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Resolution· HRESH.Res. 527 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 1996
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Food and Drug Administration should: (1) ensure that women with breast cancer and other women seeking breast reconstruction have enhanced access to silicone gel breast implants; (2) eliminate requirements that those women participate in clinical studies in order to obtain the implants; and (3) issue a definitive statement on the relationship (or lack thereof) between silicone gel breast implants and connective tissue disease, classic auto-immune symptoms, and other serious diseases.
Resolution· SRESS.Res. 295 (104th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 1996
Designates October 18, 1996, as National Mammography Day.
Bill· HRH.R. 4110 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 1996
Children Health Insurance Act of 1996 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, as amended by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, to: (1) require group health plans and health insurers to provide access to coverage for a participant's or beneficiary's qualifying children; and (2) impose a noncompliance excise tax. Amends the Code to provide a tax credit for an individual who purchases child health care coverage.
Bill· SJRESS.J.Res. 60 (104th)failed
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 1996
Disapproves the rule submitted by the Health Care Financing Administration on August 30, 1996, relating to hospital reimbursement under the Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 4100 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 1996
Medicare and Medicaid Hospital Self-Referral Amendments of 1996 - Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require hospitals participating in the Medicare or Medicaid programs to: (1) give notice of availability of providers as part of the discharge planning process; and (2) maintain and disclose information on certain referrals. Amends SSA title XI to provide for public disclosure of certain information on hospital financial interest and referral patterns by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Bill· SS. 2075 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 1996
Medigap Portability Act of 1996 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to Medicare supplemental policies, providing for additional consumer protections, among them: (1) guaranteeing policy issuance (with no preexisting condition exclusions and no discrimination in pricing because of the individual's health, claims experience, or disability) to certain individuals who have had continuous coverage (or no break in coverage longer than 63 days) if the policy in which they wish to enroll has a comparable or less generous benefits package; (2) prohibiting insurers from excluding benefits based on a pre-existing condition during the initial six-month enrollment period after an individual first becomes eligible for Medicare; and (3) extending the six-month initial enrollment period to non-elderly Medicare beneficiaries. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide grants to private, independent, nonprofit consumer organizations and State agencies applying to conduct programs to prepare and make available to Medicare beneficiaries comprehensive and understandable information on enrollment in health plans with a Medicare managed care contract and in Medicare supplemental policies in which they are eligible to enroll. Requires any eligible organization with a Medicare managed care contract or any issuer of a Medicare supplemental policy to conduct a consumer satisfaction survey of the enrollees under such contract or such policy and make the results of such survey available to the Secretary and the State Insurance Commissioner of the State in which the enrollees are so enrolled. Requires each organization which provides a Medicare managed care contract or issues a Medicare supplemental policy to pay to the Secretary its pro rata share of the estimated costs to be incurred in providing the grants. Makes necessary appropriations.
Bill· SS. 2067 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 1996
Provides for a three-year extension of certain Medicare community nursing organization demonstration projects under the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987.
Bill· HRH.R. 4069 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 1996
Graduate Medical Education Trust Fund Act of 1996 - Amends the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new title XXI (Teaching Hospital and Graduate Medical Education Trust Fund), which establishes in the Treasury the Teaching Hospital and Graduate Medical Education Trust Fund for formula payments to teaching hospitals for the direct and indirect costs of operating approved medical residency training programs. Authorizes appropriations. Provides for certain adjustments in Medicare payments under SSA title XVIII, removing medical education and disproportionate share hospital payments from calculation of adjusted average per capita cost. Establishes within the Department of Health and Human Services a National Advisory Council on Postgraduate Medical Education to advise the Secretary on appropriate policies for making postgraduate medical education support payments in order to assure an adequate supply of physicians trained in various specialties, consistent with the health care needs of the United States.
Bill· HRH.R. 4075 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Essential Access Community Hospital Program Title II: Capital Financing Assistance for Safety Net Providers Subtitle A: Amendments of Internal Revenue Code of 1986 Subtitle B: Capital Financing Assistance for Safety Net Providers Title III: Capital Allocation Plans Essential Health Facilities Investment Act of 1996 - Title I: Essential Access Community Hospital Program - Amends part A (Hospital Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) revise the Essential Access Community Hospital Program (EACH), extending EACH to all States and authorizing increased appropriations for EACH grants; and (2) establish a program of assistance (PA) for activities related to the formation of State and local community health networks. (Sec. 103) Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report on EACH and PA effectiveness in increasing medically underserved population health care. Title II: Capital Financing Assistance for Safety Net Providers - Subtitle A: Amendments of Internal Revenue Code of 1986 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to impose a tax on the hospital gross receipts of any person for the taxable year. Subtitle B: Capital Financing Assistance for Safety Net Providers - Amends SSA to establish a program to provide capital financing assistance in the form of loan guarantees, interest rate subsidies, matching loans, and direct grants to eligible hospitals and facilities. Creates in the Treasury the related Capital Financing Trust Fund. (Sec. 212) Provides for adjustment of Medicare hospital payments to take into account any capital financing assistance received by the hospital. (Sec. 213) Amends the IRC to grant tax-exempt status to State and local bonds guaranteed by the Fund. Title III: Capital Allocation Plans - Amends SSA title XVIII to mandate that each State establish a plan for Federal approval of capital expenditures for certain non-rural health care services in the State in order to receive Medicare reimbursement for capital-related expenses.
Bill· HRH.R. 4068 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 1996
Veterans Medicare Subvention Demonstration Project Act - Directs the Secretaries of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) to jointly establish a demonstration project to provide the Department of Veterans Affairs with reimbursement, under provisions of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, for health care services provided to certain Medicare-eligible veterans. Requires the Secretaries to conduct the project: (1) in not more than three Veterans Integrated Service Networks; and (2) during the three-year period beginning on January 1, 1997. Requires the Secretaries to include a provision for expanding the project to incorporate health care services provided to Medicare-eligible veterans under fee-for-service arrangements if the Secretaries determine that such expansion is feasible and advisable. Directs the HHS Secretary to make monthly payments to the Department from the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund (HHS trust funds) representing appropriate reimbursement amounts. Provides for the determination of such amounts. Directs the Secretaries to: (1) establish a minimum and maximum enrollment level for veteran participants in the project; and (2) determine baseline costs of such care and coverage. Directs the VA Secretary to: (1) establish and operate a managed health-care plan through which Medicare-eligible veterans who participate in the project receive health care; and (2) waive any enrollment fee for such participants. Directs the Secretaries to report to the Congress concerning specified project participation, findings, and results. Directs the Comptroller General, for each year of the project, to report to the Secretaries and the Congress on the extent to which the costs of the Secretaries have increased as a result of the project. Requires the Secretaries to modify the project following such reviews to correct any discrepancies between project cost targets and actual spending.
Resolution· HCONRESH.Con.Res. 214 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 1996
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the law should protect a patient's right to receive disclosure from providers, choose providers, receive disclosure from health plans, have access to medical records and limit the access of others to those records, choose courses of treatment, refuse interference from third party payers, and contract with providers.
Bill· SS. 2064 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 1996
Breast Cancer Research Extension Act of 1996 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend the authorization of appropriations for breast cancer research.
Bill· HRH.R. 4052 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 1996
Health Care Assurance for Retired Employees Act of 1996 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, to require advance notice to participants and the Secretary of Labor of material reductions in group health plan covered services. Prohibits any such change from taking effect until the Secretary determines that it does not violate the plan, including collective bargaining agreements. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require qualified pension plans to provide qualifying persons 55 years of age or older a coverage continuation option until they are eligible for Medicare. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide retired workers who lose their retiree health benefits with specified Medicare enrollment and coverage protections.
