporting agencies; (7) interception of specified tax refunds; and (8) enforcement of medical obligations under title IV, part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of the Social Security Act. (Sec. 215) Revamps guidelines governing the nondischargeability of certain debts for alimony, maintenance, and support to repeal the exceptions granted the debtor under specified conditions. (Sec. 216) Modifies guidelines governing property exempt from the bankruptcy estate to declare such property liable for fraud or defalcation while acting in a fiduciary capacity, embezzlement, or larceny. Repeals the liability of such property for domestic support obligations. (Sec. 217) Precludes the bankruptcy trustee from avoiding a transfer that is a bona fide payment of a debt for a domestic support obligation. (Sec. 218) Redefines "disposable income" received by certain debtors to include income not reasonably expected to be expended for a child support, foster care, or disability payment for a dependent child made in accordance with nonbankruptcy law. (Sec. 219) Sets forth the duties of the bankruptcy trustee under chapters 7, 11, 12, and 13 regarding a claim against an individual debtor for the collection of child support, including notifying the claim holder and the appropriate State child support agency of the debtor's location. (Sec. 220) Expands the exceptions to nondischargeable debts to include certain qualified educational loans which, if not discharged, would impose an undue hardship upon either the debtor or the debtor's dependent. Subtitle C: Other Consumer Protections - Modifies guidelines governing nonattorney bankruptcy petition preparers to mandate that as a prerequisite to any collection of fees for services: (1) such preparers officially disclose to debtors that they cannot practice law or give legal advice; and (2) such disclosure be signed by the debtor and filed with the requisite court documents. Prescribes enforcement and penalty guidelines for preparer noncompliance. (Sec. 222) Expresses the sense of the Congress that States should develop curricula relating to the subject of personal finance, designed for use in elementary and secondary schools. (Sec. 223) Places in the tenth order of prioritized claims against the bankrupt estate any death or personal injury claims resulting from the unlawful operation of a motor vehicle or vessel because the debtor was drug or alcohol-impaired. (Sec. 224) Permits an individual debtor to exempt from the property of the bankrupt estate certain tax-exempt retirement funds that have not been obligated in connection with any extension of credit. Exempts from either an automatic stay or a discharge in bankruptcy specified income withheld from the debtor pursuant to pension or profit sharing plans sponsored by such debtor's employer to pay certain loans from such plans. (Sec. 225) Sets forth criteria for excluding certain education individual retirement accounts from the property of the bankruptcy estate if the designated beneficiary is a child or grandchild of the debtor. Title III: Discouraging Bankruptcy Abuse - Modifies exceptions to a discharge in bankruptcy to prohibit discharge of a filing fee imposed by any court upon a prisoner. (Sec. 302) Terminates the automatic stay 30 days after filing of a petition if a chapter 7, 11, or 13 petition was pending and dismissed the previous year, unless the subsequent filing is in good faith. Delineates conditions under which a history of previous petitions in bankruptcy give rise to a rebuttable presumption that the case is not filed in good faith. (Sec. 303) Directs the court to grant relief from the automatic stay upon request of a party in interest with respect to certain real property actions if the court finds that filing the bankruptcy petition was part of a scheme to delay, hinder, and defraud creditors. Denies automatic stay protections regarding certain creditors' enforcement actions against real property for a specified period following a prior order in bankruptcy which forbade the debtor from being a debtor in another bankruptcy case. (Sec. 304) Modifies debtor's duties to mandate specified affirmative actions to be taken by a chapter 7 debtor, including reaffirmation of the debt, or redemption of the property within 45 days, in order to retain possession of personal property. Allows a creditor to take action with respect to such property under nonbankruptcy law if the debtor fails to act within 45 days, unless the court determines upon trustee motion that such property is of consequential value or benefit to the estate. (Sec. 305) Declares that the automatic stay is terminated regarding property of the debtor's estate securing a claim or subject to an unexpired lease, if the debtor fails to complete an intended surrender of consumer debt collateral within a revised, accelerated time frame (unless the court determines upon trustee motion that such property is of consequential value or benefit to the estate). (Sec. 306) Instructs the bankruptcy court to confirm a chapter 13 plan if it provides that the holder of a secured allowed claim shall retain the attendant lien until payment or discharge of all debts. Provides that if a chapter 13 proceeding is dismissed or converted without completion of the plan, the holder shall retain such lien to the extent recognized by applicable nonbankruptcy law. Provides that statutory guidelines to determine the secured status of a creditor's claim do not apply if the underlying debt was incurred within the five-year period preceding the filing of the bankruptcy petition and the collateral for that debt consists of a motor vehicle acquired for the debtor's personal use (or if the collateral consists of any other thing of value if the debt was incurred during the six-month period preceding such filing). (Sec. 307) Increases from 180 to 730 days the length of a debtor's location of domicile for purposes of determining which State law governs the debtor's selection of property exempt from the bankrupt estate. (Sec. 308) Reduces the value of the homestead exemption and debtor's burial plot to the extent it is attributable to any portion of any property that is disposed by the debtor within the 730-day period ending on the bankruptcy petition filing date with the intent to obstruct or defraud a creditor, and that the debtor could not exempt. (Sec. 309) Revises requirements governing the effects of conversion from chapter 13 to another chapter. Declares that: (1) valuations of property and of allowed secured claims in a chapter 13 case shall not apply in a case converted to chapter 7; and (2) with respect to cases converted from chapter 13, the claim of any creditor holding security as of the date of the petition shall continue to be secured by that security unless the full amount of that claim, as determined under applicable nonbankruptcy law, has been paid in full as of the date of conversion. States that a prebankruptcy default shall have the effect given under applicable nonbankruptcy law unless it has been fully cured pursuant to the plan at the time of conversion. Provides for a chapter 7 debtor's assumption of executory contracts and unexpired leases of personal property. Declares that in a chapter 11 case in which the debtor is an individual, and in a chapter 13 case, if the lease is not assumed in the plan, it is rejected (and no longer subject to an automatic stay) as of the plan's confirmation date. Delineates a cash payment plan for chapter 13 debtors for payments to any lessor of personal property and to any creditor holding a claim secured by personal property to ensure adequate protection to the claim holder during the payment period. (Sec. 310) Reduces from the threshold amounts of luxury goods and consumer credit cash advances presumed nondischargeable in bankruptcy, if acquired within 90 days and 70 days, respectively (currently 60 days) before an order for relief is issued. (Sec. 311) Prohibits an automatic stay of any eviction, unlawful detainer action, or similar proceeding by a lessor against a debtor involving residential real property in which: (1) the debtor resides and has not paid rent after the commencement and during the course of the case; (2) the rental agreement has terminated; (3) the debtor has previously filed within the last year and failed to pay post-petition rent during the course of that case; or (4) eviction actions are based upon endangerment to property or person or the use of illegal drugs. (Sec. 312) Extends the period between chapter 7 discharges to eight years, and between chapter 13 discharges to five years. (Sec. 314) Declares nondischargeable in bankruptcy: (1) debts intentionally incurred to pay a nondischargeable debt with the intent to discharge the newly-created debt; and (2) all debts incurred to pay nondischargeable debts, without regard to intent, if incurred within 70 days of the filing of the petition. Treats a debt incurred to pay child or spousal support as a dischargeable debt (in order to preclude such support from having to compete with the nondischargeable debt). Revamps Chapter 13 debt discharge guidelines. Prohibits discharge from a debt for restitution or damages awarded in a civil action against the debtor for willful or malicious injury that caused personal injury or death of an individual. (Sec. 315) Prescribes notice procedures for chapter 7 and chapter 13 creditors. Expands debtor's duties to require filing with the bankruptcy court of: (1) all tax returns; (2) evidence of payments received; (3) monthly net income projections; and (4) anticipated debt or expenditure increases. Permits a chapter 7 or chapter 13 creditor to request the debtor's petition, schedules, and statement of affairs, including the debt adjustment plan filed by the debtor. Mandates debtor compliance within five days of such request. Mandates that, at the time of filing with the taxing authority, a chapter 7 or 13 debtor file with the bankruptcy court specified tax documentation pertaining to the period from case commencement until case termination. Requires a chapter 13 debtor to file with the court a statement of income and expenditures in the preceding tax year, and monthly net income, showing how calculated. Makes debtor's mandatory documentation available for inspection and copying to certain bankruptcy officers and any party in interest. Requires debtors to furnish driver's license, passport, or other photograph-containing documentation establishing debtor identification. (Sec. 316) Provides for automatic dismissal if a chapter 7 debtor fails to furnish all mandatory information, or fails to timely file the requisite schedules. Requires the court to order dismissal within five days of a request by a party in interest for the debtor's failure to timely submit requisite documentation. (Sec. 317) Requires a Chapter 13 confirmation hearing to be held not later than 45 days after the first meeting of creditors. Mandates filing of a Chapter 13 debt readjustment plan within 90 days of the order for relief. (Sec. 318) Prohibits such plan (with certain exceptions) from providing for payments over a period that is longer than three years. (Sec. 319) Expresses the sense of the Congress that rule 