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Bill· SS. 2191 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Affidavits of Support Title II: Public Charge Deportation Title III: Attribution of Sponsor's Income Title IV: Ineligibility of Illegal Aliens for Public Assistance and Benefits Title V: Enhanced Verification of Eligibility Based on Citizenship or Immigration Status Title VI: Housing Assistance Title VII: Miscellaneous Provisions Title VIII: General Provisions Alien Public Assistance Benefits Amendments of 1996 - Title I: Affidavits of Support - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (Act), as amended by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, to apply alien sponsor affidavit of support provisions to means-tested public benefits. (Current law refers to Federal means-tested public benefits.) Revises certain related income provisions. Title II: Public Charge Deportation - Amends the Act to revise the public charge grounds for deportation, including increasing the public charge period. Sets forth a special rule for battered spouses and children. Provides for exclusion and deportation of an alien who obtains public benefits through fraud or misrepresentation. Makes an alien deportable as a public charge ineligible for naturalization. Title III: Attribution of Sponsor's Income - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to apply attribution of sponsor income provisions for five years to current immigrants. Title IV: Ineligibility of Illegal Aliens for Public Assistance and Benefits - Authorizes States to deny driver's licenses to illegal aliens. (Sec. 402) Amends the Social Security Act to prohibit crediting of "employment" for persons not authorized to work in the United States. (Sec. 403) Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to deny HIV or AIDS treatment to illegal aliens. Title V: Enhanced Verification of Eligibility Based on Citizenship or Immigration Status - Amends the Social Security Act to require proof of identity for certain public assistance (SAVE program)benefits. (Sec. 502) Authorizes States to require proof of eligibility for State benefits. (Sec. 504) Requires verification of student eligibility (citizen, national, or immigrant) for postsecondary Federal student financial assistance. Title VI: Housing Assistance - Use of Assisted Housing by Aliens Act of 1996 - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1980 to: (1) prorate rental housing assistance based upon the number of eligible family members; (2) require prior verification of immigration status and eligibility for financial assistance; and (3) prohibit sanctions against an entity making financial assistance eligibility determinations. Title VII: Miscellaneous Provisions - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate unemployment benefit crediting based upon the status of permanently residing in the United States under color of law. (Sec. 702) Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to repeal a specified food stamp program transition provision. Title VIII: General Provisions - Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) effective date; (2)foreign assistance inapplicability; (3) notification; and (4) definitions.
Bill· SS. 2161 (104th)open
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Airport and Airway Improvements Subtitle A: Reauthorization of FAA Programs Subtitle B: Airport Development Financing Subtitle C: Airport Improvement Program Modifications Title II: FAA Reform Subtitle A: General Provisions Subtitle B: Federal Aviation Administration Streamlining Programs Subtitle C: System to Fund Certain Federal Aviation Administration Functions Title III: Aviation Security Title IV: Aviation Safety Title V: Pilot Record Sharing Title VI: Child Pilot Safety Title VII: Family Assistance Title VIII: Airport Revenue Protection Title IX: Metropolitan Washington Airports Title X: Extension of Airport and Airway Trust Fund Expenditures Title XI: FAA Research, Engineering, and Development Title XII: Miscellaneous Provisions Federal Aviation Reauthorization Act of 1996 - Title I: Airport and Airway Improvements - Subtitle A: Reauthorization of FAA Programs - Amends Federal aviation law to reauthorize the Airport Improvement Program through FY 1998, with specified allocations for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Facilities and Equipment Program. (Sec. 102) Authorizes appropriations for the FAA through FY 1998. Subtitle B: Airport Development Financing - Revises the apportionment of airport improvement fund amounts to sponsors of primary and cargo service airports for each fiscal year. (Sec. 122) Revises the minimum amount of airport improvement funds that shall be credited in a fiscal year to the discretionary fund. (Sec. 123) Increases the apportionment for airport improvement grant funds for: (1) airport noise compatibility programs; and (2) current and former military airports. (Sec. 124) Reduces from 15 to 12 at any time the number of current or former military airports that may receive airport improvement grant funds. Subtitle C: Airport Improvement Program Modifications - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to encourage: (1) airport sponsors and State and local officials to develop airport master plans and airport system plans; and (2) metropolitan planning organizations, particularly in areas with populations greater than 200,000, to establish membership positions for airport operators. (Sec. 142) Directs the FAA Administrator to issue guidelines to carry out up to ten pavement maintenance pilot projects to preserve and extend the useful life of airport runways, taxiways, and aprons. (Sec. 143) 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 to have access to the airport. (Sec. 144) Eliminates as an allowable project cost for Federal reimbursement certain costs for airport development projects commenced during FY 1994 before the execution of the grant agreement. Allows such reimbursement only for costs incurred after September 30, 1996. Denies priority consideration for the use of discretionary funds for projects incurring costs before execution of the grant agreement. (Sec. 145) Specifies additional factors for the Secretary to consider in selecting a project for a grant to preserve and enhance capacity at primary and reliever airports. (Sec. 146) Requires the Secretary, in making grants to sponsors of small airports, to give priority consideration to multi-year projects for construction of new runways that are cost beneficial and that increase capacity in a U.S. region. (Sec. 147) Increases from seven to eight for FY 1997, and nine for each fiscal year thereafter, the number of States the Secretary may designate to assume administrative responsibility for all airport (except primary airport) grant amounts under the State block grant pilot program. Makes permanent the State block grant pilot program. (Sec. 148) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a demonstration program of up to ten projects for grants to implement innovative financing techniques for airport development projects. (Sec. 149) Authorizes an airport sponsor who intends to sell or lease the airport for a long term to a private person to apply for exemption from the prohibition on the use of airport revenues for non-airport purposes, and the requirement for written assurances about such use. Waives the current prohibition on the imposition of passenger facility fees by any airport receiving such an exemption. Title II: FAA Reform - 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 FAA Administrator and the Secretary with respect to the FAA. (Sec. 224) 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 $100 million or more in any year. Excepts emergency regulations from such prohibition, but subjects them to rescission if the Secretary fails to ratify them. Requires the Administrator to review, within three years after issuance, 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. 225) Authorizes the Administrator to utilize personnel of other Federal agencies. (Sec. 230) 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. Subtitle B: Federal Aviation Administration Streamlining Programs - Directs the Administrator to employ outside experts to provide an independent evaluation of the effectiveness of the FAA's acquisition management system. (Sec. 252) Requires the Administrator to terminate 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. 253) 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 user fees, and a collection process for such fees, for various FAA services. (Sec. 274) Directs the Administrator to contract for an independent assessment of the financial requirements of the FAA through 2002. Establishes the National Civil Aviation Review Commission to: (1) analyze the FAA's budgetary requirements through FY 2002, including an analysis of alternative financing means for meeting the needs of the aviation system; and (2) analyze (through a specified task force) aviation safety in the United States and emerging trends in the safety of particular sectors of the aviation industry. (Sec. 275) Sets forth congressional procedures for consideration of FAA funding proposals. (Sec. 277) Requires the multiyear appropriation of funds (not less than three years) for Airport and Airway Trust Fund activities. Rural Air Service Survival Act - Authorizes the availability of a specified amount of user fees collected for each fiscal year for expenditure to carry out the essential air service program. Title III: Aviation Security - Directs the Administrator to study and report to the Congress on whether to transfer to airport operators or to the Federal Government certain responsibilities of air carriers relating to security activities at onsite commercial service airports, or to provide for shared responsibilities between air carriers and airport operators or the Federal Government. (Sec. 302) Directs the Administrator to: (1) certify companies providing security screening at airports; and (2) develop uniform performance standards for providing security screening services. (Sec. 303) Directs the Administrator to arrange with the National Academy of Sciences or an equivalent entity for a study of the effectiveness of weapons and explosive detection technologies deployed in commercial aviation. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 304) Authorizes the Administrator to require by regulation an employment investigation (including, in certain circumstances, a criminal history record check) for employees who will be responsible for screening airline passengers and property. (Sec. 305) Directs the Administrator to provide for: (1) the interim deployment of explosive detection devices at airports until certain certified equipment becomes commercially available to replace them; and (2) the periodic audit of the effectiveness of criminal history record checks. (Sec. 307) Urges the Administrator, the Secretary, the intelligence community, and the law enforcement community to continue to assist air carriers in developing computer-assisted passenger profiling programs for use with other security measures. (Sec. 308) Authorizes the use of certain project grant funds and passenger facility fees for airport security programs and activities. (Sec. 309) Requires the Secretary and the Attorney General, acting through the Administrator and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), to enter into an interagency agreement for establishment of an aviation security liaison at existing appropriate Federal agencies' field offices in or near cities served by a high-risk airport. (Sec. 310) Requires the Administrator and the FBI Director to carry out, at least triennially, joint threat and vulnerability assessments on security at each high-risk airport. (Sec. 311) Requires the Administrator to report to Congress on the safety and effectiveness of any bag match pilot program carried out pursuant to certain recommendations. Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Administrator should work with airports and air carriers to develop, to the extent feasible, effective domestic bag matching proposals at airports. (Sec. 312) Authorizes the Administrator to require each air carrier and airport to conduct periodic vulnerability assessments of their security systems. (Sec. 313) Directs the Secretary to report to the Congress on any changes recommended and implemented as a result of the White House Conference on Aviation Safety and Security to enhance screening and inspection of cargo, mail, and company-shipped materials transported in commerce. (Sec. 314) Expresses the sense of the Senate that a state of war should be declared to exist between the United States and any nation that commits an act of international terrorism against a U.S. citizen. Title IV: Aviation Safety - Directs the Administrator to consider the assigning, maintaining, and enhancing of safety and security as the highest priorities in air commerce. Repeals the duty of the Administrator to promote civil aeronautics. (Sec. 402) Prohibits the Administrator or any agency from disclosing voluntarily-provided safety or security related information if certain conditions apply. (Sec. 403) Authorizes the Administrator to issue a supplemental type certificate for a change to an aircraft, aircraft engine, propeller, or appliance. (Sec. 404) Requires the Administrator to issue an airport operating certificate for an airport (not located in Alaska) that serves any scheduled passenger operation of an air carrier aircraft designed for more than nine but less than 31 passenger seats. (Currently, the mandate covers only an airport serving an air carrier operating aircraft designed for at least 31 passenger seats). (Sec. 405) Authorizes appropriations to the FAA for FY 1997 for the purpose of addressing State-specific aviation safety problems identified by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). (Sec. 406) Requires the Administrator to prescribe aircraft noise and sonic boom standards for aircraft engines. (Sec. 407) Directs the NTSB to develop a system for classifying air carrier accident data. Directs the Administrator to give high priority to developing and deploying a fully enhanced safety performance analysis system including automated surveillance targeting systems. Title V: Pilot Record Sharing - Pilot Records Improvement Act of 1996 - Requires 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. (Sec. 502) 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. 503) Directs the Administrator to appoint a task force to study: (1) the development of standards and criteria for preemployment screening of pilots and pilot training facilities; and (2) to determine if the practice of air carriers requiring employees to pay for the training that is needed to perform flight check duties is in the public interest. (Sec. 504) Directs the Administrator to study and report to the Congress on whether current minimum flight requirements for air carrier pilot applicants are sufficient to ensure public safety. Title VI: Child Pilot Safety - Child Pilot Safety Act - Prohibits a pilot in command of an aircraft from allowing an individual who does not hold a valid private pilot's certificate, and an appropriate medical certificate, to manipulate the controls of an aircraft if the pilot knows or should have known that the individual is attempting to set a record or engage in an aeronautical competition or aeronautical feat. (Sec. 602) Mandates revocation of the Federal certificate of any airman who, while acting as a pilot in command of an aircraft, permits another individual to manipulate the aircraft's controls in violation of this Act. Directs the Administrator to conduct a study and report on the impacts of children flying aircraft. Title VII: Family Assistance - Aviation Disaster Family Assistance Act of 1996 - Requires the Chairman of the NTSB, after an accident involving an aircraft that results in a significant loss of life, to: (1) designate and publicize the name and phone number of a director of family support services to be a Government liaison between the air carrier and the families of the passengers; and (2) designate an experienced, independent nonprofit organization which shall have primary responsibility for coordinating the care and support of the passengers' families. Grants the NTSB primary responsibility for coordinating the recovery and identification of passengers involved in an aircraft accident. (Sec. 702) Prohibits any person from impeding the ability of the NTSB, or the designated organization, from carrying out its responsibilities under this Act. Sets forth penalties for violations of this Act. (Sec. 703) Requires each air carrier to submit to the Secretary of Transportation a plan for addressing the needs of the passengers' families. Prohibits the Secretary from approving an air carrier's application for a certificate of public convenience and necessity without such plan in its application. (Sec. 704) Requires the Secretary to establish a task force to develop: (1) a model plan to assist air carriers in responding to aircraft accidents; and (2) recommendations to the Congress on methods to ensure that attorneys and the media do not intrude on the privacy of the passengers' families. Title VIII: Airport Revenue Protection - Airport Revenue Protection Act of 1996 - Amends Federal aviation law to prohibit, with specified exceptions, the expenditure for non-airport purposes of local aviation fuel taxes or revenues generated by an airport that is the subject of Federal assistance or that operates pursuant to an airport operating certificate. Sets forth a civil penalty for diversion of aviation revenues. (Sec. 805) Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator, to promulgate regulations requiring a recipient of an airport project grant or any other Federal airport financial assistance to include in its annual audit a review of airport-related funding activities. Requires the Secretary to review any audit identifying an illegal diversion of airport revenues. Authorizes the Secretary, after determining such identification is accurate, and notifying the airport and its sponsor, to withhold any amount from apportioned or grant funds that would otherwise be made available to the sponsor. Authorizes the Secretary to initiate a civil action under which the sponsor shall be liable for a civil penalty equal to the amount of the illegal diversion, plus interest. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to conform to this Act. Title IX: Metropolitan Washington Airports - Metropolitan Washington Airports Amendments Act of 1996 - Amends the Metropolitan Washington Airports Act of 1986 to revise the composition of the board of directors of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, among other things increasing the number of members from 11 to 13. (Sec. 903) Requires board members appointed by the President to be registered voters of States other than Maryland, Virginia, or the District of Columbia. Revises requirements for length of term and the filling of vacancies. Declares that no more than two members of the board appointed by the President may be of the same political party. Requires eight votes (currently, seven) to approve bond issues and the annual budget. (Sec. 904) Terminates the Board of Review of the Airports Authority. (Sec. 905) Prohibits the Secretary, after October 1, 2001, from approving an application of the Airports Authority for: (1) an airport development project grant; or (2) imposition of a passenger facility fee. (Sec. 906) Directs the Airports Authority to continue to enforce certain restrictions in the Metropolitan Washington Airports Regulations with respect to the use of the Dulles access highway. (Sec. 909) Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Airports Authority: (1) should not provide free reserved parking areas to Members of Congress, Government officials, or diplomats; and (2) should establish a parking policy for airports that provides equal access to the public. Title X: Extension of Airport and Airway Trust Fund Expenditures - Extends the expenditure authority of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund through October 1, 1998. Title XI: FAA Research, Engineering, and Development - FAA Research, Engineering, and Development Management Reform Act of 1996 - Amends Federal transportation law to authorize appropriations for FY 1997 for specified aviation programs. (Sec. 1103) Directs the Administrator of the FAA to consider the advice of a certain research advisory committee in establishing research and development priorities. (Sec. 1104) Directs the research advisory committee in the FAA to review annually the Administrator's appropriation allocation among major research and development activities, and give advice and recommendations on whether such allocation is appropriate to meet certain needs and objectives. (Sec. 1105) Amends the guidelines for the national aviation research plan with respect to the goals, priorities, and resources of research and development activities. Title XII: Miscellaneous Provisions - Authorizes the Administrator, in carrying out various aviation programs, to purchase a housing unit located outside the contiguous United States if the unit's cost is $300,000 or less. (Sec. 1203) Authorizes a sponsor to close, without any obligation to repay grants, a non-commercial service airport located near a closed or realigned military base. (Sec. 1204) Authorizes the Secretary to waive, subject to specified conditions, any deed terms in a specified conveyance of certain property to Gadsden, Alabama, for airport purposes. (Sec. 1205) Directs the FAA Administrator, in modifying certain regulations in a manner affecting intrastate aviation in Alaska, to consider the extent to which Alaska is not served by transportation other than aviation. (Sec. 1206) Provides for the payment of all Westchester County Airport, New York, fees into the Westchester County treasury. (Sec. 1207) Authorizes the Administrator to transfer and install at Bedford Airport, Pennsylvania, any instrument landing system decommissioned elsewhere in the State. (Sec. 1208) Directs the Administrator to take action to improve the safety of aircraft landing: (1) at Worcester Municipal Airport, Massachusetts, including, if appropriate, providing air traffic radar service from the Providence Approach Radar Control in Coventry, Rhode Island; and (2) at Central Florida Airport, Sanford, Florida, including, if appropriate, providing a new instrument landing system on Runway 27R. (Sec. 1210) Amends the Airport and Airway Improvement Act of 1982 to establish within the FAA an Aircraft Noise Ombudsman who shall be consulted when the FAA proposes changes in aircraft routes so as to minimize any increases in aircraft noise over populated areas. (Sec. 1211) Amends Federal transportation law to declare that, if any privately owned reliever airport contributes any lands, easements, or rights-of-way to carry out an airport improvement project, their current fair market value shall be credited toward the non-Federal share of allowable project costs. (Sec. 1212) Expresses the sense of the Senate that there should be an immediate enactment of an 18-month reinstatement of the aviation excise taxes to provide short-term funding for the FAA. (Sec. 1213) Directs the Secretary to study and report to specified congressional committees on rural air fare. (Sec. 1214) Directs the Administrator to revise certain regulations to apply to candidates for State or local office the same or similar carriage rules as apply to candidates for Federal office. (Sec. 1215) Directs the Secretary, acting through the Administrator, to provide 45 additional days for comment by interested persons on certain proposed special flight rules in the vicinity of Grand Canyon National Park. (Sec. 1216) Authorizes the Administrator to: (1) transfer any U.S. title, right or interest in the air traffic control tower at Hickory Regional Airport to the City of Hickory, North Carolina; and (2) study and certify to specified congressional committees whether the number of operations at such airport meet the criteria for contract towers. Prohibits the Administrator from closing the New Bern-Craven County flight services station, the Hickory Regional Airport flight service station, or the Pierre, South Dakota Regional Airport flight service station without certification to the same committees that such closure will not result in the degradation of air safety (at the first two stations) or (at the third station) of air safety, air service, or the loss of meteorological services or data that cannot be obtained in a more cost-effective way, and that any such station closure will reduce costs to taxpayers. (Sec. 1217) Directs the Administrator to study and report to the Congress on the feasibility of constructing two offshore platforms to serve as sites for the location of Doppler radar stations for John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport in New York City, New York. (Sec. 1218) Requires the Secretary to take into account the interest of affected communities (among other criteria) when issuing Federal train whistle regulations. (Sec. 1219) Prohibits the Surface Transportation Board from increasing service fees for small shippers in connection with rail maximum rate complaints. (Sec. 1220) Amends Federal transportation law to declare that, in a case in which two landfills have been proposed or established within six miles of a commercial service airport with fewer than 50,000 enplanements per year, no person shall construct or establish either landfill if an official of the Federal Aviation Administration has stated in writing within the three-year period ending on the date of the enactment of this Act that one of the landfills would be incompatible with aircraft operations at the airport, unless the landfill is already active on such date of enactment or the airport operator agrees to the construction or establishment of the landfill. (Sec. 1221) Declares that, through FY 1998, an air carrier which commenced all-cargo turnaround service during November 1995 with Stage 2 aircraft with a maximum weight of more than 75,000 pounds: (1) may operate no more than one such aircraft in all-cargo turnaround service; but (2) may maintain a second such aircraft in reserve. Limits the use of the reserve aircraft to replacement of the first aircraft when it is not airworthy or is unavailable due to closure of an airport in Hawaii at which it is located. (Sec. 1222) Amends the Johnson Act to provide that States (except Hawaii) may not regulate the possession or use of gambling equipment on a vessel whose voyage includes or consists of a segment: (1) that begins and ends in the same State; (2) that is part of a voyage to another State or a foreign country; and (3) in which the vessel reaches the other State or foreign country within three days after leaving the State in which it begins.
Bill· SS. 2170 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Cap Entitlements and Other Mandatory Spending Title II: Enforcement Provisions Save Our Savings Act of 1996 - Title I: Cap Entitlements and Other Mandatory Spending - Sets forth a timetable for completion of certain budget actions by the President and by the Directors of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). (Sec. 103) Applies direct spending caps to all entitlement authority, except for undistributed offsetting receipts and net interest outlays. Sets forth a table of such caps for specified categories of entitlements and other mandatory spending. (Sec. 104) Requires determinations of such direct spending caps (as well as any breaches of such caps and actions necessary to remedy such breaches) to be based on certain economic assumptions for specified future fiscal years, subject to periodic reestimation based on changed economic conditions or changes in eligible population. (Sec. 105) Provides for automatic adjustments to the caps for entitlements and other mandatory spending. Allows the direct spending caps to be revised in a specified manner, only by recorded vote. Title II: Enforcement Provisions - Provides for enforcement of the direct spending caps on categories of spending established under title I of this Act. Applies specified enforcement rules and procedures for any fiscal year in which direct spending exceeds the applicable direct spending cap. (Sec. 202) Directs OMB to: (1) compile a statement of actual direct spending for a fiscal year, following the end of that year, identifying such spending by categories of entitlements and other mandatory spending; and (2) under specified conditions, issue a report to the President and the Congress, estimating necessary spending reductions. Sets forth a timetable for specified budget actions by the President and by OMB and CBO. (Sec. 203) Subjects all direct spending (except matters specifically exempted under this title) to caps on total direct spending outlays for each fiscal year. Establishes separate caps, consistent with the cap on total outlays, for: (1) any entitlement program named in the table in title I; (2) such other program or groups of programs for which additional caps are established in subsequent legislation; and (3) the remainder of direct spending programs. Prohibits the total of the separate caps from title I, plus any additional separate caps subsequently established, from exceeding the cap for total direct spending, as appropriately adjusted. Sets forth: (1) general rules triggering sequestration to reduce spending for programs subject to direct spending caps; (2) special rules for programs with certain characteristics; and (3) rules for insurance programs, loan programs, and State grant program formulas. Requires a within session sequester under certain conditions. (Sec. 204) Exempts from sequestration specified programs and activities, in terms of their budget accounts, activities within accounts, or income. Authorizes the President to exempt any military personnel account from sequestration or provide for a lower uniform percentage reduction than would otherwise apply, if the Congress is notified of the manner in which such authority will be exercised on or before the initial snapshot date for the budget year. (Sec. 205) Sets forth special rules for sequestration orders for: (1) the child support enforcement program under the Social Security Act; (2) the Commodity Credit Corporation; (3) the earned income tax credit; (4) regular and extended unemployment compensation; (5) the Federal Employees Health Benefits Fund; (6) the Federal Housing (Finance) Board; (7) Federal personnel pay; (8) the Medicare program under the Social Security Act; (9) the Postal Service Fund; (10) the Department of Energy power marketing administration funds or the Tennessee Valley Authority fund; and (11) programs which provide a businesslike service in exchange for a fee. (Sec. 206) Directs CBO and OMB to report to the President and the Congress the budget baselines for the budget year and at least the subsequent nine fiscal years. Requires submission of the CBO report on or before January 15. Requires the OMB report to accompany the President's budget. Specifies requirements for the budget baseline.
Bill· HRH.R. 4335 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Affidavits of Support Title II: Public Charge Deportation Title III: Attribution of Sponsor's Income Title IV: Ineligibility of Illegal Aliens for Public Assistance and Benefits Title V: Enhanced Verification of Eligibility Based on Citizenship or Immigration Status Title VI: Housing Assistance Title VII: Miscellaneous Provisions Title VIII: General Provisions Alien Public Assistance Benefits Amendments of 1996 - Title I: Affidavits of Support - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (Act), as amended by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, to apply alien sponsor affidavit of support provisions to means-tested public benefits. (Current law refers to Federal means-tested public benefits.) Revises certain related income provisions. Title II: Public Charge Deportation - Amends the Act to revise the public charge grounds for deportation, including increasing the public charge period. Sets forth a special rule for battered spouses and children. Provides for exclusion and deportation of an alien who obtains public benefits through fraud or misrepresentation. Makes an alien deportable as a public charge ineligible for naturalization. Title III: Attribution of Sponsor's Income - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to apply attribution of sponsor income provisions for five years to current immigrants. Title IV: Ineligibility of Illegal Aliens for Public Assistance and Benefits - Authorizes States to deny driver's licenses to illegal aliens. (Sec. 402) Amends the Social Security Act to prohibit crediting of "employment" for persons not authorized to work in the United States. (Sec. 403) Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to deny HIV or AIDS treatment to illegal aliens. Title V: Enhanced Verification of Eligibility Based on Citizenship or Immigration Status - Amends the Social Security Act to require proof of identity for certain public assistance (SAVE program)benefits. (Sec. 502) Authorizes States to require proof of eligibility for State benefits. (Sec. 504) Requires verification of student eligibility (citizen, national, or immigrant) for postsecondary Federal student financial assistance. Title VI: Housing Assistance - Use of Assisted Housing by Aliens Act of 1996 - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1980 to: (1) prorate rental housing assistance based upon the number of eligible family members; (2) require prior verification of immigration status and eligibility for financial assistance; and (3) prohibit sanctions against an entity making financial assistance eligibility determinations. Title VII: Miscellaneous Provisions - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate unemployment benefit crediting based upon the status of permanently residing in the United States under color of law. (Sec. 702) Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to repeal a specified food stamp program transition provision. Title VIII: General Provisions - Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) effective date; (2)foreign assistance inapplicability; (3) notification; and (4) definitions.
Bill· HRH.R. 4278 (104th)open
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Division A Title I: Omnibus Appropriations Title I(sic): Department of Justice Title II: Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Title III: The Judiciary Title IV: Department of State and Related Agencies Title V: Related Agencies Title VI: General Provisions Title VII: Rescissions Title VIII: Fiscal Year 1996 Supplemental and Rescission Title IX: Supplemental Appropriations Title I(sic): Military Personnel Title II: Operation and Maintenance Title III: Procurement Title IV: Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Title V: Revolving and Management Funds Title VI: Other Department of Defense Programs Title VII: Related Agencies Title VIII: General Provisions Title IX: Fiscal Year 1996 Supplemental Appropriations and Rescissions for Anti-Terrorism, Counter- Terrorism, and Security Enhancement Activities Title I(sic): Export and Investment Assistance Title II: Bilateral Economic Assistance Title III: Military Assistance Title IV: Multilateral Economic Assistance Title V: General Provisions Title VI: NATO Enlargement Facilitation Act of 1996 Title VII: Middle East Development Bank Title I(sic): Department of the Interior Title II: Related Agencies Title III: General Provisions Title IV: Emergency Appropriations Title I(sic): Department of Labor Title II: Department of Health and Human Services Title III: Department of Education Title IV: Related Agencies Title V: General Provisions Title VI: Reorganization and Privatization of Sallie Mae and Connie Lee Title VII: Museum and Library Services Act of 1996 Title I(sic): Department of the Treasury Title II: Postal Service Title III: Executive Office of the President and Funds Appropriated to the President Title IV: Independent Agencies Title V: General Provisions Title VI: General Provisions Title I(sic): Additional Investment Funds for the Thrift Savings Plan Title II: Thrift Savings Accounts Liquidity Title VII: Counter-Terrorism and Drug Law Enforcement Title VIII: Federal Financial Management Improvement Title II(sic): Economic Growth and Regulatory Paperwork Reduction Subtitle A: Streamlining the Home Mortgage Lending Process Subtitle B: Streamlining Government Regulation Subtitle C: Regulatory Impact on Cost of Credit and Credit Availability Subtitle D: Consumer Credit Subtitle E: Asset Conservation, Lender Liability, and Deposit Insurance Protection Subtitle F: Miscellaneous Subtitle G: Deposit Insurance Funds Title III: Spectrum Allocation Provisions Title IV: Adjustment of Paygo Balances Title V: Additional Appropriations Division B: Oregon Resources Conservation Act of 1996 Title I(sic): Opal Creek Wilderness and Scenic Recreation Area Title II: Upper Klamath Basin Title III: Deschutes Basin Title IV: Mount Hood Corridor Title V: Coquille Tribal Forest Title VI: Bull Run Watershed Protection Title VII: Oregon Islands Wilderness, Additions Title VIII: Umpqua River Land Exchange Study Division C: Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 Title I(sic): Improvements to Border Control, Facilitation of Legal Entry, and Interior Enforcement Subtitle A: Improved Enforcement at the Border Subtitle B: Facilitation of Legal Entry Subtitle C: Interior Enforcement Title II: Enhanced Enforcement and Penalties Against Alien Smuggling; Document Fraud Subtitle A: Enhanced Enforcement and Penalties Against Alien Smuggling Subtitle B: Deterrence of Document Fraud Title III: Inspection, Apprehension, Detention, Adjudication, and Removal of Inadmissible and Deportable Aliens Subtitle A: Revision of Procedures for Removal of Aliens Subtitle B: Criminal Alien Provisions Subtitle C: Revision of Grounds for Exclusion and Deportation Subtitle D: Changes in Removal of Alien Terrorist Provisions Subtitle E: Transportation of Aliens Subtitle F: Additional Provisions Title IV: Enforcement of Restrictions Against Employment Subtitle A: Pilot Programs for Employment Eligibility Confirmation Subtitle B: Other Provisions Relating to Employer Sanctions Subtitle C: Unfair Immigration-Related Employment Practices Title V: Restrictions on Benefits for Aliens Subtitle A: Eligibility of Aliens for Public Assistance and Benefits Subtitle B: Public Charge Exclusion Subtitle C: Affidavits of Support Subtitle D: Miscellaneous Provisions Subtitle E: Housing Assistance Subtitle F: General Provisions Title VI: Miscellaneous Provisions Subtitle A: Refugees, Parole, and Asylum Subtitle B: Miscellaneous Amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act Subtitle C: Provisions Relating to Visa Processing and Consular Efficiency Subtitle D: Other Provisions Subtitle E: Technical Corrections Division D: Small Business Programs Improvement Act Title I(sic): Amendments to Small Business Act Title II: Amendments to Small Business Investment Act Division E Title I(sic): California Bay-Delta Environmental Enhancement and Water Security Act Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act, 1997 - Division A - Title I: Omnibus Appropriations - Makes appropriations for programs, projects, and activities provided for in the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997, as if it had been enacted into law as the regular appropriations Act. Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 - Title I (sic): Department of Justice - Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 1997 - Makes FY 1997 appropriations to the Department of Justice. Sets forth requirements and limitations relating to use of such funds. (Sec. 103) Prohibits the use of funds to pay for an abortion, except where the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term, or in the case of rape. (Sec. 104) Prohibits the use of funds to require any person to perform, or facilitate the performance of, any abortion. (Sec. 109) Amends the Federal judicial code to revise: (1) quarterly bankruptcy fees; and (2) the formulae for the deposit of portions of such fees in the United States Trustee System Fund. (Sec. 110) Amends specified Federal law to establish in the Treasury the Department of Justice Telecommunications Carrier Compliance Fund, which shall be available to the Attorney General to make specified payments to telecommunications carriers, equipment manufacturers, and providers of telecommunications support services. (Sec. 111) Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Drug Enforcement Administration, together with other appropriate Federal agencies, should take necessary action to end the illegal importation into the United States of Rohypnol (flunitrazepam), a drug frequently distributed with the intent to facilitate sexual assault and rape. (Sec. 112) Amends the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 to authorize the use of specified funds to make supplemental grants to U.S. Attorneys Offices to provide assistance to victims of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, to facilitate their observation or participation at related trial proceedings, and to pay other related expenses. (Sec. 113) Amends the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to report to the Congress on vapor detection devices, computed tomography, nuclear quadropole resonance, thermal neutron analysis, pulsed fast-neutron analysis, and other new technologies for preventing and solving acts of terrorism involving explosive devices. Requires the Secretary to contract with the National Academy of Sciences to study the tagging of smokeless and black powder by any viable detection and identification technology. (Sec. 114) Amends the Federal judicial code to allow the forfeiture portion of an award payment to be paid for out of the permanent indefinite appropriation of the Asset Forfeiture Fund. (Sec. 115) Allows the Attorney General to reimburse employees paid under any Department of Justice appropriation account for additional Federal, State, and local income taxes incurred as a result of extended temporary duty status when traveling on behalf of the United States to investigate, prosecute, or litigate a criminal or civil matter, or for other similar special circumstances. (Sec. 116) Amends the Federal judicial code to authorize the Attorney General to accept gifts of personal property for aiding or facilitating Department work. (Sec. 117) Authorizes the Attorney General during FY 1997 to transfer certain forfeited properties to State and local governments, or their designated contractor or transferee, for public health, safety, and welfare purposes. (Sec. 118) Permits the Independent Counsel to extend by successive six-month periods the travel status of an employee and the appropriate reimbursement of travel expenses. Age Discrimination in Employment Amendments of 1996 - Amends the Age Discrimination in Employment Amendments of 1986 to restore the public safety exemption (thus allowing police and fire departments to use maximum hiring and mandatory retirement ages). Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, to study and report to the Congress on performance tests for law enforcement officers and firefighters. Requires the Secretary to: (1) develop guidelines for the use of physical and mental fitness tests for such individuals; (2) issue regulations identifying valid, nondiscriminatory job performance tests for use by employers of such individuals; and (3) propose advisory standards for wellness programs. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 120) Amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to provide that evidence of a defendant's prior sexual assaults is admissible in all Federal sex offense trials commenced after the Act's effective date. Child Pornography Prevention Act of 1996 - Amends the Federal criminal code to define child pornography to mean any visual depiction, including photograph, film, videotape or computer image, produced by any means including electronically by computer, of sexually explicit conduct if: (1) its production involved the use of a minor engaging in such conduct; (2) it appears to depict a minor engaging in such conduct; (3) it has been created, adapted, or modified to appear that an identifiable minor is engaging in such conduct; or (4) it is promoted or advertised as depicting a minor engaging in such conduct. Increases criminal penalties for child sexual exploitation. Amends the Privacy Protection Act to permits searches and seizures where the offense involves child pornography, the sexual exploitation of children, or the sale or purchase of children. Amber Hagerman Child Protection Act of 1996 - Amends the Federal criminal code to establish special penalties for aggravated sexual abuse of persons under age 12 and of persons between ages 12 and 16, where State lines have been crossed. Prescribes life imprisonment for certain repeat offenders. Title II: Department of Commerce and Related Agencies - Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 - Makes FY 1997 appropriations to the Department of Commerce and related agencies, including the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the International Trade Commission. Sets forth requirements and limitations relating to use of such funds. Rescinds specified amounts of unobligated balances for: (1) construction of research facilities of the National Institute of Standards and Technology; and (2) operations, research, and facilities of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). (Sec. 206) Provides for transfer of appropriations to successor organizations in the event the Department of Commerce is dismantled or reorganized. (Sec. 208) Prohibits the use of any funds appropriated under this or any other Act henceforth to develop new fishery management plans, amendments, or regulations which create new individual fishing quota, individual transferable quota, or new individual transferable effort allocation programs, or to implement any such plans, amendments, or regulations approved by a Regional Fishery Management Council or the Secretary of Commerce after January 4, 1995, until offsetting fees to pay for administrative costs are expressly authorized under the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Makes such restriction inapplicable to the North Pacific halibut and sablefish, South Atlantic wreckfish, or the Mid-Atlantic surfclam and ocean (including mahogany) quahog individual quota programs. (Sec. 210) Establishes the Bureau of the Census Working Capital Fund to cover costs of maintenance and operation of services and projects that the Director of the Census Bureau determines may be performed more advantageously when centralized. (Sec. 211) Renames the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act as the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Title III: The Judiciary - Judiciary Appropriations Act, 1997 - Appropriates FY 1997 funds for activities of the Judiciary, including: (1) the Supreme Court; (2) the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; (3) the U.S. Court of International Trade; (4) Courts of Appeals, district courts, and other judicial services; (5) the Administrative Office of the United States Courts; (6) the Federal Judicial Center; (7) Judicial Retirement Funds; and (8) the U.S. Sentencing Commission. Sets forth requirements and limitations relating to the use of such funds. (Sec. 305) Extends the Judiciary Automation Fund and related authorities through FY 1998. (Sec. 306) Prohibits the use of funds available to the Judiciary for certain costs related to the appointment of Special Masters before April 26, 1996. (Sec. 307) Designates a specified U.S. courthouse in Medford, Oregon, as the James A. Redden Federal Courthouse. Title IV: Department of State and Related Agencies - Department of State and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 - Appropriates FY 1997 funds for the Department of State and related agencies, programs, and trust funds (including the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and the U.S. Information Agency). Sets forth requirements and limitations relating to the use of such funds. Provides specified funds for: (1) broadcasting to Cuba; (2) the Center for Cultural and Technical Interchange Between East and West, in Hawaii; and (3) the North-South Center, in Florida. (Sec. 406) Denies availability of funds under this Act to support the activities of the Standing Consultative Commission (SCC) unless the President reports to the Congress a detailed analysis of: (1) whether the Memorandum of Understanding on Succession and the Agreed Statement regarding Demarcation agreed to by the SCC on June 24, 1996, represent substantive changes to the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty of 1972; and (2) whether these agreements will require the advice and consent of the Senate. (Sec. 407) Amends Federal law to permit the Secretary of State to authorize State officials or the U.S. Postal Service to collect and retain the execution fee for passport applications. Title V: Related Agencies - Appropriates FY 1997 funds for: (1) the Maritime Administration of the Department of Transportation; (2) the Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad; (3) the Commission on Civil Rights; (4) the Commission on Immigration Reform; (5) the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe; (6) the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; (7) the Federal Communications Commission; (8) the Federal Maritime Commission; (9) the Federal Trade Commission; (10) the Legal Services Corporation; (11) the Marine Mammal Commission; (12) the National Bankruptcy Review Commission; (13) the Securities and Exchange Commission; (14) the Small Business Administration; (15) the Gambling Impact Study Commission; (16) the Ounce of Prevention Council and Grant Program; and (17) the State Justice Institute. Continues certain requirements and restrictions with respect to use of funds by the Legal Services Corporation. Title VI: General Provisions - Sets forth limitations and prohibitions on the use of funds appropriated by this Act. (Sec. 606) Prohibits the use of funds for the construction, repair, overhaul, conversion, or modernization of vessels for the NOAA in shipyards located outside of the United States. (Sec. 607) Expresses the sense of the Congress that equipment and products purchased under this Act should be American-made. Declares ineligible to receive any Federal contract or subcontract made with funds under this Act any person finally determined by a court or Federal agency to have intentionally affixed a false "Made in America" label to any product sold in or shipped to the United States that is no made in the United States. (Sec. 608) Prohibits the use of funds to implement, administer, or enforce any guidelines of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission covering harassment based on religion, when it is made known that such guidelines do not differ from certain proposed guidelines. (Sec. 609) Prohibits the use of funds from this Act, unless certain conditions are met, to pay for costs incurred for: (1) opening or operating any U.S. diplomatic or consular post in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam that was not operating on July 11, 1995; (2) expanding any such post that was in operation on such date; or (3) increasing the number of personnel assigned to such posts above the level existing on such date. Allows the use of such funds for such purposes only if the President certifies that the Vietnamese Government is fully cooperating with the United States in specified activities relating to the investigation and recovery of missing U.S. military personnel, including: (1) resolution of discrepancy cases, live-sightings, and field activities; (2) recovery and repatriation of American remains; (3) provision of documents on POW-MIAs; and (4) implementation of trilateral investigations with Laos. (Sec. 610) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act for any United Nations peacekeeping mission involving U.S. forces under the command or control of a foreign national, if the President's military advisors have not recommended that such involvement is in the U.S. national security interest, and the President has not submitted such a recommendation to the Congress. (Sec. 611) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act to provide specified amenities or personal comforts in the Federal prison system. (Sec. 614) Prohibits funds under this Act for the Federal Bureau of Prisons from being used to distribute or make available to a prisoner any commercially published information or material that is sexually explicit or features nudity. (Sec. 615) Limits the amount of State and local law enforcement assistance funds which may be provided to any entity under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 if that entity does not provide a certain level of health insurance benefits to its employed public safety officers who retire or are separated from service due to injury suffered in the line of duty while responding to an emergency situation or a hot pursuit. (Sec. 616) Amends Federal patent law to shield a medical practitioner or related health care entity from liability for patent infringement even though such practitioner's performance of a medical activity constitutes a patent infringement. Denies this exemption from liability to the activities of any person (or employee or agent), regardless of tax-exempt status, who is engaged in the commercial development, manufacture, sale, importation, or distribution of a machine, manufacture, or composition of matter or the provision of pharmacy or clinical laboratory services (other than those provided in a physician's office), if such activities: (1) are directly related to such commercial development, and so forth; and (2) are regulated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the Public Health Service Act, or the Clinical Laboratories Improvement Act. (Sec. 617) Amends the Department of Justice Appropriation Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 1980 to repeal the mandate that Department of Justice organizations notify congressional committees before reprogramming funds or taking certain other administrative actions. (Sec. 618) Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to provide a guarantee or commitment to guarantee, under the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, for shipyard infrastructure development and modernization and for vessels integral to the reactivation and modernization of an eligible shipyard that receives such a guarantee. Title VII: Rescissions - Rescinds specified amounts from unobligated balances under the following headings for the Department of Justice: (1) general administration, working capital fund; and (2) Immigration and Naturalization Service, Immigration Emergency Fund. Title VIII: Fiscal Year 1996 Supplemental and Rescission - Provides for specified additional funds for FY 1997, and rescissions of similar unobligated amounts for FY 1996, for the Department of Justice's Federal Prison System salaries and expenses. Title IX: Supplemental Appropriations - Appropriates additional amounts for emergency expenses resulting from Hurricanes Fran and Hortense and other natural disasters: (1) to the Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration's economic development assistance programs (infrastructure expenses); and (2) to the Small Business Administration, Disaster Loans Program Account. Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 1997 - Title I(sic): Military Personnel - Appropriates funds for FY 1997 for active-duty and reserve personnel in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force and for National Guard personnel in the Army and Air Force. Title II: Operation and Maintenance - Appropriates funds for FY 1997 for the operation and maintenance (O&M) of the Army, Navy, and Air Force (including a transfer of funds in each case), the Marine Corps, the defense agencies (including a transfer of funds), the reserve components, and the Army and Air National Guards. Appropriates funds for: (1) overseas contingency operations (including a transfer of funds); (2) the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces; (3) environmental restoration for the Army, Navy, Air Force, and defense-wide (including a transfer of funds in each case); (4) environmental restoration at former defense sites (including a transfer of funds); (5) overseas humanitarian, disaster, and civic aid; (6) nuclear threat reduction programs with respect to republics of the former Soviet Union; and (7) quality of life enhancements, defense. Title III: Procurement - Appropriates funds for FY 1997 for procurement by the armed forces and its reserve components of aircraft, missiles, weapons, tracked combat vehicles, ammunition, shipbuilding and conversion, and for other procurement. Appropriates funds for defense-wide procurement and for National Guard and reserve equipment. Title IV: Research, Development, Test and Evaluation - Appropriates funds for FY 1997 for research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) by the armed forces and defense agencies. Appropriates funds for the Directors of Test and Evaluation and Operational Test and Evaluation. Title V: Revolving and Management Funds - Appropriates funds for: (1) the Defense Business Operations Fund (DBOF); and (2) programs under the National Defense Sealift Fund. Title VI: Other Department of Defense Programs - Appropriates funds for: (1) the Department of Defense (DOD) medical and health care programs; (2) the destruction of lethal chemical agents and munitions; (3) drug interdiction and counter-drug activities, defense (including a transfer of funds); and (4) expenses and activities of the Office of the Inspector General in carrying out the Inspector General Act of 1978. Title VII: Related Agencies - Appropriates funds for: (1) the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System Fund; (2) expenses of the Intelligence Community Management Account; (3) authorized payments to the Kaho'olawe Island Conveyance, Remediation, and Environmental Restoration Trust Fund; and (4) national security scholarships, fellowships, and grants (using funds derived from the National Security Education Trust Fund). Title VIII: General Provisions - Specifies authorized, restricted, and prohibited uses of appropriated funds. (Sec. 8009) Authorizes procurement funds appropriated under this Act to be used for multiyear procurement contracts for Javelin missiles, Arleigh Burke class destroyers, the Army Tactical Missile System, and certain machine guns, rifles, and automatic weapons. (Sec. 8011) Prohibits during FY 1997 the management by end strengths of DOD civilian personnel. (Sec. 8020) Authorizes the Secretary of Defense (Secretary) to establish with host governments of NATO-member countries an account for the deposit of residual value amounts negotiated in the return of U.S. military installations to such countries. (Sec. 8035) Authorizes DOD to incur up to $350 million in obligations for DOD personnel compensation, military construction projects, and supplies and services in anticipation of receipts of contributions from the government of Kuwait. (Sec. 8036) Earmarks funds from this Act for the Civil Air Patrol. (Sec. 8037) Prohibits the use of funds appropriated under this Act to establish a new DOD federally funded research and development center (FFRDC). Limits: (1) compensation payments made to FFRDC officers and employees; and (2) the total FY 1997 number of technical effort staff years which may be funded for DOD FFRDCs. Requires a report from the Secretary to the congressional defense and appropriations committees concerning such staff years. Reduces by a specified amount the total amounts appropriated under titles II through IV of this Act to reflect savings from the decreased use of non-FFRDC consulting services by DOD. Requires a report on the allocation of such funding reductions. (Sec. 8044) Authorizes the payment of voluntary separation incentive payments to military personnel. (Sec. 8048) Authorizes funds available for defense drug interdiction and counter-drug activities to be used for the Young Marines program. (Sec. 8055) Prohibits the use of funds: (1) for the modification of an aircraft, weapon, ship, or other equipment that the military department concerned plans to retire or otherwise dispose of within five years after completion of the modification; (2) by a DOD entity without compliance with the Buy American Act; (3) for the design, development, acquisition, or operation of more than 47 Titan IV expendable launch vehicles; (4) for assistance to or programs in the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea unless specifically appropriated for such purpose; (5) to reduce the civilian medical and medical support personnel assigned to military treatment facilities below the September 30, 1996 level; and (6) to transport chemical munitions to the Johnston Atoll for storage or demilitarization (with an exception and an authorized wartime waiver by the President). (Sec. 8059) Earmarks funds appropriated under this Act for the mitigation of adverse environmental impacts on Indian lands resulting from DOD activities. (Sec. 8065) Earmarks $40 million from the funds authorized for chemical agents and munitions destruction, defense, to conduct a pilot program to identify and demonstrate not less than two alternatives to the current incineration process for demilitarized chemical munitions (requiring an evaluation and annual report to the defense and appropriations committees with respect to such program). (Sec. 8068) Authorizes DOD to enter into interim leasing arrangements for the Adak Naval Air Facility. (Sec. 8070) Rescinds specified funds from various accounts under prior defense appropriations Acts. (Sec. 8087) Appropriates funds to DOD for transfer to the Coast Guard. (Sec. 8088) Reduces by $150 million the total amount appropriated under this Act to reflect savings from reduced carryover of activities funded through the DBOF. (Sec. 8091) Directs the Secretary to report quarterly to specified congressional committees setting forth all costs incurred by DOD in implementing or supporting United Nations (UN) Security Council resolutions. (Sec. 8092) Prohibits the use of FY 1996 funds to transfer to another nation or international organization any defense articles or services (other than intelligence services) for use in international peacekeeping or peace enforcement activities. (Sec. 8093) Directs the Secretary, to the extent authorized by law, to issue loan guarantees in support of U.S. defense exports not otherwise provided for, with a contingent liability limit of $15 billion. Requires quarterly reports to specified congressional committees on such loan guarantees. (Sec. 8094) Prohibits the use of DOD funds for a financial contribution to the UN for the cost of a UN peacekeeping activity or for the payment for any U.S. arrearage to the UN. (Sec. 8096) Reduces Air Force O&M funds to reflect a reduction in the pass through to the Air Force business areas of the DBOF. (Sec. 8103) Authorizes specified amounts for Air Force B-2 aircraft procurement from prior-year defense appropriations Acts to remain available for expenditure until the end of FY 2002. (Sec. 8105) Directs the Secretary, upon the enactment of this Act, to make specified transfers between various DOD appropriation accounts. (Sec. 8106) Requires, no later than June 30, 1997, that DOD disbursements in excess of $3 million be matched to a particular obligation before the disbursement is made. (Sec. 8108) Directs the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) to submit to the defense and appropriations committees a detailed report identifying any activity for which the FY 1998 budget was reduced because the Congress appropriated funds above the President's budget request for such activity for FY 1997. (Sec. 8111) Directs the Secretary to: (1) carry out the deep-strike tradeoff study announced by the President to study tradeoffs between bombers, aircraft, and missiles capable of striking targets in an enemy's rear area; and (2) establish an ad hoc review committee to aid in such study. (Sec. 8112) Makes certain prior-year Air Force missile procurement funds available, until paid, for the payment of satellite on-orbit incentive fees. (Sec. 8113) Directs the Secretary and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to carry out a joint study assessing future tactical aircraft requirements across service jurisdictions. (Sec. 8115) Prohibits the use of funds appropriated under this Act to reimburse a defense contractor for restructuring costs associated with a business combination unless the savings resulting for DOD will exceed the costs charged. Requires a report from the DOD Inspector General concerning such costs. (Sec. 8116) Restricts the purchase of security locks used to protect critical national security information or other classified material. (Sec. 8117) Repeals a provision of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 1996, which prohibits the use of Navy funds to develop or procure an emergency generator set for the New Attack Submarine unless such equipment is powered by a diesel engine manufactured in the United States by a U.S. entity. (Sec. 8118) Directs the Secretary to ensure that DOD contractors who are required to submit annual reports to the Secretary of Labor concerning the hiring of qualified special disabled veterans and veterans of the Vietnam era under DOD contracts are aware of, and in compliance with, such reporting requirements. Requires a joint report from such Secretaries to the Congress concerning reporting compliance. (Sec. 8120) Prohibits, during FY 1997, any advance billing for services provided or work performed by DBOF activities of the Navy in excess of $1 billion. Authorizes additional charges to increase revenues to the DBOF. Provides additional transfer authority to reimburse costs paid through the DBOF. (Sec. 8121) Authorizes the Secretary to waive reimbursement of certain educational costs of the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies for military officers and civilian officials of foreign nations if the Secretary determines that their attendance is in the national security interest. (Sec. 8122) Earmarks specified Air Force funds appropriated under this Act for a facility at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, to provide care and rehabilitative services to disabled children who are military dependents. Provides grant authority (with conditions) for the construction of such a facility. (Sec. 8123) Prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act to reduce the number of special operations units of the National Guard. (Sec. 8124) Requires the Secretary of the Army to ensure that solicitations for Army contracts include specific goals for subcontracts with small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, and women-owned small businesses. (Sec. 8125) Directs the Secretary of the Air Force and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to submit a joint report to specified congressional committees concerning the benefits, allowances, services, and other assistance provided to any civilian Federal employee or private citizen (or family of such employee or citizen) who is injured or killed while traveling on an aircraft owned, leased, chartered, or operated by the Federal Government. (Sec. 8126) Requires a report from: (1) the Deputy Secretary of Defense concerning DOD procurements of propellant raw materials; (2) the Secretary of the Air Force on a cost-benefit analysis of consolidating the ground station infrastructure of the Air Force that supports polar orbiting satellites; and (3) the Secretary on the establishment of a demonstration program under which covered beneficiaries under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services who are also entitled to benefits under part A of the Medicare program (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) and who do not have access to TRICARE (a DOD managed health care program) would be permitted to enroll in a health benefits program offered through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. (Sec. 8128) Appropriates funds for defense against weapons of mass destruction. (Sec. 8130) Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1997 to repeal specified provisions: (1) authorizing appropriations for the defense dual-use technology program; and (2) providing funding requirements and transfer authority with respect to such program. (Sec. 8132) Directs the Secretary to complete a cost-benefits analysis on the establishment of a National Missile Defense Joint Program Office. (Sec. 8133) Authorizes the Chief of the National Guard Bureau to permit the use of equipment of the National Guard Distance Learning Project by any person or entity on a space-available, reimbursable basis. (Sec. 8134) Authorizes the Secretary of the Air Force to implement cost-effective agreements for required heating facility modernization in the Kaiserslautern Military Community in the Federal Republic of Germany. (Sec. 8135) Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1997 to rename the Michael O'Callaghan Military Hospital as the Michael O'Callaghan Federal Hospital. (Sec. 8136) Reduces by specified amounts the appropriations made under this Act for various defense R&D accounts. Requires a report on such funding reductions. (Sec. 8137) Appropriates funds to DOD, allocated among various accounts, for antiterrorism, counter-terrorism, and security enhancement programs, designating each such amount as an emergency requirement under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985. Cancels an equal amount of funds appropriated in titles I through VII of this Act, requiring the cancelled amount to be allocated on a pro-rata basis among each budget activity. Title IX: Fiscal Year 1996 Supplemental Appropriations and Rescissions for Anti-Terrorism, Counter-Terrorism, and Security Enhancement Activities - Appropriates funds for Army and Air Force military personnel, O&M, and procurement, designating each such amount as an emergency requirement pursuant to the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act. (Sec. 9001) Rescinds specified funds in various DOD accounts under prior defense appropriations Acts. (Sec. 9002) Requires funds appropriated by this title for programs and activities of the Central Intelligence Agency to remain available until September 30, 1997. Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1997 - Title I(sic) : Export and Investment Assistance - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 for: (1) Export-Import Bank subsidies; (2) the Overseas Private Investment Corporation; and (3) the Trade and Development Agency. Title II: Bilateral Economic Assistance - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 for: (1) expenses of the President under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961; (2) the Agency for International Development (AID) for child survival and disease programs; (3) AID for specified development assistance (including transfers of funds) allowing availability of limited amounts for the Inter-American Foundation and the African Development Foundation; (4) assistance to Vietnam to reform its trade regime; (5) AID's Office of Population and the U.S. Telecommunications Training Institute; (6) specified projects aimed at reunification of Cyprus; (7) democracy and humanitarian activities in Burma; (8) private and voluntary organizations; (9) international disaster assistance; (10) debt restructuring; (11) micro and small enterprise development programs; (12) guaranteed loans under the worldwide housing guarantees program; (13) the Foreign Service Retirement and Disability Fund; (14) operating expenses of AID and the AID Office of Inspector General; (15) Economic Support Fund (ESF) assistance (but not for Zaire); (16) the International Fund for Ireland; (17) economic assistance for Eastern Europe, the Baltic States, and the independent states of the former Soviet Union; (18) the Peace Corps (but with a ban on fund use for abortions); and (19) the Department of State for international narcotics control, migration and refugee assistance, and nonproliferation, anti-terrorism, and related programs and activities. Title III: Military Assistance - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 for: (1) international military education and training (with a ban on such assistance to Zaire and Guatemala); and (2) foreign military financing and direct loans and grants (earmarking amounts for Israel, Egypt, Greece, and Turkey, and for the participation of Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic in the Partnership for Peace Program). Prohibits foreign military financing for: (1) any non-North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) country participating in the Partnership for Peace Program except through the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations; and (2) Zaire, Sudan, Liberia, and Guatemala. Title IV: Multilateral Economic Assistance - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 for the U.S. contribution to the: (1) International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank); (2) International Development Association; (3) International Finance Corporation; (4) Inter-American Development Bank; (5) Enterprise for the Americas Multilateral Investment Fund; (6) Asian Development Bank; (7) Asian Development Fund; (8) European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; and (9) North American Development Bank. Makes appropriations for FY 1997 for international programs and organizations, with restrictions, including a ban on the use of funds for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for activities in China. Title V: General Provisions - Sets forth limits on the use of appropriations identical or very similar to restrictions enacted in the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1996 (P.L. 104-107), notably with respect to: (1) countries supporting the Arab boycott of Israel, Cuba, Iraq, Iran, Liberia, Montenegro, the Palestine Liberation Organization, Serbia, terrorist countries or countries supporting terrorism or giving sanctuary to war criminals; and (2) financial incentives to induce a business to relocate outside the United States or assistance to develop certain kinds of export processing zones in foreign countries. (Sec. 517) Declares it continues to be U.S. policy that funds allocated to Israel from the ESF shall not be less than the annual debt repayment from Israel to the United States. (Sec. 518) Prohibits the use of development assistance funds for abortions or involuntary sterilizations (including to lobby for or against abortions). (Sec. 518A) Prohibits funds for population planning programs from being expended prior to July 1, 1997. Permits such funds to be made available March 1, 1997, if the President finds, and the Congress approves by a joint resolution, that the limitation has a negative impact on the population planning programs. (Sec. 520) Prohibits the use of funds for Colombia, Guatemala (except for development assistance), the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Liberia, Pakistan, Peru, Serbia, Sudan, or Zaire, except through the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations. (Sec. 533A) States that direct costs associated with meeting a foreign customer's additional or unique requirements will continue to be allowable under contracts for sales of defense articles under the Arms Export Control Act, with loadings applicable to such costs permitted at the same rates applicable to procurement of like items purchased by the Department of Defense for its own use. (Sec. 539) Authorizes the President, subject to notification of the congressional appropriations committees, to direct the transfer of defense articles to the Bosnia and Herzegovina governments, without reimbursement, if he certifies to the Congress that the transfer would assist that nation in self-defense and promote the security and stability of the region. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 561) Declares the sense of the Congress that, to the greatest extent practicable, all equipment and products purchased with funds available in this Act should be American-made. Requires each Federal agency head to notify any entity using assistance or contract funds under this Act of this declaration. (Sec. 564) Authorizes the President (similarly to authority under P.L. 104-107) to: (1) reduce certain debts owed the United States by eligible countries; and (2) sell, reduce, or cancel certain loans under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 in order to facilitate debt-for-equity, debt-for-development, or debt-for-nature swaps, or debt buybacks. (Sec. 566) Authorizes the availability of funds for assistance for Liberia. (Sec. 567) Waives certain restrictions and authorizes the availability of funds for the Guatemalan military forces only if the President certifies to the Congress that the Guatemalan military is cooperating fully with efforts to resolve human rights abuses and to negotiate a peace settlement. (Sec. 570) Imposes certain economic sanctions against Burma until the President certifies to the Congress that Burma has made progress in improving human rights and implementing democracy. (Sec. 571) Requires that a certain additional report on U.S. Hong Kong policy scheduled for 1997 include detailed information on the status and implementation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration on the Question of Hong Kong. (Sec. 573) Directs the Secretary of State to report to the Committees on Appropriations on U.S. Government actions to resolve the conflict in Chechnya. (Sec. 578) Requires the Secretary of State to report annually to the Congress (in some instances optionally in classified form) on the cooperation of foreign countries in: (1) the apprehension, conviction, and punishment of individuals responsible for acts of international terrorism against U.S citizens or interests; and (2) the prevention of further such acts against U.S. citizens in the respective foreign countries. (Sec. 579) Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the U.S. Executive Director of each international financial institution to vote against any loan or other use of the institution's funds, other than to address basic human needs, for the government of any country with a known history of female genital mutilation which has not made the practice illegal or taken steps to implement educational programs to prevent it. (Sec. 580) Requires the Secretary of State's annual report to the Congress on voting practices at the UN to include a side-by-side comparison of individual countries' overall support for the United States at the UN and the amount of U.S. assistance provided to such country in FY 1996. (Sec. 581) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act to pay any voluntary U.S. contribution to the UN unless the President certifies to the Congress that the UN is not making any effort to impose any taxation on any U.S. persons. (Sec. 582) Declares that the Government of Haiti shall be eligible to purchase defense articles and services under the Arms Export Control Act for the civilian-led Haitian National Police and Coast Guard. (Sec. 584) Declares that, for purposes of eligibility for the Orderly Departure Program for nationals of Vietnam, certain Vietnamese aliens shall be considered refugees of special humanitarian concern, and shall be admitted to the United States for resettlement. (Sec. 585) Directs the Secretary of State to report to the Committee on Appropriations about certain military activities of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. (Sec. 587) Withholds specified funds from Mexico until the President reports to the Congress that Mexico is taking action to reduce the flow of illegal drugs to the United States as well as enforce its laws against narcotic trafficking and money-laundering. (Sec. 589) Makes officials or employees of a foreign state designated a state sponsor of terrorism liable to U.S. nationals for personal injury or death caused by acts of terrorism. Title VI: NATO Enlargement Facilitation Act of 1996 - NATO Enlargement Facilitation Act of 1996 - Declares it is the policy of the United States to: (1) assist the transition to full membership in NATO of emerging democracies in Central and Eastern Europe; and (2) work to construct a political and security relationship between an enlarged NATO and the Russian Federation. (Sec. 604) Expresses the sense of the Congress that in order to promote security in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Albania, Moldova, and Ukraine: (1) the United States should support the full and active participation of these countries in activities that will qualify them for NATO membership; (2) the U.S. Government should press the European Union to admit as soon as possible any country qualifying for membership; and (3) the United States and NATO should support military and peacekeeping initiatives between and among such countries, NATO countries, and Russia. (Sec. 605) Expresses the sense of the Congress that Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania should not be disadvantaged in seeking membership into NATO. (Sec. 606) Designates Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia as eligible to receive certain assistance for transition to full membership in NATO. Requires the President to designate as eligible for such assistance other emerging democracies in Central and Eastern Europe that meet specified criteria. (Sec. 607) Authorizes appropriations for NATO enlargement assistance. (Sec. 608) Authorizes the availability of certain funds for the Regional Airspace Initiative and the Partnership for Peace Information Management System. (Sec. 609) Declares that the transfer of excess defense articles to countries intending to participate in NATO (including countries of NATO's southern flank) shall be given priority, to the maximum extent feasible, over the delivery of such articles to other countries, except certain countries specified under the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1995. (Sec. 610) Declares that the Congress endorses U.S. efforts to modernize the defense capability of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and any other countries the President designates under the NATO Participation Act of 1994, by exploring options for the sale or lease to such countries of weapons systems compatible with those used by NATO members, including air defense systems, advanced fighter aircraft, and telecommunications infrastructure. (Sec. 611) Amends the NATO Participation Act of 1994 to establish a presidential and congressional procedure for termination of eligibility for assistance for Partnership for Peace countries which: (1) no longer meet certain eligibility criteria; (2) are hostile to the NATO alliance; or (3) pose a national security threat to the United States. Title VII: Middle East Development Bank - Bank for Economic Cooperation and Development in the Middle East and North Africa Act - Authorizes the President to accept membership for the United States in the Bank for Economic Cooperation and Development in the Middle East and North Africa, including subscription to up to a specified number of shares of stock in such Bank. Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 - Title I(sic) : Department of the Interior - Makes appropriations for the FY 1997 operation of the Department of the Interior. Sets forth uses and prohibitions on the use of funds under this title. Names the Bureau of Land Management's Visitor Center in Rand, Oregon, the William B. Smullin Visitor Center. Prohibits the National Park Service from spending any funds under this Act for activities in direct response to the United Nations Biodiversity Initiative in the United States. Authorizes the National Park Service (NPS) to transfer NPS funds to State, local, and tribal governments, other public entities, educational institutions, and private nonprofit organizations to carry out NPS programs. Provides certain funds for closure of the U.S. Bureau of Mines, including payments for workers' compensation and unemployment compensation for former Bureau employees. (Sec. 113) Establishes in the Treasury a franchise fund pilot for capitalizing and operating central administrative services. (Sec. 114) Amends the Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act (Public Law 102-495) to allow the State of Washington, upon appropriation of a specified amount for the Federal Government to acquire the Elwha and Glines dams, and upon submission to the Congress by the State of a binding agreement to remove them within a reasonable period of time, to purchase such dams from the Federal Government for $2. Repeals such Act upon purchase of the dams by the State. (Sec. 115) Extends, for one year, the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission (Massachusetts and Rhode Island). (Sec. 116) Designates and ratifies assignment to the University of Utah as successor to, and beneficiary of, all the existing assets, revenues, funds and rights granted to the State of Utah under the Miners Hospital Grant and the School of Mines Grant. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to accept relinquishment of all remaining and unconveyed entitlement for quantity grants owed the State of Utah for the Miners Hospital Grant and any unconveyed entitlement that may remain for the University of Utah School of Mines Grant. (Sec. 117) Amends the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act to increase from 20 to 50 the number of new tribes per year which the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the Office of Self-Governance, may select from an applicant pool to participate in self-governance. (Sec. 118) Allows the Indian Arts and Crafts Board to carry out specified revenue-generating activities, including charging museum admission fees, if such revenue is covered into a designated special fund. (Sec. 119) Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), to transfer: (1) to Lander County, Nevada, title to the former BLM administrative site and associated buildings in Battle Mountain, Nevada; and (2) to the State of Nevada, title to the surplus BLM District Office building in Winnemucca, Nevada. (Sec. 120) Directs the Secretary of the Interior to transfer a certain Grumman Goose aircraft to the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum in Anchorage, Alaska. (Sec. 121) Amends the Mesquite Lands Act of 1988 to require the City of Mesquite, Nevada, to notify the Secretary of the Interior, within a specified period, as to which of specified public lands it wishes to purchase. Father Aull Site Transfer Act of 1996 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey without consideration certain land near Silver City, New Mexico, to Saint Vincent DePaul Parish. (Sec. 124) Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to use BLM appropriations to enter into cooperative agreements, directly or indirectly through State, local, or tribal governments, with willing private landowners for restoration and enhancement of fish, wildlife, and other biotic resources on public or private land, or both, that benefit these resources on public lands within the watershed. (Sec. 125) Designates the visitor center at Channel Islands National Park, California, the Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center. Title II: Related Agencies - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 to the Department of Agriculture for the Forest Service, including additional amounts for emergency rehabilitation, forest fire presuppression due to emergencies, and wildfire suppression activities. Prohibits the use of funds to implement any reorganization or "reinvention" of the Forest Service, without the consent of the congressional appropriations committees, other than the relocation of a specified regional office from San Francisco to excess military property at Mare Island, Vallejo, California. