Law· SS. 2197 (104th)enacted
A bill to extend the authorized period of stay within the United States for certain nurses.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 1996
Extends the authorized period of U.S. stay for certain alien nurses.
Immigration
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51 records in US in 1996
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Bill· SS. 2191 (104th)referred
Alien Public Assistance Benefits Amendments of 1996
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. 2174 (104th)referred
A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act with respect to the admission of temporary H-2A workers.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 1996
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise the temporary agricultural worker (H-2A visa) program with respect to: (1) H-2A petition considerations and approvals; (2) labor certification denial; (3) reduction in deadline filing; (4) expedited appeal of certain decisions; and (5) limitations on employer liability and judicial remedies.
Bill· HRH.R. 4335 (104th)referred
Alien Public Assistance Benefits Amendments of 1996
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. 4312 (104th)referred
Tourism Revitalization and Airport Security Act of 1996
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Ensuring Traveler Safety Title II: Tourism Promotion Title III: Facilitating Travel Title IV: Improvement of Visa Programs and Issuance Tourism Revitalization and Airport Security Act of 1996 - Title I: Ensuring Traveler Safety - Amends Federal aviation security law to direct the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to: (1) facilitate deployment of commercially available explosive detection devices which will significantly enhance aviation security; (2) require by regulation that an employment investigation be conducted for personnel who will be responsible for screening passengers or property (including a criminal history record check where such investigation reveals a gap in employment of 12 months or more for which the individual does not satisfactorily account); and (3) provide for the periodic audit of criminal history record checks. (Sec. 105) Urges the FAA, the Secretary of Transportation, and the intelligence and law enforcement community to continue to assist air carriers in developing computer-assisted passenger profiling programs. (Sec. 106) Authorizes the use of funds from project grants and passenger facility fees to enhance air transportation security programs. (Sec. 107) Directs the Administrator to review FAA oversight of: (1) mail and cargo inspections and the need or additional security measures; and (2) the adequacy of cargo screening and inspection. (Sec. 108) Instructs the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to assure that FBI agents shall jointly implement periodic threat and vulnerability security assessments with the FAA at high-risk airports. (Sec. 109) Requires the use of dogs as a supplemental screening procedure at major airports. Directs the Secretary of Transportation (the Secretary) to make grants for the training and evaluation of dogs for the explosive detection K-9 team training program. Authorizes appropriations from the Trust Fund. (Sec. 111) Instructs the Administrator to initiate a rulemaking to revise specified rules with respect to small airplanes to enhance their safety and security. (Sec. 112) Establishes the Civil Aviation Security Review Commission (the Commission) to conduct a comprehensive review of aviation security for a report to the Congress and the Administrator. (Sec. 113) Directs the Administrator to conduct a test to assess the performance of inelastic gamma ray imaging and spectroscopy (IGRIS) systems in the detection of explosive materials. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 114) Instructs the Secretary to study the efficacy of bomb blast containment technologies in aircraft luggage and cargo holds. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 115) Expresses the sense of the Congress that thorough studies of the bag match security system in air transportation need to be conducted before its implementation on a widespread basis. Title II: Tourism Promotion - Establishes: (1) the National Tourism Board to use a private-public partnership for travel and tourism policymaking and develop a national strategy for increasing travel and tourism in the United States; and (2) a federally-chartered National Tourism Organization as a non-Federal, non-profit organization to promote and implement the United States travel and tourism market, including establishment of a Travel-Tourism Data Bank. (Sec. 203) Instructs the Secretary of State and the Director of the United States Information Agency to cooperate with both the Board and the Organization. Title III: Facilitating Travel - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that revenues from the following taxes shall not be transferred to either the Highway Trust Fund or the Airport and Airway Trust Fund: (1) the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund financing rate; and (2) the excise tax on diesel and special motor fuels to the extent attributable to fuel used in a train. (Sec. 301) Declares that amounts payable from the Highway Trust Fund for certain repayments and credits shall be determined by taking into account only the portion of the taxes deposited into such Fund. Repeals the definitions of Highway Trust Fund financing rate and the Airport and Airway Trust Fund financing rate. Revises the formula for: (1) funding the Airport and Airways Trust Fund with amounts equivalent to specified excise taxes; and (2) rates of tax imposed upon fuel used in commercial transportation on inland waterways. (Sec. 302) Repeals a scheduled tax increase imposed upon commercial aviation fuel. (Sec. 303) Restores and makes retroactive: (1) the 100 percent deduction allowed for business meals and entertainment; and (2) the deduction for travel expenses of spouses and others accompanying the taxpayer on business. (Sec. 304) Allows a taxpayer engaged in a trade or business to deduct as a business expense any amounts incurred to promote tourism to the United States by a non-resident. (Sec. 305) Repeals the limitations placed upon tax deductions for expenses allocable to business conventions held on foreign-flagged cruise ships. (Sec. 306) Extends from January 1, 1997 to January 1, 2002, the air transportation tax upon persons and property. (Sec. 307) Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the Secretary of Transportation should work to amend the 1952 bilateral agreement regarding airline accessibility to and from Japan; and (2) the new agreement should include increased access by U.S. based airlines. Title IV: Improvement of VISA Programs and Issuance - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to replace a joint action requirement for both the Attorney General and the Secretary of State with a mandate that the Attorney General act in consultation with the Secretary of State regarding the visa waiver pilot program for certain visitors. Extends such program from 1996 to 2002. Revises guidelines governing a pilot program country placed on probationary status. (Sec. 402) Directs the Secretary of State to increase by 25 percent the number of consular personnel assigned at specified posts in order to expedite the processing of nonimmigrant visa applications.
Bill· HRH.R. 4258 (104th)referred
United States Immigration Court Act of 1996
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1996
United States Immigration Court Act of 1996 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish the United States Immigration Court, which shall consist of trial and appellate divisions. Sets forth operational, administrative, and jurisdictional provisions. Revises asylum provisions.
Bill· HRH.R. 4210 (104th)referred
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to permit certain aliens who are at least 55 years of age to obtain a 4-year nonimmigrant visitor's visa.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 1996
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize four-year nonimmigrant visitor visas for an alien who: (1) is at least 55 years old; (2) is a citizen of a (visa) pilot program country; (3) owns, or whose spouse owns, a U.S. residence; and (4) has health coverage. Prohibits such an alien from working in the United States or receiving public benefits.
Bill· HRH.R. 4165 (104th)referred
To provide for certain changes with respect to requirements for a Canadian boater landing permit pursuant to section 235 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 1996
Directs the Attorney General to revise Canadian boater landing permit (Form I-68) regulations issued pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act. States that such revisions shall incorporate: (1) permit access through Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) offices, the mail, or internet; (2) INS establishment of a toll-free information number; (3) alternative State access procedures; and (4) the requirement that only a boat's owner or operator obtain such permit.
Bill· SJRESS.J.Res. 63 (104th)open
Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act, 1997
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. 4156 (104th)referred
To provide for special immigrant status for certain aliens working as journalists in Hong Kong.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 1996
Authorizes special immigrant status under the Immigration and Nationality Act for certain alien journalists living and working in Hong Kong.
Bill· HRH.R. 4143 (104th)referred
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to waive the English language and civics requirements for naturalization for persons who are over 65 and have resided legally in the United States for at least 20 years.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 1996
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to waive the English language and civics naturalization requirements for persons over 65 years old who have lawfully resided in the United States for at least 20 years.
Bill· HRH.R. 4134 (104th)open
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize States to deny public education benefits to aliens not lawfully present in the United States who are not enrolled in public schools during the period beginning September 1, 1996, and ending July 1, 1997.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 1996
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize States to deny, or require specified fees for, public education benefits to aliens not lawfully present in the United States who are not enrolled in the public schools during the period beginning September 1, 1996, through July 1, 1997.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 530 (104th)passed
Providing for the consideration of the bill (H.R. 4134) to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize States to deny public education benefits to aliens not lawfully present in the United States who are not enrolled in public schools during the period beginning September 1, 1996, and ending July 1, 1997.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 1996
Sets forth the rule for the consideration of H.R. 4134 (denial of public education benefits for illegal aliens).
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 528 (104th)passed
Waiving points of order against the conference report to accompany the bill (H.R. 2202) to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to improve deterrence of illegal immigration to the United States by increasing border patrol and investigative personnel, by increasing penalties for alien smuggling and for document fraud, by reforming exclusion and deportation law and procedures, by improving the verification system for eligibility for employment, and through other measures, to reform the legal immigration system and facilitate legal entries into the United States, and for other purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 1996
Waives points of order against the consideration of the conference report on H.R. 2202 (illegal immigration deterrence).
Bill· HRH.R. 4122 (104th)referred
Immigrant Fairness Act of 1996
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Termination of Provisions of Public Law 104-193 Restricting Welfare and Public Benefits for Legal Immigrants Title II: Tax Provisions Immigrant Fairness Act of 1996 - Title I: Termination of Provisions of Public Law 104-193 Restricting Welfare and Public Benefits For Legal Immigrants - Repeals title IV (Restricting Welfare and Public Benefits for Aliens) of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. Title II: Tax Provisions - Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to: (1) tax provisions on expatriation, including coordination with estate and gift tax and health insurance portability rules; (2) basis of assets of nonresidents who become U.S. citizens or residents; (3) foreign income exclusions; (4) treatment of domestic corporation stock dispositions by certain foreign shareholders as effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business, and related withholding requirements; and (5) imposition of an alternative minimum tax on corporations importing products into the United States at artificially inflated prices.
Bill· SS. 2079 (104th)referred
A bill to the prohibition agiainst State restrictions on communications between government agencies and the INS.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 1996
Repeals a prohibition under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 against restrictions on communications between State and local governmental agencies and the Immigration and Naturalization Service regarding the immigration status of an alien in the United States.
Bill· HRH.R. 4056 (104th)referred
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for less restrictive standards for naturalization as a citizen of the United States for certain categories of persons.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 1996
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to exempt from certain naturalization requirements persons who: (1) have lived in the United States for at least 20 years; (2) are eligible for Social Security benefits; (3) are U.S. veterans; or (4) are at least 70 years old.
Law· HJRESH.J.Res. 191 (104th)enacted
To confer honorary citizenship of the United States on Agnes Gonxha Bojahiu, also known as Mother Teresa.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 1996
Confers honorary U.S. citizenship on Agnes Gonxha Bojahiu, also known as Mother Teresa.
Bill· HJRESH.J.Res. 190 (104th)referred
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to provide that no person born in the United States will be a United States citizen on account of birth in the United States unless both parents are either United States citizens or aliens lawfully admitted for permanent residence at the time of the birth.
United States · United States Congress · 5 September 1996
Constitutional Amendment - Limits U.S. citizenship by birth to persons born in the United States both of whose parents were either U.S. citizens or lawful permanent resident aliens at the time of birth.
Bill· HRH.R. 3961 (104th)referred
To provide that customs officers and immigration officers have the authority to deny entry into the United States of certain foreign motor vehicles that do not comply with applicable laws governing motor vehicle emissions, and for other purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1996
Directs: (1) Federal departments and agencies to cooperate with State and local enforcement of State auto emission standards; and (2) U.S. customs and immigration officers to deny U.S. entry to noncommercial motor vehicles that do not meet certain auto emission standards.
Bill· HRH.R. 3980 (104th)referred
To amend the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996 relating to the exclusion from the United States of certain aliens.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1996
Amends the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996 to eliminate the U.S. exclusion of spouses and minor children of persons who have confiscated property of U.S. nationals or trafficked in such property.
Bill· HRH.R. 3962 (104th)referred
To establish a visa waiver pilot program for nationals of Korea who are traveling in tour groups to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1996
Directs the Secretary of State and the Attorney General to jointly establish a visa waiver pilot program for Korean nationals traveling in tour groups to the United States. Specifies requirements for such waiver.
Bill· HRH.R. 3928 (104th)referred
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act with respect to waiver of exclusion for certain excludable aliens.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1996
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended by the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, to permit waiver of exclusion for certain criminal aliens who have resided in the United States.
Bill· HRH.R. 3832 (104th)referred
Bipartisan Welfare Reform Act of 1996
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. 3814 (104th)open
Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: 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 Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 - Title I: 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. 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 a specified amount of unobligated balances for 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 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. (Sec. 209) Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to award contracts for hydrographic, geodetic, and photogrammetric surveying and mapping services in accordance with the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949. (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) the Court 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. 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 (including the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and the U.S. Information Agency). Sets forth requirements and limitations relating to use of such funds. (Sec. 406) Prohibits the availability of funds to support the negotiating activities of the Standing Consultative Commission (SCC) or to implement certain agreements, amendments, or understandings to the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty Act of 1972 (ABM Treaty) reached after January 1, 1996, unless the President certifies to the Congress that they will be submitted to the Senate for its advice and consent. 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; and (14) the Small Business Administration. (Sec. 501) 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. 607) Expresses the sense of the Congress that equipment and products purchased under this Act should be American-made. (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 funds from this Act from being used 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, unless 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 discrepancies, 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. 612) Prohibits NOAA from using funds in this Act for its fleet replacement and modernization program. (Sec. 613) Prohibits any use of funds in this Act for the USIA Television Marti Program inconsistent with the March 1995 Office of Cuba Broadcasting Reinventing Plan of the U.S. Information Agency.
Bill· HRH.R. 3744 (104th)referred
To require the Attorney General to promulgate regulations relating to gender-related persecution, including female genital mutilation, for use in determining an alien's eligibility for asylum or withholding of deportation.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1996
Directs the Attorney General to promulgate: (1) regulations applicable to the determination of an alien's eligibility to be granted asylum under the Immigration and Nationality Act to cover gender-related persecution, including female genital mutilation; and (2) regulations relating to gender-related persecution, including female genital mutilation, which shall apply with respect to withholding deportation or return.
Bill· HRH.R. 3740 (104th)referred
Community Development Block Grant Performance Fund and HOME Performance Fund Act of 1996
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. 3724 (104th)referred
To improve the integrity of the Social Security card and to provide for criminal penalties for fraud and related activity involving work authorization documents for purposes of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1996
Directs the Commissioner of Social Security to improve the social security card for purposes of carrying out illegal alien employment provisions under the Immigration and Nationality Act. Amends Federal law to provide criminal penalties for fraud and related activities concerning work authorization documents.