Bill· HRH.R. 4058 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 1996
Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 - Requires a group health plan that applies an aggregate lifetime (or annual) limit for medical or surgical services, if the plan also provides a mental health benefit, to include mental health payments in that limit or establish a separate aggregate lifetime (or annual) limit for mental health services, with the mental health limit not less than the medical or surgical limit. Prohibits a group health plan that does not apply a medical or surgical limit from applying a mental health limit. Exempts employers with fewer than 26 employees. Makes this Act ineffective after September 30, 2001. Exempts a purchaser from this Act if the Act's provisions result in a one percent or greater increase in the cost of a group health plan's premiums.
Bill· HRH.R. 4060 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 1996
Commission on the Future for America's Veterans Act - Establishes the Commission on the Future for America's Veterans (the Commission), the Panel on Veterans' Employment Opportunities (Opportunities Panel), and the Panel on Veterans' Health Benefits (Health Panel). Requires the Commission chairman to oversee the progress of each panel, review weekly progress reports, and allocate Commission resources to the panels. Requires the Opportunities Panel to: (1) review the efficacy and appropriateness of veterans' transition assistance and adjustment programs in providing assistance to members of the armed forces in making the transition and adjustment to civilian life; (2) evaluate proposals for improving such programs; and (3) make appropriate recommendations to the Congress. Requires the Health Panel: (1) to conduct a comprehensive study of health care services available to veterans from the Department of Veterans Affairs; (2) to submit a legislative proposal to the Congress (demonstration project bill) which authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to implement temporary demonstration projects to improve Department health care services; and (3) together with the Commission chairman, to report thereon to the Congress. Provides for the expedited congressional consideration of the demonstration project bill. Provides Commission funding.
Bill· HRH.R. 4051 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 1996
Waives for contract periods through December 31, 1999, with respect to Managed Health Services of Wisconsin, the requirement under the Social Security Act that Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries under titles XVIII and XIX of that Act constitute less than 75 percent of the membership of a participating health maintenance organization.
Bill· HRH.R. 4047 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 1996
Medigap Amendments of 1996 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to certification of Medicare supplemental health insurance policies, particularly coverage for pre-existing conditions, providing for additional consumer protections for certain individuals whose enrollment with an eligible organization ceases for one or more specified reasons. Prohibits a Medicare supplemental policy issuer from denying or conditioning a policy to such an individual, from imposing preexisting condition exclusions, and from discriminating in pricing because of the individual's health, claims experience, or disability in the case of such an individual who has had continuous coverage (with no break longer than 63 days), if the policy in which the individual wishes to enroll has a comparable or less generous benefits package. Revises the prohibition against an insurer's excluding benefits based on a pre-existing condition during the initial six-month enrollment period after an individual first becomes eligible for Medicare. Extends the six-month initial enrollment period to non-elderly Medicare beneficiaries. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide grants to private, independent, nonprofit consumer organizations and State agencies applying to conduct programs to prepare and make available to Medicare beneficiaries comprehensive and understandable information on enrollment in health plans with a Medicare managed care contract and in Medicare supplemental policies in which they are eligible to enroll. Requires any eligible organization with a Medicare managed care contract or any issuer of a Medicare supplemental policy to: (1) conduct a consumer satisfaction survey of the enrollees under such contract or such policy; and (2) make the survey results available to the Secretary and the State Insurance Commissioner of the State in which the enrollees are so enrolled. Requires each organization which provides a Medicare managed care contract or issues a Medicare supplemental policy to pay to the Secretary its pro rata share of the estimated costs to be incurred by the Secretary in providing the grants. Makes necessary appropriations.
Bill· HRH.R. 4045 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Parity for Treatment of Mental Illness Title II: Medicare Mental Health Improvement National Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 - Title I: Parity for Treatment of Mental Illness - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose on the applicable issuer a tax equal to 25 percent of a health plan's premiums received during the calendar year if the plan imposes limitations or financial requirements on the coverage of benefits provided with respect to any of specified psychiatric conditions (described in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual), while similar limitations or requirements are not imposed on coverage of benefits with respect to other conditions. Provides similar obligations and sanctions with respect to group health plan parity for treatment of mental illness. Title II: Medicare Mental Health Improvement - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to restructure the mental health benefit, including: (1) coverage under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) of inpatient hospital services furnished primarily for the diagnosis or treatment of mental illness or substance abuse for up to 60 days during a year, as well as coverage of intensive residential services furnished to an individual for up to 120 days during a year; (2) lower co-payments for certain out-patient mental health and substance abuse services; (3) waiver of co-payment for case management services furnished to a seriously mentally ill adult, a seriously emotionally disturbed child, or an adult or child with serious substance abuse disorder; (4) case management services for an unlimited duration for such individuals; (5) provision of items and services furnished under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) for the treatment of mental illness or emotional disturbances according to standards established by the Secretary of Health and Human Services; (6) a new category of intensive community- based services covering, among other services, current partial hospitalization services as well as psychiatric rehabilitation services, in-home services, and day treatment for substance abuse for individuals of any age and for other mental health services for individuals under age 19; (7) mandatory authorization under State law or certification by an appropriate accreditation entity (approved by the State in consultation with the Secretary) for intensive community- based services programs (whether facility-based or freestanding); and (8) supervision of individualized treatment programs by non-physician mental health professionals to the extent permitted under State law.
Bill· SS. 2055 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 5 September 1996
Waives for contract periods through December 31, 1999, with respect to Comprehensive Health Services, Inc. (doing business as The Wellness Plan), the requirement under the Social Security Act (SSA) that each eligible organization with which the Secretary of Health and Human Services contracts under Medicare have, for the duration of the contract, an enrolled membership at least one-half of which consists of individuals who are not entitled to Medicare or Medicaid benefits under SSA titles XVIII and XIX, respectively.
Bill· HRH.R. 4022 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 4 September 1996
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to limit Medicare payment of the overhead expenses of transplant centers to those costs directly attributable to acquiring organs from organ procurement organizations.
Bill· SS. 2051 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 3 September 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Development of Drugs for the Treatment of Addictions to Illegal Drugs Title II: Development, Manufacture, and Procurement of Drugs for the Addiction (sic) of Cocaine and Heroin Addictions Pharmacotherapy Development Act of 1996 - Title I: Development of Drugs for the Treatment of Addictions to Illegal Drugs - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to add references to drugs for the treatment of addiction to illegal drugs to provisions relating to drugs for rare diseases or conditions, allowing exclusive approval, certification, or licensure, subject to exception. Requires that the sponsor of such a treatment drug be encouraged to design open protocols. Title II: Development, Manufacture, and Procurement of Drugs for the Addiction (sic) of Cocaine and Heroin Addictions - Requires that the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences establish criteria for an acceptable drug for the treatment of addiction to cocaine and an acceptable drug for the treatment of addiction to heroin. Allows the patent owner of a drug to treat cocaine or heroin addiction to apply to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to sell the patent rights to, or make an exclusive licensing agreement with, the Secretary. Sets the purchase amount at $100 million for the cocaine treatment drug and $50 million for the heroin treatment drug. Directs the Secretary, after the sale or licensing, to develop a manufacturing and distribution plan. Authorizes appropriations.
Bill· SS. 2031 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1996
Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 - Requires a group health plan that applies an aggregate lifetime (or annual) limit for medical or surgical services, if the plan also provides a mental health benefit, to include mental health payments in that limit or establish a separate aggregate lifetime (or annual) limit for mental health services, with the mental health limit not less than the medical or surgical limit. Prohibits a group health plan that does not apply a medical or surgical limit from applying a mental health limit. Exempts employers with fewer than 26 employees.
Bill· SS. 2024 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1996
Amends the Public Health Service Act to mandate, in the National Institutes of Health, a program regarding information on research, treatment, detection, and prevention regarding serious or life-threatening diseases and conditions. Requires, in carrying out that program, establishment of a data bank of information on clinical trials and treatments. Authorizes appropriations.