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to report to the congressional appropriations committees on the status and disposition of all salvage timber sales started under the emergency salvage timber sale program mandated by the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Additional Disaster Assistance, for Anti-terrorism Initiatives, for Assistance in the Recovery from the Tragedy that Occurred at Oklahoma City, and Rescissions Act, 1995 and subsequently withdrawn or delayed and completed under different authorities as a consequence of the Secretary's July 2, 1996 directive on the implementation of the mandate. Names the Pacific Northwest Research Station Silviculture Laboratory in Bend, Oregon, the Robert W. Chandler Building. Makes appropriations for FY 1997 to the Department of Energy (DOE) for fossil energy research and development, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), the SPR Petroleum Account, and other activities. Rescinds a specified amount of funds for clean coal technology, making them available for any ongoing DOE project. Directs the Secretary of Energy to sell a specified dollar amount of oil during FY 1997 from the SPR and deposit the proceeds in an SPR Operating Fund. Makes appropriations for FY 1997 to the Department of Health and Human Services for the Indian Health Service for services and facilities. Appropriates funds for FY 1997 to: (1) the Department of Education for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education for Indian Education; (2) the Office of Navajo and Hopi Relocation; (3) the Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development; (4) the Smithsonian Institution; (5) the National Gallery of Art; (6) the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; and (7) the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Makes FY 1997 appropriations for: (1) the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities; (2) the Institute of Museum Services; (3) the Commission of Fine Arts; (4) the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; (5) the National Capital Planning Commission; (6) the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Commission; and (7) the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council. Sets forth uses and prohibitions on funds under this title. Title III: General Provisions - Sets forth uses and limitations of funds appropriated by this Act. (Sec. 307) Requires expenditures under this Act to comply with the Buy American Act. Expresses the sense of the Congress that entities receiving Federal assistance should purchase only American-made equipment and products. Prohibits Federal contracts with persons found to have falsely labeled a product with a "Made in America" inscription. (Sec. 312) Permits the use of funds from this Act for the AmeriCorps program, subject to availability of funds under the VA-HUD and Independent Agencies FY 1997 appropriations bill, and only if the relevant agencies follow appropriate reprogramming guidelines. (Sec. 316) Places limitations on the type of grant awards that can be made by the National Endowment for the Arts. (Sec. 317) Prohibits the use of funds for any rules or regulations under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act to assert jurisdiction, management, or control over any waters (other than non- navigable waters on Federal lands), non-Federal lands, or lands selected by, but not conveyed to, Alaska under the Submerged Lands Act of 1953 or the Alaska Statehood Act of 1959, or an Alaska Native Corporation under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. (Sec. 318) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act to review or modify sourcing areas previously approved under specified provisions of the Forest Resources Conservation and Shortage Relief Act of 1990 or to enforce or implement specified Federal regulations. Prohibits adoption of policies that would restrain domestic transportation or processing of timber from private lands or impose additional accountability requirements on any timber. (Sec. 319) Extends through FY 1999 the authority to collect recreation fees under the Recreation Fee Demonstration Program, and through FY 2002 the availability in accounts of the fees collected. (Sec. 320) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act for any activity in connection with a scenic shoreline drive in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan. (Sec. 321) Transfers specified land, including the Bend Silviculture Lab, to the Central Oregon Community College, Bend, Oregon. (Sec. 322) Prohibits the use of any funds for activities of the Office of Forestry and Economic Assistance, or any successor office. (Sec. 323) Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) accept title to specified land in Prince Georges County, Maryland, adjacent to Oxon Cove Park, on condition that it has not become contaminated with hazardous substances; and (2) in exchange, convey to the Corrections Corporation of America specified land located in Oxon Cove Park in the District of Columbia. (Sec. 324) Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to exchange certain National Forest lands (including a wastewater treatment facility) in Chelan County, Washington, for certain lands owned by Public Utility District Number 1 of Chelan County, Washington. (Sec. 325) Snoqualmie National Forest Boundary Adjustment Act of 1996 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to modify the boundary of the Snoqualmie National Forest to include specified adjacent lands in Washington State. (Sec. 326) Sugarbush Land Exchange Act of 1996 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to provide for conveyance to Sugarbush Resort Holdings, Inc., of certain land in the Green Mountain National Forest, in exchange for cash or other land which shall become part of such National Forest. (Sec. 327) Amends the North Carolina Wilderness Act of 1984 to remove 100 acres from the Snowbird Wilderness Study Area. (Sec. 328) Renames the Columbia Wilderness the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness. (Sec. 329) Authorizes the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior during FY 1997 to limit competition for watershed restoration project contracts under the "Jobs in the Woods" component of the President's Forest Plan for the Pacific Northwest to individuals and entities in historically timber-dependent areas of Washington, Oregon, and northern California that have been affected by reduced timber harvesting on Federal lands. (Sec. 330) Amends the Rhode Island Indian Claims Settlement Act to declare that, for purposes of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, settlement lands shall not be treated as Indian lands. Title IV: Emergency Appropriations - Makes additional appropriations for specified functions and activities of the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior. Makes emergency appropriations in additional amounts to: (1) the Department of Agriculture, for the Forest Service; (2) the Smithsonian Institution; (3) the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; (4) the National Gallery of Art; and (5) U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 - Title I (sic): Department of Labor - Department of Labor Appropriations Act, 1997 - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 (including certain transfers of funds) for agencies, programs, and various trust funds, within the Department of Labor. Prescribes uses and limitations on funds under this title. (Sec. 105) Authorizes the Secretary of Labor, in certain circumstances, to waive specified requirements under the Job Training Partnership Act in order to assist States in improving State workforce development systems. Title II: Department of Health and Human Services - Department of Health and Human Services Appropriations Act, 1997 - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 (including certain transfers of funds) for agencies and programs within the Department of Health and Human Services. Prescribes limitations on the use of appropriated funds under this title. (Sec. 212) Directs the Administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration, with the assistance of the Agency for Health Care Policy Research, to report to the appropriate congressional committees a review of research on treatment of end-stage emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by specified surgical procedures, and recommend as to the appropriateness of Medicare coverage of such conditions and procedures. (Sec. 213) Amends the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act to increase the maximum allowable State grant allotment. (Sec. 214) Names the new clinical research center at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as the Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research and Patient Care Center. Title III: Department of Education - Department of Education Appropriations Act, 1997 - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 (including certain transfers of funds) for agencies and programs within the Department of Education, subject to certain requirements for and limitations of their use. (Sec. 301) Prohibits the use of appropriated funds to transport teachers or students in order to: (1) overcome racial imbalance in any school or school system; or (2) carry out a racial desegregation plan. (Sec. 303) Prohibits the use of funds to prevent the implementation of programs of voluntary prayer and meditation in public schools. (Sec. 304) Limits the amount of funds which may be used for specified student aid programs under the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA). Prohibits the Secretary of Education from using HEA funds for subsequent fiscal years for administrative expenses of the William D. Ford Direct Loan Program. (Sec. 307) Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 with respect to additional assistance for heavily impacted local educational agencies (LEAs) to allow LEAs to participate in the determination of maximum impact aid payments. (Sec. 308) Amends HEA to change from June 30-June 30 to August 30- August 30 the reporting year for certain annual reports to the Secretary of Education concerning athletically related student aid. Title IV: Related Agencies - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 for the following agencies or programs: (1) Armed Forces Retirement Home; (2) Corporation for National and Community Service (for domestic volunteer service programs); (3) Corporation for Public Broadcasting; (4) Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service; (5) Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission; (6) National Commission on Libraries and Information Science; (7) National Council on Disability; (8) National Education Goals Panel; (9) National Labor Relations Board; (10) National Mediation Board; (11) Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission; (12) Physician Payment Review Commission; (13) Prospective Payment Assessment Commission; (14) Social Security Administration, for various trust funds and programs; (15) Railroad Retirement Board; and (16) United States Institute of Peace. Title V: General Provisions - Sets forth requirements and limitations on the use of appropriated funds under this Act. (Sec. 505) Prohibits the use of funds to carry out any program of distributing sterile needles for the hypodermic injection of any illegal drug unless the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) determines that such programs are effective in preventing the spread of HIV and do not encourage the use of illegal drugs. (Sec. 506) Expresses the sense of the Congress that, to the greatest extent practicable, all equipment and products purchased under this Act should be American-made. (Sec. 508) Prohibits the use of funds to perform abortions except to save the life of the mother or where the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. (Sec. 510) Prohibits use of funds in this Act for the expenses of an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) task force. (Sec. 511) Prohibits use of funds in this Act to enforce specified requirements under HEA with respect to any lender that has a guaranteed student loan portfolio less than $5 million. (Sec. 512) Prohibits use of funds in this Act for: (1) the creation of a human embryo or embryos for research purposes; or (2) research in which a human embryo or embryos are destroyed, discarded, or knowingly subjected to risk of injury or death greater than that allowed for research on fetuses in utero under certain Federal regulations and the Public Health Service Act. (Sec. 513) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act for promotion of legalization of controlled substances, except with respect to certain therapeutic uses. (Sec. 514) Denies funds to any covered educational entity that has a policy prohibiting, or effectively preventing, ROTC access to campus or Federal military recruiting on campus. (Sec. 519) Permanently cancels a specified amount of the budgetary resources available to agencies (except the Food and Drug Administration and the Indian Health Service) under this Act for salaries and expenses, such cancelled amount to be allocated by the Office of Management and Budget. (Sec. 520) Provides for voluntary separation incentives for employees of the Railroad Retirement Board and its Office of Inspector General. Title VI: Reorganization and Privatization of Sallie Mae and Connie Lee - Student Loan Marketing Association Reorganization Act of 1996 - Amends the HEA to provide for the reorganization of the Student Loan Marketing Association (Sallie Mae) through the formation of a holding company and the cessation of Federal sponsorship. (Sec. 603) Amends HEA to provide for the privatization and renaming of the College Construction Loan Insurance Association (Connie Lee) and the cessation of Federal sponsorship. (Sec. 604) Amends HEA to prohibit Sallie Mae, or any successor entity functioning as a secondary market for student loans, from engaging in certain discriminatory practices against borrowers. Title VII: Museum and Library Services Act of 1996 - Museum and Library Services Act of 1996 - Amends the Museum Services Act to revise and rename it as the Museum and Library Services Act (MLSA). (Sec. 702) Establishes within the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), consisting of an Office of Museum Services (OMS) and an Office of Library Services (OLS), along with the current National Museum Services Board, relocated in OMS. Provides for an IMLS Director and Deputy Directors for OMS and OLS. Library Services and Technology Act - Provides for library services and technology under MLSA, with an emphasis on library services and technology, access, and literacy programs for underserved communities. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Education for grants to States for information access through technology and information empowerment through special services. Directs the Secretary to transfer such funds to the Director to carry out such library services and technology programs. Sets forth basic program requirements, including a 50 percent Federal share and State five-year plans. Sets forth requirements and authorized activities for library programs of grants to States for: (1) information access through technology; and (2) information empowerment through special services (including special services for children in poverty who are served by libraries). Sets forth administrative requirements for such library grants programs, including State evaluation of assisted activities, State advisory councils, Federal grants for library services for Indian tribes, and a program of national leadership and evaluation activities. Continues to authorize: (1) grants to museums to increase and improve museum services through specified types of activities; and (2) contracts and cooperative agreements with appropriate entities for projects to strengthen museum services. Requires the Director to assess the collaborative possibilities museums can engage in to serve the public more broadly and effectively. Authorizes the Director to make an annual National Award for Museum Service to outstanding museums that have made significant contributions in service to their communities. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 703) Amends the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science Act to make the Commission responsible for advising the IMLS Director on general library services policies. Includes the IMLS Director as an ex officio, nonvoting member of such Commission. Requires that nonprofessional members have special competence in or knowledge of (currently, interest in) society's need for library and information services. Requires that at least one of the nonprofessional members be knowledgeable about the library and information service and science needs of the elderly. (Sec. 704) Transfers functions from the Institute of Museum Services (IMS) to the IMLS. (Sec. 708) Repeals the Library Services and Construction Act. Repeals specified provisions of: (1) HEA, relating to academic libraries and information services; (2) the Higher Education Amendments of 1986, relating to library resources; (3) the Education Amendments of 1974; and (4) the Technology for Education Act of 1994. Treasury, Postal Service and General Government Appropriations Act, 1997 - Title I (sic): Department of the Treasury - Treasury Department Appropriations Act, 1997 - Makes appropriations to the Department of the Treasury and its related agencies for FY 1997. (Sec. 118) Amends the Federal criminal code, with respect to licensing and related gun show sales requirements for firearms importers, manufacturers, and dealers, to declare that nothing in such requirements shall be construed to diminish the right of a licensee to conduct "curios or relics" firearms transfers and business away from its business premises with another licensee without regard to whether the place where the business is conducted is located in the State specified on the license of either licensee. Title II: Postal Service - Makes appropriations to the Postal Service Fund for FY 1997. Title III: Executive Office of the President and Funds Appropriated to the President - Executive Office Appropriations Act, 1997 - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 for the Executive Office of the President and related offices and programs. Title IV: Independent Agencies - Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 for: (1) the Committee for Purchase from People who are Blind or Severely Disabled; (2) the Federal Election Commission; (3) the Federal Labor Relations Authority; (4) the General Services Administration; (5) the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Review Board; (6) the Merit Systems Protection Board; (7) the National Archives and Records Administration; (8) the National Historical Publications and Records Commission; (9) the Office of Government Ethics; (10) the Office of Personnel Management (OPM); (11) the Office of Inspector General; (12) the Office of Special Counsel; and (13) the United States Tax Court. Specifies uses of funds provided to the General Services Administration. (Sec. 407) Amends the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to authorize the Administrator of General Services to establish, acquire space for, and equip flexiplace work telecommuting centers, and charge fees, for use by employees of Federal agencies, State and local governments, and the private sector. (Sec. 408) Directs the Administrator to acquire certain land in Portland, Oregon, for construction of a proposed Law Enforcement Center on the site. (Sec. 409) Amends specified Federal law to mandate conveyance of certain real property at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant to the City of Middleton, Iowa. Repeals the requirement that the City pay fair market value for such property. Requires the Secretary of the Army to permit the City to use existing water and sewer lines and systems at the Plant for a three-year period after conveyance. (Sec. 410) Directs the Administrator to convey, without compensation, to the Beaver County Corporation for Economic Development certain real property in Hopewell Township, Pennsylvania. (Sec. 411) Declares that certain land in Denver, Colorado, shall not be subject to condemnation by any Federal agency or instrumentality without the owner's consent. Makes appropriations for FY 1997 for: (1) specified Government contributions, with respect to retired Federal employees, as payments for annuitants, employee health benefits and life insurance; and (2) the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund. Title V: General Provisions - Sets forth certain prohibitions and limitations on the use of appropriations made under this Act. (Sec. 503) Amends Federal law to repeal the mandate for presidentially appointed superintendents and assayers at U.S. mints, and for a presidentially appointed engraver at the Philadelphia mint. (Sec. 512) Requires entities receiving funds under this Act to comply with the Buy American Act. Expresses the sense of the Congress to such effect. (Sec. 518) Phohibits Act funds from being available to pay for an abortion or expenses in connection with any health plan under the Federal employees health benefits program which provides any benefits or coverage for abortions, except where the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term, or the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. (Sec. 521) Considers personal service contractors employed by the Department of the Treasury outside the United States to be Federal employees for purposes of Federal employee health and life insurance. (Sec. 523) Amends Federal law to allow for the minting of 24 karat gold coins and platinum coins. (Sec. 526) Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to pay up to $500,000 to reimburse former employees of the White House Travel Office, terminated on May 19, 1993, for attorney fees and related costs (except those incurred with respect to any congressional hearing or investigation). (Sec. 527) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act by the Executive Office of the President to request from the Federal Bureau of Investigation any official background investigation report on any individual without the individual's express written consent. (Sec. 528) Closes to the public a specified alley in Washington, D.C., on which the Federal Government is constructing a facility. Grants the Administrator of General Services administrative jurisdiction over, and title on behalf of the United States to, the alley, facility, and related property. (Sec. 529) Amends Federal law to authorize the Secretary, beginning January 1, 1999, to mint and issue commemorative coins in no more than two commemorative coin programs per calendar year. Specifies mintage levels and conditions on payment of surcharges to recipient organizations. Requires quarterly financial reports to the Congress on commemorative coin programs. Sets a fixed four-year term for members of the Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory Committee, and provides for election of a Chairperson. Title VI: General Provisions - Sets forth certain requirements for and prohibitions and limitations on the use of appropriations by all Federal departments, agencies, and corporations. (Sec. 624) Prohibits use of funds in this Act for certain types of employee training, including those containing elements: (1) inducing high emotional or psychological stress; (2) associated with religious, quasi-religious, or "new age" belief systems; (3) offensive to, or designed to change, participants' personal values or lifestyle; or (4) related to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) other than that necessary for specified purposes. (Sec. 627) Amends the Federal Financial Management Act of 1994 (title IV of the Government Management Reform Act of 1994, P.L. 103-356) to extend through FY 2001 the franchise fund pilot program. (Sec. 632) Designates a certain U.S. courthouse under construction in Portland, Oregon, as the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse. (Sec. 633) Amends Federal civil service law for the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) to mandate survivor annuity resumption, as well as resumption of Federal employees health benefits, upon divorce for a disabled child whose annuity and Federal health benefits had terminated because of marriage. (Sec. 634) Amends CSRS and FERS to allow a Federal employee involuntarily terminated due to a reduction in force or transfer of function to apply unused annual leave to remain on the agency's rolls after the would-be separation date if, and only to the extent that, such additional time in pay status will enable the employee to meet minimum age and service requirements for title to an immediate annuity, or to qualify to carry health benefits coverage into retirement. (Sec. 635) Amends the Federal criminal code to specify that certain post-employment restrictions for senior officials do not apply to Federal officers and employees whose basic rate of compensation is below level 5 of the Senior Executive Service. (Sec. 636) Provides for Federal agency reimbursement to Federal law enforcement officers and Federal supervisors or management officials of up to half the costs they incur for professional liability insurance. Applies such reimbursement authority to the legislative branch, including any office or committee of the Senate or the House of Representatives, as well as to the executive branch. (Sec. 638) Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury, for FY 1997, to use certain funds made available to the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation Resolution Fund to reimburse the Department of Justice for litigation expenses incurred in defense of claims against the United States arising from the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 and its implementation. (Sec. 639) Amends the Treasury, Postal Service and General Government Appropriations Act, 1996 to authorize all Federal agencies to receive and use funds resulting from the sale of Federal records disposed of pursuant to a record schedule (the Federal Register) which are subsequently recovered through recycling or waste prevention programs. (Sec. 640) Authorizes Federal agency heads to use the private sector to review and analyze the contracting out, outsourcing or privatization of business and administrative functions and related issues subject to the Information Technology Management Act (title LI of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 1996). (Sec. 641) Amends the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 to authorize appropriations for their FY 1998 through 2002 activities under such Act to the Merit Systems Protection Board and the Office of Special Counsel. (Sec. 643) Amends the Treasury, Postal Service and General Government Appropriations Act, 1996 with respect to co-chairs, the meeting quorum, donations to, and travel allowances of the National Commission on Restructuring the Internal Revenue Service. (Sec. 644) Amends Federal law to increase from $10,000 to $30,000 the annual salary of each Governor on the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors. (Sec. 645) Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to report to the Congress estimates of the total annual costs and benefits of Federal regulatory programs, together with: (1) an analysis of the impact of Federal rules on the private sector as well as on Federal, State, and local governments; (2) cost-benefit estimates for each rule likely to have a gross annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more in increased costs; and (3) recommendations to reform or eliminate any Federal regulatory program or program element that is inefficient, ineffective, or not a sound use of national resources. (Sec. 646) Amends the Federal Financial Management Act of 1994 to extend the authority of the OMB Director with respect to simplification of the management reporting process. (Sec. 647) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to transfer to the University of Miami, without charge, title to the real property and improvements that constitute the Perrine Primate Center. (Sec. 648) Amends the Federal criminal code to upgrade counterfeiting offenses from a class C to a class B felony, thus increasing penalties. Prescribes criminal penalties for the production, sale, transportation, or possession of fictitious financial instruments (including fictitious obligations) purporting to be those of State or local governments or of private organizations. (Sec. 649) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act by a Federal agency to provide a Federal employee's home address to any labor organization without the employee's consent or a court order. (Sec. 650) Requires the Inspector General of each Federal agency to audit and report on the use of administratively uncontrollable overtime by employees. Directs OPM to issue revised guidelines to limit or, in specified circumstances, prohibit the use of administratively uncontrollable overtime. (Sec. 651) Authorizes a Federal agency head to pay up to $10,000 in a death gratuity to the personal representative of a civilian employee whose death resulted from an injury sustained on the job on or after August 2, 1990. (Sec. 653) Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to : (1) establish scientific certification standards for explosives detection canines; (2) provide for certification of explosives detection canines employed by Federal agencies; and (3) establish a program for the training of canines for explosives detection at U.S. airports. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 654) Amends the Federal criminal code to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a national repository of information on incidents involving arson and the suspected criminal use of explosives. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 655) Amends Federal law to allow a trustee of the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Foundation to serve past expiration of his or her term until a successor is chosen. (Sec. 656) Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, to transfer directly to Indian tribes in North and South Dakota portable housing units at the Grand Forks Air Force base in North Dakota which the Department of Defense has declared excess. (Sec. 657) Amends the Federal criminal code to limit to firearms that have moved in or otherwise affect interstate or foreign commerce the existing prohibition against the possession or discharge of firearms in a school zone. (Sec. 658) Amends Federal criminal law to make it unlawful to sell firearms to anyone who has been convicted in any court of any crime involving domestic violence, if the individual has been represented by counsel or knowingly and intelligently waived the right to counsel. Makes it unlawful for such persons to engage in the trafficking of firearms. (Sec. 659) Title I (sic): Additional Investment Funds for the Thrift Savings Plan - Thrift Savings Investment Funds Act of 1996 - Amends Federal civil service law to add two new funds, the International Stock Index Investment Fund and the Small Capitalization Stock Index Fund, to the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) under the Federal Employees' Retirement System. Title II: Thrift Savings Account Liquidity - Thrift Savings Plan Act of 1996 - Increases withdrawal options for TSP participants upon separation from employment. Eliminates the purpose requirements for taking a TSP loan. Requires an employee or member, before a loan is issued, to be given appropriate information in writing about the cost of the loan relative to other sources of financing, as well as the lifetime cost of the loan, including the difference in interest rates between the funds offered by the Thrift Savings Fund, and any other effect of such loan on the employee's or member's final account balance before a loan is issued. Permits a TSP participant, before separation, to make a one-time withdrawal from the account upon: (1) attaining age 59 and one-half; or (2) financial hardship. Revises provisions concerning notification of an employee's or member's spouse upon making or changing a withdrawal election. Eliminates the definition of basic pay with respect to the TSP. (Sec. 660) Authorizes interagency financing to carry out the purposes of the National Bioethics Advisory Commission. (Sec. 661) Designates a specified U.S. courthouse in Omaha, Nebraska, as the Roman L. Hruska U.S. Courthouse. (Sec. 662) Amends the Inspector General Act of 1978 and Federal law to establish an Office of Inspector General within the U.S. Postal Service. Requires the Inspector General and the Chief Postal Inspector to prepare five-year strategic plans for submission with annual budgets. (Sec. 663) Directs the heads of certain Federal agencies to submit to specified congressional committees their respective strategic plans for making voluntary separation incentive ("buyout") payments, meeting specified requirements, to eligible employees. Requires reduction of an agency's total number of funded employee positions by the number of employees separating and receiving such payments. (Sec. 664) Continues the existing electronic benefit transfer (EBT) pilot program. Provides that selection and designation of financial agents for such program, program design, and related matters shall not be subject to judicial review. (Sec. 665) Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to select associations as financial agents by any process the Secretary deems appropriate. Allows the reasonable duties of such agents to include provision of EBT services, including State-administered benefits with the consent of the States. Title VII: Counter-Terrorism and Drug Law Enforcement - Makes additional appropriations for counter-terrorism and drug law enforcement to: (1) specified Offices of the Department of the Treasury, including Office of Inspector General, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, U.S. Customs Service, Internal Revenue Service, and U.S. Secret Service; (2) the Office of Personnel Management; and (3) certain Federal drug control programs. Title VIII: Federal Financial Management Improvement - Federal Financial Management Improvement Act of 1996 - Requires each Federal agency to implement and maintain financial management systems that comply with Federal requirements, Federal accounting standards, and the U.S. Government Standard General Ledger at the transaction level. Requires: (1) audit compliance reporting; (2) compliance implementation determination by the agency Head; and (3) if there is noncompliance with the standards, a remediation plan to bring the agency into compliance within three years. (Sec. 808) Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1996 to entitle Division D (Federal Acquisition Reform Act of 1996) and Division E (Information Technology Management Reform Act of 1996), together, the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996. Title II (sic): Economic Growth and Regulatory Paperwork Reduction - Economic Growth and Regulatory Paperwork Reduction Act of 1996 - Subtitle A: Streamlining the Home Mortgage Lending Process - Sets a deadline by which the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Board) and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) must take action under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) and the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) to simplify and provide a single format for credit transaction disclosures. (Sec. 2102) Amends TILA to authorize the Board to exempt those transactions from TILA disclosure requirements which the Board determines: (1) are not necessary to effectuate its purposes; or (2) do not provide a measurable benefit in the form of useful information or consumer protection. Requires the Board to publish its rationale for exemption at the time a proposed exemption is published for comment. Includes among factors for Board consideration: (1) whether the loan in question is secured by the consumer's principal residence; and (2) whether the goal of consumer protection would be undermined by such an exemption. (Sec. 2103) Amends RESPA to repeal requirements that: (1) a federally related mortgage lender disclose to a mortgage loan applicant the servicing of mortgages the lender has assigned, sold, or transferred during the most recent three calendar years; and (2) a lender that does not service federally related loans similarly disclose any intention to assign, sell, or transfer such servicing. Repeals the mandate for model disclosure statements. Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to ensure that the exemption from RESPA regulations for credit transactions for primarily business, commercial, or agricultural purposes shall be the same as the exemption for such transactions under TILA. Redesignates "controlled" business arrangements as "affiliated" business arrangements. Declares that the proscription against kickbacks and unearned fees shall not be construed as prohibiting an affiliated business arrangement so long as certain disclosures are made by telephone or electronic media. Extends from one year to three-years the statute of limitations for claims arising from violations of requirements for servicing mortgages and escrow accounts. Delays until July 31, 1997 the effective date of final Federal regulations governing employer-employee payments for referral activities. (Sec. 2104) Amends TILA to exempt from its disclosure requirements any credit transactions involving consumers with an annual earned income of more than $200,000 or having net assets in excess of $1 million at the time of the transaction, upon submission of a handwritten waiver, signed and dated by such consumer. (Sec. 2105) Grants creditors the option to set forth alternative disclosures regarding conditions which could trigger increases or decreases in payment and interest rates for variable interest rate residential mortgage transactions. (Sec. 2106) Modifies TILA restitution guidelines for violations to authorize specified Federal regulatory agencies to order partial adjustments or payments over an extended period in order to avoid causing the creditor to become legally undercapitalized. (Sec. 2107) Amends TILA to restrict certain limitations on creditor liability with respect to consumer credit transactions to closed end consumer credit transactions secured by real property or a dwelling under the Act. Establishes September 30, 1995 as the effective date for such limitations. Subtitle B: Streamlining Government Regulation - Chapter 1: Eliminating Unnecessary Regulatory Requirements and Procedures - Permits an insured depository institution to participate in optional conversion transactions between members of the Bank Insurance Fund and the Savings Association Insurance Fund without prior approval of the responsible agency (but still requires approval). Eliminates the requirement for approval of such a merger under the Oakar Amendment as well as the Bank Merger Act. (Sec. 2203) Amends the Home Owners' Loan Act to remove from its regulatory purview a bank holding company subject to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (BHCA). Revises the definition of "savings and loan holding company" to exclude a bank holding company under BHCA jurisdiction. Provides that acquisition of a savings association by a bank holding company under BHCA jurisdiction obviates approval by the Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision. Amends the BHCA to direct the Federal Reserve Board to solicit the views of the Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision with respect to its examination and enforcement role over bank holding companies. (Sec. 2204) Amends the Revised Statutes to repeal the requirement that the aggregate minimum capital of a national banking association and all its branches be no less than the aggregate minimum capital that would be required if each branch were a separately chartered national bank. (Sec. 2205) Amends the Revised Statutes and the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA) to exclude from the definition of "branch" an automated teller machine or remote service unit (thus exempting those entities from the approval requirements and geographic restrictions of such Acts). (Sec. 2206) Amends the Federal Reserve Act (FRA) to permit well-capitalized and well-managed banks to invest amounts equal to 150 percent (currently, only 100 percent) of capital and surplus in bank premises without prior approval. (Sec. 2207) Amends BHCA to repeal the presumption that shares transferred by a bank holding company to a transferee under its control (divestitures) remain under the holding company's control (thus subject to specified approval requirements). (Sec. 2208) States that prior notice and approval is not required (but written notice to the Federal Reserve Board within ten days after commencing such an activity is required) for a proposal by a well-capitalized, well-managed bank holding company to engage in any activity or acquire the shares or assets of any company (other than an insured depository institution) if it meets specified financial and managerial criteria. (Sec. 2209) Amends FDIA to repeal the requirement that the appropriate Federal banking agency be notified prior to the appointment or addition of a new director or senior executive officer if the affected insured depository institution or depository institution holding company: (1) has been chartered less than two years; or (2) has undergone a change in control within the preceding two years. Retains the prior notice requirement for troubled insured depository institutions or depository institution holding companies only if the agency determines that prior notice is appropriate. Extends from 30 days up to 90 days the period during which, following notice, the agency may disapprove board of directors or senior executive officer appointments by such institutions or companies. (Sec. 2210) Amends the Depository Institutions Management Interlocks Act to revise the prohibition on dual service of management officials to raise the asset-size thresholds of the depository institutions or depository holding companies to which the prohibition applies. Authorizes Federal banking regulatory agencies to adjust such thresholds for inflation. Repeals the 20-year exemption from the dual service prohibition for certain grandfathered directors and management officials (thus permitting them to continue their dual service permanently). Repeals the requirement that each appropriate Federal depository institutions regulatory agency: (1) review according to prescribed criteria the petition of a management official to serve in more than one position (interlocking directorate); and (2) determine whether continuation of such dual service produces an anti-competitive effect. Authorizes the appropriate regulatory agencies to prescribe regulations permitting dual service by a management official that would otherwise be prohibited if such service would not result in a monopoly or substantial lessening of competition. Repeals the criteria governing regulatory approval of management interlocks. (Sec. 2211) Amends FRA to exempt from its proscription against preferential terms in credit extensions to executive officers, directors, or principal shareholders (insider lending) any credit extension: (1) made pursuant to a benefit or compensation program widely available to employees of the member bank; and (2) that does not give preference to any officer, director, or principal shareholder of the member bank, or to any related interest of such person, over other employees of the member bank. Authorizes the Federal Reserve Board to waive the proscription against such preferential terms for certain executive officers and directors of a subsidiary that controls the member bank if the subsidiary's assets do not exceed ten percent of the consolidated assets of a company that controls the member bank and such subsidiary (and is not controlled by any other company). (Sec. 2212) Amends the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 to direct the Appraisal Subcommittee to repay the Secretary of the Treasury the unpaid portion of its startup funding by the end of FY 1998. (Sec. 2213) Amends the FDIA to exempt from branch closure notice requirements automated teller machines and relocated or consolidated bank branches, if: (1) the relocation or consolidation occurs within the same neighborhood and does not substantially affect the nature of the business or customers served; or (2) a branch is closed in connection with emergency acquisitions or any Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) assistance. (Sec. 2214) Amends the International Banking Act of 1978 to direct the Federal Reserve Board to avoid unnecessary duplication of foreign bank examinations. Provides that: (1) each Federal and State branch or agency of a foreign bank shall be subject to on-site examination by the appropriate regulator as frequently as would its U.S. counterpart (instead of annually, as at present); and (2) the cost of such examination shall be assessed against its owner to the same extent that fees are collected by the Federal Reserve Board for examination of any State member bank. Authorizes the Board to approve an application by a foreign bank even if the authorities in the home country have not yet established a comprehensive regulation on a consolidated basis, as long as they are actively working to establish one. Instructs the Board to consider, when acting on a foreign bank application, whether the foreign bank has adopted and implemented procedures to combat money laundering. Directs the Board to take final action on any application within 180 days after its receipt. Authorizes the Board to terminate a foreign bank office in the United States if it finds that the authorities in the home country are not making demonstrable progress in establishing arrangements for comprehensive consolidated supervision. (Sec. 2215) Amends the BHCA to authorize the Board to approve extensions beyond the current five-year deadline for a bank holding company to dispose of foreclosed assets, under certain conditions, up to an aggregate of five more years. (Sec. 2216) Amends the Bank Holding Company Act Amendments of 1970 and the Home Owners Loan Act to extend the authority of the Board, and the Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision, respectively, to grant exceptions to certain antitying prohibitions. (Sec. 2217) Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA) to require the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to act within a 60- day period (which may be extended for an additional 30 days) upon receipt of the application of an insured State bank (or subsidiary) to engage as principal in activity impermissible for a national bank. Chapter 2: Eliminating Unnecessary Regulatory Burdens - Amends FDIA to increase from $175 million to $250 million the asset-size ceiling on the meaning of "small depository institution" which Federal banking agencies may in their discretion determine for examination on an 18-month cycle. (Sec. 2222) Directs the Federal Financial Institutions Examinations Council, and each Federal banking agency represented on it, to review and report to the Congress on Federal banking regulations at least every ten years to identify unnecessary regulatory requirements imposed upon insured depository institutions. Requires the Council or the pertinent banking agency to eliminate unnecessary regulations to the extent appropriate. (Sec. 2223) Amends Federal monetary law to repeal the authority of the Secretary of the Treasury to require each insured depository institution to identify certain non-bank financial institution customers. (Sec. 2224) Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991 to repeal the mandate that insured depository institutions include information on small businesses and small farm lending in their annual reports of condition. Amends the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 and the International Lending Supervision Act of 1983 to repeal annual reporting requirements for specified Federal financial institution regulatory agencies, including certain reports on changes to improve the international lending operations of banking institutions. (Sec. 2225) Amends the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975 to prescribe a Consumer Price Index adjustment schedule applicable to certain small-sized institutions exempt from the Act's disclosure requirements. Declares that a depository institution shall be deemed to have satisfied the public availability requirements for its mortgage loan transactions if its branch offices provide notice of the availability of such information from the home office upon request. (Sec. 2226) Amends FDIA guidelines governing a change in control of insured depository institutions to repeal mandatory reporting by financial institutions (or affiliates) of any loans secured by 25 percent or more of any class of shares of an insured depository institution (stock loans). Retains such mandatory reporting for foreign banks and their affiliates. (Sec. 2227) Requires the Federal Reserve Board to study and report to the Congress on the extent of small business lending by all creditors. Chapter 3: Regulatory Micromanagement Relief - Amends the Revised Statutes to allow the Comptroller of the Currency to waive the residency requirement for national banking association directors. Repeals the Comptroller's authority to waive citizenship requirements for a minority of the directors of a foreign bank subsidiary or affiliate. (Sec. 2242) Amends the Riegle Community Development and Regulatory Improvement Act of 1994 to require each Federal banking agency to review and eliminate regulations which require insured depository institutions and credit unions to produce unnecessary internal written policies. (Sec. 2243) Amends FDIA to mandate: (1) that one of the presidentially appointed directors serving on the FDIC Board have State bank supervisory experience; (2) that each appropriate Federal banking agency take action necessary to ensure that depository institution examiners consult and reach agreement on examination activities and resultant recommendations; (3) such agencies consider appointing an examiner-in-charge to ensure such consultation; and (4) the Federal banking agencies jointly implement a system for determining which one of the Federal banking agencies or State bank supervisors (currently, Federal banking agencies only) shall be the lead agency responsible for managing the requisite unified examination schedule. Subtitle C: Regulatory Impact on Cost of Credit and Credit Availability - Amends FDIA guidelines for improved accountability in financial management to: (1) repeal the use of an independent public accountant to detect and report violations of law by an insured depository institution or depository institution holding company; and (2) authorize a Federal banking agency to permit an independent audit committee to be composed of a majority of outside directors independent of institution management (currently the entire committee must be composed of such outside directors) if it determines that an insured depository institution has encountered hardships in retaining competent directors on such committee. (Sec. 2302) Amends the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and the Fair Housing Act to set forth incentives for self-testing and self-correcting by lenders subject to such Acts. Prescribes conditions under which: (1) an enforcing agency is prohibited from acquiring or using reports generated by any creditor-conducted review of lending operations to determine compliance with such Acts; and (2) such self-test results may be used by an adversary party. (Sec. 2303) Permits a Federal savings association to make credit card loans or education loans without being subject to a percentage-of-assets limitation. Raises from ten percent to 20 percent the percentage-of-assets limitations ceiling placed upon commercial and agricultural loans offered by an association. Restricts loan amounts exceeding ten percent of an association's total assets to loans made to small businesses. Repeals the five-percent-of-assets loan restriction placed upon education loans offered by an association. Expands the scope of "qualified thrift lender" to include a domestic building and loan association. Permits a savings association that qualifies as a qualified thrift lender to operate a branch outside the State in which it has its home office. Redefines "qualified thrift investment" to cover, as assets includible without limit, educational loans, small business loans, and loans made through credit cards or credit card accounts. Removes the ten-percent-of-assets loan restriction placed upon certain personal, family, household or education loans other than educational loans, small business loans, and loans made through credit cards or credit card accounts. (Sec. 2304) Amends BHCA to repeal the seven percent growth cap restrictions placed upon banks controlled by certain bank holding companies not statutorily treated as bank holding companies. Excludes from BHCA jurisdiction any limited purpose institution that accepts collateral for extensions of credit by holding deposits under $100,000. (Sec. 2305) Amends the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to revise the prohibition against failure to disclose clearly in all communications with a consumer that the debt collector is attempting to collect a debt. (Sec. 2306) Amends the Federal Credit Union Act to increase from $10,000 to $20,000 the ceiling on credit union loans which may be made to a director or member of a supervisory or credit committee without first being approved by the board of directors. (Sec. 2307) Amends the Federal Reserve Act to increase from ten percent to 25 percent the amount of capital and surplus that a national bank may invest in the stock of Edge Act subsidiaries and certain financial service corporations held by a member bank's non- U.S. branches, as long as the investment of an additional amount over ten percent would not be unsafe or unsound. Subtitle D: Consumer Credit - Chapter 1: Credit Reporting Reform - Consumer Credit Reporting Reform Act of 1996 - Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to cite additional permissible purposes for which a consumer reporting agency may furnish a consumer report, including: (1) for employment purposes; and (2) for credit or insurance transactions that are not initiated by the consumer. Mandates consumer consent as a prerequisite to furnishing medical information contained in a consumer report. (Sec. 2406) Revises exceptions to the prohibition against the reporting of certain obsolete information by a consumer reporting agency. Raises the minimum dollar threshold amounts permitting release of such information: (1) from $50,000 to $150,000 in the case of a credit transaction; (2) from $50,000 to $150,000 the policy amount in the case of life insurance underwriting; and (3) from $20,000 to $75,000 the amount of salary of an individual in the case of an employment-related credit report. Provides that the seven- year reporting period applicable to accounts placed for collection begins no later than 180 days after the beginning of the delinquency immediately preceding the collection activity. Mandates disclosure in a consumer report of: (1) the particular chapter under which a bankruptcy case arises; (2) withdrawal of a bankruptcy case prior to final judgment; (3) voluntary closure by a consumer of a credit account; (4) information disputed by the consumer. (Sec. 2407) Prohibits a consumer reporting agency from prohibiting disclosure by a user to the consumer of report contents if the user has taken adverse action against the consumer based on such report. Prescribes guidelines for procurement of a consumer report for resale. (Sec. 2408) States that nothing requires a consumer reporting agency to disclose to a consumer any credit scores, risk scores, and other predictors relating to her or him. Provides for mandatory disclosure to a consumer of additional kinds of information, including a summary of consumer rights. Requires the Federal Trade Commission to take action to assure that consumer standardization and comprehensibility are achieved. Prohibits consumer lawsuits for defamation, invasion of privacy, or negligence against a consumer reporting agency based on information disclosed by a credit report user to or for a consumer against whom the user has taken adverse action based on the report. (Sec. 2409) Revises procedural and disclosure guidelines governing: (1) disputed information in a consumer's file, including free mandatory reinvestigation by the reporting agency; (2) users of information in a consumer report taking adverse actions, or making written credit or insurance solicitations based upon such report (including any direct marketing transaction that is not initiated by the consumer); and (3) adverse action based on information obtained from third parties other than consumer reporting agencies. (Sec. 2412) Revises civil liability guidelines to set forth liquidated damages for willful and negligent noncompliance, and to award attorney's fees to the prevailing party for pleadings filed in bad faith. (Sec. 2413) Specifies the responsibilities of persons who furnish information to a consumer reporting agency, including the obligation to provide accurate, updated information and notices of information disputed by consumers. (Sec. 2414) Revises disclosure guidelines governing investigative consumer reports to require: (1) certification that the consumer has been notified; and (2) confirmation of any adverse information obtained from personal sources. (Sec. 2415) Increases criminal penalties for obtaining information under false pretenses, and for unauthorized disclosures. (Sec. 2416) Revises administrative enforcement guidelines to authorize the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to commence a civil action to recover a civil penalty in Federal district court in the event of a knowing violation constituting a pattern or practice of FCRA violations. Limits such penalty to $2500. Precludes: (1) the FTC from promulgating trade regulation rules with respect to the FCRA; and (2) specified Federal regulatory agencies from conducting an examination of a bank, savings association or credit union regarding FCRA compliance except in response to a complaint alleging noncompliance. (Sec. 2417) Authorizes the States to bring a court action for FCRA violations. (Sec. 2418) Authorizes the Federal Reserve Board to issue interpretations of the FCRA with respect to certain financial institutions and holding companies. (Sec. 2419) Identifies specified FCRA provisions that preempt State law. (Sec. 2422) Requires the Federal Reserve Board to: (1) study and report to the Congress on whether organizations not presently subject to the FCRA as consumer reporting agencies are nevertheless engaged in the business of making sensitive consumer identification information available to the general public; (2) determine whether such activities create undue potential for fraud and risk of loss to depository institutions; and (3) determine whether legislative changes are necessary to address such risks. Chapter 2: Credit Repair Organizations - Amends the Consumer Credit Protection Act to revise title IV to read as the Credit Repair Organizations Act. (Sec. 2451) Prohibits: (1) advising any consumer to make an untrue or misleading statement, or to alter the consumer's identification to prevent the display of the consumer's credit record; (2) other fraud or deception; and (3) a credit repair organization (CRO) from charging or receiving valuable consideration for any service before such service is fully performed. Specifies a statement which a CRO must provide to consumers before an agreement is executed regarding the consumer, the CRO, and related rights, powers, and obligations. Requires written, signed contracts covering specified matters in order for a CRO to provide services. Allows a consumer to cancel a contract with a CRO within three business days of making the contract. Declares void any consumer waiver of any protection under this title. Makes an attempt to obtain a waiver a violation of this title. Voids any contract not in compliance with this title. Provides for civil liability for failing to comply with this title, including allowing punitive damages and class actions. Requires enforcement of this title under the Federal Trade Commission Act (FTCA) by the FTC. Makes: (1) a violation of this title an unfair or deceptive act or practice in violation of specified provisions of the FTCA; and (2) all functions and powers of the FTC available for enforcement of this title. Establishes a five-year statute of limitations for actions to enforce liability under this title. (Sec. 2452) Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) individuals should be judged for credit worthiness based upon their own credit worthiness and not that of their zip code or residential neighborhood; and (2) the FTC should report to certain congressional committees regarding the impact of residential location upon corporate lenders' consideration of an application for unsecured credit. Subtitle E: Asset Conservation, Lender Liability, and Deposit Insurance Protection - Asset Conservation, Lender Liability, and Deposit Insurance Protection Act of 1996 - Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) to declare that the liability of a fiduciary for the release or threatened release of a hazardous substance in connection with a vessel or facility held in fiduciary capacity shall not exceed the assets held in fiduciary capacity, unless: (1) a person is liable independently of the person's ownership of a vessel or facility as a fiduciary or actions taken in a fiduciary capacity; or (2) the fiduciary negligently causes or contributes to the release or threatened release. Subtitle F: Miscellaneous - Directs the Federal Reserve Board to evaluate and report to the Congress whether the Electronic Fund Transfer Act could be applied to electronic stored value products without adversely impacting their cost, development, and operation. (Sec. 2602) Amends FDIA to treat as administrative expenses of a receiver or conservator for an insured depository institution any final and unappealable judgment for monetary damages entered against such receiver or conservator for breach of a post-appointment agreement executed or approved by such receiver or conservator. (Sec. 2603) Amends the Federal criminal code to: (1) increase the penalty for certain counterfeiting violations; and (2) establish criminal penalties for the production, sale, transportation, or possession of fictitious financial instruments purporting to be those of the States, political subdivisions, and of private organizations. (Sec. 2604) Amends the Truth in Savings Act to repeal: (1) civil liability for violations of such Act; and (2) the definition of an on-premises display in a depository institution. Redefines "depository institution" to exclude certain nonautomated credit unions (thus exempting them from such Act). (Sec. 2605) Amends TILA to direct the Federal Reserve Board to: (1) promulgate regulations to update and clarify requirements and definitions applicable to lease disclosures and contracts; (2) publish model disclosure forms to facilitate compliance with disclosure requirements; and (3) consider, when establishing such model forms, the use of automated equipment by lessors. Amends the guidelines governing requisite disclosures in consumer lease advertisements. Shields the owner or employee of an advertising medium from liability relating to such disclosures. (Sec. 2606) Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to study and report to the Congress on: (1) the regulatory practices of the National Credit Union Administration Board with respect to the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund; (2) the potential effects of the administration of that Fund by an entity other than the National Credit Union Administration; and (3) the investment practices and financial status of the ten largest corporate credit unions. (Sec. 2607) Directs each Federal banking agency to report to the Congress on its actions regarding inconsistent or duplicative accounting and reporting requirements (differences between regulatory accounting principles and generally accepted accounting principles) affecting certain reports filed by insured depository institutions. (Sec. 2608) Amends the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 (FIRREA) to instruct the Federal Reserve Board to include in its annual report to the Congress a description of any discernible trend in the cost and availability of certain retail banking services in the nation as a whole, in each of the 50 States and in each consolidated metropolitan statistical area or primary metropolitan statistical area. (Sec. 2609) Amends the Federal monetary code to continue the ban on gold clauses in contracts prior to 1977 unless all parties to a pre-1977 contract specifically agree to include such clause in the new agreement. (Sec. 2610) Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 to exclude a qualified family partnership from the meaning of "company" under such Act. (Sec. 2611) Expresses the sense of the Congress that financial institutions and Federal bank regulators should work cooperatively with farmers and ranchers in drought-affected communities to allow financial obligations to be met without imposing undue burdens. (Sec. 2613) Renames the Bank Service Corporation Act as the Bank Service Company Act. Defines a "bank service company" as: (1) any corporation organized to perform certain services, and whose capital stock is totally owned by one or more insured banks; and (2) any limited liability company organized to perform certain services, whose members are all insured banks (thus authorizing bank service companies to organize as limited liability companies). (Sec. 2614) Amends the FDIA to exclude from the definition of "deposit" (and thus from the jurisdiction of the Act) any depository institution liability arising under an annuity contract whose income is tax deferred under the Internal Revenue Code. (Sec. 2615) Amends the Federal Credit Union Act to prohibit an insured credit union from being sponsored by, or accepting financial support from, any Government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) whose customers include members of such credit union. Excludes from the meaning of financial support any forms of financial assistance generally provided by a GSE in its ordinary course of business. Amends the FDIA to prohibit a depository institution from being an affiliate of, sponsored by, or accepting financial support from any GSE. Exempts from such prohibition: (1) members of a depository institution in a Federal Home Loan Bank; and (2) financial assistance authorized by statute. Subtitle G: Deposit Insurance Funds - Deposit Insurance Funds Act of 1996 - Directs the Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to impose a special assessment on the Savings Association Insurance Fund (SAIF)-assessable deposits of each insured depository institution at a rate that the Board, in its sole discretion, determines will cause the SAIF to achieve the designated reserve ratio on the first business day of the first month beginning after the date of enactment of this Act. Allows the Board to exempt weak institutions from such assessment, but requires exemption for certain newly chartered and other defined institutions, which shall pay semiannual assessments at certain former rates during calendar years 1996 through 1998, with a special rate provision for calendar 1999. (Sec. 2702) Authorizes certain institutions facing hardship as a result of the special assessment to elect to pay it in two assessments, plus a third supplemental special assessment, determined according to specified formulae. Prescribes adjustments of the special assessment for Bank Insurance Fund (BIF) member banks and certain savings associations. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA) to require the 20 percent reductions to the adjusted attributable deposit amount for certain BIF members and to the special assessment for certain converted savings associations. (Sec. 2703) Amends the Federal Home Loan Bank Act (FHLBA) and the FDIA to revise the assessment authority of the Financing Corporation (FICO), extending FICO assessments to all depository institutions insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) (rather than SAIF members only). Repeals specified limits on the amount that may be assessed. Declares that assessments imposed upon insured depository institutions with respect to any BIF-assessable deposit shall be assessed at one fifth of the rate of the assessments imposed on insured depository institutions with respect to any SAIF-assessable deposit. (Sec. 2704) Declares that the SAIF and the BIF shall be merged into the Deposit Insurance Fund, which shall have a Special Reserve for any excess of the SAIF reserve ratio over the designated reserve ratio. Makes conforming amendments to specified banking statutes. (Sec. 2705) Amends the FDIA to establish a SAIF Special Reserve if the SAIF reserve exceeds the designated reserve ratio on January 1, 1999. (Sec. 2706) Prescribes procedural guidelines for the refund of assessed payments in a deposit insurance fund in excess of the designated reserve amount. (Sec. 2707) States that the assessment rate for a SAIF member may not be less than the assessment rate for a BIF member posing a comparable risk to the deposit insurance fund. (Sec. 2708) Prohibits the FDIC Board of Directors from setting semi-annual assessments in excess of the amount needed to maintain or achieve the designated reserve ratio of a deposit insurance fund. (Sec. 2709) Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to study and report to the Congress all issues relevant to the development of a common charter for all insured depository institutions and the abolition of separate and distinct charters between banks and savings associations. (Sec. 2711) Allows as an income tax deductible business expenses any FDIC special assessment paid upon depository institution deposits in order to achieve the designated SAIF reserve ratio. States that the net operating loss deduction rules governing specified liability loss shall not apply to such tax deduction. Title III: Spectrum Allocation Provisions - Requires the Federal Communications Commission: (1) to reallocate, by competitive bidding, the use of frequencies at 2305-2320 megahertz and 2345-2360 megahertz to wireless services that are consistent with international agreements concerning spectrum allocation; and (2) in making the bands of frequencies available, to seek to promote the most efficient use of the spectrum and to take into account the needs of public safety radio services. Title IV: Adjustment of Paygo Balances - Requires the Directors of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), for FY 1997, to change to zero the balances of direct spending and receipts legislation, as computed under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings), if such balance for the fiscal year is not an increase in the deficit. Title V: Additional Appropriations - Chapter 1 - Makes additional FY 1997 appropriations to the Department of Agriculture for: (1) Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service; (2) Natural Resources Conservation Service (for waterway and watershed repairs resulting from Hurricanes Fran and Hortense); and (3) Farm Service Agency (for emergency expenses resulting from Hurricanes Fran and Hortense). Chapter 2 - Authorizes the District of Columbia Financial and Management Assistance Authority (the Authority) to contract with a private entity or entities to carry out public school facility repair programs in the District of Columbia. Transfers a certain amount to the Authority for such purposes, to be derived according to specified transfers and reallocations. Directs the General Services Administration (GSA) to provide program management services to assist short-term management of D.C. public school repairs and capital improvements. (Sec. 5202) Waives certain congressional review requirements, under the District of Columbia Self-Governing and Governmental Reorganization Act, in the case of a specified D.C. General Obligation Bond Act, if it is enacted by the D.C. Council. (Sec. 5203) Amends the District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Act of 1995 (FRMAA) with respect to calculation of the review period for D.C. Council Acts, penalties for certain prohibited acts, and waiver of certain privacy requirements with respect to obtaining official data. Authorizes the Authority to review D.C. government rulemaking. Requires deposit of all D.C. government borrowed funds with the Authority during a control year. Grants the Authority additional power to issue general orders. (Sec. 5204) Prohibits D.C. government funding for terminated employees or contractors, with specified exceptions for services already provided. (Sec. 5205) Amends the District of Columbia School Reform Act of 1995 (SRA) with respect to the D.C. public charter school petition contents and filing and approval processes. Directs the D.C. government to give preference in leasing or purchasing public school facilities to public charter schools. Provides for charter renewal or revocation. Revises provisions relating to public charter schools and school board membership. (Sec. 5206) Amends FRMAA to provide for disposition of certain school property and use of proceeds from such disposition. Amends the Board of Education Real Property Disposal Act of 1990 to direct the Authority to administer the Board of Education Real Property Maintenance and Improvement Fund until an agency or authority is established within the D.C. government to administer a public schools facilities revitalization plan pursuant to SRA. Chapter 3 - Makes additional emergency amounts available to the Army Corps of Engineers (Civil) for emergency expenses (relating to energy and water development) resulting from Hurricane Fran and other natural disasters in 1996. (Sec. 5301) Prohibits the availability to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) of funds in the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 1997 if the TVA is imposing a performance deposit in connection with residential shoreline alteration permits. Chapter 4 - Rescinds specified amounts for: (1) House of Representatives allowances and expenses for Government contributions to certain funds for employees' life insurance, retirement, Social Security, Medicare, health benefits, and worker's and unemployment compensation; and (2) Capitol Police salaries. Provides additional amounts to: (1) the Capitol Police Board, for design and installation of security systems for the Capitol buildings and grounds; and (2) the Architect of the Capitol, for architectural and engineering services related to design and installation of such systems. (Sec. 5401) Amends the Congressional Award Act to extend the duration of: (1) requirements for financial operations of the Congressional Award program; and (2) the Congressional Award Board. (Sec. 5402) Designates the Founders Hall instructional area in the House of Representatives Page School as Bill Emerson Hall. Chapter 5 - Makes additional FY 1997 appropriations (together with specified rescissions) to the Department of Transportation for: (1) the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); (2) the Federal Highway Administration for the Emergency Disaster Relief program under the Highway Trust Fund's Federal-Aid Highways; (3) the Federal Railroad Administration for Northeast Corridor improvement, direct loan financing for the Alameda Corridor Project, and grants to the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak); (4) the Research and Special Programs Administration, for vulnerability and threat assessments of the Nation's transportation system; and (5) the National Transportation Safety Board, for wreckage recovery reimbursements and other costs related to the TWA 800 accident investigation, and other emergency funds for accident investigations. (Sec. 5501) Authorizes the FAA Administrator to establish at individual airports consortia of government and aviation industry representatives to advise on aviation security and safety. (Sec. 5502) Permits the use of Federal Highway Administration emergency relief funds to halt erosion and stabilize a bank protecting a scenic highway or byway, if necessary to protect the highway from imminent failure and if less expensive than highway relocation. (Sec. 5504) Requires conveyance of specified property in Traverse City, Michigan, to the Traverse City Area Public School District. (Sec. 5505) Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to convey in three parcels the land on which the U.S. Coast Guard Whitefish Point Light Station is situated to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Michigan Audubon Society, subject to specified conditions. (Sec. 5506) Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation or the Secretary of the Interior, as appropriate, to convey: (1) Saint Helena Island Light Station (in MacKinac County, Moran Township, Michigan) to the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association; and (2) Presque Isle Light Station to Presque Isle Township, Presque Isle County, Michigan, subject to certain conditions. Chapter 6 - Makes additional FY 1997 appropriations to: (1) the Department of the Treasury, for the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund Program Account; (2) the Environmental Protection Agency, for science and technology, environmental programs and management, and State and tribal assistance grants; (3) the Federal Emergency Management Agency, for the National Flood Insurance Fund, and for Federal, State, and local preparedness to mitigate and respond to the consequences of terrorism; (4) the Department of Health and Human Services, for the Office of Consumer Affairs; and (5) the National Aeronautics and Space administration, for science, aeronautics, and technology. Chapter 7 - Makes additional FY 1997 appropriations for the following purposes relating to international security assistance: (1) under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, nonproliferation, anti- terrorism, demining, and related programs, and peacekeeping operations; and (2) under the Arms Export Control Act, the foreign military financing program. Chapter 8 - Reserves specified amounts under the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 1997 (DDAA) for the Corps Surface-to-Air Missile (CORPS SAM) program. (Sec. 5802) Establishes in the Treasury a Support for International Sporting Competitions, Defense, account. (Sec. 5803) Appropriates amounts in addition to those under DDAA for the Dual-Use Applications Program. Division B: Oregon Resource Conservation Act of 1996 - Oregon Resource Conservation Act of 1996 - Title I(sic) : Opal Creek Wilderness and Scenic Recreation Area - Opal Creek Wilderness and Opal Creek Scenic Recreation Area Act of 1996 - Provides that on the determination of the Secretary of Agriculture that certain parcels of land have been donated to the United States without encumbrances and that a binding agreement between the Secretary and owners of specified interests for the disposition of such interests to the Government has been executed: (1) certain land in the Willamette National Forest in Oregon shall be designated as the Opal Creek Wilderness (OCW); (2) the part of the Bull of the Woods Wilderness located within the Forest shall be incorporated into the OCW; and (3) the Secretary shall establish the Opal Creek Scenic Recreation Area within the Forest. Requires lands or interests conveyed to the United States to become part of the OCW or the Opal Creek Scenic Recreation Area as appropriate. (Sec. 105) Requires, with respect to such Area, the Secretary to: (1) prepare a comprehensive Opal Creek Management Plan which shall become part of the land and resource management plan for the Forest; (2) permit recreation activities at no less than the levels in existence upon enactment of this Act; (3) prepare a transportation plan to maintain reasonable motorized and other access to recreation sites and facilities, including access by persons with disabilities (otherwise prohibits motorized vehicles in the Area); (4) permit hunting and fishing, with limitations; (5) prohibit the cutting or selling of trees, with specified exceptions; and (6) review and revise the inventory of cultural and historic resources on the public land in the Area. Withdraws Area lands from operations under the public land laws, mining laws, and mineral and geothermal leasing laws. Specifies exceptions applicable with respect to the Bornite Project. Places restrictions on new water impoundments in the Area. Directs the Secretary to establish an advisory council for the Area and to consult with the Council and seek the views of private groups, individuals, the public, other government agencies, and nonprofit organizations regarding the Area. (Sec. 107) Provides for the acquisition of lands within the Area. Authorizes the Secretary to conduct any necessary environmental response actions within the Area. (Sec. 108) Provides for an equal-value land exchange between the Rosboro Lumber Company and the Government. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 109) Amends the Wild and Scenic Recreation Rivers Act to designate Elkhorn Creek as a wild and scenic river. (Sec. 109) Requires the Secretary, upon completion of a management plan and receipt of an economic development projects plan developed by the State of Oregon, to provide $15 million to Oregon to be used to make grants and loans for such projects that benefit the local communities in the vicinity of the Area. Requires the State to report annually on the use of such funds. Title II: Upper Klamath Basin - Directs the Upper Klamath Basin Working Group, through the Klamath Basin Ecosystem Restoration Office, to propose ecological restoration projects, economic development and stability projects, and projects designed to reduce the impacts of drought conditions to be undertaken in the Upper Klamath Basin in Oregon based on a consensus of the Working Group membership. Requires the Secretary to pay up to 50 percent of the cost of such projects during FY 1997 through 2001 (with a $1 million annual limit). Requires the Secretary to formulate a cooperative agreement among the Working Group, the Klamath River Basin Fisheries Task Force, the Trinity River Restoration Task Force, and the Klamath River Basin Compact Commission to ensure that projects proposed and funded through the Group are consistent with other basin-wide fish and wildlife restoration and conservation plans. Authorizes appropriations. Title III: Deschutes Basin - Directs the Deschutes River Basin Working Group to propose ecological restoration projects on Federal and non-Federal lands and waters to be undertaken in the Deschutes River Basin based on a consensus of the Working Group membership, provided that such projects, when involving Federal land or funds, shall be proposed to the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) in the Department of the Interior and other Federal agencies with affected land or funds. Requires BOR to pay up to 50 percent of the cost of such projects during FY 1997 through 2001 (with a $1 million annual limit). Authorizes appropriations. Title IV: Mount Hood Corridor - Provides for an equal-value land exchange between Longview Fibre Company and the Secretary of the Interior. Requires: (1) all lands managed by the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), in the Mount Hood Corridor which can be seen from U.S. Highway 26 to be managed primarily for the protection or enhancement of scenic qualities; and (2) management prescriptions for other resource values associated with these lands to be planned and conducted for purposes other than timber harvest, so as not to impair scenic qualities in the Corridor. Allows timber cutting in the Corridor after a resource-damaging catastrophic event only for specified management objectives. Requires Forest Service Road 2503 to remain closed, except for limited uses, to protect resources and to prevent illegal dumping and vandalism in the Corridor. Exempts this title from the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 for one year. Authorizes appropriations. Title V: Coquille Tribal Forest - Amends the Coquille Restoration Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior, two years after enactment of this title, to take approximately 5,400 acres in Coos County, Oregon, into trust for the Coquille Tribe. Designates such lands as the Coquille Forest. Provides for management of such lands by BLM in the interim two years. Directs the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs to initiate development of a forest management plan and the Secretary to assist in the transition of forest management operations to the Assistant Secretary. Requires the Secretary to: (1) manage the Forest, acting through the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, under applicable State and Federal forestry and environmental protection laws, subject to critical habitat designations under the Endangered Species Act and to the standards and guidelines of Federal forest plans on adjacent or nearby Federal lands, and in accordance with the laws pertaining to the management of Indian Trust lands; and (2) distribute revenues in accordance with existing Federal law. Subjects unprocessed logs harvested from the Forest to the same Federal statutory restrictions on exportation to foreign nations that apply to unprocessed logs harvested from Federal lands. Requires all sales of timber from land subject to this title to be advertised, offered, and awarded according to competitive bidding practices, with sales being awarded to the highest responsible bidder. Allows the Secretary, upon a satisfactory showing of management competence, to enter into a binding Indian self-determination agreement with the Tribe which provides for it to carry out all or a portion of the forest management for the Forest. Conditions the agreement on the: (1) Tribe entering into a binding Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Oregon relating to the establishment and management of the Forest; and (2) Secretary's authority to rescind the agreement without encumbrances. Requires the Forest to remain open to public access for purposes of hunting, fishing, recreation, and transportation, except when closed by Federal or State law or when the Tribe and the State of Oregon agree in writing that access restrictions are necessary or appropriate to prevent harm to natural resources, cultural resources, or environmental quality. Vests jurisdiction in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon over actions: (1) against the Secretary arising out of claims that this title has been violated; and (2) between Oregon and the Tribe arising out of claims of breach of the MOA. Prohibits suits against the Secretary for claims that the MOA has been violated. Limits remedies available under this title to equitable relief and excludes damages. Specifies exclusive regulatory civil jurisdiction vested in the State of Oregon. Title VI: Bull Run Watershed Protection - Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to prohibit timber cutting within the hydrographic boundary of the Bull Run River Drainage, including certain lands within the unit and located below the headworks of Portland, Oregon's water storage and delivery project, except for the: (1) protection or enhancement of water quality in the area; (2) protection, enhancement, or maintenance of water quantity available from the area; (3) construction, expansion, protection, or maintenance of municipal water supply facilities; or (4) construction, expansion, protection, or maintenance of facilities for the transmission of energy through and over the unit or previously authorized hydroelectric projects associated with such facilities. Prohibits the Secretary from authorizing a salvage sale in the Area. (Sec. 605) Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to study and report to specified congressional committees on that part of the Little Sandy Watershed that is within the Bull Run Management Unit (study area) to determine: (1) the impact of management activities within the study area on the quality of drinking water provided to the Portland metropolitan area; (2) the identity and location of certain ecological features within the study area; and (3) the location and extent of any significant cultural or other values within the study area. Prohibits the Secretary from advertising, offering, or awarding any timber sale within the study area for a two-year period after the enactment of this title. (Sec. 606) Provides that lands within the Bull Run Management Unit but not contained within the Bull Run River Drainage shall continue to be managed in accordance with existing Federal law. Title VII: Oregon Islands Wilderness, Additions - Designates as wilderness: (1) certain lands within the boundaries of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon; and (2) all other federally owned rocks, reefs, islets, and islands lying within three geographic miles off the Oregon coast and above mean high tide and also within the Refuge boundaries under the administration of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or presently under the jurisdiction of BLM. Makes permanent Public Land Order 6287 which withdrew certain rocks, reefs, islets, and islands lying within three geographical miles off the coast of Oregon and above mean high tide as an addition to the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge. Title VIII: Umpqua River Land Exchange Study - Directs the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to: (1) consult, coordinate, and cooperate with the Umpqua Land Exchange Project (ULEP), affected units and agencies of State and local government, and, as appropriate, the World Forestry Center and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to assist ULEP's ongoing efforts in studying and analyzing land exchange opportunities in the Umpqua River basin and to provide assistance and information to such entities; and (2) report thereon to specified congressional committees. Lists priority matters for specific study by the Secretaries, including identifying: (1) areas where consolidation of land ownership could promote long term species protection; (2) areas where land exchanges might be utilized to better satisfy sustainable timber harvest goals; and (3) options to insure that post-exchange revenues will approximate pre-exchange revenues. (Sec. 803) Authorizes appropriations. Division C: Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 - Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 - Title I(sic): Improvements to Border Control, Facilitation of Legal Entry, and Interior Enforcement - Subtitle A: Improved Enforcement at the Border - Directs the Attorney General to increase the number of Border Patrol agents through FY 2001. Authorizes the increase of Border Patrol support personnel. (Sec. 102) Provides for barrier and road improvements at U.S. border areas of high illegal entry, including San Diego, California. Authorizes appropriations for San Diego area improvements. (Sec. 103) Provides for: (1) improved border equipment and technology; and (2) biometric identifiers to be included in border crossing identification cards. (Sec. 105) Establishes civil penalties for illegal U.S. entry. (Sec. 106) Provides for a review of Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) hiring and training standards. (Sec. 107) Directs the Comptroller General to evaluate the Attorney General's border strategy. (Sec. 108) Amends Federal criminal law to establish criminal penalties for high speed flights from immigration checkpoints. (Sec. 109) Provides for: (1) a joint study of automated data collection at points of entry; and (2) development of an automated (alien) entry-exit control system. (Sec. 111) Directs the Attorney General to submit a final plan for the realignment of interior Border Patrol positions to front-line border positions. (Sec. 112) Authorizes additional appropriations for the INS IDENT program for fingerprinting of apprehended aliens. Subtitle B: Facilitation of Legal Entry - Directs the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury to increase the number of land border inspectors for FY 1997 and 1998. (Sec. 122) Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (Act) to: (1) extend (and enlarge) through FY 2000 land border inspection projects (including commuter lanes); and (2) authorize automated land border entry pilot projects. (Sec. 123) Provides for: (1) preinspection at specified foreign airports serving as departure points for high numbers of inadmissible aliens; and (2) training of airline personnel in fraudulent documentation detection. Establishes a carrier consultant program. (Sec. 125) Authorizes the Attorney General to permit foreign officer at U.S. preclearance facilities. Bases their authority and immunity upon reciprocity with U.S. immigration officers. Subtitle C: Interior Enforcement - Authorizes appropriations to increase the number of INS investigators and support personnel assigned to investigate: (1) visa overstayers; and (2) employer violations and alien smuggling. (Sec. 133) Amends the Act to authorize the Attorney General to accept State services to carry out immigration enforcement activities. (Sec. 134) Requires at least ten full-time INS agents per State. Title II: Enhanced Enforcement and Penalties Against Alien Smuggling; Document Fraud - Subtitle A: Enhanced Enforcement and Penalties Against Alien Smuggling - Amends Federal criminal law to: (1) authorize INS wiretaps for alien smuggling or document fraud investigations; (2) include alien document and smuggling offenses; and (3) include such offenses within the parameters of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations statute (RICO) if done for financial gain. (Sec. 203) Amends the Act to revise and increase criminal penalties for alien smuggling. (Sec. 204) Increases the number of Assistant United States Attorneys by at least 25, and provides for their assignment to criminal matters involving illegal aliens. (Sec. 205) Authorizes and provides for INS undercover operations. Subtitle B: Deterrence of Document Fraud - Amends Federal criminal law and the Act to increase and establish criminal and civil penalties for specified immigration related document fraud offenses, including false citizenship claims and unlawful voting. Title III: Inspection, Apprehension, Detention, Adjudication, and Removal of Inadmissible and Deportable Aliens - Subtitle A: Revision of Procedures for Removal of Aliens - Amends the Act to revise alien removal and penalty provisions, including: (1) inadmissibility of previously removed unlawful aliens; (2) inspection and expedited removal (including a required General Accounting Office study); (3) alien apprehension and detention; (4) removal procedures; (5) judicial review; and (6) penalties relating to removal. Sets forth transition provisions. Subtitle B: Criminal Alien Provisions - Amends the Act to revise the definition of "aggravated felony." (Sec. 323) Authorizes special registration of aliens on criminal probation or parole. (Sec. 324) Extends criminal liability for illegal reentry to an alien who has departed the United States while under an outstanding order of exclusion or deportation. (Sec. 326) Amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to: (1) direct INS to operate a criminal alien identification system, including fingerprint identification; and (2) increase and extend authorization of appropriations through FY 2001 for the criminal alien tracking center. (Sec. 328) Amends the Act to permit the use of State criminal alien assistance program funds for State, local, and municipal alien incarceration costs. Expresses the sense of the Congress that such funds should be more expeditiously distributed. (Sec. 329) Authorizes the Attorney General to conduct a six-month demonstration project for identification of illegal aliens in local prisons, including the detailing of an INS specialist to Anaheim, California, and Ventura County, California. (Sec. 330) Provides for: (1) the President to negotiate or renegotiate bilateral (alien) prisoner transfer treaties, including provision of compensation; and (2) training of foreign law enforcement personnel. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 331) Directs the Secretary of State and the Attorney General to conduct a prisoner transfer treaties study. (Sec. 332) Directs the Attorney General to submit an annual report on criminal aliens. (Sec. 333) Directs the United States Sentencing Commission to: (1) review and promulgate sentencing guidelines with respect to a person conspiring with or assisting an alien to commit an offense under the Controlled Substance Import and Export Act; and (2) promulgate sentencing guidelines for increased penalties for failure to depart, illegal reentry, and passport and visa fraud. Subtitle C: Revision of Grounds for Exclusion and Deportation - Amends the Act to require (with exceptions) proof of specified health vaccinations for aliens seeking admission as immigrants or for adjustment of status. (Sec. 342) Makes "incitement of terrorist activity" a basis for exclusion. (Sec. 343) Establishes certification requirements for aliens seeking U.S. health care employment (other than physicians). (Sec. 344) Provides for exclusion and deportation of aliens who have falsely claimed U.S. citizenship. (Sec. 345) Authorizes a waiver of exclusion or deportation for civil document fraud under specified family-related circumstances. (Sec. 346) Makes an alien inadmissible for five years for student visa violations. (Sec. 347) Amends Federal criminal law to provide for exclusion and deportation of an alien who has illegally voted. (Sec. 348) Amends the Act with respect to waivers of inadmissibility for: (1) immigrants convicted of crimes; and (2) family hardship. (Sec. 350) Establishes grounds for exclusion and deportation for offenses of domestic violence, stalking, crimes against children, and violation of protection orders. (Sec. 352) Provides for exclusion of former U.S. citizens who renounced citizenship in order to avoid U.S. taxation. Subtitle D: Changes in Removal of Alien Terrorist Provisions - Amends the Act to revise alien terrorist special removal procedures, including establishment of a panel of special attorneys with access to classified information. (Sec. 355) Revises terrorist related provisions regarding: (1) exclusion for membership; (2) judicial review of terrorist organization designation; and (3) voluntary departure. Subtitle E: Transportation of Aliens - Amends the Act with regard to vessel, aircraft, and railway transportation of illegal aliens into the United States. Subtitle F: Additional Provisions - Amends the Act to set forth immigration judge (special inquiry officer) compensation provisions. (Sec. 372) Authorizes the Attorney General to delegate immigration enforcement to State and local officials during circumstances of mass alien arrivals. (Sec. 373) Authorizes payments and cooperative agreements for services, facilities, and equipment with respect to aliens detained by INS in non-Federal institutions. (Sec. 374) Extends the scope of judicial deportation. (Sec. 376) Establishes in the Treasury an Immigration Detention Account. (Sec. 377) Limits court jurisdiction on legalization litigation. (Sec. 380) Establishes: (1) civil penalties for failure to depart; and (2) the Immigration Enforcement Account in the Treasury. (Sec. 383) Amends the Immigration Act of 1990 to exclude aliens who have committed certain crimes from the family unity program. (Sec. 384) Prohibits (with exceptions) an adverse determination of an alien's admissibility or deportability to be made based solely upon information furnished by a spouse or parent who has battered such alien or his or her child. Establishes penalties for use or disclosure of such information. (Sec. 385) Authorizes additional appropriations to the Attorney General for removal of inadmissible or deportable aliens. (Sec. 386) Provides for an increase in INS detention facilities. Requires the Attorney General to report on alien detention space, including an estimate of the number of released deportable or excludable aliens. (Sec. 387) Directs the Attorney General and the Secretary of Defense to establish one or more pilot programs to use closed military bases as detention centers for excludable or deportable aliens. (Sec. 388) Directs the Attorney General to report on the interior repatriation program. Title IV: Enforcement of Restrictions Against Employment - Subtitle A: Pilot Programs for Employment Eligibility Confirmation - Directs the Attorney General to conduct: (1) three employment eligibility confirmation pilot programs and a pilot program confirmation system; and (2) a citizen attestation pilot program. Subtitle B: Other Provisions Relating to Employer Sanctions - Reduces specified document requirements in the employer sanctions program. (Sec. 413) Requires reports regarding: (1) additional authority or resources needed for employer sanction enforcement; and (2) earnings of aliens not authorized to work. (Sec. 415) Authorizes the Attorney General to require aliens to provide their social security numbers. (Sec. 416) Grants certain immigration officers witness and document subpoena authority. Subtitle C: Unfair Immigration - Related Employment Practices - Amends the Act to provide that certain employee document requests by an employer shall only be considered as unfair immigration related employment practices if made for discriminatory purposes. Title V: Restrictions on Benefits for Aliens - Subtitle A: Eligibility of Aliens for Public Assistance and Benefits - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to make certain battered aliens eligible for public benefits. (Sec. 502) Authorizes States to conduct pilot programs of denying driver's licenses to illegal aliens. (Sec. 503) Amends the Social Security Act to make illegal aliens ineligible for social security benefits. (Sec. 504) Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to direct the Attorney General to establish procedures for requiring proof of citizenship for Federal public benefits. (Sec. 505) Makes illegal aliens ineligible for in-state tuition rates at institutions of higher learning. (Sec. 506) Directs: (1) the Comptroller General to report on illegal alien receipt of postsecondary Federal student financial assistance; and (2) the Secretary of Education and the Commissioner of Social Security to report on the computer matching program. (Sec. 507) Amends the Social Security Act and the Higher Education Act of 1965 with respect to the transfer of information for INS verification. (Sec. 508) States that nonprofit charitable organizations shall not be required to verify applicant eligibility. (Sec. 509) Directs the Comptroller General to report on the extent to which means-tested public benefits are being paid to ineligible aliens on behalf of eligible persons. Subtitle B: Public Charge Exclusion - Amends the Act to expand the public charge grounds for exclusion. Subtitle C: Affidavits of Support - Amends the Act, as amended by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, to revise sponsor affidavit of support requirements. Exempts indigents and battered spouses and children from sponsor attribution of income provisions. (Sec. 553) Authorizes States and their subdivisions to limit (but not more so than Federal limits) the public assistance eligibility of aliens or classes of aliens. Subtitle D: Miscellaneous Provisions - Amends Federal criminal law to increase penalties for forging or counterfeiting a Federal agency or department seal to facilitate alien benefit fraud. (Sec. 563) Sets forth State and local emergency medical reimbursement provisions. (Sec. 564) Directs the Attorney General to establish a three-year pilot program to permit aliens to post certain public charge bonds. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle E: Housing Assistance - Use of Assisted Housing by Aliens Act of 1996 - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1980 with respect to: (1) prorating public housing assistance based upon family member eligibility; (2) prohibiting assistance prior to establishment and verification of eligibility; and (3) prohibiting sanctions against entities that make erroneous eligibility determinations. Subtitle F: General Provisions - States that this title and its amendments shall be effective upon enactment of this Act. Title VI: Miscellaneous Provisions - Subtitle A: Refugees, Parole, and Asylum - Amends the Act to include in the definition of "refugee" a person who has been subject to a coercive population control program (including abortion or sterilization). Provides for a specified number of such entrants annually. (Sec. 602) Makes parole authority useable on a case-by-case basis for humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. (Sec. 603) Includes long-term parolees in world-wide levels of family-sponsored immigrants. (Sec. 604) Revises asylum provisions. (Sec. 605) Directs the Attorney General, subject to appropriation availability, to increase the number of asylum officers. (Sec. 606) Repeals the Cuban Adjustment Act, effective upon a presidential determination of a democratically elected government in Cuba. Subtitle B: Miscellaneous Amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act - Amends the Act, as amended by the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, to increase the number of "witness cooperation" visas. (Sec. 622) Amends the Immigration and Technical Corrections Act of 1994 to extend, through June 1, 2002, the foreign country residence waiver for international medical graduates. Sets forth restrictions for federally requested waivers. (Sec. 623) Revises legalization and special agricultural worker confidentiality provisions to permit specified disclosures. (Sec. 624) States that a labor certification and petition for certain professional athletes shall remain valid for same-sport team changes. (Sec. 625) Prohibits foreign student status for an alien in a public elementary school or a publicly funded adult education program. Prohibits such status at a public secondary school unless the period in question does not exceed 12 months and the alien has reimbursed the appropriate school agency. Prohibits transfer from a private educational program to such public programs unless the required provisions are met. (Sec. 626) Authorizes the Attorney General to use appropriated funds to transport for burial the remains of INS officers or Border Patrol agents killed in the line of duty. Subtitle C: Provisions Relating to Visa Processing and Consular Efficiency - Amends the Act to: (1) extend immigrant visa validity to six months; and (2) authorize nonimmigrant visa reciprocity for refugees and permanent residents. (Sec. 632) Eliminates "consular shopping" for visa overstayers. (Sec. 635) Extends the visa waiver program through FY 1997. Sets forth duration and termination provisions based upon a participating country's (nationals) disqualification rate. (Sec. 636) Authorizes a diversity immigrant lottery fee. (Sec. 637) Grants FY 1997 priority eligibility to certain FY 1995 diversity program aliens. Subtitle D: Other Provisions - Directs the Attorney General to collect specified foreign student information from certain institutions of higher education and visitor exchange programs. Expands the program to all countries' nationals after a specified time. (Sec. 642) Prohibits restrictions on INS-governmental communications. (Sec. 644) Directs INS to make information (including legal consequences) available to aliens regarding female genital mutilation. Amends Federal criminal law to establish criminal penalties for such acts performed on persons under 18 years old, with specified exceptions. (Sec. 646) Provides for status adjustment to permanent resident of specified Polish and Hungarian parolees. (Sec. 647) Makes specified funds available in FY 1997 through 2001 for naturalization demonstration projects. (Sec. 649) Amends Federal law to provide for Federal vessel movement controls in instances of anticipated or actual mass migration of aliens to the United States. (Sec. 650) Directs the Attorney General to report on the practices of entities that administer certain English and civics tests. (Sec. 651) Designates a specified United States Customs Administrative Building in El Paso, Texas, as the "Timothy C. McCaghren Customs Administrative Building." (Sec. 652) Requires: (1) the Attorney General to report on the mail order bride business; and (2) such businesses to disseminate immigration-related information to recruits. Imposes civil penalties for noncompliance. (Sec. 653) Directs the Comptroller General to report on the effectiveness of the H-2A nonimmigrant worker program. (Sec. 654) Directs the Commissioner of the United States Customs Service to report on allegations of commercial harassment by Canadian customs agents along the United States - New Brunswick border. Expresses the sense of the Congress concerning the discriminatory application of the New Brunswick Provincial Sales Tax on goods purchased in the United States by New Brunswick residents. (Sec. 656) States that Federal agencies shall only accept birth certificates and drivers licenses for identification purposes that meet specified standards (as of specified dates). Provides grants to assist States to: (1) meet such Federal standards; and (2) match birth and death records. (Sec. 657) Directs the Commissioner of Social Security to develop a prototype of a counterfeit-proof social security card. (Sec. 658) Authorizes the Attorney General to transfer equipment and memorabilia to the Border Patrol Museum and Memorial Library Foundation in Texas. (Sec. 660) Amends Federal law to authorize INS to use National Guard personnel and equipment to transport certain criminal aliens. Subtitle E: Technical Corrections - Makes technical amendments to: (1) the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994; (2) the Immigration and Nationality Technical Corrections Act of 1994; (3) the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986; (4) the Immigration Act of 1990; (5) the Intelligence Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 1990; and (6) the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1994 and 1995. Division D: Small Business Programs Improvement Act - Small Business Programs Improvement Act of 1996 - Title I(sic): Amendments to Small Business Act - Amends the Small Business Act (the Act) to direct the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish a loan risk management database capable of providing timely and accurate information for identifying loan underwriting, collections, recovery, and liquidation problems. Outlines information to be maintained in such database. Provides deadlines for database operational capability. (Sec. 103) Authorizes the Administrator to permit lenders participating in the Certified Lenders Program to liquidate loans guaranteed by the SBA pursuant to a liquidation plan approved by the Administrator. Prohibits more than ten percent of the total small business loans guaranteed by the SBA in a fiscal year from being awarded as part of an SBA pilot program commenced on or after October 1, 1996. Authorizes the Administrator to carry out the low documentation loan program for loans of $100,000 or less only through lenders with significant experience making small business loans. Requires the Administrator to promulgate regulations defining the experience necessary for lenders. Prohibits, beginning on March 31, 1997, the sale of the unguaranteed portion of any SBA loan until the promulgation of a final regulation which: (1) applies uniformly to both depository institutions and other lenders; and (2) sets forth sale terms and conditions. Provides for appropriate interest payments for banks or other institutions making a claim for payment on the guaranteed portion of an SBA loan. Directs the Administrator to: (1) submit to the Senate and House Small Business Committees (small business committees) a detailed plan for consolidating in one or more centralized centers the performance of the various loan servicing functions with respect to SBA-guaranteed loans; and (2) commence a standard review program for the Preferred Lender program. Requires the Administrator to conduct, through a private contractor, a comprehensive assessment of the performance of SBA small business loan programs, addressing specified matters, including default rates. Provides contract funding. Requires a report concerning such assessment: (1) from the contractor to the Administrator; and (2) from the Administrator to the small business committees. (Sec. 104) Directs the Administrator to conduct a demonstration program under which a sample of SBA private sector disaster loans are evaluated to determine the costs and benefits of having the SBA's portfolio of disaster loans serviced under contract rather than directly by SBA employees. Requires: (1) the demonstration program to commence no later than October 1, 1997; and (2) the Administrator to submit interim and final reports to the small business committees on program results. Includes commercial fishery failures or fishery resource disasters within the parameters of the disaster loan program. (Sec. 105) Revises the technical assistance grant and spending limitation requirements under the Microloan Demonstration Program (a program providing grants to women, low-income, and other underprivileged and minority businesses) to authorize the Administrator to award grant funds to a State in excess of 125 percent of the authorized per-State amount when the Administrator determines that a portion of the appropriated microloan funds are unlikely to be awarded during a fiscal year. (Sec. 106) Amends the Small Business Development Center Program to: (1) provide that the Associate Administrator for Small Business Development Centers shall be responsible for the management and administration of such program and shall not be subject to the approval or concurrence of SBA officials; (2) replace references to the Deputy Associate Administrator of the Small Business Development Center program and the Deputy Associate Administrator for Management Assistance with references to the Associate Administrator; and (3) prohibit the SBA, after FY 2000, from renewing or extending any cooperative agreement with a center that has not been approved under a certification program. Provides for a waiver of such prohibition by the Associate Administrator when the center is making a good faith effort to obtain certification. (Sec. 107) Repeals the authority of the SBA to hold seminars to make small businesses aware of opportunities under the small business development center program. (Sec. 108) Amends the Small Business Competitiveness Demonstration Program Act of 1988 to: (1) extend such Program through FY 2000; (2) repeal a provision which prohibits the SBA from adjusting the numerical size standards for the designated industry groups participating in the Program; (3) revise the establishment and termination dates of a simplified data collection system under such Program; and (4) extend reporting requirements under the Program to conform with the Program's extension. (Sec. 109) Repeals on September 29, 1996, a provision of the Small Business Guaranteed Credit Enhancement Act of 1993 which was to repeal, on September 30, 1996, provisions of such Act relating to the authority of the SBA to impose secondary marketing fees and to reduce loan guarantee percentages. (Sec. 110) Extends through FY 1997 the pilot Small Business Technology Transfer Program. (Sec. 111) Provides the SBA level of participation for loans made on a deferred basis under the Export Working Capital Program. Title II: Amendments to Small Business Investment Act - Amends provisions of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 relating to the development company debenture program to require that not less than 50 percent of the total cost of plant acquisition, construction, conversion, or expansion projects under such program be derived from State or local governments, banks or other financial institutions, foundations or other nonprofit institutions, or the small business concern receiving assistance through a body authorized under the program. Provides specified requirements with respect to the funding derived from a participating small business concern. Increases the loan guarantee fee authorized to be collected by the SBA for development company debentures. Authorizes the SBA to: (1) impose a one-time participation fee on all participating institutions named above other than a small business concern; and (2) collect annually from each development company a specified percentage of the outstanding balance of any guaranteed debenture authorized by the SBA after September 30, 1996. (Sec. 203) Provides required actions upon default of a debenture guaranteed by the SBA, including purchase or acceleration of the debenture and prepayment penalties. (Sec. 204) Directs the Administrator to carry out a loan liquidation pilot program under which certain development companies authorized to make loans and issue debentures under the Act are selected by the Administrator to carry out loan liquidations. Directs participating development companies, as part of the pilot program, to perform all liquidation and foreclosure functions for SBA-guaranteed loans, subject to a loan liquidation plan approved in advance by the Administrator. Outlines SBA authority under the pilot program. Requires a report from the Administrator to the small business committees on the pilot program. (Sec. 205) Amends a provision of the Act relating to the registration of certificates representing ownership of a portion of one or more SBA-guaranteed small business loans to state that nothing shall prohibit the utilization of a book entry or other electronic form of registration for such certificates. Authorizes the Administrator to use the book-entry system of the Federal Reserve System. Provides identical book-entry authority (without reference to the use of the Federal Reserve System) for certificates sold under the small business investment company program and the development company program. (Sec. 206) Directs the SBA to act promptly upon an application from a surety to participate in the Preferred Surety Bond Guarantee Program. Authorizes the SBA to reduce the allotment of bond guarantee authority or terminate the participation of a surety in the Program. (Sec. 207) Expresses the sense of the Congress that the subsidy models prepared by the Office of Management and Budget relative to SBA loan programs tend to overestimate and overemphasize potential and historical losses under such programs. Mandates an independent study to more accurately reflect the budgetary implications of such programs. (Sec. 208) Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to provide that an investment in a small business by a venture capital firm, investment company, employee welfare or pension plan, or tax- exempt organization shall be disregarded in the determination of the size of the small business under the Act. Includes as a small business investment company (SBIC) a limited liability company organized and operated in accordance with a State statute approved by the SBA. Requires each SBIC license applicant to apply to the Administrator. Requires the Administrator to provide a status report to such applicant within 90 days and to act on such application within a reasonable time. Specifies matters to be considered. Provides application approval procedures for certain applicants with private capital of not less than $3 million. Repeals a provision authorizing the organization and chartering of SBICs formed to provide financing to socially or economically disadvantaged persons. Increases the private capital requirement of SBICs to: (1) $5 million; or (2) $10 million for applicants seeking authority to issue participating securities to be purchased or guaranteed by the SBA (with an exception in special circumstances and for good cause). Requires the Administrator to determine the adequacy of the private capital of each licensee. Authorizes the Administrator to approve leverage for licensees: (1) with private capital of not less than $2.5 million; (2) that certify that at least 50 percent of its available financing will be provided to smaller enterprises; and (3) when such action would not create or otherwise contribute to an unreasonable risk of default or loss for the Government. Directs the Administrator to ensure that the management of each licensee licensed after the enactment of this Act is sufficiently diversified from, and unaffiliated with, licensee ownership. Requires the Administrator to: (1) prohibit a licensee having outstanding leverage (debentures or securities guaranteed by the SBA) from incurring third party debt that creates or contributes to an unreasonable risk of default or loss to the Government; and (2) permit such licensees to incur third party debt only on established terms and conditions. Directs the Administrator: (1) to require each licensee, as a condition of approval of an application for leverage, to certify that not less than 20 percent of its financing will be provided to smaller enterprises; and (2) before approving such applications, to determine to what extent the applicant's private capital has been impaired. Provides, with respect to SBIC debentures or securities purchased and guaranteed by the SBA, for: (1) a revised equity investment requirement; (2) a leverage fee; and (3) calculation of the appropriate subsidy rate. Allows qualified private sector entities to assist the Investment Division of the SBA in the examination of SBICs. Requires each SBIC licensee to submit semiannual evaluations of its loans and investments, except that licensees with no outstanding leverage shall submit such valuations annually. Requires the licensee to notify the Administrator quarterly of any material adverse changes in its loans, investments, or operations. Provides independent certification and audit requirements for SBICs. Requires valuation criteria to be established or approved by the Administrator. Directs the Administrator to submit to the small business committees a detailed plan to expedite the orderly liquidation of all licensee assets held in liquidation, including those held in receivership or trust by the SBA. Authorizes the Administrator, with respect to deferred participation loans, to allow participating lending institutions to take actions relating to loan servicing on behalf of the Administrator. Increases to $300 million the amount of guarantees of debentures the Administrator is authorized to make for SBIC programs in FY 1997. Division E: Title I(sic): California Bay-Delta Environmental Enhancement and Water Security Act - California Bay-Delta Environmental Enhancement and Water Security Act - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1998 through 2000 for the initial Federal share of the cost of developing and implementing: (1) a specified portion of an ecosystem protection plan for the San Francisco Bay Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Watershed (Bay-Delta) in California; and (2) the ecosystem restoration elements of the long-term California-Federal Bay-Delta Program. Requires funds authorized to be appropriated to agencies that are currently or that subsequently become Program participants to be in addition to the baseline funding levels established in this Act for currently authorized projects and programs under the Central Valley Project Improvement Act and other currently authorized Federal programs for the purpose of Bay-Delta ecosystem protection and restoration. Authorizes agencies and departments that are or that become participants in the Program to undertake the activities and programs for which Federal cost sharing is provided by this Act. Requires the United States to immediately initiate coordinated consultations and negotiations with California to expeditiously execute a specified cost-sharing agreement signed by its Governor on July 11, 1996. Directs the Office of Management and Budget to submit to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations, as part of the President's FY 1998 Budget, an interagency budget crosscut that displays Federal spending for FY 1993 through 1998 on ecosystem restoration and other purposes in the Bay-Delta Region, separately showing funding provided previously or requested under pre-existing authorities and new authorities granted by this Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 4321 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Restrictions on Loans From Qualified Retirement Plans Title II: Promotion of Availability of Private Pensions Upon Retirement Title III: Health Coverage for Retired Workers Title IV: Application of Certain Prohibited Transactions Rules for 401(K) Plans Title V: Retirement Savings and Security Subtitle A: Expanded Pension Coverage and Simplification Subtitle B: Portability Subtitle C: Enhanced Security Title VI: Expanded Individual Retirement Accounts to Increase Coverage and Portability Subtitle A: Retirement Savings Incentives Subtitle B: Distributions and Investments Comprehensive Pension and Retirement Security Act of 1996 - Title I: Restrictions on Loans From Qualified Retirement Plans - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to prohibit qualified employer plans from making loans through credit cards and other intermediaries. (Sec. 102) Treats loans from qualified employer plans as distributions unless they are used to purchase a first home, to pay higher education or financially devastating medical expenses, or during periods of unemployment. Title II: Promotion of Availability of Private Pensions Upon Retirement - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the IRC to require the availability of a defined contribution plan option (in lieu of the defined benefit plan) for participants in defined benefit plans to which an employer makes contributions. (Sec. 202) Amends ERISA to require fiduciaries to make timely investments of plan contributions. (Sec. 203) Amends IRC to increase the penalty for early distributions from pension plans. Title III: Health Coverage for Retired Workers - Amends ERISA and the IRC to require advance notice of material reductions in covered services under group health plans. (Sec. 302) Amends the IRC to set forth requirements relating to the duration of, and determination of premiums for, continuation of coverage for persons 55 and older until they are eligible for Medicare. (Sec. 303) Amends the Social Security Act to set forth protections under the Medicare program for retired workers who lose retiree health benefits. Provides, in such cases, for: (1) no premium penalty for late enrollment; (2) a special Medicare enrollment period; and (3) a special rule with respect to the Medigap open enrollment period. Title IV: Application of Certain Prohibited Transactions Rules for 401(K) Plans - Amends ERISA to set forth provisions relating to the application of certain prohibited transactions rules to IRC section 401(k) plans. Title V: Retirement Savings and Security - Subtitle A: Expanded Pension Coverage and Simplification - Amends ERISA to eliminate a specified requirement for plan descriptions. Revises report-filing requirements for summary plan descriptions and descriptions of material modifications to a plan. (Sec. 502) Revises ERISA to conform to the IRC with respect to treatment of investments in qualified state prepaid tuition programs. Subtitle B: Portability - Directs the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) to prescribe specified rules relating to missing participants for multiemployer plans that terminate under certain ERISA provisions. (Sec. 512) Eliminates a special vesting rule for multiemployer plans under ERISA. (Sec. 513) Provides, with respect to treatment of loans during military service, that a loan made by a plan shall not fail to meet specified ERISA requirements by reason of a loan repayment suspension under the IRC. Subtitle C: Enhanced Security - Revises certain formulas for determining payments with respect to multiemployer plan benefits guarantees under ERISA, for multiemployer plans that have not received specified financial assistance. (Sec. 522) Directs the Secretary of Labor, as chairman of the PBGC board, to send a reversion report to the President and the Congress on plans from which residual assets were distributed to employers under specified ERISA. (Sec. 523) Sets forth a full funding limitation for multiemployer plans under ERISA. (Sec. 524) Increases maximum civil penalties for certain prohibited transactions under ERISA. (Sec. 525) Modifies the phase-in of guarantee and the allocation of assets under ERISA provisions relating to substantial owner benefits. Pension Audit Improvement Act of 1996 - Repeals specified ERISA provisions for limited scope audits. (Sec. 533) Establishes certain reporting and enforcement requirements for employee benefit plans under ERISA. Requires a plan administrator to notify, within five business days, the Secretary of Labor of: (1) irregularities that may have occurred with respect to the plan; and (2) the termination of the plan's accountant. Requires plan accountants to notify the Secretary of: (1) such irregularities, if the administrator does not do so; and (2) any disagreements they may have with the reasons given by the administrator for their termination. Sets forth civil penalties for violations of such requirements. (Sec. 534) Sets forth additional requirements for qualified public accountants for plans under ERISA. (Sec. 535) Revises ERISA provisions for fiduciary penalties to: (1) modify a prohibition of assignment or alienation; (2) make discretionary the imposition and amount of civil penalties for breach of fiduciary responsibility; and (3) provide for the applicable recovery amount and other rules. Title VI: Expanded Individual Retirement Accounts to Increase Coverage and Portability - Subtitle A: Retirement SavingsIncentives - Amends IRC provisions for individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and retirement savings with respect to: (1) certain income limitations; (2) inflation adjustments for the deductible amount and income limitations; (3) coordination of the IRA deduction limit with the elective deferral limit; and (4) establishment of special nondeductible tax-free IRAs. Subtitle B: Distributions and Investments - Allows distributions from IRAs to be used without additional tax to purchase first homes, to pay higher education or financially devastating medical expenses, or by the unemployed. (Sec. 612) Requires IRA contributions to be held at least five years in certain cases. (Sec. 613) Sets forth special rules for IRA Investments in qualified State prepaid tuition program instruments.
Bill· SS. 2142 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1996
Provides for the inclusion of certain counties in North Carolina in certain metropolitan statistical areas.
Bill· HRH.R. 4269 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1996
Declares that the Puerto Rico Housing Bank and Finance Agency shall not have any civil, criminal, or administrative liability under the Truth-in-Lending Act (TILA) for any failure to comply with TILA or any regulation under it for any credit transactions subject to TILA consummated before enactment of this Act in which the Housing Bank was a creditor. Denies any consumer who consummated such a credit transaction any right of rescission against an assignee for the Housing Bank's noncompliance with TILA disclosure requirements.
Law· HRH.R. 4236 (104th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: The Presidio of San Francisco Title II: Boundary Adjustments and Conveyances Title III: Exchanges Title IV: Rivers and Trails Title V: Historic Areas and Civil Rights Title VI: Civil and Revolutionary War Sites Title VII: Fees Title VIII: Miscellaneous Administrative and Management Provisions Title IX: Heritage Areas Title X: Miscellaneous Subtitle A: Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve Subtitle B: Sterling Forest Subtitle C: Additional Provisions Title XI: California Bay Delta Environmental Enhancement Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 - Title I: The Presidio of San Francisco - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to manage leases currently in existence for properties under the Secretary's jurisdiction located at the Presidio (a former military complex in San Francisco, California). Makes the Secretary responsible for providing public interpretive services, visitor orientation, and educational programs on lands within the Presidio. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) management of lands and facilities within the Presidio not transferred to the jurisdiction of the Presidio Trust; and (2) retention of career National Park Service (NPS) employees employed at the Presidio at the time of the transfer. (Sec. 103) Establishes the Presidio Trust. Directs the Secretary to transfer specified lands to the administrative jurisdiction of the Trust. Designates a William Penn Mott Visitor Center. Vests the powers and management of the Trust in a Board of Directors. (Sec. 104) Directs the Trust to: (1) manage the leasing, maintenance, rehabilitation, repair, and improvement of property within the Presidio; and (2) develop a comprehensive program for management of transferred lands and facilities. Sets forth provisions regarding financial authorities, donations, public agency status of the Trust, proceeds, lawsuits, a Memorandum of Agreement for the conduct of law enforcement activities and services within transferred areas, bylaws, rules, and regulations, negotiations, insurance, building code compliance, leasing, reversion, and funding limits. (Sec. 106) Directs the General Accounting Office to: (1) conduct an interim study of the Trust's activities and report to specified congressional committees; (2) develop an interim schedule and plan to reduce and replace Federal appropriations for interpretive services conducted by NPS, law enforcement activities and services, and fire and public safety programs conducted by the Trust; and (3) conduct a comprehensive study of Trust activities. Sets forth reporting requirements. Title II: Boundary Adjustments and Conveyances - Modifies the boundaries of the: (1) Yucca House National Monument, Colorado; (2) Zion National Park, Utah; (3) Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan; (4) Independence National Historical Park and a United States Customs House, Pennsylvania; (5) Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho; (6) Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument (pursuant to the Arizona-Idaho Conservation Act of 1988); (7) Wupatki National Monument, Arizona; and (8) Walnut Canyon National Monument, Arizona (and authorizes appropriations). (Sec. 209) Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain lands: (1) in and adjoining the Plumas National Forest in Butte County, California, to persons claiming to have been deprived of title to such lands (authorizes appropriations); (2) to the city of Sumpter, Oregon; (3) to the Alpine Elementary School District 7, Arizona, provided that the conveyed property is used for public school facilities and related public school recreational purposes; and (4) to the Del Norte County Unified School District, California. (Sec. 210) Transfers specified lands in New Mexico to the Secretary to be held in trust for the Pueblo de Taos. Declares that the Taos Pueblo, as a result of such transfer, has no unresolved claims against the United States on such lands. (Sec. 211) Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) transfer to York County, Virginia, a portion of the existing sewage disposal system owned by the United States and located within the Colonial National Historical Park, together with certain rights-of-way; and (2) enter into a cooperative agreement with such County under which the Secretary will pay a portion of the costs of repair and rehabilitation of such system. Requires such agreement to provide for a reduction in, or the elimination of, the amounts charged to NPS for its sewage disposal. Authorizes the Secretary to include specified lands within the Park. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 212) Amends the 1909 Cuprum Townsite patent (Idaho) to include specified lands. Conveys such lands to the original patentee or any successors or assigns in interest. Directs the Federal Government to survey the Federal property lines and mark and post necessary boundaries. (Sec. 213) Directs: (1) the Secretary to convey certain lands (subject to a reversion to the United States if specified conditions occur) to the State of Wyoming for fish, wildlife management, and educational activities and for other specified purposes; and (2) Wyoming to provide access to the property for institutions of higher education. Transfers jurisdiction of certain lands to the Secretary of Agriculture for inclusion in and management as part of the Black Hills National Forest. Bars hunting or mineral development on such lands. (Sec. 214) Relinquishes all U.S. right to land subject to a specified right-of-way located around Douglas, Wyoming, subject to specified requirements. (Sec. 215) Modifies the boundary of the Modoc National Forest. (Sec. 217) Authorizes the Secretary to acquire up to ten acres of lands or interests therein to establish trailheads located at White Rocks and Chadwell Gap to be added to the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, Virginia. (Sec. 218) Modifies the boundary of Shenandoah National Park to include only those lands and interests therein that were previously in Federal ownership and administered by the Secretary as part of the Park. Authorizes the Secretary to make minor boundary adjustments to make essential improvements to facilitate access to preexisting trailheads. Limits the Secretary's authority regarding minor boundary adjustments. Requires the Secretary to take reasonable actions to mitigate the impacts associated with visitor use at trailheads around the perimeter of the Park and to complete a comprehensive boundary study. (Sec. 219) Validates certain conveyances by the Southern Pacific Transportation Company to the city of Tulare, California, subject to specified requirements. (Sec. 221) Requires the Secretary to: (1) convey specified Federal lands in the Merced Irrigation District, Mariposa County, California, in exchange for non-Federal lands in that area; and (2) make specified corrections to maps regarding the Coastal Barrier Resources System. (Sec. 222) Father Aull Site Transfer Act of 1996 - Conveys specified lands near Silver City, New Mexico, to St. Vincent DePaul Parish. Title III: Exchanges - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to exchange specified Federal lands in the Targhee National Forest (North Fork Tract) for non-Federal lands in that area (Squirrel Meadows Tract). (Sec. 302) Ratifies the "Donation, Exchange of Lands and Interests in Lands and Wilderness Redesignation Agreement Among Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, Nanamiut Corporation, City of Anaktuvuk Pass and the United States of America," executed December 17, 1992. Amends the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act to modify the acreage of the Gates of the Arctic Wilderness, Noatak National Preserve, and Noatak Wilderness. (Sec. 303) Directs the Secretary, subject to specified requirements, to: (1) value the rights granted to Koniag, Incorporated and confirmed as valid selections to receive title to certain oil and gas rights and other interests in the subsurface estate of certain public lands in Alaska which Koniag possesses within boundaries of Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve, Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge, and Becharof National Wildlife Refuge; and (2) enter into negotiations for an agreement or agreements to exchange Federal lands or interests in Alaska for such rights. (Sec. 304) Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to exchange certain federally-owned land within the Cache National Forest, Utah, for lands of approximately equal value owned by the Sun Valley Company, subject to specified requirements. Finds that the Phase I facilities referred to in the Snowbasin Ski Area Master Development Plan dated October 1995 to be located on National Forest System land after consummation of the land exchange directed by this section are limited in size and scope, are reasonable and necessary to accommodate the 2002 Olympics, and in some cases are required to provide for the safety of skiing competitors and spectators. Sets forth provisions regarding Phase I facility approval, conditions, and timetable. (Sec. 305) Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to convey to the Weyerhaeuser Company specified Federal lands and mineral, oil, and gas interests in Arkansas and Oklahoma in exchange for specified non-Federal lands and interests, subject to specified limitations. Provides for the administration of acquired lands as National Forest System lands, except for portions managed as a component of the Cossatot National Wildlife Refuge, and for adjustment of the Ouachita National Forest boundary. (Sec. 306) Extends the deadline for completing specified land exchanges under the law establishing the Big Thicket National Preserve in Texas. Requires the Secretary, in considering the values of the private lands to be exchanged, to consider independent appraisals submitted by the owners of the private lands. Sets forth further limitations and reporting requirements. Provides for a land exchange in Liberty County, Texas, with acquired lands added to the Menard Creek Corridor Unit of the Preserve. (Sec. 307) Directs the Secretary to: (1) acquire certain land owned by R-Y Timber, Inc., located in the Lost Creek and Twin Lakes areas of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, Montana, in exchange for Federal land of equal value located in the Beaverhead- Deerlodge and Gallatin National Forests; and (2) grant specified rights to harvest timber on land in the latter Forests. Sets forth provisions regarding liability for hazardous substances and release of specified lands in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest from study. (Sec. 308) Directs the Secretary to convey to the Orange County Council of the Boy Scouts of America certain lands in the Cleveland National Forest, California, in exchange for land of equal value. (Sec. 309) Requires the Secretary to exchange lands with the Water Conservancy District of Washington County, Utah, in and to the Sand Hollow Site, and Quail Creek Pipeline and Reservoir, subject to specified requirements. (Sec. 310) Amends the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to extend the authorization of appropriations for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) through October 1, 2002. (Sec. 311) Provides for a land exchange between the United States and the city of Greeley, Colorado, and The Water Supply and Storage Company, a Colorado mutual ditch company. Modifies the boundary of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests. (Sec. 312) Authorizes the Secretary to acquire by exchange certain lands in the Killik River Ecosystem, and certain Ogotoruk Creek lands contaminated by undisclosed nuclear testing, which have been or may hereafter be conveyed to the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation and the State of Alaska. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 313) Directs the Secretary to offer to convey to the Kenai Natives Association, Inc., (KNA) specified interests in land and rights in Alaska in return for the conveyance by KNA to the United States of the interests in land or relinquishment of certain Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 selections, subject to specified requirements. Requires the United States to make a specified cash payment to KNA for specified lands, contingent upon the appropriate approvals of the Federal or State of Alaska Exxon Valdez oil spill Trustees (or both) necessary for any expenditure of the settlement funds. Directs the Secretary to nominate the Stephanka Tract to the National Register of Historic Places. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) removal of KNA lands from the National Wildlife Refuge System, maps, and KNA acceptance of the Secretary's offer; (2) adjustments to the National Wilderness System; and (3) designation of the Lake Todatonten Special Management Area. Directs BLM to establish the Lake Todatonten Special Management Area Committee. Authorizes appropriations. Title IV: Rivers and Trails - Establishes the Cache La Poudre Corridor within the Cache La Poudre River Basin, Colorado, and the Cache La Poudre Corridor Commission. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 402) Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish, in consultation with the Rio Puerco Management Committee, a clearinghouse for research and information on management within the Rio Puerco Drainage Basin and an inventory of best management practices and related monitoring activities that have been or may be implemented within the Rio Puerco Watershed Project; (2) provide support to the Committee to identify objectives, monitor results of ongoing projects, and develop alternative watershed management plans for the Basin, based on best management practices; and (3) prepare a report for the improvement of watershed conditions in the Basin. Establishes the Committee. Directs the Secretary to: (1) periodically report to specified congressional committees with a summary of activities of the management program and proposals for joint implementation efforts, including funding recommendations; and (2) conduct a lower Rio Grande habitat study. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 403) Amends: (1) the National Trails System Act to add the Old Spanish Trail and the Great Western Scenic Trail as routes subject to consideration for designation as national scenic trails; (2) the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate a segment of the Lamprey River, New Hampshire, as part of the national wild and scenic rivers system; (3) the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978 to revise the boundaries of the New River Gorge National River, to direct the Secretary to permit West Virginia to undertake fish stocking activities on waters within the boundaries of the national river, and to authorize the Secretary to construct a visitor center and such related facilities as necessary to facilitate visitor understanding and enjoyment of the New River Gorge National River and the Gauley River National Recreation Area near the confluence of the New and Gauley Rivers; (4) the West Virginia National Interest River Conservation Act of 1987 to direct the Secretary to acquire such lands as necessary to provide access to noncommercial entities on the north side of the Gauley River at the Woods Ferry area utilizing existing roads and rights-of-way; (5) the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to modify the boundaries of the Bluestone National Scenic River and to authorize the Secretary to acquire lands or interests therein to allow public access to such River, subject to specified requirements; and (6) the Act establishing Rocky Mountain National Park to prohibit the Secretary or any other Federal agency or officer from approving or issuing any permit, or providing any assistance, for the construction of any new dam, reservoir, or impoundment on any segment of North St. Vrain Creek or its tributaries within the boundaries of such Park or on the main stem of North St. Vrain Creek downstream to the point at which the creek crosses the elevation 6,550 feet above mean sea level, to direct the Secretary to seek to acquire specified lands within the Park boundaries owned by the city of Longmont, Colorado, and to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to actively pursue negotiations with such city concerning a land exchange in and near Coulson Gulch. (Sec. 405) Provides that no final rule or regulation of any Federal agency pertaining to the recognition, management, or validity of rights-of-way for construction of highways over public lands shall take effect unless expressly authorized by an Act of Congress. (Sec. 406) Makes permanent certain interim provisions under Federal law regarding Hanford Reach, Washington, and conservation of the Columbia River. Title V: Historic Areas and Civil Rights - Amends the National Trails System Act to designate as a national scenic and national historic trail the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail, Alabama. (Sec. 502) Establishes the Vancouver National Historic Reserve, Washington. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 503) Reestablishes the Na Hoa Pili O Kaloko-Honokohau, the Advisory Commission for Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park. (Sec. 504) Amends: (1) the Boston National Historical Park Act to authorize the Secretary to enter into a cooperative agreement with the Boston Public Library to provide for the distribution of information and interpretive materials relating to the park and to the Freedom Trail; and (2) the National Historic Preservation Act to reauthorize appropriations for the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation through FY 2000. (Sec. 505) Modifies Federal provisions regarding establishment of the Women's Rights National Historical Park to provide for the designation (currently, initial designation) of specified sites and to add more sites. (Sec. 506) Terminates the legislative authority for the Black Revolutionary War Patriots Foundation to establish a commemorative work on October 27, 1998. (Sec. 507) Directs the Secretary to make grants to eligible historically black colleges and universities for the preservation and restoration of historic buildings and structures on their campuses, subject to specified requirements. (Sec. 508) Authorizes the Secretary to permit the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity to establish a memorial on lands under the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary in the District of Columbia or its environs to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. (Sec. 510) Establishes: (1) the Great Falls Historic District in Paterson, New Jersey; (2) the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park in New Bedford, Massachusetts; and (3) the Nicodemus National Historic Site in Nicodemus, Kansas. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 513) Aleutian World War II National Historic Areas Act of 1996 - Designates the Aleutian World War II National Historic Area. Directs the Secretary to award grants and provide technical assistance to the Ounalaska Corporation and the City of Unalaska. (Sec. 514) Transfers: (1) jurisdiction over specified lands within the District of Columbia to the Secretary to establish a national memorial to Japanese American patriotism in World War II; and (2) specified Federal properties to the Government of the District of Columbia for consideration as a site for such memorial. (Sec. 515) Terminates the withdrawal of specified lands to allow land exchanges in support of acquiring lands within the boundary of the Manzanar National Historic Site, California. (Sec. 516) Designates the AIDS Memorial Grove located in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California, as a national memorial. Title VI: Civil and Revolutionary War Sites - Designates the Civil War Center located at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as the United States Civil War Center. Makes that center and the Civil War Institute of Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the flagship institutions for planning the sesquicentennial commemoration of the Civil War. (Sec. 602) Directs the Secretary to acquire land and to construct, operate, and maintain on such property a center for the interpretation of the Siege and Battle of Corinth and associated historical events for the benefit of the public. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 603) Modifies provisions regarding establishment of the Richmond National Battlefield Park to: (1) set forth findings and purposes (including to establish a revised boundary for the Park based on the findings of the Civil War Sites Advisory Committee and NPS); (2) modify such boundary; and (3) authorize the Secretary to acquire specified lands. (Sec. 604) Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Historic Preservation Study Act of 1996 - Requires the Secretary to prepare a study of Revolutionary War sites and War of 1812 sites. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 605) American Battlefield Protection Act of 1996 - Requires the Secretary to encourage, support, assist, recognize, and work in partnership with citizens, Federal, State, local, and tribal governments, other public entities, educational institutions, and private nonprofit organizations in identifying, researching, evaluating, interpreting, and protecting historic battlefields and associated sites on a National, State, and local level. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 606) Increases the authorization of appropriations for the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Parks. (Sec. 607) Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District and Commission Act of 1996 - Establishes the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District, Virginia, and the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District Commission. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 608) Establishes the Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, Oklahoma. Authorizes appropriations. Title VII: Fees - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to charge a rental fee for ski area permits issued on National Forest System lands, calculated according to a specified formula. (Sec. 702) Prohibits the use of Highway 209 within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area by commercial vehicles when such use is not connected with the operation of the Area, except for the use of such vehicles to serve businesses located within or in the vicinity of that Area, effective September 30, 2005. (Sec. 703) Visitor Services Improvement and Outdoor Legacy Act of 1996 - Amends the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to repeal the existing recreation fee program. Replaces it with one in which the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture provide for partial recovery of the costs of visitor services provided through admission, recreation use, and concession fees, subject to specified guidelines and procedures. Authorizes the Secretaries to ensure, that where appropriate, the admission fee schedule developed provides economic incentives for use of alternative modes of transportation at areas experiencing high levels of automobile traffic. Sets the fee for: (1) single admission visits at no greater than $10 per person or $25 per vehicle; and (2) a Golden Eagle Passport at no greater than $50. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a special account in the Treasury for each agency which collects recreation fees under this section. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) reporting requirements; and (2) exemption from fees, including mitigation of any impacts of recreational fees on low-income individuals. (Sec. 704) Modifies Federal law to direct that 60 percent of the fees paid by permittees to enter Glacier Bay over a specified period be available to: (1) acquire and preposition necessary and adequate emergency response equipment to prevent harm or the threat of harm to aquatic park resources from permittees; and (2) conduct investigations to quantify any effect of permittees' activity on wildlife and other natural resource values of Glacier Bay National Park. Directs the Secretary to protect park resources through limitations on permittees in Glacier Bay only if the need for such limitations is based on substantial verifiable scientific information. Title VIII: Miscellaneous Administrative and Management Provisions - Repeals a limitation under Federal law on the expenditure of funds for park buildings. (Sec. 802) Authorizes NPS appropriations for use in providing transportation for children in nearby communities to and from any NPS unit used in connection with organized recreation and interpretive NPS programs. (Sec. 803) Amends Federal law regarding transportation of captured animals to authorize the Secretary to use motor vehicles, fixed-wing aircraft, or helicopters, or to contract for such use, in furtherance of NPS management. Modifies the Act establishing the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Missouri, to require the Secretary to allow free-roaming horses in such Riverways and to enter into an agreement with a qualified nonprofit entity to provide for management of free-roaming horses. Bars the Secretary from removing any such horses from Federal lands within the boundary of the Riverways unless specified conditions are met. (Sec. 804) Revises Federal law to authorize the Secretary to: (1) transfer museum objects and collections that are no longer needed for museum purposes to, and to accept the transfer of museum objects and collections from, Federal agencies, subject to specified requirements; (2) convey unneeded museum objects and collections to private tax- exempt institutions and to specified non-Federal governmental entities; and (3) destroy museum objects and collections that have no scientific, cultural, historic, educational, aesthetic, or monetary value. Directs the Secretary to ensure that museum collections are treated in a manner that protects the public interest and to establish a systematic review and approval process. (Sec. 805) Increases appropriations to carry out the Volunteers in Parks Act of 1969. (Sec. 806) Amends: (1) Federal provisions regarding NPS to authorize the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements with public or private educational institutions, States, and their political subdivisions for the purpose of developing adequate, coordinated, cooperative research and training programs concerning National Park System resources; and (2) the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act to direct the Secretary to permit personnel, under the direction of the United States Geological Survey, to conduct volcanological research in Katmai National Park. (Sec. 807) Redesignates the Federal Lands Cleanup Day as the Carl Garner Federal Lands Cleanup Day under the Federal Lands Cleanup Act of 1985. (Sec. 808) Modifies: (1) Federal law regarding the Fort Pulaski National Monument, Georgia, to repeal reservations of lands for the Army Corps of Engineers and for a Treasury Department quarantine station; and (2) the Dayton Aviation Heritage Preservation Act of 1992 to provide that members be appointed after consideration of (currently, from) recommendations submitted by specified parties. (Sec. 809) Designates: (1) the Laura C. Hudson Visitor Center in New Orleans, Louisiana; and (2) the Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center at Channel Islands National Park, California. (Sec. 811) Authorizes the Secretary to collect and expend funds for the operation, maintenance, and administration of a visitor center outside the authorized boundary of the Rocky Mountain National Park. (Sec. 813) Prohibits certain transfers of National Forest Lands in the Angeles National Forest. (Sec. 814) Directs the Secretary to enter into an agreement authorizing the town of Grand Lake, Colorado, to maintain permanently a cemetery within the boundaries of the Rocky Mountain National Park. (Sec. 815) Authorizes the Secretary to rent or lease housing on or off lands under NPS jurisdiction to NPS field employees at rates based on the reasonable value of the housing. Directs the Secretary to review and revise existing criteria under which housing is provided to NPS employees and report to specified congressional committees, and to undertake a review for each NPS unit of existing Government-owned housing provided to NPS employees. Modifies the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to make the authority of the Secretary regarding minor boundary revision applicable only if specified conditions are met, such as if the acquisition is not a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment and the proposed boundary has been subject to a public review and comment period. Authorizes the Secretary to expend sums for park facilities to be located outside the boundaries of Zion National Park. Repeals congressional reporting requirements under various Federal statutes. Modifies the Act establishing: (1) NPS to provide for Senate confirmation of the Director of NPS; and (2) the NPS Advisory Board to specify as its purpose to advise the Director on matters relating to NPS, the National Park System, and programs administered by NPS and to authorize appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to negotiate and enter into challenge cost-share agreements with cooperators. Revises Federal law to provide cost recovery for damage to national park resources, defined to include marine or aquatic park system resources, except for resources owned by a non-Federal entity. (Sec. 816) Amends the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978 to authorize the Secretary to renew or extend permits or leases in the Mineral King Valley addition of the Sequoia National Park continued to the heirs of lessees or permittees who have died prior to enactment of this section or may die after its enactment unless: (1) the permit or lease is incompatible with the protection of park resources; or (2) the land occupied under the leases or permit will be used for some other park purpose in accordance with the comprehensive management plan and the Secretary has available sufficient funds to carry out such use. (Sec. 817) Designates the William B. Smullin Visitor Center in Rand, Oregon. (Sec. 818) Directs the Secretary to conduct a study of the feasibility of establishing an urban ecology park to be known as the Calumet Ecological Park in the Lake Calumet area situated between the Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor and the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Sets forth reporting requirements. (Sec. 819) Provides for the acquisition by the United States of certain property on Santa Cruz Island, California. Title IX: Heritage Areas - Revises Federal law to: (1) modify the boundaries of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, Massachusetts and Rhode Island; (2) authorize members of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission to continue to serve after the expiration of their terms until a successor has been appointed; (3) direct the Commission to revise the Cultural Heritage and Land Management Plan to address the boundary change and to include a natural resource inventory of areas or features that should be protected, restored, managed, or acquired because of their contribution to the understanding of national cultural landscape values; and (4) extend the term of the Commission by five years. Authorizes the Secretary to undertake a limited program of financial assistance for the purpose of providing funds for the preservation and restoration of structures on, or eligible for inclusion on, the National Register of Historic Places within the Corridor which exhibit national significance or provide a wide spectrum of historic, recreational, or environmental education opportunities to the general public. Sets forth provisions regarding eligibility for funds and the impact on local authority and private property. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 902) Amends the Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor Act of 1984 to direct the Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor Commission to undertake a study to determine whether the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant and the Calumet-Sag and Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canals should be added to the corridor. (Sec. 903) Directs the Secretary to conduct a feasibility study to determine whether the Champlain Valley and the Upper Hudson River Valley in New York State should be designated as a heritage area. Title X: Miscellaneous - Subtitle A: Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve - Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve Act of 1996 - Establishes: (1) the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve to provide for the preservation, restoration, and interpretation of the Spring Hill Ranch area of the Flint Hills, Kansas; and (2) the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve Advisory Committee. (Sec. 1006) Limits the Secretary's authority to: (1) acquire and make improvements on real property within the Preserve; and (2) regulate lands outside that acquired by the Secretary under this subtitle. (Sec. 1009) Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle B: Sterling Forest - Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) provide funding to the Palisades Interstate Park Commission to acquire specified lands (authorizes appropriations); and (2) exchange unreserved unappropriated Federal lands under the Secretary's jurisdiction for lands of equal value in the Sterling Forest. Subtitle C: Additional Provisions - Establishes: (1) the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado; (2) the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area; (3) Curecanti National Recreation Area and the Denver and Rio Grande National Historic Site; and (4) the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park Complex. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1022) Modifies the Act establishing the National Park Foundation to grant the Foundation exclusive authority to license or authorize persons to use trademarks and logos that are or may be adopted and owned by the Foundation for which the Foundation has filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for purposes of representing, promoting, or advertising for commercial purposes or pecuniary gain that an individual, company, or particular good or service is an official sponsor or supporter of the National Park System or NPS. (Sec. 1023) Amends the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to require the President to appoint an advisory commission to review the opportunities for enhancing water-based recreation. Sets forth reporting requirements. (Sec. 1024) Bisti De-Na-Zin Wilderness Expansion and Fossil Forest Protection Act - Amends the San Juan Basin Wilderness Protection Act of 1984 to designate and expand the Bisti De-Na-Zin Wilderness in New Mexico. Provides for Federal exchanges for State lands and for Indian lands. Modifies such Act to establish the Fossil Forest Research Natural Area. (Sec. 1025) Establishes: (1) the Opal Creek Wilderness and Scenic Recreation Area, Oregon; and (2) an advisory council for the Scenic Recreation Area. Sets forth provisions regarding preparation of a management plan, review and revision of an inventory of cultural and historic resources, transportation planning, hunting and fishing, timber cutting, water impoundments, recreational use, land acquisition, and environmental response actions and cost recovery. Authorizes a Federal land exchange with lands possessed by the Rosboro Lumber Company. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate Elkhorn Creek as a Wild and Scenic River. Directs the State of Oregon and the Secretary of Agriculture to develop a plan for economic development projects for which grants under this section may be used to benefit local communities near the Opal Creek area. Provides grant funds to Oregon. Sets forth reporting requirements. (Sec. 1026) Directs: (1) the Upper Klamath Basin Working Group to propose ecological restoration projects, economic development and stability projects, and projects designed to reduce the impacts of drought conditions to be undertaken in the Upper Klamath Basin based on a consensus of the Working Group membership; and (2) the Secretary to pay up to 50 percent of the cost of performing any project approved by the Secretary or his designee, up to a total of $1 million during each of FY 1997 through 2001. Requires the Secretary to formulate a cooperative agreement among the Upper Klamath Basin Working Group, the Klamath River Basin Fisheries Task Force, the Trinity River Restoration Task Force, and the Klamath River Basin Compact Commission for the purposes of ensuring that projects proposed and funded through the Working Group are consistent with other basin-wide fish and wildlife restoration and conservation plans. Sets forth provisions regarding Working Group: (1) public meetings; and (2) terms and vacancies. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1027) Directs: (1) the Deschutes River Basin Working Group to propose ecological restoration projects on both Federal and non-Federal lands and waters to be undertaken in the Deschutes River Basin based on a consensus of the Working Group, provided that such projects, when involving Federal land or funds, shall be proposed to the Bureau of Reclamation in the Department of the Interior and any other Federal agency with affected land or funds; (2) the Bureau of Reclamation to pay from funds authorized under this section up to 50 percent of the cost of performing any project proposed by the Working Group and approved by the Secretary, up to a total of $1 million during each of FY 1997 through 2001 (authorizes appropriations); and (3) the Secretary of Agriculture to prohibit the cutting of trees in the Bull Run River Drainage, with exceptions, and to undertake a study of part of the Little Sandy Watershed (study area) to determine the impact of management activities on the quality of drinking water provided to the Portland metropolitan area, the identity and location of certain ecological features, and the location and extent of any significant cultural or other values, within the study area. Prohibits the Secretary from advertising, offering, or awarding any timber sale within the study area for two years after the date of this section's enactment. (Sec. 1028) Directs the Secretary to convey to Longview Fibre Company certain lands in the Mt. Hood Corridor, Oregon, in exchange for lands of equal value. Sets forth provisions regarding timber cutting and road closure. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1029) Amends the Coquille Restoration Act to provide for the establishment and management (by the Coquille Tribe of Coos County, Oregon) of the Coquille Forest, Oregon. (Sec. 1031) Designates the Oregon Islands Wilderness, Additions. (Sec. 1032) Directs the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to consult, coordinate, and cooperate with the Umpqua Land Exchange Project (ULEP) and other specified parties to assist ULEP's ongoing efforts in studying and analyzing land exchange opportunities in the Umpqua River basin and to provide scientific, technical, research, mapping, and other assistance and information to such entities. Sets forth priority matters for study and reporting requirements. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1033) Establishes: (1) as an NPS unit the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, Massachusetts; and (2) the Boston Harbor Islands Partnership to coordinate the activities of Federal, State, and local authorities and the private sector in the development and implementation of an integrated resource management plan for the recreation area. Directs the Secretary to establish the Boston Harbor Islands Advisory Council. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1034) Amends Federal law creating the Natchez National Historical Park to authorize the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the City of Natchez under which the Secretary agrees to pay up to $3 million toward the planning and construction by the City of a structure to be partially used by the Secretary as an administrative headquarters, administrative site, and visitors' center for the Park, subject to specified requirements. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1035) Authorizes the Secretary to substitute, without competition, a contract for timber identified for harvest located on public BLM-administered lands in California of comparable value for the terminated Elkhorn Ridge Timber Sale contract. (Sec. 1036) Modifies the Federal Land Policy Management Act of 1976 to direct that rights-of-way be granted, issued, or renewed, without rental fees, for electric or telephone facilities eligible for financing pursuant to the Rural Electrification Act of 1936, determined without regard to any application requirement under that Act. (Sec. 1037) Amends Federal law to include within the definition of "unit of general local government" certain areas in Alaska within the boundaries of a census area used by the Secretary of Commerce in the decennial census, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands. Directs: (1) the Secretary, with respect to such areas in Alaska, to make a payment for each fiscal year to the State for entitlement land located within such unit; and (2) the State to distribute such payment to home rule cities and general law cities located within the boundaries of the unit of general local government for which the payment was received. (Sec. 1038) Prohibits the Secretary of Agriculture from terminating or otherwise interfering with the purchaser's operations under Forest Service Timber Contract A10fs-1042 for failure to operate a pulp mill. Specifies that such failure shall not prejudice any other contract dispute currently under appeal or in litigation. (Sec. 1039) Directs the Secretary to negotiate with specified Alaska Native Village Corporations to finalize conveyance to the affected village corporations of certain high priority lands or subsurface estates. (Sec. 1040) Amends the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to provide for the establishment of additional Native corporations in southeast Alaska. (Sec. 1041) Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to survey specified real property in Tongass National Forest and convey title to such property to the Gross brothers of Wrangell, Alaska. (Sec. 1042) Directs that local residents who are descendants of Katmai residents who lived in the Naknek Lake and River Drainage be permitted, subject to reasonable regulations established by the Secretary, to continue their traditional fishery for red fish within Katmai National Park. (Sec. 1043) Authorizes the Cape Fox Corporation to transfer all or part of its right to the 320-acre parcel that includes Beaver Falls Hydroelectric power-house site to the United States. Directs that, in exchange for the transfer, the acreage entitlement of Cape Fox be credited in the amount of the number of acres returned to the United States under this section. (Sec. 1044) Grants the Secretary of Agriculture 180 days to review management of Inspiration Point, San Bernardino National Forest, to determine whether the continued presence of KATY-FM antenna on the site is in the public interest, and to report to specified congressional committees. Bars the Secretary from taking action within such period which causes or results in the removal of the antenna from the site. (Sec. 1045) Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to retain and maintain the 18 concrete dams and weirs located within the boundaries of the Emigrant Wilderness in the Stanislaus National Forest, California, on January 3, 1975. (Sec. 1046) Authorizes the Secretary to convey to the University of Alaska a basic Federal entitlement of 350,000 acres of Federal lands in Alaska. Title XI: California Bay Delta Environmental Enhancement - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1998 through 2000 for the initial Federal share of the cost of developing and implementing: (1) a portion of a specified ecosystem protection plan for the Bay-Delta, California; and (2) the ecosystem restoration elements of the long-term CALFED Bay-Delta Program. Directs: (1) the United States to immediately initiate coordinated consultations and negotiations with the State of California to expeditiously execute the cost-sharing agreement required by a California Senate bill signed by the Governor of California on July 11, 1996; and (2) the Office of Management and Budget to submit to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, as part of the President's FY 1998 Budget, an interagency budget crosscut that displays Federal spending for FY 1993 through 1998 on ecosystem restoration and other purposes in the Bay-Delta region, separately showing funding provided previously or requested under both pre-existing authorities and new authorities granted by this title.