Bill· SS. 1867 (104th)referred
Bipartisan Welfare Reform Act of 1996
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 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 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 very important Government interests. (Sec. 103) Replaces the current Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program and Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program (JOBS) under, respectively, parts A and F of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) with a program of block grants to the States for temporary assistance for needy families already with or expecting children (TEA program). Gives such program the stated purpose of increasing the flexibility of States in operating approved statewide programs, with: (1) certain mandatory work and education requirements (as well as penalties against adult family members on TEA who refuse to engage in various specified work activities); and (2) adult- supervised living arrangements for unmarried teenage parents to enable such families to leave the program and become self-sufficient. Includes participation in community service programs and subsidized public sector employment as TEA program work activities. Requires TEA programs to provide certain time-limited cash assistance (and thereafter vouchers) to eligible families entering into an individual responsibility plan with the State (with certain exceptions involving minor children and hardship situations), outlining their obligations in receiving TEA assistance (such as immunizing their children or finishing high school), as well as the specific services the State will provide (such as job preparation and family planning services and, at the State's option, substance abuse treatment services) to enable them to move into private sector employment. Requires State TEA programs also to: (1) establish annual numerical goals for preventing and reducing the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies, with special emphasis on teenage pregnancies, over a specified ten-year period; and (2) encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families. Denies TEA for fugitive felons and probation and parole violators and minor children absent from the home for a significant period. Suspends it for ten years for persons who have fraudulently misrepresented residence to obtain assistance in two or more States. Denies additional cash assistance, as a general rule, for additional children born to families already on TEA (except in cases of rape and incest), unless State law specifically exempts the State TEA program from such denial. Reduces or denies TEA for noncooperation in child support. Outlines State TEA plan contents. Provides for the State's choice of treatment of aliens and families moving interstate, and for the exchange of certain plan information about TEA applicants or recipients with law enforcement officers under prescribed conditions. Sets forth requirements for State plan approval by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), which include certifications that the State will operate a child protection and child support enforcement program under SSA title IV parts B and D (Child-Welfare Services Program and Child Support and Establishment of Paternity Program), respectively. Details TEA program grant administrative provisions: (1) determining the amounts of State grants for family assistance for FY 1996 through 2001; (2) outlining grant uses, including assistance to families in meeting home heating and cooling costs, and a State program under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990; (3) rewarding States with additional grant amounts for reductions in illegitimate births, as well as for population increases and TEA program work activities; and (4) establishing in the Treasury (and providing deposits for) a Contingency Fund for State Welfare Programs for payments to certain eligible participating States. Makes necessary appropriations. Sets up a Federal loan program for certain State TEA programs for anti-fraud and other specified activities. Makes necessary appropriations. Establishes penalties for States and individual families for specified grant and program violations, respectively, through reduced grants and assistance payments. Allows States to terminate assistance payments, but prohibits assistance reduction or termination based on a refusal of an adult to work if the adult is a single custodial parent caring for a child under age six and unable to obtain needed child care for one or more specified reasons. Provides for State appeal of Federal adverse decisions with respect to State plans or imposition of penalties. Outlines specific program data collection and reporting requirements, as well as certain research, evaluation, and study requirements. Makes necessary appropriations. Provides for TEA grants to Indian tribes (with a special rule for Alaskan Native tribes). Makes necessary appropriations. Directs the Bureau of the Census to expand the Survey of Income and Program Participation to obtain information enabling interested persons to evaluate the impact of this title on a random national sample of State TEA recipients and other appropriate low-income families. Makes necessary appropriations. Provides for the treatment of current and previously granted State AFDC (welfare reform) waiver projects. Retains the HHS Assistant Secretary for Family Support as the official responsible for administering SSA title IV part A and D programs. Expresses the sense of the Congress encouraging each State operating a TEA program to: (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 engage in work activities; and (2) require non-custodial, nonsupporting parents under age 18 to fulfill community work obligations and attend appropriate parenting or money management classes after school. (Sec. 104) Allows States to contract with charitable, religious, or private organizations to provide services and administer programs established or modified by this Act, or to provide program beneficiaries with certificates, vouchers, or other forms of disbursement redeemable with such organizations. Prohibits the expenditure of financial assistance under such programs for sectarian worship, instruction, or proselytization. (Sec. 105) Directs the Secretary of Commerce to expand the data collection efforts of the Bureau of the Census to enable it to collect certain data on grandparent caregivers. (Sec. 106) Directs the HHS Secretary to report to the Congress on the status of State automated data processing systems used in administering State programs under SSA title IV part A. (Sec. 107) Requires the HHS Secretary to report to the Congress on outcomes measures for evaluating the success of the States in moving individuals out of the welfare system through employment as an alternative to the minimum participation rates under mandatory TEA work requirements. (Sec. 108) Makes conforming amendments to SSA, the Food Stamp Act of 1977, and related provisions of other specified Federal laws. (Sec. 111) Directs the Commissioner of Social Security (Commissioner) to develop a prototype of a counterfeit-resistant social security card and study and report to the Congress on different methods of improving the social security card application process. (Sec. 112) Requires any organization accepting Federal funds under this Act to disclose that fact in any communication it makes that 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 for any fiscal year. Title II: Supplemental Security Income - Subtitle A: Eligibility Restrictions - Amends SSA title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) 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) deny SSI benefits for ten years to individuals found to have fraudulently misrepresented residence in order to obtain 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. Provides certain supplemental funding for alcohol and substance abuse treatment programs. 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. (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. 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 of Social Security to report annually to the President and the Congress regarding the SSI program and to make arrangements with the National Academy of Sciences, or other independent entity, to study the disability determination process under SSA titles II and XVI for similar reports. (Sec. 233) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report on the: (1) impact of this title on the SSI program; and (2) extra expenses incurred by families of children receiving SSI benefits 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 report to the President and the Congress: (1) a comprehensive study of all matters related to the nature, purpose, and adequacy of all Federal programs serving individuals with disabilities, including the programs under SSA titles II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) and XVI; and (2) recommendations for appropriate 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 assistance under Aid to Families with Dependent Children. (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 acknowledgment 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 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. Subtitle I: Enhancing Responsibility and Opportunity for Non- Residential 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 food 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). 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 - Amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to authorize appropriations for FY 1996 through 2002. (Sec. 703) Amends part A (TEA) of title IV of the Social Security Act 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. 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; (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. (Sec. 832) 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 to: (1) increase the standard deduction from income resources for eligibility purposes; (2) treat electronic benefit transfer cards and personal identification (PIN) numbers as coupons; (3) count vendor payments for transitional housing as income; (4) increase penalties for specified program violations; (5) revise disqualification penalties and periods, and their applications to entire households, for persons refusing to comply with work requirements; (6) revise general exemptions from employment and training requirements and funding for related programs; and (7) mandate disqualification of individuals for multiple receipt of food stamp benefits, of fleeing felons, and of individuals delinquent in child support payments. (Sec. 915) Authorizes State food stamp disqualification of a household member also disqualified from another means-tested public assistance program for failure to perform an action required for such program under Federal, State, or local law. (Sec. 918) Makes it an eligibility requirement for custodial parents to cooperate with child support agencies. (Sec. 920) Prescribes additional work requirements for able-bodied food stamp recipients. Requires State agencies to implement electronic benefit transfer systems. (Sec. 924) Provides for: (1) optional combined value allotments for expedited households; and (2) allotments to individuals residing in drug or alcohol abuse treatment centers. (Sec. 925) Authorizes reduction in State food stamp benefits of a household for whom benefits are also reduced in another means-tested public assistance program for a similar failure. (Sec. 927) Authorizes regulations to establish specific authorization periods, and specific periods for prohibiting participation of stores based on lack of business integrity. (Sec. 931) Revises requirements for State agency procedures for food stamp office operation. Augments the kinds of information (including retailer information) that may be exchanged among Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies. Authorizes the suspension of stores violating program requirements pending administrative and judicial review. (Sec. 939) Mandates regulations for: (1) food stamp program disqualification of retailers disqualified from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); and (2) the permanent debarment of retailers who intentionally submit falsified applications. Subjects food stamp benefits to civil and criminal forfeiture for benefit violations. (Sec. 948) Authorizes States to operate simplified food stamp programs according to specified requirements. Repeals the authority to conduct specified pilot projects and the Food Bank Demonstration Project. (Sec. 949) Revises State plan requirements for the emergency food assistance program. Title X: Miscellaneous - Provides, among other things, for: (1) the expenditure of Federal funds received by a State under TEA and certain other Federal programs only in accordance with laws and procedures applicable to expenditure of the State's own revenues; (2) elimination of housing assistance with respect to fugitive felons and probation and parole violators; (3) certain options for State consideration of the resources of an ineligible household member when determining the food stamp eligibility and allotment of such individual's household; and (4) an increase in funding for abstinence education under SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services). (Sec. 1003) Expresses the sense of the Senate that Congress should adopt enterprise zone legislation in the 104th Congress providing for various specified incentives, regulatory reforms, and pilot projects. (Sec. 1004) Expresses the sense of the Senate that States: (1) should diligently continue their efforts to enforce child support payments by the non-custodial parent; and (2) should 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. (Sec. 1006) Directs the HHS Secretary to: (1) implement a certain strategy for preventing out-of-wedlock teenage pregnancies and assuring that at least 25 percent of U.S. communities have teenage pregnancy prevention programs; and (2) report to the Congress on the State programs so implemented to determine their progress. (Sec. 1007) Expresses the sense of the Senate that States and local jurisdictions should aggressively enforce statutory rape laws. (Sec. 1008) Declares that States shall not be prohibited by the Federal Government from sanctioning welfare recipients who test positive for use of controlled substances. (Sec. 1010) Amends the Electronic Fund Transfer Act to generally exempt from the required disclosures, protections, responsibilities, and authorized remedies of such Act, and any implementing regulation prescribed by the Federal Reserve Board, any electronic benefit transfer program established under State or local law or administered by a State or local government that distributes needs-tested benefits. (Sec. 1011) Amends SSA title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) to reduce the authorization of appropriations for social services block grants. (Sec. 1012) Encourages the HHS Secretary to work in coordination with State agencies to ensure the efficient use of Federal transportation funds by recipients of public assistance under this Act.
