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Bill· HRH.R. 3831 (106th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2000
Fire Safe Dorm Act of 2000 - Title I: Obligations of Institutions of Higher Education - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require higher education institutions, in order to be eligible for Student Assistance programs, to: (1) keep records of, and disclose, incidents of fires in dormitories, as well as current fire prevention measures there; (2) disclose their plans to bring all campus residential facilities into compliance with specified fire safety standards; and (3) adopt, within ten years of enactment of this Act, plans to install fire sprinklers, smoke detectors, and open flame resistant furniture in dormitories, in compliance with such standards. Exempts from such sprinkler installation requirement any buildings or other structures listed on the National Register for Historic Places, if installation would destroy historic materials, features, and spatial relationships that characterize the historic nature of the property. Title II: Dormitory Fire Safety Standards - Directs the Administrator of the U.S. Fire Administration to: (1) establish fire safety standards for dormitories, including mandatory fire sprinklers, smoke detectors, and open flame resistant furniture and mattresses; and (2) encourage State and local authorities to adopt such standards.
Bill· HRH.R. 3827 (106th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2000
Amends the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1994 (which is title IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965) to allow local educational agencies to use all of specified funds they receive for comprehensive local drug and violence prevention programs to establish school-based partnerships between local law enforcement agencies and local school systems by using school resource officers (career law enforcement officers) who operate in and around elementary and secondary schools to combat school-related crime and disorder problems, gangs, and drug activities.
Bill· SS. 2137 (106th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2000
Holocaust Education Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make competitive grants to educational organizations to carry out educational programs about the Holocaust. Authorizes appropriations.
Bill· HRH.R. 3800 (106th)open
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2000
Combatting Illegal College and University Gambling Act - Directs the Attorney General to establish a panel, composed of Federal, State, and local government law enforcement officials, to conduct a study of illegal college sports gambling, including an analysis of: (1) its scope and prevalence; (2) the role of organized crime; (3) the role of State regulators and the legal sports books in Nevada in assisting law enforcement to uncover it; (4) the enforcement and implementation of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992; (5) the effectiveness of steps taken by institutions of higher education to reduce the problem; (6) the factors that influence the attitudes or levels of awareness of administrators, professors, and students about it; (7) the effectiveness of new countermeasures to reduce it; and (8) potential actions that could be taken by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to address it. (Sec. 4) Directs the Attorney General to submit to Congress a report on the study, including recommendations for: (1) Federal and State legislative actions, administrative or private sector actions, and actions by colleges, universities, and the NCAA to address the issue; and (2) intensive educational campaigns by the NCAA to assist in the effort to prevent illegal gambling on college sports.
Bill· SS. 2124 (106th)open
United States · United States Congress · 29 February 2000
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to establish a new title XII, Public School Repair and Renovation, which authorizes Federal financial assistance for the urgent repair and renovation of public elementary and secondary schools in high-need areas. (Replaces the current title XII, School Facilities Infrastructure Improvement, which is also known as the Education Infrastructure Act of 1994.) Requires high-need local educational agencies (LEAs) to use the title XII grants or loans they receive for repairs and renovations to reduce health and safety problems, and to improve the learning environment, with respect to: (1) roofs, electrical wiring, or plumbing repair or replacement; (2) heating, ventilation, or air conditioning systems' repair, replacement, or installation; (3) title XII repairs and renovations compliance with specified accessibility requirements of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; and (4) other types of school repairs and renovations that the Secretary of Education may reasonably determine are urgently needed, particularly projects to correct facilities problems that endanger the health and safety of students and staff. Requires title XII grant or loan applicants to demonstrate to the Secretary's satisfaction that they lack sufficient funds from other sources to carry out the repairs or renovations for which they are requesting assistance. Provides for the following types and portions of title XII assistance: (1) a specified amount reserved for allocated grants to LEAs with high concentrations of students living on Indian lands (which may be used for new school construction if renovating an existing school would not be cost-effective); (2) ten percent of the remainder for competitive grants to high-poverty LEAs (with at least a quarter of their students being from families with incomes below the poverty line); and (3) 90 percent of such remainder for competitive grants and loans to high-need LEAs that lack the ability to fund urgent school repairs (with a limitation on the amount of the loan volume). Authorizes appropriations. Prohibits title XII assistance for repair or renovation of athletic stadiums or other structures or facilities intended primarily for athletic events for which admission is charged to the general public.
Bill· SS. 2123 (106th)open
United States · United States Congress · 29 February 2000
Conservation and Reinvestment Act of 1999 - Requires: (1) Governors of each State receiving monies from the Conservation and Reinvestment Act Fund (established under this Act) to report on June 15 of each year to the Secretaries of the Interior or of Agriculture, as appropriate, accounting for the money received for the previous fiscal year, including the funded projects and activities; and (2) the Secretary of the Interior to report annually to Congress on monies the Departments of the Interior and of Agriculture have spent out of the Fund, including a summary of such Governors' reports. (Sec. 5) Establishes the Conservation and Reinvestment Act Fund (CRAF). Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit into CRAF certain Outer Continental Shelf revenues, undisbursed amounts under title I of this Act, and certain interest earned on CRAF investments. Transfers all amounts deposited into the CRAF as follows: (1) to the Secretary of the Interior for payment of $1 billion to States for impact assistance and coastal conservation, $125 million for the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Act of 1978, $100 million for the National Historic Preservation Act, and $150 million ($100 million for permanent conservation easement and $50 million for endangered and threatened species recovery); (2) to the Secretaries of the Interior and of Agriculture for payment of $200 million for Federal and Indian land restoration; (3) to the Land and Water Conservation Fund in the amount of $900 million; and (4) to the Federal Aid to Wildlife Restoration Fund (FAWRF) established under the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act in the amount of $350 million. Provides that any shortfalls less than $2.825 billion in a fiscal year, after FY 2000, proportionally reduce such sums for that fiscal year. (Sec. 6) Limits the amount available for administrative expenses to two percent. Provides that nothing in this Act shall affect the prohibition contained in the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act (as amended by this Act) that bars the use of funds transferred to the FAWRF by this Act for administrative or execution of program expenses. (Sec. 7) Requires off-budget treatment of the receipts and disbursements of funds under this Act. (Sec. 9) Prohibits a State or local government from receiving funds under this Act during any fiscal year: (1) when its expenditures of non-Federal funds for recurrent expenditures for programs for which such funding is provided will be less than its expenditures were for such programs during the preceding fiscal year; or (2) for a program unless the Secretary of the Interior is satisfied that such a grant will be used to supplement and, to the extent practicable, increase the level of State, local, or other non-Federal funds available for such program. Exempts a State or local government from such prohibition if the Secretary determines that a reduction in expenditures is attributable to a non-selective reduction in the expenditures in the programs of all executive branch agencies of such entity. Treats all funds received by a State or local government under this Act as Federal funds for purposes of compliance with provisions in effect under other law requiring that non-Federal funds be used to provide a portion of the funding for any program or project. (Sec. 11) Prohibits: (1) the taking of private property in whole or in part, without just compensation; and (2) Federal agencies, using funds appropriated by this Act, from applying any regulation on any lands until the lands or water or an interest therein is acquired, unless authorized to do so by another Act of Congress. (Sec. 12) Requires the Secretary of the Interior to design a standardized sign and, where appropriate, require its installation at sites receiving funds under this Act. Title I: Impact Assistance and Coastal Conservation - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to allocate such transferred CRAF payments to coastal States for impact assistance and coastal conservation only if such States have: (1) a Secretary-approved