9011 of the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure should include a requirement that all debtors' documents be submitted to the court only after debtors have made reasonable inquiry to verify that all information therein is well grounded in fact, and warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for extension, modification or reversal of existing law. (Sec. 320) Revises automatic stay guidelines to provide that in the case of an individual filing under chapters 7, 11, or 13, the automatic stay shall terminate 60 days after a request for its release by a party in interest, unless the court orders or the parties agree to a longer time. (Sec. 321) Revamps guidelines governing a Chapter 11 business reorganization case filed by an individual to: (1) identify the property of the estate in bankruptcy; and (2) revise the contents, confirmation, and modification of a reorganization plan. (Sec. 322) Excludes employee benefit plan participant contributions from the property of the bankruptcy estate. (Sec. 324) Prohibits a debtor from exempting from the estate in bankruptcy any amount of interest that exceeds in the aggregate $100,000 in value in: (1) real or personal property used as a residence; (2) a cooperative that owns property used as a residency by the debtor or debtor's dependent; or (3) a burial plot for the debtor or debtor's dependent. (Sec. 325) Amends the Federal judiciary code to: (1) grant the district court presiding over a title 11 case exclusive jurisdiction over property of the debtor and of the estate, as well as to claims relating to employment or disclosure of bankruptcy professionals; and (2) increase bankruptcy fees and the amounts deposited as offsetting collections to both the United States Trustee Systems Fund, and to a special fund of the Treasury available to offset funds appropriated for court operation and maintenance. (Sec. 328) Amends Federal bankruptcy law to exclude from a discharge in bankruptcy any debt arising from actions: (1) to protect access to reproductive health service facilities; or (2) that result from debtor's intimidation of or interference with a person's obtaining or providing such health services, or from damage or destruction of health care facility property. Title IV: General and Small Business Bankruptcy Provisions - Subtitle A: General Business Bankruptcy Provisions - Revises circumstances under which enforcement of rights and remedies of a secured party in either rolling stock equipment, or aircraft equipment and vessels, is subject to the automatic stay. (Sec. 402) Denies a debtor an automatic stay of the commencement of an investigation or action by a securities self-regulatory organization to enforce compliance with its regulations, or of the enforcement of any order or decision obtained by such an organization, other than for monetary sanctions. (Sec. 403) Authorizes the bankruptcy court, upon request of a party in interest, to order that the U.S. trustee not convene a meeting of creditors or equity security holders if the debtor has filed a plan for which acceptances have been solicited before commencement of the case. (Sec. 405) Amends guidelines for rejection and surrender of executory contracts and unexpired leases. (Sec. 406) Authorizes a chapter 11 court to increase the membership of a committee of creditors and equity security holders to include a creditor that is a small business concern following a determination that such creditor holds claims of the kind represented by the committee, the aggregate amount of which is disproportionately large in comparison to the creditor's annual gross revenue. Requires such committee to provide access to information to certain creditors who are not committee members. (Sec. 407) Prohibits the bankruptcy trustee from avoiding a warehouseman's lien for costs incidental to the storage and handling of certain goods. (Sec. 409) Directs the bankruptcy court to treat the compensation awarded a trustee as a commission based on the results achieved. (Sec. 410) States that acceptance or rejection of a chapter 11 plan may be solicited from a holder of a claim or interest if: (1) the solicitation complies with applicable nonbankruptcy law; and (2) it was made before commencement of the case in a manner complying with applicable nonbankruptcy law. (Sec. 411) Prohibits the bankruptcy trustee from avoiding a transfer if, in a case filed by a debtor whose debts are not primarily consumer debts, the aggregate value of all property that constitutes or is affected by such transfer is less than $5,000. (Sec. 413) Limits the extensions of time permitted for filing a chapter 11 reorganization plan. (Sec. 414) Denies a discharge in bankruptcy for a debt for a fee or assessment arising from a debtor's interest in a lot in a homeowners association for as long as the debtor retains specified interests in such lot. (Sec. 415) Authorizes a creditor holding a consumer debt to participate in a meeting of creditors in a chapter 7 or 13 case, either alone or in conjunction with an attorney. (Sec. 416) Removes investment bankers from the definition of "disinterested person." (Sec. 420) Amends the Federal judicial code to authorize the district court or bankruptcy court to waive the Chapter 7 filing fee and other attendant fees for certain chapter 7 debtors the court has determined to be unable to pay fees in installments. (Sec. 421) Directs the Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules of the Judicial Conference of the United States to propose amended Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure and Official Bankruptcy Forms directing chapter 11 debtors to disclose information relating to the value, operations, and profitability of any closely held corporation, partnership, or other entity in which the debtor holds a substantial or controlling interest. Subtitle B: Small Business Bankruptcy Provisions - Sets forth mandatory factors for court consideration in determining whether the disclosure statement regarding a small business reorganization plan provides adequate information. (Sec. 432) Defines a small business debtor, generally, as a person (including a debtor affiliate) with not more than $3 million in aggregate non-contingent, liquidated secured and unsecured debts as of the date of the petition or the order for relief (excluding debts owed to one or more affiliates or insiders). (Sec. 433) Directs the Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules of the Judicial Conference (Advisory Committee) to propose for adoption standardized disclosure statements and plans of reorganization for small business debtors. (Sec. 434) Sets forth uniform national reporting requirements for small business debtors. (Sec. 435) Directs the Advisory Committee to propose for adoption revisions to the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure and Official Bankruptcy Forms enabling small business debtors to comply with such uniform national reporting requirements. (Sec. 436) Sets forth duties and administrative procedures in small business reorganization cases, including serial filer provisions and expanded grounds for dismissal or conversion and appointment of a trustee. (Sec. 443) Directs the Small Business Administration to study and report to the Congress on: (1) the factors that cause small businesses to become debtors in bankruptcy; and (2) how Federal bankruptcy laws can be made more efficient in assisting small businesses to retain their viability. (Sec. 444) Revises the circumstance where a debtor has commenced monthly payments to each secured interest creditor to allow the debtor, in the debtor's sole discretion, to make such payments from rents or other income generated before or after the commencement of the case by or from the property. Requires such payments in an amount equal to the interest on the value of the creditor's interest in the real estate, determined at the then-applicable contract rate of interest (currently, at the fair market rate). Title V: Municipal Bankruptcy Provisions - Makes technical amendments to requirements for a municipal bankruptcy petition. Title VI: Improved Bankruptcy Statistics and Data - Amends the Federal judicial code to require each U.S. trustee to report to the Attorney General on audit results in bankruptcy cases. Requires the Attorney General to establish random audits of individual cases. (Sec. 602) Amends the Federal judicial code to require the clerk of each district to compile bankruptcy statistics for individual debtors with primarily consumer debts seeking relief under chapters 7, 11, and 13. Directs the Administrative Office of the United States Courts (Administrative Office) to make such statistics public and to report them annually to the Congress. (Sec. 603) Instructs the Attorney General to promulgate requirements for uniform forms for: (1) final reports by trustees in cases under chapters 7, 12, and 13; and (2) periodic reports by chapter 11 debtors or trustees in possession. Prescribes report contents. (Sec. 604) Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the national policy should be that all public record data held in electronic form by bankruptcy clerks should be released in electronic form in bulk to the public subject to appropriate privacy concerns and safeguards as the Judicial Conference of the United States may determine; and (2) a bankruptcy data system should be established in which a single set of data definitions is used to collect data nationwide, and in which all data for any particular bankruptcy case are aggregated in the same electronic record. Title VII: Bankruptcy Tax Provisions - Amends the bankruptcy code to modify the treatment of certain tax liens. (Sec. 702) Provides that a claim for debtor's liability for fuel tax which is filed by the base jurisdiction designated under the International Fuel Tax Agreement shall be allowed as a single claim. (Sec. 703) Mandates that the clerk of each district maintain a listing under which a governmental entity responsible for the collection of taxes within such district may designate an address for service of requests and describe where further information for filing such requests may be found. (Sec. 704) Prescribes the rate of interest to be paid on mandatory interest payments on tax claims. (Sec. 705) Revises the specifications for income tax claims receiving eighth priority (allowed unsecured claims of governmental units). Provides for tolling of the time periods covering such tax claims for stays of proceedings in a prior bankruptcy case, and the pendency or effect of offers in compromise or installment agreements. (Sec. 708) States that confirmation of a bankruptcy plan does not discharge a corporate debtor from any debt for a tax or customs duty with respect to which the debtor made a fraudulent return or willfully attempted to evade or defeat such tax. (Sec. 709) Amends the automatic stay of U.S. Tax Court proceedings concerning the debtor to restrict such stay to tax liability for a taxable period ending before the order for relief. (Sec. 710) Includes among the requirements for court confirmation of a chapter 11 bankruptcy plan which includes tax claims, that the debtor, at the minimum, make regular