Bill· SS. 1823 (104th)open
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 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 Subtitle F: Retirement Age Eligibility 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: Effective Dates and Conforming Amendments 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 Subtitle F: Earned Income Credit Denied to Unauthorized Employees Title V: Reductions in Federal Government Positions Title VI: Reform of Public Housing Title VII: Child Protection Block Grant Programs and Foster Care, Adoption Assistance, and Independent Living Programs Subtitle A: Child Protection Block Grant Program and Foster Care, Adoption Assistance, and Independent Living Programs Subtitle B: Child and Family Services Block Grant Title VIII: Child Care Title IX: Child Nutrition Programs Subtitle A: National School Lunch Act Subtitle B: Child Nutrition Act of 1966 Title X: Food Stamps and Commodity Distribution Subtitle A: Food Stamp Program Subtitle B: Commodity Distribution Programs Title XI: Miscellaneous Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity 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) program and the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program (JOBS) under parts A and F 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 (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. 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, in addition, certain adult-supervised living arrangements for unmarried teenage parents. Provides for the exchange of TEA program information with law enforcement agencies under certain 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 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 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 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 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, family planning services, and assistance to low income households in meeting home heating and cooling costs; (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. 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. 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 date of enactment of this Act and those granted subsequently. Retains the Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) for Family Support as the official responsible for administering SSA title IV part A and D programs. (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 provided under such programs 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 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. 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 conforming amendments to SSA, the Food Stamp Act of 1977, and related provisions of other specified Federal laws. (Sec. 111) 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. 112) Requires any organization accepting Federal funds under this Act 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 for any fiscal year. Title II: Supplemental Security Income - Subtitle A: Eligibility Restrictions - Amends SSA title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) 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 exchange of SSI information with law enforcement agencies under certain conditions. (Sec. 203) Revises the treatment afforded prisoners with regard to SSI and OASDI (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) benefits under SSA title II to: (1) deny SSI benefits for ten years to a person found to have fraudulently obtained them 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 back 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. 204) Makes certain changes respecting the effective date of applications for SSI 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. 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. (Sec. 211) 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. (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 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 terminate payment of benefits to the representative payee, and provide for payment of benefits to an alternative representative payee of the individual 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. 213) 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. 214) Reduces cash SSI payments to institutionalized children whose medical costs are covered by private insurance. (Sec. 215) Provides for installment payment of large amounts of past-due SSI benefits, and the recovery of SSI overpayments from social security benefits. 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 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. 233) Outlines the requirements for a study and report by the General Accounting Office on the impact of this title 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. Subtitle F: Retirement Age Eligibility - Provides that, for purposes of determining an aged individual under SSI, the age used shall be the retirement age used under the OASDI program. 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 assistance under Aid to Families with Dependent Children. (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 to services applicants or recipients of 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 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. Requires the Secretaries of Labor and 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 ensure authorized use of wage record information. (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 persons (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 acknowledgment 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 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 a non-custodial parent; and (4) to implement the restriction of driver's, professional, occupational, and recreational licenses of individuals owing support arrearages. (Sec. 370) Requires the Secretary of State to deny, revoke, or limit a passport upon certification of nonpayment of child support. (Sec. 371) 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. 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 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. 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 and the Social Security Act to declare a debt for child support nondischargeable in bankruptcy. 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 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. Subtitle I: Enhancing Responsibility and Opportunity for Non-Residential 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 non-custodial parents' access to their children. Subtitle J: Effect of Enactment - Sets forth effective dates and conforming amendments. Title IV: Restricting Welfare and Public Benefits for Aliens - Subtitle A: Eligibility for Federal Benefits - Prohibits (with exceptions) specified Federal benefits to nonqualified aliens. Limits (with exceptions) qualified alien access to other specified Federal programs. Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to provide the Immigration and Naturalization Service with information on illegal aliens. Subtitle B: Eligibility for State and Local Public Benefits Programs - Sets forth similar prohibitions and limitations on alien access to State and local public benefits. Subtitle C: Attribution of Income and Affidavits of Support - Attributes a sponsor's (and spouse's) income and resources to the alien sponsoree in determining eligibility for Federal means-tested public benefits. (Sec. 422) Authorizes States to make similar attributions. (Sec. 423) Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to set forth sponsor affidavit of support requirements. (Sec. 424) Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require sponsor cosignature of alien student loans. Subtitle D: General Provisions - Directs the Attorney General to promulgate regulations for verification of Federal public benefits eligibility. (Sec. 435) Makes the determination of an alien's qualifying quarters under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act dependant upon whether or not a parent or spouse received Federal means-tested assistance during such quarters. Subtitle E: Conforming Amendments Related to Assisted Housing - Makes conforming amendments to the Housing and Community Development Act of 1980. Subtitle F: Earned Income Credit Denied to Unauthorized Employees - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require a taxpayer to provide his or her social security number in order to qualify for the individual earned income credit. 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 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. 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. 502) Requires the HHS Secretary to reduce the Federal workforce within HHS: (1) by 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) by 75 percent of a proportionate number of the total FTE departmental management positions. Requires reduction of FTE positions in HHS: (1) by 245 FTE positions related to the program converted by this Act into TEA block grants; and (2) by 60 FTE managerial positions. (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 (with an exception) increased housing assistance under such Act due to reduced family income resulting from noncompliance reductions in welfare or other public assistance benefits. (Sec. 602) Prohibits an increase in federally appropriated means-tested welfare or public assistance due to reduced income resulting from fraud-caused reductions under another means-tested welfare or public assistance program. Title VII: Child Protection Block Grant Programs and Foster Care, Adoption Assistance and Independent Living Programs - Subtitle A: Child Protection Block Grant Program and Foster Care, Adoption Assistance, and Independent Living Programs - Replaces title IV-B (Child Welfare Services) with a block grant program to the States to implement: (1) child protection programs regarding child abuse and neglect; and (2) child protection. (Sec. 701) 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. 711) 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. 731) Instructs the Secretary to submit a legislative proposal to certain congressional committees providing for technical and conforming amendments in the law, pursuant to this Act. (Sec. 732) 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. 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. 751) Instructs the Secretary to: (1) establish a national child abuse and neglect data collection and analysis program, and a 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). Title VIII: 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. 803) Amends Part A of title IV (AFDC) of the Social Security Act to entitle each State to payments for providing child care assistance. (Sec. 804) Authorizes the State lead agency to administer the financial assistance it receives through other governmental or nongovernmental agencies. (Sec. 805) 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. 807) 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. 808) Repeals a requirement that States expend a specified minimum amount of reserved funds for early childhood development and before- and after-school services. (Sec. 813) 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. 815) 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. Title IX: 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. 901) 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. 902) Revises nutritional requirements. (Sec. 905) Prohibits, in general, any waiver that will increase Federal costs. Subtitle B: 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; (4) repealing the program of cash grants for nutrition education. (Sec. 929) 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. 931) Makes the Nutrition and Education program discretionary rather than mandatory. Authorizes appropriations. Title X: Food Stamps and Commodity Distribution - 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 welfare or public assistance disqualification. (Sec. 1029) Disqualifies permanently 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 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 whenever possible, 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 the system used in part A (General Provisions) of title XI (General Provisions and Peer Review) of 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. 1061) Authorizes States to carry out private sector employment initiatives. Sets forth program provisions. (Sec. 1062) Authorizes appropriations for program operations. (Sec. 1063) Authorizes States to carry out a Simplified Food Stamp Program in lieu of existing program requirements. Sets forth program provisions. (Sec. 1064) Establishes an optional State food assistance block grant program in lieu of the food stamp program. Sets forth program provisions. 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 amendments to the Hunger Prevention Act of 1988. Title XI: Miscellaneous - Requires any funds received by a State under the TEA program, the optional State food assistance block grant program under the Food Stamp Act of 1977, or the child care block grant program under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990, to be expended only in accordance with the laws and procedures applicable to expenditures of the State's own revenues, including appropriation by the State legislature, consistent with the terms and conditions required under such provisions of law. (Sec. 1102) Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to eliminate housing assistance with respect to fugitive felons and probation and parole violators, and provide for the exchange of certain housing information with law enforcement agencies upon request for specified official purposes. (Sec. 1103) Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Congress should adopt enterprise zone legislation in the 104th Congress, and that such legislation provide various specified incentives and provisions, such as Federal tax incentives that expand access to capital, increase the formation and expansion of small businesses, and promote commercial revitalization. (Sec. 1104) 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 the employment status or location of the non-custodial parent; and (2) 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. (Sec. 1105) 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. 1106) Directs the HHS Secretary to establish and implement a certain 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. (Sec. 1107) Expresses the sense of the Senate that States and local jurisdictions should aggressively enforce statutory rape laws. (Sec. 1108) 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. 1109) Amends SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) to provide for an increase in funding under such title and authorize the provision of abstinence education, along with a separate funding set-aside for it. (Sec. 1110) 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. 1111) Amends SSA title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) to provide for a reduction in block grants to States for social services.
Bill· HRH.R. 3524 (104th)open
To amend title 32, United States Code, to authorize the National Guard of a State, as part of a drug interdiction and counter-drug activities plan, to assist the Immigration and Naturalization Service in the transportation of aliens who have violated a Federal or State law prohibiting or regulating the possession, use, or distribution of a controlled substance.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1996
Authorizes a State's National Guard, as part of a drug interdiction and counter-drug activities plan, to assist the Immigration and Naturalization Service in the transportation of aliens who have violated Federal or State law prohibiting or regulating the possession, use, or distribution of a controlled substance.
Bill· SS. 1795 (104th)open
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Division A: Reforming Non-Medical Welfare Programs 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 Subtitle F: Retirement Age Eligibility 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: Effective Dates and Conforming Amendments 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 Subtitle F: Earned Income Credit Denied to Unauthorized Employees Title V: Reductions in Federal Government Positions Title VI: Reform of Public Housing Title VII: Child Protection Block Brant Programs and Foster Care, Adoption Assistance, and Independent Living Programs Subtitle A: Child Protection Block Grant Program and Foster Care, Adoption Assistance, and Independent Living Programs Subtitle B: Child and Family Services Block Grant Title VIII: Child Care Title IX: Child Nutrition Programs Subtitle A: National School Lunch Act Subtitle B: Child Nutrition Act of 1966 Title X: Food Stamps and Commodity Distribution Subtitle A: Food Stamp Program Subtitle B: Commodity Distribution Programs Title XI: Miscellaneous Division B: Restructuring Medicaid Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 - Division A: Reforming Non-Medical Welfare Programs - 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) 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. 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, in addition, certain adult-supervised living arrangements for unmarried teenage parents. Provides for the exchange of TEA program information with law enforcement agencies under certain 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 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 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 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 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, family planning services and assistance to low income households in meeting home heating and cooling costs; (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. 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. 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. Retains the Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) for Family Support as the official responsible for administering SSA title IV part A and D programs. (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 provided under such programs 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 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. 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 conforming amendments to SSA, the Food Stamp Act of 1977, and related provisions of other specified Federal laws. (Sec. 111) 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. 112) Requires any organization accepting Federal funds under this Act 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 for any fiscal year. Title II: Supplemental Security Income - Subtitle A: Eligibility Restrictions - 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 exchange of SSI information with law enforcement agencies under certain conditions. (Sec. 203) Revises the treatment afforded prisoners with regard to SSI and OASDI (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) benefits under SSA title II 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 back 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. 204) Makes certain changes respecting the effective date of applications for SSI 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. 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. (Sec. 211) 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. (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 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 terminate payment of benefits to the representative payee, and provide for payment of benefits to an alternative representative payee of the individual 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. 213) 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. 214) Reduces cash SSI payments to institutionalized children whose medical costs are covered by private insurance. (Sec. 215) Provides for installment payment of large amounts of past-due SSI benefits, and the recovery of SSI overpayments from social security benefits. 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 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. 233) Outlines the requirements for a study and report by the General Accounting Office on the impact of this title 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. Subtitle F: Retirement Age Eligibility - Provides that, for purposes of determining an aged individual under SSI, the age used shall be the retirement age used under the OASDI program. 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 assistance under Aid to Families with Dependent Children. (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 to services applicants or recipients of 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. Requires the Secretaries of Labor and 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. 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 persons (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 a non-custodial parent; and (4) to implement the restriction of driver's, professional, occupational, and recreational licenses of individuals owing support arrearages. (Sec. 370) Requires the Secretary of State to deny, revoke, or limit a passport upon certification of nonpayment of child support. (Sec. 371) 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. 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 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. 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 and the Social Security Act to declare a debt for child support nondischargeable in bankruptcy. 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 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. Subtitle I: Enhancing Responsibility and Opportunity for Non- Residential 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 non-custodial parents' access to their children. Subtitle J: Effective Dates and Conforming Amendments - Sets forth effective dates and conforming amendments. Title IV: Restricting Welfare and Public Benefits for Aliens - Subtitle A: Eligibility for Federal Benefits - Prohibits (with exceptions) specified Federal benefits to nonqualified aliens. Limits (with exceptions) qualified alien access to other specified Federal programs. Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to provide the Immigration and Naturalization Service with information on illegal aliens. Subtitle B: Eligibility for State and Local Public Benefits Programs - Sets forth similar prohibitions and limitations on alien access to State and local public benefits. Subtitle C: Attribution of Income and Affidavits of Support - Attributes a sponsor's (and spouse) income and resources to the alien sponsoree in determining eligibility for Federal means-tested public benefits. (Sec. 422) Authorizes States to make similar attributions. (Sec. 423) Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to set forth sponsor affidavit of support requirements. (Sec. 424) Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require sponsor cosignature of alien student loans. Subtitle D: General Provisions - Directs the Attorney General to promulgate regulations for verification of Federal public benefits eligibility. (Sec. 435) Makes the determination of an alien's qualifying quarters under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act dependant upon whether or not a parent or spouse received Federal means-tested assistance during such quarters. Subtitle E: Conforming Amendments Related to Assisted Housing - Makes conforming amendments to the Housing and Community Development Act of 1980. Subtitle F: Earned Income Credit Denied to Unauthorized Employees - Amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to require a taxpayer to provide his or her social security number in order to qualify for the individual earned income credit. 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 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. 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. 502) Requires the HHS Secretary to reduce the Federal workforce within HHS: (1) by 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) by 75 percent of a proportionate number of the total FTE departmental management positions. Requires reduction of FTE positions in HHS: (1) by 245 FTE positions related to the program converted by this Act into TEA block grants; and (2) by 60 FTE managerial positions. (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 (with an exception) increased housing assistance under such Act due to reduced family income resulting from noncompliance reductions in welfare or other public assistance benefits. (Sec. 602) Prohibits an increase in federally appropriated means-tested welfare or public assistance due to reduced income resulting from fraud-caused reductions under another means-tested welfare or public assistance program. Title VII: Child Protection Block Grant Programs and Foster Care, Adoption Assistance and Independent Living Programs - Subtitle A: Child Protection Block Grant Program and Foster Care, Adoption Assistance, and Independent Living Programs - Replaces title IV-B (Child Welfare Services) with a block grant program to the States to implement: (1) child protection programs regarding child abuse and neglect; and (2) child protection. (Sec. 701) 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. 711) 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. 731) Instructs the Secretary to submit a legislative proposal to certain congressional committees providing for technical and conforming amendments in the law, pursuant to this Act. (Sec. 732) 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. 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. 751) 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); (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). Title VIII: 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. 803) Amends Part A of title IV (AFDC) of the Social Security Act to entitle each State to payments for providing child care assistance. (Sec. 804) Authorizes the State lead agency to administer the financial assistance it receives through other governmental or nongovernmental agencies. (Sec. 805) 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. 807) 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. 808) Repeals a requirement that States expend a specified minimum amount of reserved funds for early childhood development and before- and after-school services. (Sec. 813) 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. 815) 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. Title IX: 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. 901) 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. 902) Revises nutritional requirements. (Sec. 905) Prohibits, in general, any waiver that will increase Federal costs. Subtitle B: 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; (4) repealing the program of cash grants for nutrition education. 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. 931) Makes revisions to the nutrition education and training program. Authorizes appropriations. Title X: Food Stamps and Commodity Distribution - 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 welfare or public assistance disqualification. (Sec. 1029) Disqualifies permanently 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 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 whenever possible, 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 the system used in part A (General Provisions) of title XI (General Provisions and Peer Review) of 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. 1061) Authorizes States to carry out private sector employment initiatives. Sets forth program provisions. (Sec. 1062) Authorizes appropriations for program operations. (Sec. 1063) Authorizes States to carry out a Simplified Food Stamp Program in lieu of existing program requirements. Sets forth program provisions. (Sec. 1064) Establishes an optional State food assistance block grant program in lieu of the food stamp program. Sets forth program provisions. 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 amendments to the Hunger Prevention Act of 1988. Title XI: Miscellaneous - Requires any funds received by a State under the TEA program, the optional State food assistance block grant program under the Food Stamp Act of 1977, or the child care block grant program under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990, to be expended only in accordance with the laws and procedures applicable to expenditures of the State's own revenues, including appropriation by the State legislature, consistent with the terms and conditions required under such provisions of law. (Sec. 1102) Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to eliminate housing assistance with respect to fugitive felons and probation and parole violators, and provide for the exchange of certain housing information with law enforcement agencies upon request for specified official purposes. (Sec. 1103) Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Congress should adopt enterprise zone legislation in the 104th Congress, and that such legislation provide various specified incentives and provisions, such as Federal tax incentives that expand access to capital, increase the formation and expansion of small businesses, and promote commercial revitalization. (Sec. 1104) 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 the employment status or location of the non-custodial parent; and (2) 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. (Sec. 1105) 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. 1106) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish and implement a certain 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. (Sec. 1107) Expresses the sense of the Senate that States and local jurisdictions should aggressively enforce statutory rape laws. (Sec. 1108) 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. 1109) Amends SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) to provide for an increase in funding under such title and authorize the provision of abstinence education, along with a separate funding set-aside for it. (Sec. 1110) 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. 1111) Amends SSA title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) to provide for a reduction in block grants to States for social services. Division B: Restructuring Medicaid - Medicaid Restructuring Act of 1996 - Amends 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 and pregnant women with regard to primary and preventive care services; (4) prevention of spousal and family impoverishment with regard to long-term care; (5) State flexibility in benefits, provider payments, geographical coverage area, and selection of providers; (6) 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; (7) denial of payment under the State Medicaid plan for any item or service furnished for euthanasia purposes; (8) limitation on payments for Medicaid services to nonlawful aliens, generally allowing treatment only in emergency situations; (9) periodic, independent evaluations and audits under the program; (10) a separate fraud prevention program, as well as, under certain conditions, State fraud control units; (11) an information reporting system with regard to actions taken by State licensing authorities against health care practitioners and providers; (12) quality assurance requirements for nursing facilities, as well as requirements relating to residents' rights; and (13) an optional master drug rebate agreement program for covered outpatient drugs of a manufacturer. (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 HHS Secretary 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.