Coastal State Conservation and Impact Assistance Plan; (2) agreed to provide specified reports; and (3) certain necessary fiscal control and fund accounting procedures. (Sec. 101) Sets forth the formula for allocating such funds to coastal States and coastal political subdivisions. (Sec. 102) Requires the development and submission of a Coastal State Conservation and Impact Assistance Plan by each coastal State seeking to receive grants under this title (and in the case of a producing State, the Governor) to incorporate the plans of the coastal political subdivisions into the Statewide plan for transmittal to the Secretary of the Interior for approval or disapproval before the disbursement of CRAF funds. Specifies authorized uses of the CRAF funds. Title II: Land and Water Conservation Fund Revitalization - Amends the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to provide that all CRAF funds transferred to the Land and Water Conservation Fund shall be covered into the Fund. (Sec. 203) Makes $900 million available each fiscal year after FY 2001 for expenditure without further appropriation, to be allocated as follows: (1) 50 percent for Federal purposes; and (2) 50 percent for State grants. (Sec. 205) Prohibits the obligation or expenditure of the Federal portion of such funds for any land or water interest acquisition except those specified and approved by Congress in the appropriate appropriations Act. Prescribes: (1) a procedure for preparing and transmitting to Congress of a list of proposed Federal acquisitions; and (2) notification to specified officials of affected areas with respect to such proposed acquisitions. (Sec. 206) Revises the formula used to allocate amounts made available for State purposes from the Fund each fiscal year. Makes all federally recognized Indian tribes and Native Corporations eligible to receive shares of such apportionment in accordance with a competitive grant program established by the Secretary of the Interior. Requires each State, with an exception, to make available as grants to local governments at least 50 percent of its annual apportionment or an equivalent amount made available from other sources. (Sec. 207) Revises the requirement that a State have a comprehensive statewide outdoor recreation plan as a prerequisite to consideration by the Secretary of the Interior of financial assistance for acquisition or development projects. Allows each State to define its own priorities and criteria for selection of outdoor conservation and recreation acquisition and development projects eligible for grants under this Act if it provides for public involvement in this process and publishes an accurate and current State Action Agenda for Community Conservation and Recreation, within five years after enactment of this Act, indicating the needs it has identified and the priorities and criteria it has established. Allows an existing Comprehensive State Plan to remain in effect until the appropriate State adopts a State Action Agenda. (Sec. 209) Requires the Secretary to approve, subject to certain conditions, the conversion of property (other than for public outdoor recreation use) acquired or developed with assistance under the Act only if the State demonstrates no prudent or feasible alternative exists. Exempts from such requirement those properties that no longer meet the criteria within the State Plan or Agenda as an outdoor conservation and recreation facility due to changes in demographics, or that must be abandoned because of environmental contamination which endangers public health and safety. (Sec. 210) Provides that nothing in this title shall affect any State or Federal water law or an interstate compact governing water, alter any allocations of water rights, or create any new water rights. Title III: Wildlife Conservation and Restoration - Amends the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act (FAWRA) to require CRAF funds transferred for FAWRA purposes to be deposited in a new subaccount in the FAWRF, to be made available without further appropriation, for apportionment in each fiscal year for State wildlife conservation and restoration programs. (Sec. 304) Sets forth requirements for: (1) apportionment of such subaccount funds; (2) applications for approval of, and development grants for, State wildlife conservation and restoration programs; and (3) coordination. Prohibits such funds from being used for expenses incurred in the administration and execution of programs. Limits to ten percent the use of such funds for wildlife-associated recreation. (Sec. 305) Allows the subaccount funds to be used for a wildlife conservation education program. Exempts education efforts, projects, or programs that promote or encourage opposition to the regulated taking of wildlife. (Sec. 306) Prohibits a State from receiving FAWRA matching funds if it diverts any funds from wildlife conservation purposes. Title IV: Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Program Amendments - Amends the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Act of 1978 to make transferred CRAF funds available to the Secretary of the Interior, without further appropriation, to assist local governments in improving their park and recreation systems. Sets forth limits on the use of such funds. (Sec. 404) Provides for the development of new recreation areas and facilities (including the acquisition of lands for such development) under the urban park and recreation recovery program. (Sec. 406) Revises requirements for: (1) Federal assistance grant eligibility; (2) matching grants to local governments for rehabilitation, development, and innovation purposes; (3) local park and recreation recovery action programs; (4) State action incentives; and (5) conversion of recreation property for any other purposes other than public recreation purposes. (Sec. 411) Repeals sunset provisions and congressional reporting requirements with respect to: (1) the impact of the urban park and recreation recovery program; and (2) the annual achievements of the innovation grant program. Title V: Historic Preservation Fund - Amends the National Historic Preservation Act to provide that amounts transferred from the CRAF each fiscal year shall be deposited into the Historic Preservation Fund to be available without further appropriation, in that fiscal year, to carry out the Act. (Sec. 501) Requires at least one half of the funds obligated or expended each fiscal year under this Act to be used for preservation projects on historic properties (giving priority to the preservation of endangered historic properties). (Sec. 502) Authorizes a State to provide financial assistance to the management entity for any national heritage area or national heritage corridor to support cooperative historic preservation planning and development. Title VI: Federal and Indian Lands Restoration - Makes CRAF funds transferred to the Secretaries of the Interior and of Agriculture available to be used as a dedicated source of funding for a coordinated program on Federal and Indian lands to restore degraded lands, protect resources that are threatened with degradation, and protect public health and safety. Allocates: (1) 60 percent to the Secretary of the Interior for lands within the National Park System, National Wildlife Refuge System, and public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management; (2) 30 percent to the Secretary of Agriculture for lands within the National Forest System; and (3) ten percent to the Secretary of the Interior for competitive grants to qualified Indian tribes (giving priority to projects based upon the protection of significant resources, the severity of damages or threats to resources, and the protection of public health). (Sec. 603) Requires the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) each establish priority lists for the use of funds (giving priority to projects based upon the protection of significant resources, the severity of damages or threats to resources, and the protection of public health or safety); and (2) jointly establish a coordinated program for tracking the progress of activities carried out with amounts made available by this title and determining the extent to which demonstrable results are being achieved. Title VII: Conservation Easements and Endangered and Threatened Species Recovery - Subtitle A: Conservation Easements - Provides that CRAF funds transferred to the Secretary of the Interior shall be used by the Secretary to establish the Conservation Easement Program to provide grants, under specified conditions, to an eligible entity (State or local government, an Indian Tribe, or certain private organizations) to provide the Federal share of up to 50 percent of the total cost of purchasing permanent conservation easements in land with prime, unique, or other productive uses. Subtitle B: Endangered and Threatened Species Recovery - Makes CRAF funds transferred from the CRAF for this title in a fiscal year available to the Secretary of the Interior without further appropriations, in that fiscal year, to provide financial assistance to persons for development and implementation of Endangered and Threatened Species Recovery Agreements entered into under this title. Requires the Secretary to give priority to the development and implementation of Agreements that: (1) implement actions identified under recovery plans approved by the Secretary; (2) have the greatest potential for contributing to the recovery of an endangered or threatened species; and (3) require use of the assistance on land owned by a small landowner or on a family farm by the owner or operator. (Sec. 713) Prohibits the Secretary from providing financial assistance for any action that is required by a permit or an incidental take statement issued under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 or that is otherwise required under Federal law. (Sec. 714) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into such Agreements and sets forth Agreement requirements, including: (1) requiring activities not otherwise mandated by law that contribute to species recovery; and (2) specifying species recovery goals. Requires the Secretary to review Agreements in compliance, periodically monitor the implementation of each Agreement, and disburse financial assistance to implement the Agreement.