Bill· SS. 2034 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1996
Medicare Hospice Benefit Amendments of 1996 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to hospice care to: (1) restructure the hospice care benefit period; (2) cover ambulance services, diagnostic tests, and anticancer chemotherapy and radiation therapy services; (3) permit contracting with independent physicians or physician groups for hospice care services; (4) allow waiver of certain staffing requirements for hospice care programs in non- urbanized areas; (5) define coverage denial, with respect to the limitation on the liability of beneficiaries and providers, to mean a determination that an individual is not terminally ill; and (6) extend the period for physician certification of an individual's terminal illness.
Bill· HRH.R. 4009 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1996
Hazardous Waste Facilities Public Accountability Act of 1996 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to: (1) prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from authorizing a State hazardous waste program unless the State promulgates standards for the acceptable location of new (or expansion of existing) treatment, storage, and disposal facilities as may be necessary to protect human health and the environment, including standards related to seismic and geological features, ecological resources, proximity to residences and certain public facilities, complex hydrogeology, and groundwater resources; and (2) require the Administrator to promulgate such standards with respect to the State if the State does not do so. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations setting requirements for the payment of permit fees by owners and operators of hazardous waste facilities sufficient to cover reasonable costs of administering the permit program. Prohibits authorization of a State program unless the State demonstrates that it will collect such amounts. Requires regular review of programs for compliance with these requirements and allows the Administrator to collect fees directly from owners and operators in the event the State does not adequately do so. Imposes penalties for fee nonpayment. Prohibits a person from obtaining or renewing a permit for a facility or expanding or transferring the facility unless the person makes certain demonstrations regarding environmental and public health law compliance, payment of outstanding fines or penalties, and the availability to the public of a disclosure statement concerning previous violations of law.
Bill· HRH.R. 4012 (104th)open
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1996
Waives for contract periods through December 31, 1999, with respect to Comprehensive Health Services, Inc. (doing business as The Wellness Plan), the requirement under the Social Security Act (SSA) that each eligible organization with which the Secretary of Health and Human Services contracts under Medicare have, for the duration of the contract, an enrolled membership at least one-half of which consists of individuals who are not entitled to Medicare or Medicaid benefits under SSA titles XVIII and XIX, respectively.
Bill· HRH.R. 4008 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1996
Genetic Information Health Insurance Nondiscrimination Act of 1996 - Prohibits health insurance and group health plan discrimination on the basis of genetic information or on the basis of a request for, or receipt of, genetic information or a genetic test. Regulates the collection and disclosure of genetic information by insurers. Provides for enforcement, including fallback enforcement under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Amends ERISA to allow amounts appropriated under the Act to be used to carry out this Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 3991 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1996
Prescription Drug Benefit Equity Act of 1996 - Prohibits a health plan from providing mail-order prescription drug coverage without also providing non-mail-order prescription drug coverage meeting benefit and cost-sharing requirements. Provides for enforcement.
Bill· HRH.R. 3972 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1996
Women Veterans' Health Act of 1996 - Specifies the services to be included as women's health services in the Department of Veterans Affairs. Allows those services provided on an ambulatory or outpatient basis to be procured by contract when Department facilities are not capable of furnishing economical hospital care or medical services because of geographical inaccessibility or otherwise. (Sec. 3) Makes permanent (currently terminates on December 31, 1998) a Department program providing sexual trauma counseling and treatment to women veterans. (Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to report to the veterans' committees on the provision of health care services and the conduct of research carried out by the Department relating to women veterans. Requires such report to be prepared through the Center for Women Veterans. (Sec. 5) Authorizes the Secretary to waive a requirement that women and other minority veterans be included as subjects in Department clinical health research. Directs the Secretary to foster and encourage research on specified gender-specific matters relating to women (breast cancer, gynecological and reproductive health, and sexual trauma), as well as non-gender-specific matters (HIV and AIDS, substance abuse, aging, and cardiac care). Requires certain Department personnel to be involved in such research. (Sec. 6) Directs the Secretary to study and report to the veterans' committees concerning the needs of women veterans for health care services. Requires a representative sampling of all categories of women veterans in such study. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 7) Directs the Secretary to ensure that: (1) homeless women veterans are included in homeless veterans' outreach programs and services; and (2) women veterans who receive Department psychiatric treatment, especially for sexual trauma, receive such treatment in a safe and effective manner that recognizes their privacy needs. (Sec. 9) Makes applicable to Department mammography services and facilities the mammography quality standards promulgated under the Public Health Service Act. Extends the deadline for meeting such requirements. (Sec. 10) Requires, with respect to the Center for Women Veterans: (1) adequate clerical support to carry out the functions of the Director of the Center; and (2) an Associate Director.
Bill· HRH.R. 3958 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1996
Federal Coverage for Clinical Trials Act of 1996 - Prohibits the Medicare program (title XVIII of the Social Security Act), the Federal Employees Health Benefit Plan, the veterans health care program, and the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) from denying, limiting, or imposing additional conditions on coverage because of participation in an approved clinical study. Directs the Secretary of Heath and Human Services to make available to the public information about clinical investigations and results obtained from approved clinical studies.
Bill· HRH.R. 3950 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1996
GI Bill of Health - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Secretary, when not otherwise specified) to establish a process for the enrollment into Veterans Health Plans (VHPs) of: (1) entitled and eligible veterans (as defined under this Act) and their dependents; and (2) individuals who are eligible for benefits under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services. Requires the Secretary to provide for a continuous VHP open enrollment period of 18 months following the enactment of this Act, an annual enrollment period of at least 30 days, and special enrollment periods for veterans with changed circumstances. Authorizes the Secretary to terminate VHP coverage for the nonpayment of premiums. Includes as an "entitled" veteran any veteran: (1) with a service-connected disability; (2) whose discharge or release from active duty was for a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty; (3) who is in receipt of veterans' disability compensation due to a disability received by treatment or vocational rehabilitation; (4) who is a former prisoner of war; (5) of the Mexican border period or World War I; (6) who is unable to defray the expenses of necessary care; (7) who served on active duty in the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam era and who the Secretary finds may have been exposed to a toxic substance during such service; (8) who the Secretary finds was exposed to ionizing radiation during certain nuclear testing during World War II; (9) who served on active duty in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War and who the Secretary finds has an illness or disability which may be associated with exposure to a toxic substance or environmental hazard during such service; (10) who, while on active duty, was exposed to mustard gas during certain testing during World War II; (11) who suffers from a catastrophic illness or injury, payment for which would render such veteran destitute; or (12) who is proven to be uninsurable in the private health insurance market. Includes as an "eligible" veteran those veterans who do not otherwise qualify under this paragraph. Requires entitled veterans to receive any medically necessary and appropriate care and services: (1) associated with a service-connected disability; and (2) for an established disability or illness determined to be proximately due to or the result of such disability or illness. Provides special benefits for entitled veterans having a disability rating of 50 percent or more. Provides for enrollment under a basic, comprehensive, or supplemental health benefits package for entitled veterans and their dependents, with benefits under each package depending upon degrees of disability and related factors. Outlines services provided under each of the benefits packages. Prohibits the Secretary from imposing any premium charges upon an entitled veteran for any medically necessary and appropriate care or services when such veteran has a service-connected disability rated at 50 percent or more. Outlines premium payment requirements for: (1) entitled veterans with disabilities rated at less than 50 percent; (2) other veterans (and their dependents) enrolled in a VHP; (3) veterans eligible for federally-administered health care programs; (4) eligible veterans and veterans' dependents with Medicare Supplemental health insurance coverage; and (5) fee-for-service benefits. Establishes in the Treasury the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Plan Fund consisting of specified deposits, including premiums paid for VHP coverage. Requires Fund proceeds to be used for the delivery of veterans' health care services. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit quarterly into the Fund the amount certified to such Secretary as an amount representing (and determined according to a specified formula) the full Federal cost of veterans' health care delivery services for such quarter. Directs such Secretary to allocate at least 75 percent of amounts deposited into the Fund to the VHP or Department facility that provided the care or services for which payment was made. Requires the remaining 25 percent to be used to operate and maintain the veterans health system and to ensure that Department resources and health care services are allocated in a reasonable, efficient, and equitable manner throughout the United States. Requires the Secretary to: (1) administer the veterans health system through the use of a medical practice model known as "managed care"; (2) organize veterans' hospitals and medical facilities and services into VHPs; (3) establish standards for the operation of VHPs; (4) ensure that payment schedules are uniform throughout the veterans health system (with exceptions permitted under the Secretary's discretion); (5) establish procedures and guidance for VHPs with respect to agreements with non-Department entities for the furnishing of necessary and appropriate medical care to veterans and their dependents; and (6) maintain full responsibility for treatment outcomes and quality of contracted care. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into such contracts and agreements. Authorizes the Secretary and VHP directors to contract with outside employers to provide health care services to their employees who are otherwise eligible for care through a VHP. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements for the provision of administrative services to VHPs. Directs the Secretary to establish criteria and application procedures for veterans and dependents covered by this Act. Provides appropriate responsibilities of VHPs and their directors with respect to the enrollment of eligible individuals and their care and treatment. States that a VHP shall be considered a qualified health care provider or carrier under any State health care reform plan, law, or regulation. Supersedes and preempts conflicting State or local laws, but allows the Secretary to require VHPs to follow any State or local law or regulation that: (1) is in the best interests of individuals enrolled in the VHP; or (2) will assist the VHP in achieving or maintaining a competitive position with the State or locality. Directs the Secretary to report annually to the Congress on costs incurred, premiums received, and payments made under this Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 3992 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1996
Medicare Commission Act of 1996 - Establishes the National Commission on the Long-Term Solvency of the Medicare Program to provide analyses of and recommendations with respect to the current and long-term financial condition of the Medicare trust funds for a report to the President, the Congress, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Outlines steps for the development and consideration of legislation with regard to such recommendations that provides for the long-term solvency of the Medicare trust funds.