Bill· HRH.R. 3507 (104th)open
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Division A: Reforming Non-Medical Welfare Programs 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 Subtitle F: Retirement Age Eligibility 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: Effective Dates and Conforming Amendments 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 Subtitle F: Earned Income Credit Denied to Unauthorized Employees Title V: Reductions in Federal Government Positions Title VI: Reform of Public Housing Title VII: Child Protection Block Grant Programs and Foster Care, Adoption Assistance, and Independent Living Programs Subtitle A: Child Protection Block Grant Program and Foster Care, Adoption Assistance, and Independent Living Programs Subtitle B: Child and Family Services Block Grant Title VIII: Child Care Title IX: Child Nutrition Programs Subtitle A: National School Lunch Act Subtitle B: Child Nutrition Act of 1966 Title X: Food Stamps and Commodity Distribution Subtitle A: Food Stamp Program Subtitle B: Commodity Distribution Programs Title XI: Miscellaneous Division B: Restructuring Medicaid Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 - Division A: Reforming Non-Medical Welfare Programs - 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) 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. 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, in addition, certain adult-supervised living arrangements for unmarried teenage parents. Provides for the exchange of TEA program information with law enforcement agencies under certain 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 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 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 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 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, family planning services and assistance to low income households in meeting home heating and cooling costs; (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. 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. 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. Retains the Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) for Family Supports as the official responsible for administering SSA title IV part A and D programs. (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 provided under such programs 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 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. 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 conforming amendments to SSA, the Food Stamp Act of 1977, and related provisions of other specified Federal laws. (Sec. 111) 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. 112) Requires any organization accepting Federal funds under this Act 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 for any fiscal year. Title II: Supplemental Security Income - Subtitle A: Eligibility Restrictions - 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 exchange of SSI information with law enforcement agencies under certain conditions. (Sec. 203) Revises the treatment afforded prisoners with regard to SSI and OASDI (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) benefits under SSA title II 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 back 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. 204) Makes certain changes respecting the effective date of applications for SSI 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. 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. (Sec. 211) 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. (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 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 terminate payment of benefits to the representative payee, and provide for payment of benefits to an alternative representative payee of the individual 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. 213) 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. 214) Reduces cash SSI payments to institutionalized children whose medical costs are covered by private insurance. (Sec. 215) Provides for installment payment of large amounts of past-due SSI benefits, and the recovery of SSI overpayments from social security benefits. 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 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. 233) Outlines the requirements for a study and report by the General Accounting Office on the impact of this title 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. Subtitle F: Retirement Age Eligibility - Provides that, for purposes of determining an aged individual under SSI, the age used shall be the retirement age used under the OASDI program. 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 assistance under Aid to Families with Dependent Children. (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 to services applicants or recipients of 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 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. Requires the Secretaries of Labor and 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 ensure authorized use of wage record information. (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 persons (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 acknowledgment 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 a non-custodial parent; and (4) to implement the restriction of driver's, professional, occupational, and recreational licenses of individuals owing support arrearages. (Sec. 370) Requires the Secretary of State to deny, revoke, or limit a passport upon certification of nonpayment of child support. (Sec. 371) 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. 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 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. 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 and the Social Security Act to declare a debt for child support nondischargeable in bankruptcy. 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 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. Subtitle I: Enhancing Responsibility and Opportunity for Non- Residential 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 non-custodial parents' access to their children. Subtitle J: Effective Dates and Conforming Amendments - Sets forth effective dates and conforming amendments. Title IV: Restricting Welfare and Public Benefits for Aliens - Subtitle A: Eligibility for Federal Benefits - Prohibits (with exceptions) specified Federal benefits to nonqualified aliens. Limits (with exceptions) qualified alien access to other specified Federal programs. Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to provide the Immigration and Naturalization Service with information on illegal aliens. Subtitle B: Eligibility for State and Local Public Benefits Programs - Sets forth similar prohibitions and limitations on alien access to State and local public benefits. Subtitle C: Attribution of Income and Affidavits of Support - Attributes a sponsor's (and spouse) income and resources to the alien sponsoree in determining eligibility for Federal means-tested public benefits. (Sec. 422) Authorizes States to make similar attributions. (Sec. 423) Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to set forth sponsor affidavit of support requirements. (Sec. 424) Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require sponsor cosignature of alien student loans. Subtitle D: General Provisions - Directs the Attorney General to promulgate regulations for verification of Federal public benefits eligibility. (Sec. 435) Makes the determination of an alien's qualifying quarters under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act dependant upon whether or not a parent or spouse received Federal means-tested assistance during such quarters. Subtitle E: Conforming Amendments Related to Assisted Housing - Makes conforming amendments to the Housing and Community Development Act of 1980. Subtitle F: Earned Income Credit Denied to Unauthorized Employees - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require a taxpayer to provide his or her social security number in order to qualify for the individual earned income credit. 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 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. 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. 502) Requires the HHS Secretary to reduce the Federal workforce within HHS: (1) by 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 TEA block grants; and (2) 60 FTE managerial positions. (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 (with an exception) increased housing assistance under such Act due to reduced family income resulting from noncompliance reductions in welfare or other public assistance benefits. (Sec. 602) Prohibits an increase in federally appropriated means-tested welfare or public assistance due to reduced income resulting from fraud-caused reductions under another means-tested welfare or public assistance program. Title VII: Child Protection Block Grant Programs and Foster Care, Adoption Assistance and Independent Living Programs - Subtitle A: Child Protection Block Grant Program and Foster Care, Adoption Assistance, and Independent Living Programs - Replaces title IV-B (Child Welfare Services) with a block grant program to the States to implement: (1) child protection programs regarding child abuse and neglect; and (2) child protection. (Sec. 701) 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. 711) 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. 731) Instructs the Secretary to submit a legislative proposal to certain congressional committees providing for technical and conforming amendments in the law, pursuant to this Act. (Sec. 732) 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. 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. 751) 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); (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). Title VIII: 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. 803) Amends part A (AFDC) of title IV of the Social Security Act to entitle each State to payments for providing child care assistance. (Sec. 804) Authorizes the State lead agency to administer the financial assistance it receives through other governmental or nongovernmental agencies. (Sec. 805) 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. 807) 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. 808) Repeals a requirement that States expend a specified minimum amount of reserved funds for early childhood development and before- and after-school services. (Sec. 813) 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. 815) 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. Title IX: 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. 901) 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. 902) Revises nutritional requirements. (Sec. 905) Prohibits, in general, any waiver that will increase Federal costs. Subtitle B: 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; (4) repealing the program of cash grants for nutrition education. 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. 931) Makes revisions to the nutrition education and training program. Authorizes appropriations. Title X: Food Stamps and Commodity Distribution - 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 welfare or public assistance disqualification. (Sec. 1029) Disqualifies permanently 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 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 whenever possible, 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 the system used in part A (General Provisions) of title XI (General Provisions and Peer Review) of 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. 1061) Authorizes States to carry out private sector employment initiatives. Sets forth program provisions. (Sec. 1062) Authorizes appropriations for program operations. (Sec. 1063) Authorizes States to carry out a Simplified Food Stamp Program in lieu of existing program requirements. Sets forth program provisions. (Sec. 1064) Establishes an optional State food assistance block grant program in lieu of the food stamp program. Sets forth program provisions. 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 amendments to the Hunger Prevention Act of 1988. Title XI: Miscellaneous - Requires any funds received by a State under the TEA program, the optional State food assistance block grant program under the Food Stamp Act of 1977, or the child care block grant program under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990, to be expended only in accordance with the laws and procedures applicable to expenditures of the State's own revenues, including appropriation by the State legislature, consistent with the terms and conditions required under such provisions of law. (Sec. 1102) Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to eliminate housing assistance with respect to fugitive felons and probation and parole violators, and provide for the exchange of certain housing information with law enforcement agencies upon request for specified official purposes. (Sec. 1103) Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Congress should adopt enterprise zone legislation in the 104th Congress, and that such legislation provide various specified incentives and provisions, such as Federal tax incentives that expand access to capital, increase the formation and expansion of small businesses, and promote commercial revitalization. (Sec. 1104) 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 the employment status or location of the non-custodial parent; and (2) 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. (Sec. 1105) 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. 1106) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish and implement a certain 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. (Sec. 1107) Expresses the sense of the Senate that States and local jurisdictions should aggressively enforce statutory rape laws. (Sec. 1108) 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. 1109) Amends SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) to provide for an increase in funding under such title and authorize the provision of abstinence education, along with a separate funding set-aside for it. (Sec. 1110) 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. 1111) Amends SSA title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) to provide for a reduction in block grants to States for social services. Division B: Restructuring Medicaid - Medicaid Restructuring Act of 1996 - Amends 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 and pregnant women with regard to primary and preventive care services; (4) prevention of spousal and family impoverishment with regard to long-term care; (5) State flexibility in benefits, provider payments, geographical coverage area, and selection of providers; (6) 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; (7) denial of payment under the State Medicaid plan for any item or service furnished for euthanasia purposes; (8) limitation on payments for Medicaid services to nonlawful aliens, generally allowing treatment only in emergency situations; (9) periodic, independent evaluations and audits under the program; (10) a separate fraud prevention program, as well as, under certain conditions, State fraud control units; (11) an information reporting system with regard to actions taken by State licensing authorities against health care practitioners and providers; (12) quality assurance requirements for nursing facilities, as well as requirements relating to residents' rights; and (13) an optional master drug rebate agreement program for covered outpatient drugs of a manufacturer. (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 HHS Secretary 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.
Bill· HRH.R. 3323 (104th)referred
Proud To Be an American Citizen Act of 1996
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1996
Proud To Be an American Citizen Act of 1996 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act with respect to: (1) the naturalization oath; (2) naturalization funding; (3) English language and related requirements; (4) citizenship preparation; (5) distribution of naturalization information; (6) citizenship council consultation; (7) naturalization applications and examinations; (8) statistics; and (9) naturalization through military service. Establishes the National Advisory Board on Naturalization. Directs the Attorney General to make funds available for demonstration projects to administer the oath of allegiance to applicant groups on a business day around July 4.
