Postal service

Expressing the sense of the Congress that a series of postage stamps should be issued in recognition of the recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor.

United States · United States Congress · 13 November 1997

Calls for the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend and the Postal Service to issue a series of postage stamps in recognition of recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor.

A bill to amend title 39, United States Code, to allow postal patrons to contribute to funding for prostate cancer research through the voluntary purchase of certain specially issued United States postage stamps.

United States · United States Congress · 6 November 1997

Requires the U.S. Postal Service to establish a special rate of postage for first-class mail that is equal to the regular rate plus a differential of not to exceed 25 percent to be offered as an alternative that patrons may use voluntarily to contribute to funding for prostate cancer research. Requires the Service to pay amounts attributable (additional revenues minus costs) to such differential to the National Institutes of Health under arrangements as mutually agreed, provided payments are made at least twice a year. Requires the Postmaster General to include in each annual report to the Board of Governors information concerning the operation of this Act. Terminates the provisions of this Act at the end of the two-year period beginning on the date on which such postage stamps are first made available to the public.

To designate the building of the United States Postal Service located at 180 East Kellogg Boulevard in Saint Paul, Minnesota, as the "Eugene J. McCarthy Post Office Building".

United States · United States Congress · 6 November 1997

Designates the U.S. Postal Service building located at 180 East Kellogg Boulevard in Saint Paul, Minnesota, as the Eugene J. McCarthy Post Office Building.

To redesignate the building of the United States Postal Service located at 2419 West Monroe Street, in Chicago, Illinois, as the "Nancy B. Jefferson Post Office Building".

United States · United States Congress · 4 November 1997

Redesignates the Midwest Post Office Building located at 2419 West Monroe Street in Chicago, Illinois, as the Nancy B. Jefferson Post Office Building.

To redesignate the building of the United States Postal Service located at 324 South Laramie Street, in Chicago, Illinois, as the "Reverend Milton R. Brunson Post Office Building".

United States · United States Congress · 4 November 1997

Redesignates the Austin Post Office Building located at 324 South Laramie Street in Chicago, Illinois, as the Reverend Milton R. Brunson Post Office Building.

To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3750 North Kedzie Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, as the "Daniel J. Doffyn Post Office Building".

United States · United States Congress · 30 October 1997

Designates the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 3750 North Kedzie Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, as the Daniel J. Doffyn Post Office Building.

Costs of early retirement/early retirement in the areas of Deutsche Bahn AG and Deutsche Post AG between 1995 and 1999 (G-SIG: 13040170)

Germany · German Bundestag · 24 October 1997

Vessel Hull Design Protection Act

United States · United States Congress · 22 October 1997

Vessel Hull Design Protection Act - Amends Federal copyright law to provide for protection of original designs of vessel hulls or component parts which make a vessel attractive or distinctive in appearance to the purchasing or using public. Bars protection for designs that are: (1) not original; (2) staple or commonplace; or (3) embodied in a useful article that was made public by the designer or owner more than one year before the date of application for registration. Provides for ten-year terms of protection. Sets forth marking and design notice requirements for protected designs. Bars recovery against persons who began undertakings leading to infringement before receiving notice. Places the burden of providing notice of protection on design owners. Grants owners of protected designs exclusive rights to make, have made, import, sell, or distribute for sale or for use in trade any vessel hull embodying protected designs. Makes it infringement to engage in such activities with respect to infringing articles without an owner's consent. Provides that it shall not be infringement to: (1) engage in certain activities with respect to protected designs without knowledge; or (2) reproduce a protected design solely for purposes of teaching, analyzing, or evaluating the appearance, concepts, or techniques embodied in the design or the functions of the hull embodying the design. Places the burden of establishing a design's originality on the party alleging rights in a design. Provides that protection shall be lost if application for design registration is not made within one year after the date on which the design is first made public. Sets forth registration application requirements. Accords protection to designs with respect to which an application was filed by a U.S. owner in a foreign country on the date as filed if the U.S. application is filed within six months after the earliest date on which such foreign application was filed. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) determinations of registrations and procedures for cancelling registrations in cases where a party believes he or she may be damaged by registration; and (2) ownership and transfer of property rights of protected designs. Authorizes design owners to seek judicial review of final refusals of the Register of Copyrights to register designs. Permits the use of arbitration to resolve infringement disputes. Authorizes injunctive relief to prevent infringement. Provides for recovery of damages or the infringer's profits in infringement cases. Sets a three-year statute of limitations with respect to recovery for infringement. Authorizes the court to order or cancel registrations. Prescribes penalties for the filing of infringement actions with respect to fraudulently-obtained registrations or making false markings or representations. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury and the Postal Service to issue regulations for the enforcement of exclusive rights with respect to importation of protected designs. Subjects articles imported in violation of such rights to seizure and forfeiture. Terminates protection under this Act upon issuance of a design patent or copyright registration with respect to an original design. Grants the U.S. district courts jurisdiction over actions arising under this Act.