Bill· SS. 2119 (106th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 February 2000
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to allow training for teachers in the use of technology to be assisted with program funds under part B (State and Local Activities) of title II (Dwight D. Eisenhower Professional Development Program). Requires eligible partnerships, for purposes of certain types of ESEA title II assistance, to include: (1) a high-need local educational agency; (2) a school of arts and sciences; and (3) an institution that prepares teachers. Allows such partnerships also to include other local educational agencies, a public charter school, a public or private elementary school or secondary school, an educational service agency, a public or private nonprofit educational organization, or a business.
Bill· SS. 2121 (106th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 February 2000
Rural Education Initiative Act of 1999 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to establish a new part J, Rural Education Initiative (REI), under title X Programs of National Significance. (Replaces the current part J, Urban and Rural Education Assistance and its provisions for demonstration grants for, and White House Conferences on, urban and rural education.) Establishes an REI subpart 1 Small and Rural School Program. Makes an local educational agency (LEA) eligible for alternative use formula grants from States, and for direct grants from the Secretary of Education if: (1) the total number of students in average daily attendance at all of the schools served by the LEA is less than 600; and (2) all of the schools served by the LEA are located in a rural community (with a Rural-Urban Continuum Code of 6, 7, 8, or 9; but allows waiver of this requirement where the LEA is certified as located in a rural area by a State agency). Provides, under the alternative use formula grant program, that an eligible LEA may use applicable funding that it is eligible to receive from the State educational agency (SEA) for a fiscal year to support local or statewide education reform efforts intended to improve the achievement of elementary school and secondary school students and the quality of instruction provided for the students. Defines applicable funding as funds received under the following ESEA provisions: (1) title II (Dwight D. Eisenhower Professional Development Program); (2) title IV (Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities); (3) title VI (Innovative Education Program Strategies); (4) part A and part C of title VII; and (5) part I of title X. Requires each SEA receiving applicable funding to disburse it to LEAs for alternative uses at the same times it disburses it to LEAs that do not intend to use it for alternative uses for that fiscal year. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to eligible LEAs to support local or statewide education reform efforts intended to improve the achievement of elementary school and secondary school students and the quality of instruction provided for the students. Sets forth formulas for determining the amounts of such grants, based on numbers of children in average daily attendance at schools served by the LEAs, minus amounts received under applicable funding. Sets forth accountability requirements. Requires LEAs that receive REI alternative use formula grants or competitive grants to administer tests to assess the academic achievement of students in their schools. Requires each SEA that receives applicable funding to: (1) determine, after the second year of an LEA's participation in either subpart 1 grant program, whether the LEA's students performed in accordance with specified requirements; and (2) only allow continued participation by LEAs that met certain requirements. Establishes an REI subpart 2 Low-Income and Rural School Program. Directs the Secretary to make grants to SEAs for elementary and secondary education development by LEAs that are eligible if: (1) 20 percent or more of the children aged five through 17, whom the LEA serves, are from families with incomes below the poverty line; and (2) all of the schools served by the LEA are located in a rural community (with a Rural-Urban Continuum Code of 6, 7, 8, or 9). Reserves a specified portion of grant funds for schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Sets forth an allotment formula for grants to State educational agencies (SEAs) to make grants to eligible LEAs. Authorizes the Secretary to make direct competitive grants to specially qualified eligible rural LEAs in nonparticipating States. Requires LEAs or their schools to use grant funds for: (1) educational technology, including software and hardware; (2) professional development; (3) technical assistance; (4) teacher recruitment and retention; (5) parental involvement activities; or (6) academic enrichment programs. Requires SEAs to award grants on a competitive or formula basis. Limits to five percent that portion of a subpart 2 grant which may be used for State administrative costs. Requires subpart 2 program reports by SEAS, specially qualified LEAs, and the Secretary. Authorizes appropriations. Requires that such amounts for REI be distributed equally between the subpart 1 and subpart 2 programs.
Bill· SS. 2120 (106th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 February 2000
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education, under title II (Dwight D. Eisenhower Professional Development Program) part A (Federal Activities), to award competitive grants to rural eligible local educational agencies to develop incentive programs to: (1) recruit and retain qualified teachers; and (2) provide high-quality professional development to teachers.