cash installment payments over a period ending not later than five years after the date of entry of the order for relief, and in a manner not less favorable than the most favored nonpriority unsecured claim provided for in the plan. (Sec. 711) Prohibits the avoidance of statutory tax liens by certain purchasers. (Sec. 712) Amends the Federal judicial code to require officers and agents conducting any business under court authority to pay all Federal, State and local taxes when due in the course of the business, unless it is a property tax secured by a lien against estate property which is abandoned by the bankruptcy trustee, or payment of the tax is excused under a specific bankruptcy law. Cites circumstances in which payment of such taxes may be deferred in a case pending under chapter 7 until final distribution is made. Entitles to administrative expense priority payment certain secured and postpetition unsecured taxes incurred by the bankruptcy estate, including ad valorem property taxes. Declares that a governmental unit shall not be required to file a request for the payment of administrative expenses relating to a tax liability or tax penalty. Allows a trustee to recover from property securing a claim for the payment of all ad valorem property taxes relating to such property. (Sec. 713) Requires as a condition for payment of tardily filed priority tax claims that they be filed either before the trustee commences distribution or ten days following the mailing to creditors of the summary of the trustee's final report, whichever is earlier (currently, before the trustee commences distribution of the estate). (Sec. 714) Makes nondischargeable any obligations based on income tax returns or equivalent reports or notices prepared by tax authorities. (Sec. 715) Declares that an estate's liability for unpaid tax is discharged upon payment of such tax according to certain requirements. (Sec. 716) Conditions court confirmation of a chapter 13 bankruptcy plan upon filing by the debtor: (1) of all prepetition tax returns; and (2) before the day on which the first meeting of the creditors is convened, of all tax returns for taxable periods ending in the four-year period that ends on the date of the filing of the petition. Authorizes the court to dismiss a plan or convert it to chapter 7, whichever is in the best interests of the creditors and the estate, if a chapter 13 debtor fails to comply with such time frame. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules of the Judicial Conference should propose for adoption amended Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure pertaining to objections to tax returns and to plan confirmation. (Sec. 717) Redefines "adequate disclosure," for postpetition disclosure and solicitation purposes, to include full discussion of the potential material Federal and State tax consequences of the plan to the debtor and to a hypothetical investor domiciled in the State in which the debtor resides or has its principal place of business typical of the holders of claims or interests in the case. (Sec. 718) Denies an automatic stay (unless specified conditions are met) to the setoff of an income tax refund for a taxable period which ended before the order for relief against an income tax liability for a taxable period which also ended before the order for relief. (Sec. 719) Revises special provisions related to the treatment of State and local taxes, including the creation of a separate taxable estate when such is done for Federal tax purposes. (Sec. 720) Provides that if the debtor fails to timely file a tax return or obtain an extension, a taxing authority may petition the court to convert or dismiss a case, whichever is in the best interests of creditors and the estate. Title VIII: Ancillary and Other Cross-Border Cases - Expands the scope of bankruptcy law to incorporate the Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency, and to establish a statutory mechanism for: (1) dealing with cases of cross-border insolvency; and (2) cooperation between U.S. courts, trustees, and debtors and their foreign counterparts. Prescribes guidelines for: (1) access of foreign representatives and creditors to Federal and State courts; (2) recognition of a foreign proceeding and relief; (3) cooperation and direct communication with foreign courts and representatives; and (4) concurrent proceedings and the coordination of foreign and domestic proceedings. Title IX: Financial Contract Provisions - Amends Federal bankruptcy law to: (1) deny an automatic stay to set-offs under certain swap agreements and netting agreements; and (2) restrict the avoidance power of the bankruptcy trustee regarding certain master netting agreement transfers to those transfers that are fraudulent in nature. (Sec. 901) Sets forth guidelines for: (1) the termination or acceleration of designated contracts and agreements; and (2) commodity broker and stockbroker liquidation with respect to the priority of unsecured claims, or customer property or distributions. (Sec. 902) Specifies the date for the measure of damages in connection with: (1) rejection by the bankruptcy trustee of swap agreements, securities contracts, forward contracts, commodity contracts, repurchase agreements, or master netting agreements; or (2) their liquidation, acceleration, or termination by a forward contract merchant, stockbroker, financial institution, securities clearing agency, repo participant, financial participant, master netting agreement participant, or swap participant. (Sec. 903) Declares that property of the bankrupt estate does not include any eligible asset (or its proceeds) to the extent that it was transferred by the debtor before commencement of the case to an eligible entity in connection with an asset-backed securitization (except to the extent that such asset, or its proceeds or value, may be recovered through avoidance by the bankruptcy trustee). Title X: Protection of Family Farmers And Family Fishermen - Amends the Federal bankruptcy code to: (1) reenact Chapter 12, Adjustment of Debts of a Family Farmer with Regular Annual Income (thereby reinstating family farmer bankruptcy relief); (2) define a family farmer as one more than 50 percent of whose gross income was received from a farming operation during at least one of the three taxable years (instead of the single taxable year) preceding the taxable year in which the bankruptcy petition was filed; and (3) cite circumstances under which the claim of a governmental unit that arises as a result of the disposition of a farm asset used in the debtor's farming operation shall be treated as an unsecured claim not entitled to priority. (Sec. 1005) Cites circumstances under which the court shall confirm a family farmer bankruptcy plan notwithstanding the objection of the trustee or holder of an allowed unsecured claim. Prohibits any post-confirmation modification of a bankruptcy plan that would increase the amount of payments that were due before such modification. Provides that, unless the debtor proposes the modification, a modified plan may not: (1) require payments to unsecured creditors in any particular month greater than debtor's disposable income for that month based on an increase in debtor's disposable income; and (2) require in its last year, payments that would leave the debtor with insufficient funds after plan completion to carry on the farming operation. (Sec. 1006) Establishes "family fisherman" within the category of debtors entitled to bankruptcy law protection. Title XI: Health Care and Employee Benefits - Amends bankruptcy provisions to prescribe guidelines for disposal of the patient records of a health care business (not including a health maintenance organization) that commences a proceeding for debtor relief and the trustee does not have sufficient funds to pay for the storage of patient records as required by law. (Sec. 1103) Allows an administrative expense claim for the costs of closing a health care business, including disposal of patient records and transfer of patients to another health care business. (Sec. 1104) Requires the bankruptcy court to appoint an ombudsman to represent the interests of the patients of a health care business within 30 days after commencement of a case under chapter 7 (Liquidation), 9 (Adjustment of Debts of a Municipality), or 11 (Reorganization). (Sec. 1105) Requires the bankruptcy trustee to use all reasonable and best efforts to transfer patients from the health care business in the process of being closed to an appropriate substitute. (Sec. 1106) Instructs the Attorney General to establish a policy and protocols for coordinating a response to bankruptcies of health care businesses, including time frame assessment for disposal of patient records. (Sec. 1107) Denies an automatic stay to a debtor's exclusion by the Secretary of Health and Human Services from participation in the Medicare program or any other Federal health care program (thus precluding the debtor's continuation or reinstatement in such a program). Title XII: Technical Amendments - Makes technical corrections to Federal bankruptcy, judicial, and criminal law. (Sec. 1201) Redefines single asset real estate to exclude family farms and to repeal the $4 million ceiling on the amount of noncontingent, liquidated secured debts on such property. Defines the term "transfer" to include: (1) creation of a lien; (2) retention of title as a security interest; (3) foreclosure of the debtor's equity of redemption; and (4) every mode of disposing of property or parting with an interest in property. (Sec. 1202) Requires triennial adjustment of: (1) the $5,000 value of certain implements, professional books, tools of the trade, farm animals, and crops which a debtor may exempt from the property of the estate (protecting them from creditors' liens); and (2) the national median household income calculated monthly. (Sec. 1206) Provides that a trustee or a creditors' and equity security holders' committee may pay a professional person they employ on a fixed or percentage fee basis, as well as on other bases already permitted. (Sec. 1208) Excludes from compensable professional services any expenses incurred by an individual member of a creditors' and equity security holders' committee. (Sec. 1209) Declares nondischargeable in bankruptcy a debt for death or personal injury caused by the debtor's operation of a watercraft or aircraft while intoxicated from alcohol, a drug, or other substance. Limits the nondischargeability of fees imposed by a court to fees so imposed on a prisoner. (Sec. 1213) Revises guidelines governing preferences to provide that, if the trustee avoids a security interest given between 90 days and one year before the date of the filing of the petition, by the debtor to a non-insider for the benefit of a creditor that is an insider, then such security interest shall be considered to be avoided only with respect to the insider creditor. (Sec. 1222) Permits the bankruptcy trustee to sell, use, or lease property in accordance with nonbankruptcy law governing the transfer of property by nonprofit charitable corporations, if doing so is not inconsistent with certain relief granted under the automatic stay. (Sec. 