Sauver La Poste: devoir politique, impératif économique

France · Senate · 21 October 1997

La Poste, opérateur public de service public face à l'évolution technique et à la transformation du paysage postal européen

A concurrent resolution expressing the sense of the Congress that the United States Postal Service should maintain the postal uniform allowance program.

United States · United States Congress · 21 October 1997

Calls upon the U.S. Postal Service to maintain its current Postal Uniform Allowance Program and make necessary improvements, rather than implement a centralized, single-vendor program.

Postal Financing Reform Act of 1997

United States · United States Congress · 20 October 1997

Postal Financing Reform Act of 1997 - Amends Federal law to authorize the Postal Service to provide: (1) that amounts that would otherwise be deposited in the Postal Service Fund shall be directly deposited in a Federal Reserve bank or a selected depository for public funds; and (2) for transfers of such amounts between or among such banks, depositories, and the Fund. (Currently, the Postal Service must have the Secretary of the Treasury's approval to deposit Fund monies in such banks or depositories.) Removes the requirement for the Secretary's approval with respect to investment options for excess Fund monies. Authorizes investments of excess monies in obligations or securities if such investments are closely related to Postal Service operations. Revises provisions regarding the relationship between the Postal Service and the Secretary with respect to the sale of certain issues of obligations. Provides that such sales and issues shall not be subject to the Secretary's approval. Authorizes the Secretary (currently, the Postal Service may require the Secretary) to purchase Postal Service obligations upon request of the Postal Service. Exempts such obligations from certain maximum amount limitations if: (1) the total outstanding amount of exempt obligations does not exceed $2.5 billion at any one time; and (2) the Secretary and the Postal Service jointly determine that such exemption is necessary.

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the United States Postal Service should maintain the Postal Uniform Allowance Program.

United States · United States Congress · 7 October 1997

Calls upon the U.S. Postal Service to maintain its current Postal Uniform Allowance Program and make necessary improvements, rather than implement a centralized, single-vendor program.

Making continuing appropriations for the fiscal year 1998, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 26 September 1997

Makes appropriations for FY 1998 for continuing projects or activities, including the costs of direct loans and loan guarantees, which were conducted in FY 1997 and for which appropriations, funds, or other authority would be available in: (1) the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998; (2) the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998; (3) the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 1998; (4) the District of Columbia Appropriations Act, 1998; (5) the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 1998; (6) the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1998; (7) the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998; (8) the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998; (9) the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1998; (10) the Military Construction Appropriations Act, 1998; (11) the Department of Transportation Appropriations Act, 1998; (12) the Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government Appropriations Act, 1998; and (13) the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998. Sets forth the rates of (current rates, with specified exceptions), and limitations on, such funding. Provides funding under this resolution until enactment into law of any covered appropriation or the applicable appropriations Act or October 23, 1997, whichever occurs first. Continues provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act pertaining to a visa waiver pilot program for certain visitors through the effective period of this resolution. Amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to extend the authority to enter into new flood insurance contracts through October 23, 1997. Authorizes the District of Columbia government to delay repayment of the 1997 Treasury advances beyond October 1, 1997, until it receives the full year Federal contribution. Waives any interest or penalties otherwise applicable to late payments. Continues the issuing authority of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation through the effective period of this resolution. Amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to extend the Export-Import Bank's functions through October 23, 1997. Extends, through October 23, 1997, certain provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act pertaining to the issuance of immigrant visas within 90 days' of an alien's departure and the adjustment to permanent resident status of certain aliens.

To amend title 39, United States Code, to allow postal patrons to contribute to funding for prostate cancer research through the voluntary purchase of certain specially issued United States postage stamps.

United States · United States Congress · 25 September 1997

Requires the U.S. Postal Service to establish a special rate of postage for first-class mail that is equal to the regular rate plus a differential of not to exceed 25 percent to be offered as an alternative that patrons may use voluntarily to contribute to funding for prostate cancer research. Requires the Service to pay amounts attributable (additional revenues minus costs) to such differential to the National Institutes of Health under arrangements as mutually agreed, provided payments are made at least twice a year. Requires the Postmaster General to include in each annual report to the Board of Governors information concerning the operation of this Act. Terminates the provisions of this Act at the end of the two-year period beginning on the date on which such postage stamps are first made available to the public.

Expressing the sense of the Congress that a postage stamp should be issued in honor of United States Masters Swimming, Incorporated.

United States · United States Congress · 23 September 1997

Calls for the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend and the Postal Service to issue a postage stamp in honor of United States Masters Swimming, Incorporated.