Bill· HRH.R. 3959 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1996
Medicare Cancer Clinical Trial Program Coverage Act of 1996 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a demonstration project which provides for payment under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act of routine patient care costs for Medicare beneficiaries with cancer who are enrolled in an approved clinical trial program, while still applying the beneficiary cost sharing provisions of such program to project participants. Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on the impact on Medicare of covering such routine patient care costs if coverage were extended to Medicare beneficiaries with a diagnosis other than cancer.
Bill· SS. 2009 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Oil Pollution Act Amendments Title II: Marine Science Enhancement for Oil Spill Prevention and Response Title III: Deepwater Port Modernization Oil Pollution Act Amendments of 1996 - Title I: Oil Pollution Act Amendments - Requires the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to issue not later than September 30, 1996, a final rule under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA) regarding operational requirements applicable to tank vessels over 5,000 gross tons without double hulls that the Secretary determines will provide environmental protection as substantial as is economically and technologically feasible. (Sec. 102) Amends OPA to add provisions for rules regarding operational safety of single-hull barges. Requires captains of ports in which tank vessels operate to establish minimum under-keel clearances for entering or departing port. Amends Federal law to allow the Secretary to require the installation, maintenance, and use of a fire suppression system or other equipment on board towing vessels. (Sec. 103) Requires the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) review existing requirements regarding oil lighterage in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, considering economic burdens of regulation and international standards; (2) coordinate with the National Research Council a study into how the designation of shipping lanes and waters through which tankers transport oil affects the risk of an oil spill; and (3) report to the Congress a plan to increase reporting of vessel accidents to appropriate State law enforcement officials. Imposes monetary penalties for failing to report a casualty under a State marine casualty reporting system. (Sec. 105) Amends OPA to exclude from the definition of a vessel owner or operator: (1) persons with security interests in or security titles to vessels; and (2) lessors or charterers unless they have actual possession or control, or participate in the management, of the vessel at the time of oil discharge. Restricts to single hull tank vessels and double-hull tank vessels over 20 years old application of the exception to the limit on liability of a responsible party where the incident was caused by violation of an applicable Federal safety, construction, or operating regulation. (Sec. 106) Revises litigation procedures to allow a responsible party or guarantor, after the filing of a claim for costs or damages, to petition a district court for limitation of or exoneration from liability under defenses and limitation provisions of OPA, after which such court shall retain jurisdiction over the actions and enjoin prosecution of proceedings against the vessel, responsible party, guarantor, or their property in any other court. (Sec. 107) Deems removal costs and damages resulting from a vessel's discharge (or substantial threat of discharge) of oil to be a maritime lien and recoverable in an action in rem in the district court for the district in which the vessel is found. (Sec. 108) Exempts from the tank vessel double-hull construction requirements: (1) documented vessels equipped with a double hull before August 12, 1992; (2) certain barges operating in or adjacent to the Bering Sea, Chukchi Sea, and Arctic Ocean and in the waters of the Aleutian Islands and the Alaskan Peninsula of specified longitude; and (3) certain vessels in the National Defense Reserve Fleet. Permits operation of barges in other waters on such conditions as the Secretary of Transportation may require. (Sec. 109) Amends Federal shipping law to define "oil spill response vessel" and provide for regulation of such vessels separately with respect to liquid bulk dangerous cargo carriage, manning, presence of licensed individuals, merchant mariner documentation, and towing vessel requirements. Subjects such vessels to inspection. Title II: Marine Science Enhancement for Oil Spill Prevention and Response - Amends the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act to revise procedures by which emergency regulations changing fishery management plans, in response to a public health emergency or an oil spill, may remain in effect. (Sec. 202) Amends OPA to require the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to establish and maintain a scientific support team to respond to oil spills. (Sec. 203) Requires the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Oil Pollution Research to disseminate and compile information on previous spills. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require the Under Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of the Interior to maintain and update a body of information on the environmental effects of various types of spills and how best to mitigate them. (Sec. 204) Requires the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish a non-regulatory program to: (1) reduce risk of oil spills through navigation safety improvements; (2) promote prompt and effective response and remediation when oil spills occur; (3) enhance recovery and restoration efforts; and (4) advance other purposes of this Act. Requires local or regional elements of the program to be developed in consultation with local maritime commerce and coastal management communities. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 205) Authorizes the Administrator to withdraw from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund up to $15 million per year for each of ten fiscal years to use to modernize commercial marine navigation activities. Imposes requirements of maximum private sector procurement of charting survey ship support. Transfers from NOAA to the Federal Aviation Administration certain aeronautical chart surveying, data dissemination, and pricing functions. Title III: Deepwater Port Modernization - Deepwater Port Modernization Act - Amends the Deepwater Port Act of 1974 to add specified statements concerning the promotion of safe oil, including that of outer continental shelf (OCS) oil, to the congressionally declared purposes of the Act. Revises the definition of "deepwater port" to, among other things, include references to transportation of OCS oil. (Sec. 304) Makes revisions to deepwater port licensing procedures regarding: (1) utilization restrictions; (2) anticompetitive effects determinations; (3) addressing of conditions required to carry out the Act; (4) statements of port operating procedures; (5) changes from plans, methods, and procedures by a licensee or transferee; (6) amendment, transfer, or reinstatement consistency requirements; and (7) exemption from information filing requirements. (Sec. 306) Eliminates the requirement of antitrust review of license issuance by the Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission. (Sec. 307) Requires deepwater ports and storage facilities to accept and convey without discrimination all oil delivered with respect to which their licenses are issued. (Sec. 308) Adds requirements of public involvement and enforcement by a licensee's operations manual to procedures for protecting the marine environment and minimizing the adverse impact of deepwater port construction and operation.