1223) Extends from 20 to 30 days the length of time after a debtor receives possession of property for perfection of a security interest in such property created by a transfer which the trustee may not avoid. (Sec. 1225) Bankruptcy Judgeship Act of 2000- Amends the Federal judicial code to mandate appointments for additional temporary bankruptcy judgeships in California, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia. Provides that the first vacancy occurring in such district five years or more after a judge is appointed under this Act shall not be filled. Extends temporary bankruptcy judgeship positions authorized for the northern district of Alabama, the eastern district of Tennessee, and the districts of Delaware, Puerto Rico, and South Carolina. (Sec. 1226) Defines family fishermen debtors for bankruptcy purposes. (Sec. 1227) Prescribes compensation guidelines for the services and expenses of a trustee who has successfully petitioned the court to convert or dismiss a chapter 7 case. (Sec. 1229) Amends the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) to mandate inclusion of an electronic version of or link to a Federal Trade Commission pamphlet on choosing and using credit cards in any electronic transaction or transmission concerning a credit card account under an open end consumer credit plan. (Sec. 1230) Amends the bankruptcy code to: (1) prohibit a political committee subject to Federal Election Commission (FEC) jurisdiction from filing for bankruptcy; and (2) include among nondischargeable debts any fines or penalties imposed under Federal election law. (Sec. 1232) Amends TILA to prohibit certain retroactive finance charges to a credit card account under an open end credit plan for payments made during a grace period applicable to any new extension of credit under the account. (Sec. 1233) Instructs the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to report to certain congressional committees as to whether and how financial institutions consider the residential location of a credit card applicant in deciding whether an applicant should be granted such credit card. (Sec. 1234) Requires the Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts to develop materials and conduct training useful to courts in implementing this Act. (Sec. 1235) Amends Federal bankruptcy law to modify the right of the seller of goods to the debtor to reclaim such goods if the debtor received such goods while insolvent. Limits the period of receipt to 45 days before commencement of the case, and the time during which the seller may demand reclamation to 45 days after receipt, or before 20 days after commencement of the bankruptcy case. (Sec. 1236) Prohibits a court from granting a discharge in a chapter 7 case, or from confirming a reorganization plan in a chapter 11 or 13 case, unless requested tax documents are filed with or otherwise provided to the court. (Sec. 1238) Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) consumer credit may sometimes be offered indiscriminately without lender action to ensure consumer repayment capacity, and in a manner which may encourage additional debt accumulation; and (2) resulting consumer debt may increasingly be a major contributing factor to consumer insolvency. Instructs the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to study indiscriminate solicitation and extension of credit by the credit industry. Authorizes the Board to: (1) promulgate regulations requiring additional disclosures to consumers; and (2) take measures to ensure responsible industrywide practices and prevent resulting consumer debt and insolvency. (Sec. 1239) Cites circumstances in which property of the estate in bankruptcy does not include tangible personal property pledged or sold by the debtor as collateral for a loan or money advance, and the pledgee or transferee possesses such property. (Sec. 1240) Amends TILA to require a creditor that maintains a toll-free telephone number informing customers of the actual number of months needed to repay an outstanding balance to declare on each billing statement: "Making only the minimum payment will increase the interest and the time to repay the balance. For more information, call this toll-free number." Title XIII: General Effective Date; Application of Amendments - Sets forth the effective date of this Act and the application of its amendments. Title XIV: Financial Institutions Insolvency Improvement - Financial Institutions Insolvency Improvement Act of 2000 - Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA) to redefine specified contracts, agreements, and transfers entered into with an insolvent insured depository institution before the appointment of a conservator or receiver. (Sec. 1402) Declares that no person shall be stayed or prohibited from exercising any right to cause the acceleration of any qualified financial contract with an insured depository institution which arises upon the appointment of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver at any time after such appointment. (Sec. 1403) Declares that no provision of law shall be construed as limiting the right or power of the FDIC, or authorizing any court or agency to limit or delay, in any manner, the FDIC's right or power to transfer, disaffirm, or repudiate any qualified financial contract of a failed institution. Prohibits enforcement of a walkaway clause in a qualified financial contract of a failed insured depository institution (a clause that either does not create a payment obligation of a party, or extinguishes it solely because of such party's status as a nondefaulting party). (Sec. 1404) Revises guidelines governing transfers of qualified financial contracts of an insolvent institution to include: (1) transfers to a foreign bank or foreign financial institution (including its branch or agency) (but only when the contractual rights of the parties to such qualified financial contracts are enforceable substantially to the same extent as permitted under such Act); and (2) transfers of contracts subject to the rules of a clearing organization. Defines financial institution to include a broker or dealer, a depository institution, a futures commission merchant, or any other institution as determined by FDIC regulation. Suspends certain termination rights of counterparties to a qualified financial contract with an insolvent insured depository institution until after the receiver's appointment, or after receipt of notice that the contract has been transferred. Declares that none of the following institutions shall be considered a financial institution for which a conservator, receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, or other legal custodian has been appointed or which is otherwise the subject of a bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding: (1) a bridge bank; or (2) an FDIC-organized depository institution for which a conservator is appointed either immediately upon organization, or at the time of a purchase and assumption transaction between such institution and the FDIC as receiver for a depository institution in default. (Sec. 1405) Prescribes guidelines for: (1) the disaffirmance or repudiation of qualified financial contracts by the conservator or receiver for a failed depository institution; and (2) the treatment of a master agreement as a single agreement and as a single qualified financial contract. (Sec. 1407) Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991 to make conforming amendments with respect to: (1) bilateral netting contracts; (2) security agreements; (3) clearing organization netting contracts; (4) contracts with uninsured national banks; and (5) contracts with uninsured Federal branches or agencies. (Sec. 1408) Amends the FDIA to authorize the FDIC to prescribe more detailed recordkeeping requirements for qualified financial contracts (including market valuations) by insured depository institutions. (Sec. 1409) Exempts specified collateralization agreements from the contemporaneous execution requirement that renders invalid certain agreements against FDIC interests in certain asset acquisitions. (Sec. 1410) Amends the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 to provide that neither the filing of a protective decree by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation, nor any court protective order, shall operate as a stay of a creditor's contractual rights to liquidate, terminate, or accelerate designated contracts and agreements. Allows such application, order, or decree, however, to operate as a stay of foreclosure on securities collateral pledged by the debtor, whether or not with respect to one or more of such contracts, agreements, or securities sold by the debtor under a repurchase agreement. (Sec. 1411) Amends the Federal Reserve Act to increase the types of acceptances eligible to meet Federal Reserve collateral requirements. Title XV: Methamphetamine and Other Controlled Substances - Methamphetamine Anti-Proliferation Act of 2000 - Subtitle A: Methamphetamine Production, Trafficking, and Abuse - Chapter 1: Criminal Penalties - Directs the United States Sentencing Commission (the Commission) to amend the Federal sentencing guidelines with respect to any offense relating to the manufacture, importation, exportation, or trafficking in amphetamine (including an attempt or conspiracy to do any of the foregoing) in violation of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act (CSIEA), or the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (MDLEA), by reviewing and amending its guidelines to provide for increased penalties such that those penalties are comparable to the base offense level for methamphetamine. (Sec. 1511) Directs the Commission to: (1) ensure that the sentencing guidelines for offenders of such offenses reflect the heinous nature of such offenses, the need for aggressive law enforcement, and the extreme dangers associated with unlawful activity involving amphetamines; and (2) promulgate amendments pursuant to this Act in accordance with the procedure set forth in the Sentencing Act of 1987, as though the (emergency) authority of that Act had not expired. (Sec. 1512) Directs the Commission to: (1) amend the guidelines to increase the base offense level, with respect to any offense relating to the manufacture, attempt to manufacture, or conspiracy to manufacture amphetamine or methamphetamine in violation of the CSA, the CSIEA, or the MDLEA, by specified amounts if the offense created a substantial risk of harm to human life or the environment, or to the life of a minor or incompetent; and (2) promulgate amendments pursuant to this Act in accordance with the procedure set forth in the Sentencing Act of 1987, as though the authority of that Act had not expired. (Sec. 1513) Provides for mandatory (currently discretionary) restitution for CSA and CSIEA violations. Expands provisions regarding restitution for cleanup of clandestine laboratory sites to cover offenses involving, and reimbursement for costs incurred for the cleanup associated with, the manufacture of amphetamine (currently limited to methamphetamine), and to include reimbursement to States and local governments, as well as to the United