Ernesta Ballard, of Alaska, to be a Governor of the United States Postal Service for a term expiring December 8, 2005, vice Susan E. Alvarado, term expired.

United States · United States Senate · 9 September 1997

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that a commemorative postage stamp should be issued in honor of Ava Gardner.

United States · United States Congress · 3 September 1997

Calls for the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend and the Postal Service to issue a postage stamp in honor of Ava Gardner.

Fulfillment of the infrastructure contract by Deutsche Post AG; Informing cities and districts about the design of the branch network; Processes at the Saarbrücken Directorate District (G-SIG: 13055274)

Germany · German Bundestag · 15 August 1997

Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 1998

United States · United States Congress · 6 August 1997

TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: 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, Corporations Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government Appropriations Act, 1998 - Makes appropriations for FY 1998 for the Treasury Department, the U.S. Postal Service, the Executive Office of the President, and certain independent agencies. Title I: Department of the Treasury - Treasury Department, Appropriations Act, 1998 - Makes appropriations for the Department of the Treasury for: (1) departmental offices; (2) the Office of Professional Responsibility; (3) automation enhancement; (4) the Office of Inspector General; (5) repair and restoration of the Treasury building and annex; (6) the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network; (7) violent crime reduction programs; (8) the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, including amounts for maintenance and facility improvements; (9) interagency law enforcement with respect to organized crime drug trafficking; (10) the Financial Management Service; (11) the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, including an amount for construction of specified laboratory facilities; (12) the U.S. Customs Service, including amounts for operations and maintenance of marine vessels and aircraft, services at small airports, and collection of the Harbor Maintenance Fee; (13) the Bureau of the Public Debt; (14) the Internal Revenue Service, including amounts for tax law enforcement, information systems, and information technology investments; and (15) the Secret Service, including an amount for construction and improvement of facilities. Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds. (Sec. 118) Provides that the compensation and other emoluments attached to the Secretary of the Treasury shall be those that would apply if Public Law 103-2 (which sets such compensation and emoluments at those in effect on January 1, 1989) had never been enacted. Makes such adjustment effective on the later of: (1) the day after the date on which the individual holding such office on January 1, 1997, ceases to hold such office; or (2) this Act's enactment date. (Sec. 120) Amends the District of Columbia Police and Firemen's Salary Act of 1958 to revise provisions regarding compensation for the Secret Service Uniformed Division. Establishes a rate schedule for such compensation and sets forth administrative provisions regarding conversion to the new schedule. Revises provisions regarding premium pay for the Division and sets new limits on premium pay and compensatory time for Division members whose basic pay exceeds a specified amount. Makes any existing special salary rates, rates of pay, or pay adjustments under specified Federal laws inapplicable to the Division on the effective date of this section. (Sec. 123) Revises provisions regarding the rates of basic pay for members of the U.S. Mint and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing police forces. Requires such rates to be fixed without regard to Federal civil service laws and establishes minimum and maximum pay rates. Title II: Postal Service - Postal Service Appropriations Act, 1998 - Makes appropriations for payments to the Postal Service Fund for revenue foregone on free and reduced rate mail and for meeting the liabilities of the former Post Office Department to the Employees' Compensation Fund. Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds. Title III: Executive Office of the President and Funds Appropriated to the President - Executive Office Appropriations Act, 1998 - Makes appropriations for: (1) compensation of the President and the White House office; (2) operating, maintenance, and reimbursable expenses of the Executive Residence at the White House; (3) White House repair and restoration; (4) special assistance to the President and the official residence of the Vice President; (5) the Council of Economic Advisers; (6) the Office of Policy Development; (7) the National Security Council; (8) the Office of Administration; (9) the Office of Management and Budget (OMB); (10) the Office of National Drug Control Policy; and (11) Federal drug control programs, including amounts for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program and for a national anti-drug campaign for youth. Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds. Title IV: Independent Agencies - Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998 - Makes appropriations for the: (1) Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled; (2) Federal Election Commission; (3) Federal Labor Relations Authority; and (4) General Services Administration (GSA), including amounts for the Federal Buildings Fund, Government-wide policy and operations, Office of Inspector General, and allowances and office staff for former Presidents. Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds. (Sec. 409) Removes time limitations on certain allowances and mailing privileges extended to former Presidents. (Sec. 410) Appropriates funds to GSA as necessary to repay debts to the Treasury incurred pursuant to the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation Act of 1972. Makes appropriations for: (1) the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Foundation; (2) expenses to carry out the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992; (3) the Merit Systems Protection Board; (4) the National Archives and Records Administration, including amounts for repairs and restoration of archives and presidential libraries; (5) the National Historical Publications and Records Commission; (6) the Office of Government Ethics; (7) the Office of Personnel Management, including an amount for the Office of Inspector General; (8) Government contributions for health and life insurance benefits for annuitants; (9) the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund; (10) the Office of Special Counsel; and (11) the U.S. Tax Court. Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds. Title V: General Provisions - This Act - Sets forth authorized and prohibited uses of funds made available under this Act. (Sec. 508) Sets forth Buy American provisions. (Sec. 511) Requires, except as otherwise provided, that no more than 50 percent of unobligated balances remaining at the end of FY 1998 from appropriations for salaries and expenses remain available through FY 1999. Requires a request to the Appropriations Committees before expenditure of the funds. (Sec. 512) Prohibits the use of funds made available by this Act by the Executive Office of the President to request an official background investigation report on any individual from the Federal Bureau of Investigation unless such individual has given prior written consent during the same presidential administration or such request is due to extraordinary national security circumstances. (Sec. 515) Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to limit the term of a Federal Election Commission member to a single term of six years (thus, prohibiting reappointment). (Sec. 516) Prohibits funds appropriated by this Act from being available to pay for an abortion or for the administrative expenses of any Federal employee health benefit plan which provides benefits for abortions. Makes such prohibition inapplicable if the mother's life would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term or in cases of rape or incest. Title VI: General Provisions - Departments, Agencies, Corporations - Sets forth authorized and prohibited uses of funds appropriated for Federal departments, agencies, and corporations. (Sec. 625) Requires the OMB Director to report to the Congress: (1) estimates of costs and benefits of Federal regulatory programs; (2) impacts of Federal rules on the private sector and all levels of government; and (3) recommendations for reform or elimination of inefficient regulatory programs. (Sec. 632) Directs the U.S. Trade Representative and the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) initiate discussions with Mexican and Canadian officials to achieve parity in the duty-free personal allowance structure of the United States, Mexico, and Canada; and (2) submit recommendations to the Congress for appropriate legislation and action if parity is not achieved within 180 days of this Act's enactment date.