Bill· HRH.R. 3937 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1996
HIV Prevention Act of 1996 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to add certain requirements relating to prevention of the transmission of the HIV virus which State Medicaid plans must incorporate in order to receive Federal approval. Includes among such requirements: (1) mandatory confidential reporting of HIV positive results by the health professional or other entity performing HIV tests to the State public health officer; (2) informing of individuals who may have been exposed to HIV by the public health officer of the State; (3) mandatory HIV testing of alleged rapists for which victims and their attorneys are notified of the results; (4) subjection to mandatory HIV testing of prospective patients who are to undergo an invasive medical procedure that would place the health professionals involved at risk of becoming infected with HIV, with the health professionals notified of the results; and (5) notification of individuals who are to undergo an invasive medical procedure by any health professional who is to perform such procedure and knows that he or she has HIV disease. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) with respect to health professionals with HIV disease who perform invasive medical procedures on patients, the medical profession should develop guidelines to assist them in complying with the requirements of this Act; (2) the States should have in effect laws providing that, in the case of individuals who know they have HIV disease, it is a felony to engage in any behaviors that the individual knows will place others at risk of infection with the disease, regardless of whether the behaviors actually transmit such infection; and (3) strict confidentiality should be maintained in carrying out the requirements added by this Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 3942 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1996
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to permit the geographic reclassification of hospitals under Medicare for purposes of disproportionate share payment adjustments.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 507 (104th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1996
Waives points of order against the consideration of the conference report on S. 1316 (reauthorizing and amending the Safe Drinking Water Act).
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 502 (104th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1996
Waives points of order against the consideration of the conference report on H.R. 3103 (health insurance coverage, fraud and abuse prevention, tax provisions, and revenue offsets).
Bill· SS. 2005 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1996
Patient Communications Protection Act of 1996 - Prohibits an entity offering a health plan from prohibiting or restricting any communication by a health care provider with a patient regarding the patient's physical or mental condition or treatment options. Mandates a civil monetary penalty. Allows related State requirements only if they are more protective of such communications than the requirements of this Act.
Bill· SS. 2008 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1996
Agent Orange Benefits Act of 1996 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide needed health care to a child of a Vietnam veteran who is suffering from spina bifida, for any associated disability. Authorizes the Secretary to provide such health care directly or by contract or other arrangement with a health care provider. Includes within such care home, hospital, nursing home, outpatient, preventive, and rehabilitative care, case management, respite care, the training of family members in the provision of necessary home care, and necessary pharmaceuticals, supplies, and equipment. Authorizes the Secretary to provide vocational training to such a child if the Secretary determines that the achievement of a vocational goal by such child is reasonably feasible. Limits such training to 24 months, unless the Secretary determines that an extension is necessary (up to 24 additional months). Requires a child eligible for more than one assistance program through the Department of Veterans Affairs to elect one program for participation. Directs the Secretary to pay a monetary allowance to any such child for any disability resulting from spina bifida based on the degree of disability. Requires an increase in such disability benefit whenever there is an increase in benefits payable under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act. Provides veterans' disability compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation for the additional disability or death of a veteran which: (1) was not the result of the veteran's own willful misconduct; (2) was caused by care, treatment, or examination furnished to the veteran through the Department; and (3) was incurred as a proximate result of such care, treatment, or examination.
Bill· SS. 2004 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1996
Health Care Quality Improvement Act Amendments of 1996 - Amends the Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 1986 to require, in a professional review action (PRA), the granting of a motion for summary judgment that PRA standards have been met unless, considering the evidence in the light most favorable to the opposing party, a reasonable finder of fact could conclude that the presumption that such standards have been met has been rebutted. Allows appeal as of right to a Federal court of appeals (except the Federal Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit) of any decision on such a motion. (Sec. 3) Requires each person (as well as entity), including a Federal, State, or local government, and any Federal officer and employee, who makes payment in whole or partial settlement of a medical malpractice action or claim, to report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services certain information on the payment and its circumstances. Applies this reporting requirement to any physician or other licensed health care professional who makes such a payment and whose acts or omissions are the basis for the action or claim. Waives this requirement for any such physician or other licensed health care professional whose payment is made as a refund of fees for the health service involved, when such payment does not exceed the amount of the original charge for such services. Applies other specified reporting requirements to Federal health facilities and any PRAs taken by them regarding the competence or professional conduct of Federal physicians to the same extent and in the same manner as they apply to health care entities and PRAs. (Sec. 4) Requires each Board of Medical Examiners to report to the Secretary any denials of a physician's license. (Sec. 6) Requires that certain information reported under the Act: (1) be available (to authorized entities) organized by medical field and specialty; and (2) in some cases, specify whether the action was a class action. (Sec. 7) Imposes on each Board of Medical Examiners the duty to request from the Secretary any information reported on a physician at the time the physician applies for a physician's license, or for continuation of such a license, in the State involved. Presumes any Board to have knowledge of any such information it fails to request. Requires the Secretary to establish a system for electronically transmitting information to States that elect to install equipment necessary to participate in such system. Grants the Board of Medical Examiners in a participating State the option, in lieu of requesting information upon a physician's application for license continuation, to transmit annually through the system data identifying all individuals holding a valid physician's license issued by the Board. Requires a Board exercising such an option also, upon receiving from the Secretary a list of physicians who have been the subject of information on incidents giving rise to malpractice actions or claims, to identify promptly and request from the Secretary information on any such physician who has had an incident in another State. (Sec. 8) Directs the Secretary, on request, to make reported information available to State licensing boards and certain other hospitals and health service organizations, allowing a fee (for that and other permitted disclosure) reasonably related to the Secretary's costs under the Act. Requires the Secretary to publish and make available to the public every three months information, with specified exceptions, from the reports. (Sec. 9) Prohibits any entity from making any payment in whole or partial settlement of a medical malpractice action or claim without the written consent of the physician or other licensed health care practitioner whose acts or omissions are the basis of the action or claim. Excepts from such prohibition court judgments, alternative dispute resolution processes, and an entity's reasonable belief, after delivering a written notice, that the physician or other licensed health care practitioner concerned does not object to payment. Sets forth civil money penalties for any entity violating this prohibition. Prohibits a health services organization from terminating the employment of a physician (or a contract with a physician for provision of health services) unless adequate notice and hearing procedures have been afforded the physician involved. Specifies conditions such an organization must meet to satisfy this requirement. (Sec. 10) Subjects to such Act any unlicensed or unapproved hospital if State or local law allows the hospital to operate without being licensed or otherwise approved.
Bill· HRH.R. 3927 (104th)open
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1996
Agent Orange Benefits Act of 1996 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide needed health care to a child of a Vietnam veteran who is suffering from spina bifida, for any associated disability. Authorizes the Secretary to provide such health care directly or by contract or other arrangement with a health care provider. Includes within such care home, hospital, nursing home, outpatient, preventive, and rehabilitative care, case management, respite care, the training of family members in the provision of necessary home care, and necessary pharmaceuticals, supplies, and equipment. Authorizes the Secretary to provide vocational training to such a child if the Secretary determines that the achievement of a vocational goal by such child is reasonably feasible. Limits such training to 24 months, unless the Secretary determines that an extension is necessary (up to 24 additional months). Requires a child eligible for more than one assistance program through the Department of Veterans Affairs to elect one program for participation. Directs the Secretary to pay a monetary allowance to any such child for any disability resulting from spina bifida based on the degree of disability. Requires an increase in such disability benefit whenever there is an increase in benefits payable under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act. Provides veterans' disability compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation for the additional disability or death of a veteran which was: (1) not the result of the veteran's own willful misconduct; (2) caused by care, treatment, or examination furnished to the veteran through the Department; and (3) incurred as a proximate result of such care, treatment, or examination.