Bill· SS. 2116 (106th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 February 2000
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to establish Teacher Corps Programs (TC programs) as a new part E under title II (Dwight D. Eisenhower Professional Development Program). Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive five-year grants to applicant Collaboratives to establish TC programs. Requires such a Collaborative to contain at least one agency or institution, located in the State in which the Collaborative is established, in each of these categories: (1) the State educational agency (SEA) or the State agency for teacher licensure or certification; (2) a local educational agency (LEA) or an LEA consortium serving high-need elementary and secondary schools (high-need schools, based on specified criteria); and (3) a higher education institution with documented success in teacher preparation. Allows a Collaborative to include other members, such as a tribal college, community college, nonprofit organization, or professional education organization. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish grant application peer review panels, composed of professional educators, representatives of parent, teacher, and community groups, and other individuals the Secretary deems necessary; (2) give priority to applications from Collaboratives that have documented experience with high-quality preservice or in-service teacher training programs and that are located in States that have developed, or are developing, systems of incentives to encourage effective teachers and strong teaching candidates to teach in high poverty urban or rural areas; and (3) ensure an equitable geographic distribution of grants among U.S. regions and among Collaboratives representing LEAs serving high-need schools. Requires such a grant to be for a five-year period. Sets forth TC program requirements relating to recruitment, curriculum, placement, and evaluation of corps members. Allows certain discretionary activities. Requires Collaboratives to develop program plans that include: (1) strategies and criteria for identifying and selecting mentor teachers for corps members; (2) specifics on compensation for mentor teachers and corps members; (3) assurances of corps member placements in highest-need schools, with subject area and grade level teaching qualifications, in teams, and with no more than 12 members assigned to any one mentor teacher; (4) project evaluation and accountability systems; and (5) a demonstration of how the Collaborative will continue the TC program beyond the duration of the grant. Requires Collaboratives to establish standards for accepting individual corps members. Sets forth a variety of academic, work experience, and other achievement and commitment qualifications, and exemptions, by which candidates may be accepted in a TC program. Categorizes such qualifications according to whether the candidate: (1) intends to teach at the elementary or at the secondary school level; and (2) has applied to a TC program within three years of graduation from a higher education institution or after a longer period. Requires each corps member to commit to three years of full-time teaching in a school or district served by an LEA participating in a Collaborative eligible for funds under this Act. Requires corps members who leave their assigned school districts before the end of such period to reimburse the Department of Education for the amount of the Federal share of the cost of the corps member's participation in the TC program. Requires a Collaborative to include in its grant application information on a method of accountability to assure return of the Federal share. Allows a Collaborative to submit a claim for such a corps member to reimburse it for its share of such cost. Allows such reimbursement amounts to be: (1) proportionally reduced after two years of service; and (2) waived in cases of severe hardship. Requires State agencies for teacher certification or licensures in States with TC Collaborative programs to: (1) ensure that corps members will have and the TC program will provide academic requirements necessary for permanent certification or licensure; and (2) work with the Collaborative to ensure it uses high-quality methods and establishes high-quality requirements concerning alternative routes to such certification. Requires LEAs in a Collaborative to: (1) give hiring priority to teachers who have successfully completed a TC program; and (2) try to place corps members in schools with the greatest need for qualified teachers. Requires each Collaborative to: (1) submit specified information in annual evaluation reports to the Secretary; and (2) provide a proportionally larger share of TC program cost with each succeeding year of the five-year grant period. Authorizes appropriations.
Bill· SS. 2122 (106th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 February 2000
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, with respect to authorized State- level uses of certain funds under the title II Dwight D. Eisenhower Professional Development Program, to include: (1) programs that include support during the initial teaching experience, such as mentoring programs with specified required criteria; and (2) programs, with certain required components, that establish, expand, or improve alternative routes to State certification of teachers for highly qualified individuals with baccalaureate degrees who demonstrate the potential to become highly effective teachers.
Bill· SS. 2118 (106th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 February 2000
Amends title VIII (Impact Aid) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to revise a formula for computing certain weighted student units for purposes of basic support payments to local educational agencies for eligible federally connected children.
Bill· HRH.R. 3732 (106th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 February 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.)
Bill· HRH.R. 3705 (106th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 February 2000
Public School Repair and Renovation Act of 2000 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to establish a new title XII, Public School Repair and Renovation, which authorizes Federal financial assistance for the urgent repair and renovation of public elementary and secondary schools in high-need areas. (Replaces the current title XII, School Facilities Infrastructure Improvement, which is also known as the Education Infrastructure Act of 1994.) Requires high-need local educational agencies (LEAs) to use the title XII grants or loans they receive for repairs and renovations to reduce health and safety problems, and to improve the learning environment, with respect to: (1) roofs, electrical wiring, or plumbing repair or replacement; (2) heating, ventilation, or air conditioning systems' repair, replacement, or installation; (3) asbestos removal or abatement; (4) school compliance with fire safety codes; (5) title XII repairs and renovations compliance with specified accessibility requirements of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; and (6) other types of school repairs and renovations that the Secretary of Education may reasonably determine are urgently needed, particularly projects to correct facilities problems that endanger the health and safety of students and staff. Requires title XII grant or loan applicants to demonstrate to the Secretary's satisfaction that they lack sufficient funds from other sources to carry out the repairs or renovations for which they are requesting assistance. Provides for the following types and portions of title XII assistance: (1) a specified amount reserved for allocated grants to LEAs with high concentrations of students living on Indian lands (which may be used for new school construction if renovating an existing school would not be cost-effective); (2) ten percent of the remainder for competitive grants to high-poverty LEAs (with at least a quarter of their students being from families with incomes below the poverty line); and (3) 90 percent of such remainder for competitive grants and loans to high-need LEAs that lack the ability to fund urgent school repairs (with a limitation on the amount of the loan volume). Authorizes appropriations. Prohibits title XII assistance for repair or renovation of athletic stadiums or other structures or facilities intended primarily for athletic events for which admission is charged to the general public.
Bill· HRH.R. 3702 (106th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 February 2000
Recruit and Reward Future Math and Science Teachers of America Act of 2000 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a pilot program for recruitment and training of future secondary school mathematics and science teachers. Makes available 500 scholarship grants and stipends to outstanding students enrolled in nationally accredited teacher training graduate programs who are committed to pursuing such careers in secondary school mathematics and science teaching. Authorizes appropriations. Designates funds under this Act as National Math and Science Teacher Scholarships. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award funds for such scholarships on a competitive basis to qualifying higher education institutions with graduate programs in teacher training. Limits the amount of such funds in any academic year which may be awarded to any individual higher education institution. Makes an institution eligible for such funds only if it is ranked by the Secretary in the top 25 percent of schools in its State with the highest percentage of graduates passing the State teacher qualification assessment for new teachers. Directs the Secretary to give priority to eligible institutions that have one or more of these: (1) a year-long internship program in a professional development school; (2) mentoring programs for novice teachers in their first three years; (3) a history of placing graduates in rural and urban schools; and (4) a high retention rate of teachers that the institution places in teaching positions. Sets forth eligibility requirements for individual scholarships. Limits the scholarship amount per student to $10,000 per academic year. Requires scholarship recipients to agree to teach in an urban or rural public secondary school for at least three full academic years, or repay the pro rata amount of awards received, plus interest, for any failure to fulfill such obligation. Sets forth exceptions to such repayment requirements.