Expressing the sense of the Congress that a postage stamp should be issued to honor Zora Neale Hurston.

United States · United States Congress · 29 July 1997

Calls for: (1) the U.S. Postal Service to issue a postage stamp in honor of Zora Neale Hurston; and (2) such stamp to be unveiled at the 1999 Zora Neale Hurston Festival in Eatonville, Florida.

A concurrent resolution expressing the sense of the Congress that a postage stamp should be issued to honor the 100th anniversary of the Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America.

United States · United States Congress · 28 July 1997

Calls for the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee of the U.S. Postal Service to recommend and the Postmaster General to issue a postage stamp to honor the 100th anniversary of the Jewish War Veterans of the United States.

Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998

United States · United States Congress · 16 July 1997

Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1997 - Provides that a veterans' preference eligible (PE) or an individual who has been separated from military service under honorable conditions after three or more years of active duty shall not be denied the opportunity to compete for a vacant position within a Federal agency, either in the competitive or excepted service, by reason of: (1) not having acquired competitive status; or (2) not being an employee of such agency. Requires each agency to notify the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and U.S. employment offices of each vacant position for which competition is restricted to employees or individuals having competitive service. Requires OPM, at least every two years, to submit to the Congress and the President a report detailing for the prior period the number of such vacant positions in the Federal Government and the number of PE or separated individuals referred or appointed to such positions. Directs OPM to establish and keep current a comprehensive list of all announcements of vacant positions within each agency for which competition is so restricted. Applies such PE requirements to the Postal Service, with exceptions for certain collective bargaining positions. Prohibits, during a Federal reduction in force (RIF), a position occupied by a PE from being placed in a single-position competitive level if the PE is qualified to perform the essential functions of any other position at the same grade in the competitive area (defined as being able to perform such functions within 150 days). Entitles a PE whose current or latest performance rating is at least fully successful to be assigned during a RIF to any position for which he or she is qualified that is within: (1) the PE's commuting area and is currently occupied by an individual placed in such position within six months before the RIF; or (2) the PE's competitive area and is not more than three grades below the position from which the PE was released (with an exception). Authorizes a PE to challenge the classification of any position to which the PE asserts assignment rights in an action before the Merit Systems Protection Board. Requires each agency to establish an agency-wide priority placement program to facilitate employment placement for PEs who are scheduled to be or who are separated from service due to a RIF and who have received a rating of at least fully successful at their last performance evaluation or who occupy positions excluded from a performance appraisal system. Allows an individual to designate a different local commuting area in order to exercise reemployment rights if there are no alternative positions within the most local area. Requires an agency to place qualified present and former employees in retention order by PE subgroup and tenure group. Makes an individual eligible for reemployment for two years after a RIF. Provides conditions under which an individual loses eligibility for such reemployment. Provides administrative and judicial redress and remedies for any PE or other individual who alleges that an agency has violated such individual's veterans' preference or related rights. Extends the veterans' preference to: (1) employment within the General Accounting Office; (2) appointments made to the Office of the President (with an exception when the President certifies that the position is a confidential, policy-making, or political position); and (3) appointments to the legislative branch (with specified exclusions). Establishes administrative remedies and procedures for PE and separated individuals with respect to appointments within the legislative or judicial branches of the Federal Government. Requires the Judicial Conference of the United States to prescribe regulations to provide for: (1) veterans' preference in the consideration of applicants for employment, and in the conduct of any RIF, within the judicial branch; and (2) redress procedures for alleged violations of any rights of such individuals. Requires the Conference to: (1) consult with specified congressionally chartered veterans' service organizations when considering such regulations; and (2) provide specified congressional committees with a copy of such regulations. Extends the veterans' preference to RIFs in the Federal Aviation Administration. Includes among PE veterans those who served during a military operation in a qualified hazardous duty area under requirements prescribed by the Secretary of Defense. Prohibits any employee authorized to take personnel actions from knowingly taking, or failing to take, any personnel action if such taking or failure would violate a PE requirement.

Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 1998

United States · United States Congress · 16 July 1997

TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Department of the Treasury Title II: Postal Service Title III: Executive Office of the President and Funds Appropriated to the President Title IV: Independent Agencies Title V: General Provisions Title VI: General Provisions Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 1998 - Makes appropriations for FY 1998 for the Treasury Department, the U.S. Postal Service, the Executive Office of the President, and certain independent agencies. Title I: Department of the Treasury - Makes appropriations for the Department of the Treasury for: (1) departmental offices; (2) the Office of Professional Responsibility; (3) automation enhancement; (4) the Office of Inspector General; (5) repair and restoration of the Treasury building and annex; (6) the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network; (7) violent crime reduction programs; (8) the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, including amounts for maintenance and facility improvements; (9) interagency law enforcement with respect to organized crime drug trafficking; (10) the Financial Management Service; (11) the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, including an amount for construction of specified laboratory facilities; (12) the U.S. Customs Service, including amounts for operations and maintenance of marine vessels and aircraft, services at small airports, and collection of the Harbor Maintenance Fee; (13) the Bureau of the Public Debt; (14) the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), including amounts for tax law enforcement, information systems, and information technology investments; and (15) the Secret Service, including an amount for construction and improvement of facilities. Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds. (Sec. 117) Provides that the compensation and other emoluments attached to the Secretary of the Treasury shall be those that would apply if Public Law 103-2 (which sets such compensation and emoluments at those in effect on January 1, 1989) had never been enacted. Makes such adjustment effective on the later of: (1) the day after the date on which the individual holding such office on January 1, 1997, ceases to hold such office; or (2) this Act's enactment date. (Sec. 118) Amends the District of Columbia Police and Firemen's Salary Act of 1958 to revise provisions regarding compensation for the Secret Service Uniformed Division. Establishes a rate schedule for such compensation and sets forth administrative provisions regarding conversion to the new schedule. Revises provisions regarding premium pay for the Division and sets new limits on premium pay and compensatory time for Division members whose basic pay exceeds a specified amount. Makes any existing special salary rates, rates of pay, or pay adjustments under specified Federal laws inapplicable to the Division on the effective date of this section. (Sec. 120) Requires the Secretary to establish the port of Kodiak, Alaska, as a port of entry to be served by Customs Service personnel. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Postal Service - Makes appropriations for payments to the Postal Service Fund for revenue foregone on free and reduced rate mail and for meeting the liabilities of the former Post Office Department to the Employees' Compensation Fund. Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds. Title III: Executive Office of the President and Funds Appropriated to the President - Makes appropriations for: (1) compensation of the President and the White House office; (2) operating and maintenance expenses of the Executive Residence at the White House; (3) White House repair and restoration; (4) special assistance to the President and the official residence of the Vice President; (5) the Council of Economic Advisers; (6) the Office of Policy Development; (7) the National Security Council; (8) the Office of Administration; (9) the Office of Management and Budget (OMB); (10) the Office of National Drug Control Policy; and (11) Federal drug control programs, including amounts for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program and for a national media campaign for youth. Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds. Title IV: Independent Agencies - Makes appropriations for the: (1) Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled; (2) Federal Election Commission; (3) Federal Labor Relations Authority; and (4) General Services Administration, including amounts for the Federal Buildings Fund, Government-wide policy and operations, Office of Inspector General, and allowances and office staff for former Presidents. Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds. (Sec. 409) Removes time limitations on certain allowances and mailing privileges extended to former Presidents. Makes appropriations for: (1) expenses to carry out the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992; (2) the Merit Systems Protection Board; (3) the National Archives and Records Administration, including amounts for repairs and restoration of archives and presidential libraries; (4) the National Historical Publications and Records Commission; (5) the Office of Government Ethics; (6) the Office of Personnel Management, including an amount for the Office of Inspector General; (7) Government contributions for health and life insurance benefits for annuitants; (8) the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund; (9) the Office of Special Counsel; and (10) the U.S. Tax Court. Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds. Title V: General Provisions - Sets forth authorized and prohibited uses of funds made available under this Act. (Sec. 509) Sets forth Buy American provisions. (Sec. 512) Requires, except as otherwise provided, that no more than 50 percent of unobligated balances remaining at the end of FY 1998 from appropriations for salaries and expenses remain available through FY 1999. Requires a request to the Appropriations Committees before expenditure of the funds. (Sec. 513) Prohibits the use of funds made available by this Act by the Executive Office of the President to request an official background investigation report on any individual from the Federal Bureau of Investigation unless such individual has given prior written consent during the same presidential administration or such request is due to extraordinary national security circumstances. Title VI: General Provisions - Sets forth authorized and prohibited uses of funds appropriated for Federal departments, agencies, and corporations. (Sec. 625) Requires the OMB Director to report to the Congress: (1) estimates of costs and benefits of Federal regulatory programs; (2) impacts of Federal rules on the private sector and all levels of government; and (3) recommendations for reform or elimination of inefficient regulatory programs. (Sec. 632) Requires the OMB Director to implement a budget object classification to record obligations for the expenses of employee relocation.