Bill· HRH.R. 4235 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1996
Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1996 - Amends the Fair Housing Act with respect to discriminatory housing practices to: (1) limit civil litigation to intending tenants; (2) require the practice to be intentionally discriminatory; (3) exempt from liability publishers (such as newspapers) that reasonably rely on presented advertising material; and (4) award litigation costs to prevailing parties.
Bill· SS. 2111 (104th)open
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Amendments to the Navajo-Hopi Land Settlement Act of 1974 Title II: Personnel of the Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation Title III: Transfer of Functions and Savings Provisions Navajo-Hopi Land Settlement Act Amendments of 1996 - Title I: Amendments to the Navajo-Hopi Land Settlement Act of 1974 - Amends the Navajo-Hopi Land Settlement Act of 1974 to repeal provisions concerning: (1) the appointment of a mediator and negotiating teams; (2) the implementation and adjudication of agreements; and (3) applications for life estate leases. Terminates the authority of the Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation Commissioner to select lands on September 30, 2000. Authorizes the Commissioner to grant homesite leases on acquired land to extended family members of a Navajo who is certified as eligible to receive benefits in order to facilitate relocation, except the Commissioner may not expend appropriated funds available to provide housing to those extended family members. Terminates the Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation on September 30, 2001. Establishes, on October 1, 2001, an Office of Relocation in the Department of the Interior to carry out the functions of the Office of Navajo and Hopi Relocation. Prohibits payment for benefits to be made to a head of household if that head has not been certified as eligible to receive those payments as of September 30, 2001. Sets forth requirements for the holding of benefits in trust for an eligible head of household who: (1) does not reside on lands partitioned to that householder's tribe; and (2) has not received a replacement home. Requires the Secretary of the Interior, upon the request of the head of such a household, to provide payments for a replacement home. Requires the Secretary, upon the death of the head of such a household if such head did not make a request, to distribute funds to the remaining heirs at such time as such heirs attain the age of 18. Directs the Commissioner not later than 180 days after enactment, to notify each eligible head of household who has not entered into a lease with the Hopi Tribe to reside on lands partitioned to the Hopi Tribe. Directs the Commissioner, upon the expiration of certain notice periods, to forward to the Secretary and the U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona a list containing the name and address of each eligible head of household who: (1) continues to reside on lands that have not been partitioned to that eligible head of household's tribe; and (2) has not entered into a lease to reside on those lands. Allows, before July 1, 1999, the Commissioner to begin construction of replacement homes on lands acquired not later than 90 days after receiving notice from the Secretary or the U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona of the imminent removal of a relocatee from the lands partitioned to the Hopi Tribe. Establishes an expedited hearing procedure that shall apply to an appeal of the denial of eligibility for benefits. Permits an individual to appeal a denial of eligibility under the Act to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Authorizes appropriations for relocations for FY 1998 through 2002. Repeals discretionary funding for the expedition of the relocation efforts of the Commission. Sets forth compliance requirements for construction activity undertaken pursuant to provisions of the Act. Title II: Personnel of the Office of Navajo and Hopi Relocation - Amends Federal law to exempt from reduction-in-force provisions employees of the Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation. (Sec. 202) Directs the Commissioner of the Office of Navajo and Hopi Relocation to establish a program to offer separation pay to certain employees of the Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation in the same manner as the Secretary of Defense offers separation pay to certain defense agency employees. (Sec. 203) Sets forth provisions which: (1) entitle certain retiring employees of the Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation to annuities; and (2) provide for the computation of such annuities. Title III: Transfer of Functions and Savings Provisions - Transfers to the Department of the Interior all functions that the Office of Navajo and Hopi Relocation exercised relating to Office functions that have not been fully discharged under the Navajo-Hopi Land Settlement Act of 1974.
Bill· SJRESS.J.Res. 63 (104th)open
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Omnibus Appropriations Title I (sic): Department of Justice Title II: Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Title III: The Judiciary Title IV: Department of State and Related Agencies Title V: Related Agencies Title VI: General Provisions Title VII: Rescissions Title VIII: Fiscal Year 1996 Supplementals and Rescissions Title I (sic): Department of the Interior Title II: Related Agencies Title III: General Provisions Title IV: Emergency Appropriations Title I (sic): Department of Labor Title II: Department of Health and Human Services Title III: Department of Education Title IV: Related Agencies Title V: General Provisions Title VI: Commission on Retirement Income Policy Title I (sic): Department of the Treasury Title II: Postal Service Title III: Executive Office of the President and Funds Appropriated to the President Title IV: Independent Agencies Title V: General Provisions (This Act) Title VI: General Provisions (Departments, Agencies, and Corporations) Title I (sic): Additional Investment Funds for the Thrift Savings Plan Title II: Thrift Savings Accounts Liquidity Title VII (sic): Counter-Terrorism and Drug Law Enforcement Title II (sic): Oregon Resource Conservation Act of 1996 Title I (sic): Opal Creek Wilderness and Scenic Recreation Area Title II: Upper Klamath Basin Title III: Deschutes Basin Title IV: Mount Hood Corridor Title V: Coquille Tribal Forest Title VI: Bull Run Watershed Protection Title VII: Oregon Islands Wilderness, Additions Title VIII: Umpqua River Land Exchange Study Title III (sic): Local Empowerment and Flexibility Pilot Act of 1996 Title I (sic): Streamlining the Home Mortgage Lending Process Title II: Streamlining Government Regulation Subtitle A: Eliminating Unnecessary Regulatory Requirements and Procedures Subtitle B: Eliminating Unnecessary Regulatory Burdens Subtitle C: Regulatory Micromanagement Title III: Regulatory Impact on Cost of Credit and Credit Availability Title IV: Consumer Credit Subtitle A: Credit Reporting Reform Subtitle B: Credit Repair Organizations Title V: Asset Conservation, Lender Liability, and Deposit Insurance Protection Title VI: Miscellaneous Title VII: Deposit Insurance Funds Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act, 1997 - Division 1 - Title I: Omnibus Appropriations - Makes FY 1997 appropriations in amounts necessary for programs, projects or activities provided for in the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997, as if it had been enacted into law as the regular appropriations Act. Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 - Title I (sic): Department of Justice - Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 1997 - Makes FY 1997 appropriations to the Department of Justice. Sets forth requirements and limitations relating to use of such funds. (Sec. 103) Prohibits the use of funds to pay for an abortion, except where the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term, or in the case of rape. (Sec. 104) Prohibits the use of funds to require any person to perform, or facilitate the performance of, any abortion. (Sec. 109) Amends the Federal judicial code to revise: (1) quarterly bankruptcy fees; and (2) the formulae for the deposit of portions of such fees in the United States Trustee System Fund. (Sec. 110) Amends specified Federal law to establish in the Treasury the Department of Justice Telecommunications Carrier Compliance Fund, which shall be available to the Attorney General to make specified payments to telecommunications carriers, equipment manufacturers, and providers of telecommunications support services. (Sec. 111) Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Drug Enforcement Administration, together with other appropriate Federal agencies, should take necessary action to end the illegal importation into the United States of Rohypnol (flunitrazepam), a drug frequently distributed with the intent to facilitate sexual assault and rape. (Sec. 112) Amends the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 to authorize use of specified funds to make supplemental grants to U.S. Attorneys Offices to provide assistance to victims of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, to facilitate their observation or participation at related trial proceedings, and to pay other related expenses. (Sec. 113) Amends the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 with respect to the Secretary of the Treasury's mandated study of taggants marking, rendering inert, and licensing of explosive materials. Repeals: (1) the exclusion of black or smokeless powder from such study; and (2) the requirement for congressional review of such study and congressional hearings on the Secretary's recommendations. Shortens, from 270 to 90 days, the period before proposed regulations for the addition of tracer elements to explosive materials become effective (unless modified or disapproved by an Act of Congress). (Sec. 114) Revises standards for Federal criminal law enforcement applications to judges for multipoint wiretaps and procedures for interception of wire, oral, or electronic communications. Authorizes approval of such wiretaps where there is an adequate showing of intent to thwart interception or actions and conduct that would have that effect. (Sec. 115) Amends Federal criminal law to authorize interceptions of communications in cases of certain terrorism related offenses. Title II: Department of Commerce and Related Agencies - Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 - Makes FY 1997 appropriations to the Department of Commerce and related agencies, including the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the International Trade Commission. Sets forth requirements and limitations relating to use of such funds. Rescinds specified amounts of unobligated balances for: (1) construction of research facilities of the National Institute of Standards and Technology; and (2) operations, research, and facilities of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). (Sec. 206) Provides for transfer of appropriations to successor organizations in the event the Department of Commerce is dismantled or reorganized. (Sec. 208) Prohibits the use of any funds appropriated under this or any other Act henceforth to develop new fishery management plans, amendments, or regulations which create new individual fishing quota, individual transferable quota, or new individual transferable effort allocation programs, or to implement any such plans, amendments, or regulations approved by a Regional Fishery Management Council or the Secretary of Commerce after January 4, 1995, until offsetting fees to pay for administrative costs are expressly authorized under the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Makes such restriction inapplicable to the North Pacific halibut and sablefish, South Atlantic wreckfish, or the Mid-Atlantic surfclam and ocean (including mahogany) quahog individual quota programs. (Sec. 210) Establishes the Bureau of the Census Working Capital Fund to cover costs of maintenance and operation of services and projects that the Director of the Census Bureau determines may be performed more advantageously when centralized. Title III: The Judiciary - Judiciary Appropriations Act, 1997 - Appropriates FY 1997 funds for activities of the Judiciary, including: (1) the Supreme Court; (2) the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; (3) the U.S. Court of International Trade; (4) Courts of Appeals, district courts, and other judicial services; (5) the Administrative Office of the United States Courts; (6) the Federal Judicial Center; (7) Judicial Retirement Funds; and (8) the U.S. Sentencing Commission. Sets forth requirements and limitations relating to use of such funds. (Sec. 305) Extends the Judiciary Automation Fund and related authorities through FY 1998. (Sec. 306) Prohibits the use of funds available to the Judiciary for certain costs related to the appointment of Special Masters before April 26, 1996. (Sec. 307) Establishes a Commission on Structural Alternatives for the Federal Courts of Appeals, which shall report its recommendations to the President and the Congress. Authorizes appropriations. Title IV: Department of State and Related Agencies - Department of State and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 - Appropriates FY 1997 funds for the Department of State and related agencies, programs, and trust funds (including the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and the U.S. Information Agency). Sets forth requirements and limitations relating to use of such funds. Provides specified funds for: (1) broadcasting to Cuba; (2) the Center for Cultural and Technical Interchange Between East and West, in Hawaii; and (3) the North-South Center, in Florida. Title V: Related Agencies - Appropriates FY 1997 funds for: (1) the Maritime Administration of the Department of Transportation; (2) the Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad; (3) the Commission on Civil Rights; (4) the Commission on Immigration Reform; (5) the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe; (6) the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; (7) the Federal Communications Commission; (8) the Federal Maritime Commission; (9) the Federal Trade Commission; (10) the Legal Services Corporation; (11) the Marine Mammal Commission; (12) National Bankruptcy Review Commission; (13) the Securities and Exchange Commission; (14) the Small Business Administration; (15) the Gambling Impact Study Commission; (16) the Japan-United States Friendship Commission; (17) the State Justice Institute; and (18) the Commission on the Advancement of Federal Law Enforcement. Continues certain requirements and restrictions with respect to use of funds by the Legal Services Corporation. Title VI: General Provisions - Sets forth limitations and prohibitions on the use of funds appropriated by this Act. (Sec. 606) Prohibits the use of funds for the construction, repair, overhaul, conversion, or modernization of vessels for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in shipyards located outside of the United States. (Sec. 607) Expresses the sense of the Congress that equipment and products purchased under this Act should be American-made. Declares ineligible to receive any Federal contract or subcontract made with funds under this Act any person finally determined by a court or Federal agency to have intentionally affixed a false "Made in America" label to any product sold in or shipped to the United States that is not made in the United States. (Sec. 608) Prohibits the use of funds to implement, administer, or enforce any guidelines of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission covering harassment based on religion, when it is made known that such guidelines do not differ from certain proposed guidelines. (Sec. 609) Prohibits the use of funds from this Act, unless certain conditions are met, to pay for costs incurred for: (1) opening or operating any U.S. diplomatic or consular post in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam that was not operating on July 11, 1995; (2) expanding any such post that was in operation on such date; or (3) increasing the number of personnel assigned to such posts above the level existing on such date. Allows the use of such funds for such purposes only if the President certifies that the Vietnamese Government is fully cooperating with the United States in specified activities relating to the investigation and recovery of missing U.S. military personnel, including: (1) resolution of discrepancy cases, live-sightings, and field activities; (2) recovery and repatriation of American remains; (3) provision of documents on POW-MIAs; and (4) implementation of trilateral investigations with Laos. (Sec. 610) Prohibits the use of funds in this Act for any United Nations peacekeeping mission involving U.S. forces under the command or control of a foreign national, if the President's military advisors have not recommended that such involvement is in the U.S. national security interest, and the President has not submitted such a recommendation to the Congress. (Sec. 611) Prohibits the use of funds in this Act to provide specified amenities or personal comforts in the Federal prison system. (Sec. 614) Prohibits funds in this Act for the Federal Bureau of Prisons from being used to distribute or make available to a prisoner any commercially published information or material that is sexually explicit or features nudity. (Sec. 615) Limits the amount of State and local law enforcement assistance funds which may be provided to any entity under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 if that entity does not provide a certain level of health insurance benefits to its employed public safety officers who retire or are separated from service due to injury suffered in the line of duty while responding to an emergency situation or a hot pursuit. (Sec. 616) Amends Federal patent law to shield a medical practitioner or related health care entity from liability for patent infringement even though such practitioner's performance of a medical activity constitutes a patent infringement. Denies this exemption from liability to the activities of any person (or employee or agent), regardless of tax-exempt status, who is engaged in the commercial development, manufacture, sale, importation, or distribution of a machine, manufacture, or composition of matter or the provision of pharmacy or clinical laboratory services (other than those provided in a physician's office), if such activities: (1) are directly related to such commercial development, and so forth; and (2) are regulated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the Public Health Service Act, or the Clinical Laboratories Improvement Act. (Sec. 617) Amends the Department of Justice Appropriation Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 1980 to repeal the mandate that Department of Justice organizations notify congressional committees before reprogramming funds or taking certain other administrative actions. (Sec. 618) Prohibits any Federal agency from using funds to pay administrative expenses or compensation of any Federal officer or employee to deny certain qualified applications for permits to import U.S. origin "curios or relics" firearms, parts, or ammunition. (Sec. 619) Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to provide a guarantee or commitment to guarantee, under the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, for shipyard infrastructure development and modernization and for vessels integral to the reactivation and modernization of an eligible shipyard that receives such a guarantee. Title VII: Rescissions - Rescinds specified amounts from unobligated balances under the following headings for the Department of Justice: (1) general administration, working capital fund; and (2) Immigration and Naturalization Service, Immigration Emergency Fund. Title VIII: Fiscal Year 1996 Supplementals and Rescissions - Provides for specified additional funds for FY 1997, and rescissions of similar unobligated amounts for FY 1996, for the Department of Justice's Federal Prison System salaries and expenses. Makes appropriations for programs, projects, or activities provided for in the following bills, as if they had been enacted into law: (1) the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 1997 (H.R. 3610), as passed by the Senate on July 18, 1996; (2) the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1997 (H.R. 3540), as passed by the Senate on July 26, 1996; and (3) the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997, as provided in the Act that follows. Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 - Title I (sic): Department of the Interior - Makes appropriations for the FY 1997 operation of the Department of the Interior, setting forth uses and prohibitions on the use of funds under this title. Names the Bureau of Land Management's Visitor Center in Rand, Oregon, the William B. Smullin Visitor Center. Prohibits the National Park Service from spending any funds under this Act for activities in direct response to the United Nations Biodiversity Initiative in the United States. Authorizes the National Park Service (NPS) to transfer NPS funds to State, local, and tribal governments, other public entities, educational institutions, and private nonprofit organizations to carry out NPS programs. Provides certain funds for closure of the U.S. Bureau of Mines, including payments for workers compensation and unemployment compensation for former Bureau employees. (Sec. 114) Establishes in the Treasury a franchise fund pilot for capitalizing and operating central administrative services. (Sec. 115) Amends the Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act (Public Law 102-495) to allow the State of Washington, upon appropriation of a specified amount for the Federal Government to acquire the Elwha and Glines dams, and upon submission to Congress by the State of a binding agreement to remove them within a reasonable period of time, to purchase such dams from the Federal Government for $2. Repeals such Act upon purchase of the dams by the State. (Sec. 116) Extends, for one year, the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission (Massachusetts and Rhode Island). (Sec. 117) Designates and ratifies assignment to the University of Utah as successor to, and beneficiary of, all the existing assets, revenues, funds and rights granted to the State of Utah under the Miners Hospital Grant and the School of Mines Grant. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to accept relinquishment of all remaining and unconveyed entitlement for quantity grants owed the State of Utah for the Miners Hospital Grant and any unconveyed entitlement that may remain for the University of Utah School of Mines Grant. (Sec. 118) Amends the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act to increase from 20 to 50 the number of new tribes per year which the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the Office of Self-Governance, may select from an applicant pool to participate in self-governance. (Sec. 119) Allows the Indian Arts and Crafts Board to carry out specified revenue-generating activities, including charging museum admission fees, if such revenue is covered into a designated special fund. (Sec. 120) Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), to transfer: (1) to Lander County, Nevada, title to the former BLM administrative site and associated buildings in Battle Mountain, Nevada; and (2) to the State of Nevada, title to the surplus BLM District Office building in Winnemucca, Nevada. (Sec. 121) Directs the Secretary of the Interior to transfer a certain Grumman Goose aircraft to the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum in Anchorage, Alaska. (Sec. 122) Amends the Mesquite Lands Act of 1988 to require the City of Mesquite, Nevada, to notify the Secretary of the Interior, within a specified period, as to which of specified public lands it wishes to purchase. Father Aull Site Transfer Act of 1996 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey without consideration certain land near Silver City, New Mexico, to Saint Vincent DePaul Parish. (Sec. 125) Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to use BLM appropriations to enter into cooperative agreements, directly or indirectly through State, local, or tribal governments, with willing private landowners for restoration and enhancement of fish, wildlife, and other biotic resources on public or private land or both that benefit these resources on public lands within the watershed. (Sec. 126) Designates the visitor center at Channel Islands National Park, California, the Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center. Title II: Related Agencies - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 to the Department of Agriculture for the Forest Service, including additional amounts for emergency rehabilitation, forest fire presuppression due to emergencies, and wildfire suppression activities. Prohibits the use of funds to implement any reorganization or "reinvention" of the Forest Service, without the consent of the congressional appropriations committees, other than the relocation of a specified regional office from San Francisco to excess military property at Mare Island, Vallejo, California. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to report to the congressional appropriations committees on the status and disposition of all salvage timber sales started under the emergency salvage timber sale program mandated by the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Additional Disaster Assistance, for Anti-terrorism Initiatives, for Assistance in the Recovery from the Tragedy that Occurred at Oklahoma City, and Rescissions Act, 1995 and subsequently withdrawn or delayed and completed under different authorities as a consequence of the Secretary's July 2, 1996 directive on the implementation of the mandate. Names the Pacific Northwest Research Station Silviculture Laboratory in Bend, Oregon, the Robert W. Chandler Building. Makes appropriations for FY 1997 to the Department of Energy (DOE) for fossil energy research and development, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), the SPR Petroleum Account, and other activities. Rescinds a specified amount of funds for clean coal technology, making them available for any ongoing DOE project. Directs the Secretary of Energy to sell a specified dollar amount of oil in FY 1997 from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) and deposit the proceeds in an SPR Operating Fund. Makes appropriations for FY 1997 to the Department of Health and Human Services for the Indian Health Service for services and facilities. Appropriates funds for FY 1997 to: (1) the Department of Education for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education for Indian Education; (2) the Office of Navajo and Hopi Relocation; (3) the Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development; (4) the Smithsonian Institution; (5) the National Gallery of Art; (6) the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; and (7) the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Makes FY 1997 appropriations for: (1) the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities; (2) the Institute of Museum Services; (3) the Commission of Fine Arts; (4) the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; (5) the National Capital Planning Commission; (6) the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Commission; and (7) the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council. Sets forth uses and prohibitions on funds under this title. Title III: General Provisions - Sets forth uses and limitations of funds appropriated by this Act. (Sec. 307) Requires expenditures under this Act to comply with the Buy American Act. Expresses the sense of the Congress that entities receiving Federal assistance should purchase only American-made equipment and products. Prohibits Federal contracts with persons found to have falsely labeled a product with a "Made in America" inscription. (Sec. 312) Permits the use of funds from this Act for the AmeriCorps program, subject to availability of funds under the VA-HUD and Independent Agencies FY 1997 appropriations bill, and only if the relevant agencies follow appropriate reprogramming guidelines. (Sec. 316) Places limitations on the type of grant awards that can be made by the National Endowment for the Arts. (Sec. 317) Prohibits the use of funds for any rules or regulations under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act to assert jurisdiction, management, or control over any waters (other than non-navigable waters on Federal lands), non-Federal lands, or lands selected by, but not conveyed to, Alaska under the Submerged Lands Act of 1953 or the Alaska Statehood Act of 1959, or an Alaska Native Corporation under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. (Sec. 318) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act to review or modify sourcing areas previously approved under specified provisions of the Forest Resources Conservation and Shortage Relief Act of 1990 or to enforce or implement specified Federal regulations. Prohibits adoption of policies that would restrain domestic transportation or processing of timber from private lands or impose additional accountability requirements on any timber. (Sec. 319) Extends through FY 1999 the authority to collect recreation fees under the Recreation Fee Demonstration Program, and through FY 2002 the availability in accounts of the fees collected. (Sec. 320) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act for any activity in connection with a scenic shoreline drive in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan. (Sec. 321) Prohibits the Bureau of Indian Affairs from using funds under this Act to transfer any land into trust under the Indian Reorganization Act or any other Federal statute that does not explicitly denominate and identify a specific tribe or specific property, except where there is a binding agreement, between the tribe that will have jurisdiction over such land and the appropriate State and local officials, for the collection and payment of: (1) State and local sales and excise taxes, including any special tax on motor fuel, tobacco, or alcohol, on retail items sold to a non-member of the tribe by any retail establishment on such land; or (2) an agreed upon payment in lieu of such taxes. (Sec. 322) Transfers specified land, including the Bend Silviculture Lab, to the Central Oregon Community College, Bend, Oregon. (Sec. 323) Prohibits the use of any funds for activities of the Office of Forestry and Economic Assistance, or any successor office. (Sec. 324) Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) accept title to specified land in Prince Georges County, Maryland, adjacent to Oxon Cove Park, on condition that it has not become contaminated with hazardous substances; and (2) in exchange, convey to the Corrections Corporation of America specified land located in Oxon Cove Park in the District of Columbia. (Sec. 325) Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to exchange certain National Forest lands (including a wastewater treatment facility) in Chelan County, Washington, for certain lands owned by Public Utility District Number 1 of Chelan County, Washington. Snoqualmie National Forest Boundary Adjustment Act of 1996 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to modify the boundary of the Snoqualmie National Forest to include specified adjacent lands in Washington State. Sugarbush Land Exchange Act of 1996 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to provide for conveyance to Sugarbush Resort Holdings, Inc., of certain land in the Green Mountain National Forest, in exchange for cash or other land, proceeds from the sale of which shall become part of such National Forest. (Sec. 328) Amends the North Carolina Wilderness Act of 1984 to remove 100 acres from the Snowbird Wilderness Study Area. (Sec. 329) Renames the Columbia Wilderness the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness. (Sec. 330) Authorizes the Secretaries of Agriculture and of the Interior for FY 1997 to limit competition for watershed restoration project contracts as part of the "Jobs in the Woods" component of the President's Forest Plan for the Pacific Northwest to individuals and entities in historically timber-dependent areas of Washington, Oregon, and northern California that have been affected by reduced timber harvesting on Federal lands. (Sec. 331) Amends the Rhode Island Indian Claims Settlement Act to declare that, for purposes of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, settlement lands shall not be treated as Indian lands. (Sec. 332) Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior during FY 1997 from expending any funds to develop, promulgate, implement, or enforce any regulation or procedure providing for the establishment of class III gaming (as defined under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act) in the absence of a tribal-State compact. Title IV: Emergency Appropriations - Makes additional appropriations for specified functions and activities of the Department of Agriculture and of the Department of the Interior. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 - Title I (sic): Department of Labor - Department of Labor Appropriations Act, 1997 - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 (including certain transfers of funds) for agencies, programs, and various trust funds, within the Department of Labor. Prescribes uses and limitations on the use of funds under this title. (Sec. 105) Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to exempt inmates from minimum wage and overtime requirements. Title II: Department of Health and Human Services - Department of Health and Human Services Appropriations Act, 1997 - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 (including certain transfers of funds) for agencies and programs within the Department of Health and Human Services. Prescribes limitations on the use of appropriated funds under this title. (Sec. 213) Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide for the relocation of the Gillis W. Long Hansen's Disease Center (located in Louisiana) and its patients, in accordance with specified requirements. Amends the Public Health Service Act with respect to such Center. (Sec. 216) Directs the Administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration, with the assistance of the Agency for Health Care Policy Research, to report to the appropriate congressional committees a review of research on treatment of end-stage emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by specified surgical procedures, and recommend as to the appropriateness of Medicare coverage of such conditions and procedures. (Sec. 217) Amends the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act to increase the maximum allowable State grant allotment. (Sec. 218) Names the new clinical research center at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as the Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research and Patient Care Center. Title III: Department of Education - Department of Education Appropriations Act, 1997 - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 (including certain transfers of funds) for agencies and programs within the Department of Education, subject to certain requirements for and limitations of their use. (Sec. 301) Prohibits the use of appropriated funds to transport teachers or students in order to: (1) overcome racial imbalance in any school or school system; or (2) carry out a racial desegregation plan. (Sec. 303) Prohibits the use of funds to prevent the implementation of programs of voluntary prayer and meditation in the public schools. (Sec. 304) Limits the amount of funds which may be used for specified student aid programs under the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA). Prohibits the Secretary of Education from using HEA funds for subsequent fiscal years for administrative expenses of the William D. Ford Direct Loan Program. (Sec. 307) Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 with respect to additional assistance for heavily impacted local educational agencies (LEAs) to allow LEAs to participate in the determination of maximum impact aid payments. (Sec. 308) Amends HEA with respect to the Quality Assurance Program to require experimental sites authorized by the Secretary of Education to test alternative data verification. (Sec. 309) Amends the Goals 2000: Educate America Act to provide for use of State allotments to award subgrants to LEAs to support the use of computers and computer-related technology, the use of technology-enhanced curricula and instruction, the purchase of computers, or computer-related technology. Title IV: Related Agencies - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 for the following agencies or programs: (1) Armed Forces Retirement Home; (2) Corporation for National and Community Service (for domestic volunteer service programs); (3) Corporation for Public Broadcasting; (4) Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service; (5) Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission; (6) National Commission on Libraries and Information Science; (7) National Council on Disability; (8) National Education Goals Panel; (9) National Labor Relations Board; (10) National Mediation Board; (11) Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission; (12) Physician Payment Review Commission; (13) Prospective Payment Assessment Commission; (14) Social Security Administration, for various trust funds and programs; (15) Railroad Retirement Board; and (16) United States Institute of Peace. Title V: General Provisions - Sets forth requirements and limitations on the use of appropriated funds under this Act. (Sec. 505) Prohibits the use of funds to carry out any program of distributing sterile needles for the hypodermic injection of any illegal drug unless the Surgeon General Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) determines that such programs are effective in preventing the spread of HIV and do not encourage the use of illegal drugs. (Sec. 506) Expresses the sense of the Congress that, to the greatest extent practicable, all equipment and products purchased under this Act should be American-made. (Sec. 508) Prohibits the use of funds to perform abortions except to save the life of the mother or where the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. (Sec. 510) Prohibits use of funds in this Act for the expenses of an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) task force. (Sec. 511) Prohibits use of funds in this Act to enforce specified requirements under HEA with respect to any lender that has a guaranteed student loan portfolio less than $5 million. (Sec. 512) Prohibits use of funds in this Act for: (1) the creation of a human embryo or embryos for research purposes; or (2) research in which a human embryo or embryos are destroyed, discarded, or knowingly subjected to risk of injury or death greater than that allowed for research on fetuses in utero under certain Federal regulations and the Public Health Service Act. (Sec. 513) Prohibits the National Labor Relations Board from using funds in this Act to assert jurisdiction over any labor dispute which does not involve any class or category of employer over which the Board would assert jurisdiction under the standards prevailing on August 1, 1959, with each financial threshold amount adjusted for inflation in a specified manner. (Sec. 524) Permanently cancels a specified amount of the budgetary resources available to agencies (except the Food and Drug Administration and the Indian Health Service) in this Act for salaries and expenses, such cancelled amount to be allocated by the Office of Management and Budget. (Sec. 525) Provides for voluntary separation incentives for employees of the Railroad Retirement Board and its Office of Inspector General. Title VI: Commission on Retirement Income Policy - Commission on Retirement Income Policy Act of 1996 - Establishes the Commission on Retirement Income Policy to study and report to the President and Congress on: (1) trends in retirement savings in the United States; (2) existing Federal incentives and programs to encourage and protect such savings; and (3) new Federal incentives and programs needed for such purpose. Authorizes appropriations. Treasury, Postal Service and General Government Appropriations Act, 1997 - Title I (sic): Department of the Treasury - Treasury Department Appropriations Act, 1997 - Makes appropriations to the Department of the Treasury and its related agencies for FY 1997. (Sec. 118) Amends the Federal criminal code, with respect to licensing and related gun show sales requirements for firearms importers, manufacturers, and dealers, to declare that nothing in such requirements shall be construed to diminish the right of a licensee to conduct "curios or relics" firearms transfers and business away from its business premises with another licensee without regard to whether the place where the business is conducted is located in the State specified on the license of either licensee. Title II: Postal Service - Makes appropriations to the Postal Service Fund for FY 1997. Title III: Executive Office of the President and Funds Appropriated to the President - Executive Office Appropriations Act, 1997 - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 for the Executive Office of the President and related offices and programs. Title IV: Independent Agencies - Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 for: (1) the Committee for Purchase from People who are Blind or Severely Disabled; (2) the Federal Election Commission; (3) the Federal Labor Relations Authority; (4) the General Services Administration; (5) the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Review Board; (6) the Merit Systems Protection Board; (7) the National Archives and Records Administration; (8) the National Historical Publications and Records Commission; (9) the Office of Government Ethics; (10) the Office of Personnel Management (OPM); (11) the Office of Inspector General; (12) the Office of Special Counsel; and (13) the United States Tax Court. Specifies uses of funds provided to the General Services Administration. (Sec. 407) Amends the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to authorize the Administrator of the General Services Administration to establish, acquire space for, and equip flexiplace work telecommuting centers, and charge fees, for use by employees of Federal agencies, State and local governments, and the private sector. (Sec. 408) Directs the Administrator of General Services to acquire certain land in Portland, Oregon, for construction of a proposed Law Enforcement Center on the site. (Sec. 409) Amends specified Federal law to mandate conveyance of certain real property at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant to the City of Middleton, Iowa. Repeals the requirement that the City pay fair market value for such property. Requires the Secretary of the Army to permit the City to use existing water and sewer lines and sewage system at the Plant for a three-year period after conveyance. (Sec. 410) Directs the Administrator of General Services to convey, without compensation, to the Beaver County Corporation for Economic Development certain real property in Hopewell Township, Pennsylvania. (Sec. 411) Declares that certain land in Denver, Colorado, shall not be subject to condemnation by any Federal agency or instrumentality without the owner's consent. Makes appropriations for FY 1997, also, for: (1) specified Government contributions, with respect to retired Federal employees, as payments for annuitants, employee health benefits and life insurance; and (2) the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund. Title V: General Provisions (This Act) - Sets forth certain prohibitions and limitations on the use of appropriations made under this Act. (Sec. 503) Amends Federal law to repeal the requirement that each mint have a superintendent and an assayer, and the Philadelphia mint have an engraver, appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. (Sec. 512) Requires entities appropriated funds under this Act to comply with the Buy American Act. Expresses the sense of the Congress to such effect. (Sec. 518) Prohibits the availability of funds under this Act to pay for an abortion or expenses in connection with any health plan under the Federal employees health benefit program which provides any benefits or coverage for abortions, except where the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term, or the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. (Sec. 521) Considers Personal Service Contractors (PSC) employed by the Department of the Treasury outside the United States to be Federal employees for purposes of Federal employee health and life insurance. (Sec. 523) Amends Federal law to allow for the minting of 24 karat gold coins and of platinum coins. (Sec. 525) Directs the heads of the Internal Revenue Service, of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and of the U.S. Customs Service to submit to specified congressional committees their respective strategic plans for making voluntary separation incentive ("buyout") payments, meeting specified requirements, to eligible employees. Requires reduction of an agency's total number of funded employee positions by the number of employees separating and receiving such payments. (Sec. 526) Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to pay up to $500,000 to reimburse former employees of the White House Travel Office, terminated on May 19, 1993, for attorney fees and related costs (except those incurred with respect to any Congressional hearing or investigation). (Sec. 527) Prohibits use of funds in this Act by the Executive Office of the President to request from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) any official background investigation report on any individual without the individual's express written consent. (Sec. 528) Closes to the public a specified alley in Washington, D.C., on which the Federal Government is constructing a facility. Grants the Administrator of General Services administrative jurisdiction over, and title on behalf of the United States to, the alley, facility, and related property. (Sec. 529) Amends Federal law to authorize the Secretary, beginning January 1, 1999, to mint and issue commemorative coins in no more than two commemorative coin programs per calendar year. Specifies mintage levels and conditions on payment of surcharges to recipient organizations. Requires quarterly financial reports to the Congress on commemorative coin programs. Sets a fixed four-year term for members of the Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory Committee, and provides for election of a Chairperson. Title VI: General Provisions (Departments, Agencies, and Corporations) - Sets forth certain requirements for and prohibitions and limitations on the use of appropriations by all Federal departments, agencies, and corporations. (Sec. 624) Prohibits use of funds in this Act for certain types of employee training, including those containing elements: (1) inducing high emotional or psychological stress; (2) associated with religious, quasi-religious, or "new age" belief systems; (3) offensive to, or designed to change, participants' personal values or lifestyle; or (4) related to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) other than that necessary for specified purposes. (Sec. 627) Amends the Federal Financial Management Act of 1994 (title IV of the Government Management Reform Act of 1994, Public Law 103-356) to extend through FY 2001 the franchise fund pilot program. (Sec. 632) Designates a specified U.S. Courthouse under construction in Portland, Oregon, as the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse. (Sec. 633) Amends Federal civil service law for the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) to mandate survivor annuity resumption, as well as resumption of Federal employees health benefits, upon divorce for a disabled child whose annuity and Federal health benefits had terminated because of marriage. (Sec. 634) Amends Federal civil service law for CSRS and FERS to allow a Federal employee involuntarily terminated due to a reduction in force or transfer of function to apply unused annual leave to remain on the agency's rolls after the would-be separation date if, and only to the extent that, such additional time in pay status will enable the employee to meet minimum age and service requirements for title to an immediate annuity, or to qualify to carry health benefits coverage into retirement. (Sec. 635) Amends the Federal criminal code to specify that certain post-employment restrictions for senior officials do not apply to Federal officers and employees whose basic rate of compensation is below level 5 of the Senior Executive Service. (Sec. 636) Provides for Federal agency reimbursement to Federal law enforcement officers and Federal supervisors or management officials for up to half the costs they incur for professional liability insurance. Applies such reimbursement authority to the Legislative Branch, including any office or committee of the Senate or the House of Representatives, as well as to the Executive Branch. (Sec. 639) Amends the Treasury, Postal Service and General Government Appropriations Act, 1996 to authorize all Federal agencies to receive and use funds resulting from the sale of Federal records disposed of pursuant to a record schedule (the Federal Register) which are subsequently recovered through recycling or waste prevention programs. (Sec. 640) Authorizes Federal agency heads to use private sector to review and analyze the contracting out, outsourcing or privatization of business and administrative functions and related issues subject to the Information Technology Management Act (title LI of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 1996). (Sec. 641) Amends the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 to authorize appropriations for their FY 1998 through 2002 activities under such Act to the Merit Systems Protection Board and the Office of Special Counsel. (Sec. 643) Amends the Treasury, Postal Service and General Government Appropriations Act, 1996 with respect to co-chairs, the meeting quorum, donations to, and travel allowances of the National Commission on Restructuring the Internal Revenue Service. (Sec. 644) Amends Federal law to increase from $10,000 to $30,000 the annual salary of each Governor on the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors. (Sec. 645) Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to report to the Congress estimates of the total annual costs and benefits of Federal regulatory programs, together with: (1) an analysis of the impact of Federal rules on the private sector as well as on Federal, State, and local governments; (2) cost-benefit estimates for each rule likely to have a gross annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more in increased costs; and (3) recommendations to reform or eliminate any Federal regulatory program or program element that is inefficient, ineffective, or not a sound use of national resources. (Sec. 646) Amends the Federal Financial Management Act of 1994 to extend the authority of the OMB Director with respect to simplification of the management reporting process. (Sec. 647) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to transfer to the University of Miami, without charge, title to the real property and improvements that constitute the Perrine Primate Center. (Sec. 648) Amends the Federal criminal code to upgrade counterfeiting offenses from a class C to a class B felony, thus increasing penalties. Prescribes criminal penalties for the production, sale, transportation, or possession of fictitious financial instruments (including fictitious obligations) purporting to be those of State or local governments or of private organizations. (Sec. 649) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act by a Federal agency to provide a Federal employee's home address to any labor organization without the employee's consent or a court order. (Sec. 650) Requires the Inspector General of each Federal agency to audit and report on the use of administratively uncontrollable overtime by employees. Directs the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to issue revised guidelines to limit or, in specified circumstances, prohibit the use of administratively uncontrollable overtime. (Sec. 651) Authorizes a Federal agency head to pay up to $10,000 in a death gratuity to the personal representative of a civilian employee whose death resulted from an injury sustained on the job on or after August 2, 1990. (Sec. 653) Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to : (1) establish scientific certification standards for explosives detection canines; (2) provide for certification of explosives detection canines employed by Federal agencies; and (3) establish a program for the training of canines for explosives detection at U.S. airports. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 654) Amends the Federal criminal code to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a national repository of information on incidents involving arson and the suspected criminal use of explosives. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 655) Amends Federal law to allow a Trustee of the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Foundation to serve past expiration of his or her term until a successor is chosen. (Sec. 656) Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, to transfer directly to Indian tribes in North and South Dakota portable housing units at the Grand Forks Air Force base in North Dakota which the Department of Defense has declared excess. (Sec. 657) Amends the Federal criminal code to limit to firearms that have moved in or otherwise affect interstate or foreign commerce the existing prohibition against the possession or discharge of firearms in a school zone. (Sec. 658) Amends the Federal criminal code to make it unlawful to sell firearms to anyone who has been convicted in any court of any crime involving domestic violence, if the individual has been represented by counsel or knowingly and intelligently waived the right to counsel. Makes it unlawful for such persons to engage in the trafficking of firearms. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe regulations providing for the effective receipt and secure storage of firearms relinquished by such persons. (Sec. 659) Title I (sic): Additional Investment Funds for the Thrift Saving Plan - Thrift Savings Investment Funds Act of 1996 - Amends Federal civil service law to add two new funds, the International Stock Index Investment Fund and the Small Capitalization Stock Index Fund, to the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) under the Federal Employees Retirement System. Title II: Thrift Savings Accounts Liquidity - Thrift Savings Plan Act of 1996 - Increases withdrawal options for TSP participants upon separation from employment. Eliminates the purpose requirements for taking a TSP loan. Requires an employee or member, before a loan is issued, to be given appropriate information in writing about the cost of the loan relative to other sources of financing, as well as the lifetime cost of the loan, including the difference in interest rates between the funds offered by the Thrift Savings Fund, and any other effect of such loan on the employee's or member's final account balance before a loan is issued. Permits a TSP participant, before separation, to make a one-time withdrawal from the account upon: (1) attaining age 59 and one-half; or (2) financial hardship. Revises provisions concerning notification of an employee's or Member's spouse upon making or changing a withdrawal election. Eliminates the definition of basic pay with respect to the TSP. (Sec. 660) Authorizes interagency financing to carry out the purposes of the National Bioethics Advisory Commission. (Sec. 661) Designates the U.S. courthouse to be constructed at a specified site in Omaha, Nebraska, the Roman L. Hruska United States Courthouse. Title VII (sic): Counter-terrorism and Drug Law Enforcement - Treasury, Postal Service and General Government Appropriations Act, 1997 (sic) - Makes additional FY 1997 appropriations to the Department of the Treasury and to the President for: (1) the Office of Foreign Assets Control; (2) the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; (3) the U.S. Customs Service; and (4) Federal drug control programs. Makes additional FY 1996 appropriations to the Department of Defense for programs, projects, and activities relating to force protection, anti-terrorism, and security enhancement activities. Makes additional FY 1996 appropriations for programs, projects, and activities relating to emergency supplemental costs arising from Hurricanes Fran and Hortense and other disasters to: (1) the Department of Agriculture; (2) the Department of Commerce; (3) the Small Business Administration; (4) the Department of Defense-Civil, Department of the Army; (5) the Department of Health and Human Services; (6) the Department of Transportation; and (7) the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Makes additional FY 1997 appropriations for specified programs, projects, and activities to: (1) the Department of Energy; (2) the Department of Transportation; (3) the National Transportation Safety Board; and (4) the District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Authority (for education facilities). Makes specified rescissions in the Department of Transportation. (Sec. 104) Authorizes the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to establish at individual airports consortia of government and aviation industry representatives (which, however, shall not be considered Federal advisory bodies) to provide advice on aviation safety and security. (Sec. 106) Specifies funds for direct loans to the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority to continue the Alameda Corridor Project. (Sec. 107) Makes additional funds available to the Secretary of Transportation for grants for Amtrak operating losses and related expenses and for the Northeast Corridor Improvement Program. (Sec. 108) Permits the use of FY 1996 and 1997 Federal Highway Administration Emergency Relief funds to halt erosion caused by an emergency ocean condition to a bank protecting a scenic highway or byway, and stabilize the bank, if such action is necessary to protect the highway from imminent failure and is less expensive than highway relocation. (Sec. 109) Establishes in the Treasury an account, "Support for International Sporting Competitions and other Special Activities, Defense,"" for logistical and security support for international sporting competitions and other special events of national and international significance. (Sec. 110) Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1997 to make effective as of the date of enactment of such Act the designation of the Chief of Naval Research at a minimum rank of rear admiral (upper half). Title II (sic): Oregon Resource Conservation Act of 1996 - Oregon Resource Conservation Act of 1996 - Title I (sic): Opal Creek Wilderness and Scenic Recreation Area - Opal Creek Wilderness and Opal Creek Scenic Recreation Area Act of 1996 - Provides that on the determination of the Secretary of Agriculture that certain parcels of land have been donated to the United States without encumbrances and that a binding agreement between the Secretary and owners of specified interests for the disposition of such interests to the Government has been executed: (1) certain land in the Willamette National Forest in Oregon shall be designated as the Opal Creek Wilderness (OCW); (2) the part of the Bull of the Woods Wilderness located within the Forest shall be incorporated into the OCW; and (3) the Secretary shall establish the Opal Creek Scenic Recreation Area within the Forest. Requires lands or interests conveyed to the United States to become part of the OCW or the Opal Creek Scenic Recreation Area, as appropriate. (Sec. 105) Requires, with respect to such Area, the Secretary to: (1) prepare a comprehensive Opal Creek Management Plan which shall become part of the land and resource management plan for the Forest; (2) permit recreation activities at no less than the levels in existence upon enactment of this Act; (3) prepare a transportation plan to maintain reasonable motorized and other access to recreation sites and facilities, including access by persons with disabilities (otherwise prohibits motorized vehicles in the Area); (4) permit hunting and fishing, with limitations; (5) prohibit the cutting or selling of trees, with specified exceptions; and (6) review and revise the inventory of cultural and historic resources on the public land in the Area. Withdraws Area lands from operations under the public land laws, mining laws, and mineral and geothermal leasing laws. Specifies exceptions applicable with respect to the Bornite Project. Places restrictions on new water impoundments in the Area. Directs the Secretary to establish an advisory council for the Area and to consult with the Council and seek the views of private groups, individuals, the public, other government agencies, and nonprofit organizations regarding the Area. (Sec. 107) Provides for the acquisition of lands within the Area. Authorizes the Secretary to conduct any necessary environmental response actions within the Area. (Sec. 108) Provides for an equal-value land exchange between the Rosboro Lumber Company and the Government. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 109) Amends the Wild and Scenic Recreation Rivers Act to designate Elkhorn Creek as a wild and scenic river. (Sec. 109) Requires the Secretary, upon completion of a management plan and receipt of an economic development projects plan developed by the State of Oregon, to provide $15 million to Oregon to make grants and loans for such projects that benefit the local communities in the vicinity of the Area. Requires the State to report annually on the use of such funds. Title II: Upper Klamath Basin - Directs the Upper Klamath Basin Working Group, through the Klamath Basin Ecosystem Restoration Office, to propose ecological restoration projects, economic development and stability projects, and projects designed to reduce the impacts of drought conditions to be undertaken in the Upper Klamath Basin in Oregon based on a consensus of the Working Group membership. Requires the Secretary to pay up to 50 percent of the cost of such projects during FY 1997 through 2001 (with a $1 million annual limit). Requires the Secretary to formulate a cooperative agreement among the Working Group, the Klamath River Basin Fisheries Task Force, the Trinity River Restoration Task Force, and the Klamath River Basin Compact Commission to ensure that projects proposed and funded through the Group are consistent with other basin-wide fish and wildlife restoration and conservation plans. Authorizes appropriations. Title III: Deschutes Basin - Directs the Deschutes River Basin Working Group to propose ecological restoration projects on Federal and non-Federal lands and waters to be undertaken in the Deschutes River Basin based on a consensus of the Working Group membership, provided that such projects, when involving Federal land or funds, shall be proposed to the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) in the Department of the Interior and other Federal agencies with affected land or funds. Requires BOR to pay up to 50 percent of the cost of such projects during FY 1997 through 2001 (with a $1 million annual limit). Authorizes appropriations. Title IV: Mount Hood Corridor - Provides for an equal-value land exchange between Longview Fibre Company and the Secretary of the Interior. Requires: (1) all lands managed by the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), in the Mount Hood Corridor which can be seen from U.S. Highway 26 to be managed primarily for the protection or enhancement of scenic qualities; and (2) management prescriptions for other resource values associated with these lands to be planned and conducted for purposes other than timber harvest, so as not to impair scenic qualities in the Corridor. Allows timber cutting in the Corridor after a resource-damaging catastrophic event only for specified management objectives. Requires Forest Service Road 2503 to remain closed, except for limited uses, to protect resources and to prevent illegal dumping and vandalism in the Corridor. Exempts this title from the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 for one year. Authorizes appropriations. Title V: Coquille Tribal Forest - Amends the Coquille Restoration Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior, two years after enactment of this title, to take approximately 5,400 acres in Coos County, Oregon, into trust for the Coquille Tribe. Designates such lands as the Coquille Forest. Provides for management of such lands by BLM in the interim two years. Directs: (1) the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs to initiate development of a forest management plan; and (2) Secretary toassist in the transition of forest management operations to the Assistant Secretary. Requires the Secretary to: (1) manage the Forest, acting through the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, under applicable State and Federal forestry and environmental protection laws, subject to critical habitat designations under the Endangered Species Act and to the standards and guidelines of Federal forest plans on adjacent or nearby Federal lands, and in accordance with laws pertaining to the management of Indian Trust lands; and (2) distribute revenues in accordance with existing Federal law. Subjects unprocessed logs harvested from the Forest to the same Federal statutory restrictions on export to foreign nations that apply to unprocessed logs harvested from Federal lands. Requires all sales of timber from land subject to this title to be advertised, offered, and awarded according to competitive bidding practices, with sales being awarded to the highest responsible bidder. Allows the Secretary, upon a satisfactory showing of management competence, to enter into a binding Indian self-determination agreement with the Tribe which provides for the Tribe to carry out all or a portion of the forest management for the Forest. Conditions the agreement on the: (1) Tribe entering into a binding Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Oregon relating to the establishment and management of the Forest; and (2) Secretary's authority to rescind the agreement without encumbrances. Requires the Forest to remain open to public access for purposes of hunting, fishing, recreation, and transportation, except when closed by Federal or State law or when the Tribe and the State of Oregon agree in writing that restrictions on access are necessary or appropriate to prevent harm to natural resources, cultural resources, or environmental quality. Vests jurisdiction in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon over actions: (1) against the Secretary arising out of claims that this title has been violated; and (2) between Oregon and the Tribe arising out of claims of breach of the MOA. Prohibits suits against the Secretary for claims that the MOA has been violated. Limits remedies available under this title to equitable relief and excludes damages. Specifies exclusive regulatory civil jurisdiction vested in the States of Oregon. Title VI: Bull Run Watershed Protection - Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to prohibit timber cutting within the hydrographic boundary of the Bull Run River Drainage, including certain lands within the unit and located below the headworks of Portland, Oregon's water storage and delivery project, except for the: (1) protection or enhancement of water quality in the area; (2) protection, enhancement, or maintenance of water quantity available from the area; (3) construction, expansion, protection, or maintenance of municipal water supply facilities; or (4) construction, expansion, protection, or maintenance of facilities for the transmission of energy through and over the unit or previously authorized hydroelectric projects associated with such facilities. Prohibits the Secretary from authorizing a salvage sale in the Area. (Sec. 605) Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to study and report to specified congressional committees on that part of the Little Sandy Watershed that is within the Bull Run Management Unit (study area) to determine: (1) the impact of management activities within the study area on the quality of drinking water provided to the Portland metropolitan area; (2) the identity and location of certain ecological features within the study area; and (3) the location and extent of any significant cultural or other values within the study area. Prohibits the Secretary from advertising, offering, or awarding any timber sale within the study area for a two-year period after the enactment of this title. (Sec. 606) Provides that lands within the Bull Run Management Unit but not contained within the Bull Run River Drainage shall continue to be managed in accordance with existing Federal law. Title VII: Oregon Islands Wilderness, Additions - Designates as wilderness: (1) certain lands within the boundaries of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon; and (2) all other federally owned rocks, reefs, islets, and islands lying within three geographic miles off the Oregon coast and above mean high tide and also within the Refuge boundaries under the administration of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or presently under the jurisdiction of BLM. Makes permanent Public land Order 6287 which withdrew certain rocks, reefs, islets, and islands lying within three geographical miles off the coast of Oregon and above mean high tide as an addition to the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge. Title VIII: Umpqua River Land Exchange Study - Directs the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to: (1) consult, coordinate, and cooperate with the Umpqua Land Exchange Project (ULEP), affected units of State and local agencies, and, as appropriate, the World Forestry Center and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to assist ULEP's ongoing efforts in studying and analyzing land exchange opportunities in the Umpqua River basin and to provide assistance and information to such entities; and (2) report thereon to specified congressional committees. Lists priority matters for specific study by the Secretaries, including identifying: (1) areas where consolidation of land ownership could promote long-term species protection; (2) areas where land exchanges might be utilized to better satisfy sustainable timber harvest goals; and (3) options to insure that post-exchange revenues will approximate pre-exchange revenues. (Sec. 803) Authorizes appropriations. Title III (sic): Local Empowerment and Flexibility Pilot Act of 1996 - Local Empowerment and Flexibility Pilot Act of 1996 - Lists the purposes of this Act, including to: (1) improve the delivery of services to the public; (2) promote State, local, and tribal governments and private, nonprofit organizations to identify goals to improve their communities and the lives of their citizens; and (3) enable eligible applicants to adapt programs of Federal financial assistance to the particular needs of their communities by integrating programs and program funds across existing similar Federal financial assistance programs. (Sec. 305) Creates a Community Empowerment Board composed of specified Cabinet Secretaries and agency heads. Requires the Board, among other things, to: (1) select six States to participate; and (2) receive, review, and approve or disapprove flexibility plans. Defines a "flexibility plan" as a comprehensive plan for the coordination and administration by an eligible applicant of financial assistance provided by the Federal Government under two or more eligible Federal financial assistance programs that includes funds from Federal, State, local, or tribal government or private sources to address the service needs of a community. Requires that the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in consultation with the Board, coordinate and assist in creating: (1) a uniform Federal financial assistance application; (2) a release form to facilitate the sharing of information across Federal financial assistance programs; and (3) a system wherein an organization or consortium of organizations may use one proposal to apply for assistance. (Sec. 306) Authorizes an applicant to apply to the Board for approval of a flexibility plan which must meet specified requirements, including that the application be submitted to, and contain all comments on the proposed plan made by, each affected State and local government. Provides for the submission of an application to the Board without such comments if, within 60 days of submission of the plan to an affected government, such government has failed to act on or endorse the application. (Sec. 307) Sets forth the following limitations: (1) authorizes the Board to approve no more than 30 plans; and (2) allows State applicants to submit only three approved plans. Prohibits the Board from approving any plan that includes funds under a Federal financial assistance program to support tuition vouchers for children attending private schools or otherwise pay their cost of attending such schools. Authorizes affected Federal agencies to waive any requirement under a Federal financial assistance program if the waiver is: (1) necessary to implement a plan; (2) not disapproved by the Board; and (3) necessary to effectively achieve the purposes of this Act by adhering to conditions for approval of a flexibility plan, and review and approval of flexibility plans and waiver requests. (Sec. 309) Requires an approved applicant to monitor the effectiveness of its plan and report on it to the Board. Mandates a final report to the Board. Requires the: (1) Board to report to the President and the Congress on the Federal laws or regulations most frequently waived, with the President reviewing the report and identifying those statutory and regulatory requirements that the President determines should be amended or repealed; and (2) OMB Director to report on its progress in achieving certain functions outlined under this Act requiring coordination and assistance with Federal agencies. Requires the General Accounting Office to: (1) evaluate the effectiveness of Federal financial assistance programs included in flexibility plans approved pursuant to this Act; (2) establish and maintain a program for the ongoing collection of data and analysis of each such program included in an approved flexibility plan; and (3) submit a report to the Congress and the President. Mandates a specified report by the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations to the Congress and the President. Repeals this Act on January 1, 2005. Requires all Federal agencies to develop a consistent policy that stipulates that the date of the U.S. postmark shall be deemed to be the date of delivery for any Federal contract, grant, assistance application, or other document which is required to be filed by a certain date and is delivered late by U.S. mail. Division 2: Economic Growth and Regulatory Paperwork Reduction - Economic Growth and Regulatory Paperwork Reduction Act of 1996 - Title I (sic): Streamlining the Home Mortgage Lending Process - Sets a deadline by which the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Board) and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) must take action under Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 (RESPA) and the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) to simplify and provide a single format for credit transaction disclosures. (Sec. 102) Amends RESPA to transfer from HUD to the Board all rulemaking authority under such Act except with respect to the prohibitions against referrals, kickbacks, and unearned fees, and against direct purchases of title insurance. (Sec. 103) Amends TILA to authorize the Board to exempt those transactions from TILA disclosure requirements which the Board determines: (1) are not necessary to effectuate its purposes; or (2) do not provide a measurable benefit in the form of useful information or consumer protection. Includes among factors for Board consideration: (1) whether the loan in question is secured by the consumer's principal residence; and (2) whether the goal of consumer protection would be undermined by such an exemption. (Sec. 104) Amends RESPA to repeal requirements that: (1) a federally related mortgage lender disclose to a mortgage loan applicant the servicing of mortgages the lender has assigned, sold, or transferred during the most recent three calendar years; and (2) a lender that does not service federally related loans similarly disclose any intention to assign, sell, or transfer such servicing. Repeals the mandate for model disclosure statements. Declares that the proscription against kickbacks and unearned fees shall not be construed as prohibiting payment by a depository institution or mortgage bank to its own employee for a referral to an affiliate for a loan product, if the employee does not hold himself or herself out as anything but an employee of that institution. Requires the Board to ensure that the exemption from RESPA regulations for credit transactions for primarily business, commercial, or agricultural purposes shall be the same as the exemption for such transactions under TILA. (Sec. 105) Declares that the proscription against kickbacks and unearned fees shall not be construed as prohibiting a payment made to a person or affinity group relating to an endorsement of the products or services of a settlement service provider if the at the time of the first written communication with the consumer it is clearly disclosed that payment was made or may be made or other thing of value may accrue to the affinity group for the endorsement. (Sec. 106) Amends TILA to exempt from its disclosure requirements any credit transactions involving consumers with an annual earned income of more than $200,000 or having net assets in excess of $1 million at the time of the transaction, upon submission of a handwritten waiver, signed and dated by such consumer. (Sec. 107) Grants creditors the option to set forth alternative disclosures regarding conditions which could trigger increases or decreases in payment and interest rates for variable interest rate residential mortgage transactions. (Sec. 109) Amends the Truth in Lending Act to restrict certain limitations on creditor liability with respect to closed end consumer credit transactions secured by real property or a dwelling under the Act. Title II: Streamlining Government Regulation - Subtitle A: Eliminating Unnecessary Regulatory Requirements and Procedures - Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA) to set forth conditions under which prior approval is not required for any merger, consolidation, asset acquisition, or liabilities assumption involving only insured depository institution subsidiaries of the same depository institution holding company. (Sec. 202) Permits an insured depository institution to participate in optional conversion transactions between members of the Bank Insurance Fund and the Savings Association Insurance Fund without prior approval of the responsible agency (but still requires approval). Eliminates the requirement for approval of such a merger under the Oakar Amendment as well as the Bank Merger Act. (Sec. 203) Amends the Home Owners' Loan Act to remove from its regulatory purview a bank holding company subject to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (BHCA). Revises the definition of "savings and loan holding company" to exclude a bank holding company under BHCA jurisdiction. Provides that acquisition of a savings association by a bank holding company under BHCA jurisdiction obviates approval by the Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision. Amends BHCA to direct the Federal Reserve Board to solicit the views of the Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision with respect to its examination and enforcement role over bank holding companies. (Sec. 204) Amends the Revised Statutes to repeal the requirement that the aggregate minimum capital of a national banking association and all its branches be no less than the aggregate minimum capital that would be required if each branch were a separately chartered national bank. (Sec. 205) Amends the Revised Statutes and FDIA to exclude from the definition of "branch" an automated teller machine or remote service unit (thus exempting those entities from the approval requirements and geographic restrictions of such Acts). (Sec. 206) Amends the Federal Reserve Act (FRA) to permit well-capitalized and well-managed banks to invest amounts equal to 150 percent (currently, only 100 percent) of capital and surplus in bank premises without prior approval. (Sec. 207) Amends BHCA to repeal the presumption that shares transferred by a bank holding company to a transferee under its control (divestitures) remain under the holding company's control (thus subject to specified approval requirements). (Sec. 208) States that prior notice and approval is not required (but written notice to the Federal Reserve Board within ten days after commencing such an activity is required) for a proposal by a well-capitalized, well-managed bank holding company to engage in any activity or acquire the shares or assets of any company (other than an insured depository institution) if it meets specified financial and managerial criteria. (Sec. 209) Amends FDIA to repeal the requirement that the appropriate Federal banking agency be notified prior to the appointment or addition of a new director or senior executive officer if the affected insured depository institution or depository institution holding company: (1) has been chartered less than two years; or (2) has undergone a change in control within the preceding two years. Retains the prior notice requirement for troubled insured depository institutions or depository institution holding companies only if the agency determines that prior notice is appropriate. Extends from 30 days up to 90 days the period during which, following notice, the agency may disapprove board of directors or senior executive officer appointments by such institutions or companies. (Sec. 210) Amends the Depository Institutions Management Interlocks Act to revise the prohibition on dual service of management officials to raise the asset-size thresholds of the depository institutions or depository holding companies to which the prohibition applies. Authorizes Federal banking regulatory agencies to adjust such thresholds for inflation. Repeals the 20-year exemption from the dual service prohibition for certain grandfathered directors and management officials (thus permitting them to continue their dual service permanently). Repeals the requirement that each appropriate Federal depository institutions regulatory agency: (1) review according to prescribed criteria the petition of a management official to serve in more than one position (interlocking directorate); and (2) determine whether continuation of such dual service produces an anti-competitive effect. Authorizes the appropriate regulatory agencies to prescribe rules and regulations permitting dual service by a management official that would otherwise be prohibited if such service would not result in a monopoly or substantial lessening of competition. Repeals the criteria governing regulatory approval of management interlocks. (Sec. 211) Amends FRA to exempt from its proscription against preferential terms in credit extensions to executive officers, directors, or principal shareholders (insider lending) any credit extension: (1) made pursuant to a benefit or compensation program widely available to employees of the member bank; and (2) that does not give preference to any officer, director, or principal shareholder of the member bank, or to any related interest of such person, over other employees of the member bank. Authorizes the Federal Reserve Board to waive the proscription against such preferential terms for certain executive officers and directors of a subsidiary that controls the member bank if the subsidiary's assets do not exceed ten percent of the consolidated assets of a company that controls the member bank and such subsidiary (and is not controlled by any other company). (Sec. 212) Amends the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 to direct the Appraisal Subcommittee to repay the Secretary of the Treasury the unpaid portion of its startup funding by the end of FY 1998. (Sec. 213) Amends the FDIA to exempt from branch closure notice requirements automated teller machines and relocated or consolidated bank branches, if: (1) the relocation or consolidation occurs within the same neighborhood and does not substantially affect the nature of the business or customers served; or (2) a branch is closed in connection with emergency acquisitions or any Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) assistance. (Sec. 214) Amends the International Banking Act of 1978 to direct the Federal Reserve Board to avoid unnecessary duplication of foreign bank examinations. Provides that: (1) each Federal and State branch or agency of a foreign bank shall be subject to on-site examination by the appropriate regulator as frequently as would its U.S. counterpart (instead of annually, as at present); and (2) the cost of such examination shall be assessed against its owner to the same extent that fees are collected by the Federal Reserve Board for examination of any State member bank. Authorizes the Board to approve an application by a foreign bank even if the authorities in the home country have not yet established a comprehensive regulation on a consolidated basis, as long as they are actively working to establish one. Instructs the Board to consider, when acting on a foreign bank application, whether the foreign bank has adopted and implemented procedures to combat money laundering. Directs the Board to take final action on any application within 180 days after its receipt. Authorizes the Board to terminate a foreign bank office in the United States if it finds that the authorities in the home country are not making demonstrable progress in establishing arrangements for comprehensive consolidated supervision. (Sec. 215) Amends the BHCA to authorize the Board to approve extensions beyond the current five-year deadline for a bank holding company to dispose of foreclosed assets, under certain conditions, up to an aggregate of five more years. (Sec. 216) Amends the Bank Holding Company Act Amendments of 1970 and the Home Owners Loan Act to extend the authority of the Board, and the Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision, respectively, to grant exceptions to certain antitying prohibitions. (Sec. 217) Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA) to require the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to act within a 60- day period (which may be extended for an additional 30 days) upon receipt of the application of an insured State bank (or subsidiary) to engage as principal in activity impermissible for a national bank. Subtitle B: Eliminating Unnecessary Regulatory Burdens - Amends FDIA to increase from $175 million to $250 million the asset-size ceiling on the meaning of "small depository institution" which Federal banking agencies may in their discretion determine for examination on an 18-month cycle. (Sec. 222) Directs the Federal Financial Institutions Examinations Council, and each Federal banking agency represented on it, to review and report to the Congress on Federal banking regulations at least every ten years to identify unnecessary regulatory requirements imposed upon insured depository institutions. Requires the Council or the pertinent banking agency to eliminate unnecessary regulations to the extent appropriate. (Sec. 223) Amends Federal monetary law to repeal the authority of the Secretary of the Treasury to require each insured depository institution to identify certain non-bank financial institution customers. (Sec. 224) Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991 to repeal the mandate that insured depository institutions include information on small businesses and small farm lending in their annual reports of condition. Amends the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 (FIRREA) and the International Lending Supervision Act of 1983 to repeal annual reporting requirements for specified Federal financial institution regulatory agencies, including certain reports on changes to improve the international lending operations of banking institutions. (Sec. 225) Amends the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975 to increase from $10 million to $50 million the maximum asset-size of institutions exempt from its requirements. Declares that a depository institution shall be deemed to have satisfied the public availability requirements for its mortgage loan transactions if its branch offices provide notice of the availability of such information from the home office upon request. (Sec. 226) Amends FDIA guidelines governing a change in control of insured depository institutions to repeal mandatory reporting by financial institutions (or affiliates) of any loans secured by 25 percent or more of any class of shares of an insured depository institution (stock loans). Retains such mandatory reporting for foreign banks and their affiliates. (Sec. 227) Requires the Federal Reserve Board to study and report to the Congress on the extent of small business lending by all creditors. Subtitle C: Regulatory Micromanagement - Amends the Revised Statutes to allow the Comptroller of the Currency to waive the residency requirement for national banking association directors. Repeals the Comptroller's authority to waive citizenship requirements for a minority of the directors of a foreign bank subsidiary or affiliate. (Sec. 242) Amends the Riegle Community Development and Regulatory Improvement Act of 1994 to require each Federal banking agency to review and eliminate regulations which require insured depository institutions and credit unions to produce unnecessary internal written policies. (Sec. 243) Amends FDIA to mandate: (1) that one of the presidentially appointed directors serving on the FDIC Board have State bank supervisory experience; (2) that each appropriate Federal banking agency take action necessary to ensure that depository institution examiners consult and reach agreement on examination activities and resultant recommendations; and (3) consider appointing an examiner-in-charge to ensure such consultation. Title III: Regulatory Impact on Cost of Credit and Credit Availability - Amends FDIA guidelines for improved accountability in financial management to: (1) eliminate the use of an independent public accountant to detect and report violations of law by an insured depository institution or depository institution holding company; and (2) authorize a Federal banking agency to permit an independent audit committee to be composed of a majority of outside directors independent of institution management (currently the entire committee must be composed of such outside directors) if it determines that an insured depository institution has encountered hardships in retaining competent directors on such committee. (Sec. 302) Amends the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and the Fair Housing Act to set forth incentives for self-testing and self- correcting by lenders subject to such Acts. Prescribes conditions under which: (1) an enforcing agency is prohibited from acquiring or using reports generated by any creditor-conducted review of lending operations to determine compliance with such Acts; and (2) such self-test results may be used by an adversary party. (Sec. 303) Permits a Federal savings association to make credit card loans or education loans without being subject to a percentage-of-assets limitation. Raises from ten percent to 20 percent the percentage-of-assets limitations ceiling placed upon commercial and agricultural loans offered by an association. Restricts loan amounts exceeding ten percent of an association's total assets to loans made to small businesses. Repeals the five-percent-of-assets loan restriction placed upon education loans offered by an association. Expands the scope of "qualified thrift lender" to include a domestic building and loan association. Permits a savings association that qualifies as a qualified thrift lender to operate a branch outside the State in which it has its home office. Redefines "qualified thrift investment" to cover, as assets includible without limit, educational loans, small business loans, and loans made through credit cards or credit card accounts. Removes the ten-percent-of-assets loan restriction placed upon certain personal, family, household or education loans other than educational loans, small business loans, and loans made through credit cards or credit card accounts. (Sec. 304) Amends BHCA to repeal the seven percent growth cap restrictions placed upon banks controlled by certain bank holding companies not statutorily treated as bank holding companies. Excludes from BHCA jurisdiction any limited purpose institution that accepts collateral for extensions of credit by holding deposits under $100,000. (Sec. 305) Amends the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to revise the prohibition against failure to disclose clearly in all communications with a consumer that the debt collector is attempting to collect a debt. (Sec. 306) Amends the Federal Credit Union Act to increase from $10,000 to $20,000 the ceiling on credit union loans which may be made to a director or member of a supervisory or credit committee without first being approved by the board of directors. (Sec. 307) Amends the Federal Reserve Act to increase from ten percent to 20 percent the amount of capital and surplus that a national bank may invest in the stock of Edge Act subsidiaries and certain financial service corporations held by a member bank's non- U.S. branches, as long as the investment of an additional amount over ten percent would not be unsafe or unsound. Title IV: Consumer Credit - Subtitle A: Credit Reporting Reform - Consumer Credit Reporting Reform Act of 1996 - Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to cite additional permissible purposes for which a consumer reporting agency may furnish a consumer report, including: (1) for employment purposes; (2) for credit or insurance transactions that are not initiated by the consumer; and (3) for direct marketing transactions that are not initiated by the consumer. Mandates consumer consent as a prerequisite to furnishing medical information contained in a consumer report. (Sec. 406) Revises exceptions to the prohibition against the reporting of certain obsolete information by a consumer reporting agency. Raises the minimum dollar threshold amounts permitting release of such information: (1) from $50,000 to $150,000 in the case of a credit transaction; (2) from $50,000 to $150,000 the policy amount in the case of life insurance underwriting; and (3) from $20,000 to $75,000 the amount of salary of an individual in the case of an employment-related credit report. Provides that the seven-year reporting period applicable to accounts placed for collection begins no later than 180 days after the beginning of the delinquency immediately preceding the collection activity. Mandates disclosure in a consumer report of: (1) the particular chapter under which a bankruptcy case arises; (2) withdrawal of a bankruptcy case prior to final judgment; (3) voluntary closure by a consumer of a credit account; (4) information disputed by the consumer. (Sec. 407) Prohibits a consumer reporting agency from prohibiting disclosure to the consumer by a credit report user of the contents of a credit report if the user has taken adverse action against the consumer based on such report. Prescribes guidelines for procurement of a consumer report for resale. (Sec. 408) States that nothing requires a consumer reporting agency to disclose to a consumer any credit scores, risk scores, and other predictors relating to her or him. Provides for mandatory disclosure to a consumer of additional kinds of information, including a summary of consumer rights. Requires the Federal Trade Commission to take action to assure that consumer standardization and comprehensibility are achieved. Prohibits consumer lawsuits for defamation, invasion of privacy, or negligence against a consumer reporting agency based on information disclosed by a credit report user to or for a consumer against whom the user has taken adverse action based on the report. (Sec. 409) Revises procedural and disclosure guidelines governing: (1) disputed information in a consumer's file, including free mandatory reinvestigation by the reporting agency; (2) users of information in a consumer report taking adverse actions, or making written credit or insurance solicitations based upon such report (including any direct marketing transaction that is not initiated by the consumer); and (3) adverse action based on information obtained from third parties other than consumer reporting agencies. (Sec. 412) Revises civil liability guidelines to set forth liquidated damages for willful and negligent noncompliance, and to award attorney's fees to the prevailing party for pleadings filed in bad faith. (Sec. 413) Specifies the responsibilities of persons who furnish information to a consumer reporting agency, including the obligation to provide accurate, updated information and notices of information disputed by consumers. (Sec. 414) Revises disclosure guidelines governing investigative consumer reports to require: (1) certification that the consumer has been notified; and (2) confirmation of any adverse information obtained from personal sources. (Sec. 415) Increases criminal penalties for obtaining information under false pretenses, and for unauthorized disclosures. (Sec. 416) Revises administrative enforcement guidelines to authorize the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to commence a civil action to recover a civil penalty in Federal district court in the event of a knowing violation constituting a pattern or practice of FCRA violations. Limits such penalty to $2500 per violation. Prohibits: (1) the FTC from promulgating trade regulation rules with respect to the FCRA; and (2) specified Federal regulatory agencies from conducting an examination of a bank, savings association or credit union regarding FCRA compliance except in response to a complaint alleging noncompliance. (Sec. 417) Authorizes the States to bring a court action for FCRA violations. (Sec. 418) Authorizes the Federal Reserve Board to issue interpretations of the FCRA with respect to certain financial institutions and holding companies. (Sec. 419) Identifies specified FCRA provisions that preempt State law. Subtitle B: Credit Repair Organizations - Amends the Consumer Credit Protection Act to provide that specified provisions of that Act may be cited as the Credit Repair Organizations Act. (Sec. 451) Prohibits: (1) advising any consumer to make an untrue or misleading statement, or to alter the consumer's identification to prevent the display of the consumer's credit record; (2) other fraud or deception; and (3) a credit repair organization (CRO) from charging or receiving valuable consideration for any service before such service is fully performed. Specifies a statement which a CRO must provide to consumers before an agreement is executed regarding the consumer, the CRO, and related rights, powers, and obligations. Requires written, signed contracts covering specified matters in order for a CRO to provide services. Allows a consumer to cancel a contract with a CRO within three business days of making the contract. Declares void any consumer waiver of any protection under this subtitle. Makes an attempt to obtain a waiver a violation of this subtitle. Voids any contract not in compliance with this subtitle. Provides for civil liability for failing to comply with this subtitle, including allowing punitive damages and class actions. Requires enforcement of this subtitle under the Federal Trade Commission Act (FTCA) by the FTC. Makes: (1) a violation of this subtitle an unfair or deceptive act or practice in violation of specified provisions of the FTCA; and (2) all functions and powers of the FTC available for enforcement of this subtitle. Establishes a five-year statute of limitations for actions to enforce liability under this subtitle. (Sec. 452) Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) individuals should be judged for credit worthiness based upon their own credit worthiness and not that of their zip code or residential neighborhood; and (2) the FTC should report to certain congressional committees on the impact of residential location upon corporate lenders' consideration of an application for unsecured credit. Title V: Asset Conservation, Lender Liability, and Deposit Insurance Protection - Asset Conservation, Lender Liability, and Deposit Insurance Protection Act of 1996- Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) to declare that the liability of a fiduciary for the release or threatened release of a hazardous substance in connection with a vessel or facility held in fiduciary capacity shall not exceed the assets held in fiduciary capacity, unless: (1) a person is liable independently of the person's ownership of a vessel or facility as a fiduciary or actions taken in a fiduciary capacity; or (2) the fiduciary negligently causes or contributes to the release or threatened release. Title VI: Miscellaneous - Directs the Federal Reserve Board to evaluate and report to the Congress whether the Electronic Fund Transfer Act could be applied to electronic stored value products without adversely impacting their cost, development, and operation. (Sec. 602) Amends FDIA to treat as administrative expenses of a receiver or conservator for an insured depository institution any final and unappealable judgment for monetary damages entered against such receiver or conservator for breach of a post-appointment agreement executed or approved by such receiver or conservator. (Sec. 603) Amends the Federal criminal code to: (1) increase the penalty for certain counterfeiting violations; and (2) establish criminal penalties for the production, sale, transportation, or possession of fictitious financial instruments purporting to be those of the States, political subdivisions, and of private organizations. (Sec. 604) Amends the Truth in Savings Act to repeal: (1) civil liability for violations of such Act; and (2) the definition of an on-premises display in a depository institution. Redefines "depository institution" to exclude certain nonautomated credit unions (thus exempting them from such Act). (Sec. 605) Amends TILA to direct the Federal Reserve Board to: (1) promulgate regulations to update and clarify requirements and definitions applicable to lease disclosures and contracts; (2) publish model disclosure forms to facilitate compliance with disclosure requirements; and (3) consider, when establishing such model forms, the use of automated equipment by lessors. Amends the guidelines governing requisite disclosures in consumer lease advertisements. Shields the owner or employee of an advertising medium from liability relating to such disclosures. (Sec. 606) Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to study and report to the Congress on: (1) the regulatory practices of the National Credit Union Administration Board with respect to the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund; (2) the potential effects of the administration of that Fund by an entity other than the National Credit Union Administration; and (3) the investment practices and financial status of the ten largest corporate credit unions. (Sec. 607) Directs each Federal banking agency to report to the Congress on its actions regarding inconsistent or duplicative accounting and reporting requirements (differences between regulatory accounting principles and generally accepted accounting principles) affecting certain reports filed by insured depository institutions. (Sec. 608) Amends FIRREA to instruct the Federal Reserve Board to include in its annual report to the Congress a description of any discernible trend in the cost and availability of certain retail banking services in the nation as a whole, in each of the 50 States and in each consolidated metropolitan statistical area or primary metropolitan statistical area. (Sec. 609) Amends the Federal monetary code to continue the ban on gold clauses in contracts prior to 1977 unless all parties to a pre-1977 contract specifically agree to include such clause in the new agreement. (Sec. 610) Amends the BHCA to exclude a qualified family partnership from the meaning of "company" under such Act. (Sec. 611) Expresses the sense of the Congress that financial institutions and Federal bank regulators should work cooperatively with farmers and ranchers in drought-affected communities to allow financial obligations to be met without imposing undue burdens. Title VII: Deposit Insurance Funds - Deposit Insurance Funds Act of 1996 - Directs the Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to impose a special assessment on the Savings Association Insurance Fund (SAIF)-assessable deposits of each insured depository institution at a rate that the Board, in its sole discretion, determines will cause the SAIF to achieve the designated reserve ratio on the first business day of the first month beginning after the date of enactment of this Act. Allows the Board to exempt weak institutions from such assessment, but requires exemption for certain newly chartered and other defined institutions, which shall pay semiannual assessments at certain former rates during calendar years 1996 through 1998, with a special rate provision for calendar 1999. (Sec. 702) Authorizes certain institutions facing hardship as a result of the special assessment to elect to pay it in two assessments, plus a third supplemental special assessment, determined according to specified formulae. Prescribes adjustments of the special assessment for Bank Insurance Fund (BIF) member banks and certain savings associations. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA) to require the 20 percent reductions to the adjusted attributable deposit amount for certain BIF members and to the special assessment for certain converted savings associations. (Sec. 703) Amends the Federal Home Loan Bank Act (FHLBA) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA) to revise the assessment authority of the Financing Corporation (FICO), extending FICO assessments to all depository institutions insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) (rather than SAIF members only). Repeals specified limits on the amount that may be assessed. Declares that assessments imposed upon insured depository institutions with respect to any BIF-assessable deposit shall be assessed at 1\5 of the rate of the assessments imposed on insured depository institutions with respect to any SAIF-assessable deposit. (Sec. 704) Declares that the SAIF and the BIF shall be merged into the Deposit Insurance Fund, which shall have a Special Reserve for any excess of the SAIF reserve ratio over the designated reserve ratio. Makes conforming amendments to specified banking statutes. (Sec. 705) Amends the FDIA to establish a SAIF Special Reserve if the SAIF reserve exceeds the designated reserve ratio on January 1, 1999. (Sec. 706) Prescribes procedural guidelines for the refund of assessed payments in a deposit insurance fund in excess of the designated reserve amount. (Sec. 707) States that the assessment rate for a SAIF member may not be less than the assessment rate for a BIF member posing a comparable risk to the deposit insurance fund. (Sec. 708) Prohibits the FDIC Board of Directors from setting semi-annual assessments in excess of the amount needed to maintain or achieve the designated reserve ratio of a deposit insurance fund. (Sec. 709) Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to study and report to the Congress on all issues relevant to the development of a common charter for all insured depository institutions and the abolition of separate and distinct charters between banks and savings associations.