Resolution· HCONRESH.Con.Res. 257 (106th)open
United States · United States Congress · 29 February 2000
Condemns the repressive anti-Baha'i policies and actions of the Government of Iran. Continues to hold such Government responsible for upholding the rights of all its nationals in a manner consistent with Iran's obligations under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and other international agreements guaranteeing the civil and political rights of its citizens. Expresses concern that individual Baha'is continue to suffer from severely repressive and discriminatory government actions, including executions and death sentences, solely on account of their religion. Urges the Government of Iran to: (1) permit Baha'i students to attend and Baha'i faculty to teach at Iranian universities, return property confiscated from the Baha'i Open University (OU), free imprisoned faculty members of OU, and permit OU to continue to function; (2) implement fully the conclusions and recommendations on the emancipation of the Iranian Baha'i community made by the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance, Professor Abdelfattah Amor, in his March 1996 report to the UN Commission of Human Rights; and (3) extend to the Baha'i community the rights guaranteed by UDHR and the international covenants of human rights. Calls upon the President to continue to: (1) assert the U.S. Government's concern regarding Iran's violations of the rights of its citizens, including members of the Baha'i community, along with expressions of its concern regarding the Iranian Government's support for international terrorism and its efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction; (2) emphasize that the United States regards the Iranian Government's human rights practices, particularly its treatment of such community and other religious minorities, as a significant factor in the development of the U.S. Government's relations with the Government of Iran; (3) emphasize the need for the UN Special Representative for Human Rights to be granted permission to enter Iran; (4) urge the Iranian Government to emancipate the Baha'i community by granting rights guaranteed by UDHR and the international covenants on human rights; and (5) encourage other governments to continue to appeal to the Iranian Government, and to cooperate with other governments and international organizations, including the UN, in efforts to protect the religious rights of the Baha'is and other minorities through joint appeals and other appropriate actions.
Bill· SS. 2108 (106th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2000
Campus Fire Safety Right to Know Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require each eligible institution participating in any program under title IV (Student Assistance) to: (1) prepare, publish, and distribute to all current students and employees, and to any applicant for enrollment or employment upon request, an annual fire safety report which discloses specified types of information about that institution's campus fire safety standards and practices; (2) make timely reports to the campus community on fires that are reported to local fire departments and the incidence of false fire alarms on campus, to aid in preventing similar occurrences; (3) maintain a log recording all fires reported to local fire departments and all false fire alarms, open to public inspection except where disclosure of such information is prohibited by law; and (4) submit annually to the Secretary of Education a copy of statistics on campus occurrences of fires and false fire alarms. Directs the Secretary to: (1) review such statistics; (2) make copies available to the public; (3) identify exemplary fire safety policies, procedures, and practices, and disseminate information concerning those policies, procedures, and practices that have proven effective in the reduction of campus fires; and (4) report to the Congress analyses of the current status of fire safety systems in college and university facilities, and of the appropriate fire safety standards to apply to these facilities, as well as cost estimates and recommendations.
Bill· SS. 2100 (106th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2000
College Fire Prevention Act - Authorizes appropriations for competitive grants to help provide fire sprinkler systems in student housing and dormitories. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award such grants to States, private or public colleges or universities, fraternities, or sororities to assist them in providing such systems. Requires grant recipients to provide matching funds equal to at least one-half of project costs. Directs the Comptroller General to gather, and report to Congress, data on the number of college and university housing facilities and dormitories that have and do not have fire sprinkler systems and other forms of built-in fire protection mechanisms.
Law· HRH.R. 3671 (106th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2000
Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs Improvement Act of 2000 - Title I: Wildlife Restoration - Amends the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act to specify the amounts authorized to be set aside for FY 2001 and thereafter for expenses of the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) in administering such Act. Authorizes any administrative portions remaining in a fiscal year to be apportioned among the States for purposes of such Act. Directs the Secretary to: (1) certify to the Secretary of the Treasury the amounts so apportioned as well as amounts obligated for administrative expenses; and (2) publish the amounts so certified in the Federal Register. Specifies authorized administrative uses of such amounts. Prohibits the Secretary from using such amounts to supplement any function for which general appropriations are made for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) or any other entity of the Department of the Interior (Department). Requires the Department's Inspector General to conduct biennial audits of such expenditures, and requires an annual expenditure certification report from the Secretary and the Assistant Director for Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs (Assistant Director) (established under this Act). Earmarks funds under such Act other than administrative funds for grants for hunter education programs, hunter and sporting firearm safety programs, and hunter development programs, including the construction or enhancement of firearm shooting and archery ranges. Limits to 75 percent the Federal share of any grant activity or program. Earmarks funds under such Act for multi-State conservation grants under which the Secretary makes grants that will benefit at least 26 States for wildlife restoration projects submitted each fiscal year by State fish and game departments acting through the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (Association). Prohibits grant funds from being used for activities that promote or encourage opposition to regulated hunting or trapping of regulated wildlife. Title II: Sport Fish Restoration - Amends the Federal Aid in Fish Restoration Act to make post-administrative amounts under such Act available each fiscal year to the Secretary for making multi-State (at least 26 States benefitting) conservation grants for sportfish restoration projects prepared and submitted by State fish and game departments acting through the Association. Prohibits grant funds from being used for activities that promote or encourage opposition to the regulated taking of fish. Earmarks fiscal year grant amounts for specified marine fisheries commissions. Specifies the amounts authorized to be set aside for FY 2001 and thereafter for expenses of the Secretary in administering such Act. Authorizes remaining administrative portions in a fiscal year to be apportioned among the States for purposes of such Act. Specifies authorized administrative uses of such amounts. Prohibits the Secretary from using such amounts to supplement any function for which general appropriations are made for the USFWS or another Department entity. Requires the Department's Inspector General to conduct biennial audits of such expenditures, and requires an annual expenditure certification report from the Secretary and the Assistant Director. Directs the Secretary to: (1) certify to the Secretary of the Treasury and each State fish and game department the amounts so apportioned as well as amounts obligated for administrative expenses; and (2) publish the amounts so certified in the Federal Register. Title III: Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs - Designates the programs established under the amended Acts as the Federal Assistance Program for State Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs. Establishes within the USFWS an Assistant Director for Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs to administer, manage, and oversee the wildlife and sport fish restoration programs under the amended Acts. Abolishes the position of Chief of the Division of Federal Aid of the Department of the Interior and places responsibilities of such position with the Assistant Director. Makes the Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks of the Department of the Interior ultimately responsible for the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs.
Bill· HRH.R. 3681 (106th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2000
Character Counts for the 21st Century Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide for character education programs and research under title X (Programs of National Significance) part A (Fund for the Improvement of Education). (Replaces current provisions for an elementary school counseling demonstration program and a partnerships in education pilot project.) Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make grants to State educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), or consortia of such educational agencies for the design and implementation of character education programs. Limits the duration of such a grant to not more than five years, with not more than one year for planning and program design. Directs the Secretary to make such grant awards to support programs that serve different geographic areas, including urban, suburban, and rural areas. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants, or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements with, SEAs, LEAs, institutions of higher education, tribal organizations, and other public or private agencies or organizations to carry out research, development, dissemination, technical assistance, and evaluation activities that support or inform character education programs assisted under this Act, including a national clearinghouse for information that may be useful to character education program participants and other educators and administrators nationwide.
Bill· HRH.R. 3692 (106th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2000
Agriculture Education Freedom Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the gross income of an individual any gain from the sale of any animal raised and sold by such individual as part of his or her participation in the 4-H program under the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service of the Department of Agriculture, the Future Farmers of America, any tax-exempt similar organization, or any program of a tax-exempt educational organization.
Bill· HRH.R. 3663 (106th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2000
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income payments made under Department of Defense education loan repayment programs to members of the armed forces and Selected Reserve with specified military and critical specialties and specified health and critical medical skills.