Bill· SS. 1698 (104th)open
Health Insurance Reform Act of 1996
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Health Care Access, Portability, and Renewability Subtitle A: Group Market Rules Subtitle B: Individual Market Rules Subtitle C: COBRA Clarifications Subtitle D: Private Health Plan Purchasing Cooperatives Title II: Application and Enforcement of Standards Title III: Miscellaneous Provisions Title IV: Tax-Related Health Provisions Subtitle A: Increase in Deduction for Health Insurance Costs of Self-Employed Individuals Subtitle B: Long-Term Care Provisions Subtitle C: High-Risk Pools Subtitle D: Penalty-Free IRA Distributions Subtitle E: Revenue Offsets Title V: Health Care Fraud and Abuse Prevention Subtitle A: Fraud and Abuse Control Program Subtitle B: Revisions to Current Sanctions for Fraud and Abuse Subtitle C: Data Collection and Miscellaneous Provisions Subtitle D: Civil Monetary Penalties Subtitle E: Amendments to Criminal Law Title VI: Internal Revenue Code and Other Provisions Subtitle A: Foreign Trust Tax Compliance Subtitle B: Repeal of Bad Debt Reserve Method for Thrift Savings Associations Subtitle C: Other Provisions Health Insurance Reform Act of 1996 - Title I: Health Care Access, Portability, and Renewability - Subtitle A: Group Market Rules - Prohibits insurers from declining to offer whole group coverage to a group purchaser. Allows plans to establish eligibility, continuation, enrollment, or premium requirements, provided the requirements are not based on health status, medical condition, genetic information, or other factors. (Sec. 102) Mandates plan renewability, except for premium nonpayment, material misrepresentation, plan termination, or other specified reasons. (Sec. 103) Regulates the circumstances in which a plan may impose a benefit limitation or exclusion because of a preexisting condition. Mandates crediting of previous qualifying coverage. Allows State laws (unless preempted by specified provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA)) that: (1) limit preexisting conditions to shorter periods than the provisions of this paragraph; (2) recognize previous qualifying coverage with a lapse period longer than provided for by the provisions of this paragraph; or (3) require issuers to have a lookback period shorter than under this Act. (Sec. 104) Mandates special enrollment periods for individuals who have certain types of changes in family composition or employment status. (Sec. 105) Regulates disclosures an insurer must make to a small employer (as defined in State law or, if not defined in State law, employers with not more than 50 employees). Amends ERISA to modify requirements regarding disclosures to plan participants and beneficiaries. Subtitle B: Individual Market Rules - Prohibits an insurer from declining to offer individual coverage or denying individual enrollment based on health status, medical condition, or other factors if the individual meets specified requirements, including having had previous group coverage and not being currently eligible for group coverage. (Sec. 111) Mandates renewability of coverage for individuals, except for nonpayment of premiums, material misrepresentation, or plan termination. (Sec. 112) Allows a State to adopt alternative public or private mechanisms designed to provide access to affordable health benefits for individuals unless the Secretary of Health and Human Services finds that the State's alternative mechanism fails to meet specified requirements of this Act. Deems a State to have met those requirements if it adopts a National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) model found by the Secretary to meet the requirements. Sets forth the circumstances in which a State high risk pool will be deemed in compliance. Subtitle C: COBRA Clarifications - Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and the Internal Revenue Code to modify continuation coverage requirements. Subtitle D: Private Health Plan Purchasing Cooperatives - Requires a State to certify health plan purchasing cooperatives (HPPCs) meeting the requirements of this section. Provides for Federal certification if a State fails to do so, but prohibits Federal certification in a State where the Secretary finds that, under State law, all small employers have a means readily available that ensures that: (1) individuals and employees have a choice of multiple, unaffiliated health plan issuers; and (2) other requirements of this Act are met. Regulates HPPC organization, duties, and activities. Preempts, for a HPPC meeting these requirements, State fictitious group laws. Specifies the circumstances in which HPPCs are required to comply with State premium rating and mandated benefit laws. Applies to HPPCs, for enforcement purposes only, the requirements of ERISA provisions relating to fiduciary responsibility and administration and enforcement. Title II: Application and Enforcement of Standards - Deems a requirement or standard under this Act imposed on a plan to be imposed on the issuer. (Sec. 202) Requires each State to enforce the standards under this Act pursuant to an enforcement plan filed by the State with the Secretary of Labor. Mandates enforcement of employee health benefit plans by the Secretary in the same manner as under specified ERISA provisions. Provides for Federal enforcement if a State fails to do so. Title III: Miscellaneous Provisions - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow a health maintenance organization, if notified by a member that a medical savings account has been established for the member and if the member requests, to reduce the basic health services payment by requiring the payment of a deductible for basic health services. Declares that it is the sense of the: (1) Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee that the establishment of medical savings accounts should be encouraged as part of any health insurance reform legislation passed; and (2) Senate that the Congress should take steps to further the purposes of this Act. (Sec. 302) Mandates studies and reports to appropriate congressional committees on: (1) mechanisms to ensure the availability of reasonably priced health coverage to employers purchasing group and individuals purchasing non-group coverage; (2) whether standards limiting premium variation will further the purposes of this Act; (3) the effectiveness of this Act; and (4) patient access to and choice of providers inside and outside of networks, the cost to insurers and the feasibility of out-of-network access, and the percent of premium dollar used for medical care and administration of the types of coverage offered. (Sec. 303) Requires the Health Care Financing Administration to complete their ongoing study of reimbursement of all telemedicine services and report to the Congress with a proposal for reimbursement for fee-for-service medicine. (Sec. 304) Declares that the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee finds that the Public Trustees of Medicare concluded in a specified report that: (1) the current Medicare program (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) is unsustainable; (2) the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund will be able to pay benefits for only about seven years and is severely out of long-range balance; and (3) the Fund's problems should be comprehensively addressed. (Sec. 305) Prohibits an employee health benefit plan and a health plan issuer offering a group plan or an individual health plan from imposing treatment limits or financial requirements on the coverage of mental health services if similar limits or requirements are not imposed regarding other conditions. (Sec. 306) Amends the Immigration and Nationality Technical Corrections Act of 1994 to extend the termination date of and modify requirements regarding provisions relating to waivers of a requirement that aliens who came to the United States to receive graduate medical education or training return to their country of nationality for two years before applying for an immigrant visa, permanent residence, or a nonimmigrant visa. (Sec. 307) Mandates inclusion with any income tax refund of a document encouraging organ and tissue donation. (Sec. 308) Declares that it is the sense of the Senate that: (1) the issue of adequate health care for mothers and children is important to the future of the United States and the Senate should pass legislation ensuring coverage for all U.S. pregnant women and children; and (2) patients deserve to know the full range of available treatments and the Congress should examine these issues to ensure that all patients get the care they deserve. (Sec. 310) Medical Volunteer Act - Requires that a health care professional who provides a health care service to a medically underserved person without receiving compensation be regarded, for purposes of any medical malpractice claim arising in connection with the service, as a Federal employee for purposes of the Federal tort claims provisions of Federal law relating to the judiciary and judicial procedure. Deems the professional to have provided the service without compensation only if, prior to furnishing the care, the professional: (1) agrees to furnish the service without charge to any person, including any insurance or program covering the recipient; and (2) provides the recipient with notice of the limited liability. Preempts inconsistent State laws, but not State laws providing greater incentives or protections to the professional. Title IV: Tax-Related Provisions - Health Insurance and Long-term Care Affordability Act of 1996 - Subtitle A: Increase in Deduction for Health Insurance Costs of Self-Employed Individuals - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to annually incrementally increase the deduction for the health insurance costs of self-employed individuals so that by the year 2006, 80 percent, rather than the current 30 percent, of such costs will be deductible. Subtitle B: Long-Term Care Provisions - Chapter 1: Long-Term Care Services and Contracts - Subchapter A: General Provisions - Sets forth general rules with respect to a qualified long-term care insurance contract, including that: (1) it shall be treated as an accident and health policy; (2) amounts received under such a contract shall be treated as amounts received for personal injuries and sickness; (3) amounts paid for such a contract shall be treated as amounts paid for medical care; and (4) it shall be treated as a guaranteed renewable contract. Defines such a contract and the services it must include. Subchapter B: Consumer Protection Provisions - Requires long-term care insurance policies to meet model regulation and model Act requirements. Chapter 2: Treatment of Accelerated Death Benefits - Provides, as a general rule, that accelerated death benefits shall be treated as amounts paid because of the death of the insured. Subtitle C: High-Risk Pools - Treats as tax exempt State-sponsored organizations which provide health coverage for high-risk individuals. Subtitle D: Penalty-Free IRA Distributions - Permits penalty-free IRA distributions to pay: (1) financially devastating medical expenses; and (2) health insurance premiums for certain unemployed individuals. Subtitle E: Revenue Offsets - Chapter 1: Treatment of Individuals Who Expatriate - Sets forth the tax responsibilities of an expatriate: (1) who has had an average annual net income tax of more than $100,000 for the five year period ending before expatriation; (2) or whose net worth is $500,000 or more. Provides as a general rule that all property of a covered expatriate shall be treated as sold on the expatriation date for its fair market value. Allows an exclusion from gain of up to $600,000. Permits an expatriate to elect to continue to be taxed as a United States citizen, in which case the provisions applicable to other expatriates will not apply. Sets forth specified reporting requirements for all expatriates. Chapter 2: Company-Owned Insurance - Revises provisions prohibiting a deduction for interest on loans with respect to company-owned life insurance, including a revision which prohibits as well a deduction for interest on loans with respect to company-owned endowment or annuity contracts. Title V: Health Care Fraud and Abuse Prevention - Subtitle A: Fraud and Abuse Control Program - Amends title XI of the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the HHS Office of Inspector General (IG), and the Attorney General, to establish a program to: (1) coordinate Federal, State, and local law enforcement programs to control health care fraud and abuse; (2) conduct investigations, audits, and inspections relating to the delivery of and payment for health care; (3) facilitate enforcement of certain laws applicable to health care fraud and abuse; (4) provide for the modification and establishment of safe harbors; (5) issue interpretative rulings and special fraud alerts; and (6) provide for the reporting and disclosure of certain final adverse actions against health care providers, suppliers, or practitioners pursuant to the data collection system established by this Act. (Sec. 501) Establishes the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Account in Medicare's Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund (Trust Fund) to hold the criminal fines and civil monetary penalties and assessments obtained from Federal health care cases, as well as property forfeiture proceeds from such cases, and other specified amounts for financing the fraud and abuse control program and the Medicare Integrity Program established by this Act. Makes certain appropriations to the Trust Fund and Account, earmarking specified amounts for activities of the HHS IG with respect to the SSA title XVIII (Medicare) and title XIX (Medicaid) programs. (Sec. 502) Establishes the Medicare Integrity Program to promote the integrity of the Medicare program through contracts with certain eligible private entities to: (1) review Medicare service provider activities and audit cost reports to determine whether payment should not have been made; (2) educate service providers, beneficiaries, and other persons on payment and benefit issues; and (3) develop and periodically update a list of items of durable medical equipment subject to prior authorization. Eliminates the responsibilities of fiscal intermediaries under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) and carriers under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) for certain activities to the extent they are carried out pursuant to a contract under the Medicare Integrity Program. (Sec. 503) Directs the HHS Secretary to provide an explanation of Medicare benefits with respect to each furnished item or service for which payment may be made, whether or not a deductible or coinsurance payment may be imposed on the beneficiary. Directs the HHS Secretary to establish a program to encourage individuals to: (1) report information on fraud and abuse; and (2) submit suggestions on methods to improve the efficiency of the Medicare program. Provides for the payment to such individuals of a portion of: (1) any amounts collected due to any reports of fraud or abuse; or (2) any savings resulting from any suggestions that are adopted. (Sec. 504) Amends SSA title XI to extend the application of criminal penalties for acts involving the Medicare program to similar violations of any health benefits plan or program funded directly by the Federal Government, except the Federal Employees' Health Benefits Program (Federal health care programs). (Sec. 505) Directs the HHS Secretary to publish a notice periodically in the Federal Register soliciting proposals for: (1) modifications to existing safe harbors issued under the Medicare and Medicaid Patient and Program Protection Act of 1987; (2) additional safe harbors specifying payment practices that shall not be treated as a criminal offense or exclusion; (3) interpretive rulings by the HHS IG, upon request, with regard to civil monetary and criminal penalties; and (4) special fraud alerts by the HHS IG, upon request, with regard to suspect practices under the Medicare program or a State health care program. Requires subsequent issuance of implementing regulations. Subtitle B: Revisions to Current Sanctions for Fraud and Abuse - Excludes from participation in Medicare and State health care programs any individual or entity convicted after the enactment of this Act of a felony related to: (1) fraud in connection with the delivery of a health care item or service; or (2) a controlled substance. (Sec. 512) Revises specified current sanctions involving exclusion for fraud and abuse under Medicare and State health care programs. Repeals the prerequisite that a health care practitioner or person be "unwilling or unable" to comply substantially with a corrective action plan before sanctions may be imposed (thus permitting the HHS Secretary to exclude such practitioner or person from eligibility to provide services for failure to comply with a corrective action plan, regardless of circumstances). (Sec. 515) Permits imposition of intermediate sanctions on Medicare health maintenance organizations (HMOs), in addition to the current option of termination. (Sec. 516) Excepts from anti-kickback penalties for risk-sharing arrangements any remuneration between an organization and an item or service provider under a written agreement where certain circumstances pertain. Subtitle C: Data Collection and Miscellaneous Provisions - Directs the HHS Secretary to establish a national health care fraud and abuse data collection program for the reporting of final adverse actions against health care providers, suppliers, or practitioners. Requires each Government agency and health care plan to report to the Secretary any final adverse action taken against a health care provider, supplier, or practitioner. (Sec. 521) Allows the HHS Secretary, with respect to the issuance of unique identifiers for Medicare physicians, to impose appropriate fees on such physicians to cover the costs of investigation and recertification activities. Subtitle D: Civil Monetary Penalties - Revises civil monetary penalty and other related SSA title XI provisions, among other things: (1) subjecting to civil penalties certain program-excluded individuals who retain an ownership or control interest in a participating entity if they know or should know of the action constituting the basis for the exclusion at the time they violated such provisions; (2) increasing the amounts of various specified penalties and assessments, including those against health care practitioners who fail to comply with their statutory obligations; and (3) prohibiting the offering of inducements to individuals enrolled under Medicare or a State health care program, including waiver of coinsurance and deductible amounts and transfers of items or services for free or for other than fair market value. Subtitle E: Amendments to Criminal Law - Amends the Federal criminal code to cover health care fraud, obstruction of criminal investigations of Federal health care offenses, theft or embezzlement in connection with health care, and other specified matters related to health care fraud, such as the laundering of monetary instruments. (Sec. 543) Provides for injunctive relief relating to Federal health care offenses, as well as for property forfeitures. Title VI: Internal Revenue Code and Other Provisions - Subtitle A: Foreign Trust Tax Compliance - Revises the requirements regarding information that must be reported regarding certain foreign trusts. Modifies the circumstances (with regard to foreign trusts having one or more U.S. beneficiaries) in which a transferor is treated as the owner. Replaces provisions setting forth a special rule applicable to foreign grantors with provisions declaring that provisions relating to treating grantors and other as substantial owners shall apply only when that application results in an amount being currently taken into account in computing the income of a U.S. citizen or resident or a domestic corporation. Requires a United States person to report information regarding foreign gifts or bequests when the gifts' aggregate value during a taxable year exceeds $10,000. Modifies requirements regarding the interest charge on accumulation distributions from foreign trusts. Changes the circumstances in which an estate or trust is included in the definition of "United States person." Modifies the definition of "foreign estate or trust." Requires (for provisions relating to the imposition of a tax on transfers to avoid income tax) treating a trust which is not a foreign trust and which becomes a foreign trust as having transferred, immediately before becoming a foreign trust, all of its assets to a foreign trust. Subtitle B: Repeal of Bad Debt Reserve Method for Thrift Savings Associations - Repeals the bad debt reserve method, concerning reserves for losses on loans, for thrift savings associations. Subtitle C: Other Provisions - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to extend the secondary payor provisions. Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, in specified circumstances, to modify rent adjustments using an operating costs factor that increases the rent to reflect increases in operating costs in the market area. Amends the National Housing Act to remove the provision which limits foreclosure avoidance and borrower assistance to those mortgages insured under such Act which originated before October 1, 1995.
Bill· SS. 1691 (104th)referred
Immigration Control Enforcement Act
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1996
Immigration Control Enforcement Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require at least ten full-time Immigration and Naturalization Service agents to be allocated to each State.