Bill· HRH.R. 4141 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 1996
Department of Housing and Urban Development Owner-Occupancy Enforcement Act - Requires that purchasers of single family homes owned by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) be notified about the penalties for fraud and false statements regarding their intention to occupy and use such residence as their principal residence. Bars violators from future HUD assistance or program participation.
Bill· HRH.R. 4142 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Cap Entitlements and Other Mandatory Spending Title II: Enforcement Provisions Save Our Savings Act of 1996 - ( Title I: Cap Entitlements and Other Mandatory Spending ) - Sets forth a timetable for completion of certain budget actions by the President and by the Directors of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). (Sec. 102) Applies direct spending caps to all entitlement authority, except for undistributed offsetting receipts and net interest outlays. Sets forth a table of such caps for specified categories of entitlements and other mandatory spending. (Sec. 103) Requires determinations of such direct spending caps (as well as any breaches of such caps and actions necessary to remedy such breaches) to be based on certain economic assumptions for specified future fiscal years, subject to periodic reestimation based on changed economic conditions or changes in eligible population. (Sec. 104) Provides for automatic adjustments to the caps for entitlements and other mandatory spending. Allows the direct spending caps to be revised in a specified manner, only by recorded vote. Title II: Enforcement Provisions - Directs OMB to: (1) compile a statement of actual direct spending for a fiscal year, following the end of that year, identifying such spending by categories of entitlements and other mandatory spending; and (2) under specified conditions, issue a report to the President and the Congress, estimating necessary spending reductions. Sets forth a timetable for specified budget actions by the President and by OMB and CBO. (Sec. 202) Provides for enforcement of the direct spending caps on categories of spending established under title I of this Act. Applies specified enforcement rules and procedures for any fiscal year in which direct spending exceeds the applicable direct spending cap. (Sec. 203) Subjects all direct spending (except matters specifically exempted under this title) to caps on total direct spending outlays for each fiscal year. Establishes separate caps, consistent with the cap on total outlays, for: (1) any entitlement program named in the table in title I; (2) such other program or groups of programs for which additional caps are established in subsequent legislation; and (3) the remainder of direct spending programs. Prohibits the total of the separate caps from title I, plus any additional separate caps subsequently established, from exceeding the cap for total direct spending, as appropriately adjusted. Sets forth: (1) general rules triggering sequestration to reduce spending for programs subject to direct spending caps; (2) special rules for programs with certain characteristics; and (3) rules for insurance programs, loan programs, and State grant program formulas. Requires a within session sequester under certain conditions. (Sec. 204) Exempts from sequestration specified programs and activities, in terms of their budget accounts, activities within accounts, or income. Authorizes the President to exempt any military personnel account from sequestration or provide for a lower uniform percentage reduction that would otherwise apply, if the Congress is notified of the manner in which such authority will be exercised on or before the initial snapshot date for the budget year. (Sec. 205) Sets forth special rules for sequestration orders for: (1) the child support enforcement program under the Social Security Act; (2) the Commodity Credit Corporation; (3) the earned income tax credit; (4) regular and extended unemployment compensation; (5) the Federal Employees Health Benefits Fund; (6) the Federal Housing (Finance) Board; (7) Federal personnel pay; (8) the Medicare program under the Social Security Act; (9) the Postal Service Fund; (10) the Department of Energy power marketing administration funds or the Tennessee Valley Authority fund; and (11) programs which provide a businesslike service in exchange for a fee. (Sec. 206) Directs CBO and OMB to report to the President and the Congress the budget baselines for the budget year and at least the subsequent nine fiscal years. Requires submission of the CBO report on or before January 15. Requires the OMB report to accompany the President's budget. Specifies requirements for the budget baseline.
Bill· HRH.R. 4132 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 1996
Robert Stodola Homeless Veterans Assistance Act - Amends the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act to require each city, county, State, and Indian tribe which is provided assistance under the following programs to ensure that not less than 20 percent of the total amount received by such entity is used for activities benefiting homeless veterans: (1) the emergency shelter grants program; (2) the supportive housing program; (3) the safe havens for homeless individuals demonstration program; (4) a program for single room occupancy dwellings; (5) the shelter plus care program; and (6) the rural homelessness grant program. Provides an identical requirement with respect to the innovative homeless initiatives demonstration program under the HUD Demonstration Act of 1993. Allows a waiver of such requirement in each case upon a determination that general program funds will remain unused for an unreasonable period of time unless the waiver is permitted.
Bill· HRH.R. 4085 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 1996
Terminates the Department of Housing and Urban Development's program of disposition of single family properties for use by the homeless.
Bill· HRH.R. 4079 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Reductions in Government Overregulation Subtitle A: The Home Mortgage Process Subtitle B: Consumer Banking Reforms Subtitle C: Equal Credit Opportunity Act Amendments Subtitle D: Consumer Leasing Act Amendments Title II: Streamlining Government Regulations Subtitle A: Regulatory Approval Issues Subtitle B: Streamlining of Government Regulations; Miscellaneous Provisions Title III: Lender Liability Title IV: Annual Study and Report on Impact on Lending to Small Business Title V: Financial Service Reform Subtitle A: Reform of Holding Company Procedures Subtitle B: Interagency Banking and Financial Services Task Force Title VI: Drought Relief Title VII: Financial Activities Title VIII: Deposit Insurance Funds Financial Institutions Regulatory Relief Act of 1996 - Title I: Reductions in Government Overregulation - Subtitle A: The Home Mortgage Process - Amends the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 (RESPA) regarding the proscription against kickbacks and unearned fees to permit an employer's payment to the employer's own bona fide employees for any referral activities. (Sec. 101) Restricts criminal sanctions to willful violation of law (current law penalizes unwillful and unintentional violations as well). Redesignates "a controlled business arrangement" as "an affiliated business arrangement". Revises the disclosure prescriptions governing affiliated business arrangements where referrals are made by: (1) electronic media; and (2) by a lender. Permits an affiliated business arrangement if a written disclosure of its existence and estimated attendant charges is made within three business days after a referral by telephone or electronic media. Modifies the statute of limitations for bringing actions arising from violations of requirements for servicing mortgages and administering escrow accounts. (Sec. 102) Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to take action under RESPA and the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) to simplify and provide a single format for credit transaction disclosures. (Sec. 103) Exempts from TILA disclosure requirements any transactions that the Board determines: (1) are not necessary to effectuate the Act's purposes; or (2) do not provide a measurable benefit in the form of useful information or consumer protection. (Sec. 104) Amends RESPA to repeal requirements that for certain federally related mortgage loans the lender disclose: (1) that it has previously assigned, sold, or transferred the servicing of such loans, or, during the most recent three-year period, a specified percentage of them; and (2), in the case of a lender who does not service federally related loans, a present intent to assign, sell or transfer them. Repeals the mandate for model disclosure statements. Excises from the definition of "federally related mortgage loan" any loan secured by a subordinate lien on residential real property (thereby removing second mortgages from RESPA requirements). Directs the Board to ensure that regulations pertaining to the business credit exemption from RESPA jurisdiction include all business credit exempted from TILA. (Sec. 105) Revises TILA disclosure requirements to permit alternative disclosures for adjustable rate home mortgages which state that a monthly payment may increase or decrease significantly due to annual percentage rate increases. (Current law requires illustrations how a rate increase or decrease affects monthly payments). Revises disclosure requirements for any consumer credit transaction (other than under an open end credit plan) to require Board regulations to allow a creditor the option of providing certain substitute information in lieu of an historical example that illustrates the effects of interest rate changes implemented in accordance with the terms of the transaction. Mandates: (1) additional disclosures pertaining to note rates and points for residential mortgage transactions; (2) a statement that the terms are subject to change; and (3) that any charges or premiums for voluntary insurance or noninsurance product providing protection against the debtor's liability for amounts in excess of the value of the collateral securing the obligation must be included in the finance charges, unless a specified statement in writing is furnished to the consumer. (Sec. 108) Revises certain TILA provisions for recovery of fees. (Sec. 109) Amends the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 to repeal the mandate for homeownership debt counseling availability notification. (Sec. 110) Amends the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975 to increase the maximum asset-size of institutions exempt from its purview from $10 million to $50 million. Declares that a depository institution shall be deemed to have satisfied the public availability notification requirements for its mortgage loan transactions if its branch offices provide notice of the availability of the information from the home office upon request. Subtitle B: Consumer Banking Reforms - Amends the Truth In Savings Act (TISA) to repeal: (1) civil liability for depository institution non-compliance with disclosure requirements; and (2) the requirement that on-premises displays in depository institutions be designed for viewing only from the interior of the premises. (Sec. 141) Redefines depository institution to exclude certain nonautomated credit unions that were not required to comply with TISA requirements. Limits account schedule distribution requirements for certain time deposits renewable at maturity without notice from the depositor to deposits with maturities of more than 30 days. (Sec. 142) Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA) to allow depository institutions (including affiliates and subsidiaries) to exchange information without limitation if such information sharing is disclosed and the consumer has opportunity beforehand to direct that the information not be communicated. (Sec. 143) Amends TILA to permit full creditor restitution payments of adjusted finance charges to a person over an extended period if the enforcing agency determines that this is necessary to avoid causing the creditor to become undercapitalized. (Sec. 144) Instructs the Board to study and report to the Congress on the applicability of the Electronic Fund Transfer Act to payment transactions using value-added electronic devices. Subtitle C: Equal Credit Opportunity Act Amendments - Equal Credit Opportunity Act Amendments of 1996 - States that the purpose of this Act is to combine the adverse action notification requirements of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) with respect to consumer credit applications, and to make the information which must be furnished more understandable. (Sec. 153) Revises ECOA notification requirements regarding adverse actions against credit applicants. Shields from liability for non-compliance persons who show by a preponderance of the evidence that they maintained reasonable procedures to ensure compliance at the time of the alleged violation. (Sec. 154) Revises specified FCRA disclosure requirements for users of consumer reports to repeal such requirements for credit denials and adverse actions based on reports of persons other than consumer reporting agencies. (Sec. 155) Amends ECOA and the Fair Housing Act (the Acts) to add incentives for creditor self-testing and voluntary corrective action by prohibiting review, examination, or acquisition by an applicant in any legal proceeding of a creditor or other person's self-procured test or review of its lending activities, including residential real estate lending, if the self-test has identified discriminatory practices and the creditor or other person has taken or is taking appropriate corrective action to address the discrimination. Specifies circumstances in which an applicant or Government department or agency may obtain and use the results of a self-test in a proceeding or civil action. (Sec. 156) Requires the Attorney General to consult with the appropriate agency before bringing a civil action in connection with creditor self-testing under the Acts. Subtitle D: Consumer Leasing Act Amendments - Consumer Leasing Act Amendments of 1996 - Amends the Consumer Credit Protection Act (CCPA) to direct the Board to: (1) write regulations or staff commentary to update and clarify requirements and definitions for lease disclosures, contracts, and other issues related to consumer leasing which would carry out the purposes of the Consumer Leasing Act; and (2) publish model disclosure forms and clauses to facilitate compliance with such requirements and aid the consumer in understanding the transaction. (Sec. 164) Revises CCPA provisions relating to consumer lease advertising, repealing special requirements for radio advertisements. (Sec. 165) Limits creditor liability for statutory penalties for failure to provide specified consumer lease disclosures. Title II: Streamlining Government Regulations - Subtitle A: Regulatory Approval Issues - Amends the Bank Holding Company Act (BHCA) to cite the statutory criteria for: (1) approval of a well-capitalized and well-managed financial services holding company proposal to engage in any (non-banking) activity or acquire or retain the shares or assets of any company (including acquisition of savings associations); and (2) deemed approval of the acquisition of shares by a registered bank holding company, or a merger or consolidation between registered bank holding companies. (Current law requires prior Board approval). (Sec. 203) Amends the FDIA and the National Bank Consolidation and Merger Act to cite conditions under which prior approval is not required for any merger, consolidation, asset acquisition, or liabilities assumption involving only insured depository institution subsidiaries of the same depository institution holding company. (Sec. 204) Permits any insured depository institution to participate in optional conversion transactions between members of the Bank Insurance Fund (BIF) and the Savings Association Insurance Fund (SAIF) (Oakar transactions) without the prior written approval of the responsible agency. Repeals guidelines for agency approval of such transactions (but retains the proscription against transactions which result in the transfer of any insured depository institution's Federal deposit insurance from one Federal deposit insurance fund to the other). (Sec. 205) Amends the Home Owners' Loan Act (HOLA) to remove from its regulatory purview a bank holding company subject to the BHCA, and exclude it from the definition of "savings and loan holding company." Amends the BHCA of 1956 to mandate cooperation between the Board and the Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision regarding supervision and enforcement over bank holding companies that control savings associations. Amends HOLA to provide that any savings association which meets specified Internal Revenue Code requirements shall be deemed to be a qualified thrift lender. (Sec. 206) Amends the BHCA to repeal the provision that shares transferred by a bank holding company to a transferee under its control are deemed to be under such holding company's control unless the Board determines otherwise and approves the divestiture. (Sec. 207) Amends the Revised Statutes, the Federal Reserve Act (FRA), and the FDIA to delineate conditions under which prior approval is not required for well-capitalized and well-managed banks to establish and operate a branch or seasonal agency. (Sec. 208) Amends the Revised Statutes and the FDIA to exclude from the definition of "branch" an automated teller machine or remote service unit (thus exempting those entities from approval requirements of such Acts). (Sec. 209) Amends the FRA to exempt well-capitalized and well-managed banks from the approval requirement for investments in bank premises. (Sec. 210) Amends the FDIA to authorize the appropriate Federal banking agency to waive, on a case-by-case basis, prior notice requirements pertaining to new officer or director appointments of certain undercapitalized or troubled institutions. (Sec. 211) Repeals the requirement for a hearing in the determination of new nonbanking activities. (Sec. 212) Authorizes the Board to extend from five years to ten years the period during which a bank holding company may retain shares acquired in a loan foreclosure. (Sec. 213) Amends the Federal Credit Union Act to increase from $10,000 to $50,000 the aggregate amount of loans to Credit Union officials that may be made without approval of the board of directors. Subtitle B: Streamlining of Government Regulations; Miscellaneous Provisions - Amends the Revised Statutes to repeal the aggregate minimum per-branch capital requirements imposed upon a national banking association and its branches. (Sec. 222) Amends the FDIA to exclude automated teller machines and bank branches in specified merger or relocation situations from the definition of "bank branch" (thus exempting them from Federal bank closure notification requirements). Makes such exemption retroactive to the enactment of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991. (Sec. 223) Amends the Depository Institutions Management Interlocks Act to exempt management officials of depository institutions or holding companies with small (under 20 percent) market shares from prohibitions against dual service with unaffiliated institutions or companies in the same geographic banking market. Raises from $1 billion to $2.5 billion the asset-size ceiling beneath which a depository institution or depository holding company may retain directors and management officials performing dual service for nonaffiliated institutions whose total assets do not exceed $1.5 billion (currently $500 million). Authorizes Federal regulatory agencies to adjust such ceiling annually for cost-of-living increases. Extends a specified grandfather exemption which allows certain management officials to continue dual service despite interlocks prohibitions (thus permitting them to continue their dual service permanently). (Sec. 224) Directs the Appraisal Subcommittee of the Financial Institutions Examination Council to accelerate repayment of specified funds to the Treasury. (Sec. 225) Amends the FRA to permit loans to executive officers, directors, or principal shareholders (insider lending) made pursuant to a benefit or compensation program widely available to employees of the member bank, and that does not give preference to any officer, director or principal shareholder of the member bank over other bank employees. Expands the Board's authority to exempt specified executive officers and directors from the proscription against preferential lending terms. Repeals the requirement that an executive officer indebted to a bank over a certain lawful amount submit a written report of such debt to the board of directors. Amends the FRA to permit a member bank to make available to its executive officers: (1) home equity lines of credit of up to $100,000; and (2) loans secured by readily marketable assets. (Sec. 226) Amends the FDIA to allow the appropriate Federal banking agency to increase from $175 million to $250 million the asset-size ceiling on certain small depository institutions whose mandatory periodic on-site examinations make take place every 18 months instead of annually. Requires the Federal banking agencies to report semiannually to the Congress regarding implementation of a coordinated Federal bank examination system until it is in place and provides full coordination of examinations of State depository institutions with State bank supervisors. (Sec. 227) Amends the Right to Financial Privacy Act to require a Government authority to reimburse a financial institution for assembling or providing the financial records of corporate customers. (Sec. 228) Amends specified Federal monetary law to repeal the requirement that depository institutions identify domestic nonbank financial institution customers (retaining the requirement for foreign nonbank financial institution customers). (Sec. 229) Requires each appropriate Federal banking agency and the National Credit Union Administration to conduct a paperwork reduction review, and eliminate any requirements for unnecessary internal written policies. (Sec. 230) Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to revise the daily confirmation requirement under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 concerning hold-in custody repurchase agreements to permit the counterparty to the agreement to waive such confirmation upon receipt of certain disclosures. (Sec. 231) Requires the Financial Institutions Examination Council and each Federal banking agency represented on it to review and identify unnecessary regulations every ten years and report thereon to the Congress. (Sec. 232) Amends the International Lending Supervision Act to change from mandatory to discretionary the duty of each appropriate Federal banking agency to: (1) require a banking institution to maintain a special reserve whenever the quality of its assets has been impaired by protracted inability of debtors in a foreign country to make payments; (2) analyze the results of foreign loan rescheduling negotiations and attendant loan risks; and (3) ensure that bank capital and reserve positions are adequate to accommodate potential losses on foreign loans. (Sec. 233) Amends FDIA financial management accountability guidelines to: (1) repeal the mandate that an independent public accountant detect and report non-compliance with laws and regulations; (2) permit Federal agencies to designate certain required reports of financial condition as privileged and confidential and not available to the public; (3) exempt well-capitalized and well-managed insured depository institutions from mandatory financial management status reports (although not from the requirement of independent financial audits); (4) restructure audit committee membership from one entirely made up of outside directors independent of management, to one at least one-half of whose membership is composed of outside directors independent of management; and (5) exclude outside directors from the primary definition of an "institution-affiliated party" but include them in such definition as independent contractors if an appropriate Federal banking agency determines for purposes of insurance termination that it is appropriate under the circumstances, after taking into consideration that an outside director may have a different level of knowledge of the management and operation of an insured depository institution than one who is not an outside director. (Sec. 235) Amends the International Banking Act of 1978 to: (1) prescribe guidelines under which the Board may approve a foreign bank application to establish a U.S. presence even though it is not subject to comprehensive supervision on a consolidated basis in its home country; and (2) authorize termination of a foreign bank office if the appropriate authorities in its home country are not making progress in establishing arrangements for such supervision. (Sec. 236) Directs the Board to avoid unnecessary duplication of foreign bank examinations. Subjects foreign banks to the same on-site examination schedule and examination fee collections as apply to domestic banks. (Sec. 237) Instructs the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve Board) to ascertain and report to the Congress whether the national market for certain mortgages secured by a consumer's principal dwelling has been impacted by the Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act of 1994 (including its impact upon lenders, consumers, and the secondary mortgage market for refinanced loans and home equity loans). Amends TILA disclosure guidelines to waive: (1) new disclosure requirements for any change in regular payment amounts of two percent or less from the initially disclosed regular payment amount, and in specified third party fees or disbursements; and (2) the three business days disclosure requirement in the case of certain consumer credit transactions secured by a consumer's principal dwelling. Includes certain consumer credit transactions secured by a consumer's principal dwelling within the purview of TILA disclosure regulations. (Sec. 238) Revises FDIA guidelines to approve new activities of a State bank and its subsidiaries if the FDIC has not disapproved the bank's prior 60-day written notice of intent to engage in such activities. (Sec. 239) Amends the Revised Statutes to repeal the requirement that three bank directors, in addition to the officer making the declaration, attest in writing the correctness of reports of condition. (Sec. 240) Retitles the Bank Service Corporation Act the "Bank Service Company Act" and amends it to authorize banks under the Act to own limited liability companies). (Sec. 241) Amends the FRA to increase from ten percent to 25 percent the amount of capital and surplus that a national bank may invest in the stock of Edge Act subsidiaries and certain financial service corporations held by a member bank's non-U.S. branches. (Sec. 242) Requires each appropriate Federal banking agency to report to certain congressional committees on its actions to reconcile Regulatory Accounting Principles and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, thereby eliminating inconsistent or duplicative accounting and reporting requirements applicable to mandatory reports filed by insured depository institutions. (Sec. 243) Permits the Comptroller of the Currency to waive the residency requirement for national bank directors. (Sec. 244) Amends FDIA to: (1) direct each Federal banking agency to ensure that its banking examiners consult on examination activities and resolve any inconsistent recommendations given to a depository institution; and (2) revise the mandate for establishment of a joint banking agency system to include State bank examiners as well as Federal agencies among the options for determining which shall be the lead agency responsible for managing a unified examination of each insured depository institution. (Sec. 245) Amends HOLA to authorize the Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision to grant exceptions to the statutory prohibition against tying arrangements by a savings association. Title III: Lender Liability - Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) a person holding indicia of ownership primarily to protect a security interest in a vessel or facility should not, except in certain circumstances, be considered to have "participated in management" as that term is used in the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA); (2) the term "security interest" as used in CERCLA should include rights accruing to a person to secure repayment of specified obligations, including those under various security instruments; and (3) the Congress should address the potential liability of lenders and fiduciaries under Superfund (CERCLA) and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Title IV: Annual Study and Report on Impact on Lending to Small Business - Directs the following agencies to submit a joint annual report to the Congress on the extent to which the regulatory reductions under this Act have resulted in increased lending to small businesses: (1) the Federal Reserve Board; (2) the Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision; (3) the Comptroller of the Currency; and (4) the FDIC Board of Directors. Title V: Financial Serv ice Reform - Subtitle A: Reform of Holding Company Procedures - Amends BHCA to revise examination and reporting requirements for Financial Services Holding Companies (FSHC). (Sec. 502) Sets forth a statutory scheme for reduced supervision of FSHCs controlling principally nondepository institutions. (Sec. 503) Sets forth a procedure for the conversion of unitary savings and loan holding companies to FSHC status, during the 18 months after the enactment of this Act, without prior Board approval. Sets forth a statutory scheme under which a FSHC may retain ownership or control of specified nonconforming financial companies. (Sec. 505) Renames the BHCA of 1956 as the Financial Services Holding Company Act of 1996. (Sec. 507) Specifies that "bank" does not include an institution: (1) which engages only in the provision of credit card accounts for business purposes; or (2) which does not engage in the business of making commercial loans (other than the provision of credit card accounts for business purposes in connection with such credit card operations). (Sec. 508) Amends the Federal Credit Union Act to prohibit an insured credit union from being sponsored by, or accepting financial support from, any Government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) whose customers are in the field of the credit union's membership. Excepts from this prohibition the forms of financial assistance generally provided by a GSE in its ordinary course of business. Amends FDIA to prohibit a depository institution from being an affiliate of, sponsored by, or accepting financial support from any GSE. Exempts from such proscription: (1) members of a depository institution in a Federal Home Loan Bank; and (2) financial assistance authorized by statute. (Sec. 509) Identifies circumstances under which qualified limited purpose banks are exempt from: (1) asset growth restrictions; (2) new activities' restrictions; (3) cross-marketing restrictions; and (4) divestiture requirements. Prescribes guidelines for the conversion of certain nonbank holding companies to FSHC status. (Sec. 510) Amends the BHCA of 1956 to authorize the Federal Reserve Board to waive, or adjust at its discretion, the procedural requirements governing applications to acquire bank shares or assets (including the attendant filing and information requirements). Amends the Federal Reserve Act regarding loans by member banks on stock or bond collateral, to: (1) abolish the minimum six-member affirmative vote required for the Board to adjust the percentage of individual bank capital and surplus which may be represented by loans secured by stock or bond collateral; and (2) repeal the 15 percent of unimpaired capital and surplus ceiling on the amount of loans a bank may make to any person. (Sec. 511) Amends the BHCA of 1956 to define a qualified family partnership and to exclude it from the definition of "company". Subtitle B: Interagency Banking and Financial Services Task Force - Establishes the Banking and Financial Services Task Force to make recommendations: (1) to the Board and the Comptroller of the Currency; and (2) for legislative or administrative action regarding the supervision, efficiency, and competitiveness of the financial services industry. (Sec. 522) Establishes the Financial Services Advisory Committee to advise the Task Force and submit an annual status report to certain congressional committees. Title VI: Drought Relief - Expresses the sense of the Congress that financial institutions and Federal bank regulators should work cooperatively with farmers and ranchers in drought-affected communities to allow financial obligations to be met without imposing undue burdens. Title VII: Financial Activities - Amends the BHCA of 1956 to exempt from its prohibition against interests in nonbanking organizations any activity the Federal Reserve Board determines is either financial in nature, or incidental to financial activities. Declares that, for purposes of interpreting "financial activity," transactions in which an FSHC acting as principal, agent, or broker provides either insurance, or an annuity contract whose income is tax- deferred, shall not be deemed to be: (1) closely related to banking, or managing or controlling banks; (2) financial in nature; or (3) incidental to a financial activity (thereby retaining those transactions within the ambit of proscribed activities). Repeals the mandate that the Board consider, when determining whether a particular activity is a proper incident to banking, if its performance by a bank holding company affiliate is such that the public interest benefit outweighs any possible adverse effects (such as undue concentration of resources, decreased or unfair competition, conflicts of interests, or unsound banking practices). States that for purposes of determining insurance activities exempt from the proscription against interests in nonbanking organizations, the term "insurance agency activity" includes providing any annuity contract as agent or broker. (Sec. 702) Amends FDIA to include within the definition of deposit any liability of an insured depository institution arising under an annuity contract whose income is tax-deferred (retirement certificates of deposit). (Sec. 703) Requires the Comptroller General to study and report to the Congress on whether State insurance regulation of the insurance activities of national banks is adequate or comparable to that of nonbank activities. (Sec. 704) Amends the Revised Statutes to require national banks to comply with non-discriminatory State licensing requirements governing individuals selling insurance as agents. Title VIII: Deposit Insurance Funds - Deposit Insurance Funds Act of 1996 - Directs the Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to impose a special assessment on the Savings Association Insurance Fund (SAIF)-assessable deposits of each insured depository institution at a rate that the Board, in its sole discretion, determines will cause the SAIF to achieve the designated reserve ratio on the first business day of the first month beginning after the date of enactment of this Act. Allows the Board to exempt weak institutions from such assessment, but requires exemption for certain newly chartered and other defined institutions, which shall pay semiannual assessments at certain former rates during calendar years 1996 through 1998. (Sec. 801) Authorizes certain institutions facing hardship as a result of the special assessment to elect to pay it in two assessments, plus a third supplemental special assessment, determined according to specified formulae. Prescribes adjustments of the special assessment for Bank Insurance Fund (BIF) member banks and certain savings associations. Amends FDIA to require the deposit into the SAIF of exit fees resulting from a conversion transaction. Authorizes the FDIC Board of Directors to exempt insured depository institutions that have paid the exit and entrance fees from paying the special assessment intended to capitalize the SAIF. (Sec. 803) Amends the Federal Home Loan Bank Act (FHLBA) and FDIA to revise the assessment authority of the Financing Corporation (FICO), extending FICO assessments to all FDIC-insured depository institutions (rather than SAIF members only). Repeals specified limits on the amount that may be assessed. Declares that assessments imposed upon insured depository institutions with respect to any BIF-assessable deposit shall be assessed at 1\5 of the rate of the assessments imposed on insured depository institutions with respect to any SAIF-assessable deposit. (Sec. 804) Declares that the SAIF and the BIF shall be merged into the Deposit Insurance Fund, which shall have a Special Reserve for any excess of the SAIF reserve ratio over the designated reserve ratio. (Sec. 805) Amends FDIA to establish a SAIF Special Reserve if the SAIF reserve exceeds the designated reserve ratio on January 1, 1999. (Sec. 806) Prescribes procedural guidelines for the refund of assessed payments in a deposit insurance fund in excess of the designated reserve amount. (Sec. 807) States that the assessment rate for a SAIF member may not be less than the assessment rate for a BIF member posing a comparable risk to the deposit insurance fund. (Sec. 808) Prohibits the FDIC Board of Directors from setting semi-annual assessments in excess of the amount needed to maintain or achieve the designated reserve ratio of a deposit insurance fund. (Sec. 809) Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to study and report to the Congress on all issues relevant to the development of a common charter for all insured depository institutions and the abolition of separate and distinct charters between banks and savings associations.
Bill· HJRESH.J.Res. 192 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 1996
States that the United States consents to certain amendments adopted by Hawaii to the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, 1920.
Bill· SS. 2070 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 1996
Homeowners Empowerment and Protection Act of 1996 - Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to establish uniform Federal agency procedures with respect to application and homeowner notice requirements for the conduct of activities that generate pollutants or other adverse impacts with the potential to reduce private home values. Directs each agency to: (1) require any person filing an application to conduct property impacting activity to provide affected homeowners with written notice; (2) provide a toll-free telephone number for homeowner response; and (3) investigate the proposed activity's impact on home values. Creates a homeowner right of action, including class action authority, for certain home value reductions.
Bill· HRH.R. 4063 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 1996
Conforming Loan Limit Correction Act - Amends the National Housing Act and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation Act to revise specified loan limit provisions with respect to the Federal National Mortgage Association, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, and the Federal Housing Administration.
Bill· HRH.R. 4064 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 1996
Community Housing Right to Know Act - Amends the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act to direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to notify and consult with the unit of general local government within which an assisted multifamily housing project is to be located before providing any low-income housing assistance for such project.
Bill· HRH.R. 4046 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Title II: General Provisions Emergency Disaster Assistance Supplemental Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 1996 - Title I: Emergency Supplemental Appropriations - Makes emergency supplemental appropriations for FY 1996 to provide relief from the damages caused by Hurricane Fran and other natural disasters of 1996. Chapter 1: Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies - Makes such FY 1996 emergency supplemental appropriations to: (1) the Department of Agriculture, for the Farm Service Agency's emergency conservation program; (2) the Natural Resources Conservation Service, for watershed and flood prevention operations; (3) the Rural Housing Service, for Rural Housing Insurance Fund Program Account direct loans, and for very low-income housing repair grants; (4) the Rural Utilities Service, for the rural utilities assistance program; and (5) the Commodity Credit Corporation, for covering 1996 crop losses. Chapter 2: Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies - Makes such FY 1996 emergency supplemental appropriations to: (1) the Department of Commerce, for the Economic Development Administration's economic development assistance programs; and (2) the Small Business Administration, for the Disaster Loans Program Account. Chapter 3: Energy and Water Development - Makes such FY 1996 emergency appropriations to the Department of Defense-Civil, Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers-Civil, for: (1) general operation and maintenance; and (2) flood control and coastal emergencies. Chapter 4: Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies - Makes such FY 1996 emergency appropriations to: (1) the Department of Housing and Urban Development for community development grants; and (2) the Federal Emergency Management Agencies for disaster relief. Title II: General Provisions - Designates each amount provided for a program or activity in title I as an emergency requirement for all purposes of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act). Makes such amount available only to the extent of a specific dollar amount for such program or activity that is: (1) included in an official budget request submitted by the President to the Congress; and (2) designated as an emergency requirement for all purposes of that Act. (Sec. 202) Authorizes Federal department or agency heads to waive certain restrictions in administering funds provided under title I.
Bill· SS. 2057 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 5 September 1996
Makes permanent the authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to guarantee veterans' housing loans in a manner similar to that in which adjustable rate mortgages are insured by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under the National Housing Act. (Currently, the authority of the Secretary to carry out a demonstration project guaranteeing such loans in such manner terminated at the end of FY 1995.)
Bill· HRH.R. 4019 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 4 September 1996
Fair Housing Reform and Freedom of Speech Act of 1996 - Amends the Fair Housing Act to permit a dwelling restriction relating to number of unrelated inhabitants, building proximity, or inhabitant's criminal record if such restriction's purpose is to limit land use to single family dwellings. States that such Act shall not be construed to apply to lawful activity, including a legal action, engaged in solely to: (1) achieve or prevent governmental action; or (2) receive a judicial interpretation of any provision of such Act.
Bill· SS. 2042 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: FHA-Insured Multifamily Housing Mortgage and Housing Assistance Restructuring Title II: Enforcement Provisions Subtitle A: FHA Single Family and Multifamily Housing Subtitle B: FHA Multifamily Multifamily Assisted Housing Reform and Affordability Act of 1996 - Title I: FHA-Insured Multifamily Housing Mortgage and Housing Assistance Restructuring - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to enter into agreements with participating administrative entities (with preference given to State housing finance agencies) to develop and implement mortgage restructuring and rental assistance plans for FHA-insured multifamily housing mortgages in order to: (1) reduce expiring section 8 contracts costs; (2) address troubled projects; and (3) correct management and ownership deficiencies. Includes two-tiered mortgage restructuring among plan incentives. Terminates program authority as of a specified date. Title II: Enforcement Provisions - Directs the Secretary to issue implementing regulations. Subtitle A: FHA Single Family and Multifamily Housing - Amends the National Housing Act to expand HUD authorities with respect to: (1) lender sanctions; (2) equity skimming; and (3) civil money penalties. Subtitle B: FHA Multifamily - Amends the National Housing Act and the Housing Act of 1937 to expand multifamily housing- related civil money penalties. Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 to extend the double damages remedy.
Bill· SJRESS.J.Res. 59 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1996
States that the United States consents to certain amendments adopted by Hawaii to the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, 1920.
Bill· HRH.R. 3964 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1996
Homeless Housing Programs Consolidation and Flexibility Act - Amends the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act to establish block grants for rental assistance and flexible homeless assistance. Sets forth program provisions. Authorizes appropriations. Revises functions of the Interagency Council on the Homeless. Authorizes appropriations. Makes conforming amendments to: (1) the HUD Demonstration Act of 1993; (2) the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992; (3) the Housing Act of 1949; and (4) the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act. Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to eliminate the single room occupancy dwelling assistance program.
Bill· HRH.R. 3963 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1996
Housing Fraud Prevention Act - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to prohibit rental subsidies for a unit rented to a member of the owner's family.
Bill· HRH.R. 3984 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1996
Kids, Homes, and Grandparents Act of 1996 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for: (1) a tax credit for each qualifying child; (2) a tax deduction for taxpayers with whom a parent or grandparent resides; (3) a reduction in the capital gains rate applied to qualified principal residence gain; and (4) an indexed basis for primary residences.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 514 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1996
Amends rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives to prohibit any provision from being reported any general appropriation bill containing the regular appropriations for any one of 14 parts of the Government (includes the Department of Veterans Affairs as one part) for a fiscal year if the provision contains the regular appropriations for any other of such parts for the fiscal year. Amends rule X to provide that the suballocations (or subdivisions) required to be made by the House Committee on Appropriations by the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 shall be among its subcommittees, except that the Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies shall receive a separate suballocation for the Department of Veterans Affairs and a separate suballocation for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and independent agencies previously included in the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 3939 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1996
Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to quarantee veterans loans for adjustable rate mortgages in a manner similar to the manner in which the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development insures adjustable rate mortgages under provisions of the National Housing Act.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 497 (104th)open
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1996
Waives points of order against the consideration of the conference report on H.R. 3517 (military construction appropriations).
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. 3897 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1996
Senior Citizens Homeownership Protection Act of 1996 - Amends the National Housing Act to convert the senior homeowner home equity conversion mortgage insurance authority from a demonstration to a permanent program. Revises related consumer education provisions. Obligates funds for counseling and consumer education.
Bill· HRH.R. 3888 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 1996
Small Communities CDBG Multipurpose Facilities Act - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to permit certain small communities to use specified space for governmental purposes in public facilities acquired, rehabilitated, or built with community block grant funds.
Bill· HRH.R. 3865 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 1996
One Strike Enforcement Act - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to require that Federal public housing assistance to public housing authorities be withheld in a State that prevents or impairs the eviction of a public housing tenant for a lease violation sufficient for such eviction.
Law· SS. 1973 (104th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 1996
Navajo-Hopi Land Dispute Settlement Act of 1996 - Ratifies the Settlement Agreement between the United States and the Hopi Tribe executed on December 14, 1995. Sets forth the conditions to be met prior to taking lands into trust for the Tribe pursuant to the Settlement Agreement. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire: (1) private lands; and (2) through condemnation certain interspersed lands that are owned by the State of Arizona in order to have both the private and the State lands taken into trust for the Tribe. Authorizes the Tribe, if the United States fails to discharge the obligation of voluntarily relocating Navajos residing on Hopi Partitioned Lands, to bring an action to quiet title relating to use of such Lands after February 2002 by an eligible Navajo family that fails to enter into an accommodation. Amends Federal law to permit payments in lieu of taxes for fee lands owned by the Hopi Tribe or members of the Hopi Tribe that are taken into trust. Amends the Act of August 9, 1955, to authorize 75-year leases by the Hopi Tribe to Navajo Indians residing on Hopi Partitioned Lands. Amends Public Law 93-531 to reauthorize the Navajo-Hopi Relocation Housing Program through FY 2000.