Bill· SS. 2067 (106th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2000
American's Math and Science Excellence Act - Authorizes the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to award competitive grants to support professional development in the use of information technology as it pertains to enhanced student learning for teachers who teach in elementary schools, secondary schools, or charter schools. Limits the duration of such grants to one year for individuals and three years for educational institutions. Requires the Director to consider, among the factors in determining such grant awards, whether: (1) the grant will benefit elementary schools, secondary schools, and charter schools that are at or below the 25th percentile for academic performance of schools in the respective State; and (2) private sector matching funds are available. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 4) Authorizes the NSF Director to award grants to secondary schools and institutions of higher education to establish student information technology internships. Limits the duration of such grants to three years. Requires the Director to ensure that: (1) any internship assisted by such a grant is conducted at a private sector entity; and (2) matching funds from the private sector are available in an amount equal to that of such grant funds. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 5) Requires the NSF Director to make grants to States to provide supplementary scholarships to students for study leading to a graduate degree in science, math, engineering, or a related field. Requires such scholarships to be awarded by the State higher education system, the State scholarship commission, or an equivalent State entity. Requires States to provide: (1) at least one-half of the scholarship program cost; and (2) assurances that at least two-thirds of the scholarships will be awarded to students who are members of families with a family income that is not more than 200 percent of the poverty line. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 6) Amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to establish a Twenty-First Century Teacher Enhancement Program within NIST to provide for professional development of mathematics and science teachers for elementary, middle, and secondary schools. Requires such program to: (1) provide math and science teaching strategies, self-confidence in math and science, and understanding of math and science and their impact on commerce and the economy; (2) focus on specified and other appropriate areas of NIST expertise; (3) be conducted annually during the summer months; and (4) provide for teachers' participation in activities at NIST laboratory facilities or use other means of accomplishing program goals. Authorizes appropriations.
Law· HRH.R. 3629 (106th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2000
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise requirements, under part A (Strengthening Institutions) of title III (Institutional Aid), for grant applications and awards under programs for: (1) American Indian Tribal Colleges and Universities; and (2) Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions. Requires regulations to prescribe a simplified and streamlined format for such program grant applications that takes into account the limited number of institutions that are eligible for assistance. Prohibits any Tribal College or University or Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian-serving institution that receives such program funds from concurrently receiving funds under other provisions of part A or part B (Strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities). Exempts such program grantees from a two-year wait-out-period requirement for eligibility for an additional grant. Directs the Secretary of Education, in awarding such grants, to ensure maximum and equitable distribution among all eligible institutions.
Bill· HRH.R. 3616 (106th)open
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2000
Impact Aid Reauthorization Act of 2000 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to reauthorize and revise title VIII Impact Aid programs. (Sec. 2) Adds as program purposes: (1) promotion of local educational agency (LEA) control of the assisted educational services for federally connected children; and (2) special construction assistance to LEAs as a result of their inability to tax Federal property. Eliminates the purpose of providing financial assistance to LEAs that experience sudden or substantial increases or decreases in enrollments because of military realignments. (Sec. 3) Revises the program of payments to LEAs relating to Federal acquisition of real property (which makes that property non-taxable) with respect to: (1) fiscal years in which insufficient funds are appropriated; (2) special payments; (3) additional assistance for certain LEAs; and (4) data requirements for preliminary and final payments. (Sec. 4) Revises the program of payments for eligible federally connected children. Includes under such program's LEA payment formula, as eligible children who resided on Federal property and had a parent on active duty in the uniformed services military personnel, those children who: (1) would have resided in housing on Federal property except that such housing was undergoing renovation or rebuilding for not more than two fiscal years (current law only refers to renovation); or (2) reside in housing initially acquired or constructed under the military Build-to-Lease program housing, if such property is within the fenced security perimeter of a military facility, with appropriate reductions in such payments with respect any such housing which is not federally-owned and which is subject to State or local taxation. (Sec. 5) Establishes a separate (rather than the current additional) program of basic support payments for LEAs heavily impacted by the presence of federally connected children in their schools. Prohibits an LEA from receiving a basic support payment under both the standard and the heavily impacted programs. Sets forth: (1) eligibility requirements for continuing and for new heavily impacted LEAs; and (2) maximum payment amounts for regular and for large heavily impacted LEAs. Sets forth a revised formula for computing each LEA's learning opportunity threshold (LOT), a factor used in determining actual amounts of basic support payments when sufficient funds are not available to pay the maximum amounts, in the case of LEAs with total enrollments of less than one thousand students and per-pupil expenditures less than their State average. (Sec. 6) Provides for basic support payments for certain LEAs affected by removal of Federal property, if such property is transferred to a non-Federal entity so that it is subject to State or local taxation and if such LEAs meet specified additional requirements. (Sec. 7) Repeals provisions for additional payments to LEAs with high concentrations of children with severe disabilities. (Sec. 8) Prohibits the Secretary of Education from accepting or approving any LEA application for Impact Aid filed more than 60 days after the Secretary sends written notice to the LEA. (Sec. 9) Repeals provisions for payments for sudden and substantial increases in attendance of military dependents. (Sec. 10) Revises requirements for eligibility for and allocation of school construction and renovation payments to certain categories of LEAs, including those receiving basic support payments and impacted by military dependent children or children living on Indian lands. Requires that 70 percent of specified funds be used for such construction payments, with the remaining 30 percent to be used for school facility modernization grants for specified types of LEAs. Sets forth award criteria for such grants, including certain emergency grants. (Sec.11) Revises provisions relating to Federal administration. (Sec. 12) Revises certain deadlines with respect to administrative hearings and judicial review. (Sec. 13) Includes under the definition of Federal property, as a basis of eligibility for Impact Aid payments, affordable housing assisted under the Native American Housing Assistance and Self- Determination Act of 1996. (Sec. 14) Extends the authorization of appropriations for Impact Aid programs, including: (1) payments for Federal acquisition of real property; (2) basic support payments for LEAs and for heavily impacted LEAs; (3) payments for children with disabilities; (4) construction; (5) facilities maintenance; and (6) additional assistance for certain LEAs impacted by Federal property acquisition. Repeals the authorization of appropriations for Impact Aid payments for increases in military children.
Bill· HRH.R. 3638 (106th)open
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2000
Arizona Education Trust Restoration Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior: (1) to enter into immediate consultations with the State of Arizona Land Department and the State of Arizona Selection Board to identify additional Federal lands in the State totaling approximately 22,000 acres that are under the Secretary's jurisdiction and are suitable for transfer to the State; (2) within 18 months after enactment of this Act, to transfer the identified lands to the State to be held in trust pursuant to the Arizona-New Mexico Enabling Act. Permits the Land Department, in conjunction with the Selection Board, if the Secretary fails to identify sufficient land for transfer or to complete such transfer within the specified period, to select and take ownership of such Federal lands in the State under the Secretary's jurisdiction and administered by the Bureau of Land Management as may be necessary to ensure that the total acreage transferred and claimed equals 22,000 acres.