Bill· SS. 1692 (104th)referred
Illegal Worker Prevention Act
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1996
Illegal Worker Prevention Act - Provides for the debarment of Federal contractors for noncompliance with illegal alien employment provisions under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Bill· SS. 1685 (104th)referred
American Family Income and Economic Security Act of 1996
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: American Family Economic Security Subtitle A: Wage Security Subtitle B: Retirement Security Subtitle C: Health Security Subtitle D: Employee Security Title II: Incentives for Lifelong Learning Title III: High-Wage Jobs for American Families Subtitle A: Business Incentives Subtitle B: Preservation of American Jobs Subtitle C: Promotion of Long-Term Investments in American Businesses Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions American Family Income and Economic Security Act of 1996 - Title I: American Family Economic Security - Subtitle A: Wage Security - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to raise the minimum wage. Subtitle B: Retirement Security - Part I: IRA Deduction - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (Code) to increase individual retirement account (IRA) income limitations. Provides inflation adjustments for deductible amounts and income limitations. Part II: Nondeductible Tax-Free IRAs - Establishes special nondeductible tax-free IRAs. Part III: Penalty-Free Distributions - Permits distributions from certain qualified retirement plans without penalty for: (1) first home purchases; (2) higher education expenses; (3) financially devastating medical expenses; or (4) certain unemployed persons. Part IV: Plan Loans - Establishes defined contribution plan loan requirements. Subtitle C: Health Security - Part I: Definitions - Defines specified terms. Part II: Health Care Access, Portability, and Renewability - Subpart A: Group Market Rules - Provides for: (1) guaranteed availability and renewability of health plan coverage; and (2) coverage portability and limitations on preexisting condition exclusions; (3) special enrollment periods; and (4) health plan disclosures. Subpart B: Individual Market Rules - Provides for: (1) individual health plan marketability; (2) guaranteed renewability; and (3) State flexibility in individual market reforms. Subpart C: COBRA Clarifications - Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, and the Code with respect to plan coverage periods. Subpart D: Private Health Plan Purchasing Cooperatives - Defines "health plan purchasing cooperative." Sets forth requirements and certification provisions. Part II (sic): Application and Enforcement of Standards - Subjects a health plan issuer to standards that may be imposed by a State upon its group or individual health plans. Part III: Miscellaneous Provisions - Amends the Public Health Service Act to permit health maintenance organizations (HMOs) to offer plans with deductibles to individuals with medical savings accounts. (Sec. 182) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct an health coverage availability study. (Sec. 183) Expresses the sense of the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources regarding the need to reform and maintain Medicare, and to provide increased choice for seniors. Subtitle D: Employee Security - Amends the Code to permit a credit for employer expenses for certain on-site day-care facilities. (Sec. 192) Makes permanent the (employee) income exclusion for employer-provided group legal services. (Sec. 193) Expands the one-time exclusion of gain on the sale of a principal residence to include a sale when the individual or spouse is terminally ill. Title II: Incentives for Lifelong Learning - Amends the Code to establish an employee training credit. (Sec. 202) Makes the educational assistance exclusion permanent. (Sec. 203) Provides deductions for higher education tuition and fees and student loan interest. Title III: High-Wage Jobs for American Families - Subtitle A: Business Incentives - Amends the Code to exclude specified amounts (depending on holding period)of gain from the sale of stock of qualifying critical technology small businesses that create domestic jobs. (Sec. 302) Makes the research and development credit permanent. Subtitle B: Preservation of American Jobs - Amends the Code to include imported property income within a foreign base company's taxable income. (Sec. 312) Authorizes Federal contractor debarment for noncompliance with immigration-related employment provisions. (Sec. 313) Expresses the sense of the Congress that laid off workers should be given stock options upon termination. Subtitle C: Promotion of Long-Term Investments in American Businesses - Part I: Long-Term Investment, Competitiveness, Pension Protection, and Corporate Takeover Reform - Makes specified congressional findings with respect to existing securities laws. (Sec. 322) Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 with respect to: (1) long-term investments and pension protection; and (2) worker protection. (Sec. 324) Amends the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 with respect to: (1) tender offers; (2) takeover financing and financing disclosures; and (3) leveraged buyout and going private transactions. (Sec. 326) Directs appropriate Federal banking agencies to review and report on U.S. depository institutions' risk exposure and additional reserve requirements. Part II: Restrictions on Harmful Takeovers - Amends the Code to disallow deductions for merger and acquisition expenses. Part III: Other Provisions - Amends the Code to extend a specified compensation deduction limit to all employees of all corporations (other than public service corporations). Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Amends the Code to provide a deduction for local sewer and water fees.
Bill· SS. 1684 (104th)referred
A bill to require that applications for passports for minors have parental signatures.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1996
Amends Federal law to require passport applications for children under age 16 to be signed by: (1) both parents if the child lives with both parents; (2) the parent having primary custody of the child if the child does not live both parents; or (3) the surviving parent (or legal guardian) of the child if one or both parents are deceased. Permits waiver of such requirement if the Secretary of State determines that circumstances do not permit obtaining the signatures of both parents.
Bill· SS. 1680 (104th)referred
A bill to amend title 18 of the United States Code to permit the judicial deportation of criminal aliens.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1996
Revises Federal criminal code provisions to authorize the court to order that an alien defendant who is subject to deportation be deported and remain outside the United States as a condition of supervised release. Directs the Attorney General, while such alien defendant is awaiting deportation, to take such alien into custody and not release such alien unless so permitted by order of the sentencing court. Prohibits the Attorney General, during the period such an alien defendant is to remain outside the United States as a condition of supervised release, from consenting to the alien's reentry.
Bill· HRH.R. 3266 (104th)referred
Bipartisan Welfare Reform Act of 1996
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 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 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 very important Government interests. (Sec. 103) Replaces the current Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program and Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program (JOBS) under, respectively, parts A and F of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) with a program of block grants to the States for temporary assistance for needy families already with or expecting children (TEA program). Gives such program the stated purpose of increasing the flexibility of States in operating approved statewide programs, with: (1) certain mandatory work and education requirements (as well as penalties against adult family members on TEA who refuse to engage in various specified work activities); and (2) adult-supervised living arrangements for unmarried teenage parents to enable such families to leave the program and become self-sufficient. Includes participation in community service programs and subsidized public sector employment as TEA program work activities. Requires TEA programs to provide certain time-limited cash assistance (and thereafter vouchers) to eligible families entering into an individual responsibility plan with the State (with certain exceptions involving minor children and hardship situations), outlining their obligations in receiving TEA assistance (such as immunizing their children or finishing high school), as well as the specific services the State will provide (such as job preparation and family planning services and, at the State's option, substance abuse treatment services) to enable them to move into private sector employment. Requires State TEA programs also to: (1) establish annual numerical goals for preventing and reducing the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies, with special emphasis on teenage pregnancies, over a specified ten-year period; and (2) encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families. Denies TEA for fugitive felons and probation and parole violators and minor children absent from the home for a significant period. Suspends it for ten years for persons who have fraudulently misrepresented residence to obtain assistance in two or more States. Denies additional cash assistance, as a general rule, for additional children born to families already on TEA (except in cases of rape and incest), unless State law specifically exempts the State TEA program from such denial. Reduces or denies TEA for noncooperation in child support. Outlines State TEA plan contents. Provides for the State's choice of treatment of aliens and families moving interstate, and for the exchange of certain plan information about TEA applicants or recipients with law enforcement officers under prescribed conditions. Sets forth requirements for State plan approval by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), which include certifications that the State will operate a child protection and child support enforcement program under SSA title IV parts B and D (Child-Welfare Services Program and Child Support and Establishment of Paternity Program), respectively. Details TEA program grant administrative provisions: (1) determining the amounts of State grants for family assistance for FY 1996 through 2001; (2) outlining grant uses, including assistance to families in meeting home heating and cooling costs, and a State program under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990; (3) rewarding States with additional grant amounts for reductions in illegitimate births, as well as for population increases and TEA program work activities; and (4) establishing in the Treasury (and providing deposits for) a Contingency Fund for State Welfare Programs for payments to certain eligible participating States. Makes necessary appropriations. Sets up a Federal loan program for certain State TEA programs for anti-fraud and other specified activities. Makes necessary appropriations. Establishes penalties for States and individual families for specified grant and program violations, respectively, through reduced grants and assistance payments. Allows States to terminate assistance payments, but prohibits assistance reduction or termination based on a refusal of an adult to work if the adult is a single custodial parent caring for a child under age six and unable to obtain needed child care for one or more specified reasons. Provides for State appeal of Federal adverse decisions with respect to State plans or imposition of penalties. Outlines specific program data collection and reporting requirements, as well as certain research, evaluation, and study requirements. Makes necessary appropriations. Provides for TEA grants to Indian tribes (with a special rule for Alaska Native tribes). Makes necessary appropriations. Directs the Bureau of the Census to expand the Survey of Income and Program Participation to obtain information enabling interested persons to evaluate the impact of this title on a random national sample of State TEA recipients and other appropriate low-income families. Makes necessary appropriations. Provides for the treatment of current and previously granted State AFDC (welfare reform) waiver projects. Retains the HHS Assistant Secretary for Family Support as the official responsible for administering SSA title IV part A and D programs. Expresses the sense of the Congress encouraging each State operating a TEA program to: (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 engage in work activities; and (2) require non-custodial, nonsupporting parents under age 18 to fulfill community work obligations and attend appropriate parenting or money management classes after school. (Sec. 104) Allows States to contract with charitable, religious, or private organizations to provide services and administer programs established or modified by this Act, or to provide program beneficiaries with certificates, vouchers, or other forms of disbursement redeemable with such organizations. Prohibits the expenditure of financial assistance under such programs for sectarian worship, instruction, or proselytization. (Sec. 105) Directs the Secretary of Commerce to expand the data collection efforts of the Bureau of the Census to enable it to collect certain data on grandparent caregivers. (Sec. 106) Directs the HHS Secretary to report to the Congress on the status of State automated data processing systems used in administering State programs under SSA title IV part A. (Sec. 107) Requires the HHS Secretary to report to the Congress on outcomes measures for evaluating the success of the States in moving individuals out of the welfare system through employment as an alternative to the minimum participation rates under mandatory TEA work requirements. (Sec. 108) Makes conforming amendments to SSA, the Food Stamp Act of 1977, and related provisions of other specified Federal laws. (Sec. 111) Directs the Commissioner of Social Security (Commissioner) to develop a prototype of a counterfeit-resistant social security card and study and report to the Congress on different methods of improving the social security card application process. (Sec. 112) Requires any organization accepting Federal funds under this Act to disclose that fact in any communication it makes that 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 for any fiscal year. Title II: Supplemental Security Income - Subtitle A: Eligibility Restrictions - Amends SSA title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) 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) deny SSI benefits for ten years to individuals found to have fraudulently misrepresented residence in order to obtain 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. Provides certain supplemental funding for alcohol and substance abuse treatment programs. 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. (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. 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 of Social Security to report annually to the President and the Congress regarding the SSI program and to make arrangements with the National Academy of Sciences, or other independent entity, to study the disability determination process under SSA titles II and XVI for similar reports. (Sec. 233) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report on the: (1) impact of this title on the SSI program; and (2) extra expenses incurred by families of children receiving SSI benefits 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 report to the President and the Congress: (1) a comprehensive study of all matters related to the nature, purpose, and adequacy of all Federal programs serving individuals with disabilities, including the programs under SSA titles II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) and XVI; and (2) recommendations for appropriate 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 assistance under Aid to Families with Dependent Children. (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 acknowledgment 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 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. Subtitle I: Enhancing Responsibility and Opportunity for Non-Residential 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 food 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). 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 - Amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to authorize appropriations for FY 1996 through 2002. (Sec. 703) Amends part A (TEA) of Title IV of the Social Security Act 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. 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; (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 to: (1) increase the standard deduction from income resources for eligibility purposes; (2) treat electronic benefit transfer cards and personal identification (PIN) numbers as coupons; (3) count vendor payments for transitional housing as income; (4) increase penalties for specified program violations; (5) revise disqualification penalties and periods, and their applications to entire households, for persons refusing to comply with work requirements; (6) revise general exemptions from employment and training requirements and funding for related programs; and (7) mandate disqualification of individuals for multiple receipt of food stamp benefits, of fleeing felons, and of individuals delinquent in child support payments. (Sec. 915) Authorizes State food stamp disqualification of a household member also disqualified from another means-tested public assistance program for failure to perform an action required for such program under Federal, State, or local law. (Sec. 918) Makes it an eligibility requirement for custodial parents to cooperate with child support agencies. (Sec. 920) Prescribes additional work requirements for able-bodied food stamp recipients. Requires State agencies to implement electronic benefit transfer systems. (Sec. 924) Provides for: (1) optional combined value allotments for expedited households; and (2) allotments to individuals residing in drug or alcohol abuse treatment centers. (Sec. 925) Authorizes reduction in State food stamp benefits of a household for whom benefits are also reduced in another means-tested public assistance program for a similar failure. (Sec. 927) Authorizes regulations to establish specific authorization periods, and specific periods for prohibiting participation of stores based on lack of business integrity. (Sec. 931) Revises requirements for State agency procedures for food stamp office operation. Augments the kinds of information (including retailer information) that may be exchanged among Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies. Authorizes the suspension of stores violating program requirements pending administrative and judicial review. (Sec. 939) Mandates regulations for: (1) food stamp program disqualification of retailers disqualified from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); and (2) the permanent debarment of retailers who intentionally submit falsified applications. Subjects food stamp benefits to civil and criminal forfeiture for benefit violations. (Sec. 948) Authorizes States to operate simplified food stamp programs according to specified requirements. Repeals the authority to conduct specified pilot projects and the Food Bank Demonstration Project. (Sec. 949) Revises State plan requirements for the emergency food assistance program. Title X: Miscellaneous - Provides, among other things, for: (1) the expenditure of Federal funds received by a State under TEA and certain other Federal programs only in accordance with laws and procedures applicable to expenditure of the State's own revenues; (2) elimination of housing assistance with respect to fugitive felons and probation and parole violators; (3) certain options for State consideration of the resources of an ineligible household member when determining the food stamp eligibility and allotment of such individual's household; and (4) an increase in funding for abstinence education under SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services). (Sec. 1003) Expresses the sense of the Senate that Congress should adopt enterprise zone legislation in the 104th Congress providing for various specified incentives, regulatory reforms, and pilot projects. (Sec. 1004) Expresses the sense of the Senate that States: (1) should diligently continue their efforts to enforce child support payments by the non-custodial parent; and (2) should 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. (Sec. 1006) Directs the HHS Secretary to: (1) implement a certain strategy for preventing out-of-wedlock teenage pregnancies and assuring that at least 25 percent of U.S. communities have teenage pregnancy prevention programs; and (2) report to the Congress on the State programs so implemented to determine their progress. (Sec. 1007) Expresses the sense of the Senate that States and local jurisdictions should aggressively enforce statutory rape laws. (Sec. 1008) Declares that States shall not be prohibited by the Federal Government from sanctioning welfare recipients who test positive for use of controlled substances. (Sec. 1010) Amends the Electronic Fund Transfer Act to generally exempt from the required disclosures, protections, responsibilities, and authorized remedies of such Act, and any implementing regulation prescribed by the Federal Reserve Board, any electronic benefit transfer program established under State or local law or administered by a State or local government that distributes needs-tested benefits. (Sec. 1011) Amends SSA title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) to reduce the authorization of appropriations for social services block grants. (Sec. 1012) Encourages the HHS Secretary to work in coordination with State agencies to ensure the efficient use of Federal transportation funds by recipients of public assistance under this Act.