To amend title 5, United States Code, to provide for the reimbursement of expenses incurred by a Federal employee in the adoption of a child, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 16 July 1997

Amends Federal law concerning Government organization and employees to require the head of each Federal agency, including the U.S. Postal Service, by regulation to establish a program for the reimbursement of adoption expenses incurred by an employee of such agency in the adoption of a child. Prohibits denial of an application on the basis of the applicant's marital status.

Dutch John Federal Property Disposition and Assistance Act of 1998

United States · United States Congress · 8 July 1997

Dutch John Federal Property Disposition and Assistance Act of 1997 - Provides for the transfer or disposal of certain Federal properties at Dutch John, Utah. Transfers lands designated for disposal from the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary), acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, to the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation (BLM), and, if appropriate, the Postal Service. Removes such lands from inclusion in the Ashley National Forest and the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to transfer administrative jurisdiction over certain lands acquired for the Central Utah Project and developed for wildlife mitigation to the Secretary. Incorporates such lands into the Ashley or Uinta National Forests. Directs the Secretary to transfer administrative jurisdiction over certain lands to the Postal Service. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to conduct appraisals to determine the fair market value of properties designated for disposal. Conveys specified infrastructure facilities, land, and public schools to Daggett County, and certain facilities of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources to the Division, without consideration. Sets forth requirements for the purchase of disposed residential properties. Bases priority in purchasing on seniority of reclamation lease or residency in Dutch John. Limits households to one residential lot. Sets forth requirements for the purchase of unoccupied lots, special use lands, and church land. Transfers all water rights to the Dutch John municipal water system to the County, subject to certain conditions. Requires the Secretary to consider issuance of a special use permit affording Flaming Gorge Reservoir public shoreline access and use within the vicinity of Dutch John in conjunction with commercial visitor facilities provided under such a permit. Directs the Secretary, before transfer or disposal of any land that contains cultural resources and may be eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, to prepare a memorandum of agreement, for review and approval by the Utah Office of Historical Preservation and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, that contains a strategy for protecting or mitigating adverse effects on cultural resources. Conveys such land to the County upon completion of actions required under the agreement. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to provide training and transitional operating assistance to County personnel designated as successors to operators of conveyed infrastructure facilities. Provides for annual payments to the County, for up to 15 years, for purposes of defraying administrative transition costs. Makes available a limited amount of electric power and energy from the Colorado River Storage Project for the Dutch John community. Authorizes appropriations.

A concurrent resolution urging the United States Postal Service to issue a commemorative postage stamp to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the first Women's Rights Convention held in Seneca Falls, New York.

United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1997

Calls for the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend and the Postal Service to issue a postage stamp to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the first Women's Rights Convention.