Bill· HRH.R. 3857 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Workplace Fairness Subtitle A: Part-Time and Temporary Workers Protection Subtitle B: Federal Employee Fairness Subtitle C: Legislative Pay Equity Study Subtitle D: Sexual Harassment Prevention Subtitle E: Sexual Harassment Information Subtitle F: Sexual Harassment Tax Equity Subtitle G: Equal Remedies Subtitle H: Federal Temporary Workers Protection Subtitle I: Contingent Work Force Equity Title II: Economic Opportunity Subtitle A: Microenterprise Opportunity Expansion Subtitle B: Commission on the Advancement of Women in the Science and Engineering Work Forces Subtitle C: Equal Surety Bond Opportunity Subtitle D: Self-Sufficiency Standard Subtitle E: Community Reinvestment Subtitle F: Telecommunications Economic Opportunity Subtitle G: HHS Women Scientist Employment Opportunity Subtitle H: Women in Enterprise Development Title III: Work and Family Subtitle A: Child Care Consolidation and Investment Subtitle B: Child Care Public-Private Partnership Subtitle C: Dependent Care Tax Credit Refundability Subtitle D: IRA Deductions for Homemakers Subtitle E: Federal Parental Leave for Education Activities Subtitle F: Tax Incentives for Family-Friendly Workplaces Subtitle G: Parental Equity Leave Title IV: Economic Self-Sufficiency Subtitle A: Child Support Responsibility Subtitle B: Interstate Child Support Subtitle C: Child Support Enforcement Improvements Subtitle D: Single Parent Protection Subtitle E: Women's Pension Equity Subtitle F: Pension Reform Subtitle G: Social Security Caregiver Title V: Economic Impact of Domestic Violence Subtitle A: Workplace Violence Prevention Tax Credit Subtitle B: Insurance Protection for Victims of Domestic Violence Subtitle C: Fairness to Minority Women Health Subtitle D: Battered Women's Employment Protection Subtitle E: Domestic Violence Legal Services Eligibility Economic Equity Act of 1996 - Title I: Workplace Fairness - Subtitle A: Part-Time and Temporary Workers Protection - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) with respect to requirements for approval of State unemployment compensation laws to provide for eligibility for unemployment compensation of certain individuals seeking part-time employment. (Sec. 11102) Directs the Secretary of Labor, acting through the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, to establish and carry out an annual survey relating to temporary workers. (Sec. 11103) Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to provide protection of part-time and temporary workers with respect to their treatment under participation, vesting, and accrual rules governing pension plans. (Sec. 11201) Amends the IRC to provide for waiver of an employer's liability for certain employment taxes for a reasonable good faith misclassification based on common law rules. Amends the Revenue Act of 1978 to revise provisions relating to controversies involving whether individuals are employees for purposes of the employment taxes to modify safe harbor rules and authority for classifications of individuals as nonemployees. (Sec. 11202) Amends the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to set forth requirements regarding classification of persons as employees and independent contractors under certain Federal procurement contracts. (Sec. 11203) Amends Federal law relating to defense contracts to set forth requirements regarding classification of persons as employees and independent contractors under Federal defense contracts. Subtitle B: Federal Employee Fairness - Amends title VII (Equal Employment Opportunities) of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to revise provisions relating to administrative determination of Federal employee discrimination claims, including Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) determination of such claims. (Sec. 12002) Amends the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to provide for EEOC enforcement regarding specified claims, with certain exceptions with respect to employment in the Library of Congress. Provides for opportunity to commence civil action in the case of certain claims pending before EEOC. (Sec. 12003) Amends Federal law relating to civil service employment to revise provisions for grievance procedures, actions involving discrimination, disciplinary action, personnel recordkeeping, and right to intervene in certain discrimination cases. (Sec. 12005) Directs EEOC to issue certain guidelines and rules, including: (1) standards for alternative dispute resolution processes and identification of approved examples; (2) establishment of a voluntary settlement program; and (3) rules regarding classified information. (Sec. 12008) Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) it should increase appropriations to EEOC to carry out additional EEOC responsibilities imposed by this Act; and (2) Federal agencies should not use their funds for salaries and expenses to pay any relief awarded under Civil Rights Act of 1964 title VII provisions against discrimination in Federal employment. Subtitle C: Legislative Pay Equity Study - Declares the congressional policy of nondiscrimination and pay equity for employees of the legislative branch. (Sec. 13002) Establishes the Commission on Employment Discrimination in the Legislative Branch to evaluate and report to the Congress on the compensation system and personnel policies and practices of the Library of Congress. Subtitle D: Sexual Harassment Prevention - Establishes a right of civil action by the injured person to seek relief for specified sexual harassment offenses or retaliation in relationships between: (1) a patient and a physician, psychotherapist, or dentist; (2) a client and an attorney, marriage, family, or child counselor, social worker, or accountant; (3) a beneficiary and an executor, trustee, or administrator of a trust or estate; (4) an employee and an employer with fewer than 15 employees for each working day in each of 33 or more calendar weeks in the current and preceding calendar year; or (5) the parties to a contract, or persons negotiating a contract or seeking to enforce claimed rights under a contract. (Sec. 14002) Authorizes additional appropriations for the EEOC. Subtitle E: Sexual Harassment Information - Requires employers to provide EEOC-approved information on sexual harassment violations and claims, through: (1) posting of notices at the workplace; and (2) annual notices to individual employees. Sets forth civil penalties for violation of such information requirements. (Sec. 15003) Directs EEOC to provide: (1) technical assistance materials to employers, including model notices and voluntary guidelines for employer policies and procedures to address allegations of discrimination, including sexual harassment, in employment; and (2) a toll-free telephone number for employees and employers to obtain information regarding compliance with this subtitle and such model notices and guidelines. (Sec. 15004) Requires EEOC enforcement of employer information requirements (except in the case of congressional employees, where the Board of the Office of Compliance is the enforcer). Subtitle F: Sexual Harassment Tax Equity - Amends IRC to allow an income tax deduction for legal expenses of individuals bringing sexual harassment suits against their employers. Subtitle G: Equal Remedies - Amends certain provisions of the Revised Statutes, as added by the Civil Rights Act of 1991, to provide for equalization of remedies. Subtitle H: Federal Temporary Workers Protection - Amends Federal civil service law to provide eligibility for health benefits for certain Federal temporary workers. Subtitle I: Contingent Work Force Equity - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to require that contingent (part-time or temporary) workers receive the same wages as full-time workers for the same work (with exceptions for differential payments pursuant to seniority, merit, or production quantity-or-quality systems or based on factors other than employment status). (Sec. 19002) Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to require employers to protect all workers (not only their own employees) from hazards within the employers' control. Directs the Secretary of Labor to study whether the health and safety of part-time or temporary employees are being adequately monitored and, if not, to determine how such monitoring can be made adequate. (Sec. 19003) Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act to lower the threshold for employee coverage to 125 hours of service with an employer during the previous three-month period. (Sec. 19004) Directs the Secretary of Labor, through the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, to carry out an annual survey identifying the characteristics of temporary workers and their relationships with the establishments at which they are temporarily employed and, where appropriate, with their permanent employers. (Sec. 19005) Amends the National Labor Relations Act to include in collective bargaining units part-time or temporary workers with reasonable expectations of continued employment. (Sec. 19006) Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1970 (ERISA) to provide for: (1) treatment of employees working at less than full-time (500 or more hours but less than 1,000 hours service per year) under participation, vesting, and accrual rules governing pension plans; (2) treatment of part-time workers (less than 30 hours service per week) under group health plans; and (3) inclusion of certain individuals whose services are leased or contracted for under the definition of employee. (Sec. 19007) Amends IRC to require States to provide unemployment compensation to part-time workers unavailable for full-time work. Title II: Economic Opportunity - Subtitle A: Microenterprise Opportunity Expansion - Provides various means of promoting and assisting microenterprises (commercial enterprises with five or fewer employees, one or more of whom own the enterprise). (Sec. 21001) Amends the Social Security Act to exclude certain business assets from resources and income for purposes of eligibility under the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. Extends public assistance benefits under AFDC and Medicaid and under SSI and Medicaid for persons with income from or resources in a microenterprise. (Sec. 21002) Amends IRC provisions relating to State law requirements for unemployment compensation to provide for payment of unemployment compensation, under certain conditions, to individuals starting microenterprises. Allows State unemployment compensation funds to be used to provide microenterprise startup assistance to eligible individuals. (Sec. 21003) Amends the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 to provide for treatment of microenterprise loans and grants by insured depository institutions as community reinvestment. (Sec. 21004) Amends the Home Owners' Loan Act to provide for treatment of microenterprise loans by savings associations as qualified thrift investments. (Sec. 21005) Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to allow the use of community development block grant assistance for administrative costs of entities assisting microenterprises. (Sec. 21006) Requires each Federal banking agency to establish a Microenterprise Technical and Operations Office as a division to offer technical assistance, training, outreach, and other support to: (1) groups and individuals engaged in, or desiring to establish, a microenterprise; and (2) institutions which offer credit or financial services to microenterprises. (Sec. 21007) Directs the Financial Institutions Examination Council to study and report, with recommendations, to the Congress on the best means to make credit available to small businesses which: (1) do not qualify for microenterprise loans or need credit in larger amounts than such loans make available; and (2) need credit in smaller amounts than is generally available from financial institutions or the Small Business Administration. Subtitle B: Commission on the Advancement of Women in the Science and Engineering Work Forces - Establishes the Commission on the Advancement of Women in the Science and Engineering Work Forces to study and report to the Congress on the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women in the science and engineering work forces. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle C: Equal Surety Bond Opportunity - Sets forth equal surety bond requirements. Lists activities constituting unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, or age, as well as those not constituting such discrimination. Requires statements of reasons for adverse actions on surety bond applications. (Sec. 23002) Provides for civil liability for violations of this subtitle. (Sec. 23003) Prohibits the Secretary of the Treasury from approving as a surety a company which does not maintain full compliance with the requirements of this subtitle. Sets forth administrative enforcement procedures. Subtitle D: Self-Sufficiency Standard - Amends the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) to define economic self-sufficiency. (Sec. 24003) Establishes economic self-sufficiency standards for adult training programs under JTPA. (Sec. 24004) Prohibits State Governors from awarding incentive grants to service delivery areas that do not have an approved local economic self-sufficiency standards table in effect. (Sec. 24005) Requires inclusion of the local economic self-sufficiency standards table and related reports in: (1) the job training plan; and (2) the Governor's coordination and special services plan. (Sec. 24007) Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Labor for grants to States for economic self-sufficiency demonstration programs. Subtitle E: Community Reinvestment - Amends the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 to direct the appropriate Federal financial supervisory agencies to jointly develop a format for collecting (and reporting to the public) specified types of data from regulated financial institutions concerning their record of meeting the credit needs of their local communities, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. Subtitle F: Telecommunications Economic Opportunity - Directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to: (1) require each provider of telecommunications services to submit annual plans, and implementation reports, for increasing its procurement, in underrepresented categories, from business enterprises that are owned by minorities or women; (2) report annually to the Congress on such matters; and (3) establish regulations and criteria for determining eligibility of minority-or woman-owned businesses for such procurement contracts. Sets forth sanctions and remedies relating to specified violations. Subtitle G: HHS Women Scientist Employment Opportunity - Amends the Public Health Service Act to add a new title XXVII, Women's Scientific Employment with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), relating to the employment of women as scientists in specified agencies of HHS, specified aspects of such employment, and inclusion of women in intramural and extramural conferences and other groups. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle H: Women in Enterprise Development - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to direct the Administrator of the Agency for International Development (AID) to establish and implement a Women in Enterprise Development Program, including provisions for financial, educational, and informational assistance. Urges the Administrator to use a specified portion of funds for microenterprise development. Title III: Work and Family - Subtitle A: Child Care Consolidation and Investment - Amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to appropriate funds for FY 1997 through 2001 for child care services for eligible children through the awarding of grants to States. (Sec. 31003) Changes from discretionary to mandatory the existing program of child care and development block grants for States. Decreases from 25 to 20 percent the amount of funds a State shall reserve per fiscal year for activities to improve the quality of child care and to provide before- and after-school and early childhood development services. Directs States to reserve at least 50 percent of grant amounts for child care activities to support low-income working families. Requires State plans to assure that the availability of child care will be coordinated with AFDC requirements, and to ensure that the parent of a dependent child is not required to undertake an education, job training or search, or employment requirement unless child care assistance is available. Directs the Secretary to establish a child care quality improvement incentive initiative to make funds available to States that demonstrate progress in the implementation of: (1) innovative teacher training programs; or (2) enhanced child care quality standards and licensing and monitoring procedures. (Sec. 31004) Amends part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) (AFDC) of title IV of the Social Security Act to repeal the AFDC, Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) Training program, and transitional child care programs, as well as the at-risk child care program. Repeals the Child Development Assistance Associate Scholarship Assistance Act of 1985, and the authority for State dependent care grants under the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981. Subtitle B: Child Care Public-Private Partnership - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a business-incentive grant program to provide child care through public-private partnerships. (Sec. 32001) Provides program grants to cover not more than one-third of the costs for: (1) businesses or consortia (two or more businesses acting jointly, which may also include a nonprofit private organization) to start up, or provide additional, employee child care services; and (2) nonprofit business organizations to provide technical information and assistance to enable businesses to provide employee child care services. (Sec. 32004) Gives priority in grant selection to businesses with fewer than 100 full-time employees and to business and consortia applications. Requires equitable geographic distribution. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle C: Dependent Care Tax Credit Refundability - Repeals the Internal Revenue Code's nonrefundable income tax credit for employment-related dependent care expenses, replacing it with a corresponding refundable 50 percent credit, reduced (but not below 20 percent) as the taxpayer's adjusted gross income exceeds $15,000 (adjusted for inflation). Includes within the scope of the new credit up to $1,200 ($2,400 in the case of more than one qualifying individual) of respite care expenses incurred in the care of: (1) a dependent of the taxpayer who is at least 13 years old; or (2) a spouse or other dependent who is physically or mentally incapable of self-care. Subtitle D: IRA Deductions for Homemakers - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow certain spouses a full deduction for contributions to an individual retirement account. Subtitle E: Federal Parental Leave for Education Activities - Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to extend coverage to employees at worksites where the employer employs at least 25 (currently 50) employees at the worksite and within 75 miles of that worksite. (Sec. 35002) Allows covered employees to take up to four hours during any 30-day period, and up to 24 hours during any 12-month period, of parental involvement leave to participate in or attend their children's educational and extracurricular activities. (Sec. 35003) Amends Federal civil service law to apply the same parental involvement leave allowance to Federal employees. Subtitle F: Tax Incentives for Family-Friendly Workplaces - Amends the IRC with respect to business related credits to establish: (1) a small business family and medical leave credit; and (2) a credit for wages paid to an employee who is allowed to shift hours of employment or to work at home in order to reduce child care needs. Subtitle G: Parental Equity Leave - Requires an employer to provide an employee who is a parent of an adopted child or a foster child with the same leave the employer provides (in addition to leave required by the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993) an employee who is on parent leave for the birth of a child. Title IV: Economic Self-Sufficiency - Subtitle A: Child Support Responsibility - Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require States to have statutorily prescribed procedures to: (1) record child support orders in a central case registry; and (2) collect child support payments through a centralized collections unit. Permits parties to a child support order to opt for an alternative payment procedure. (Sec. 41102) Revises the guidelines for: (1) State plans for child and spousal support; and (2) payments distribution. (Sec. 41103) Requires State plans to establish procedural guidelines for: (1) notification of all proceedings and orders affecting child support obligations; and (2) privacy safeguards regarding paternity and child support actions. (Sec. 41201) Revises the formula for: (1) Federal matching payments to the States; and (2) incentive adjustments to the Federal matching rate. (Sec. 41203) Requires a State plan for child and spousal support to include prescribed procedures for State reviews and audits. Revises the guidelines for Federal evaluation and audit of State programs governing paternity, child and spousal support, and parent location. (Sec. 41205) Revises the automated data processing requirements for State plans to mandate a single statewide automated data processing and information retrieval system which can perform specified tasks. (Sec. 41206) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct staffing studies of each State child support enforcement program and to report the results to the Congress. (Sec. 41207) Makes funds available to the Secretary for: (1) training of Federal and State staff, research and demonstration programs, and special projects of regional and national significance; and (2) operation of the Federal Parent Locator Service. (Sec. 41301) Mandates that the single statewide automated data system function as a single central case registry of State-provided services and support orders. Delineates contents of case records and data matching activities, including data exchange with sister States. (Sec. 41301) Requires State plans to include a centralized, automated unit for the collection and disbursement of support payments. (Sec. 41303) Requires the States to have statutorily prescribed procedures: (1) for mandatory income withholding for support payments subject to enforcement; and (2) under which child support orders issued before October 1, 1996, shall become subject to withholding from wages if arrearages occur, without the need for a judicial or administrative hearing. Revises the procedural guidelines for income withholding for child support enforcement. (Sec. 41305) Revises the Federal Parent Locator Service to add kinds of information which may be transmitted to locate individuals and assets for purposes of establishing parentage and executing child support obligations. Requires the Secretary to establish in the Service a Data Bank of Child Support Orders and an automated Directory of New Hires. (Sec. 41306) Requires State plans to include procedures for recording social security numbers on certain family legal documents and records. (Sec. 41401) Requires each State to have the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act in effect as of January 1, 1997. (Sec. 41402) Amends the Federal judicial code to revise the procedures for a court to apply when determining which State order to recognize for purposes of continuing, exclusive jurisdiction and enforcement for child support orders. (Sec. 41403) Amends SSA title IV part D to revise State plan guidelines for mandatory expedited administrative and judicial procedures to include: (1) authorized genetic testing to establish paternity; and (2) the securing of assets and increasing of monthly payments to satisfy a support arrearage. (Sec. 41502) Revises the guidelines for statutorily prescribed procedures governing genetic testing and outreach for voluntary paternity acknowledgment. (Sec. 41601) Establishes the National Child Support Guidelines Commission to develop a national child support guideline for consideration by the Congress that is based on a study of various guideline models, the benefits and deficiencies of such models, and any needed improvement. (Sec. 41602) Revises the requirements for State plan procedures for the review and adjustment of support orders. (Sec. 41701) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise the order of refund distribution with respect to past-due support owed to individuals. (Sec. 41703) Amends SSA title IV part D to revise procedural guidelines for: (1) consent by the United States to income withholding, garnishment, and similar proceedings for enforcement of child support and alimony obligations of current and retired Federal employees; and (2) enforcement of child support obligations of current and retired members of the armed forces. (Sec. 41705) Requires States to have statutorily prescribed procedures for: (1) placing liens for child support arrearages on motor vehicle titles of the debtor; (2) voiding fraudulent transfers by a child support debtor; (3) suspending any driver's, business, or occupational license issued to any person who owes past-due child support; (4) reporting to credit bureaus the name of the parent in arrears for child support; (5) extending the statute of limitations for collection of child support arrearages; and (6) calculating interest or penalties on such arrearages. (Sec. 41711) Prescribes procedural guidelines for passport denial (including revocation) upon certification of nonpayment of child support. (Sec. 41712) Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should ratify the United Nations Convention of 1956. Requires State plans to provide that the State must treat international child support cases as interstate cases. (Sec. 41801) Amends ERISA to include within the definition of medical child support order an order issued through a State administrative process. Subtitle B: Interstate Child Support - Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of SSA title IV to allow the Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS) to be used along with appropriate disclosure safeguards for parentage establishment and child support and visitation enforcement. (Sec. 42101) Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) denial of visitation rights under a child support order should be treated as irrelevant in any action to enforce its support provisions; and (2) failure to pay child support pursuant to such an order should be treated likewise in any action to enforce visitation rights. (Sec. 42102) Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to enter into an agreement to provide the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) (Secretary) with access to quarterly estimated Federal income tax returns filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Requires that: (1) State agencies charged with child support enforcement maintain child support order registries and be allowed access to medical, financial, employment, and other specified data base information on absent parents; (2) registry information from each State be sent to the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) (designated under title VI of this Act) within HHS for a national registry of all State child support orders. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Secretary should investigate accessing certain Federal data banks not linked with FPLS. (Sec. 42103) Requires the Secretary to expand FPLS to provide State agencies and courts with a national locate and case tracking network. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the network should be used to access State records only through the agency administering the State's part D plan. (Sec. 42104) Requires that private attorneys and pro se obligees be given access, in accordance with appropriate safeguards, to State locate resources and through enforcement techniques with respect to child support, visitation, and parentage orders. (Sec. 42105) Amends the IRC to require employers to withhold from employee wages amounts owed for child support. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to modify the W-4 form completed by new employees in order to enable employers to obtain employee child support and other information for the appropriate State employment security agency. (Sec. 42106) Requires the heads of national and regional individual tracking systems to allow child support enforcement agencies access to their information for paternity or child support purposes. (Sec. 42107) Requires that States: (1) broadcast warrants issued in child support proceedings over their crime information systems; (2) remit, in a criminal case, to any individual owed child support any security posted by or on behalf of the individual owing the support and then forfeited, to the extent of any arrearage in support owed; and (3) have procedures to obtain access to financial records for purposes of child support establishment and enforcement. (Sec. 42201) Amends SSA title IV part D to provide for service of process on Federal employees and members of the armed forces in connection with parentage and child support proceedings. (Sec. 42202) Requires that: (1) parents' identification and locate information be filed with the appropriate adjudicating entity in parentage and child support actions; (2) there be appropriate safeguards on such information where a court has ordered that the custodial parent or child receive physical protection from the noncustodial parent; (3) appropriate administrative agencies make reasonable attempts to timely notify any individual owed child support of any proceeding to establish, modify, or enforce the support obligation; (4) States allow parties seeking both parentage and child support establishment in a judicial proceeding to bring a joint action in a single cause of action; (5) States provide for uniform procedures regarding jurisdiction and venue in parentage and child support cases; (6) States provide for continuation of parental child support obligations until they terminate in specified ways; (7) States allow parties to participate in interstate parentage and child support proceedings by telephonic means; (8) marriage licenses, birth certificates, and divorce and parentage decrees contain social security numbers; and (9) appropriate State agencies be allowed subpoena power in connection with child support hearings. (Sec. 42205) Amends the Consumer Credit Protection Act (CCPA) to allow appropriate State agencies to obtain from credit reporting agencies information for establishing and modifying child support awards. (Sec. 42206) Creates a National Child Support Guidelines Commission to study and report to the President and the Congress on national child support guidelines, and to develop such guidelines for congressional consideration should it be advisable. (Sec. 42207) Amends SSA title IV part D to specify certain principles to be used in accordance with the application of State child support guidelines. (Sec. 42208) Expresses the sense of the Congress that, if children receive child support while obtaining postsecondary education, they will attain higher levels of education affording them a greater chance to break the welfare cycle. (Sec. 42209) Requires the new OCSE Assistant Secretary to develop: (1) a national subpoena duces tecum for distribution to child support agencies and others to use to reach income information; and (2) a uniform abstract of a child support order for State court use. (Sec. 42214) Requires the Legal Services Corporation to ensure the use of a specified amount of funding for child support cases. (Sec. 42215) Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) children on Indian reservations be accorded the same right of support currently afforded to off-reservation children; (2) State and tribal governments should, to the greatest extent possible, ensure that jurisdictional issues do not prevent any Indian child from receiving the support to which the child is entitled; and (3) States should work with community-based organizations with ties to underserved populations to develop better methods to reach and work with such populations to encourage the filing of more support orders. Amends the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 to require Indian tribes to give full faith and credit to child support orders of other Indian tribes, to the extent such entities already give full faith and credit to the acts, records, and proceedings of the other entity. (Sec. 42216) Amends SSA title IV part D to set forth specific measures, including grants for certain demonstration projects, designed to secure child support services in underserved areas and combat domestic violence. (Sec. 42301) Amends SSA title IV part D to: (1) require States to adopt various specified procedures for voluntary paternity acknowledgment; and (2) provide for 90 percent Federal matching for such programs. Expresses the sense of the Congress that, in a proceeding to establish paternity, once paternity is alleged, the burden of proof should shift to the alleged father. (Sec. 42401) Amends SSA title IV part D to: (1) require States to mandate that an employer comply with wage withholding orders issued by any State court or administrative agency; (2) specify the priority for applying amounts withheld from income for child support and child health insurance; (3) subject to withholding for child support income from workers' compensation and other specified Federal sources; (4) prohibit State court application of the election of remedies doctrine to prevent collection of child support; (5) deny State occupational, professional, and business licenses, and driver's licenses and vehicle registrations to delinquent noncustodial parents; (6) authorize liens on vehicle titles, seizure of bank accounts, and holds on lottery winnings, settlements, payouts, bequests, and proceeds from the sale of forfeited property to satisfy child support arrearages; (7) require States to make a rebuttable presumption that any transfer of property by an individual who owes a child support arrearage is made with the intent to avoid payment of the arrearage; (8) revise the mechanism for collection of past-due child support from Federal tax refunds to cover post-minor children who do not receive AFDC; (9) authorize attachment of retirement plan interests without a separate court order to satisfy child support arrearages; (10) permit enforcement of any child support order until the child is at least 30; (11) require interest on all child support judgments; (12) require States to adopt the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act adopted by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform Laws in August 1992; (13) allow State courts to order the assignment of life insurance benefits and interests in jointly held property to satisfy child support arrearages; and (14) require States to treat international child support cases in the same manner as interstate child support cases. (Sec. 42404) Amends CCPA with respect to State laws and garnishments for securing child support. Gives Federal debts a lower priority than child support debts when the obligor's disposable income cannot satisfy both debts through withholding. Prohibits employers from discharging any employee whose earnings are subject to garnishment for additional indebtedness arising from a child support order. (Sec. 42406) Denies Federal occupational, professional, and business licenses for delinquent individuals until the license hold is released. (Sec. 42412) Expresses the sense of the Congress that the IRS Commissioner should instruct IRS field officers and agents to give a high priority to requests for the use of full collection in delinquent child support cases. Requires the Secretary of Treasury to simplify the full collection process and reduce the amount of child support arrearage needed before an individual may apply for full collection. (Sec. 42417) Sets forth requirements pertaining to parentage establishment and child support payments in the armed forces. (Sec. 42419) Directs the Comptroller General and Secretary of the Treasury to study the feasibility of an annual reconciliation process for paying child support arrearages as part of the Federal income tax process. (Sec. 42420) Authorizes the Secretary of State to refuse, revoke, or restrict passports in cases where the applicant or holder is a noncustodial parent subject to a State arrest warrant for nonpayment of a substantial child support arrearage. (Sec. 42421) Prohibits Federal benefits, loans, guarantees, and employment for individuals owing certain child support arrearages. (Sec. 42424) Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should ratify the United Nations Convention of 1956. (Sec. 42501) Amends SSA title IV part D to: (1) set priorities for State distribution of child support collections; (2) require States to limit claims against noncustodial parents for reimbursement of a child's portion of AFDC to the amount in the child support order; (3) revise part D plan provisions concerning fees; and (4) require States to provide for collection and disbursement points for child support cases. Requires the Comptroller General to conduct studies and pilot projects with respect to requiring State systems to pay the child support collected under a State plan to the individuals to whom the support is owed before making any payment to reimburse any State for AFDC provided with respect to the child in question. Amends IRC to revise the Federal income tax refund offset mechanism. (Sec. 42505) Expresses the sense of the Congress that States should encourage parents to use the State child support agency to process and distribute child support payments in order to establish an official payment record. (Sec. 42601) Amends SSA title IV part D to: (1) designate the separate organizational unit currently charged with various parentage and child support responsibilities as the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE); and (2) change OCSE's organizational structure. (Sec. 42602) Requires: (1) the new OCSE Assistant Secretary to provide training assistance to the States; (2) States to provide for training of child support personnel; and (3) the Secretary to study staffing at State child support enforcement programs and reduce payments to States that have not implemented recommended staffing levels. (Sec. 42604) Requires the Secretary to: (1) authorize demonstration projects to test alternative approaches to incentive funding for State child support programs; and (2) reduce payments to States which have not reinvested incentive payments in their child support programs. Provides that "support" under SSA title IV part D with respect to incentive payments to States includes premiums paid for health insurance coverage pursuant to a support order. Expresses the sense of the Congress that States should not use amounts paid to them pursuant to SSA title IV part D, which are reinvested in child support activities, to supplant State funding of such activities. (Sec. 42606) Requires the Secretary to: (1) contract for a study of OCSE's audit process to develop criteria and methodology for auditing activities of State child support enforcement agencies; and (2) provide for State demonstration projects for the purpose of ensuring that custodial parents owed child support have a consistent source of income for the support of their children. (Sec. 42607) Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) children should have a consistent source of income to meet their education and medical needs; (2) the provision of public assistance to a custodial parent for the support of a child with respect to whom the noncustodial parent owes child support does not absolve the latter of the obligation to provide such support; (3) the States must continue to vigorously pursue efforts to establish parentage, and establish and enforce child support obligations; and (4) OCSE should develop a mechanism to publicize the best State practices in child support. (Sec. 42608) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish in the Treasury a Children's Trust Fund to hold the contributions designated by individuals on their tax returns for funding child support programs. (Sec. 42609) Requires: (1) the Comptroller General to study and report to the Congress on delinquent child support payments and the effectiveness of administrative as compared with judicial adjudication of parentage and child support cases; and (2) OCSE to produce and update a certain compendium of State child support laws published by the National Conference of State Legislatures, and establish a permanent child support advisory committee. (Sec. 42701) Amends SSA title IV part D to require States to: (1) promote the greatest economic security possible for children, within the obligor's ability to pay; (2) provide custodial parents with certain information on child support cases and the services available under their part D plans; and (3) require no more than administrative procedures for any changes in child support payees. (Sec. 42703) Expresses the sense of the Congress that States should: (1) work closely with parents to improve the quality of child support services; (2) have offices in areas accessible to public transportation with convenient hours that allow parents to meet privately with attorneys and caseworkers; and (3) establish administrative procedures to process child support cases and a child support council to recommend improvements in State paternity and child support programs. (Sec. 42801) Expresses the sense of the Congress that any Federal program to provide jobs for noncustodial parents should be administered so as not to adversely affect any Federal program for custodial parents. Requires the Secretary to transmit evaluations of certain projects under SSA title IV part F (Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program) (JOBS) to the Secretary of Labor for study and possible action, including authorizing States to provide services of greater scope and duration to unemployed noncustodial parents under such program. Subtitle C: Child Support Enforcement Improvements - Shields a depository institution from Federal or State liability to a person for disclosing individual financial records to a State child support enforcement agency attempting to establish, modify, or enforce a child support obligation. Establishes civil damages for unauthorized disclosure. (Sec. 43002) Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to grant a State child support enforcement agency access to and use of consumer reports. (Sec. 43003) Amends the SSA title IV part D to mandate certain State-prescribed procedures which require any child support order to include coverage of the health care costs of the child. Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on incentives that should be provided to encourage State enforcement of non-custodial parents' obligations to pay the medical and dental expenses of their children. (Sec. 43004) Requires an annual report to the Congress on State compliance with the time limits within which State agencies must respond to requests for certain child support assistance. (Sec. 43005) Requires States to have statutorily prescribed procedures imposing a late payment penalty for an employer's failure to remit to the State within ten days wages withheld to pay child support obligations to the State. (Sec. 43006) Instructs the Secretary to expand the Parent Locator Service to establish a national network based on the comprehensive statewide child support enforcement systems developed by the States. Subtitle D: Single Parent Protection - Amends the IRC to allow an income tax credit for any unpaid child support to which the taxpayer is entitled. Mandates a corresponding increase in the income tax owed by the individual obligated to make such child support payment. Subtitle E: Women's Pension Equity - Amends the IRC and ERISA to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to develop a model spousal consent form for the waiver of a qualified joint and survivor annuity or a qualified preretirement survivor annuity. (Sec. 45002) Amends the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 to extend tier II railroad retirement benefits to surviving former spouses pursuant to divorce agreements. (Sec. 45003) Amends the Federal civil service code to provide for survivor annuities for widows, widowers, and former spouses of Federal employees who die before attaining the age for a deferred annuity under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). (Sec. 45004) Includes payments to a former spouse of a Federal employee, Member of Congress, or Federal annuitant under CSRS and Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) retirement payments that may be made under a court decree, court order, property settlement, or similar process. (Sec. 45005) Requires deduction of court-ordered payments to former spouses from any retirement benefits under CSRS or FERS, regardless of any waiver of retired pay made to enhance a civil service retirement annuity. Subtitle F: Pension Reform - Extends the applicability of the pension nondiscrimination rules to integrated pension plans under the Tax Reform Act of 1986 to benefits attributable to plan years beginning on or before December 31, 1988. Repeals the provision allowing integration for simplified employee pensions. (Sec. 46002) Amends the Tax Reform Act of 1986 to require an employer operating a single line of business to designate a qualified trust as part of a plan benefiting all the employer's employees. (Sec. 46003) Amends the IRC and ERISA to repeal the special vesting rule for multiemployer plans. (Sec. 46004) Provides for the division of pension benefits upon divorce. Subtitle G: Social Security Caregiver - Amends title II (Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to provide for an increase in the number of years disregarded in determining the benefit computation years for an individual living with a child under age 12 or with a chronically dependent child, parent, or spouse. (Sec. 47003) Repeals the seven-year restriction on eligibility for widow's and widower's insurance benefits based on disability. (Sec. 47004) Provides for an increase in widow's and widower's insurance benefits by reason of delayed retirement. (Sec. 47006) Exempts from the two-year waiting period following a divorce for divorced spouse's benefits in cases of prior receipt of spouse's benefits. (Sec. 47008) Provides for full benefits for disabled widows and widowers without regard to age. (Sec. 47009) Prohibits any reduction in widow's or widower's insurance benefits for disabled individual. Title V: Economic Impact of Domestic Violence - Subtitle A: Workplace Violence Prevention Tax Credit - Amends the IRC to allow a workplace safety program credit to an employer for 40 percent of the safety and education costs paid or incurred by such employer to implement workplace safety programs to combat violence against women. Subtitle B: Insurance Protection for Victims of Domestic Violence - Amends the Public Health Service Act to create a new title prohibiting health insurers from: (1) discriminating against an individual or group because the individual or a family member is the subject of domestic violence; or (2) disclosing or being compelled (subject to exception) to disclose information concerning the status of an individual as a victim of domestic violence. (Sec. 52001) Mandates development of model standards. Requires each State to report on its implementation actions and, where States fail to act, provides for Federal enforcement involving civil fines against insurers and a Federal private right of action. Subtitle C: Fairness to Minority Women Health - Amends part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) (AFDC) of SSA title IV and the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to exempt aliens and their children from provisions attributing to the alien the income and resources of the sponsor and the sponsor's spouse if the alien is battered by, or the subject of extreme cruelty by, the person who executed the affidavit of support or similar agreement regarding the alien. (Sec. 53003) Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to prohibit payments to States for obstetrical or gynecological services unless the hospital, clinic, or provider has available at least one individual who is able to communicate in the predominant language used by residents of the area. Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow grants for family planning projects only if the service providers under the grant have at least one such individual. Amends the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act to prohibit making funds available under the Act unless providers of shelter or related assistance have at least one such individual. (Sec. 53004) Mandates a study and report to the Congress regarding domestic violence in which Latina women are the victims. Subtitle D: Battered Women's Employment Protection - Amends the IRC with respect to unemployment tax to require appropriate State laws to provide for unemployment compensation for an individual separated from employment due to circumstances directly resulting from the individual's experience of domestic violence. (Sec. 54002) Amends the Social Security Act to require State laws approved under the Federal Unemployment Tax Act to provide for training for claims reviewers and hearing personnel in the nature of domestic violence, and in methods of ascertaining its existence, so that employment separations stemming from domestic violence are reliably screened, identified, and adjudicated. (Sec. 54003) Requires employers subject to the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act or similar State law, employment benefits program, or collective bargaining agreement to provide leave to employees seeking temporary absences to deal with domestic violence and its aftermath. Entitles employees to use such leave to deal with domestic violence. Subtitle E: Domestic Violence Legal Services Eligibility - Amends the Legal Services Corporation Act to require the Legal Services Corporation, in establishing income levels to determine if a client who is the victim of domestic violence is eligible for assistance, to prescribe that only that client's income will be considered in making such determination.
Bill· HRH.R. 3847 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment Administration Title II: Programs and Functions of Administration Subtitle A: Transfers from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; Transfer from Other Agencies Subtitle B: Additional Provisions Regarding Prevention and Treatment of Substance Abuse Subtitle C: Funding Title III: Advisory Council; Peer Review Title IV: Miscellaneous Authorities Title V: Disposition of Remaining Programs and Functions of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Title VI: General Provisions Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment Consolidation and Reorganization Act of 1996 - Title I: Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment Administration - Establishes as an independent agency in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) the Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment Administration, to be headed by an Administrator appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Title II: Programs and Functions of Administration - Subtitle A: Transfers from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; Transfer from Other Agencies - Transfers to the Administration programs and functions: (1) relating to the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, Public Health Service Act substance abuse block grants, or the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); (2) under the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1994; (3) under specified provisions of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 administered by the HHS' Administration for Children and Families (relating to drug abuse and youth gangs and or runaway and homeless youth); (4) under the Public and Assisted Housing Drug Elimination Act of 1990; and (5) under the Drug-Free Public Housing Act of 1988. Subtitle B: Additional Provisions Regarding Prevention and Treatment of Substance Abuse - Mandates a program to coordinate public and nonprofit private entity activities to provide for a nationwide network for substance abuse prevention. Authorizes grants to assist communities in coordinating substance abuse prevention services. (Sec. 212) Mandates coordination of Administration and Office of National Drug Control Policy activities. Subtitle C: Funding - Authorizes appropriations for the Administration. Title III: Advisory Council; Peer Review - Mandates an advisory council and peer review of grants and cooperative agreements. Title IV: Miscellaneous Authorities - Sets forth miscellaneous authorities of the Secretary of HHS and the Administrator, including regarding facilities (acquiring, constructing, improving, etc.) and the use of personnel, consultants, experts, and volunteers. Title V: Disposition of Remaining Programs and Functions of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration - Transfers to the HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration all functions of SAMHSA not transferred under title II of this Act. Terminates SAMHSA. Title VI: General Provisions - Sets forth transitional and savings provisions and makes conforming amendments.
Bill· HRH.R. 3832 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Block Grants for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Title II: Supplemental Security Income Subtitle A: Eligibility Restrictions Subtitle B: Benefits for Disabled Children Subtitle C: State Supplementation Programs Subtitle D: Studies Regarding Supplemental Security Income Program Subtitle E: National Commission on the Future of Disability Title III: Child Support Subtitle A: Eligibility for Services; Distribution of Payments Subtitle B: Locate and Case Tracking Subtitle C: Streamlining and Uniformity of Procedures Subtitle D: Paternity Establishment Subtitle E: Program Administration and Funding Subtitle F: Establishment and Modification of Support Orders Subtitle G: Enforcement of Support Orders Subtitle H: Medical Support Subtitle I: Enhancing Responsibility and Opportunity for Non-Residential Parents Subtitle J: Effect of Enactment Title IV: Restricting Welfare and Public Benefits for Aliens Subtitle A: Eligibility for Federal Benefits Subtitle B: Eligibility for State and Local Public Benefits Programs Subtitle C: Attribution of Income and Affidavits of Support Subtitle D: General Provisions Subtitle E: Conforming Amendments Title V: Reductions in Federal Government Positions Title VI: Reform of Public Housing Title VII: Child Care Title VIII: Child Nutrition Programs Subtitle A: National School Lunch Act Subtitle B: Child Nutrition Act of 1966 Title IX: Food Stamp and Related Programs Title X: Miscellaneous Subtitle A: General Provisions Subtitle B: Earned Income Tax Credit Bipartisan Welfare Reform Act of 1996 - Title I: Block Grants for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families - Expresses the sense of the Congress that prevention of out-of-wedlock pregnancy and reduction in out-of-wedlock births are important Government interests. (Sec. 103) Replaces the current Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training (JOBS) programs under parts A and F, respectively, of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) with a single, combined program of block grants to the States for operating statewide temporary assistance (TANF) programs with certain mandatory work (subsidized or unsubsidized, public or private), employment-related education, and job training, search, and other job-related activities (required program activities) for eligible families, which are designed to prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies and assist such families in forming, staying together, and ultimately becoming self-sufficient in private sector employment. Limits such families generally to no more than five years of TANF cash assistance, with certain exceptions for minor children, battered family members, and hardship situations. Requires participating States to provide vouchers to families denied cash assistance due to any other State-imposed time limits. Mandates that families include either a minor child who resides with a custodial parent or other adult caretaker relative or a pregnant individual in order to be eligible for TANF assistance. Requires, in addition, certain adult-supervised living arrangements for unmarried teenage parents and the attainment of a high school diploma or its equivalent if they did not complete a high school education. Prohibits (unless a State opts otherwise) additional TANF cash assistance for children born into families already on TANF, with certain exceptions for: (1) children born into families with no other children; (2) vouchers provided in lieu of cash benefits that are only good for State-specified goods and services suitable for child care in the particular case; and (3) children born as a result of rape or incest. Denies TANF in cases where an individual family member is a fugitive felon or a probation or parole violator, and suspends it for ten years for individuals found to have fraudulently misrepresented residence in order to obtain TANF assistance in two or more States. Requires States not disregard benefits an individual receives under a State old-age, foster care, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) plan under SSA title XVI when determining the amount of TANF for the family of which the individual is a member. Specifies State TANF plan contents, including provisions for numeric goals for reducing illegitimacy in the State over a specified period beginning in 1996, and certain certifications by the State that it will operate child support enforcement and protection programs. Includes among criteria for Federal approval of a State program under TANF requirements for a parent or caretaker receiving TANF to engage in State-defined work once the State determines the parent or caretaker is ready to engage in work, or once the parent or caretaker has received assistance under TANF for 24 months (whether or not consecutive), whichever is earlier. Allows the States to decide in their TANF plans: (1) whether or not they intend on providing TANF to aliens; and (2) how to treat families moving interstate, while allowing them to treat such families under the rules of their former State of residence only under certain conditions. Requires a plan to contain an estimate of the number of individuals (if any) who will become ineligible for State Medicaid assistance as a result of eligibility rules changes for the new TANF-funded State program, and requires the plan to indicate the extent to which the State will provide medical assistance to such individuals. Provides for the allowable uses of quarterly family assistance grants, among other purposes, for family planning services, child care under certain State block grant programs, and meeting home heating and cooling costs of certain low income households; but prohibits their use for medical services generally. Provides for: (1) additional grants to States for reductions in illegitimate births, population increases, and State work, education, and job preparation programs; and (2) a Contingency Fund for State Welfare Programs in the Treasury for payments to eligible States. Makes applicable appropriations. Sets up a Federal loan program for State TANF programs for anti-fraud and other specified activities, making necessary appropriations. Provides for the exchange of certain TANF program information with law enforcement agencies under specified conditions. Details the required activities under State TANF programs for assisting participant families in achieving self-sufficiency, including participation in community service programs and vocational educational training, along with certain special rules such as those limiting the number of families which may engage in vocational educational activities. Requires the applicable State agency responsible for administering the TANF program to make an initial assessment of the TANF recipient's skills, prior work experience, and employability and develop an individual responsibility plan based on such assessment in which the recipient agrees to satisfy certain obligations in return for the State's provision of certain services to enable the recipient to obtain and keep employment in the private sector. Establishes penalties for States and individual families for specified grant and program violations through reduced grants and assistance payments, respectively, even allowing States to terminate such payments to certain adult family members who refuse to: (1) engage in required program activities; or (2) cooperate with the State in establishing, modifying, or enforcing a child support order. Provides for a separate reduction in State family assistance grant payments for States failing to comply with Federal requirements under SSA title IV part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) pertaining to paternity establishment and child support enforcement. Expresses the sense of the Congress that State TANF programs should: (1) assign the highest priority to requiring adults in two-parent families and in single-parent families with older preschool or school-age children to be engaged in required program activities; and (2) require noncustodial, nonsupporting parents under age 18 to fulfill community work obligations and attend appropriate parenting or money management classes after school. Sets forth the mechanism for State appeal of Federal adverse decisions with respect to State TANF plans or imposition of penalties, providing for advance notification of any program violation and the opportunity for a State to correct it before any such penalty is imposed. Limits the amount of any penalty reduction in the State's quarterly family assistance grant payment. Provides for direct funding, by way of three-year tribal family assistance grants, to Indian tribes (with a special rule for Indian tribes in Alaska) with approved plans for administering their own welfare programs with similar work requirements and time limits for receipt of assistance. Makes necessary appropriations. Directs the Bureau of the Census to expand the Survey of Income and Program Participation to obtain information that will enable interested persons to evaluate the impact of the changes made by this title on a random national sample of recipients of assistance under State TANF programs and, as appropriate, on other low income families. Provides for the treatment of existing State AFDC (welfare reform) waiver projects in effect when this Act is enacted and those granted subsequently. Retains the Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) for Family Support as the official responsible for administering TANF programs. Outlines various specified program data collection and reporting requirements, as well as certain research, evaluation, and study requirements. Allows for demonstrations of innovative approaches for reducing welfare dependency and increasing the well-being of minor children. Requires certain annual State rankings by the HHS Secretary according their successes in placing TANF recipients into long-term private sector jobs and reducing out-of-wedlock births. Makes applicable appropriations. (Sec. 104) Allows States to contract with charitable, religious, and private organizations to provide services and administer programs established or modified under titles I, II, and VI of this Act. Prohibits the expenditure of financial assistance for sectarian worship, instruction, or proselytization. (Sec. 105) Directs the Secretary of Commerce to expand census data collection efforts to enable the Bureau of the Census to collect statistically significant data on grandparent caregivers. (Sec. 106) Requires an HHS report to the Congress on State automated data processing systems used in administering TANF programs to determine what would be required to establish a system for tracking public program participants and checking case records to determine if they are participating in public programs of two or more States. (Sec. 107) Details requirements for a similar report, and study, on alternative outcomes measures for evaluating the success of the States in moving individuals off welfare through employment. (Sec. 108) Makes applicable conforming amendments to SSA (including SSA title XI with regard to additional grants for Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa), the Food Stamp Act of 1977, and related provisions of other specified Federal laws, as well as to the Internal Revenue Code with regard to the collection of overpayments under the TANF program. (Sec. 111) Directs the Commissioner of Social Security (Commissioner) to: (1) develop a prototype counterfeit-resistant social security card; and (2) study and report to the Congress on improving the social security card application process. (Sec. 112) Requires any organization accepting Federal funds under this title or any amendments made by it to disclose that fact in any communication it makes that in any way intends to promote public support or opposition to any Federal, State, or local government policy through any broadcasting station, periodical, or other specified type of general public advertising. Makes any organization failing to make such a disclosure ineligible to receive Federal funds under this Act. (Sec. 113) Amends the Family Support Act of 1988 to remove the "demonstration" status of the Job Opportunities for Certain Low-Income Individuals (JOLI) program and give it an increased annual authorization. (Sec. 115) Provides for the application of certain former AFDC standards and methodologies under the Medicaid program, such as those for determining income and resources, as well as those under TANF which are current. Title II: Supplemental Security Income - Subtitle A: Eligibility Restrictions - Amends SSA title XVI to: (1) deny SSI by reason of disability to drug addicts and alcoholics for whom addiction or alcoholism would be a contributing factor material to the disability determination; (2) revise representative payee and treatment requirements; (3) suspend SSI benefits for ten years to individuals found to have fraudulently misrepresented residence in order to obtain SSI or other benefits simultaneously in two or more States; (4) deny SSI benefits for fugitive felons and probation and parole violators; and (5) outline the process for periodic review with respect to the continuing eligibility of an individual 18 years of age or older to receive certain SSI disability benefits. (Sec. 204) Revises the treatment afforded prisoners with regard to SSI and Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance (OASDI) benefits to: (1) deny SSI benefits for ten years to a person found to have fraudulently obtained SSI benefits while in prison; (2) eliminate the OASDI requirement that confinement stem from a crime punishable by imprisonment for more than one year; and (3) authorize the Commissioner to contract with any interested State or local institutions used to confine prisoners for monthly reports of certain identifying information in order to enforce SSI and OASDI benefit limitations, and pay such institution a specified fee with regard to each SSI- or OASDI-eligible inmate identified who becomes ineligible for such benefit as a result of such reporting. Requires the Commissioner to study and report to the Congress on other specified potential improvements in the collection of information respecting public inmates. (Sec. 205) Makes certain changes respecting the effective date of applications for SSI benefits. (Sec. 206) Sets out rules governing the installment payment of large past-due amounts of SSI benefits and for the recovery of SSI overpayments from OASDI benefits. Subtitle B: Benefits for Disabled Children - Revises the rules with respect to childhood eligibility, with corresponding changes to childhood SSI regulations modifying the medical criteria for evaluation of mental and emotional disorders, and discontinuing the use of individualized functional assessments for children. Requires the Commissioner to redetermine the eligibility of any individual under age 18 receiving SSI benefits based on a disability as of the enactment of this Act, and whose eligibility for such benefits may terminate by reason of this Act. (Sec. 212) Provides that at least once every three years the Commissioner shall review the continued SSI eligibility of each individual who has not attained age 18 and is eligible for such benefits by reason of an impairment (or combination of impairments) which may improve (or, which is unlikely to improve, at the option of the Commissioner). Requires a parent or guardian of a recipient whose case is so reviewed to present evidence that the recipient is and has been receiving treatment of the condition which was the basis for the SSI benefits. Provides that if an individual is eligible for SSI disability benefits for the month preceding the month in which the individual attains age 18, the Commissioner shall redetermine such eligibility: (1) during the one year period beginning on the individual's 18th birthday; and (2) by applying the criteria used in determining the initial eligibility for applicants who have attained age 18. Outlines specific requirements governing: (1) continuing disability reviews for low birth weight babies; and (2) benefit payments through representative payees to eligible individuals and their spouses. Makes certain appropriations to the HHS Secretary for the conduct of continuing disability reviews. (Sec. 214) Provides for a reduction in cash SSI benefits payable to institutionalized individuals whose medical costs are covered by private insurance. (Sec. 215) Reduces by specified basic needs and earned income disregard allocations the amount of parental income attributed to disabled children while preserving their Medicaid eligibility. (Sec. 216) Outlines a schedule for computing the SSI benefits on a graduated basis depending upon the size of the affected household for each additional eligible blind or disabled child of the same household where one or more eligible blind or disabled children are living, as long as such household is not a group or foster home. Bases the applicable household size upon the number of eligible blind and disabled children in it whose countable income and resources do not exceed applicable limits. Describes the preservation of Medicaid eligibility for affected children. Subtitle C: State Supplementation Programs - Repeals maintenance of effort requirements applicable to optional State programs for supplementation of SSI benefits. Subtitle D: Studies Regarding Supplemental Security Income Program - Requires the Commissioner to report annually to the President and the Congress on the SSI program, and make appropriate arrangements for a study of the OASDI and SSI disability determination processes for any needed changes. (Sec. 233) Outlines the requirements for a General Accounting Office study and report on the impact of this subtitle on the SSI program and on the extra expenses incurred by families of children receiving benefits under such program that are not covered by other Federal, State, or local programs. Subtitle E: National Commission on the Future of Disability - Establishes the National Commission on the Future of Disability to develop and carry out a comprehensive study of all matters related to the nature, purpose, and adequacy of all Federal programs serving individuals with disabilities in order to develop appropriate recommendations for any needed legislation or administrative action. Authorizes appropriations. Title III: Child Support - Subtitle A: Eligibility for Services; Distribution of Payments - Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of SSA title IV to require State plans for child and spousal support to provide: (1) certain services relating to paternity establishment or enforcement of child support obligations; and (2) continuation of services for families ceasing to receive AFDC. (Sec. 302) Revises payment distribution guidelines for support obligations collected by the State on behalf of a family. (Sec. 303) Requires State plans to establish procedural guidelines for: (1) privacy safeguards regarding paternity and child support actions; and (2) notification of State plan services applicants or recipients about all proceedings and orders affecting child support obligations. Subtitle B: Locate and Case Tracking - Mandates that single statewide automated data systems include a State case registry containing records of: (1) each case in which services are provided by the State agency; and (2) each support order established on or after a specified date. Permits the linking of local registries. (Sec. 312) Requires State plans to include a centralized, automated unit for the collection and disbursement of support payments. Permits the unit to be established by linking local disbursement units through an automated information network if the Secretary agrees that it will not cost more or take more time to establish or operate than a centralized system. (Sec. 313) Requires State plans to: (1) provide for a State-operated and automated State Directory of New Hires containing prescribed information furnished by employers on new personnel; and (2) transmit such information to the National Directory of New Hires. (Sec. 314) Requires States to have statutorily prescribed procedures: (1) for mandatory income withholding for support payments subject to enforcement; and (2) under which wages of a person with a support obligation imposed by a child support order issued before October 1, 1996, shall become subject to withholding if arrearages occur, without the need for a judicial or administrative hearing. Revises the procedural guidelines for income withholding for child support enforcement. (Sec. 315) Requires the States to have statutorily prescribed procedures to ensure that Federal and State agencies conducting income-withholding activities have access to State locator systems for motor vehicle or law enforcement purposes. (Sec. 316) Revises the Federal Parent Locator Service to provide for additional information which may be transmitted to locate individuals and assets for purposes of: (1) establishing parentage; (2) establishing, setting the amount of, modifying, or enforcing child support obligations; and (3) enforcing child custody or visitation orders. Directs the HHS Secretary to establish in the Federal Parent Locator Service an automated Federal Case Registry of Child Support Orders and an automated National Directory of New Hires. (Sec. 317) Requires States to have statutorily prescribed procedures requiring recordation on such documents of the Social Security number of: (1) specified driver's, marriage, and occupational, and professional license applicants; (2) individuals subject to certain domestic relations orders; and (3) deceased individuals (on death records). Subtitle C: Streamlining and Uniformity of Procedures - Requires each State to have the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act in effect as of January 1, 1998. Amends the Federal judicial code to revise the procedures for the court to apply when determining which State order to recognize for purposes of continuing, exclusive jurisdiction and enforcement for child support orders. (Sec. 323) Requires the States to have statutorily prescribed procedures requiring: (1) expedited administrative enforcement in interstate cases and support orders; and (2) expedited administrative and judicial procedures for establishing paternity and enforcing support obligations. Subtitle D: Paternity Establishment - Revises the guidelines for State laws governing paternity establishment. Requires State procedures under which the name of the father shall be included on the birth certificate only: (1) if the mother and father have signed a voluntary acknowledgement of paternity; or (2) pursuant to a judicial or administrative order. (Sec. 333) Requires State plans for child and spousal support to provide that the State agency administering the plan will make a determination as to whether a program recipient is cooperating in good faith with State efforts to establish paternity and secure support. Subtitle E: Program Administration and Funding - Directs the Secretary to develop a new incentive system to replace the current one. Revises the guidelines for Federal performance-based incentive payments to the States for effective child support enforcement programs. (Sec. 342) Requires a State plan for child and spousal support to include prescribed procedures for State reviews and audits. Revises the guidelines for Federal evaluation and audit of State programs governing paternity, child and spousal support, and parent location. (Sec. 344) Revises the automated data processing requirements for State plans to mandate a single statewide automated data processing and information retrieval system which can perform specified tasks. (Sec. 345) Makes funds available to the Secretary for: (1) training of Federal and State staff, research and demonstration programs, and special projects of regional and national significance; and (2) operation of the Federal Parent Locator Service. Subtitle F: Establishment and Modification of Support Orders - Revises the requirements for State plan procedures for the review and adjustment of support orders. (Sec. 352) Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to authorize a consumer agency to furnish a consumer report: (1) in response to a request by a governmental child support enforcement agency; or (2) to the State administrative agency which sets child support awards. (Sec. 353) Shields a depository institution from Federal or State liability for disclosing any financial record of an individual to a State child support enforcement agency. Prohibits such agency from disclosing such a financial record except for the purpose of, and to the extent necessary in, establishing, modifying, or enforcing a child support obligation. Sets forth civil penalties for any person knowingly or negligently violating such prohibition. Subtitle G: Enforcement of Support Orders - Amends Internal Revenue Code procedural guidelines for the collection of arrearages to provide that no additional fee may be assessed for adjustments to a previously certified amount. (Sec. 362) Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of SSA title IV to revise procedural guidelines for: (1) consent by the United States to income withholding, garnishment, and similar proceedings for enforcement of child support and alimony obligations of current and retired Federal employees; and (2) enforcement of child support obligations of members of the Armed Forces. (Sec. 364) Requires a State plan for child and spousal support to have in effect the Uniform Fraudulent Conveyance Act of 1981, the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act of 1984, or a similar law, as well as certain procedures governing the voiding of fraudulent transfers by a child support debtor. (Sec. 365) Requires a State plan for child and spousal support to include specified procedures: (1) to ensure that persons owing past-due support work or participate in work activities the court deems appropriate; (2) to report to credit bureaus the name of the parent in arrears for child support; (3) to provide for liens against real and personal property for the support arrearages of an absent parent; and (4) to implement the restriction of driver's, professional, occupational, and recreational licenses of individuals owing support arrearages. (Sec. 370) Instructs the Secretary of State to deny a passport to any individual certified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to be in arrears of more than $5,000 for child support payments. Authorizes revocation, restriction or limitation of a previously issued passport in connection with such individuals. (Sec. 371) Authorizes the Secretary of State, with the concurrence of the HHS Secretary, to declare any foreign country a reciprocating country if it has established, or undertakes to establish, procedures for the establishment and enforcement of child support obligations whose obligees are U.S. citizens. Provides for revocation of such declaration in certain circumstances. Designates the HHS Secretary as the central authority for such enforcement. (Sec. 372) Requires States to have statutorily prescribed procedures under which a State agency shall enter agreements with financial institutions doing business within the State to develop and operate a data match system to provide identifying information for each noncustodial parent targeted by the State who maintains an account at the institution, and to encumber or surrender such parent's assets at the institution pursuant to a lien or levy. (Sec. 373) Requires States to have statutorily prescribed procedures under which child support orders relating to the child of minor parents, where the custodial parents are receiving assistance, are enforceable against the child's paternal or maternal grandparents. (Sec. 374) Amends Federal bankruptcy law to make nondischargeable in bankruptcy any debts owed to a State or municipality for child support. Subtitle H: Medical Support - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to include within the definition of medical child support order an order issued through a State administrative process. (Sec. 377) Amends SSA title IV part D to mandate statutorily prescribed procedures under which all enforced child support orders shall include a provision for the health care coverage of the child. Subtitle I: Enhancing Responsibility and Opportunity for NonResidential Parents - Amends part D of SSA title IV to prescribe guidelines under which the Administration for Children and Families shall make grants to enable States to establish and administer access and visitation programs to facilitate noncustodial parents' access to their children. Subtitle J: Effect of Enactment - Sets forth effective dates for this title. Title IV: Restricting Welfare and Public Benefits for Aliens - Subtitle A: Eligibility for Federal Benefits - Denies Federal public benefits (except certain emergency disaster relief, public health, housing, and child nutrition benefits) to non-qualified aliens. (Sec. 402) Denies SSI and stamp eligibility to all but certain qualified aliens, who may receive only limited benefits. (Sec. 403) Makes qualified aliens ineligible (with limited exceptions) for Federal means-tested public benefits for the first five years after U.S. entry. Amends SSA and the United States Housing Act of 1937 to provide for reporting of certain illegal alien information to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). Subtitle B: Eligibility for State and Local Public Benefits Programs - Makes an alien who is not a qualified alien, a nonimmigrant, or a parolee for less than one year ineligible for State or local benefits (except certain emergency disaster relief, public health, housing, and child nutrition benefits). (Sec. 412) Authorizes States, with certain exceptions, to determine eligibility for State means-tested public benefits for qualified aliens, nonimmigrants, or certain parolees. Subtitle C: Attribution of Income and Affidavits of Support - Deems the income and resources of any alien over age 18 (who is not pregnant) applying for Medicaid and SSA title XXI benefits to include: (1) the income and resources of any person who executed an affidavit of support on the alien's behalf; and (2) the income and resources of the person's spouse (if any). (Sec. 422) Authorizes States to make similar attributions with respect to State programs (except certain emergency disaster relief, public health, housing, and child nutrition benefits). (Sec. 423) Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to prescribe requirements for a sponsor's affidavit of support. Requires a sponsor to reimburse the appropriate Federal, State, or local agency for any means-tested public benefits a sponsored alien receives. (Sec. 424) Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require a sponsor's endorsement of and cosignature on any student loan for a permanent resident alien. Subtitle D: General Provisions - Sets forth definitions and requires appropriate regulations by the Attorney General for State use. Subtitle E: Conforming Amendments - Makes conforming amendments to the Housing and Community Development Act of 1980 and the Housing Act of 1949. Title V: Reductions in Federal Government Positions - Outlines the mechanism for various specified Federal executive agency workforce reductions, requiring submission to specified congressional committees of determinations about the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) positions of their respective departments by the Secretaries of Agriculture, of Education, of Labor, of Housing and Urban Development, and of HHS. Requires the Secretaries to make FTE reductions, including reductions-in-force, over the ensuing 14 months. Requires the Comptroller General to analyze and report to such committees on such determinations, with recommendations for further FTE reductions, if appropriate. (Sec. 502) Requires the HHS Secretary to reduce the Federal workforce within HHS: (1) by 75 percent of the FTE positions relating to any direct or indirect discretionary spending program converted into a block grant program by this Act (including 245 FTE positions related to the program converted into TEA block grants); and (2) by 75 percent of a proportionate number of the total FTE departmental management positions (including 60 FTE managerial positions related to the program converted into TEA block grants). (Sec. 503) Encourages the HHS Secretary to reduce personnel in the Washington, D.C., area office (agency headquarters) before reducing field personnel. Title VI: Reform of Public Housing - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to prohibit increased housing assistance (except instances of limited-time frame benefits) to a family whose benefits under other public assistance programs have been reduced because of noncompliance. (Sec. 602) States that a person whose benefits under a means-tested welfare or public assistance program have been reduced because of fraud shall not, during such reduction period, receive an income-based increase in any other means-tested assistance program. Title VII: Child Care - Child Care and Development Block Grant Amendments of 1995 (sic) - Amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to authorize appropriations for FY 1996 through 2002. (Sec. 703) Amends SSA title IV part A (TANF) to establish a general child care assistance entitlement program funded by Federal grants to the States. Authorizes appropriations. Prescribes program parameters. (Sec. 708) Repeals the program requirement for early childhood development and before- and after-school services. Revises enforcement guidelines to require a State to reimburse the Secretary for funds improperly expended on prohibited or non-authorized purposes. (Sec. 712) Revises the Secretary's congressional reporting requirements to mandate biannual reports to the House Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities. (Sec. 713) Authorizes an Indian tribe or tribal organization to use Federal funds for the construction or renovation of child care facilities. (Sec. 715) Repeals the Child Development Associate Scholarship Assistance Act of 1985 and the State Dependent Care Development Grants Act. Repeals funding authority for certain programs of national significance, involving: (1) child care for children of at-risk students; (2) alternative programs for bilingual and special education students; and (3) rural child care centers for student parents and their children. Repeals funding authority for Native Hawaiian Family-based Education Centers. Title VIII: Child Nutrition Programs - Subtitle A: National School Lunch Act - Amends the National School Lunch Act (NSLA) to repeal specified authorities and requirements for the school lunch and related programs, including: (1) State educational authority to use resources from the nutrition and education (NET) program; (2) prohibition of State imposition of teaching personnel and curriculum requirements at any school; (3) certain demonstration grants to private nonprofit organizations or educational institutions for elementary school curriculum food and nutrition projects; (4) aspects of summer food service programs, reducing payment rates and daily meals at camps, reducing the National Youth Sports Program, and revising nutritional standards compliance requirements; (5) certain commodity distribution program requirements, including State Advisory Councils; (6) expansion of the child care food program; (7) adult care food aid to adult day care centers and services for persons over 60; (8) certain pilot projects, including one for paperwork reduction; and (9) an information clearinghouse. (Sec. 807) Prohibits, in general, any waiver that will increase Federal costs. (Sec. 810) Provides for grants for State assistance to family or group day care homes. Repeals the requirement that an institution participating in the child care program receive compensation for at least 25 percent of its enrolled children or 25 percent of its licensed capacity, whichever is less. Directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and of Health and Human Services to study and report to specified congressional committees on the impact of this title on adult food care program participation and family day care licensing. Subtitle B: Child Nutrition Act of 1966 - Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to revise the school breakfast program: (1) eliminating Federal assistance for food preparation training and program expansion and start-up costs; (2) repealing certain authorities and requirements relating to State administrative expenses; (3) repealing the prohibition against State imposition of teaching personnel and curriculum requirements at any school; and (4) repealing the program of cash grants for nutrition education. (Sec. 830) Revises the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children (WIC), among other things repealing specified requirements and changing from mandatory to optional: (1) drug abuse education; and (2) provision of WIC information in languages other than English. Makes the Nutrition and Education program discretionary rather than mandatory. Authorizes appropriations. Title IX: Food Stamp Program and Related Programs - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (Act) to establish a maximum 24-month food stamp program (program) authorization period for households whose adult members are elderly or disabled. (Sec. 902) Expands the definition of "coupon." (Sec. 903) Treats children who are themselves parents living with their children and married children living with their spouses as part of an existing household rather than as a separate household. (Sec. 904) Revises thrifty food plan adjustment requirements. (Sec. 905) Revises the definition of "homeless individual" to limit the length of time a person may temporarily live in another person's residence. (Sec. 906) Excludes from household income or resources: (1) certain job training income; (2) life insurance cash value; and (3) excluded AFDC income. Increases standard deductions. (Sec. 908) Eliminates specified excludable auto value increases and establishes the maximum excludable auto value at $4600. (Sec. 909) Includes as household income third party payments for transitional housing for the homeless. (Sec. 910) Increases penalties for certain program violations. (Sec. 911) Disqualifies permanently an individual convicted of specified coupon violations. (Sec. 912) Revises work requirement and employment and training provisions. Extends employment and training funding authorizations. (Sec. 915) Authorizes comparable program disqualification based upon means-tested public assistance disqualification. (Sec. 916) Disqualifies for ten years an individual who participates in the program in two or more States. (Sec. 917) Disqualifies a fleeing felon from program participation. (Sec. 918) Requires at State option: (1) cooperation with child support agencies in order to maintain program eligibility; and (2) program disqualification for child support arrears. (Sec. 920) Defines "work program." Makes nonexempt persons ineligible for program benefits if during the preceding 12-month period they received food stamps for not less than six months without working at least 20 hours per week, or participating in a workfare program. Sets forth exempted persons and situations. (Sec. 921) Directs States to implement electronic benefit transfer systems. (Sec. 922) Eliminates annual minimum allotment adjustments. (Sec. 924) Authorizes a combined allotment for expedited households. (Sec. 925) Authorizes program reductions for failure to comply with a means-tested public assistance reduction requirement. (Sec. 926) Authorizes program assistance for households residing in a homeless shelter or drug or alcohol treatment center. (Sec. 927) Authorizes the Secretary to establish authorization periods for retail food stores and wholesale food concerns (stores) to redeem food stamps. (Sec. 928) Authorizes the Secretary to establish a ineligibility period for a store's lack of business integrity. (Sec. 929) Includes income and sales tax information among the types of eligibility verification information that may be requested. (Sec. 930) Establishes a six-month reapplication waiting period for a store that does not meet participation requirements. (Sec. 931) Revises: (1) food stamp office operating provisions; and (2) expedited coupon service requirements. (Sec. 933) Provides for the exchange of information with law enforcement or Immigration and Naturalization Service personnel. (Sec. 935) Authorizes a family to withdraw a fair hearing request. (Sec. 938) Authorizes suspension of a store pending administrative and judicial review. (States that the Secretary shall not be liable for lost sales during such period.) (Sec. 939) Provides for disqualification of a store: (1) that knowingly submits a falsified application; and (2) that is disqualified from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). (Sec. 941) Establishes criminal forfeiture penalties for specified program violations. (Sec. 942) Amends the Social Security Act and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to expand authority for sharing retailer-provided information with State entities. (Sec. 943) Terminates Federal matching requirements for program recruitment activities. (Sec. 944) Revises overissuance collection provisions. (Sec. 947) Authorizes appropriations for program operations. (Sec. 948) Authorizes States to carry out a Simplified Food Stamp Program in lieu of existing program requirements. Sets forth program provisions. (Sec. 949) Amends the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to combine the emergency food assistance program with the soup kitchen- food bank program. (Sec. 950) Amends the Charitable Assistance and Food Bank Act of 1987 to repeal the food bank demonstration project. Title X: Miscellaneous - Requires that any funds received by a State under the TANF, food stamp, or child care block grant program be expended consistent with the laws and procedures applicable to expenditures of the State's own revenues and program terms and conditions. (Sec. 1002) Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to eliminate housing assistance for fugitive felons and probation and parole violators, and provide for the exchange, upon request, of certain housing information about such individuals with law enforcement agencies. (Sec. 1003) Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the Congress should adopt enterprise zone legislation in the 104th Congress that provides for specified incentives and reforms; (2) States should diligently continue their efforts to enforce child support payments by the non-custodial parent to the custodial parent, regardless of the former's employment status or location; (3) States are encouraged to pursue pilot programs in which the parents of a non-adult, non-custodial parent who refuses to or is unable to pay child support must pay or contribute to the child support owed by the non-custodial parent or otherwise fulfill all financial obligations and meet all conditions imposed on the non-custodial parent, such as participation in a work program or other related activity; and (4) States and local jurisdictions should aggressively enforce statutory rape laws. (Sec. 1005) Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to modify the eligibility disqualifications for aliens to give State agencies the option of considering either all income and financial resources of the individual rendered ineligible to participate in the food stamp program, or such income, less a pro rata share, and the financial resources of the ineligible individual, to determine the eligibility and the value of the allotment of the household of which such individual is a member. (Sec. 1006) Directs the HHS Secretary to establish a strategy for: (1) preventing out-of-wedlock teenage pregnancies; and (2) assuring that at least 25 percent of U.S. communities have teenage pregnancy prevention programs in place. (Sec. 1008) Provides that States shall not be prohibited by the Federal Government from sanctioning welfare recipients who test positive for the use of controlled substances. (Sec. 1009) Amends SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) to authorize appropriations for grants, contracts, and other assistance for sexual abstinence education. (Sec. 1010) Amends the Electronic Fund Transfer Act with respect to encouraging electronic benefit transfer systems for the distribution of needs-tested benefits by government agencies to recipients' electronic accounts. (Sec. 1011) Amends SSA title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) to provide for a reduction in block grants to States for social services. (Sec. 1012) Encourages the HHS Secretary to work in coordination with State agencies to ensure that Federal transportation funds that may be used for TANF recipients are most efficiently used for such purpose. (Sec. 1013) Provides for an enhanced Federal match for child welfare automation expenses under SSA title IV part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance). Subtitle B: Earned Income Tax Credit - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny the earned income tax credit, personal exemptions, and other benefits to individuals who fail to provide their taxpayer identification numbers (i.e. social security numbers) on their tax returns. (Sec. 1022) Amends Internal Revenue Code rules for denial of earned income credit for individuals having excessive investment income to: (1) reduce from $2,350 to $2,200 the disqualified income threshold; (2) revise the adjustment for inflation; (3) make disqualified income (and therefore a basis for denial of credit) any capital gain net income and any aggregate gains from all passive activities; and (4) modify adjusted gross income for the earned income credit to exclude specified capital, trust and estate, and business net losses. (Sec. 1024) Requires notice of availability of the earned income tax credit to applicants and former recipients of TANF, food stamp, and Medicaid assistance. (Sec. 1025) Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 to require inclusion on W-4 forms of a notice of the availability of the earned income tax credit and dependent care tax credit. (Sec. 1026) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the advance payment to a participating resident of the earned income tax credit by a responsible State agency, in lieu of advance payments from an employer, through a State Advance Payment Program. Authorizes appropriations.