Bill· SS. 1994 (104th)open
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Reauthorization of FAA Programs Title II: Airport Improvement Program Modifications Title III: Extension of Airport and Airway Trust Fund Expenditure Authority Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions Title V: Commercial Space Transportation Title VI: Air Traffic Management System Performance Improvement Act Subtitle A: General Provisions Subtitle B: Federal Aviation Administration Streamlining Programs Subtitle C: System to Fund Certain Federal Aviation Administration Functions Title VII: Pilot Records Federal Aviation Reauthorization Act of 1996 - Title I: Reauthorization of FAA Programs - Amends the Airport and Airway Improvement Act of 1982 to authorize appropriations for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) through FY 1997. (Sec. 101) Makes permanent the limitation on funds that may be appropriated out of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund for airport improvement projects. (Sec. 102) Authorizes appropriations for FY 1997 for: (1) improvements to air navigation facilities; (2) research and development; and (3) airport planning and development programs. Decreases the FY 1996 appropriation for airport planning and development programs. (Sec. 105) Authorizes the Administrator of the FAA to transfer budget authority derived from trust funds among appropriations authorized for air navigation facilities and research and development. Title II: Airport Improvement Program Modifications - Amends Federal aviation law to direct the Administrator to prescribe regulations to carry out up to ten pavement maintenance pilot projects to preserve and extend the useful life of airport runways, taxiways, and aprons. (Sec. 202) Sets forth on a sliding scale specified maximum percentages of airport planning and development grants that may be made available for projects at primary airports that have not less than .25 percent of the total passenger boardings in the United States. (Sec. 204) Reduces from 15 to ten at any time the number of current or former military airports that may receive airport improvement grant funds. Extends the authority for such grants through FY 1997. (Sec. 206) Makes it a condition for approval of a grant application for an airport development project that the airport owner or operator makes assurances that it will permit, to the maximum extent practicable, intercity buses or other modes of transportation to have access to the airport. Title III: Extension of Airport and Airway Trust Fund Expenditure Authority - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the expenditure authority of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund through FY 1997. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Authorizes the Administrator, in carrying out various aviation programs, to purchase housing units outside the United States. (Sec. 403) Prohibits both the Administrator, and any agency receiving information from the Administrator, from disclosing voluntarily provided safety or security related information in certain circumstances. (Sec. 404) Authorizes the Administrator to require by regulation an employment investigation (including criminal history record check in certain circumstances) for employees who will be responsible for screening airline passengers and property. (Sec. 405) Requires the FAA Administrator, in amending title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, in a manner affecting intrastate aviation in Alaska, to: (1) consider the extent to which Alaska is not served by transportation modes other than aviation; and (2) establish appropriate regulatory distinctions. (Sec. 406) Expresses the sense of the Senate that there should be an immediate 18-month reinstatement of the aviation excise taxes to provide short-term funding for the FAA. (Sec. 407) Authorizes appropriations to the FAA for the purpose of addressing State-specific aviation safety problems identified by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). (Sec. 408) Expresses the sense of the Senate that the exemption from certain excise taxes for emergency medical air transportation by helicopter should include emergency medical air transportation by fixed-wing aircraft. Title V: Commercial Space Transportation - Amends Federal law to include reentry vehicles and launch and reentry operations within the scope of commercial space launch activities. Title VI: Air Traffic Management System Performance Improvement Act - Air Traffic Management System Performance Improvement Act of 1996 - Subtitle A: General Provisions - Amends the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 to delineate the powers and duties of the Administrator and the Secretary of Transportation with respect to the FAA. (Sec. 624) Authorizes the Administrator to issue, rescind, and revise regulations as necessary to carry out the FAA functions. Prohibits the Administrator, without prior approval of the Secretary, from issuing a proposed or final regulation that is significant or is likely to result in the expenditure by State, local, and tribal governments in the aggregate, or by the private sector, of $50 million or more in any year. Requires the Administrator to review any unusually burdensome regulations, which would result in the annual expenditure by State, local, and tribal governments in the aggregate, or by the private sector, of $25 million or more (adjusted annually for inflation) in any year. (Sec. 625) Authorizes the Administrator to utilize personnel of other Federal agencies. (Sec. 630) Directs the Administrator to establish the Federal Aviation Management Advisory Council which shall: (1) provide advice and counsel to the Administrator on issues which affect or are affected by the Administrator's operations; and (2) function as an oversight resource for management, policy, spending, and regulatory matters. (Sec. 631) Requires the Administrator, in order to protect the public health and welfare from aircraft engine emissions, to prescribe air pollutant emission standards for aircraft engines. (Sec. 632) Directs the Secretary to conduct, and submit to a specified congressional committee, a rural air fare study. Subtitle B: Federal Aviation Administration Streamlining Programs - Directs the FAA to employ outside experts to provide an independent evaluation of the effectiveness of its acquisition management system. (Sec. 652) Requires the Administrator to terminate air traffic control modernization programs funded under the Facilities and Equipment account, and to consider the termination of substantial acquisitions, that fail to meet specified established project criteria. (Sec. 653) Requires the Administrator to negotiate with the bargaining representatives of FAA employees in developing and making changes to the FAA personnel management system. Subtitle C: System to Fund Certain Federal Aviation Administration Functions - Directs the Administrator to establish a schedule of new fees, and a collection process for such fees, for various FAA services. (Sec. 674) Directs the Administrator to provide for an independent assessment of the financial requirements of the FAA through 2002. Requires the Secretary to establish a task force to report on: (1) the FAA's budgetary requirements through FY 2002; and (2) recommendations to the Congress on ways the FAA can reduce costs, raise revenue, and accelerate modernization efforts. (Sec. 675) Sets forth congressional procedures for consideration of FAA funding proposals. (Sec. 677) Requires the multiyear appropriation (for not less than three years) of funds for Trust Fund activities. (Sec. 678) Rural Air Service Survival Act - Authorizes the availability of a specified amount of user fees collected under this Act for each fiscal year to carry out the essential air service program. Authorizes the Secretary to require an eligible public agency that controls a commercial service airport to provide for basic essential (small community) air service matching funds of up to ten percent for any payments it receives under this Act. Transfers the essential air service program from the Secretary to the FAA Administrator. Title VII: Pilot Records - Pilot Records Improvement Act of 1996 - Amends Federal aviation law to require air carriers to request and receive a pilot applicant's record for the previous five years with respect to: (1) current airman certificate, including any summaries of legal enforcement actions; (2) employment; and (3) motor vehicle driving record. (Sec. 702) Prohibits any Federal or State court action for defamation or invasion of privacy against any carrier or person with respect to the furnishing or use of such records according to the requirements of this Act. (Sec. 703) Directs the Administrator to appoint a task force to study the development of standards and criteria for: (1) preemployment screening of pilots; and (2) pilot training facilities.