Balanced Budget Act of 1997

United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1997

TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Committee On Agriculture Title II: Committee On Banking and Financial Services Title III: Committee On Commerce-Nonmedicare Subtitle A: Nuclear Regulatory Commission Annual Charges Subtitle B: Lease of Excess Strategic Petroleum Reserve Capacity Subtitle C: Sale of DOE Assets Subtitle D: Communications Subtitle E: Medicaid Title IV: Committee On Commerce-Medicare Subtitle A: MedicarePlus Program Subtitle B: Prevention Initiatives Subtitle C: Rural Initiatives Subtitle D: Anti-Fraud and Abuse Provisions Subtitle E: Prospective Payment Systems Title V: Committee On Education and the Workforce Subtitle A: TANF Block Grant Subtitle B: Higher Education Programs Subtitle C: Repeal of Smith-Hughes Vocational Education Act Subtitle D: Expansion of Portability and Health Insurance Coverage Title VI: Committee On Government Reform and Oversight Subtitle A: Postal Service Subtitle B: Civil Service Title VII: Committee On Transportation and Infrastructure Title VIII: Committee On Veterans' Affairs Subtitle A: Extension of Temporary Authorities Subtitle B: Other Matters Title IX: Committee On Ways and Means-Nonmedicare Subtitle A: TANF Block Grant Subtitle B: Supplemental Security Income Subtitle C: Child Support Enforcement Subtitle D: Restricting Welfare and Public Benefits for Aliens Subtitle E: Unemployment Compensation Subtitle F: Increase in Public Debt Limit Title X: Committee On Ways and Means-Medicare Subtitle A: MedicarePlus Program Subtitle B: Prevention Initiatives Subtitle C: Rural Initiatives Subtitle D: Anti-Fraud and Abuse Provisions Subtitle E: Prospective Payment Systems Subtitle F: Provisions Relating to Part A Subtitle G: Provisions Relating to Part B Only Subtitle H: Provisions Relating to Parts A and B Balanced Budget Act of 1997 - Title I: Committee on Agriculture - Amends the Food Stamp Act to permit State agencies to provide a specified exemption from the food stamp program (program) work requirement for certain individuals. (Sec. 1002) Obligates specified additional funds for program employment and training programs. Sets forth State allocation and additional payment provisions. (Sec. 1003) Authorizes the use of nongovernmental personnel to make program eligibility determinations. Title II: Committee on Banking and Financial Services - Amends the Balanced Budget Downpayment Act, I to extend permanently certain foreclosure avoidance and borrower assistance provisions under the single family housing mortgage insurance program. (Sec. 2003) Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 with respect to the section 8 rental assistance program to make certain maximum monthly rent adjustment provisions for certain new and rehabilitated and nonturnover units applicable to FY 1999 and thereafter. Title III: Committee on Commerce--Nonmedicare - Subtitle A: Nuclear Regulatory Commission Annual Charges - Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 to extend from FY 1998 through FY 2002 the authority of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to assess and collect user fees and annual charges from licensees. Subtitle B: Lease of Excess Strategic Petroleum Reserve Capacity - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to authorize the Secretary of Energy to use underutilized Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) facilities to store petroleum product owned by a foreign government. Provides that: (1) such products may be exported without a Federal license; and (2) all attendant agreements shall provide for fees to fully compensate Federal storage and removal costs, including the cost of replacement facilities necessitated as a result of any withdrawals. (Sec. 3101) Instructs the Secretary of Energy (the Secretary) to ensure that such storage agreements do not affect: (1) Federal ability to withdraw, distribute, or sell SPR petroleum in response to an energy emergency; or (2) Federal obligations under the Agreement on an International Energy Program. Makes funds resulting from the leasing of SPR facilities after October 1, 2002, available to the Secretary without further appropriation for petroleum purchases, and for SPR operation and maintenance costs. Subtitle C: Sale of DOE Assets - Instructs the Secretary to sell, during the period FY 1999 through FY 2002, natural and low- enriched uranium that the President has determined is not necessary for national security needs. Prescribes sales terms. Subtitle D: Communications - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 (the Act) to make competitive bidding authority with respect to licenses or construction permits involving exclusive uses of the electromagnetic spectrum inapplicable to such licenses and permits issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that are: (1) not mutually exclusive; (2) for public safety radio services; (3) for initial licenses or permits assigned to existing terrestrial broadcast licensees for new terrestrial digital television (TV) services; or (4) for public telecommunications services when the application is for channels reserved for noncommercial use. Requires the FCC to provide for the design and conduct of competitive bidding using a contingent combinatorial bidding system that permits prospective bidders to bid on combinations of licenses in a single bid and to enter multiple alternative bids within a single bidding round. Eliminates a requirement for the retention of proceeds from competitive bidding by the FCC's salaries and expenses account. Extends competitive bidding authority through FY 2002. Terminates the FCC's authority to provide preferential treatment in licensing procedures to persons who make significant contributions to the development of a new service or new technology that enhances an existing service on this Act's enactment date (currently, such authority expires on September 30, 1998). Eliminates provisions authorizing random selection in granting spectrum licenses or permits. Directs the FCC, by the end of FY 2002, to permit the assignment by competitive bidding of licenses for the use of bands of frequencies that: (1) individually