States. Amends the Federal judicial code to provide for the deposit of certain sums from a reimbursement order into the Department of Justice (DOJ) Assets Forfeiture Fund. Makes mandatory restitution provisions applicable to the prohibition against the establishment of manufacturing operations with respect to controlled substances. Treats illicit substance manufacturing operations as crimes against property. (Sec. 1514) Amends CSA to include items primarily intended or designed for use in introducing methamphetamine into the body within the definition of "drug paraphernalia." Chapter 2: Enhanced Law Enforcement - Amends the judicial code to make sums in the DOJ Assets Forfeiture Fund available for payment for costs incurred by or on behalf of: (1) DOJ in connection with the removal, for purposes of Federal forfeiture and disposition, of any hazardous substance or pollutant or contaminant associated with the illegal manufacture of amphetamine or methamphetamine; and (2) a State or local government in connection with such removal in any case in which such State or local government has assisted in a Federal prosecution relating to amphetamine or methamphetamine, to the extent such costs exceed equitable sharing payments made to such State or local government in such case. (Sec. 1521) Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to make funds under the drug control and system improvement (Byrne) grant program available to remove any hazardous substance or pollutant or contaminant associated with the illegal manufacture of amphetamine or methamphetamine. Requires that any sums made available from the DOJ Assets Forfeiture Fund for purposes of this section in a fiscal year supplement and not supplant any other amounts made available to DOJ in such fiscal year from other sources. (Sec. 1522) Amends CSA to modify the definition of "regulated transaction" to reduce the retail sales transaction threshold for non-safe harbor products containing pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine. (Sec. 1523) Directs the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to carry out specified programs (advanced mobile clandestine laboratory training teams, basic clandestine laboratory certification training, and clandestine laboratory recertification and awareness training) with respect to the law enforcement personnel of States and localities determined by the Administrator to have significant levels of methamphetamine- or amphetamine-related crime or projected by the Administrator to have the potential for such levels of crime in the future. Limits the duration of any such program to three years. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1524) Requires the Director of National Drug Control Policy to: (1) use amounts available under this section to combat the trafficking of methamphetamine and amphetamine in areas designated as high intensity drug trafficking areas; and (2) provide funds for employing additional Federal law enforcement personnel, or facilitating the employment of additional State and local law enforcement personnel. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Director to apportion amounts appropriated for a fiscal year pursuant to such authorization of appropriations for activities under this section among and within areas designated by the Director as high intensity drug trafficking areas based on: (1) the number of methamphetamine and amphetamine manufacturing facilities discovered by Federal, State, or local law enforcement officials in the previous fiscal year; (2) the number of methamphetamine and amphetamine prosecutions in Federal, State, or local courts in the previous fiscal year; (3) the number of methamphetamine and amphetamine arrests by Federal, State, or local courts in the previous fiscal year; (4) the amounts of methamphetamine, amphetamine, or listed chemicals seized by Federal, State, or local law enforcement officials in the previous fiscal year; and (5) intelligence and predictive data from the DEA and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) showing patterns and trends in abuse, trafficking, and transportation in methamphetamine, amphetamine, and listed chemicals. Requires the Director, before apportioning any funds under this section to a high intensity drug trafficking area, to certify that the law enforcement entities responsible for clandestine methamphetamine and amphetamine laboratory seizures in that area are providing laboratory seizure data to the national clandestine laboratory database at the El Paso Intelligence Center. Sets limits on administrative costs. (Sec. 1525) Authorizes the Administrator of the DEA to: (1) assist State and local law enforcement in small and mid-sized communities in all phases of investigations related to such manufacturing and trafficking; (2) staff additional regional enforcement and mobile enforcement teams related to such manufacturing and trafficking; (3) establish additional resident offices and posts of duty to assist State and local law enforcement in rural areas in combating such manufacturing and trafficking; (4) provide the Special Operations Division of DEA with additional agents and staff for specified purposes; (5) enhance the investigative and related functions of DEA's Chemical Control Program; (6) design an effective means of requiring an accurate accounting of the import and export of list I chemicals and coordinate investigations relating to their diversion; (7) develop a computer infrastructure sufficient to receive, process, analyze, and redistribute time-sensitive enforcement information from suspicious order reporting to DEA field offices and other law enforcement and regulatory agencies; and (8) establish an education, training, and communication process to alert the industry to current trends and emerging patterns in illegal amphetamine and methamphetamine manufacturing. Authorizes the Administrator to establish in DEA, and appoint personnel, for not more than: (1) 50 full-time positions, including up to 31 special agent positions; and (2) 15-full time additional positions, including up to ten diversion investigator positions, with respect to activities specified in paragraphs five through eight in the previous paragraph. Authorizes appropriations. Chapter 3: Abuse Prevention and Treatment - Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to authorize the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse to make grants to enter into cooperative agreements to expand the current and on-going interdisciplinary research and clinical trials with treatment centers of the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network relating to methamphetamine abuse and addiction and other biomedical, behavioral, and social issues related to methamphetamine abuse and addiction. Sets forth provisions regarding permissible uses of grant funds and dissemination of research results. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1532) Amends PHSA to authorize the Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment to make grants to States and Indian tribes recognized by the United States that have a high rate, or have had a rapid increase, in methamphetamine or amphetamine abuse or addiction to permit such States and tribes to expand activities in connection with treatment in specific geographical areas. Sets forth grant requirements and responsibilities of the Director. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1533) Amends PHSA to authorize the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to make grants to and enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with public and nonprofit private entities to carry out: (1) school-based programs concerning the dangers of abuse of and addiction to methamphetamine and other illicit drugs, using methods that are effective and science-based, including initiatives that give students the responsibility to create their own anti-drug abuse education programs for their schools; and (2) community-based abuse and addiction prevention programs relating to methamphetamine and other illicit drugs that are effective and science-based. Sets forth provisions regarding permissible grant uses, priorities in making grants, program evaluation, and reporting requirements. Authorizes appropriations for expansion of abuse prevention efforts and for practitioner registration requirements. (Sec. 1534) Directs the Secretary of HHS to: (1) conduct a study on the development of medications for the treatment of addiction to amphetamine and methamphetamine; and (2) report to the Senate and House Judiciary Committees. Authorizes appropriations. Chapter 4: Reports - Directs the Secretary to include in each National Household Survey on Drug Abuse appropriate prevalence data and information on the consumption of methamphetamine and other illicit drugs in rural areas, metropolitan areas, and consolidated metropolitan areas. (Sec. 1542) Directs the Attorney General to: (1) conduct a study of the use of ordinary, over-the-counter pseudoephedrine and phenylpropanolamine products in the clandestine production of illicit drugs; and (2) report to Congress the findings and any recommendations on the need to establish additional measures to prevent diversion. Subtitle B: Controlled Substances Generally - Chapter 1: Criminal Matters - Directs the Sentencing Commission to amend the sentencing guidelines to provide for enhanced penalties for CSA and CSIEA violations involving: (1) ephedrine, phenylpropanolamine, and pseudoephedrine; and (2) other list I chemicals to reflect the dangerous nature of such offenses, the need for aggressive law enforcement action to fight such offenses, and the extreme dangers associated with unlawful activity involving methamphetamine and amphetamine. (Sec. 1551) Directs the Commission to promulgate amendments pursuant to this Act in accordance with the procedure set forth in the Sentencing Act of 1987, as though the authority of that Act had not expired. (Sec. 1552) Revises CSA mail order provisions to: (1) require that each regulated person who engages in an export transaction (currently, limited to each regulated person who engages in a transaction with a non-regulated person) submit a monthly report of each such transaction to the Attorney General; and (2) make specified exemptions from such reporting requirement, such as for certain distributions of sample packages of drug products and distributions of drug products pursuant to a valid prescription. Authorizes the Attorney General to revoke any such exemptions if drug products distributed by the regulated person are being used in violation of CSA requirements, subject to specified notification and right to an expedited hearing. (Sec. 1553) Amends CSA to increase the minimum sentences: (1) from one year to three years for a first offense of distributing controlled substances to persons under age 21, and from one to five years for a second offense; and (2) from one year to three years for a first offense of distributing them in or near a school, and from three to five years for a second offense. (Sec. 1555) Amends CSA to prohibit advertisements for the sale of drug paraphernalia and of schedule I controlled substances. (Sec. 1556) Amends CSA to prohibit and set penalties for the theft of anhydrous ammonia, or the transportation of stolen anhydrous ammonia across State lines, knowing, intending, or having reasonable cause to believe that such ammonia will be used to manufacture a controlled substance in violation of the Act. Requires the DEA Administrator to seek to enter into an agreement with Iowa State University to permit the University to expand its current research into the development of inert agents that, when added to anhydrous ammonia, eliminate its usefulness as an ingredient in methamphetamine production. Authorizes such agreement to provide $500,000, on a reimbursable basis, for such activities. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1557) Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit, and set penalties for, teaching or demonstrating: (1) the manufacture of a controlled substance, or distributing by any means information pertaining to, the manufacture of a controlled substance, with the intent that the teaching, demonstration, or information be used for, or in furtherance of, an activity that constitutes a Federal crime; or (2) to any person the manufacture of a controlled substance, or to distribute to any person, by any means, information pertaining to, such manufacture, knowing that such person intends to use the teaching, demonstration, or information for, or in furtherance of, an activity that constitutes a Federal crime. Chapter 2: Other Matters - Amends CSA to waive the requirement that practitioners who dispense narcotic drugs to individuals for maintenance or detoxification treatment annually obtain a separate registration for that purpose, and that the Attorney General register an applicant to dispense narcotic drugs to individuals for such treatment, in the case of the dispensing by a practitioner of narcotic drugs in schedule III, IV, or V, or combinations of such drugs (schedule III-V drugs) if the practitioner and the drugs meet specified conditions. Requires that: (1) the practitioner, before dispensing schedule III-V drugs to patients for maintenance or detoxification treatment, submit to the Secretary of HHS and the Attorney General a notification of intent to begin dispensing such drugs for that purpose, including certifications that the practitioner is licensed under State law and has the ability to treat and manage opiate-dependent patients, has the capacity to refer the patients for appropriate counseling and other appropriate ancillary services, and meets other specified requirements; and (2) the schedule III-V drugs have been approved for use in maintenance or detoxification treatment and have not been the subject of an "adverse determination" (i.e., requires additional standards regarding the qualifications of practitioners to provide such treatment, or requires standards regarding the quantities of the drugs that may be provided for unsupervised use). (Sec. 1561) Authorizes the Secretary to issue regulations through notice and comment rulemaking or practice guidelines to address the following: (1) approval of additional credentialing bodies and the responsibilities of additional credentialing bodies; and (2) additional exemptions from the requirements and any regulations under this section. Directs the Secretary to issue a Treatment Improvement Protocol containing best practice guidelines for the treatment and maintenance of opiate-dependent patients. Sets forth: (1) provisions regarding physician training and experience for purposes of the regulations or practice guidelines; and (2) procedural waiver requirements. Requires the Secretary to notify the physician and the Attorney General upon determining that a physician meets specified conditions. Directs the Attorney General, upon receiving such notice, to assign the physician an identification number for inclusion with the physician's current registration to prescribe narcotics. Specifies that an identification number assigned a physician shall be appropriate to preserve the confidentiality of a patient prescribed narcotic drugs by the physician. Requires the Secretary and the Attorney General, during the three-year period beginning on the date of this Act's enactment, to make determinations regarding whether: (1) treatments provided under such waivers have been effective forms of maintenance and detoxification treatment in clinical settings; (2) such waivers have significantly increased the availability of such treatment; and (3) such waivers have adverse public health consequences. Authorizes the Secretary to collect data from the practitioners for whom waivers are in effect. Sets forth further requirements with respect to the Secretary and the Attorney General, and further procedural requirements. Prohibits a State, during the three-year period, from precluding a practitioner from dispensing schedule III-V drugs to patients for maintenance or detoxification treatment in accordance with this Act unless, before the expiration of such period, the State enacts a law prohibiting a practitioner from dispensing such drugs. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle C: Cocaine Powder - Powder Cocaine Sentencing Act of 2000 - Amends CSA and the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act to reduce the threshold amount of cocaine powder that constitutes a felonious possession and subject to mandatory criminal penalties. (Sec. 1572) Instructs the Sentencing Commission to amend Federal sentencing guidelines to reflect the amendments made by this Act. Subtitle D: Education Matters - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (the Act) to redesignate the Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994 as the Safe Schools Act of 1999. (Sec. 1581) Revises the minimum one-year expulsion requirement for weapon possession on school property to include as an expellable offense possession of felonious quantities of an illegal drug on school property under the jurisdiction of, or in a vehicle operated by an employee or agent of, a local educational agency in that State. Revises compliance reporting datelines. (Sec. 1582) Authorizes a local educational agency to use certain Federal education program funds to pay the supplementary costs of attending another school (including a religious school) for any public elementary or secondary school student victim of a violent criminal offense committed on school grounds. Subtitle E: Miscellaneous - Modifies Federal criminal code provisions regarding additional grounds for issuing a warrant to specify that any notice required to be given may be delayed, pursuant to specified standards, terms, and conditions set forth elsewhere in the code, unless otherwise expressly provided by statute. (Sec. 1592) Directs the Federal Bureau of Investigation to study and report to Congress on specified issues regarding the Fuerzas Armadas de Liberacion Nacional Puertorriquena (FALN) and Los Macheteros terrorist organizations. (Sec. 1593) Requires the head of each Federal department, agency, and establishment to place anti-drug messages on appropriate Internet websites controlled by such department, agency, or establishment, an electronic hyperlink to the Internet website, if any, of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. (Sec. 1594) (This section and Sec. 1595 repeat Secs. 1581 and 1582) Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (the Act) to redesignate the Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994 as the Safe Schools Act of 1999. Revises the minimum one-year expulsion requirement for weapon possession on school property to include as an expellable offense possession of felonious quantities of an illegal drug on school property under the jurisdiction of, or in a vehicle operated by an employee or agent of, a local educational agency in that State. Revises compliance reporting datelines. (Sec. 1595) Authorizes a local educational agency to use certain Federal education program funds to pay the supplementary costs of attending another school (including a religious school) for any public elementary or secondary school student victim of a violent criminal offense committed on school grounds. (Sec. 1597) (Repeats Secs. 1553 and 1554) Amends CSA to increase the minimum sentences: (1) from one year to three years for a first offense of distributing controlled substances to persons under age 21, and from one to five years for a second offense; and (2) from one year to three years for a first offense of distributing them in or near a school, and from three to five years for a second offense. Title XVI: Protection From the Impact of Bankruptcy of Certain Electric Utilities - Emergency Imported Electric Power Price Reduction Act of 2000 - Declares that the Firm Power and Energy Contract with Hydro-Quebec dated December 4, 1987, as it exists on the date of enactment of this Act, shall be void 180 days after such date. (Sec. 1603) States that the parties to such contract are not precluded from amending it, or entering into a new contract after the date of enactment of this Act in a manner that is consistent with specified findings and purposes of this Act. (Sec. 1604) Grants only the Attorney General of a State in which electric power is provided under such contract standing to bring a civil enforcement action in U.S. district court. Title XVII: Consumer Credit Disclosure - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to require: (1) specified minimum payment warnings governing an open end credit plan on which finance charges are accruing; and (2) disclosure of a toll-free number to call for an estimate of the time required to repay the balance making only minimum payments. Requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to establish a toll-free number for the same purpose in the case of a creditor with respect to which the FTC is enforcing compliance with such Act. Directs the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Board) to promulgate implementing regulations. (Sec. 17101) Authorizes the Board to study and report to Congress on whether consumers have adequate information regarding borrowing activities that may result in financial problems. (Sec. 1702) Mandates additional disclosures where credit extensions secured by a dwelling exceed the dwelling's fair market value, stating that the interest on the excess portion of such extension is not tax deductible for Federal income tax purposes. (Sec. 1703) Requires specified additional disclosures for: (1) introductory rates and temporary annual percentage rates of interest; (2) Internet-based credit card solicitations; and (3) late payment deadlines and penalties. (Sec. 1706) Prohibits a creditor from terminating an open end consumer credit account before its expiration date solely because finance charges have not been incurred on such account. (Sec. 1707) Authorizes the Board to study and report to Congress on certain consumer protections limiting consumer liability for unauthorized use of a debit card or similar access device. (Sec. 1708) Instructs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the impact that credit extensions to dependent students have upon the rate of bankruptcy cases filed under Federal law.