Bill· HRH.R. 3908 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Importation of Methamphetamine and Precursor Chemicals Title II: Provisions to Control the Manufacture of Methamphetamine Title III: Increased Penalties for Trafficking and Manufacture of Methamphetamine and Precursors Title IV: Legal Manufacture, Distribution, and Sale of Precursor Chemicals Title V: Education and Research Comprehensive Methamphetamine Control Act of 1996 - Title I: Importation of Methamphetamine and Precursor Chemicals - Directs the Attorney General to coordinate internal drug enforcement efforts to decrease the movement of methamphetamine and methamphetamine precursors into the United States. (Sec. 102) Amends the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act (CSIEA) to: (1) make specified prohibitions against the possession, manufacture, or distribution for purposes of unlawful importation of a schedule I or II controlled substance applicable to a listed chemical; and (2) set penalties of a fine and ten years' imprisonment for manufacturing, possessing with intent to distribute, or distributing a listed chemical in violation of such prohibitions. Title II: Provisions to Control the Manufacture of Methamphetamine - Amends the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to: (1) include chemicals within the scope of provisions regarding penalties for simple possession; and (2) prohibit knowingly or intentionally possessing a list I chemical obtained pursuant to or under authority of a registration that has expired or that has been revoked or suspended or if the registrant has ceased to do business in the manner contemplated by his registration. Amends the CSA and the Tariff Act of 1930 to permit the seizure and forfeiture of list I chemicals involved in illegal trafficking. (Sec. 202) Directs: (1) the Attorney General to study and report to the Congress on measures to prevent the diversion of agents used in methamphetamine production; and (2) the United States Sentencing Commission (the Commission) to amend the sentencing guidelines to ensure that the manufacture of methamphetamine in violation of the CSA is treated as a significant violation. (Sec. 203) Amends the CSA to increase penalties for the manufacture and possession of equipment used to make controlled substances. (Sec. 204) Adds iodine and hydrochloric gas to list II chemicals, but excludes iodine from specified requirements for listed chemicals under the CSIEA. (Sec. 205) Prohibits distributing a laboratory supply to a person who uses it to manufacture a controlled substance or a listed chemical in violation of the CSA with reckless disregard for the illegal uses to which such supply will be put. Sets civil penalties for businesses that violate such provision. (Sec. 206) Amends the CSA to enjoin anyone convicted of specified felony violations relating to the manufacture and exportation of a listed chemical from engaging in a transaction involving a listed chemical for up to ten years. (Current law covers only "receipt, distribution, or importation" of a listed chemical and bars violators from engaging in such a "regulated" transaction for that period.) Authorizes the Attorney General to commence a civil action for appropriate declaratory or injunctive relief, subject to specified requirements. (Sec. 207) Authorizes the court, when sentencing a defendant convicted of specified CSA offenses involving the manufacture of methamphetamine, to order restitution and reimbursement by the defendant for costs incurred by the United States for the associated cleanup. (Sec. 208) Modifies the CSA to require each regulated person to keep a record of each regulated transaction involving a listed chemical, a tableting machine, or an encapsulating machine for two years. Title III: Increased Penalties for Trafficking and Manufacture of Methamphetamine and Precursors - Amends the CSA and the CSIEA to increase penalties for trafficking in methamphetamine and list I chemicals. (Sec. 303) Directs the Commission to determine whether the sentencing guidelines adequately punish specified offenses relating to the handling of hazardous waste and related issues under the Solid Waste Disposal Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, and Federal transportation provisions, and, if not, to promulgate or amend existing guidelines to enhance the punishment for a defendant convicted of such offense. Title IV: Legal Manufacture, Distribution, and Sale of Precursor Chemicals - Amends the CSA to provide for the regulation of pseudoephedrine and phenylpropanolamine, subject to specified limitations. Specifies that any sale of: (1) ordinary over-the-counter pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine products by retailed distributors shall not be a regulated transaction, with exceptions; and (2) other products containing pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine by retail distributors shall not be a regulated transaction if the distributor's sales are limited to less than the threshold quantity of 24 grams of pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine in each single transaction. Directs the Attorney General to reinstate an exemption with respect to a particular ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine drug product upon determining that such product is manufactured and distributed in a manner that prevents diversion. Authorizes the Attorney General to establish single-transaction limits of 24 grams of pseudoephedrine and phenylpropanolamine base for retail distributors, subject to specified conditions. Sets penalties for violations. (Sec. 402) Requires each regulated person who engages in a transaction with a non-regulated person which involves ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine (including drug products containing these chemicals) and which uses or attempts to use the Postal Service or any private or commercial carrier, to submit monthly reports of such transactions to the Attorney General. Title V: Education and Research - Establishes a Methamphetamine Interagency Task Force. (Sec. 502) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a public health monitoring program to monitor methamphetamine abuse in the United States. (Sec. 503) Requires the Attorney General to: (1) establish an advisory panel consisting of an appropriate number of representatives from Federal, State, and local law enforcement and regulatory agencies with experience in investigating and prosecuting illegal transactions of precursor chemicals; (2) continue specified current efforts; and (3) establish a Suspicious Orders Task Force.
Bill· HRH.R. 3904 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1996
Clinical Research Enhancement Act of 1996 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the President to establish the President's Clinical Research Panel, as part of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), to evaluate the status of the U.S. clinical research environment. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Advisory Committee to the Director (of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)) on Clinical Research to report to the Director and to the Panel and to implement recommendations as the Committee determines necessary to remedy NIH clinical research deficiencies. Terminates the Committee five years after enactment of this Act. Requires the OSTP to review the compositions, functions, and outcomes of study section activities at all Federal agencies as such activities relate to clinical research proposals for investigator-initiated support. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Director to: (1) support and expand NIH's clinical research involvement; (2) support and expand available resources; and (3) establish certain peer review mechanisms. Mandates grants for: (1) the establishment of general clinical research centers to provide the infrastructure for clinical research training and career enhancement; (2) clinical research career enhancement awards; and (3) innovative medical science awards to support individual clinical research projects. Authorizes appropriations. Increases the maximum aggregate number of contracts that may be made under existing provisions relating to: (1) undergraduate scholarships regarding professions needed by NIH; and (2) loan repayments regarding clinical researchers (currently, clinical researchers from disadvantaged backgrounds). Authorizes appropriations for the loan repayment program. Requires that at least 50 percent of such funds for a fiscal year be used for contracts with qualified health professionals from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Law· HRH.R. 3871 (104th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1996
Waives for contract periods through January 1, 1999, with respect to Catholic Health Services Plan of Brooklyn and Queens, Inc. and Managed Healthcare Systems of New York, Inc., the requirement under the Social Security Act that Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries constitute less than 75 percent of the membership of a participating health maintenance organization. Provides a similar waiver for contract periods through December 31, 1999, with respect to Health Partners of Philadelphia, Inc.
Bill· HRH.R. 3881 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1996
Establishes the Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare to make findings and recommendations to the Congress concerning specified aspects of the Medicare program.
Bill· HRH.R. 3866 (104th)open
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 1996
Waives for contract periods through December 31, 1999, with respect to Catholic Health Services Plan of Brooklyn and Queens, Inc. (doing business as Fidelis Health Plan), Managed Healthcare Systems of New York, Inc., and Health Partners of Philadelphia, Inc., the requirement under the Social Security Act that Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries under titles XVIII and XIX of that Act constitute less than 75 percent of the membership of a participating health maintenance organization.