Bill· HRH.R. 3619 (106th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2000
Bryan's Law - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to require institutions of higher education, if they participate in any program under title IV (Student Assistance) of ESEA, to notify parents concerning missing person reports about their children. Requires each such institution, after its campus police or security authority receives a report that a resident student younger than age 21 is missing, to make a preliminary investigation and if such authority cannot verify that the student is safe within 24 hours of receiving the report: (1) notify the student's parents, or if appropriate, any other individual listed as an emergency contact person for the student in its records, and the local police agency; and (2) cooperate with the local police agency regarding the investigation. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to waive such requirements upon the request of a State that has enacted a law with similar requirements. Declares that nothing in this Act may be construed to: (1) create a cause of action against any institution of higher education or its employees for any civil liability; or (2) establish any standard of care.
Law· SS. 2045 (106th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2000
American Competitiveness in the Twenty-first Century Act of 2000 - Increases available nonimmigrant H-1B specialty occupation visas for FY 2000 through 2002. (Sec. 3) Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to exempt from certain annual visa limitations an alien who is: (1) employed at an institution of higher education, or nonprofit or governmental research facility; or (2) a graduate degree recipient. (Sec. 4) Makes employment-based immigrant visas available on a quarterly basis without regard to per-country limitations if unused visas are available. (Sec. 5) Authorizes qualifying specialty occupation aliens to accept new employment upon filing of the employer petition. (Sec. 6) Provides one-year extensions of authorized H-1B stay for specialty occupation aliens in cases of permanent residence adjudications lasting 365 days or longer. (Sec. 7) Extends certain fee and labor application attestation and investigative authorities. (Sec. 8) Provides, with respect to nonimmigrant visa petitions subject to numerical limitations, for the restoration of fraudulently obtained visas, effective in the fiscal year of petition revocation. (Sec. 9) Directs the National Science Foundation to conduct a study of the divergence to high technology access (digital divide).
Bill· SS. 2046 (106th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2000
Next Generation Internet 2000 - Amends the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 to authorize appropriations to carry out the Next Generation Internet Program and Large Scale Networking Program (Federal electronic network research and development programs) for FY 2000 through 2003, including funds for the Department of Defense, the National Security Agency, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Earmarks at least: (1) ten percent of such amounts to fund research grants into the reduction of Internet access service costs to users in geographically remote areas; and (2) five percent of such amounts for grants to institutions of higher education that are Hispanic-serving, Native American, historically Black, or small colleges and universities. Directs the National Academy of Sciences to study and report to specified congressional committees on the extent to which the Internet backbone and infrastructure contribute to the uneven access to Internet-related technologies and services by rural and low-income Americans. Authorizes appropriations for the study.
Bill· SS. 2050 (106th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2000
Combatting Illegal College and University Gambling Act - Directs the Attorney General to establish a panel, composed of Federal, State, and local government law enforcement officials, to conduct a study of illegal college sports gambling, including an analysis of: (1) its scope and prevalence; (2) the role of organized crime; (3) the role of State regulators and the legal sports books in Nevada in assisting law enforcement to uncover it; (4) the enforcement and implementation of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992; (5) the effectiveness of steps taken by institutions of higher education to reduce the problem; (6) the factors that influence the attitudes or levels of awareness of administrators, professors, and students about it; (7) the effectiveness of new countermeasures to reduce it; and (8) potential actions that could be taken by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to address it. (Sec. 4) Directs the Attorney General to submit to Congress a report on the study, including recommendations for: (1) Federal and State legislative actions, administrative or private sector actions, and actions by colleges, universities, and the NCAA to address the issue; and (2) intensive educational campaigns by the NCAA to assist in the effort to prevent illegal gambling on college sports.
Record· NominationPN772 (106th)open
United States · United States Senate · 3 February 2000
Record· NominationPN759 (106th)open
United States · United States Senate · 2 February 2000
Bill· SS. 2023 (106th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2000
Savings for Working Families Act of 2000 - Title I: Individual Development Accounts For Low-Income Workers - Sets forth requirements for qualified individual development accounts (IDAs) for low-income workers, including: (1) the basic structure and administration of qualified IDA programs established by qualified financial institutions (QFIs) or qualified nonprofit organizations (QNOs); (2) procedures for opening an IDA with a QFI or a QNO and contributing money (of up to a certain amount, except in the case of qualified rollovers) in accordance with specified guidelines to qualify for matching funds from QFIs, QNOs, State, local, or private sources to be held in a parallel account; (3) QFI or QNO deposits of all matching funds (matched dollar-for-dollar for the first 500 contributed by an eligible individual to an IDA for any taxable year) for each IDA in a parallel, interest-bearing account at a QFI or QNO; (4) procedures for withdrawals from an IDA for qualified higher education expenses, first-time homebuyer costs, business capitalization costs, or rollovers to other IDAs of the individual or the individual's spouse or dependents; (5) certification to the Secretary of the Treasury or designated organization that qualified IDAs and other described accounts are operating pursuant to this Act, and termination of qualified IDA programs if the Secretary, or designated organization, determines that a QFI, or QNO, is not operating a qualified IDA program in accordance with this Act; and (6) reporting, monitoring, and evaluation requirements. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 105) Allows for withdrawal from an IDA for non-qualified expenses, but with forfeiture of all corresponding matching funds and interest earned on them, unless the withdrawn funds are recontributed within one year. (Sec. 108) Disregards funds in parallel accounts of program participants for purposes of certain means-tested Federal programs. Title II: Qualified Individual Development Account Program Investment Credits - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for a qualified IDA program investment by an eligible taxpayer (a QFI or a non-QFI meeting specified criteria) during the taxable year. (Sec. 202) Declares that QFIs which establish qualified IDA programs shall not receive credit for funding, administration, and education expenses under any test contained in regulations for the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 for those activities and expenses related to such programs and accounted for in the tax credit above. (Sec. 203) Authorizes an individual to designate that a specified portion of any overpayment of tax for a taxable year attributable to the earned income credit shall be deposited by the Secretary into the individual's IDA.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 409 (106th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2000
Supports the goals of Catholic Schools Week and congratulates Catholic schools, students, parents, and teachers for their contributions to education.
Bill· SS. 2012 (106th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2000
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow, in the case of an individual who is a teacher at an elementary or secondary school on a full-time basis, a tax credit (of up to $100) equal to the sum of the qualified elementary and secondary education expenses which are paid or incurred by the taxpayer during each taxable year. Defines such expenses.
Bill· HRH.R. 3542 (106th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2000
Greater Access to Distance Education Act of 2000 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require distance education demonstration programs to provide greater access to high quality distance education programs and orientation to distance education for adults, students, and underserved persons who traditionally have had little or no computer knowledge or training.