Mandatory IDEA Full Funding Act of 2000

United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2000

Mandatory IDEA Full Funding Act of 2000 - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to require specified minimum levels of Federal grant payments to States for assistance for education of all children with disabilities.

Medicaid and SCHIP Improvement and Flexibility Act of 2000

United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2000

Medicaid and SCHIP Improvement and Flexibility Act of 2000 - Amends titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to mandate: (1) development and use of a uniform, simplified application form for establishing eligibility for Medicaid and SCHIP benefits; and (2) coordinated enrollment processes. (Sec. 2) Provides for the expanded availability of funding for administrative costs related to certain outreach and eligibility determinations under Medicaid and SCHIP with regard to children and pregnant women. Directs the Secretary to establish a procedure with regard to the participation of local and community-based public or nonprofit organizations in outreach and enrollment activities if States do not otherwise obligate the amounts made available under this Act. Sets forth a special rule for certain enrollment and outreach activities providing for use of three percent of SCHIP funds at a 90 percent Federal match for such activities. Amends SSA title XIX to provide for additional entities (including elementary and secondary schools, child support enforcement agencies, and child care resource and referral agencies) that are qualified to determine Medicaid presumptive eligibility for low-income children. (Sec. 3) Amends SSA title XXI to require a State health plan, to the extent it provides coverage other than under the State's Medicaid plan, to provide a three-month grace period before disenrollment for nonpayment of premiums, as well as an opportunity for a hearing on the matter. Prohibits State child health plan eligibility standards from permitting the use of mandatory waiting periods, unless the Secretary finds that such a period would not be contrary to title XXI. (Sec. 4) Amends SSA title XIX to provide for: (1) automatic reassessment of eligibility for SCHIP and Medicaid benefits for children losing Medicaid or SCHIP eligibility; (2) optional SCHIP coverage of low-income, uninsured pregnant women; (3) State option to cover qualified alien children under the Medicaid and SCHIP programs; (4) elimination of the funding offset for exercise of the presumptive eligibility option; (5) automatic enrollment of children born to targeted low-income pregnant women receiving pregnancy-related assistance under such programs; and (6) SCHIP and Medicaid program coordination with the Maternal and Child Health Services program under SSA title V. (Sec. 5) Provides that amounts allotted to a State under SCHIP under the three-year availability of amounts allotted for FY 1998 and 1999 shall remain available through September 30, 2002. (Sec. 6) Amends SSA title XXI for the stated purpose of permitting an increased share of SCHIP funds to be expended for prevention programs that ensure healthy childhoods and quality prenatal health care. (Sec. 7) Amends SSA title XIX for the stated purpose of providing for the use of SCHIP funds for an enhanced matching rate for coverage of additional children under Medicaid.

Congratulating home educators and home schooled students across the Nation for their ongoing contributions to education and for the role they play in promoting and ensuring a brighter, stronger future for this Nation, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2000

Congratulates and honors home educators and home schooled students for their contributions to educational quality. Supports the goals of National Home Education Week.