Bill· SS. 1677 (104th)referred
Citizenship Promotion Act of 1996
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1996
Citizenship Promotion Act of 1996 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish within the Immigration and Naturalization Service the United States Citizenship Promotion Agency. Transfers to the Agency naturalization and related functions currently carried out by the Attorney General and the Service. Establishes the National Advisory Board on Citizenship. Directs the Agency to carry out naturalization outreach activities. Establishes in the Treasury the Naturalization Examinations Fee Account.
Bill· SS. 1664 (104th)open
Immigration Control and Financial Responsibility Act of 1996
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Immigration Control Subtitle A: Law Enforcement Subtitle B: Other Control Measures Subtitle C: Effective Dates Title II: Financial Responsibility Subtitle A: Receipt of Certain Government Benefits Subtitle B: Miscellaneous Provisions Subtitle C: Effective Dates Immigration Control and Financial Responsibility Act of 1996 - Title I: Immigration Control - Subtitle A: Law Enforcement - Part 1: Additional Enforcement Personnel and Facilities - Directs the Attorney General to increase the number of Border Patrol agents. Authorizes the increase of Border Patrol support personnel. (Sec. 102) Authorizes appropriations to increase the number of Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) investigators. (Sec. 103) Provides for an increase in the number of land border inspectors. (Sec. 104) Authorizes appropriations to increase the number of visa overstayer investigators and support personnel. (Sec. 105) Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to increase the number of wage and hour law investigators, with preference for bilingual personnel. (Sec. 106) Provides for an increase in INS detention facilities. (Sec. 107) Provides for a review of INS hiring and training standards. (Sec. 108) Directs the Attorney General to provide for fence construction and road improvements in the San Diego, California, border area. Authorizes appropriations. Part 2: Verification of Eligibility to Work and Receive Public Assistance - Subpart A: Development of New Verification System - Directs the President to develop a system to verify: (1) work eligibility; and (2) immigration status for public assistance eligibility. Sets forth: (1) system requirements; (2) remedies and penalties for unlawful disclosure; (3) employer safeguards; (4) document use restrictions; and (5) liability protections. (Sec. 112) Provides for related demonstration projects, including monitoring and reporting by the Comptroller General. Subpart B: Strengthening Existing Verification Procedures - Sets forth changes in employment-verification document provisions, including: (1) social security account information; (2) types of acceptable documents; (3) birth certificates; and (4) driver's licenses. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a National Center for Health Statistics grant fund to encourage States to develop birth and death certificate matching and related capabilities. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 119) Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (Act) to increase certain employer penalties if specified labor standards violations exist. (Sec. 120) Authorizes the Attorney General to hire additional Assistant United States Attorneys to prosecute cases of unlawful employment of aliens or document fraud. Grants the Secretary of Labor and INS officers related subpoena authority. (Sec. 120B) Directs the Attorney General to establish a task force to improve public education regarding unlawful employment of aliens and unfair immigration-related employment practices. (Sec. 120C) Authorizes additional appropriations for the INS "IDENT" program (fingerprinting of apprehended aliens). Part 3: Alien Smuggling; Document Fraud - Amends Federal criminal law to: (1) authorize INS wiretaps for alien smuggling investigations; and (2) include alien smuggling and certain fraudulent document use provisions within the parameters of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations statute (RICO). (Sec. 123) Amends the Act to increase criminal penalties for alien smuggling. (Sec. 124) Permits deportation-related videotaped witness testimony under specified circumstances. (Sec. 125) Expands seizure and forfeiture authority for alien smuggling, document fraud violations, and unlawful employment of aliens. (Sec. 127) Revises and establishes penalty provisions for specified document-related violations. (Sec. 133) Amends Federal criminal law to increase penalties for involuntary servitude. Requires the United States Sentencing Commission to review related sentencing guidelines. Part 4: Exclusion and Deportation - Amends the Act to authorize the return of an alien arriving from a foreign territory contiguous to the United States to such territory pending further inquiry of admissibility. Authorizes the Attorney General to order the exclusion or deportation of an alien with or without referral to or from a special inquiry officer under specified circumstances, including vessel-related encounters or extraordinary migration situations (arrival of aliens in numbers of circumstances that exceed inspection capacities). Sets forth such special orders' operational and administrative provisions. (Sec. 142) Revises judicial review of orders of exclusion or deportation. (Sec. 143) Establishes civil penalties for failure to depart. Makes visa overstayers (with exceptions) ineligible for additional visas for specified time periods. (Sec. 144) Authorizes deportation proceedings by electronic means. (Sec. 145) Grants subpoena authority in exclusion or deportation proceedings. (Sec. 147) Denies visas to nationals of a country that refuses (or unduly delays) acceptance of its U.S.-deported nationals. (Sec. 148) Authorizes additional appropriations to the INS for deportation and related detention costs. (Sec. 149) Directs the Attorney General to conduct one or more pilot programs to increase deportation and exclusion efficiency. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 150) Revises suspension of deportation, status adjustment, and voluntary departure provisions. (Sec. 151) Defines "stowaway." Makes such persons excludable but with appealable rights to request asylum or withholding of deportation. Sets forth related carrier cost liability and detention requirements. (Sec. 152) Directs the Attorney General to establish pilot programs for: (1) deterrence of multiple unauthorized entries by aliens into the United States, including the use of interior or third country repatriation; and (2) use of closed military bases as deportable or excludable alien detention centers. (Sec. 154) Requires aliens seeking permanent residence to be immunized against vaccine-preventable diseases. (Sec. 155) Establishes certification requirements for aliens seeking U.S. health care employment (other than physicians). (Sec. 156) Lengthens the period of reentry ineligibility for deported or removed aliens. (Sec. 157) Eliminates "consular shopping" for visa overstayers. (Sec. 158) Makes "incitement" a basis for U.S. exclusion. Part 5: Criminal Aliens - Amends the Act to revise the definition of "aggravated felony." (Sec. 162) Makes an aggravated felon ineligible for status adjustment. Sets forth related provisions regarding: (1) deportation and enforceable rights; (2) custody release; and (3) an additional criminal penalty for unlawful U.S. reentry. (Sec. 165) Revises the categories of convicted aliens and the related procedures for U.S. district court judicial deportations. Permits State court findings of deportability under specified circumstances. Makes conforming amendments to: (1) the Immigration Act of 1990; and (2) the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. (Sec. 166) Provides for a stipulated order of exclusion or deportation. (Sec. 167) Amends Federal criminal law to authorize deportation as a condition to probation under specified circumstances. (Sec. 168) Directs the Attorney General to submit an annual report on criminal aliens. (Sec. 169) Authorizes INS to conduct undercover investigations. (Sec. 170) Provides for the President to negotiate or renegotiate bilateral (alien) prisoner transfer treaties, including provision of compensation. (Sec. 170A) Directs the Secretary of State and the Attorney General to conduct a prisoner transfer treaties study. (Sec. 170D) Authorizes the Attorney General to conduct a demonstration project for identification of illegal aliens in local prisons, including the detailing of an INS specialist to Anaheim, California, to help in such training. Part 6: Miscellaneous - Amends the Act to make Federal agencies eligible for immigration emergency fund reimbursement. Amends Federal law to provide for Federal vessel movement controls in instances of anticipated or actual mass migration of aliens to the United States. Amends the Act to authorize the Attorney General to delegate immigration enforcement authority to State and local officials under such circumstances. (Sec. 173) Provides for: (1) a joint study of automated data collection at ports of entry; and (2) development of an automated (alien) entry-exit control system. (Sec. 178) Authorizes INS: (1) use of volunteers; and (2) acquisition of Federal equipment for border use. (Sec. 180) Amends the Act to place specified limitations on: (1) court jurisdiction in legalization litigation; and (2) status adjustment. (Sec. 182) Requires the Attorney General to report on alien detention space, including an estimate of the number of released deportable or excludable aliens. (Sec. 183) Sets forth special inquiry officer (immigration judge) compensation provisions. (Sec. 184) Amends the Act to authorize the Attorney General to accept State services to carry out immigration enforcement activities. (Sec. 185) Increases the number of "witness cooperation" visas. Subtitle B: Other Control Measures - Part 1: Parole Authority - Amends the Act to make parole authority useable on a case-by-case basis for humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. (Sec. 191) Includes parolees in world-wide level of family-sponsored immigrants. Part 2: Asylum - Restricts asylum provisions, including work authorization. (Sec. 196) Authorizes the Attorney General, in order to reduce the asylum backlog, to temporarily: (1) use additional funds for property acquisition; and (2) hire Federal retirees. Part 3: Cuban Adjustment Act - Repeals the Cuban Adjustment Act. Subtitle C: Effective Dates - Sets forth specified effective dates. Title II: Financial Responsibility - Subtitle A: Receipt of Certain Government Benefits - Prohibits public assistance and benefits, with specified exceptions, to an alien who is not a permanent resident, a refugee, a parolee, an asylee, or an alien under withheld deportation. Prohibits unemployment benefits and benefits under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to an alien who does not have work authorization. Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to report with respect to enforcement of specified alien housing assistance restrictions. (Sec. 202) Defines "public charge" for deportation purposes. (Sec. 203) Sets forth sponsor affidavit of support requirements. (Sec. 204) Attributes a sponsor's income and resources to the sponsored alien for purposes of (such alien's) public assistance eligibility. Permits similar State and local attribution. (Sec. 205) Requires the Secretary of Education and the Commissioner of Social Security to jointly report on the Department of Education's higher education assistance eligibility matching program. (Sec. 206) Authorizes States and localities to limit assistance to aliens and distinguish among classes of aliens in providing general public assistance. (Sec. 207) Denies the earned income tax credit to individuals who are not citizens or lawful permanent resident aliens. (Sec. 208) Amends Federal criminal law to increase penalties for forging or counterfeiting a Federal agency or department seal to facilitate alien benefit fraud. (Sec. 209) Amends the Social Security Act to authorizes States to place Medicaid anti-fraud investigators in hospitals. Subtitle B: Miscellaneous Provisions - Directs the Attorney General to reimburse States and localities for emergency medical services for specified aliens. (Sec. 213) Authorizes pilot projects for: (1) additional border crossing fees; and (2) expanded U.S.-Canadian port of entry hours and automated permit machines. Subtitle C: Effective Dates - Sets forth effective dates for provisions of this Act.
Bill· SS. 1665 (104th)open
Legal Immigration Act of 1996
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Immigrants Title II: Nonimmigrants Title III: Miscellaneous Provisions Title IV: Effective Date Legal Immigration Act of 1996 - Title I: Immigrants - Subtitle A: Changes in Immigrant Classifications - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (Act) to revise the preference allocation for family sponsored immigrants as follows: (1) spouses and children of permanent resident aliens; (2) unmarried sons and daughters of citizens; (3) married sons and daughters of citizens; (4) unmarried sons and daughters of permanent resident aliens; and (5) brothers and sisters of citizens. Establishes a special visa allocation rule during the temporary family backlog reduction program. Directs the Secretary of State to study and report on the sibling visa backlog. (Sec. 102) Repeals the unskilled immigrant preference category. (Sec. 104) Restricts judicial review of visa determinations. (Sec. 105) Makes conforming amendments to the Act and other Federal law. (Sec. 106) Sets forth transition provisions. Subtitle B: Changes in Numerical Limitations on Immigrants - Amends the Act to: (1) reduce worldwide numerical limitations on admissions of family sponsored and diversity immigrants; and (2) revise limitations on immigrants from a single foreign state. (Sec. 114) Sets forth transition visa allocation rules for certain backlogged: (1) spouses and children of permanent resident aliens; and (2) brothers and sisters of citizens. Title II: Nonimmigrants - Amends the Act to revise (H-1b visa) provisions regarding specialty occupation or fashion model nonimmigrants with respect to: (1) employer investigations and penalties; (2) wages; and (3) the definition of an H-1b dependent employer. (Sec. 202) Extends the visa waiver pilot program. Revises probationary status provisions. Title III: Miscellaneous Provisions - Amends the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1988 to repeal (with a transition period) the Amerasian (Vietnamese-American) admission program as of October 1, 1997. (Sec. 302) Amends the Act to subject aliens who entered without inspection to the ten-year residence requirement for suspension of deportation benefits. (Sec. 303) Makes economic espionage or piracy of intellectual property grounds for exclusion. (Sec. 304) Requires international matchmaking organizations (mail-order marriages) doing business in the United States to provide recruits with immigration information. Directs the Attorney General to study such operations and related issues of fraud and domestic abuse. Title IV: Effective Date - Sets forth the effective date of amendments made by this Act.