Bill· HRH.R. 3829 (104th)open
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Committee on Agriculture Subtitle A: Food Stamp Program Subtitle B: Commodity Distribution Programs Subtitle C: Electronic Benefit Transfer Systems Title II: Committee on Commerce Subtitle A: Involvement of Commerce Committee in Federal Government Position Reductions Subtitle B: Restricting Public Benefits for Aliens Subtitle C: Energy Assistance Subtitle D: Abstinence Education Title III: Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities Subtitle A: Child Care Subtitle B: Child Nutrition Programs Subtitle C: Related Provisions Title IV: Committee on Ways and Means Subtitle A: Block Grants for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Subtitle B: Supplemental Security Income Subtitle C: Child Support Subtitle D: Restricting Welfare and Public Benefits for Aliens Subtitle E: Reform of Public Housing Subtitle F: Child Protection Block Grant Program and Foster Care, Adoption Assistance, and Independent Living Programs Subtitle G: Reductions in Federal Government Positions Subtitle H: Miscellaneous Welfare Reform Reconciliation Act of 1996 - Title I: Committee on Agriculture - Food Stamp Reform and Commodity Distribution Act of 1996 - Subtitle A: Food Stamp Program - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (Act) to establish a maximum 24-month food stamp program (program) authorization period for households whose adult members are elderly or disabled. (Sec. 1012) Expands the definition of "coupon." (Sec. 1013) Treats children who are themselves parents living with their children and married children living with their spouses as part of an existing household rather than as a separate household. (Sec. 1014) Authorizes States to establish additional criteria for separate household determinations. (Sec. 1015) Revises thrifty food plan adjustment requirements. (Sec. 1016) Revises the definition of "homeless individual" to limit the length of time a person may temporarily live in another person's residence. (Sec. 1018) Revises household income exclusion provisions regarding: (1) students; and (2) Federal energy assistance. (Sec. 1020) Revises household income deduction provisions regarding: (1) standard deductions; (2) earned income; (3) dependent care; (4) child support payments; (5) homeless shelter assistance; (6) excess medical expenses; and (7) excess shelter expenses. (Sec. 1021) Eliminates specified excludable auto value increases and establishes the maximum excludable auto value at $4600. (Sec. 1022) Includes as household income third party payments for transitional housing for the homeless. (Sec. 1023) Increases penalties for certain program violations. (Sec. 1024) Disqualifies permanently an individual convicted of specified coupon violations. (Sec. 1025) Revises work requirement and employment and training provisions. Extends employment and training funding authorizations. (Sec. 1028) Authorizes comparable program disqualification based upon means-tested public assistance disqualification. (Sec. 1029) Disqualifies for ten years an individual who participates in the program in two or more States. (Sec. 1030) Disqualifies a fleeing felon from program participation. (Sec. 1031) Requires at State option: (1) cooperation with child support agencies in order to maintain program eligibility; and (2) program disqualification for child support arrears. (Sec. 1033) Defines "work program." Makes nonexempt persons ineligible for program benefits if during the preceding 12-month period they received food stamps for four months or more without working at least 20 hours per week, or participating in a workfare program. Sets forth exempted persons and situations. (Sec. 1034) Directs States to implement electronic benefit transfer systems. (Sec. 1035) Eliminates annual minimum allotment adjustments. (Sec. 1037) Authorizes a combined allotment for expedited households. (Sec. 1038) Authorizes program reductions for failure to comply with a means-tested public assistance reduction requirement. (Sec. 1039) Authorizes program assistance for households residing in a homeless shelter or drug or alcohol treatment center. (Sec. 1040) Provides that no food store or wholesale food concern be approved for program participation without a prior visit by a Department of Agriculture employee or designated State or local official. (Sec. 1041) Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to establish authorization periods for retail food stores and wholesale food concerns to redeem food stamps or benefits through an electronic benefit transfer system. (Sec. 1042) Includes income and sales tax information among the types of eligibility verification information that may be requested. (Sec. 1043) Establishes a six-month reapplication waiting period for a store that does not meet participation requirements. (Sec. 1044) Revises: (1) food stamp office operating provisions; and (2) expedited coupon service requirements. (Sec. 1045) Eliminates certain certification personnel training requirements. (Sec. 1046) Provides for the exchange of information with law enforcement or Immigration and Naturalization Service personnel. (Sec. 1048) Authorizes a family to withdraw a fair hearing request. (Sec. 1049) Permits States to use income, and immigration eligibility verification systems other than a specified system under the Social Security Act (SSA). (Sec. 1050) Provides for disqualification of a store: (1) that knowingly submits a falsified application; and (2) that is disqualified from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). (Sec. 1052) Directs program overissuances to be collected by: (1) allotment reduction; (2) unemployment compensation withholding; or (3) Federal pay or Federal income tax refund recovery. (Sec. 1053) Authorizes suspension of a store pending administrative and judicial review. (States that the Secretary shall not be liable for lost sales during such period.) (Sec. 1054) Establishes criminal forfeiture penalties for specified program violations. (Sec. 1055) Terminates Federal matching requirements for program recruitment activities. (Sec. 1057) Authorizes States to use funds otherwise available to a participating household for a work supplementation or support program. Sets forth program provisions. (Sec. 1058) Authorizes waiver of program requirements as necessary to conduct related pilot projects. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1060) Authorizes States to carry out private sector employment initiatives. Sets forth program provisions. (Sec. 1061) Authorizes appropriations for program operations. (Sec. 1062) Authorizes States to carry out a Simplified Food Stamp Program in lieu of existing program requirements. Sets forth program provisions. (Sec. 1063) Establishes an optional State food assistance block grant program in lieu of the food stamp program. Sets forth program provisions. (Sec. 1064) Directs the Secretary to conduct a study of the use of food stamps for vitamin and mineral purchases. (Sec. 1066) Authorizes States to consider all or part of the income and financial resources of a person rendered ineligible for program participation in determining the eligibility of such person's household. (Sec. 1068) Expresses the sense of the House Committee on Agriculture that reductions in outlays resulting from this title shall not be considered for certain budget reduction purposes under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act). Subtitle B: Commodity Distribution Programs - Amends the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to combine the emergency food assistance program with the soup kitchen-food bank program. Amends the Act to direct the Secretary to purchase commodities for such combined programs. (Sec. 1072) Amends the Charitable Assistance and Food Bank Act of 1987 to repeal the food bank demonstration project. (Sec. 1073) Makes conforming and technical amendments to the Hunger Prevention Act of 1988 and the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990. Subtitle C: Electronic Benefit Transfer Systems - Amends the Electronic Fund Transfer Act to exempt (with exceptions) State and local government electronic benefit transfer systems from specified provisions of such Act. Title II: Committee on Commerce - Subtitle A: Involvement of Commerce Committee in Federal Government Position Reductions - Deems that any provision of law with respect to consultation with a relevant committee of Congress on reductions in Federal Government positions refers to the Committee on Commerce of the House of Representatives, to the extent that the matter falls within such Committee's jurisdiction. Subtitle B: Restricting Public Benefits for Aliens - Denies Federal public benefits (except certain emergency medical services and public health assistance) to non-qualified aliens. (Sec. 2102) Makes qualified aliens ineligible (with limited exceptions) for Federal means-tested public benefits for the first five years after U.S. entry. (Sec. 2112) Requires the Attorney General to promulgate regulations requiring verification that an applicant for a restricted Federal public benefit is a qualified alien eligible to receive it. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle C: Energy Assistance - Amends the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 to repeal certain deeming requirements with respect to home energy assistance payments not considered household income for purposes of the excess shelter expense deduction under the food stamp program. Subtitle D: Abstinence Education - Amends SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant) to increase the authorization of appropriations to enable each State to provide sexual abstinence education focused on those groups most likely to bear children out-of- wedlock. Title III: Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities - Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 - Subtitle A: Child Care - Child Care and Development Block Grant Amendments of 1996 - Revises and extends through FY 2002 the authorization of appropriations for the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (the Act, for purposes of this title). Sets forth goals for State child care assistance. (Sec. 3103) Amends SSA title IV part A (formerly Aid to Families With Dependent Children (AFDC), but replaced by this Act with Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)) to entitle each State to payments for providing child care assistance. (Sec. 3105) Revises State application and plan requirements with respect to consumer education information, State licensing compliance, meeting the needs of TANF recipients (especially those attempting through work activities to leave the assistance program) and those at risk of becoming dependent on assistance, and assistance for certain low-income working families. (Sec. 3107) Reduces from 20 percent to four percent the minimum amount of certain funds available for State activities to improve the quality of child care, limited to: (1) comprehensive consumer education to parents and the public; (2) activities increasing parental choice; and (3) activities designed to improve child care quality and availability. (Sec. 3108) Repeals a requirement that States expend a specified minimum amount of reserved funds for early childhood development and before- and after-school services. (Sec. 3113) Reduces the allotment reserved for Indian tribes or tribal organizations from three percent to one percent. Prescribes guidelines for the use of such allotment for facility repair and construction. (Sec. 3115) Repeals: (1) the Child Development Associate Scholarship Assistance Act of 1985; (2) the State Dependent Care Development Grants Act; (3) specified programs under title X (Programs of National Significance) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; (4) the Native Hawaiian Family-based Education Centers program under the Native Hawaiian Education Act; and (5) the AFDC and Transitional Child Care programs and the At-Risk Child Care program under SSA title IV. Subtitle B: Child Nutrition Programs - Amends the National School Lunch Act (NSLA) to repeal specified authorities and requirements for the school lunch and related programs, including: (1) State educational authority to use resources from the nutrition and education (NET) program; (2) prohibition of State imposition of teaching personnel and curriculum requirements at any school; (3) certain demonstration grants to private nonprofit organizations or educational institutions for elementary school curriculum food and nutrition projects; (4) aspects of summer food service programs, reducing payment rates and daily meals at camps, reducing the National Youth Sports Program, and revising nutritional standards compliance requirements; (5) certain commodity distribution program requirements, including State Advisory Councils; (6) expansion of the child care food program; (7) adult care food aid to adult day care centers and services for persons over 60; (8) certain pilot projects, including one for paperwork reduction; and (9) an information clearinghouse. (Sec. 3201) Includes in the definition of child any individual with one or more mental or physical disabilities, regardless of age, who attends a specified type of institution, or any nonresidential public or nonprofit private school of high school grade or under, in order to participate in a school program for such individuals. (Sec. 3202) Revises nutritional and other program requirements. (Sec. 3205) Prohibits, in general, any waiver that will increase Federal costs. (Sec. 3221) Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (CNA) to revise the school breakfast program: (1) eliminating Federal assistance for food preparation training and program expansion and start-up costs; (2) repealing certain authorities and requirements relating to State administrative expenses (SAE); (3) repealing the prohibition against State imposition of teaching personnel and curriculum requirements at any school; and (4) repealing the program of cash grants for nutrition education. (Sec. 3229) Revises the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children (WIC), among other things repealing specified requirements and changing from mandatory to optional: (1) drug abuse education; and (2) provision of WIC information in languages other than English. (Sec. 3231) Makes the Nutrition and Education program discretionary rather than mandatory. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 3241) Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to develop proposed changes to the regulations under the school lunch program and the summer food service program under NSLA and the school breakfast program under CNA, to simplify and coordinate those programs into a comprehensive meal program. Subtitle C: Related Provisions - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to produce and publish specified types of data relating to the incidence of poverty in the United States at least every two years. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 3302) Expresses the sense of the Congress that this title, and the amendments it makes, should not result in an increase in the number of children who are hungry, homeless, poor, or medically uninsured. (Sec. 3303) Requires the Congress, in the event that an increase does result by the end of the FY 1997, to: (1) revisit the provisions and amendments of this title which caused such increase; and (2) as soon as practicable thereafter, pass legislation that stops the continuation of such increase. Title IV: Committee on Ways and Means - Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 (sic) - Subtitle A: Block Grants for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families - Expresses the sense of the Congress that prevention of out-of-wedlock pregnancy and reduction in out-of-wedlock births are important Government interests. (Sec. 4103) Replaces the current Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA), as well as the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training (JOBS) Program under part F of that title, with a single, combined program of block grants to the States for operating statewide temporary assistance (TANF) programs with certain mandatory work, education, and job preparation requirements for needy families either already with or expecting a child, which are designed to assist such families in becoming self-sufficient. Limits such families generally to no more than five years of TANF cash assistance, with certain exceptions for minor children, battered family members, and hardship situations. Requires that families include either a minor child who resides with a custodial parent or other adult caretaker relative or a pregnant individual in order to receive TANF assistance. Prohibits additional cash TANF assistance for children born into families already on TANF assistance (with certain exceptions for: (1) children born into families with no other children; (2) vouchers provided in lieu of cash benefits that are only good for particular goods and services suitable for child care; and (3) children born as a result of rape or incest), unless the particular State exempts itself from such prohibition. Denies TANF assistance in cases where an individual family member is a fugitive felon or a probation or parole violator, and in certain other specified situations as well. Requires States receiving TANF grants to ensure that, if any individual or family becomes ineligible to receive TANF cash assistance as a result of the collection or increased collection of child or spousal support under SSA title IV part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity), having received such assistance in at least three of the six months immediately preceding the month in which such ineligibility begins, the individual or each individual family member shall be eligible for Medicaid assistance for a four month period. Requires States receiving TANF grants to ensure that: (1) certain other families becoming ineligible for TANF cash assistance due to increased earnings from employment receive Medicaid assistance during the immediately succeeding 12-month period; and (2) individuals who would be eligible for cash assistance under the State's SSA title IV part A (AFDC) plan if such plan were still in effect are eligible for medical assistance under the State's Medicaid program. Requires the State agency responsible for administering the State's TANF program to make an initial assessment of the skills, prior work experience, and employability of each TANF recipient who has attained 18 years of age or not completed high school. Authorizes the State agency to develop an individual responsibility plan in consultation with the individual outlining his or her obligations and the services the State intends to provide for the individual to attain self-sufficiency. Allows States receiving TANF grants used to provide assistance for any individual who is receiving benefits, or on behalf of whom benefits are paid, under a State old-age, foster care, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) plan to disregard such assistance payment in determining the amount of TANF assistance to be provided under the State TANF program to the family of which the individual is a member. Requires, in addition, certain adult-supervised living arrangements for unmarried teenage parents. Provides for the exchange of certain TANF program information with law enforcement agencies under specified conditions. Establishes penalties for States and individual families for specified grant and program violations, through reduced grants and assistance payments, respectively, allowing States to terminate such payments to certain adult family members who refuse to: (1) engage in work, educational, or job preparation activities (required program activities); or (2) cooperate with the State in establishing paternity or obtaining child support unless the member qualifies for a good cause or other exception. Provides for a separate reduction in State family assistance grant payments for States failing to comply with Federal requirements under SSA title IV part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) pertaining to paternity establishment and child support enforcement. Sets forth the mechanism for State appeal of Federal adverse decisions with respect to State plans or imposition of penalties, providing for advance notification of any program violation and the opportunity for a State to correct it before any such penalty is imposed. Limits the amount of any penalty reduction in the State's quarterly family assistance grant payment. Expresses the sense of the Congress that State TANF programs should: (1) assign the highest priority to requiring adults in two-parent families and in single-parent families with older preschool or school-age children to be engaged in required program activities; and (2) require noncustodial, nonsupporting parents under age 18 to fulfill community work obligations and attend appropriate parenting or money management classes after school. Specifies State TANF plan contents, including certain certifications by the State that it will operate child support enforcement and protection programs, in order for it to be eligible (according to certain other criteria as well) to receive Federal grants for its TANF programs (family assistance grants). Allows the States to decide in their TANF plans: (1) whether or not they intend on providing TANF assistance to aliens; and (2) how to treat families moving interstate. Provides for: (1) the allowable uses of quarterly family assistance grants, including for family planning services and assistance to low income households in meeting home heating and cooling costs (but prohibits grant use for medical services generally); (2) additional grants to States as rewards for reductions in illegitimate births and for high performance under the TANF program, as well as supplemental grants to certain States for population increases; and (3) a Contingency Fund for State Welfare Programs (Contingency Fund) in the Treasury for payments to certain eligible States. Provides for supplemental grants for required program activities. Makes applicable appropriations for such grants and the Contingency Fund. Sets up a Federal loan program for State TANF programs for anti-fraud and other specified activities, making necessary appropriations. Outlines specific program data collection and reporting requirements, as well as certain research, evaluation, and study requirements. Makes applicable appropriations. Provides for direct funding, by way of three-year tribal family assistance grants, to Indian tribes (with a special rule for Indian tribes in Alaska) with approved tribal family assistance plans. Authorizes the Secretary of HHS to implement and evaluate demonstrations of innovative and promising strategies which: (1) provide one-time capital funds to establish, expand, or replicate programs; (2) test performance-based grant-to-loan financing in which programs meeting performance targets receive grants while programs not meeting such targets repay funding on a prorated basis; and (3) test strategies in multiple States and types of communities. Directs the Bureau of the Census to expand the Survey of Income and Program Participation to obtain information that will enable interested persons to evaluate the impact of the changes made by this title on a random national sample of recipients of assistance under State programs. Provides for the treatment of existing State AFDC (welfare reform) waivers in effect on the enactment of this Act and those granted subsequently. Retains the HHS Assistant Secretary for Family Support as the official responsible for administering TANF programs. Eliminates certain child care programs under SSA title IV part A, including the at-risk child care program. (Sec. 4104) Allows States to contract with charitable, religious, and private organizations to provide services and administer programs established or modified under titles I, II, and VI of this Act. Prohibits the expenditure of financial assistance for sectarian worship, instruction, or proselytization. (Sec. 4105) Directs the Secretary of Commerce to expand census data collection efforts to enable the Bureau of the Census to collect statistically significant data on grandparent caregivers. (Sec. 4106) Requires an HHS report to the Congress on State automated data processing systems used in administering TANF programs to determine what would be required to establish a system for tracking public program participants and checking case records to determine if such participants are participating in public programs of two or more States. (Sec. 4107) Details requirements for a similar report on alternative outcomes measures for evaluating the success of the States in moving individuals off welfare through employment. (Sec. 4108) Makes conforming amendments to SSA, the Food Stamp Act of 1977, and related provisions of other specified Federal laws. (Sec. 4111) Directs the Commissioner of Social Security (Commissioner) to: (1) develop a prototype counterfeit-resistant social security card; and (2) study and report to the Congress on improving the social security card application process. (Sec. 4112) Requires any organization accepting Federal funds under this title or any amendments made by it (other than funds provided under SSA titles IV, XVI, or XX) to disclose that fact in any communication it makes that in any way intends to promote public support or opposition to any Federal, State, or local government policy through any broadcasting station, periodical, or other specified type of general public advertising. Makes any organization failing to make such a disclosure ineligible to receive Federal funds under this Act. (Sec. 4113) Amends the Family Support Act of 1988 to remove the "demonstration" status of the Job Opportunities for Certain Low-Income Individuals (JOLI) program and give it an increased annual authorization. (Sec. 4115) Makes certain conforming amendments to Medicaid to provide for the continued application of standards and methodologies under TANF for certain individuals. Subtitle B: Supplemental Security Income - Amends SSA title XVI to deny SSI for ten years to individuals found to have fraudulently misrepresented residence in order to obtain benefits simultaneously in two or more States. Denies SSI for fugitive felons and probation and parole violators. Provides for the exchange of certain SSI information with law enforcement agencies under specified conditions. (Sec. 4203) Revises the treatment afforded prisoners with regard to SSI and OASDI (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) benefits, among other changes: (1) eliminating the OASDI requirement that confinement stem from a crime punishable by imprisonment for more than one year; and (2) authorizing the Commissioner to enter into an agreement with any interested State or local correctional institutions for monthly identification reports in order to enforce respective benefit limitations, and pay them a specified fee with regard to each SSI- or OASDI-eligible inmate identified who becomes ineligible for respective benefits as a result of such reporting. Requires the Commissioner to study and report to the Congress on other specified potential improvements in the collection of information respecting public inmates. Requires an additional report to the Congress on the institutions not providing certain information to the Commissioner. (Sec. 4204) Makes certain changes respecting the effective date of applications for SSI benefits. (Sec. 4211) Revises the rules with respect to childhood eligibility, with corresponding changes to childhood SSI regulations modifying the medical criteria for evaluation of mental and emotional disorders, and discontinuing the use of individualized functional assessments for children. Modifies medical improvement review standards, specifically dividing their applicability to, and creating separate criteria for, individuals aged 18 or older, and individuals under age 18, respectively. Provides that no individual under the age of 18 who engages in substantial gainful activity may be considered to be disabled. (Sec. 4212) Provides that at least once every three years the Commissioner shall review the continued SSI eligibility of each individual who has not attained age 18 and is eligible for such benefits by reason of an impairment (or combination of impairments) which is likely to improve (or, at the Commissioner's option, is unlikely to improve). Requires a representative payee of a recipient whose case is so reviewed to present, at the time of review, evidence demonstrating that the recipient is, and has been, receiving treatment, to the extent considered medically necessary and available, for the condition which was the basis for providing benefits under the SSI program. Provides that if the representative payee refuses to comply without good cause with such requirement, the Commissioner shall, if in the individual's best interest, promptly suspend payment of benefits to the representative payee, and provide for payment of benefits to an alternative representative payee or, if the interest of the individual would be served thereby, to the individual. Provides that if an individual is eligible for SSI benefits by reason of disability for the month preceding the month in which the individual attains age 18, the Commissioner shall redetermine such eligibility: (1) during the one-year period beginning on the individual's 18th birthday; and (2) by applying the criteria used in determining the initial eligibility for applicants who have attained age 18. Specifies requirements governing continuing disability reviews for low-birth-weight babies. (Sec. 4213) Revises provisions regarding the disposal of resources for less than fair market value by certain individuals and appropriate notification of Medicaid. Provides for the treatment of assets held in trust by individuals who have not attained age 18 and any earnings resulting from such trust. Requires representative payees of eligible individuals below age 18 to establish financial institution accounts on their behalf into which SSI payments shall be paid. Allows representative payees to use funds in the account to pay for certain allowable expenses. Directs the Commissioner to establish a system for accountability monitoring whereby a representative payee shall report on activities respecting funds in the account. (Sec. 4214) Reduces cash SSI payments to institutionalized children whose medical costs are covered by private insurance. (Sec. 4221) Provides for installment payment of large amounts of past-due SSI benefits, and the recovery of SSI overpayments from social security benefits. (Sec. 4225) Repeals maintenance of effort requirements applicable to optional State programs for supplementation of SSI benefits. (Sec. 4231) Requires the Commissioner to prepare an annual report for the President and the Congress on the SSI program, and make appropriate arrangements for a study of the disability determination process under SSA titles II and XVI for any needed changes. (Sec. 4233) Outlines the requirements for a General Accounting Office study and report on the impact of this subtitle on the SSI program and on the extra expenses incurred by families of children receiving benefits under such program that are not covered by other Federal, State, or local programs. (Sec. 4241) Establishes the National Commission on the Future of Disability to develop and carry out a comprehensive study of all matters related to the nature, purpose, and adequacy of all Federal programs serving individuals with disabilities in order to develop appropriate recommendations for any needed legislation or administrative action. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle C: Child Support - Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of SSA title IV to require State plans for child and spousal support to provide: (1) certain services relating to paternity establishment or enforcement of child support obligations; and (2) continuation of services for families ceasing to receive AFDC. (Sec. 4302) Revises payment distribution guidelines for support obligations collected by the State on behalf of a family. (Sec. 4303) Requires State plans to establish procedural guidelines for: (1) privacy safeguards regarding paternity and child support actions; and (2) notification to services applicants or recipients of all proceedings and orders affecting child support obligations. (Sec. 4311) Mandates that single statewide automated data systems include a State case registry containing records of: (1) each case in which services are provided by the State agency; and (2) each support order established on or after a specified date. Permits the linking of local registries. (Sec. 4312) Requires State plans to include a centralized, automated unit for the collection and disbursement of support payments. Permits the unit to be established by linking local disbursement units through an automated information network if the Secretary agrees that it will not cost more or take more time to establish or operate than a centralized system. Expresses the sense of the Congress that in determining whether to comply with the Social Security Act by either establishing a single, centralized unit for support payment collection and disbursement, or by linking together automation local units, a State should choose the method of compliance which best meets the needs of parents, employers, and children. (Sec. 4313) Requires State plans to: (1) provide for a State-operated and automated State Directory of New Hires containing prescribed information furnished by employers on new personnel; and (2) transmit such information to the National Directory of New Hires. (Sec. 4314) Requires States to have statutorily prescribed procedures: (1) for mandatory income withholding for support payments subject to enforcement; and (2) under which wages of a person with a support obligation imposed by a child support order issued before October 1, 1996, shall become subject to withholding if arrearages occur, without the need for a judicial or administrative hearing. Revises the procedural guidelines for income withholding for child support enforcement. (Sec. 4315) Requires States to have statutorily prescribed procedures to ensure that Federal and State agencies conducting income-withholding activities have access to State locator systems for motor vehicle or law enforcement purposes. (Sec. 4316) Revises the Federal Parent Locator Service to provide for additional information which may be transmitted to locate individuals and assets for purposes of: (1) establishing parentage; (2) establishing, setting the amount of, modifying, or enforcing child support obligations; and (3) enforcing child custody or visitation orders. Directs the HHS Secretary to establish in the Federal Parent Locator Service an automated Federal Case Registry of Child Support Orders and an automated National Directory of New Hires. Requires the Secretaries of Labor and of HHS to jointly develop cost-effective methods of accessing information in the various State directories of new hires and the National Directory of New Hires (established under this Act). (Sec. 4317) Requires States to have statutorily prescribed procedures requiring recordation on such documents of the Social Security number of: (1) specified driver's, marriage, occupational, and professional license applicants; (2) individuals subject to certain domestic relations orders; and (3) deceased persons (on death records). (Sec. 4321) Requires each State to have the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act in effect as of January 1, 1998. Amends the Federal judicial code to revise the procedures for the court to apply when determining which State order to recognize for purposes of continuing, exclusive jurisdiction and enforcement for child support orders. (Sec. 4323) Requires States to have statutorily prescribed procedures requiring: (1) expedited administrative enforcement in interstate cases and support orders; and (2) expedited administrative and judicial procedures for establishing paternity and enforcing support obligations. (Sec. 4331) Revises the guidelines for State laws governing paternity establishment. Requires State procedures under which the name of the father shall be included on the birth certificate only: (1) if the mother and father have signed a voluntary acknowledgement of paternity; or (2) pursuant to a judicial or administrative order. (Sec. 4333) Requires State plans for child and spousal support to provide that the State agency administering the plan will make a determination as to whether a program recipient is cooperating in good faith with State efforts to establish paternity and secure support. (Sec. 4341) Directs the Secretary to develop a new incentive system to replace the current one. Revises the guidelines for Federal performance-based incentive payments to the States for effective child support enforcement programs. (Sec. 4342) Requires a State plan for child and spousal support to include prescribed procedures for State reviews and audits. Revises the guidelines for Federal evaluation and audit of State programs governing paternity, child and spousal support, and parent location. (Sec. 4344) Revises the automated data processing requirements for State plans to mandate a single statewide automated data processing and information retrieval system which can perform specified tasks. (Sec. 4345) Makes funds available to the Secretary for: (1) training of Federal and State staff, research and demonstration programs, and special projects of regional and national significance; and (2) operation of the Federal Parent Locator Service. (Sec. 4347) Requires State plans for child and spousal support to require procedures to ensure that any person delinquent in child support payments is liable to the State for a penalty of ten percent of the amount in arrears. (Sec. 4351) Revises the requirements for State plan procedures for the review and adjustment of support orders. (Sec. 4352) Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to authorize a consumer agency to furnish a consumer report: (1) in response to a request by a governmental child support enforcement agency; or (2) to the State administrative agency which sets child support awards. (Sec. 4353) Shields a depository institution from Federal or State liability for disclosing any financial record of an individual to a State child support enforcement agency. Prohibits such agency from disclosing such a financial record except for the purpose of, and to the extent necessary in, establishing, modifying, or enforcing a child support obligation. Sets forth civil penalties for any person knowingly or negligently violating such prohibition. (Sec. 4361) Amends Internal Revenue Code procedural guidelines for the collection of arrearages to provide that no additional fee may be assessed for adjustments to a previously certified amount. (Sec. 4362) Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of SSA title IV to revise procedural guidelines for: (1) consent by the United States to income withholding, garnishment, and similar proceedings for enforcement of child support and alimony obligations of current and retired Federal employees; and (2) enforcement of child support obligations of members of the Armed Forces. (Sec. 4364) Requires a State plan for child and spousal support to have in effect the Uniform Fraudulent Conveyance Act of 1981, the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act of 1984, or a similar law, as well as certain procedures governing the voiding of fraudulent transfers by a child support debtor. (Sec. 4365) Requires a State plan for child and spousal support to include specified procedures: (1) to ensure that persons owing past-due support work or participate in work activities the court deems appropriate; (2) to report to credit bureaus the name of the parent in arrears for child support; (3) to provide for liens against real and personal property for the support arrearages of a non-custodial parent; and (4) to implement the restriction of driver's, professional, occupational, and recreational licenses of individuals owing support arrearages. (Sec. 4370) Requires the Secretary of State to deny, revoke, or limit a passport upon certification of nonpayment of child support. (Sec. 4371) Authorizes the Secretary of State to negotiate reciprocal agreements with foreign nations: (1) regarding international enforcement of child support obligations; and (2) designating the Department of Health and Human Services as the central authority for such enforcement. (Sec. 4372) Requires States to have statutorily prescribed procedures under which a State agency shall enter into agreements with financial institutions doing business within the State to develop and operate a data match system to provide identifying information for each non-custodial parent targeted by the State who maintains an account at the institution, and to encumber or surrender such parent's assets at the institution pursuant to a lien or levy. (Sec. 4373) Requires States to have statutorily prescribed procedures under which child support orders relating to the child of minor parents, where the custodial parents are receiving assistance, are enforceable against the child's paternal or maternal grandparents. (Sec. 4374) Amends Federal bankruptcy law and the Social Security Act to declare a debt for child support nondischargeable in bankruptcy. (Sec. 4376) Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to include within the definition of medical child support order an order issued through a State administrative process. (Sec. 4377) Amends SSA title IV part D to mandate statutorily prescribed procedures under which all enforced child support orders shall include a provision for the health care coverage of the child. (Sec. 4381) Amends SSA title IV part D to prescribe guidelines under which the Administration for Children and Families shall make grants to enable States to establish and administer access and visitation programs to facilitate non-custodial parents' access to their children. Subtitle D: Restricting Welfare and Public Benefits for Aliens - Prohibits Federal public benefits to aliens who are not qualified aliens. Excludes from such prohibition: (1) emergency medical services; (2) certain emergency disaster relief; (3) public health immunizations and treatment of communicable diseases; (4) housing assistance; (5) certain in-kind community services; and (6) SSA benefits under specified circumstances. (Sec. 4402) Makes qualified aliens ineligible (with limited exceptions for refugees, asylees, certain permanent residents, veterans and active duty personnel, aliens whose deportation is withheld, and aliens currently receiving benefits) for: (1) SSI; (2) food stamps; (3) TANF; (4) social services block grants; and (5) Medicaid. (Sec. 4403) Makes qualified aliens ineligible (with limited exceptions for refugees, asylees, and veterans and active duty personnel) for Federal means-tested public benefits for the first five years after U.S. entry. (Sec. 4404) Requires each Federal agency administering a program covered by this title to notify the public and program recipients, either directly or through the States, of alien eligibility requirements. Amends the SSA and the United States Housing Act of 1937 to provide for State reporting of certain illegal alien information to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). (Sec. 4411) Makes an alien who is not a qualified alien, a nonimmigrant, or a parolee ineligible for all State or local benefits except: (1) emergency medical services; (2) certain emergency disaster relief; (3) public health immunizations and treatment of communicable diseases; and (4) certain in-kind community services. (Sec. 4412) Authorizes States to determine eligibility for State public means-tested benefits for qualified aliens, nonimmigrants, or parolees. Makes refugees, asylees, certain permanent residents, and veterans and active duty personnel eligible for all State public benefits. (Sec. 4421) Provides that in determining the eligibility and the amount of benefits of any alien for any Federal means-tested public benefits program the income and resources of the alien shall be deemed to include: (1) the income and resources of any person who executed an affidavit of support on the alien's behalf; and (2) the income and resources of the person's spouse (if any). Applies such requirement with respect to an alien until such time as the alien achieves U.S. citizenship through naturalization or has worked without public assistance for a specified time. (Sec. 4422) Authorizes States to make similar attributions with respect to State programs, with specified exceptions. (Sec. 4423) Sets forth requirements for sponsor's affidavit of support. (Sec. 4424) Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require sponsor cosignature of certain alien student loans. (Sec. 4431) Defines qualified alien as: (1) a lawful permanent resident; (2) an asylee; (3) a refugee; (4) a parolee; (5) an alien under withheld deportation; and (6) an alien granted conditional entry. (Sec. 4432) Requires the Attorney General to promulgate regulations regarding alien eligibility for Federal public benefits. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 4441) Makes conforming amendments related to assisted housing under the Housing and Community Development Act of 1980 and the Housing Act of 1949. (Sec. 4451) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require a taxpayer to provide his or her social security number in order to qualify for the earned income credit. Subtitle E: Reform of Public Housing - Prohibits an individual from receiving an increased benefit under a means-tested welfare or public assistance program because of a decrease in income owing to reduced benefits under another such program for which Federal funds are appropriated as a penalty for fraud. Subtitle F: Child Protection Block Grant Programs and Foster Care, Adoption Assistance and Independent Living Programs - Replaces SSA title IV part B (Child Welfare Services) with a program of block grants to the States to implement: (1) child protection programs regarding child abuse and neglect; and (2) child protection. (Sec. 4701) Prescribes guidelines under which the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) shall: (1) establish a national data collection and analysis program to coordinate existing State child abuse and neglect reports; and (2) implement a data collection system regarding adoption and foster care. Appropriates funds for child welfare studies and for assessment of State courts improvement of foster care and adoption proceedings. (Sec. 4711) Makes conforming amendments to Title IV-E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance). Delineates requirements for State eligibility for Federal payments for foster care maintenance and adoption assistance. Sets forth guidelines for payments and allotments to the States for adoption assistance, foster care, and independent living programs (designed to assist children who have attained age 16 to make the transition from foster care to independent living). (Sec. 4722) Expresses the sense of the Congress that States should: (1) allocate sufficient funds for adoption and medical assistance to encourage child adoption; (2) offer incentives to make adoption of special needs children more affordable for middle-class families; (3) provide a child who must be removed from its biological parents with a single foster care placement and single coordinated case team, including conclusion of adoption within one year of such child's foster care placement; and (4) participate in programs to enable maximum visibility of waiting children to potential parents. (Sec. 4723) Makes a prerequisite for Federal block grants State certification that it has laws and procedures in effect to ensure the removal of barriers to interethnic adoption. Requires reduction of Federal block grant payments to States failing to remove such barriers. Establishes a private cause of action for persons aggrieved by a denial of interethnic adoption opportunity. Deems such denial a violation of civil rights. States that these requirements shall not affect application of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978. Makes a conforming repeal to the Howard M. Metzenbaum Multiethnic Placement Act of 1994. (Sec. 4751) Renames the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act as the Child and Family Services Block Grant Act of 1996. Changes the purposes of the Act to emphasize assistance to each State in improving child protective service systems. Delineates criteria governing State eligibility for Federal block grants for: (1) child and family services; and (2) research, demonstrations, training, and technical assistance. Abolishes the current Federal program, including the Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, the Inter-Agency Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect, the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, community-based family resource programs, temporary child care for children with disabilities, crisis nursery demonstration programs, certain preventive services for children of homeless families or families at risk of homelessness, and requirements for criminal background checks of child care providers. Instructs the Secretary to: (1) establish a national child abuse and neglect data collection and analysis program (in addition to the current national clearinghouse for information relating to child abuse); and (2) provide technical and training assistance to the States for child abuse and neglect programs and for adoption opportunities. Mandates peer review for such grants. Instructs the Secretary to conduct a national random sample study of children at risk of child abuse or neglect. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1996 through 2002, including grants for demonstration projects. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States to assist them in developing programs related to the investigation and prosecution of child abuse and neglect cases. Requires any State requesting such assistance to establish a multidisciplinary task force on children's justice to study administrative, civil, and criminal judicial handling of such cases, and make recommendations which the State must adopt (or equivalent alternatives). Subtitle G: Reductions in Federal Government Positions - Outlines the mechanism for various specified Federal executive agency workforce reductions, requiring submission to specified congressional committees of certain determinations about the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) positions of their respective departments by the Secretaries of Agriculture, of Education, of Labor, of Housing and Urban Development, and of HHS. (Sec. 4801) Requires the Secretaries to make FTE reductions, including reductions-in-force, resulting from such determinations over the ensuing 14 months. Requires the Comptroller General to analyze and report to such committees on such determinations, with recommendations for further FTE reductions, if appropriate. (Sec. 4802) Requires the HHS Secretary to reduce the Federal workforce within HHS by: (1) 75 percent of the FTE positions relating to any direct spending program, or any program funded through discretionary spending, that has been converted into a block grant program by this Act; and (2) 75 percent of a proportionate number of the total FTE departmental management positions. Requires reduction of FTE positions in HHS by: (1) 245 FTE positions related to the program converted by this Act into TANF block grants; and (2) 60 FTE managerial positions. (Sec. 4803) Encourages the HHS Secretary to reduce personnel in the Washington, D.C., area office (agency headquarters) before reducing field personnel. Subtitle H: Miscellaneous - Subjects any funds received by a State under TANF or under the optional State food assistance or child care block grant programs to appropriation by the State legislature consistent with the terms and conditions required under such programs. (Sec. 4902) Provides that States shall not be prohibited by the Federal Government from testing welfare recipients for use of controlled substances nor from sanctioning welfare recipients who test positive for use of controlled substances. (Sec. 4903) Amends SSA title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) to provide for a reduction in funding under such program.
Bill· SS. 1956 (104th)open
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Agriculture and Related Provisions Subtitle A: Food Stamps and Commodity Distribution Subtitle B: Child Nutrition Programs Title II: Committee on Finance Subtitle A: Welfare Reform Subtitle B: Restructuring Medicaid Personal Responsibility, Work Opportunity, and Medicaide Restructuring Act of 1996 - Title I: Agriculture and Related Provisions - Agricultural Reconciliation Act of 1996 - Subtitle A: Food Stamps and Commodity Disposition - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (Act) to establish a maximum 24-month food stamp program (program) authorization period for households whose adult members are elderly or disabled. (Sec. 1112) Expands the definition of "coupon." (Sec. 1113) Treats children who are themselves parents living with their children and married children living with their spouses as part of an existing household rather than as a separate household. (Sec. 1114) Revises thrifty food plan adjustment requirements. (Sec. 1115) Revises the definition of "homeless individual" to limit the length of time a person may temporarily live in another person's residence. (Sec. 1117) Revises household income exclusion provisions regarding: (1) students; and (2) Federal energy assistance. (Sec. 1119) Revises household income deduction provisions regarding: (1) standard deductions; (2) earned income; (3) dependent care; (4) child support payments; (5) homeless shelter assistance; (6) excess medical expenses; and (7) excess shelter expenses. (Sec. 1120) Eliminates specified excludable auto value increases and establishes the maximum excludable auto value at $4600. (Sec. 1121) Includes as household income third party payments for transitional housing for the homeless. (Sec. 1122) Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to develop a simplified procedure for calculating self-employment income. (Sec. 1123) Increases penalties for certain program violations. (Sec. 1124) Disqualifies permanently an individual convicted of specified coupon violations. (Sec. 1125) Revises work requirement and employment and training provisions. Extends employment and training funding authorizations. (Sec. 1129) Authorizes comparable program disqualification based upon means-tested public assistance disqualification. (Sec. 1130) Disqualifies for ten years an individual who participates in the program in two or more States. (Sec. 1131) Disqualifies a fleeing felon from program participation. (Sec. 1132) Requires at State option: (1) cooperation with child support agencies in order to maintain program eligibility; and (2) program disqualification for child support arrears. (Sec. 1134) Defines "work program." Makes nonexempt persons ineligible for program benefits if during the preceding 12-month period they received food stamps for four months or more without working at least 20 hours per week, or participating in a workfare program. Sets forth exempted persons and situations. (Sec. 1135) Directs States to implement electronic benefit transfer systems. (Sec. 1136) Eliminates annual minimum allotment adjustments. (Sec. 1138) Authorizes a combined allotment for expedited households. (Sec. 1139) Authorizes program reductions for failure to comply with a means-tested public assistance reduction requirement. (Sec. 1140) Authorizes program assistance for households residing in a homeless shelter or drug or alcohol treatment center. (Sec. 1141) Provides that no food store or wholesale food concern be approved for program participation without a prior visit by a Department of Agriculture employee, or a designated State or local official. (Sec. 1142) Directs the Secretary to establish authorization periods for retail food stores and wholesale food concerns to redeem food stamps or benefits through an electronic benefit transfer system. (Sec. 1143) Includes income and sales tax information among the types of eligibility verification information that may be requested. (Sec. 1144) Establishes a six-month reapplication waiting period for a store that does not meet participation requirements. (Sec. 1145) Revises: (1) food stamp office operating provisions; and (2) expedited coupon service requirements. (Sec. 1146) Eliminates certain certification personnel training requirements. (Sec. 1147) Provides for the exchange of information with law enforcement or Immigration and Naturalization Service personnel. (Sec. 1149) Authorizes a family to withdraw a fair hearing request. (Sec. 1150) Permits States to use income, and immigration eligibility verification systems other than a specified system under the Social Security Act. (Sec. 1151) Provides for disqualification of a store: (1) that knowingly submits a falsified application; and (2) that is disqualified from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). (Sec. 1153) Directs program overissuances to be collected by: (1) allotment reduction; (2) unemployment compensation withholding; or (3) Federal pay or Federal income tax refund recovery. (Sec. 1154) Authorizes suspension of a store pending administrative and judicial review. (States that the Secretary shall not be liable for lost sales during such period.) (Sec. 1155) Establishes criminal forfeiture penalties for specified program violations. (Sec. 1156) Terminates Federal matching requirements for program recruitment activities. (Sec. 1158) Authorizes States to use funds otherwise available to a participating household for a work supplementation or support program. Sets forth program provisions. (Sec. 1159) Authorizes waiver of program requirements as necessary to conduct related pilot projects. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1161) Authorizes States to carry out private sector employment initiatives. Sets forth program provisions. (Sec. 1162) Authorizes appropriations for program operations. (Sec. 1163) Authorizes States to carry out a Simplified Food Stamp Program in lieu of existing program requirements. Sets forth program provisions. (Sec. 1164) Establishes an optional State food assistance block grant program in lieu of the food stamp program. Sets forth program provisions. Chapter 2: Commodity Distribution Programs - Amends the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to combine the emergency food assistance program with the soup kitchen-food bank program. Amends the Act to direct the Secretary to purchase commodities for such combined programs. (Sec. 1172) Amends the Charitable Assistance and Food Bank Act of 1987 to repeal the food bank demonstration project. (Sec. 1173) Makes conforming and technical amendments to the Hunger Prevention Act of 1988 and the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990. Subtitle B: Child Nutrition Programs - Amends the National School Lunch Act (NSLA) to repeal specified authorities and requirements for the school lunch and related programs, including: (1) State educational authority to use resources from the nutrition and education (NET) program; (2) prohibition of State imposition of teaching personnel and curriculum requirements at any school; (3) certain demonstration grants to private nonprofit organizations or educational institutions for elementary school curriculum food and nutrition projects; (4) aspects of summer food service programs, reducing payment rates and daily meals at camps, reducing the National Youth Sports Program, and revising nutritional standards compliance requirements; (5) certain commodity distribution program requirements, including State Advisory Councils; (6) expansion of the child care food program; (7) adult care food aid to adult day care centers and services for persons over 60; and (8) certain pilot projects, including one for paperwork reduction. (Sec. 1201) Includes in the definition of child any individual with one or more mental or physical disabilities, regardless of age, who attends a specified type of institution, or any nonresidential public or nonprofit private school of high school grade or under, in order to participate in a school program for such individuals. (Sec. 1202) Revises nutritional requirements. (Sec. 1205) Prohibits, in general, any waiver that will increase Federal costs. Requires that assistance or benefits under programs under the following Federal laws (relating to school meals and other nutrition programs) not be contingent on the citizenship or immigration status of any applicant or recipient: (1) the NSLA; (2) the Child Nutrition Act of 1966; (3) specified provisions of the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973; (4) the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983; and (5) the food distribution program on Indian reservations established under specified provisions of Federal law. Chapter 2: Amendments to the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 - Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (CNA) to revise the school breakfast program: (1) eliminating Federal assistance for food preparation training and program expansion and start-up costs; (2) repealing certain authorities and requirements relating to State administrative expenses (SAE); (3) repealing the prohibition against State imposition of teaching personnel and curriculum requirements at any school; and (4) repealing the program of cash grants for nutrition education. (Sec. 1259) Revises the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children (WIC), among other things repealing specified requirements and changing from mandatory to optional: (1) drug abuse education; and (2) provision of WIC information in languages other than English. (Sec. 1261) Revises provisions relating to the Nutrition and Education program. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1262) Sets forth rounding rules for specified rates for special milk price and reduced price breakfast programs under CNA, and for commodity and lunch, breakfast, and supplement programs under NSLA. Title II: Committee on Finance - Subtitle A: Welfare Reform - Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 - Expresses the sense of the Congress that prevention of out-of-wedlock pregnancy and reduction in out-of-wedlock births are important Government interests. (Sec. 2103) Replaces the current Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) with a single program of block grants to the States for operating statewide temporary assistance (TEA) programs with certain mandatory work, education, and job preparation requirements for needy families either already with or expecting a child, which are designed to assist such families in becoming self-sufficient. Limits such families generally to no more than five years of TEA cash assistance, with certain exceptions for minor children, battered family members, and hardship situations. Requires that families include either a minor child who resides with a custodial parent or other adult caretaker relative, or a pregnant individual, in order to receive TEA assistance. Prohibits additional cash TEA assistance for children born into families already on TEA assistance, with certain exceptions for children born into families with no other children, and for children born as a result of rape or incest, unless the particular State exempts itself from such prohibition. Denies TEA assistance in cases where an individual family member is a fugitive felon or a probation or parole violator, and in certain other specified situations as well. Requires States receiving TEA grants to ensure that certain other families becoming TEA-ineligible due to increased earnings from employment or collection of child support receive similar medical assistance during the immediately succeeding 12-month period, with certain exceptions. Requires, in addition, certain adult-supervised living arrangements for unmarried teenage parents. Provides for the exchange of certain TEA program information with law enforcement agencies under specified conditions. Establishes penalties for States and individual families for specified grant and program violations, respectively, through reduced grants and assistance payments, allowing States to terminate such payments to certain adult family members without small children needing child care who refuse to: (1) engage in work, educational, or job preparation activities (required program activities); or (2) cooperate with the State in establishing paternity or obtaining child support unless the member qualifies for a good cause or other exception. Provides for a separate reduction in State family assistance grant payments for States failing to comply with Federal requirements pertaining to paternity establishment and child support enforcement. Sets forth the mechanism for State appeal of Federal adverse decisions with respect to State plans or imposition of penalties, providing for advance notification of any program violation and the opportunity for a State to correct it before any such penalty is imposed. Limits the amount of any penalty reduction in the State's quarterly family assistance grant payment. Expresses the sense of the Congress that State TEA programs should: (1) assign the highest priority to requiring adults in two-parent families and in single-parent families with older preschool or school-age children to be engaged in required program activities; and (2) require noncustodial, nonsupporting parents under age 18 to fulfill community work obligations and attend appropriate parenting or money management classes after school. Specifies State TEA plan contents, including provisions for numerical goals for reducing illegitimacy in the State over a specified ten-year period beginning in 1996, and certain certifications by the State that it will operate child support enforcement and protection programs, in order for it to be eligible (according to certain other criteria as well) to receive Federal grants for its TEA programs (family assistance grants). Allows the States to decide in their TEA plans: (1) whether or not they intend on providing TEA assistance to aliens; and (2) how to treat families moving interstate. Provides for: (1) the allowable uses of quarterly family assistance grants for family planning services and assistance to low- income households in meeting home heating and cooling costs, but denies their use for medical services generally; (2) additional grants to States as rewards for reductions in illegitimate births and for high performance under the TEA program, as well as supplemental grants to certain States for population increases; and (3) a Contingency Fund for State Welfare Programs (Contingency Fund) in the Treasury for payments to certain eligible States. Makes appropriations for such grants and the Contingency Fund. Sets up a Federal loan program for State TEA programs for anti-fraud and other specified activities, making necessary appropriations. Outlines specific program data collection and reporting requirements, as well as certain research, evaluation, and study requirements. Makes applicable appropriations. Provides for direct funding, by way of three-year tribal family assistance grants, to Indian tribes with approved tribal family assistance plans (with a special rule for Indian tribes in Alaska). Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to implement and evaluate demonstrations of innovative and promising strategies which: (1) provide one-time capital funds to establish, expand, or replicate programs; (2) test performance-based grant-to- loan financing in which programs meeting performance targets receive grants while programs not meeting such targets repay funding on a prorated basis; and (3) test strategies in multiple States and types of communities. Directs the Bureau of the Census to expand the Survey of Income and Program Participation to obtain information that will enable interested persons to evaluate the impact of the changes made by this title on a random national sample of State program recipients. Provides for the treatment of State AFDC waivers in effect on the date of enactment of this Act and of those granted subsequently. Makes the Assistant Secretary of HHS for Family Support the official responsible for administering SSA title IV parts A and D programs, and requires the Secretary to reduce, through reductions in force if necessary, the Federal workforce within HHS by a specified amount. Eliminates certain child care programs under SSA title IV part A, including the at-risk child care program. (Sec. 2104) Allows States to contract with charitable, religious, and private organizations to provide services and administer programs established or modified under titles I, II, and VI of this Act. Prohibits the expenditure of financial assistance under such programs for sectarian worship, instruction, or proselytization. (Sec. 2105) Directs the Secretary of Commerce to expand census data collection efforts to enable the Bureau of the Census to collect statistically significant data on grandparent caregivers. (Sec. 2106) Requires an HHS report to the Congress on State automated data processing systems used in administering SSA title IV part A programs to determine what would be required to establish a system for tracking public program participants and checking case records to determine if such participants are participating in public programs of two or more States. (Sec. 2107) Details requirements for a similar report, and study, on alternative outcomes measures for evaluating the success of the States in moving individuals off welfare through employment. (Sec. 2108) Establishes the Welfare Formula Fairness Commission to study and report to the Congress on the funding formulas applied, the bonus payments provided, and the work requirements established, under the TEA program. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 2109) Makes conforming amendments to SSA, the Food Stamp Act of 1977, and related provisions of other specified Federal laws. (Sec. 2112) Directs the Commissioner of Social Security (Commissioner) to: (1) develop a prototype counterfeit-resistant social security card; and (2) study and issue a report to the Congress with regard to improving the social security card application process. (Sec. 2113) Requires any organization accepting Federal funds under this subtitle to disclose that fact in any communication it makes that in any way intends to promote public support or opposition to any Federal, State, or local government policy through any broadcasting station, periodical, or other specified type of general public advertising. Makes any organization failing to make such a disclosure ineligible to receive Federal funds under this Act. (Sec. 2114) Amends the Family Support Act of 1988 to remove the "demonstration" status of the Job Opportunities for Certain Low-Income Individuals (JOLI) program and give it an increased annual authorization for any fiscal year. (Sec. 2201) Amends SSA title XVI to deny Supplemental Security Income for the Aged, Blind, and Disabled (SSI) for ten years to individuals found to have fraudulently misrepresented residence in order to obtain benefits simultaneously in two or more States. Denies SSI for fugitive felons and probation and parole violators. Provides for the exchange of certain SSI information with law enforcement agencies under specified conditions. (Sec. 2203) Revises the treatment afforded prisoners with regard to SSI benefits to deny SSI benefits for ten years to a person found to have fraudulently obtained SSI benefits while in prison. Authorizes the Commissioner to: (1) contract with any interested State or local institutions used to confine prisoners for monthly reports of certain identifying information in order to enforce SSI and Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) benefit limitations; and (2) pay such institution a specified fee with regard to each SSI- or OASDI-eligible inmate identified who becomes ineligible for such benefit as a result of such reporting. Requires the Commissioner to study and report to the Congress on other specified potential improvements in the collection of information respecting public inmates. (Sec. 2204) Makes certain changes respecting the effective date of applications for SSI benefits. (Sec. 2211) Revises the rules with respect to childhood eligibility, with corresponding changes to childhood SSI regulations modifying the medical criteria for evaluation of mental and emotional disorders, and discontinuing the use of individualized functional assessments for children. Modifies medical improvement review standards, specifically dividing their applicability to, and creating separate criteria for, individuals aged 18 or older, and individuals under age 18, respectively. Requires the Commissioner annually to issue a request for comments in the Federal Register regarding improvements to the disability evaluation and determination procedures for individuals under age 18 to ensure their comprehensive assessment. Provides that once an eligible child meets the definition of disability, the amount of the individual's cash benefit will be based on whether or not the child meets criteria for needing personal assistance enabling the child to stay at home with his or her family. Authorizes additional appropriations for continuing disability reviews and redeterminations under SSA title XVI. (Sec. 2212) Provides that at least once every three years the Commissioner shall review the continued SSI eligibility of each individual who has not attained age 18 and is eligible for such benefits by reason of an impairment (or combination of impairments) which is likely to improve (or, at the Commissioner's option, is unlikely to improve). Requires a representative payee of a recipient whose case is so reviewed to present, at the time of review, evidence that the recipient is, and has been, receiving treatment, to the extent considered medically necessary and available, for the condition which was the basis for providing SSI benefits. Provides that, if the representative payee refuses without good cause to comply with such requirement, the Commissioner shall (if in the individual's best interest) promptly suspend payment of benefits to the representative payee, and provide for their payment to an alternative representative payee, or, if the interest of the individual would be served thereby, to the individual. Provides that, if an individual is eligible for SSI benefits by reason of disability for the month preceding the month in which the individual attains age 18, the Commissioner shall redetermine such eligibility: (1) during the one-year period beginning on the individual's 18th birthday; and (2) by applying the criteria used to determine the initial eligibility of applicants who have attained age 18. Specifies requirements governing continuing disability reviews for low-birth-weight babies. (Sec. 2213) Requires representative payees of eligible individuals under age 18 to establish financial institution accounts on their behalf into which SSI payments shall be paid. Allows representative payees to use account funds to pay for certain allowable expenses. Directs the Commissioner to establish a system for accountability monitoring whereby a representative payee shall report on activities involving account funds. (Sec. 2214) Reduces cash SSI payments to institutionalized children whose medical costs are covered by private insurance. (Sec. 2221) Provides for installment payment of large amounts of past-due SSI benefits. (Sec. 2225) Repeals maintenance of effort requirements applicable to optional State programs for supplementation of SSI benefits. (Sec. 2231) Requires the Commissioner to report annually to the President and the Congress on the SSI program. (Sec. 2232) Outlines the requirements for a study and report by the General Accounting Office on the impact of these amendments on the SSI program and on the extra expenses incurred by families of children receiving SSI benefits that are not covered by other Federal, State, or local programs. (Sec. 2301) Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of SSA title IV to require State plans for child and spousal support to provide: (1) certain services relating to paternity establishment or enforcement of child support obligations; and (2) continuation of services for families ceasing to receive TEA assistance. (Sec. 2302) Revises payment distribution guidelines for support obligations collected by the State on behalf of a family. (Sec. 2303) Requires State plans to establish procedural guidelines for: (1) privacy safeguards for paternity and child support actions; and (2) notification to services applicants or recipients of all proceedings and orders affecting child support obligations. (Sec. 2311) Mandates that single statewide automated data systems include a State case registry containing records of: (1) each case in which services are provided by the State agency; and (2) each support order established on or after a specified date. Permits the linking of local registries. (Sec. 2312) Requires State plans to include a centralized, automated unit for the collection and disbursement of support payments. Permits the unit to be established by linking local disbursement units through an automated information network if the Secretary agrees that it will not cost more or take more time to establish or operate than a centralized system. (Sec. 2313) Requires State plans to: (1) provide for a State-operated and automated State Directory of New Hires containing prescribed information furnished by employers on new personnel; and (2) transmit such information to the National Directory of New Hires. (Sec. 2314) Requires States to have statutorily prescribed procedures: (1) for mandatory income withholding for support payments subject to enforcement; and (2) under which wages of a person with a support obligation imposed by a child support order issued before October 1, 1996, shall become subject to withholding if arrearages occur, without the need for a judicial or administrative hearing. Revises the procedural guidelines for income withholding for child support enforcement. (Sec. 2315) Requires the States to have statutorily prescribed procedures to ensure that Federal and State agencies conducting income-withholding activities have access to State locator systems for motor vehicle or law enforcement purposes. (Sec. 2316) Revises the Federal Parent Locator Service to provide for additional information which may be transmitted to locate individuals and assets for purposes of: (1) establishing parentage; (2) establishing, setting the amount of, modifying, or enforcing child support obligations; and (3) enforcing child custody or visitation orders. Directs the HHS Secretary to establish in the Federal Parent Locator Service an automated Federal Case Registry of Child Support Orders and an automated National Directory of New Hires. Requires the Secretaries of Labor and of HHS to jointly develop cost-effective methods of accessing information in the various State directories of new hires and the National Directory of New Hires, taking into account impact and cost to the States, and the need to insure authorized use of wage record information. (Sec. 2317) Requires States to have statutorily prescribed procedures requiring recordation on such documents of the Social Security number of: (1) specified driver's, marriage, and occupational, and professional license applicants; (2) individuals subject to certain domestic relations orders; and (3) deceased persons (on death records). (Sec. 2321) Requires each State to have the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act in effect as of January 1, 1998. Amends the Federal judicial code to revise the procedures for the court to apply when determining which State order to recognize for purposes of continuing, exclusive jurisdiction and enforcement for child support orders. (Sec. 2323) Requires the States to have statutorily prescribed procedures requiring: (1) expedited administrative enforcement in interstate cases and support orders; and (2) expedited administrative and judicial procedures for establishing paternity and enforcing support obligations. (Sec. 2331) Revises the guidelines for State laws governing paternity establishment. Requires State procedures under which the name of the father shall be included on the birth certificate only: (1) if the mother and father have signed a voluntary acknowledgement of paternity; or (2) pursuant to a judicial or administrative order. (Sec. 2333) Requires State plans for child and spousal support to provide that the State agency administering the plan will make a determination as to whether a program recipient is cooperating in good faith with State efforts to establish paternity and secure support. (Sec. 2341) Directs the Secretary to develop a new incentive system to replace the current one. Revises the guidelines for Federal performance-based incentive payments to the States for effective child support enforcement programs. (Sec. 2342) Requires a State plan for child and spousal support to include prescribed procedures for State reviews and audits. Revises the guidelines for Federal evaluation and audit of State programs governing paternity, child and spousal support, and parent location. (Sec. 2344) Revises the automated data processing requirements for State plans to mandate a single statewide automated data processing and information retrieval system which can perform specified tasks. (Sec. 2345) Makes funds available to the Secretary for: (1) training of Federal and State staff, research and demonstration programs, and special projects of regional and national significance; and (2) operation of the Federal Parent Locator Service. (Sec. 2351) Revises the requirements for State plan procedures for the review and adjustment of support orders. (Sec. 2352) Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to authorize a consumer agency to furnish a consumer report: (1) in response to a request by a governmental child support enforcement agency; or (2) to the State administrative agency which sets child support awards. (Sec. 2353) Shields a depository institution from Federal or State liability for disclosing any financial record of an individual to a State child support enforcement agency. Prohibits such agency from disclosing such a financial record except for the purpose of, and to the extent necessary in, establishing, modifying, or enforcing a child support obligation. Sets forth civil penalties for any person knowingly or negligently violating such prohibition. (Sec. 2361) Amends Internal Revenue Code procedural guidelines for the collection of arrearages to provide that no additional fee may be assessed for adjustments to a previously certified amount. (Sec. 2362) Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of SSA title IV to revise procedural guidelines for: (1) consent by the United States to income withholding, garnishment, and similar proceedings for enforcement of child support and alimony obligations of current and retired Federal employees; and (2) enforcement of child support obligations of members of the Armed Forces. (Sec. 2364) Requires a State plan for child and spousal support to have in effect the Uniform Fraudulent Conveyance Act of 1981, the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act of 1984, or a similar law, as well as certain procedures governing the voiding of fraudulent transfers by a child support debtor. (Sec. 2365) Requires a State plan for child and spousal support to include specified procedures: (1) to ensure that persons owing past-due support work or participate in work activities the court deems appropriate; (2) to report to credit bureaus the name of the parent in arrears for child support; (3) to provide for liens against real and personal property for the support arrearages of an absent parent; and (4) to implement the restriction of driver's, professional, occupational, and recreational licenses of individuals owing support arrearages. (Sec. 2370) Requires the Secretary of State to deny, revoke, or limit a passport upon certification of nonpayment of child support. (Sec. 2371) Authorizes the Secretary of State to negotiate reciprocal agreements with foreign nations: (1) regarding international enforcement of child support obligations; and (2) designating the Department of HHS as the central authority for such enforcement. (Sec. 2372) Requires States to have statutorily prescribed procedures under which a State agency shall enter agreements with financial institutions doing business within the State to develop and operate a data match system to provide identifying information for each absent parent targeted by the State who maintains an account at the institution, and to encumber or surrender it. (Sec. 2373) Requires States to have statutorily prescribed procedures under which child support orders relating to the child of minor parents, where the custodial parents are receiving assistance, are enforceable against the child's paternal or maternal grandparents. (Sec. 2374) Amends Federal bankruptcy law and the Social Security Act to declare a debt for child support nondischargeable in bankruptcy. (Sec. 2376) Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to include within the definition of medical child support order an order issued through a State administrative process. (Sec. 2377) Amends part D of SSA title IV to mandate statutorily prescribed procedures under which all enforced child support orders shall include a provision for the health care coverage of the child. (Sec. 2381) Amends part D of SSA title IV to prescribe guidelines under which the Administration for Children and Families shall make grants to enable States to establish and administer access and visitation programs to facilitate absent parents' access to their children. (Sec. 2400) Declares that: (1) it is a compelling government interest to enact new rules for eligibility and sponsorship agreements in order to assure that aliens be self-reliant in accordance with national immigration policy; and (2) it is a compelling government interest to remove the incentive for illegal immigration provided by the availability of public benefits. (Sec. 2401) Prohibits Federal public benefits (as defined by this Act) to aliens who are not qualified aliens (as defined by this Act). Stipulates that such prohibition shall not apply to: (1) emergency medical services; (2) certain emergency disaster relief; (3) public health immunizations and treatment of communicable diseases; (4) housing assistance; (5) certain in-kind community services; and (6) Social Security Act benefits under specified circumstances. (Sec. 2402) Makes qualified aliens ineligible (with limited exceptions for refugees, asylees, certain permanent residents, veterans and active duty personnel, aliens whose deportation is withheld, and aliens currently receiving benefits) for: (1) supplemental security income (SSI); (2) food stamps; (3) temporary assistance for needy families; (4) social services block grants; and (5) Medicaid. (Sec. 2403) Makes qualified aliens ineligible (with limited exceptions for refugees, asylees, and veterans and active duty personnel) for Federal means-tested public benefits (as defined by this Act) for the first five years after U.S. entry. (Sec. 2404) Requires each Federal agency administering a program covered by this title to post information and provide general notification to the public and program recipients, either directly or through the States, of the requirements concerning alien eligibility for any such program pursuant to this title. Amends the Social Security Act and the United States Housing Act of 1937 to provide for State reporting of certain illegal alien information to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). (Sec. 2411) Makes an alien who is not a qualified alien, a nonimmigrant, or a parolee ineligible for State or local benefits (as defined by this Act). Stipulates that such prohibition shall not apply to: (1) emergency medical services; (2) certain emergency disaster relief; (3) public health immunizations and treatment of communicable diseases; and (4) certain in-kind community services. (Sec. 2412) Authorizes States to determine eligibility for State public benefits for qualified aliens, nonimmigrants, or parolees. States that refugees, asylees, certain permanent residents, and veterans and active duty personnel shall be eligible for all State public benefits. Sets forth transition provisions for aliens currently receiving benefits. (Sec. 2421) Provides that in determining the eligibility and the amount of benefits of an alien for any Federal means-tested public benefits program the income and resources of the alien shall be deemed to include: (1) the income and resources of any person who executed an affidavit of support on the alien's behalf; and (2) the income and resources of the person's spouse (if any). Applies such requirement with respect to an alien until such time as the alien achieves U.S. citizenship through naturalization or has worked without public assistance for a specified time. (Sec. 2422) Authorizes States to make similar attributions with respect to State programs (with specified exceptions). (Sec. 2423) Sets forth requirements for sponsor's affidavit of support. (Sec. 2424) Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require sponsor cosignature of certain alien student loans. (Sec. 2431) Defines qualified alien to be: (1) a lawful permanent resident; (2) an asylee; (3) a refugee; (4) a parolee; (5) an alien under withheld deportation; and (6) an alien granted conditional entry. (Sec. 2432) Requires the Attorney General to promulgate regulations regarding alien eligibility for Federal public benefits. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 2441) Makes conforming amendments related to assisted housing under the Housing and Community Development Act of 1980 and the Housing Act of 1949. (Sec. 2451) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require a taxpayer to provide his or her social security number in order to qualify for the earned income credit. (Sec. 2501) Requires the Secretaries of Agriculture, Education, Labor, Housing and Urban Development, and Health and Human Services to make specified departmental personnel reductions. Encourages the Secretary of Health and Human Services to reduce personnel in Washington, D.C. before reducing field personnel. (Sec. 2601) Prohibits: (1) a family from receiving an increased benefit under a Federal, State, or local welfare or public assistance program due to noncompliance-reduced income under such program; and (2) an individual from receiving an increased benefit under a means-tested welfare or public assistance program due to fraud-reduced income under another such program. (Sec. 2701) Amends SSA title IV to provide for enhanced funding for the implementation of Statewide automated child welfare information systems. Child Care and Development Block Grant Amendments Act of 1996 - Revises and extends through FY 2002 the authorization of appropriations for the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990. Sets forth goals for State child care assistance. (Sec. 2803) Amends Part A of title IV (AFDC) of the Social Security Act to entitle each State to payments for providing child care assistance. (Sec. 2804) Authorizes the State lead agency to administer the financial assistance it receives through other governmental or nongovernmental agencies. (Sec. 2805) Revises State application and plan requirements with respect to consumer education information, State licensing compliance, meeting the needs of AFDC or TEA recipients (especially those attempting through work activities to leave the assistance program) and those at risk of becoming dependent on assistance, and assistance for certain low-income working families. (Sec. 2807) Reduces from 20 percent to three percent the minimum amount of certain funds available for State activities to improve the quality of child care, limited to: (1) comprehensive consumer education to parents and the public; (2) activities increasing parental choice; and (3) activities designed to improve child care quality and availability. (Sec. 2808) Repeals a requirement that States expend a specified minimum amount of reserved funds for early childhood development and before- and after-school services. (Sec. 2813) Reduces the allotment reserved for Indian tribes or tribal organizations from three percent to one percent. Prescribes guidelines for the use of such allotment for facility repair and construction. (Sec. 2815) Repeals: (1) the Child Development Associate Scholarship Assistance Act of 1985; (2) the State Dependent Care Development Grants Act; (3) specified programs under title X (Programs of National Significance) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; and (4) the Native Hawaiian Family-based Education Centers program under the Native Hawaiian Education Act. (Sec. 2901) Subjects any funds received by a State under TEA block grants under part A of SSA title IV, optional State food assistance block grant under the Food Stamp Act of 1977, and block grants for child care under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to appropriation by the State legislature, consistent with the terms and conditions required under such provisions of law. (Sec. 2902) Provides that States shall not be prohibited by the Federal Government from testing welfare recipients for use of controlled substances nor from sanctioning welfare recipients who test positive for use of controlled substances. (Sec. 2903) Amends SSA title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) to provide for a reduction in funding for such block grants. (Sec. 2904) Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to eliminate housing assistance for fugitive felons and probation and parole violators. Provides for the exchange under such Act of certain information with law enforcement agencies under specified conditions. (Sec. 2905) Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the Congress should adopt enterprise zone legislation in the 104th Congress; and (2) such legislation should provide various specified incentives and provisions, including regulatory reforms that allow localities to petition Federal agencies for waivers or modifications of regulations to improve job creation, small business formation and expansion, community development, or economic revitalization objectives. (Sec. 2906) Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) States should diligently continue their efforts to enforce child support payments by the non-custodial parent to the custodial parent, regardless of employment status or location of the non-custodial parent; (2) States are encouraged to pursue pilot programs in which the parents of a non-adult, non-custodial parent who refuses or is unable to pay child support must pay or contribute to the child support owed by such non-custodial parent or otherwise fulfill all financial obligations and meet all conditions imposed on such parent, such as participation in a work program or other related activity; and (3) States and local jurisdictions should aggressively enforce statutory rape laws. (Sec. 2907) Directs the HHS Secretary to establish and implement a strategy for: (1) preventing out-of-wedlock teenage pregnancies; and (2) assuring that at least 25 percent of the communities in the United States have teenage pregnancy prevention programs in place. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress on progress in meeting such goals. (Sec. 2909) Amends SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) to provide for an increase in funding under such title and authorize provision of abstinence education along with a separate funding set-aside for it. (Sec. 2910) Amends the Electronic Fund Transfer Act to make certain amendments in order to encourage electronic benefit transfer systems for the distribution of needs-tested benefits by a government agency. (Sec. 2911) Amends Internal Revenue Code rules relating to denial of earned income credit for individuals having excessive investment income to: (1) provide for a reduction in the disqualified income threshold; (2) revise the adjustment for inflation; (3) modify the definitions of disqualified income and adjusted gross income for the earned income credit; and (4) suspend inflation adjustments for individuals with no qualifying children. Subtitle B: Restructuring Medicaid - Medicaid Restructuring Act of 1996 - Adds a new SSA title XV (Program of Medical Assistance for Low-Income Individuals and Families), whose purpose is to provide funds to States to enable them to provide medical assistance to low-income individuals and families in a more effective, efficient, and responsive manner. (Sec. 2923) Outlines program components, including: (1) certain guaranteed benefits for select individuals, including certain poor pregnant women, disabled and poor elderly individuals, and children receiving foster care or adoption assistance; (2) guaranteed coverage of Medicare premiums and cost-sharing for certain Medicare beneficiaries; (3) parity for mental health services; (4) limitations on cost-sharing; (5) solvency standards for capitated health care organizations; (6) prevention of spousal and family impoverishment with regard to long-term care; (7) State flexibility in benefits, provider payments, geographical coverage area, and selection of providers, as well as with respect to managed care; (8) limitations on payments for Medicaid services to nonlawful aliens, generally allowing treatment only for emergency situations; (9) coverage of abortions only for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest or when a woman suffers from a physical disorder, illness, or injury that would place her in danger of death unless an abortion is performed; (10) denial of State Medicaid plan payment for any item or service furnished for euthanasia purposes; (11) periodic, independent evaluations of the operation of the State Medicaid plan and annual audits of State Medicaid expenditures; (12) a separate fraud prevention program, as well as State fraud control units; (13) an information reporting system for sanctions taken by State licensing authorities against health care practitioners and providers; (14) quality assurance requirements for nursing facilities, as well as requirements relating to residents' rights; and (15) an optional master drug rebate agreement program for covered outpatient drugs of a manufacturer. (Sec. 2924) Terminates the current Medicaid program as of October 1, 1997. Limits Medicaid payments in FY 1997. (Sec. 2925) Directs the HHS Secretary to waive requirements of SSA titles XV and XVIII as necessary for States to conduct certain demonstration projects to use funds to develop and implement innovative programs for individuals dually eligible for benefits under both titles, including chronically ill individuals. (Sec. 2926) Establishes the National Commission on Medicaid and State-Based Health Care Reform to study and make recommendations to the Congress, the President, and the HHS Secretary with respect to the program under SSA title XIX (or SSA title XV, if applicable). Authorizes appropriations.