District of Columbia Appropriations Act, 2001

United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2000

District of Columbia Appropriations Act, 2001 - Makes appropriations for the District of Columbia for FY 2001, including amounts for the Federal payments: (1) for District of Columbia Resident Tuition Support; (2) for incentives for adoption of children; (3) for the commercial revitalization program; (4) to the District of Columbia Public Schools; (5) to the Department of Human Services for a new community service center for homeless, runaway and at-risk youth; (6) to the District of Columbia Corrections Trustee Operations; (7) to the District of Columbia Courts; (8) to the Defender Services in District of Columbia Courts; (9) to the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia; (10) for construction of a Metrorail station to be located at New York and Florida Avenues, Northeast; and (11) to reimburse the District for expenses incurred in connection with presidential inauguration activities. Appropriates specified sums out of the District's general fund (and other funds, in some cases) for the current fiscal year for: (1) operating expenses (with certain limits); (2) the District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Authority (Authority); (3) governmental direction and support; (4) economic development and regulation; (5) public safety and justice; (6) the public education system; (7) human support services; (8) public works; and (9) receivership programs. Amends the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to establish an interest-bearing contingency cash reserve fund into which the Mayor shall deposit in cash by FY 2006 (and incrementally until then) at least three percent of the total budget appropriated for operating expenditures for the fiscal year. Requires full replenishment of the fund each fiscal year. Limits the use of the fund to non-recurring or unforeseen needs arising during the fiscal year, including expenses associated with unforeseen weather or other natural disasters, unexpected liability created by Federal law or new public safety or health needs or requirements identified after the budget process has occurred, or opportunities to achieve cost savings. Allows use of the fund to cover revenue shortfalls experienced for cash receipts that are at least five percent below forecast for three consecutive months (based on a two-month rolling average). Prohibits use of such fund for shortfalls in projected reductions included in the District's proposed budgets. Conditions any use of the fund on the Chief Financial Officer's analysis and the exhaustion of all other surplus funds available. Establishes an interest- bearing emergency cash reserve fund into which the Mayor shall deposit in cash by FY 2008 (and incrementally until then) at least four percent of the total budget appropriated for operating expenditures for the fiscal year. Requires full replenishment of the fund each fiscal year. Limits the use of the emergency reserve fund to unanticipated and non-recurring extraordinary needs of an emergency nature, including a natural disaster or calamity or unexpected liability by Federal law. Prohibits use of such fund for: (1) District agency receiverships; (2) shortfalls in projected reductions in the District's proposed budgets; or (3) settlements and judgments by or against the District government. Amends the District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Act of 1995 to repeal current requirements for a positive reserve fund balance. Appropriates funds for: (1) repayment of loans and interests; (2) repayment of general fund recovery debt; (3) payment of interest on short-term debt; (4) reimbursement for necessary expenses incurred in connection with presidential inauguration activities; (5) lease payments in accordance with the Certificates of Participation involving the land site underlying the building located at One Judiciary Square; (6) expenses associated with the John A. Wilson Building; (7) optical and dental insurance payments; (8) management supervisory service; (9) the implementation of a Cafeteria Plan; (10) the Water and Sewer Authority and the Washington Aqueduct; (11) the Lottery and Charitable Games Enterprise Fund; (12) the Sports and Entertainment Commission; (13) the District of Columbia Health and Hospitals Public Benefit Corporation; (14) the District of Columbia Retirement Board; (15) the Correctional Industries Fund; (16) the Washington Convention Center Enterprise Fund; and (17) capital outlay (including rescissions). Transfers specified funds to the Tobacco Settlement Trust Fund to be spent pursuant to local law. Requires the Mayor and District Council to make reductions of specified amounts for operational improvements savings and for management reform savings in local funds to one or more of the appropriation headings in this Act. Sets forth authorizations as well as limitations and prohibitions on the uses of appropriations under this Act, and directives to the Mayor, the Council, and the Board of Education identical with or similar to those in the District of Columbia Appropriations Act, 2000. (Sec. 121) Prohibits the expenditure of funds appropriated under this Act for abortions except where the mother's life would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term or in cases of rape or incest. (Sec. 122) Bars the use of funds made available by this Act to implement or enforce: (1) the District of Columbia Health Care Benefits Expansion Act of 1992 (also known as the District Domestic Partner Act); or (2) any system of registration of unmarried, cohabiting couples for purposes of extending them benefits on the same basis as such benefits are extended to legally married couples. (Sec. 124) Allows the Mayor to accept, obligate, and expend Federal, private, and other grants received by the District government that are not reflected in the amounts appropriated in this Act if the Chief Financial Officer reports to the Authority on detailed information regarding such grant, and the Authority approves such activity. Prohibits any obligation or expenditure from the general fund or other District government funds in anticipation of the approval or receipt of a Federal, private, or other grant not subject to this Act. (Sec. 129) Requires recipients of funds under this Act to comply with the Buy American Act. Expresses the sense of Congress that, to the greatest extent practicable, such funds should be used to purchase only American-made equipment and products. Declares a person ineligible to receive any contract made with funds provided under this Act if the person has been judicially determined to have intentionally affixed a "Made in America" label to a product that is not U.S.-made. (Sec. 133) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act for any program of distributing sterile needles or syringes for the hypodermic injection of any illegal drug. (Sec. 136) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act 60 days after its enactment to pay the salary of any chief financial officer of any District government office who has not filed a certification with the Mayor and the Chief Financial Officer that the officer understands the duties and restrictions applicable. (Sec. 137) Requires the proposed FY 2002 budget of the District government to specify potential adjustments that might become necessary in the event that the management savings achieved by the District during the year do not meet the level of management savings projected. (Sec. 138) Requires any document showing the budget for a District government office that contains specified general, nondescriptive labels categorizing activities to include descriptions of the types of activities covered and a detailed breakdown of the amount allocated for each one. (Sec. 139) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act to enact or carry out any law, rule, or regulation to legalize or otherwise reduce penalties associated with the possession, use, or distribution of any schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act or any tetrahydrocannabinols (THC) derivative. Provides that the Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Initiative of 1998, also known as Initiative 59, approved by the electors of the District on November 3, 1998, shall not take effect. (Sec. 140) Declares that nothing in this Act bars the District of Columbia Corporation Counsel from reviewing or commenting on briefs in private lawsuits, or from consulting with officials of the District government regarding such lawsuits. (Sec. 141) Declares that nothing in the Federal Grant and Cooperative Agreements Act of 1977 may be construed to prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from negotiating and entering into cooperative agreements and grants which affect real property of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia, if the principal purpose of the agreement or grant is to provide comparable benefits for Federal and Non-Federal properties in the District of Columbia. (Sec. 142) Amends the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to direct the District of Columbia to conduct its financial management in accordance with a comprehensive financial management policy covering cash, debt, financial asset, emergency reserve management policies, and a policy for determining real property tax exemptions for the District of Columbia. Prescribes procedures for: (1) annual review of the comprehensive management policy by the Chief Financial Officer; and (2) development of the first such policy. (Sec. 143) Amends the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to outline the duties of the Chief Financial Officer in a non-control year or following the lapse of the District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Authority. (Sec. 144) Declares that employees of the District of Columbia government will only receive overtime compensation for time worked in excess of 40 hours per week. (Sec. 145) Authorizes the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency to continue to operate its ongoing drug-free workplace testing program during the period that its plan is being reviewed for approval by the Department of Health and Human Services. (Sec. 146) Requires the Mayor to report quarterly to specified congressional committees on the District's progress with respect to: (1) crime; (2) access to drug abuse treatment; (3) management of parolees and pre-trial violent offenders; (4) education; (5) improvement in basic District services, including rat control and abatement; (6) application for and management of Federal grants; and (7) indicators of child well-being.

A concurrent resolution recognizing the 25th anniversary of the enactment of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975

United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2000

Recognizes the 25th anniversary of the enactment of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975. Acknowledges the contributions of children with disabilities, their parents, teachers, related services personnel, and administrators. Reaffirms support for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act so that all children with disabilities have access to a free public education.

Recognizing the 25th anniversary of the enactment of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975.

United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2000

Recognizes the 25th anniversary of the enactment of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975. Acknowledges the contributions of children with disabilities, their parents, teachers, related services personnel, and administrators. Reaffirms support for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act so that all children with disabilities have access to a free public education.

Boise Laboratory Replacement Act of 2000

United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2000

Boise Laboratory Replacement Act of 2000 - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to sell or exchange the Boise (Idaho) laboratory (laboratory) site (as defined by this Act), and use the resultant funds to acquire land and facilities to: (1) colocate the laboratory with one of the Boise-area State institutions of higher learning; (2) replace other laboratory functions; and (3) acquire other land or interests in Idaho. Grants right of first refusal for the laboratory site to the University of Idaho or a related nonprofit organization, and provides, if such option is exercised, for Federal cooperation with the University to develop a multiagency research and education facility at such site.

Hospice Improvement Program Act of 2000

United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2000

Hospice Improvement Program Act of 2000 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish: (1) a Hospice Demonstration Program to increase the utility of Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act (SSA)) hospice services for Medicare beneficiaries; (2) a supportive and comfort care benefit for any eligible Medicare beneficiary for purposes of such program; (3) special rules for payment to any Medicare+Choice (SSA title XVIII part C) organization offering a Medicare+Choice plan in which a Medicare beneficiary that participates in such demonstration program is enrolled; and (4) a Hospital Education Grant program under which the Secretary awards education grants to entities participating in the demonstration program for the purpose of providing information about the Medicare hospice benefit and the benefits available to Medicare beneficiaries under the demonstration program. Provides for funding.

Supporting efforts to increase childhood cancer awareness, treatment, and research.

United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2000

Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should support: (1) efforts to promote awareness of cancer among children; (2) increased investment in childhood cancer research; (3) policies that provide incentives to encourage medical trainees and investigators to enter the field of pediatric oncology, that provide incentives to encourage the development of pediatric cancer drugs and biologics, and that encourage participation in clinical trials; and (4) medical education curricula designed to improve pain management for cancer patients.

Celebrating the birth of James Madison and his contributions to the Nation.

United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2000

Recognizes the historical significance of James Madison's birth, as well as his contributions to the Nation. Urges American patriotic and civil associations, labor organizations, schools, universities, historical societies, and communities of learning and worship, together with citizens throughout the United States, to develop appropriate programs and educational activities to recognize and celebrate the life and achievements of James Madison. Calls on the people of the United States to observe James Madison's life and legacy with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

To require the Secretary of Education to provide notification to States and State educational agencies regarding the availability of certain administrative funds to establish school safety hotlines.

United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2000

Directs the Secretary of Education to notify States and State educational agencies of their ability to use certain administrative funds, under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, to establish and operate school safety telephone hotlines.

Rural Law Enforcement Assistance Act of 2000

United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2000

Rural Law Enforcement Assistance Act of 2000 - Directs the Attorney General to annually make a grant to the National Center for Rural Law Enforcement if the Center's Executive Director certifies in writing that the Center: (1) is incorporated in accordance with applicable State laws; (2) is in compliance with its by-laws; (3) will use amounts made available in accordance with requirements of this Act; and (4) will not support any political party or candidate for elected or appointed office. Requires the Center to use such funds to develop an education and training program for rural law enforcement agencies for specified purposes, including: (1) the development and delivery of management education and training for employees of such agencies; and (2) the delivery of assistance (in a consulting capacity) to criminal justice agencies in the development and coordination of programs, training, and research relating to crime in rural areas. Permits the Center to use such funds to enhance that education and training program through specified means, including: (1) educational opportunities for rural law enforcement agencies; and (2) coordination with institutions of higher education to encourage programs of study at those institutions for employees of such agencies.