Bill· HRH.R. 3545 (106th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2000
IDEA Full Funding Act of 2000 - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to authorize funding to reach the Federal Government's goal of providing, by 2010, 40 percent of the national average per pupil expenditure for education of all children with disabilities. Authorizes appropriations for IDEA programs of assistance for education of all children with disabilities, in specified amounts for FY 2000 through 2010, and in such amounts as necessary for each subsequent fiscal year. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2000 through 2010 in certain amounts for IDEA programs for: (1) preschool grants; (2) infants and toddlers with disabilities; (3) State program improvement grants for children with disabilities; (4) personnel preparation to improve services and results for children with disabilities; and (5) technical and related assistance.
Bill· HRH.R. 3538 (106th)open
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2000
Transit Commuter Credit Act of 2000 - Title I: Credit for Public Transportation Commuting Expenses - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a credit for 20 percent ($150 maximum) of an individual's employment or education related public transportation commuting expenses. Title II: Modifications to Treatment of Foreign Oil and Gas Income - Treats certain taxes paid or accrued to a foreign country with respect to foreign oil and gas income as not creditable for purposes of the foreign tax credit. Treats foreign oil and gas extraction income, and foreign oil related income as separate income categories. Eliminates such categories' exclusion from income for specified purposes. (Changes references to foreign base company oil related income to foreign oil and gas income.) Title III: Limitations on Payments Under Defense Contracts - Prohibits use of Department of Defense funds to pay restructuring costs associated with the merger or acquisition of a Department contractor. Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1995 to extend a specified annual contractor restructuring reporting requirement. Sets forth additional information requirements for such report and a related report by the Comptroller General. Amends Federal law to set forth specified compensation limitations for Department contracts. Title IV: Repeal of Certain Incentives for Oil and Gas Exploration and Development and for Mining - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal: (1) expensing of intangible drilling and development costs for oil and gas wells and geothermal wells; (2) expensing of mine development and exploration costs; (3) percentage depletion for mines and wells, including oil and gas wells; and (4) the enhanced oil recovery credit. Title V: Repeal of Exclusion for Citizens or Residents of United States Living Abroad - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the foreign earned income and housing allowance gross income exclusion for U.S. citizens and residents abroad.
Bill· HRH.R. 3534 (106th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2000
Directs the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, in issuing experimental certificates for the operation of amateur-built aircraft, to treat as an amateur-built aircraft any aircraft the majority of which has been assembled by: (1) persons who undertook the construction project solely for their own education or recreation; or (2) their agents, if the fabrication and assembly work of the agents is inspected and approved by a certified airframe and powerplant mechanic and by an inspector located at a manufacturing inspection district office or a flight standards district office of the Administration. Directs the Administrator to designate not less than one inspector for each office to perform inspections and grant approvals.
Resolution· HCONRESH.Con.Res. 243 (106th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2000
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) all Americans should find out more about mental health services in their communities and seek mental health treatment when necessary; (2) the Secretary of Education should encourage, establish, and promote a mental health campaign in elementary and secondary schools across the Nation; and (3) the Federal Government has a responsibility to endeavor to raise awareness about mental health and continue to consider ways to improve access to, and the quality of, mental health services.
Bill· SS. 2004 (106th)open
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2000
Pipeline Safety Act of 2000 - Amends Federal pipeline safety law to authorize a State, by regulation, to require: (1) an operator of a pipeline facility (gas or hazardous liquid) to satisfy training and education requirements in addition to Federal qualification requirements under such Act; and (2) use of equipment to detect and locate pipeline releases of hazardous liquids or gases. Prohibits a State from regulating such activities if it unduly burdens interstate commerce or it lacks the resources or expertise to enforce regulation of the activity. (Sec. 3) Provides that State pipeline safety agreements may permit the State authority to: (1) require inspections and tests of pipeline facilities in addition to Federal pipeline safety requirements; (2) enforce those Federal requirements; (3) require, by regulation, the owner or operator of a pipeline facility to certify to the State that its safety procedure and accident response plans comply with such Federal requirements; and (4) regulate activities related to the safety of pipeline facilities provided certain conditions are met. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to approve an agreement submitted by a State authority not later than 90 days after its submission. Prohibits the Secretary from approving an agreement that would unduly burden interstate commerce or if the State authority lacks the resources or expertise necessary to carry out the agreement. Authorizes the Secretary, subject to specified conditions, to end an agreement if it is found that the State authority has not complied with the agreement. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary should aggressively pursue entry into pipeline safety agreements with States. Recognizes the State role in specified activities related to accident response and prevention. (Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary to include in Federal minimum safety standards for pipeline facilities a requirement that owners or operators of interstate pipeline facilities notify appropriate Federal, State, and local entities and individuals likely to be impacted by an accident of any inspection, testing, or rupture of a pipeline facility, or any release of a hazardous liquid or gas from such facility, including any related information. (Sec. 5) Directs the Secretary, not later than December 1, 2000, to set forth new Federal standards requiring the inspection of the internal and external condition of a pipeline facility at least once every five years. Requires the Secretary to notify those entities and individuals likely to be impacted by an accident involving an inspected pipeline facility of the results of such inspection. (Sec. 6) Revises Federal minimum safety standards for pipeline facilities to require pipeline operators to be: (1) tested for qualification to perform enumerated functions related to the installation, testing, and maintenance of a pipeline; and (2) certified as qualified by the Secretary of Transportation to perform such functions. Allows such standards to include a requirement that such individuals obtain additional education and training to qualify to perform such functions. (Sec. 7) Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on the inspection and placement of pipeline facilities. (Sec. 8) Authorizes appropriations for: (1) research and development of inspection devices and leak detection for pipeline facilities; and (2) State pipeline safety grants.
Bill· SS. 2009 (106th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2000
Rural Education Development Initiative for the 21st Century Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to make grants to States for elementary and secondary education development by local educational agencies (LEAs) that are eligible because they serve: (1) a school-age population of whom 15 percent or more are from families with incomes below the poverty line; and (2) a school district in a rural locality, or a school-age population of 800 or fewer. Reserves a specified portion of grant funds for schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Sets forth an allotment formula for grants to State educational agencies (SEAs) to make grants to eligible LEAs. Authorizes the Secretary to make direct competitive grants to specially qualified eligible rural LEAs in nonparticipating States. Requires LEAs or their schools to use grant funds for: (1) educational technology, including software and hardware; (2) professional development; (3) technical assistance; (4) teacher recruitment and retention; (5) parental involvement activities; or (6) academic enrichment programs or other education programs. Requires SEAs to award grants on a formula basis. Requires that at least 99 percent of such funds be awarded to eligible LEAs in the first year, and 99.5 in the second and in each succeeding year that an SEA receives such a grant. Allows the remainder to be used for State activities and administrative costs related to the grant program. Requires reports by SEAs, LEAs, and the Secretary. Directs the Secretary, at the end of the third year an SEA participates in the program, to permit continued participation only if the SEA has met its performance goals and objectives for two consecutive years. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on this Act's impact on student achievement. Authorizes appropriations.