Bill· SS. 1616 (104th)referred
A bill to establish a visa waiver pilot program for nationals of Korea who are traveling in tour groups to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1996
Directs the Secretary of State and the Attorney General to jointly establish a visa waiver pilot program for Korean nationals traveling in tour groups to the United States. Specifies requirements for such waiver.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 384 (104th)passed
Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 2202) to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to improve deterrence of illegal immigration to the United States by increasing border patrol and investigative personnel, by increasing penalties for alien smuggling and for document fraud, by reforming exclusion and deportation law and procedures, by improving the verification system for eligibility for employment, and through other measures, to reform the legal immigration system and facilitate legal entries into the United States, and for other purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1996
Sets forth the modified closed rule for the consideration of H.R. 2202 (illegal immigration deterrence).
Bill· HRH.R. 3081 (104th)open
Health Centers Consolidation Act of 1996
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1996
Health Centers Consolidation Act of 1996 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise provisions concerning health centers (currently, community health centers), definitions relating to such centers, and the services provided by such centers. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make planning, operating, and infant mortality grants for health centers that provide required primary health services and additional health services to medically underserved and special medically underserved populations (migrant and seasonal agricultural workers, the homeless, and public housing residents). Directs the Secretary to give priority in making grants to health centers in which there is a substantial incidence of infant mortality or a significant increase in the incidence of infant mortality. Specifies that grant amounts for any fiscal year may not exceed: (1) total State, local, and other operational funding for a center; and (2) fees, premiums, and third-party reimbursements received for operations by the center in such fiscal year. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Office of Rural Health Policy of the Health Resources and Services Administration to administer the rural health services outreach demonstration grant program. Authorizes appropriations.
Bill· HRH.R. 3062 (104th)open
To authorize the States to assist the Attorney General in performing functions under the Immigration and Nationality Act relating to deportation of aliens.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1996
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize the Attorney General to accept State services to carry out deportation functions.
Bill· HRH.R. 3071 (104th)open
Effective Counterterrorism Act of 1996
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Criminal Acts Title II: Increased Penalties Title III: Investigative Tools Title IV: Nuclear Materials Title V: Convention on the Marking of Plastic Explosives Title VI: Removal Procedures for Alien Terrorists Title VII: Authorization and Funding Title VIII: Miscellaneous Effective Counterterrorism Act of 1996 - Title I: Criminal Acts - Amends the Federal criminal code to set penalties for: (1) killing or attempting to kill any U.S. officer engaged in, or on account of, the performance of official duties or any person assisting such an officer or employee; and (2) threats to assault, kidnap, or murder former Federal officers and employees. (Sec. 102) Sets penalties for providing material support to terrorist organizations. Defines "terrorist organization" as a foreign organization designated in the Federal Register as a terrorist organization by the Secretary of State based upon a finding that the organization engages in, or has engaged in, terrorist activity that threatens U.S. national security. Establishes a process for making such designation. Sets forth provisions regarding judicial review, congressional and other authority to remove such designation, and sunset provisions. (Sec. 103) Modifies a provision setting penalties for providing material support to terrorists, including by: (1) eliminating language that excludes from the definition of "material support or resources" humanitarian assistance to persons not directly involved in violations; and (2) adding language to exclude from such definition medicine or religious materials. (Sec. 104) Sets penalties for: (1) receiving material support from terrorist organizations or countries supporting terrorism; (2) acts of terrorism against children; and (3) conspiring to kill kidnap, maim, or injure people in (currently, limited to injuring property of) a foreign government. (Sec. 107) Makes penalties for an individual committing an offense on an aircraft in flight outside the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States applicable regardless of whether such individual is later found in the United States. Grants jurisdiction over such an offense if: (1) a U.S. national was or would have been on board the aircraft; (2) an offender is a U.S. national; or (3) an offender is found in the United States. Provides that if the victim of specified offenses is an internationally protected person outside the United States, the United States may exercise jurisdiction if: (1) the victim is a representative, officer, employee, or agent of the United States; (2) an offender is a U.S. national; or (3) an offender is found in the United States. (Sec. 108) Modifies provisions regarding the use of weapons of mass destruction to include threats to use such weapons and to specify that: (1) to violate such provisions, such use must be without lawful authority; and (2) the results of such use must affect interstate or foreign commerce. Includes within the definition of "weapon of mass destruction" any weapon designed to cause death or serious bodily injury through the release, dissemination, or impact of toxic or poisonous chemicals or their precursors. Sets penalties (of up to life imprisonment) for any U.S. national who, without lawful authority and outside the United States, uses or threatens, attempts, or conspires to use a weapon of mass destruction. (Sec. 109) Adds terrorism offenses to the money laundering statute. (Sec. 110) Expands Federal jurisdiction over bomb threats. (Sec. 111) Provides that there is U.S. jurisdiction over specified maritime violence: (1) regardless of whether the activity is prohibited by the State in which it takes place; and (2) committed by a U.S. national or by a stateless person whose habitual residence is in the United States, regardless of whether the activity takes place on a ship flying the flag of a foreign country or outside the United States. (Sec. 112) Prohibits the possession, or pledge or acceptance as security for a loan, of stolen explosive materials moving in interstate or foreign commerce. Title II: Increased Penalties - Revises provisions of the Federal criminal code regarding mandatory minimum sentences for certain explosives offenses to eliminate the malice requirement and increase penalties. Extends the statute of limitations to seven years for specified arson and explosives offenses. (Sec. 202) Increases penalties for explosives conspiracies. (Sec. 203) Sets penalties for conspiring to commit various terrorism-related offenses. (Sec. 204) Subjects whoever knowingly transfers explosive materials, knowing that such materials will be used to commit a crime of violence or drug trafficking crime, to the same penalties as may be imposed for a first conviction for the use or carrying of the explosive materials. Title III: Investigative Tools - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury (Secretary) to conduct a study concerning: (1) the tagging of explosive materials for purposes of detection and identification; (2) technology for devices to improve the detection of explosives materials; (3) whether common chemicals used to manufacture explosive materials can be rendered inert and whether it is feasible to require it; and (4) whether controls can be imposed on certain precursor chemicals used to manufacture explosive materials and whether it is feasible to require it. Prohibits such study from including black powder or smokeless powder among the materials it concerns. (Sec. 302) Amends the Federal criminal code to require providers of wire or electronic communication services to preserve record evidence. (Sec. 303) Provides that, except for good cause, a continuance on motion of: (1) the person in a detention hearing may not exceed five days; and (2) the attorney for the Government may not exceed three days (as under current law), excluding any intermediate Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday. (Sec. 304) Repeals Federal criminal code provisions regarding rewards. Authorizes the Attorney General to pay rewards and receive from any department or agency funds for the payment of rewards to any individual who provides any information unknown to the Government leading to the arrest or prosecution of any individual for Federal felony offenses. Requires the Attorney General to give notice to the Senate and House of Representatives if the reward exceeds $100,000. Specifies that the Attorney General's decision whether to authorize an award shall not be subject to judicial review. Sets forth provisions regarding protection of the identity of the recipient of a reward or of the members of the recipient's immediate family. Bars any officer or employee of any governmental entity from receiving a reward for conduct in performance of official duties. Permits the participation of any individual (and his or her immediate family) who furnishes information which would justify a reward, at the Attorney General's discretion, in the witness security program. (Sec. 305) Authorizes the Attorney General to prohibit: (1) vehicles from parking or standing on any street or roadway adjacent to any building in the District of Columbia which is wholly or partly owned, possessed, used by, or leased to the Federal Government, and used by Federal law enforcement authorities; and (2) any person or entity from conducting business on any property immediately adjacent to any such building. (Sec. 306) Directs the Attorney General to study and report to the Congress on the extent of thefts from military arsenals of firearms, explosives, and other materials that are potentially useful to terrorists. Title IV: Nuclear Materials - Amends the Federal criminal code to expand the scope of provisions regarding prohibited transactions involving nuclear materials (for example, to include nuclear byproduct material) and the jurisdictional bases (such as to cover a situation where an offender or a victim is a U.S. national or a U.S. corporation or other legal entity). Title V: Convention on the Marking of Plastic Explosives - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit (with exceptions) the manufacture, importation, exportation, shipment, transport, transfer, receipt, or possession of any plastic explosive which does not contain a detection agent. Prohibits any person (other than a U.S. agency or the National Guard of any State) possessing any plastic explosive on the effective date of this title from failing to report to the Secretary the quantity of such explosives possessed, the manufacturer or importer, any identification marks, and such other information as the Secretary may prescribe. (Sec. 503) Sets forth: (1) penalties for violations of this title; and (2) affirmative defenses. Title VI: Removal Procedures for Alien Terrorists - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to establish procedures for the removal of alien terrorists. Requires the Chief Justice of the United States to publicly designate five district court judges to constitute a court with jurisdiction to conduct all special removal proceedings. Makes provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 applicable to proceedings under this title. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) applications for initiation of a special removal proceeding; (2) consideration of the applications; (3) the conduct of special removal hearings, including provision for a public hearing, the right of aliens to counsel, and rules of evidence; (4) treatment of classified information; and (5) appeals. Title VII: Authorization and Funding - Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to provide specialized training or equipment to enhance the capability of metropolitan fire and emergency service departments to respond to terrorist attacks. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1996. (Sec. 702) Authorizes appropriations for FY 1996 and 1997 to the President to provide to foreign countries facing an imminent danger of terrorist attack that threatens the U.S. national interest or puts U.S. nationals at risk assistance in: (1) obtaining explosive detection devices and other counter-terrorism technology; and (2) conducting research and development projects on such technology. (Sec. 703) Authorizes appropriations to the National Institute of Justice Science and Technology Office to: (1) develop technologies that can be used to combat terrorism and standards to ensure the adequacy of products produced and compatibility with relevant national systems; and (2) identify and assess requirements for technologies to assist State and local law enforcement in the national program to combat terrorism. (Sec. 704) Authorizes appropriations for each of FY 1996 through 2000 to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to: (1) hire additional personnel and procure equipment to support expanded investigations of domestic and international terrorism activities; (2) establish a Domestic Counterterrorism Center to coordinate and centralize Federal, State, and local law enforcement efforts in response to major terrorist incidents and to serve as a clearinghouse for all domestic and international terrorism information and intelligence; and (3) cover costs associated with providing law enforcement coverage of public events offering the potential of being targeted by domestic or international terrorists. Title VIII: Miscellaneous - Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on State licensing requirements for the purchase and use of commercial high explosives. (Sec. 802) Amends the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 to provide for the compensation of victims of terrorism. (Sec. 803) Amends the Federal judicial code to make an exception to foreign sovereign immunity in certain cases in which money damages are sought against a foreign state for personal injury or death caused by an act of torture, extrajudicial killing, aircraft sabotage, hostage taking, or the provision of material support or resources for such an act, where undertaken by an official, employee, or agent of a foreign country while acting within the scope of his office, employment, or agency. Makes an exception to immunity from attachment where the judgement relates to a claim for which the foreign state is not immune under such provision, regardless of whether the property is or was involved with the act upon which the claim is based. (Sec. 804) Directs the Attorney General to: (1) acquire data, for the calendar year 1990 and each succeeding calendar year, about crimes and incidents of threats and acts of violence against Federal, State, and local government employees in performance of their lawful duties; (2) establish guidelines for the collection of such data; and (3) publish an annual summary of the data, which shall otherwise be used only for research and statistical purposes. Specifies that the United States Secret Service is not required to participate in any statistical reporting activity regarding any threats made against any individual for whom the Service is authorized to provide protection. (Sec. 805) Amends the Federal criminal code to require (current law authorizes) the court to order restitution of the victim when a convicted defendant is being sentenced for specified offenses. Specifies that such requirement does not affect the power of the court to impose any other penalty authorized by law. Permits the court, in the case of a misdemeanor, to impose restitution in lieu of any other penalty authorized by law. Authorizes a court to order restitution of any person who, as shown by a preponderance of the evidence, was harmed physically, emotionally, or pecuniarily by unlawful conduct of the defendant during the offense or during the course of a scheme, conspiracy, or pattern of unlawful activity related to the offense. Mandates that a restitution order require the defendant to reimburse the victim for necessary child care, transportation, and other expenses related to participation in the investigation or prosecution of the offense or attendance at related proceedings. Directs the court: (1) to order restitution in the full amount of the victim's losses without consideration of the economic circumstances of the offender or the fact that a victim is entitled to receive compensation from insurance or any other source; and (2) upon determination of the amount owed to each victim, to specify in the restitution order the manner of, and schedule for, restitution in consideration of the financial resources and other assets, projected earnings and other income, and financial obligations of the offender. Specifies that: (1) a restoration order may direct the offender to make a single, lump-sum payment, partial payments at specified intervals, or such in-kind payments as may be agreeable to the victim and the offender and shall direct the offender to give appropriate notice to victims and other persons in cases where there are multiple victims or other persons who may receive restitution and where the identity of such victims and other persons can be reasonably determined; and (2) such in-kind payments may be in the form of the return or replacement of property or the provision of services to the victim or another person or organization. Provides that when the court finds that: (1) more than one offender has contributed to the loss of a victim, the court may make each offender liable for payment of the full amount or may apportion liability among the offenders to reflect the level of contribution and economic circumstances of each offender; and (2) more than one victim has sustained a loss requiring restitution by an offender, the court shall order full restitution of each victim but provide for different payment schedules to reflect the economic circumstances of each victim. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) compensation with respect to losses from insurance or other sources; (2) set-offs against amounts later recovered as compensatory damages by the victim in Federal and State civil proceedings; and (3) payment by the offender to an entity designated by the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts for accounting and payment in accordance with this section. Specifies that a restitution order shall constitute a lien against all property of the offender. Makes compliance with a restitution order a condition of any probation, parole, or other form of release of an offender. Specifies actions the court may take, including revocation of probation or supervised release, if a defendant fails to comply. Provides for enforcement of restitution orders. Authorizes: (1) a victim or the offender to petition the court to modify a restitution order in view of a change in the economic circumstances of the offender; and (2) the court to refer any issue arising in connection with a proposed restitution order to a magistrate or special master for proposed findings of fact and recommendations as to disposition, subject to a de novo determination of the issue by the court.
Bill· SS. 1599 (104th)referred
A bill for the relief of Tarek Elagamy.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1996
Declares a named individual to have been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
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