Law· HRH.R. 3734 (104th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Committee on Agriculture Subtitle A: Food Stamp Program Subtitle B: Commodity Distribution Programs Subtitle C: Electronic Benefit Transfer Systems Title II: Committee on Commerce Subtitle A: Restructuring Medicaid Subtitle B: Other Provisions Title III: Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities Subtitle A: Work Requirements Subtitle B: Child and Family Services Block Grant Subtitle C: Child Care Subtitle D: Child Nutrition Programs Subtitle E: Related Provisions Title IV: Committee on Ways and Means: Welfare Reform Subtitle A: Block Grants for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Subtitle B: Supplemental Security Income Subtitle C: Child Support Subtitle D: Restricting Welfare and Public Benefits for Aliens Subtitle E: Reform of Public Housing Subtitle F: Child Protection Block Grant Program and Foster Care, Adoption Assistance, and Independent Living Programs Subtitle G: Child Care Subtitle H: Miscellaneous Title I: Committee on Agriculture - Food Stamp Reform and Commodity Distribution Act of 1996 - Subtitle A: Food Stamp Program - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (Act) to establish a maximum 24- month food stamp program (program) authorization period for households whose adult members are elderly or disabled. (Sec. 1012) Expands the definition of "coupon." (Sec. 1013) Treats children who are themselves parents living with their children and married children living with their spouses as part of an existing household rather than as a separate household. (Sec. 1014) Authorizes States to establish additional criteria for separate household determinations. (Sec. 1015) Revises thrifty food plan adjustment requirements. (Sec. 1016) Revises the definition of "homeless individual" to limit the length of time a person may temporarily live in another person's residence. (Sec. 1018) Revises household income exclusion provisions regarding: (1) students; and (2) Federal energy assistance. (Sec. 1020) Revises household income deduction provisions regarding: (1) standard deductions; (2) earned income; (3) dependent care; (4) child support payments; (5) homeless shelter assistance; (6) excess medical expenses; and (7) excess shelter expenses. (Sec. 1021) Eliminates specified excludable auto value increases and establishes the maximum excludable auto value at $4600. (Sec. 1022) Includes as household income third party payments for transitional housing for the homeless. (Sec. 1023) Increases penalties for certain program violations. (Sec. 1024) Disqualifies permanently an individual convicted of specified coupon violations. (Sec. 1025) Revises work requirement and employment and training provisions. Extends employment and training funding authorizations. (Sec. 1028) Authorizes comparable program disqualification based upon means-tested public assistance disqualification. (Sec. 1029) Disqualifies for ten years an individual who participates in the program in two or more States. (Sec. 1030) Disqualifies a fleeing felon from program participation. (Sec. 1031) Requires at State option: (1) cooperation with child support agencies in order to maintain program eligibility; and (2) program disqualification for child support arrears. (Sec. 1033) Defines "work program." Makes nonexempt persons ineligible for program benefits if during the preceding 12-month period they received food stamps for four months or more without working at least 20 hours per week, or participating in a workfare program. Sets forth exempted persons and situations. (Sec. 1034) Directs States to implement electronic benefit transfer systems. (Sec. 1035) Eliminates annual minimum allotment adjustments. (Sec. 1037) Authorizes a combined allotment for expedited households. (Sec. 1038) Authorizes program reductions for failure to comply with a means-tested public assistance reduction requirement. (Sec. 1039) Authorizes program assistance for households residing in a homeless shelter or drug or alcohol treatment center. (Sec. 1040) Provides that no food store or wholesale food concern be approved for program participation without a prior visit by a Department of Agriculture employee, or a designated State or local official. (Sec. 1041) Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to establish authorization periods for retail food stores and wholesale food concerns to redeem food stamps or benefits through an electronic benefit transfer system. (Sec. 1042) Includes income and sales tax information among the types of eligibility verification information that may be requested. (Sec. 1043) Establishes a six-month reapplication waiting period for a store that does not meet participation requirements. (Sec. 1044) Revises: (1) food stamp office operating provisions; and (2) expedited coupon service requirements. (Sec. 1045) Eliminates certain certification personnel training requirements. (Sec. 1046) Provides for the exchange of information with law enforcement or Immigration and Naturalization Service personnel. (Sec. 1048) Authorizes a family to withdraw a fair hearing request. (Sec. 1049) Permits States to use income, and immigration eligibility verification systems other than a specified system under the Social Security Act. (Sec. 1050) Provides for disqualification of a store: (1) that knowingly submits a falsified application; and (2) that is disqualified from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). (Sec. 1052) Directs program overissuances to be collected by: (1) allotment reduction; (2) unemployment compensation withholding; or (3) Federal pay or Federal income tax refund recovery. (Sec. 1053) Authorizes suspension of a store pending administrative and judicial review. (States that the Secretary shall not be liable for lost sales during such period.) (Sec. 1054) Establishes criminal forfeiture penalties for specified program violations. (Sec. 1055) Terminates Federal matching requirements for program recruitment activities. (Sec. 1057) Authorizes States to use funds otherwise available to a participating household for a work supplementation or support program. Sets forth program provisions. (Sec. 1058) Authorizes waiver of program requirements as necessary to conduct related pilot projects. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1060) Authorizes States to carry out private sector employment initiatives. Sets forth program provisions. (Sec. 1061) Authorizes appropriations for program operations. (Sec. 1062) Authorizes States to carry out a Simplified Food Stamp Program in lieu of existing program requirements. Sets forth program provisions. (Sec. 1063) Establishes an optional State food assistance block grant program in lieu of the food stamp program. Sets forth program provisions. (Sec. 1064) Directs the Secretary to conduct a study of the use of food stamps for vitamin and mineral purchases. (Sec. 1066) Authorizes States to consider all or part of the income and financial resources of a person rendered ineligible for program participation in determining the eligibility of such person's household. (Sec. 1068) Expresses the sense of the House Committee on Agriculture that reductions in outlays resulting from this title shall not be considered for certain budget reduction purposes under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985. Subtitle B: Commodity Distribution Programs - Amends the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to combine the emergency food assistance program with the soup kitchen-food bank program. Amends the Act to direct the Secretary to purchase commodities for such combined programs. (Sec. 1072) Amends the Charitable Assistance and Food Bank Act of 1987 to repeal the food bank demonstration project. (Sec. 1073) Makes conforming and technical amendments to the Hunger Prevention Act of 1988 and the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990. Subtitle C: Electronic Benefit Transfer Systems - Amends the Electronic Fund Transfer Act to exempt (with exceptions) State and local government electronic benefit transfer systems from specified provisions of such Act. Title II: Committee on Commerce - Subtitle A: Restructuring Medicaid - Medicaid Restructuring Act of 1996 - Amends the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new title XV (Program of Medical Assistance for Low-Income Individuals and Families), the stated purpose of which is to provide funds to States to enable them to provide medical assistance to low-income individuals and families in a more effective, efficient, and responsive manner. (Sec. 2003) Outlines program components, including key provisions for: (1) certain guaranteed benefits for select individuals, including certain poor pregnant women, disabled and poor elderly individuals, and children receiving foster care or adoption assistance; (2) guaranteed coverage of Medicare premiums and cost-sharing for certain Medicare beneficiaries; (3) only nominal cost-sharing for children, poor pregnant women, and certain elderly and disabled individuals with respect to covered items and services; (4) prevention of spacial and family impoverishment with regard to long-term and institutional care generally; (5) solvency standards for capitate health care organizations; (6) prohibiting States from denying coverage of any item or service on the basis of a preexisting condition; (7) prohibition of State denial of coverage for any item or service under its Medicaid program on the basis of a preexisting condition; (8) State flexibility in benefits, geographical coverage area, and selection of providers, as well as with regard to managed care; (9) coverage of abortions only for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest or when a woman suffers from a physical disorder, illness, or injury that would, as certified by a physician, place the woman in danger of death unless an abortion is performed; (10) denial of payment under the State Medicaid plan for any item or service furnished for euthanasia purposes; (11) limitation on payments for Medicaid services to nonlawful aliens, generally allowing treatment only in emergency situations; (12) periodic, independent evaluations of the operation of the State Medicaid plan and annual audits of State expenditures under its Medicaid program; (13) a separate fraud prevention program, as well as, under certain conditions, State fraud control units; (14) an information reporting system with regard to sanctions taken by State licensing authorities against health care practitioners and providers; (15) quality assurance requirements for nursing facilities, as well as requirements relating to residents' rights; and (16) an optional master drug rebate agreement program for covered outpatient drugs of a manufacturer. Directs the Comptroller General to provide for a study and report to the Congress on the methods by which States provide for financing their share of expenditures under Medicaid, including an examination of the use of provider taxes and donations, as well as intergovernmental transfers. (Sec. 2004) Terminates the current Medicaid program as of October 1, 1997. Sets a limitation on Medicaid payments in FY 1997. (Sec. 2005) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to waive such requirements of SSA titles XV and XVIII as may be necessary for States to conduct certain demonstration projects to use funds to develop and implement innovative programs for individuals dually eligible for benefits under both titles, including such individuals who are chronically ill. Subtitle B: Other Provisions - Denies Federal public benefits (except certain emergency medical services and public health assistance) to non-qualified aliens. (Sec. 2212) Provides limited eligibility of qualified aliens for medical assistance. (Sec. 2213) Makes qualified aliens ineligible (with limited exceptions) for Federal means-tested public benefits for the first five years after U.S. entry. (Sec. 2214) Requires each Federal agency administering a program to which such restrictions on alien eligibility apply to post information, directly or through the States, and provide general notification to the public and to program recipients of these eligibility changes. (Sec. 2222) Requires the Attorney General to promulgate regulations requiring verification that an applicant for a restricted Federal public benefit is a qualified alien eligible to receive it. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 2131) Amends the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 to repeal certain deeming requirements with respect to home energy assistance payments not considered household income for purposes of the excess shelter expense deduction under the food stamp program. Title III: Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities - Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 - Subtitle A: Work Requirements - Amends SSA title IV part F (Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program) (JOBS) to replace the current JOBS program with a mandatory work program under which States operating Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs shall achieve a certain minimum participation rate for each fiscal year from 1996 to 2002 and thereafter with respect to families on TANF. Requires such families, generally, to engage in certain work activities (including job search activities) and satisfy certain obligations in their individual responsibility plan with the State (such as immunizing their children and attending parenting and money management classes) in order to receive the full amount of TANF assistance, and in order to help the family member become and remain employed in the private sector. Gives States the option of requiring family members to undergo appropriate substance abuse treatment. (Sec. 3101) Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) in complying with such mandatory program each State operating a TANF program is encouraged to assign the highest priority to requiring adults in two-parent families and adults in single-parent families that include older preschool or school-age children to be engaged in work activities; and (2) States should require non-custodial, nonsupporting parents who have not attained 18 years of age to fulfill community work obligations and attend appropriate parenting or money management classes after school. Sets up a program allowing eligible States in certain circumstances to receive supplemental grant funds for operation of a mandatory work program. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1999 for such supplemental grants. Subtitle B: Child and Family Services Block Grant - Renames the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act as the Child and Family Services Block Grant Act of 1996. Changes the purposes of the Act to emphasize assistance to each State in improving child protective service systems. Delineates criteria governing State eligibility for Federal block grants for: (1) child and family services; and (2) research, demonstrations, training, and technical assistance. (Sec. 3201) Abolishes the current Federal program, including the Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, the Inter-Agency Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect, the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, community-based family resource programs, temporary child care for children with disabilities, crisis nursery demonstration programs, certain preventive services for children of homeless families or families at risk of homelessness, and requirements for criminal background checks for child care providers. Instructs the Secretary to: (1) establish a national child abuse and neglect data collection and analysis program (in addition to the current national clearinghouse for information relating to child abuse); and (2) provide technical and training assistance to the States for child abuse and neglect programs and for adoption opportunities. Mandates peer review for such grants. Instructs the Secretary to conduct a national random sample study of children at risk of child abuse or neglect. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1996 through 2002, including grants for demonstration projects. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States to assist them in developing programs related to the investigation and prosecution of child abuse and neglect cases. Requires any State requesting such assistance to establish a multidisciplinary task force on children's justice to study administrative, civil, and criminal judicial handling of such cases, and make recommendations which the State must adopt (or equivalent alternatives). Subtitle C: Child Care - Child Care and Development Block Grant Amendments Act of 1996 - Revises and extends through FY 2002 the authorization of appropriations for the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (the Act, for purposes of this title). Sets forth goals for State child care assistance. (Sec. 3303) Amends Part A of title IV (Aid to Families With Dependent Children) (AFDC) of the Social Security Act to entitle each State to payments for providing child care assistance. (Sec. 3304) Authorizes the State lead agency to administer the financial assistance it receives through other governmental or nongovernmental agencies. (Sec. 3305) Revises State application and plan requirements with respect to consumer education information, State licensing compliance, meeting the needs of AFDC or TANF recipients (especially those attempting through work activities to leave the assistance program) and those at risk of becoming dependent on assistance, and assistance for certain low-income working families. (Sec. 3307) Reduces from 20 percent to four percent the minimum amount of certain funds available for State activities to improve the quality of child care, limited to: (1) comprehensive consumer education to parents and the public; (2) activities increasing parental choice; and (3) activities designed to improve child care quality and availability. (Sec. 3308) Repeals a requirement that States expend a specified minimum amount of reserved funds for early childhood development and before- and after-school services. (Sec. 3313) Reduces the allotment reserved for Indian tribes or tribal organizations from three percent to one percent. Prescribes guidelines for the use of such allotment for facility repair and construction. (Sec. 3315) Repeals: (1) the Child Development Associate Scholarship Assistance Act of 1985; (2) the State Dependent Care Development Grants Act; (3) specified programs under title X (Programs of National Significance) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; (4) the Native Hawaiian Family-based Education Centers program under the Native Hawaiian Education Act; and (5) the AFDC and Transitional Child Care programs and the At-Risk Child Care program under SSA title IV. Subtitle D: Child Nutrition Programs - Amends the National School Lunch Act (NSLA) to repeal specified authorities and requirements for the school lunch and related programs, including: (1) State educational authority to use resources from the nutrition and education (NET) program; (2) prohibition of State imposition of teaching personnel and curriculum requirements at any school; (3) certain demonstration grants to private nonprofit organizations or educational institutions for elementary school curriculum food and nutrition projects; (4) aspects of summer food service programs, reducing payment rates and daily meals at camps, reducing the National Youth Sports Program, and revising nutritional standards compliance requirements; (5) certain commodity distribution program requirements, including State Advisory Councils; (6) expansion of the child care food program; (7) adult care food aid to adult day care centers and services for persons over 60; (8) certain pilot projects, including one for paperwork reduction; and (9) an information clearinghouse. (Sec. 3401) Includes in the definition of child any individual with one or more mental or physical disabilities, regardless of age, who attends a specified type of institution, or any nonresidential public or nonprofit private school of high school grade or under, in order to participate in a school program for such individuals. (Sec. 3402) Revises nutritional and other program requirements. (Sec. 3423) Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (CNA) to revise the school breakfast program: (1) eliminating Federal assistance for food preparation training and program expansion and start-up costs; (2) repealing certain authorities and requirements relating to State administrative expenses (SAE); (3) repealing the prohibition against State imposition of teaching personnel and curriculum requirements at any school; and (4) repealing the program of cash grants for nutrition education. (Sec. 3429) Revises the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children (WIC), among other things repealing specified requirements and changing from mandatory to optional: (1) drug abuse education; and (2) provision of WIC information in languages other than English. (Sec. 3431) Makes the Nutrition and Education program discretionary rather than mandatory. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle E: Related Provisions - Requires the HHS Secretary to produce and publish specified types of data relating to the incidence of poverty in the United States at least every two years. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 3502) Expresses the sense of the Congress that this title, and the amendments it makes, should not result in an increase in the number of children who are hungry, homeless, poor, or medically uninsured. (Sec. 3503) Requires the Congress, in the event that the above-mentioned increase results by the end of the FY 1997, to: (1) revisit this title, or the amendments it has made, which caused such increase; and (2) as soon as practicable thereafter, pass legislation that stops the continuation of such increase. Title IV: Committee on Ways and Means: Welfare Reform - Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 (sic) - Subtitle A: Block Grants For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families - Expresses the sense of the Congress that prevention of out-of-wedlock pregnancy and reduction in out-of-wedlock births are important Government interests. (Sec. 4103) Replaces the current Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) with a single program of block grants to the States for operating statewide temporary assistance (TANF) programs with certain mandatory work, education, and job preparation requirements for needy families either already with or expecting a child, which are designed to assist such families in becoming self-sufficient. Limits such families generally to no more than five years of TANF cash assistance, with certain exceptions for minor children, battered family members, and hardship situations. Requires that families include either a minor child who resides with a custodial parent or other adult caretaker relative or a pregnant individual in order to receive TANF assistance. Prohibits additional cash TANF assistance for children born into families already on TANF assistance (with certain exceptions for: (1) children born into families with no other children; (2) vouchers provided in lieu of cash benefits that are only good for particular goods and services suitable for child care; and (3) children born as a result of rape or incest), unless the particular State exempts itself from such prohibition. Denies TANF assistance in cases where an individual family member is a fugitive felon or a probation or parole violator, and in certain other specified situations as well. Requires States receiving TANF grants to ensure: (1) that each TANF recipient is eligible for Medicaid or other specified medical assistance, if applicable, to the extent that the recipient's health care costs are not covered by other health insurance; and (2) that certain other families becoming TEA-ineligible due to increased earnings from employment or collection of child support receive similar medical assistance during the immediately succeeding 12-month period. Allows States receiving TANF grants used to provide assistance for any individual who is receiving benefits, or on behalf of whom benefits are paid, under a State old-age, foster care, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) plan to disregard such assistance payment in determining the amount of TANF assistance to be provided under the State TANF program to the family of which the individuals a member. Requires, in addition, certain adult-supervised living arrangements for unmarried teenage parents. Provides for the exchange of certain TANF program information with law enforcement agencies under specified conditions. Establishes penalties for States and individual families for specified grant and program violations, respectively, through reduced grants and assistance payments, allowing States to terminate such payments to certain adult family members without small children needing child care who refuse to: (1) engage in work, educational, or job preparation activities (required program activities); or (2) cooperate with the State in establishing paternity or obtaining child support unless the member qualifies for a good cause or other exception. Provides for a separate reduction in State family assistance grant payments for States failing to comply with Federal requirements under SSA title IV part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) pertaining to paternity establishment and child support enforcement. Sets forth the mechanism for State appeal of Federal adverse decisions with respect to State plans or imposition of penalties, providing for advance notification of any program violation and the opportunity for a State to correct it before any such penalty is imposed. Limits the amount of any penalty reduction in the State's quarterly family assistance grant payment. Expresses the sense of the Congress that State TANF programs should: (1) assign the highest priority to requiring adults in two-parent families and in single-parent families with older preschool or school-age children to be engaged in required program activities; and (2) require noncustodial, nonsupporting parents under age 18 to fulfill community work obligations and attend appropriate parenting or money management classes after school. Specifies State TANF plan contents, including provisions for numeric goals for reducing illegitimacy in the State over a specified ten year period beginning in 1996, and certain certifications by the State that it will operate child support enforcement and protection programs, in order for it to be eligible (according to certain other criteria as well) to receive Federal grants for its TANF programs (family assistance grants). Allows the States to decide in their TANF plans: (1) whether or not they intend on providing TANF assistance to aliens; and (2) how to treat families moving interstate. Provides for: (1) the allowable uses of quarterly family assistance grants, family planning services and assistance to low income households in meeting home heating and cooling costs (but prohibiting their use for medical services generally); (2) additional grants to States as rewards for reductions in illegitimate births and for high performance under the TANF program, as well as supplemental grants to certain States for population increases; and (3) a Contingency Fund for State Welfare Programs (Contingency Fund) in the Treasury for payments to certain eligible States. Makes appropriations for such grants and the Contingency Fund. Sets up a Federal loan program for State TANF programs for anti-fraud and other specified activities, making necessary appropriations. Outlines specific program data collection and reporting requirements, as well as certain research, evaluation, and study requirements. Makes applicable appropriations. Provides for direct funding, by way of three-year tribal family assistance grants, to Indian tribes (with a special rule for Indian tribes in Alaska) with approved tribal family assistance plans. Authorizes the Secretary of HHS to implement and evaluate demonstrations of innovative and promising strategies which: (1) provide one-time capital funds to establish, expand, or replicate programs; (2) test performance-based grant-to-loan financing in which programs meeting performance targets receive grants while programs not meeting such targets repay funding on a prorated basis; and (3) test strategies in multiple States and types of communities. Directs the Bureau of the Census to expand the Survey of Income and Program Participation to obtain information that will enable interested persons to evaluate the impact of the changes made by this title on a random national sample of recipients of assistance under State programs. Provides for the treatment of existing State AFDC waivers in effect on the date of enactment of this Act and those granted subsequently. Makes the Assistant Secretary of HHS for Family Support the official responsible for administering SSA title IV part A and D programs. Eliminates certain child care programs under SSA title IV part A, including the at-risk child care program. (Sec. 4104) Allows States to contract with charitable, religious, and private organizations to provide services and administer programs established or modified under titles I, II, and VI of this Act. Prohibits the expenditure of financial assistance for sectarian worship, instruction, or proselytization. (Sec. 4105) Directs the Secretary of Commerce to expand census data collection efforts to enable the Bureau of the Census to collect statistically significant data on grandparent caregivers. (Sec. 4106) Requires an HHS report to the Congress on State automated data processing systems used in administering TANF programs to determine what would be required to establish a system for tracking public program participants and checking case records to determine if such participants are participating in public programs of two or more States. (Sec. 4107) Details requirements for a similar report, and study, on alternative outcomes measures for evaluating the success of the States in moving individuals off welfare through employment. (Sec. 4108) Makes conforming amendments to SSA, the Food Stamp Act of 1977, and related provisions of other specified Federal laws. (Sec. 4111) Directs the Commissioner of Social Security (Commissioner) to: (1) develop a prototype counterfeit-resistant social security card; and (2) study and report to the Congress on improving the social security card application process. (Sec. 4112) Requires any organization accepting Federal funds under this title or any amendments made by it (other than funds provided under SSA titles IV, XVI, or XX) to disclose that fact in any communication it makes that in any way intends to promote public support or opposition to any Federal, State, or local government policy through any broadcasting station, periodical, or other specified type of general public advertising. Makes any organization failing to make such a disclosure ineligible to receive Federal funds under this Act. (Sec. 4113) Amends the Family Support Act of 1988 to remove the "demonstration" status of the Job Opportunities for Certain Low-Income Individuals (JOLI) program and give it an increased annual authorization. Subtitle B: Supplemental Security Income - Amends SSA title XVI to deny SSI for ten years to individuals found to have fraudulently misrepresented residence in order to obtain benefits simultaneously in two or more States. Denies SSI for fugitive felons and probation and parole violators. Provides for the exchange of certain SSI information with law enforcement agencies under specified conditions. (Sec. 4203) Revises the treatment afforded prisoners with regard to SSI and (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance)OASDI benefits to: (1) deny SSI benefits for ten years to a person found to have fraudulently obtained SSI benefits while in prison; (2) eliminate the OASDI requirement that confinement stem from a crime punishable by imprisonment for more than one year; and (3) authorize the Commissioner to contract with any interested State or local institutions used to confine prisoners for monthly reports of certain identifying information in order to enforce SSI and OASDI benefit limitations, and pay such institution a specified fee with regard to each SSI- or OASDI-eligible inmate identified who becomes ineligible for such benefit as a result of such reporting. Requires the Commissioner to study and report to the Congress on other specified potential improvements in the collection of information respecting public inmates. (Sec. 4204) Makes certain changes respecting the effective date of applications for SSI benefits. (Sec. 4211) Revises the rules with respect to childhood eligibility, with corresponding changes to childhood SSI regulations modifying the medical criteria for evaluation of mental and emotional disorders, and discontinuing the use of individualized functional assessments for children. Modifies medical improvement review standards, specifically dividing their applicability to, and creating separate criteria for individuals aged 18 or older, and individuals under age 18, respectively. Provides that once an eligible child meets the definition of disability, the amount of the individual's cash benefit will be based on whether or not the child meets criteria for needing personal assistance enabling the child to stay at home with his or her family. Authorizes additional appropriations for continuing disability reviews and redeterminations under SSA title XVI. (Sec. 4212) Provides that at least once every three years the Commissioner shall review the continued SSI eligibility of each individual who has not attained age 18 and is eligible for such benefits by reason of an impairment (or combination of impairments) which is likely to improve (or, at the Commissioner's option, is unlikely to improve). Requires a representative payee of a recipient whose case is so reviewed to present, at the time of review, evidence demonstrating that the recipient is, and has been, receiving treatment, to the extent considered medically necessary and available, for the condition which was the basis for providing benefits under the SSI program. Provides that if the representative payee refuses to comply without good cause with such requirement, the Commissioner shall, if in the individual's best interest, promptly suspend payment of benefits to the representative payee, and provide for payment of benefits to an alternative representative payee or, if the interest of the individual would be served thereby, to the individual. Provides that if an individual is eligible for SSI benefits by reason of disability for the month preceding the month in which the individual attains age 18, the Commissioner shall redetermine such eligibility: (1) during the one-year period beginning on the individual's 18th birthday; and (2) by applying the criteria used in determining the initial eligibility for applicants who have attained age 18. Specifies requirements governing continuing disability reviews for low-birth-weight babies. (Sec. 4213) Revises provisions regarding the disposal of resources for less than fair market value by certain individuals and appropriate notification of Medicaid. Provides for the treatment of assets held in trust by individuals who have not attained age 18 and any earnings resulting from such trust. Requires representative payees of eligible individuals below age 18 to establish financial institution accounts on their behalf into which SSI payments shall be paid. Allows representative payees to use funds in the account to pay for certain allowable expenses. Directs the Commissioner to establish a system for accountability monitoring whereby a representative payee shall report on activities respecting funds in the account. (Sec. 4214) Reduces cash SSI payments to institutionalized children whose medical costs are covered by private insurance. (Sec. 4221) Provides for installment payment of large amounts of past-due SSI benefits, and the recovery of SSI overpayments from social security benefits. (Sec. 4225) Repeals maintenance of effort requirements applicable to optional State programs for supplementation of SSI benefits. (Sec. 4231) Requires the Commissioner to prepare an annual report for the President and the Congress on the SSI program, and make appropriate arrangements for a study of the disability determination process under SSA titles II and XVI for any needed changes. (Sec. 4233) Outlines the requirements for a General Accounting Office study and report on the impact of this subtitle on the SSI program and on the extra expenses incurred by families of children receiving benefits under such program that are not covered by other Federal, State, or local programs. (Sec. 4241) Establishes the National Commission on the Future of Disability to develop and carry out a comprehensive study of all matters related to the nature, purpose, and adequacy of all Federal programs serving individuals with disabilities in order to develop appropriate recommendations for any needed legislation or administrative action. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle C: Child Support - Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of SSA title IV to require State plans for child and spacial support to provide: (1) certain services relating to paternity establishment or enforcement of child support obligations; and (2) continuation of services for families ceasing to receive assistance under Aid to Families with Dependent Children. (Sec. 4302) Revises payment distribution guidelines for support obligations collected by the State on behalf of a family. (Sec. 4303) Requires State plans to establish procedural guidelines for: (1) privacy safeguards regarding paternity and child support actions; and (2) notification to services applicants or recipients of all proceedings and orders affecting child support obligations. (Sec. 4311) Mandates that single statewide automated data systems include a State case registry containing records of: (1) each case in which services are provided by the State agency; and (2) each support order established on or after a specified date. Permits the linking of local registries. (Sec. 4312) Requires State plans to include a centralized, automated unit for the collection and disbursement of support payments. Permits the unit to be established by linking local disbursement units through an automated information network if the Secretary agrees that it will not cost more or take more time to establish or operate than a centralized system. Expresses the sense of the Congress that in determining whether to comply with the Social Security Act by either establishing a single, centralized unit for support payment collection and disbursement, or by linking together through automation local units, a State should choose the method of compliance which best meets the needs of parents, employers, and children. (Sec. 4313) Requires State plans to: (1) provide for a State-operated and automated State Directory of New Hires containing prescribed information furnished by employers on new personnel; and (2) transmit such information to the National Directory of New Hires. (Sec. 4314) Requires States to have statutorily prescribed procedures: (1) for mandatory income withholding for support payments subject to enforcement; and (2) under which wages of a person with a support obligation imposed by a child support order issued before October 1, 1996, shall become subject to withholding if arrearages occur, without the need for a judicial or administrative hearing. Revises the procedural guidelines for income withholding for child support enforcement. (Sec. 4315) Requires the States to have statutorily prescribed procedures to ensure that Federal and State agencies conducting income-withholding activities have access to State locator systems for motor vehicle or law enforcement purposes. (Sec. 4316) Revises the Federal Parent Locator Service to provide for additional information which may be transmitted to locate individuals and assets for purposes of: (1) establishing parentage; (2) establishing, setting the amount of, modifying, or enforcing child support obligations; and (3) enforcing child custody or visitation orders. Directs the HHS Secretary to establish in the Federal Parent Locator Service an automated Federal Case Registry of Child Support Orders and an automated National Directory of New Hires. Requires the Secretaries of Labor and of HHS to jointly develop cost-effective methods of accessing information in the various State directories of new hires and the National Directory of New Hires (established under this Act), taking into account impact and cost to the States, and the need to insure authorized use of wage record information. (Sec. 4317) Requires States to have statutorily prescribed procedures requiring recordation on such documents of the Social Security number of: (1) specified driver's, marriage, and occupational, and professional license applicants; (2) individuals subject to certain domestic relations orders; and (3) deceased persons (on death records). (Sec. 4321) Requires each State to have the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act in effect as of January 1, 1998. Amends the Federal judicial code to revise the procedures for the court to apply when determining which State order to recognize for purposes of continuing, exclusive jurisdiction and enforcement for child support orders. (Sec. 4323) Requires the States to have statutorily prescribed procedures requiring: (1) expedited administrative enforcement in interstate cases and support orders; and (2) expedited administrative and judicial procedures for establishing paternity and enforcing support obligations. (Sec. 4331) Revises the guidelines for State laws governing paternity establishment. Requires State procedures under which the name of the father shall be included on the birth certificate only: (1) if the mother and father have signed a voluntary acknowledgement of paternity; or (2) pursuant to a judicial or administrative order. (Sec. 4333) Requires State plans for child and spacial support to provide that the State agency administering the plan will make a determination as to whether a program recipient is cooperating in good faith with State efforts to establish paternity and secure support. (Sec. 4341) Directs the Secretary to develop a new incentive system to replace the current one. Revises the guidelines for Federal performance-based incentive payments to the States for effective child support enforcement programs. (Sec. 4342) Requires a State plan for child and spacial support to include prescribed procedures for State reviews and audits. Revises the guidelines for Federal evaluation and audit of State programs governing paternity, child and spacial support, and parent location. (Sec. 4344) Revises the automated data processing requirements for State plans to mandate a single statewide automated data processing and information retrieval system which can perform specified tasks. (Sec. 4345) Makes funds available to the Secretary for: (1) training of Federal and State staff, research and demonstration programs, and special projects of regional and national significance; and (2) operation of the Federal Parent Locator Service. (Sec. 4351) Revises the requirements for State plan procedures for the review and adjustment of support orders. (Sec. 4352) Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to authorize a consumer agency to furnish a consumer report: (1) in response to a request by a governmental child support enforcement agency; or (2) to the State administrative agency which sets child support awards. (Sec. 4353) Shields a depository institution from Federal or State liability for disclosing any financial record of an individual to a State child support enforcement agency. Prohibits such agency from disclosing such a financial record except for the purpose of, and to the extent necessary in, establishing, modifying, or enforcing a child support obligation. Sets forth civil penalties for any person knowingly or negligently violating such prohibition. (Sec. 4361) Amends Internal Revenue Code procedural guidelines for the collection of arrearages to provide that no additional fee may be assessed for adjustments to a previously certified amount. (Sec. 4362) Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of SSA title IV to revise procedural guidelines for: (1) consent by the United States to income withholding, garnishment, and similar proceedings for enforcement of child support and alimony obligations of current and retired Federal employees; and (2) enforcement of child support obligations of members of the Armed Forces. (Sec. 4364) Requires a State plan for child and spacial support to have in effect the Uniform Fraudulent Conveyance Act of 1981, the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act of 1984, or a similar law, as well as certain procedures governing the voiding of fraudulent transfers by a child support debtor. (Sec. 4365) Requires a State plan for child and spacial support to include specified procedures: (1) to ensure that persons owing past-due support participate in appropriate work activities; (2) to report to credit bureaus the name of the parent in arrears for child support; (3) to provide for liens against real and personal property for the support arrearages of a non-custodial parent; and (4) to implement the restriction of driver's, professional, occupational, and recreational licenses of individuals owing support arrearages. (Sec. 4370) Requires the Secretary of State to deny, revoke, or limit a passport upon certification of nonpayment of child support. (Sec. 4371) Authorizes the Secretary of State to negotiate reciprocal agreements with foreign nations: (1) regarding international enforcement of child support obligations; and (2) designating the Department of Health and Human Services as the central authority for such enforcement. (Sec. 4372) Requires States to have statutorily prescribed procedures under which a State agency shall enter agreements with financial institutions doing business within the State to develop and operate a data match system to provide identifying information for each non-custodial parent targeted by the State who maintains an account at the institution, and to encumber or surrender such parent's assets at the institution pursuant to a lien or levy. (Sec. 4373) Requires States to have statutorily prescribed procedures under which child support orders relating to the child of minor parents, where the custodial parents are receiving assistance, are enforceable against the child's paternal or maternal grandparents. (Sec. 4374) Amends Federal bankruptcy law and the Social Security Act to declare a debt for child support nondischargeable in bankruptcy. (Sec. 4376) Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to include within the definition of medical child support order an order issued through a State administrative process. (Sec. 4377) Amends part D of SSA title IV to mandate statutorily prescribed procedures under which all enforced child support orders shall include a provision for the health care coverage of the child. (Sec. 4381) Amends part D of SSA title IV to prescribe guidelines under which the Administration for Children and Families shall make grants to enable States to establish and administer access and visitation programs to facilitate non-custodial parents' access to their children. Subtitle D: Restricting Welfare and Public Benefits for Aliens - Declares that: (1) it is a compelling government interest to enact new rules for eligibility and sponsorship agreements in order to assure that aliens be self-reliant in accordance with national immigration policy; and (2) it is a compelling government interest to remove the incentive for illegal immigration provided by the availability of public benefits. (Sec. 4401) Prohibits Federal public benefits (as defined by this Act) to aliens who are not qualified aliens (as defined by this Act). Stipulates that such prohibition shall not apply to: (1) emergency medical services; (2) certain emergency disaster relief; (3) public health immunizations and treatment of communicable diseases; (4) housing assistance; (5) certain in-kind community services; and (6) Social Security Act benefits under specified circumstances. (Sec. 4402) Makes qualified aliens ineligible (with limited exceptions for refugees, asylees, certain permanent residents, veterans and active duty personnel, aliens whose deportation is withheld, and aliens currently receiving benefits) for: (1) supplemental security income (SSI); (2) food stamps; (3) temporary assistance for needy families; (4) social services block grants; and (5) Medicaid. (Sec. 4403) Makes qualified aliens ineligible (with limited exceptions for refugees, asylees, and veterans and active duty personnel) for Federal means-tested public benefits (as defined by this Act) for the first five years after U.S. entry. (Sec. 4404) Requires each Federal agency administering a program covered by this title to post information and provide general notification to the public and program recipients, either directly or through the States, of the requirements concerning alien eligibility for any such program pursuant to this title. Amends the Social Security Act and the United States Housing Act of 1937 to provide for State reporting of certain illegal alien information to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). (Sec. 4411) Makes an alien who is not a qualified alien, a nonimmigrant, or a parolee ineligible for State or local benefits (as defined by this Act). Stipulates that such prohibition shall not apply to: (1) emergency medical services; (2) certain emergency disaster relief; (3) public health immunizations and treatment of communicable diseases; and (4) certain in-kind community services. (Sec. 4412) Authorizes States to determine eligibility for State public means-tested benefits for qualified aliens, nonimmigrants, or parolees. States that refugees, asylees, certain permanent residents, and veterans and active duty personnel shall be eligible for all State public benefits. (Sec. 4421) Provides that in determining the eligibility and the amount of benefits of any alien for Federal any means-tested public benefits program the income and resources of the alien shall be deemed to include: (1) the income and resources of any person who executed an affidavit of support on the alien's behalf; and (2) the income and resources of the person's spouse (if any). Applies such requirement with respect to an alien until such time as the alien achieves U.S. citizenship through naturalization or has worked without public assistance for a specified time. (Sec. 4422) Authorizes States to make similar attributions with respect to State programs (with specified exceptions). (Sec. 4423) Sets forth requirements for sponsor's affidavit of support. (Sec. 4424) Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require sponsor cosignature of certain alien student loans. (Sec. 4431) Defines qualified alien to be: (1) a lawful permanent resident; (2) an asylee; (3) a refugee; (4) a parolee; (5) an alien under withheld deportation; and (6) an alien granted conditional entry. (Sec. 4432) Requires the Attorney General to promulgate regulations regarding alien eligibility for Federal public benefits. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 4441) Makes conforming amendments related to assisted housing under the Housing and Community Development Act of 1980 and the Housing Act of 1949. (Sec. 4451) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require a taxpayer to provide his or her social security number in order to qualify for the earned income credit. Subtitle E: Reform of Public Housing - Prohibits an individual from receiving an increased benefit under a means-tested welfare or public assistance program due to fraud-reduced income under another such program. Subtitle F: Child Protection Block Grant Programs and Foster Care, Adoption Assistance and Independent Living Programs - Replaces SSA title IV-B (Child Welfare Services) with a program of block grants to the States to implement: (1) child protection programs with respect to child abuse and neglect; and (2) child protection. (Sec. 4701) Prescribes guidelines under which the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) shall: (1) establish a national data collection and analysis program to coordinate existing State child abuse and neglect reports; and (2) implement a data collection system regarding adoption and foster care. Authorizes appropriations for child welfare studies and for assessment of State courts improvement of foster care and adoption proceedings. (Sec. 4711) Makes conforming amendments to Title IV-E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance). Delineates requirements for State eligibility for Federal payments for foster care maintenance and adoption assistance. Sets forth guidelines for payments and allotments to the States for adoption assistance, foster care, and independent living programs (designed to assist children who have attained age 16 to make the transition from foster care to independent living). (Sec. 4722) Expresses the sense of the Congress that States should: (1) allocate sufficient funds for adoption and medical assistance to encourage child adoption; (2) offer incentives to make adoption of special needs children more affordable for middle-class families; (3) provide a child that must be removed from its biological parents with a single foster care placement and single coordinated case team, including conclusion of adoption within one year of such child's foster care placement; and (4) participate in programs to enable maximum visibility of waiting children to potential parents. (Sec. 4751) (This section is almost identical to Title III, Subtitle B.) Renames the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act as the Child and Family Services Block Grant Act of 1996. Changes the purposes of the Act to emphasize assistance to each State in improving child protective service systems. Delineates criteria governing State eligibility for Federal block grants for: (1) child and family services; and (2) research, demonstrations, training, and technical assistance. Abolishes the current Federal program, including the Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, the Inter-Agency Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect, the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, community-based family resource programs, temporary child care for children with disabilities, crisis nursery demonstration programs, certain preventive services for children of homeless families or families at risk of homelessness, and requirements for criminal background checks for child care providers. Instructs the Secretary to: (1) establish a national child abuse and neglect data collection and analysis program (in addition to the current national clearinghouse for information relating to child abuse); and (2) provide technical and training assistance to the States for child abuse and neglect programs and for adoption opportunities. Mandates peer review for such grants. Instructs the Secretary to conduct a national random sample study of children at risk of child abuse or neglect. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1996 through 2002, including grants for demonstration projects. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States to assist them in developing programs related to the investigation and prosecution of child abuse and neglect cases. Requires any State requesting such assistance to establish a multidisciplinary task force on children's justice to study administrative, civil, and criminal judicial handling of such cases, and make recommendations which the State must adopt (or equivalent alternatives). Subtitle G: Child Care (Almost identical to Title III, Subtitle C.) - Child Care and Development Block Grant Amendments Act of 1996 - Revises and extends through FY 2002 the authorization of appropriations for the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (the Act, for purposes of this title). Sets forth goals for State child care assistance. (Sec. 4803) Amends Part A of title IV (TANF) of the Social Security Act to entitle each State to payments for providing child care assistance. (Sec. 4804) Authorizes the State lead agency to administer the financial assistance it receives through other governmental or nongovernmental agencies. (Sec. 4805) Revises State application and plan requirements with respect to consumer education information, State licensing compliance, meeting the needs of AFDC or TANF recipients (especially those attempting through work activities to leave the assistance program) and those at risk of becoming dependent on assistance, and assistance for certain low-income working families. (Sec. 4807) Reduces from 20 percent to three percent the minimum amount of certain funds available for State activities to improve the quality of child care, limited to: (1) comprehensive consumer education to parents and the public; (2) activities increasing parental choice; and (3) activities designed to improve child care quality and availability. (Sec. 4808) Repeals a requirement that States expend a specified minimum amount of reserved funds for early childhood development and before- and after-school services. (Sec. 4813) Reduces the allotment reserved for Indian tribes or tribal organizations from three percent to one percent. Prescribes guidelines for the use of such allotment for facility repair and construction. (Sec. 4815) Repeals: (1) the Child Development Associate Scholarship Assistance Act of 1985; (2) the State Dependent Care Development Grants Act; (3) specified programs under title X (Programs of National Significance) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; and (4) the Native Hawaiian Family-based Education Centers program under the Native Hawaiian Education Act. Subtitle H: Miscellaneous - Subjects any funds received by a State under provisions of law relating to block grants for temporary assistance for needy families (TANF) under part A of SSA title IV, optional State food assistance block grant under the Food Stamp Act of 1977, and block grants for child care under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to appropriation by the State legislature, consistent with the terms and conditions required under such provisions of law. (Sec. 4902) Provides that States shall not be prohibited by the Federal Government from testing welfare recipients for use of controlled substances nor from sanctioning welfare recipients who test positive for use of controlled substances. (Sec. 4903) Amends SSA title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) to provide for a reduction in funding for block grants under such program. (Sec. 4904) Amends Internal Revenue Code rules relating to denial of earned income credit for individuals having excessive investment income to: (1) reduce from $2,350 to $2,250 the disqualified income threshold; (2) revise the adjustment for inflation; (3) make disqualified income any capital gain net income and aggregate gains from all passive activities; (4) modify adjusted gross income for the earned income credit to exclude specified losses;; and (5) revise the formula for the earned income credit amount and initial credit phaseout.
Bill· HRH.R. 3741 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: FHA Single Family and Multifamily Title II: FHA Multifamily Housing Enforcement Act of 1996 - Title I: FHA Single Family and Multifamily - Amends the National Housing Act (Act) to exempt the Mortgage Review Board (Board) from certain bankruptcy stay provisions. Authorizes the Board to immediately suspend a mortgage under specified conditions. (Sec. 12) Extends (and increases) equity skimming penalties to 1-to-4 family residences. Expands the scope of penalties for mortgagees, lenders, and other Federal Housing Administration (FHA) program participants. Title II: FHA Multifamily - Amends the Act to extend certain multifamily mortgagor civil penalties (and the scope of such penalties) to general partners of a partnership mortgagor, or officers or directors of corporate mortgagors. (Sec. 21) Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to establish civil money penalties for specified rental housing (section 8) violations by owners and other liable parties.
Bill· HRH.R. 3743 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: FHA Multifamily Housing Title II: Housing for Special Populations Title III: Extensions of Existing Authority FHA Multifamily Housing Reform Act of 1996 - Title I: FHA Multifamily Housing - Amends the National Housing Act to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to: (1) insure first (and second) mortgages secured by multifamily housing projects or health care facilities and engage in other credit enhancement activities; and (2) enter into risk-sharing arrangements with qualified participating entities and housing finance agencies. Sets forth program provisions. Title II: Housing for Special Populations - Amends the Housing Act of 1959 and the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to: (1) reduce the term of rental assistance contracts for supportive housing for the elderly and for supportive housing for persons with disabilities; and (2) establish environmental review requirements for such programs. Title III: Extensions of Existing Authority - Amends the National Housing Act to extend: (1) auction authority; and (2) authority to transfer excess receipts to the flexible subsidy program.
Bill· HRH.R. 3740 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Performance Funds Title II: Developing Communities Initiative Title III: Miscellaneous Programs Community Development Block Grant Performance Fund and HOME Performance Fund Act of 1996 - Title I: Performance Funds - Subtitle A: Community Development Block Grant Performance Fund - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to consolidate specified housing programs into a Community Development Block Grant Performance Fund. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to make community development block grant authority for colonias permanent. (Sec. 17) Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to make loan guarantee funding authority permanent. (Sec. 18) Authorizes challenge grant funds to be used for job creation activities. (Sec. 20) Amends the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to terminate the Youthbuild program as of a specified date. Amends the Housing and Urban-Rural Recovery Act of 1983 to terminate: (1) the public housing early childhood development program; and (2) the neighborhood development demonstration program. Subtitle B: Home Performance Fund - Amends the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to authorize appropriations for the HOME Investment Partnership program. (Sec. 28) Increases Indian allocations. Revises resource allocation provisions. (Sec. 31) Requires: (1) Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California to obligate funds for colonias; and (2) States with significant numbers of migrant farmworkers to obligate funds for their assistance. (Sec. 33) Requires challenge grants for homeownership zone assistance. (Sec. 35) Authorizes: (1) affordable housing program loan guarantees; (2) joint grants to educational institutions and State and local governments; (3) funds to carry out the Community Outreach Partnership Act of 1992; and (4) funds for lead-based paint reduction. (Sec. 40) Amends the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to terminate: (1) the national homeownership trust demonstration; (2) the HOPE for homeownership of multifamily units; and (3) the HOPE for homeownership of single family homes. Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 to terminate the lead-based paint hazard reduction grant program as of a specified date. Title II: Developing Communities Initiative - Authorizes assistance for community initiatives in targeted communities. Obligates funds under the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 for such program. Title III: Miscellaneous Programs - Amends the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1970 to authorize appropriations for Department of Housing and Urban Development research and development programs. (Sec. 63) Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 to authorize appropriations for the fair housing initiatives program. (Sec. 64) Amends the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992 to authorize appropriations for the lead-based paint target housing reduction program (for activities prior to the termination date required by this Act).
Bill· HRH.R. 3736 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1996
Crime Does Not Pay Act - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to prohibit community development block grants to a State or locality that permits recovery of damages for an injury suffered by a person committing a felony.
Bill· HRH.R. 3742 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Product Flexibility and Insurance Title II: Claims and Property Disposition Reform Initiatives Title III: Streamlining Proposals FHA Single Family Housing Reform Act of 1996 - Title I: Product Flexibility and Insurance - Amends the National Housing Act to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to establish: (1) alternative mortgage insurance premium structures; and (2) demonstrations of underwriting, premiums, and insurance products to expand home ownership opportunities. Extends Federal Housing Administration mortgage insurance authority. Title II: Claims and Property Disposition Reform Initiatives - Revises single family claims procedures. Title III: Streamlining Proposals - Revises eligibility and warranty provisions. Authorizes: (1) delegation of insuring authority to direct endorsement mortgagees; and (2) use of amounts borrowed from family for downpayments. Revises home equity conversion program provisions with respect to: (1) insurance limitations; and (2) consumer education requirements. Provides 100 percent condominium mortgage insurance for disasters. Repeals authority for Housing Insurance Fund expenditures to correct or compensate for substantial defects in mortgaged homes.
Bill· HRH.R. 3722 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1996
Veterans Nursing Care Availability Act of 1996 - Revises the manner by which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs is required to rank applicants for grants under the State home construction grant program (a program providing grants to States for the construction of veterans' nursing homes). Prohibits any State from being awarded more than one such grant during any fiscal year.
Bill· SS. 1904 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Effective Compassion Subtitle A: Charity Tax Credit Subtitle B: Other Provisions Title II: Community Empowerment Subtitle A: Education Subtitle B: Restitution and Responsibility Subtitle C: Independence Subtitle D: Housing Title III: Other American Renewal Incentives Subtitle A: Housing Subtitle B: Responsible Parenting Subtitle C: Character Development Subtitle D: Family Reconciliation Subtitle E: Mentor Schools Subtitle F: Role Models Academy Subtitle G: Kinship Care Project for American Renewal Act - Title I: Effective Compassion - Subtitle A: Charity Tax Credit - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to create a credit for charitable contributions, which shall be in lieu of any deduction for such contributions, equal to the sum of: (1) 100 percent of contributions not exceeding $100; and (2) 90 percent of contributions in excess of $100 up to a maximum dollar amount of $500. Provides for a study of such credit. (Sec. 111) Repeals the earned income credit for individuals without children. (Sec. 112) Requires reports from the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Committee on Finance on changes in laws which would reduce corporate tax subsidies sufficient to raise specified amounts of revenues. (Sec. 121) Provides for the authorization of appropriations under the Food Stamp Act of 1977 regardless of whether payments to the States provisions of part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) (AFDC) of title IV of the Social Security Act are repealed. (Sec. 131) Provides for reductions in amounts paid to each State under the AFDC program. (Sec. 132) Repeals title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) of the Social Security Act. (Sec. 141) Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to reduce community development block grants. (Sec. 142) Amends the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to repeal title II (HOME Investment Partnerships Act). Subtitle B: Other Provisions - Creates a tax credit of $500 for each eligible individual for the home care of: (1) unmarried pregnant women; (2) hospice care patients, including AIDS and cancer patients; (3) homeless individuals; and (4) battered women and battered women with children. (Sec. 152) Amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) deem specified free clinic health professionals providing qualifying health services as employees of the Public Health Service; and (2) provide such health professionals with specified limited legal liability. Authorizes appropriations for making payment for judgments against the United States pursuant to this section for the acts or omissions of such professionals. Requires a report to the Congress concerning such judgments. (Sec. 153) Directs the Attorney General and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish and carry out a competitive grant program to provide funding to States and communities to: (1) establish an information network to enhance coordination of matches between various nonprofit organizations and electing AFDC families or nonviolent criminal offenders; (2) hire staff to coordinate such matches; and (3) disseminate information about such program. Authorizes appropriations. Provides for the establishment of a national information clearinghouse concerning such program. Title II: Community Empowerment - Subtitle A: Education - Educational Choice and Equity Act of 1995 - Authorizes appropriations for the Secretary of Education to award grants to eligible entities for at least 100 demonstration projects under which low-income parents receive education certificates for the costs of enrolling their eligible children in a choice school. Reserves funds for the Comptroller General to evaluate such projects. Requires each participating school to comply with title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin. (Sec. 206) Requires such projects to involve: (1) at least one local educational agency (LEA) that receives a concentration grant under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) and meets other specified criteria; and (2) a sufficient number of public and private choice schools, in the Secretary's judgment, to allow for a valid demonstration project. Requires priority be given to projects: (1) in which choice schools offer an enrollment opportunity to the broadest range of eligible children; (2) that involve diverse types of choice schools; and (3) that will contribute to geographic diversity of grant awards. Subtitle B: Restitution and Responsibility - Authorizes the Attorney General to provide grants to enable the States to: (1) collect data on victim restitution over a specified period; (2) create or expand automated data systems to track restitution payments; (3) make improvements in the manner in which restitution is ordered and collected; and (4) enhance and expand methods of enforcement of restitution orders. (Sec. 211) Requires a State, to be eligible, to certify that it has a victim advocacy program that provides assistance to crime victims throughout the judicial process and provides courts with a victim impact statement prior to sentencing. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle C: Independence - Provides for the establishment of demonstration projects designed to determine: (1) the social, civic, psychological, and economic effects of providing to individuals and families with limited means an incentive to accumulate assets; (2) the extent to which an asset-based welfare policy that promotes saving for education, home ownership, and microenterprises may be used to enable individuals and families with low income to achieve economic self-sufficiency; and (3) the extent to which an asset-based welfare policy improves the community in which participating individuals and families live. (Sec. 222) Requires each qualified not-for-profit organization or State or local government agency receiving a grant to establish a Reserve Fund. Specifies income and net worth tests for individuals eligible for assistance under a demonstration project. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 223) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a deduction for contributions to an individual development account by or on behalf of a qualified individual. Limits such contributions to $2,000 per year, and qualified expenses to: (1) postsecondary educational expenses; (2) a first-home purchase; and (3) business capitalization. Excludes distributions for such purposes from gross income. Exempts such accounts from taxation, except the tax on unrelated business income. Disregards funds in an individual development account of a demonstration project participant for purposes of all means-tested Federal programs. Subtitle D: Housing - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Secretary) to transfer ownership (after satisfying any indebtedness) of unoccupied and substandard public housing units to the appropriate local governmental entities. Grants the appropriate community development corporations a six-month right of subsequent first purchase. (Sec. 233) Directs the Secretary to establish a program to provide maternal health certificates to eligible pregnant women for maternity home expenses. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 237) Authorizes the Secretary to make demonstration grants for State maternity care programs. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 241) Directs the Secretary to make grants to eligible nonprofit organizations for rehabilitation of structures for use as maternity housing and services facilities. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 248) Directs the Secretary to evaluate and report on programs under this part. Prohibits funds under this part from being used to promote or perform abortions or abortion counseling. Title III: Other American Renewal Incentives - Subtitle A: Housing - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to reserve a specified percentage of public housing units for legally married families. Subtitle B: Responsible Parenting - Amends title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) of the Social Security Act to provide for various specified program changes, including: (1) an increase in funding, as well as a corresponding increase in Federal set-asides; (2) provision and promotion of sexual abstinence and adoption-related services; (3) prohibitions on the use of funds for family planning services in schools and for programs or projects that provide abortions or abortion counseling or referral; (4) additional application requirements related to maximizing the role of families and religious and charitable organizations in solving problems relating to parenthood or adolescent pregnancies; and (5) new reporting requirements for the State and the Secretary of Health and Human Services involving State activities in connection with program services relating to abstinence and adoption. (Sec. 318) Amends the Public Health Service Act to repeal certain programs and demonstration projects related to population research and voluntary family planning as well as adolescent family life. Subtitle C: Character Development - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award: (1) mentor program grants to eligible local educational agencies to establish mentoring programs designed to link individual at-risk youth with responsible, individual adults who serve as mentors; and (2) implementation and evaluation grants to national organizations or agencies serving youth to conduct a multisite demonstration project, involving five to ten project sites, develop and evaluate screening standards for school-linked mentoring programs, and develop and evaluate volunteer recruitment activities for school-linked mentoring programs. (Sec. 325) Sets forth permitted and prohibited uses of grant funds awarded under this Act. (Sec. 326) Directs the Secretary to develop and distribute to eligible local educational agencies receiving a mentor program grant specific model guidelines for the screening of mentors. (Sec. 330) Authorizes appropriations for Mentoring Program Grants and Implementation and Evaluation Grants. Subtitle D: Family Reconciliation - Amends part B (Child-Welfare Services) of title IV of the Social Security Act with regard to family preservation and support services to create certain set-asides for States with approved family reconciliation plans which require a minimum 60-day waiting period and participation in counseling programs before final dissolution of a marriage involving one or more children under age 12. (Sec. 332) Amends the Legal Services Corporation Act to prohibit the use of funds under that Act for legal assistance in certain actions relating to divorces or separations except where there is court-determined spousal abuse. Subtitle E: Mentor Schools - Mentor Schools Act - Amends the Education Amendments Act of 1972 to provide that nothing in specified provisions of such Act shall be construed to prohibit the establishment or operation of a same gender public elementary or secondary school if: (1) comparable courses, services and facilities are available to students of each sex; and (2) the same policies and criteria for admission to such schools are used for both sexes. Subtitle F: Role Models Academy - Directs the Secretary of Education to carry out a demonstration program under which a four-year, residential, military-style academy (the Role Models Academy) is established which: (1) shall offer at-risk youth secondary school coursework and vocational training (and may offer precollegiate coursework); (2) focuses on the education and vocational training of youth at risk of delinquency or dropping out of secondary school; (3) has a teaching staff primarily composed of former members of the armed forces or participants in the Troops to Teachers Program, if they are qualified and trained to teach at the Academy; (4) operates a mentoring program involving role models from all sectors of society; (5) may contain a Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps unit; (6) is housed on the site of any military installation closed pursuant to a base closure law; and (7) if effective, serves as a model for similar military-style academies throughout the United States. (Sec. 354) Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle G: Kinship Care - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to States for demonstration projects to develop or implement procedures to use adult relatives as the preferred placement for children removed from their parents. Sets forth grant eligibility and program evaluation requirements. (Sec. 362) Requires States that receive grants under this Act to develop procedures to ensure that reasonable efforts will be made, prior to the placement of a child in foster care, to provide notice to a relative who might be available to care for the child. (Sec. 363) Authorizes appropriations.