Bill· HRH.R. 3852 (104th)open
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Importation of Methamphetamine and Precursor Chemicals Title II: Provisions to Control the Manufacture of Methamphetamine Title III: Increased Penalties for Trafficking and Manufacture of Methamphetamine and Precursors Title IV: Legal Manufacture, Distribution, and Sale of Precursor Chemicals Title V: Education and Research Comprehensive Methamphetamine Control Act of 1996 - Title I: Importation of Methamphetamine and Precursor Chemicals - Directs the Attorney General to coordinate internal drug enforcement efforts to decrease the movement of methamphetamine and methamphetamine precursors into the United States. (Sec. 102) Amends the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act (CSIEA) to: (1) make specified prohibitions against the possession, manufacture, or distribution for purposes of unlawful importation of a schedule I or II controlled substance applicable to a listed chemical; and (2) set penalties of a fine and ten years' imprisonment for manufacturing, possessing with intent to distribute, or distributing a listed chemical in violation of such prohibitions. Title II: Provisions to Control the Manufacture of Methamphetamine - Amends the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to: (1) include chemicals within the scope of provisions regarding penalties for simple possession; and (2) prohibit knowingly or intentionally possessing a list I chemical obtained pursuant to or under authority of a registration that has expired or that has been revoked or suspended or if the registrant has ceased to do business in the manner contemplated by his registration. Amends the CSA and the Tariff Act of 1930 to permit the seizure and forfeiture of list I chemicals involved in illegal trafficking. (Sec. 202) Directs: (1) the Attorney General to study and report to the Congress on measures to prevent the diversion of agents used in methamphetamine production; and (2) the United States Sentencing Commission (the Commission) to amend the sentencing guidelines to ensure that the manufacture of methamphetamine in violation of the CSA is treated as a significant violation. (Sec. 203) Amends the CSA to increase penalties for the manufacture and possession of equipment used to make controlled substances. (Sec. 204) Adds iodine and hydrochloric gas to list II chemicals, but excludes iodine from specified requirements for listed chemicals under the CSIEA. (Sec. 205) Prohibits distributing a laboratory supply to a person who uses it to manufacture a controlled substance or a listed chemical in violation of the CSA with reckless disregard for the illegal uses to which such supply will be put. Sets civil penalties for businesses that violate such provision. (Sec. 206) Amends the CSA to enjoin anyone convicted of specified felony violations relating to the manufacture and exportation of a listed chemical from engaging in a transaction involving a listed chemical for up to ten years. (Current law covers only "receipt, distribution, or importation" of a listed chemical and bars violators from engaging in such a "regulated" transaction for that period.) Authorizes the Attorney General to commence a civil action for appropriate declaratory or injunctive relief, subject to specified requirements. (Sec. 207) Authorizes the court, when sentencing a defendant convicted of specified CSA offenses involving the manufacture of methamphetamine, to order restitution and reimbursement by the defendant for costs incurred by the United States for the associated cleanup. (Sec. 208) Modifies the CSA to require each regulated person to keep a record of each regulated transaction involving a listed chemical, a tableting machine, or an encapsulating machine for two years. Title III: Increased Penalties for Trafficking and Manufacture of Methamphetamine and Precursors - Amends the CSA and the CSIEA to increase penalties for trafficking in methamphetamine and list I chemicals. (Sec. 303) Directs the Commission to determine whether the sentencing guidelines adequately punish specified offenses relating to the handling of hazardous waste and related issues under the Solid Waste Disposal Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, and Federal transportation provisions, and, if not, to promulgate or amend existing guidelines to enhance the punishment for a defendant convicted of such offense. Title IV: Legal Manufacture, Distribution, and Sale of Precursor Chemicals - Amends the CSA to provide for the regulation of pseudoephedrine and phenylpropanolamine, subject to specified limitations. Specifies that any sale of: (1) ordinary over-the-counter pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine products by retailed distributors shall not be a regulated transaction, with exceptions; and (2) other products containing pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine by retail distributors shall not be a regulated transaction if the distributor's sales are limited to less than the threshold quantity of 24 grams of pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine in each single transaction. Directs the Attorney General to reinstate an exemption with respect to a particular ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine drug product upon determining that such product is manufactured and distributed in a manner that prevents diversion. Authorizes the Attorney General to establish single-transaction limits of 24 grams of pseudoephedrine and phenylpropanolamine base for retail distributors, subject to specified conditions. Sets penalties for violations. (Sec. 402) Requires each regulated person who engages in a transaction with a non-regulated person which involves ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine (including drug products containing these chemicals) and which uses or attempts to use the Postal Service or any private or commercial carrier, to submit monthly reports of such transactions to the Attorney General. Title V: Education and Research - Establishes a Methamphetamine Interagency Task Force. (Sec. 502) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a public health monitoring program to monitor methamphetamine abuse in the United States. (Sec. 503) Requires the Attorney General to: (1) establish an advisory panel consisting of an appropriate number of representatives from Federal, State, and local law enforcement and regulatory agencies with experience in investigating and prosecuting illegal transactions of precursor chemicals; (2) continue specified current efforts; and (3) establish a Suspicious Orders Task Force.
Law· HRH.R. 3845 (104th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 1996
District of Columbia Appropriations Act, 1997 - Makes appropriations for the District of Columbia Government for FY 1997, including funds for: (1) the Federal payment ($660 million); (2) the Federal contribution to the Police Officers' and Fire Fighters', Teachers', and Judges' Retirement Funds ($52.07 million); and (3) expenses incurred in connection with presidential inauguration activities ($5.702 million). Appropriates specified sums out of the general fund of the District of Columbia for the current fiscal year for: (1) governmental direction and support; (2) economic development and regulation; (3) public safety and justice; (4) the public education system (including public charter schools); (5) human support services; (6) public works; (7) repayment of specified loans and interests; (8) repayment of the general fund recovery debt; (9) repayment of interest on short-term borrowing; (10) necessary expenses incurred in connection with Presidential inauguration activities; (11) lease payments involving the land site underlying the building located at One Judiciary Square; (12) human resources development; (13) construction projects (including rescissions); (14) the Water and Sewer Enterprise Fund; (15) the Lottery and Charitable Games Enterprise Fund; (16) the Cable Television Enterprise Fund; (17) the Starplex Fund; (18) D.C. General Hospital; (19) the D.C. Retirement Board; (20) the Correctional Industries Fund; (21) the Washington Convention Center Enterprise Fund (from local funds and by transfer from the general fund); and (22) the D.C. Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Authority (Authority). Prohibits the use of revenues from Federal sources to support the Statehood Commission and Statehood Compact Commission. Requires the District to operate a free, 24-hour telephone information service where residents of the area surrounding Lorton prison can obtain information about all prison disturbances. Requires the Chief Financial Officer of the District, on behalf of the Mayor and under the direction of the Authority, to make specified cost reductions in: (1) real estate initiatives; (2) management information systems; (3) energy cost initiatives; (4) purchasing and procurement initiatives; and (5) the workforce, including a reduction of 2,411 full-time positions. (Sec. 101) Sets forth certain uses of and restrictions on the expenditure of appropriations made by this Act. (Sec. 122) Directs the Mayor to submit to the D.C. Council, within 30 days after the end of the first quarter of FY 1997, the FY 1997 revenue estimates. (Sec. 128) Prohibits the use of any funds made available pursuant to this Act: (1) for salaries, expenses, or other costs associated with the offices of U.S. Senator or U.S. Representative under the District of Columbia Statehood Constitutional Convention Initiatives of 1979; (2) for any abortion except where the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term or where the pregnancy is the result of an act of rape or incest; or (3) to implement or enforce the District Domestic Partner Act (also called the District of Columbia Health Care Benefits Expansion Act of 1992) or any system of registration of unmarried, cohabitating couples whether they are homosexual, lesbian, or heterosexual, including registration for the extension of employment, health, or governmental benefits to such couples on the same basis that such benefits are extended to legally married couples. (Sec. 132) Specifies reporting requirements for the Board of Education and the University of the District of Columbia. (Sec. 140) Modifies D.C. reductions-in-force procedures to allow a personnel authority to establish lesser competitive areas within an agency on the basis of all or a clearly identifiable segment of an agency's mission or a division or major subdivision of an agency. Authorizes each agency head to identify positions for abolishment. Outlines procedures for abolishment of such positions for FY 1997. (Sec. 141) Establishes a ceiling on the total operating expenses and deficit of the District of Columbia for FY 1997. 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. (Sec. 142) Provides that the heads and personnel of the District's Office of the Treasurer, Controller, Office of the Budget, Office of Financial Information Services, and Department of Finance and Revenue, together with all executive branch accounting, budget and financial management personnel, shall be appointed by, serve at the pleasure of, and act under the direction of the District's Chief Financial Officer during any control period in effect under the District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Act of 1995. (Sec. 145) Amends the District of Columbia School Reform Act of 1995 to prohibit a public charter school, with respect to any student other than a nonresident student, from charging tuition, imposing fees, or otherwise requiring payment for participation in any program, educational offering, or activity (except for adult education, field trips, and similar activities) that: (1) enrolls students in any grade from kindergarten through grade 12; or (2) is funded in whole or part through an annual local appropriations.