span at least 25 megahertz (mhz.) unless a combination of smaller bands can be expected to produce greater receipts; (2) in the aggregate span at least 100 mhz.; (3) are located below three gigahertz (ghz.); (4) have not been designated for assignment, identified by the Secretary of Commerce as reallocable frequencies, or allocated for Federal Government use or other specified unlicensed use; and (5) include frequencies at 1,710-1,755 mhz. Requires the FCC to notify the Secretary if it is unable to provide for effective relocation of incumbent licensees to available bands of frequencies and has identified bands suitable for relocation that are allocated for Federal use but could be reallocated pursuant to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act. Amends the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act to direct the Secretary to report to the President, the FCC, and the Congress on recommendations for reallocating frequencies allocated for Federal use under the Communications Act of 1934 to such incumbent licensees. Requires the Secretary to recommend for reallocation for use other than by Federal stations bands of frequencies that: (1) in the aggregate span at least 20 mhz.; (2) individually span at least 20 mhz. unless a combination of smaller bands can be expected to produce greater receipts; and (3) are located below three ghz. Directs the FCC to establish competitive bidding procedures designed to secure winning bids of at least two-thirds of $7.5 billion with respect to bidding for frequencies under this section. (Sec. 3302) Amends the Act to prohibit, under competitive bidding provisions, the renewal of a license authorizing analog TV service beyond the end of 2006. Extends such date if more than five percent of households in a market continue to rely exclusively on over-the-air terrestrial analog TV signals. Requires competitive bidding procedures to be designed to secure winning bids of at least two-thirds of $4 billion in the case of bidding for spectrum of expired analog TV licenses. Prohibits the FCC, in prescribing regulations relating to qualifications of bidders for such spectrum, from: (1) precluding any party from being a qualified bidder for spectrum allocated for any use that includes digital TV service on the basis of the FCC's duopoly rule or newspaper cross-ownership rule; or (2) applying either rule to preclude a successful bidder from using such spectrum for digital TV service. (Sec. 3303) Directs the FCC, no later than January 1, 1998, to allocate on a national, regional, or market basis, from radio spectrum between 746 and 806 mhz.: (1) 24 mhz. for public safety services unless the FCC determines that needs can be met in particular areas with fewer mhz.; and (2) the remainder for commercial purposes to be assigned by competitive bidding. Sets deadlines for the assignment of such licenses and for the commencement of competitive bidding. Requires competitive bidding procedures to be designed to secure winning bids of at least two-thirds of $1.9 billion in the case of bidding under this section. Provides that nothing shall preclude the FCC from assigning frequencies described in this Act by competitive bidding at a later date than required if such delay will better attain the objectives of recovering a fair portion of the value of the public spectrum for the public and avoiding unjust enrichment. Requires the FCC to assure that qualifying low-power TV stations are assigned a frequency below 746 mhz. to permit continued operation. (Sec. 3304) Directs the FCC, by July 1, 1997, to initiate a public inquiry required by the Act regarding competitive bidding systems. Subtitle E: Medicaid - Chapter 1: Flexibility - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to authorize States to provide Medicaid benefits (except to special needs children) through managed care entities. (Sec. 3402) Eliminates the (75-25) requirement under SSA title XVIII (Medicare) and title XIX that Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries constitute less than 75 percent of the membership of a participating health maintenance organization (HMO). (Sec. 3403) Grants States the option of providing Medicaid coverage of primary care case management services without the need for a waiver. (Sec. 3404) Increases from $100,000 to $1 million, indexed annually, the threshold amount for contracts requiring prior approval of the Secretary of Health and Human Services. (Sec. 3405) Requires a Medicaid health plan to cover the length of an inpatient hospital stay as determined medically appropriate by the attending physician (or other attending health care provider as permitted by State law) in consultation with the patient. (Sec. 3411) Repeals "Boren Amendment" provider reimbursement requirements. Requires States to establish a public administrative process for determination of payment rates through publication of proposed rates and a reasonable opportunity for providers, beneficiaries, and other concerned State residents to review and comment. (Sec. 3412) Specifies reductions from 100 percent to 85 percent between FY 1999 through FY 2003 in the percentage of reasonable costs that shall be paid under a State plan for Federally-qualified health center and rural health clinic services (with a special supplemental payment for services furnished under certain managed care contracts). Requires the Comptroller General to report on the impact of such reductions on access to health care for Medicaid beneficiaries and the uninsured served at health centers and rural health clinics, and the ability of such centers and clinics to become integrated in a managed care system. (Sec. 3413) Revises the treatment as broad-based health care related taxes of certain State hospital taxes which currently are not subtracted as revenues from the State share of Medicaid expenditures for purposes of calculating the Federal share of such expenditures. Declares that an exemption from such State hospital tax for certain Federal-tax-exempt hospitals that do not accept Medicaid or Medicare payments (provide free care) shall not disqualify the hospital tax as a broad-based health care related tax (thus allowing continued exclusion of such State hospital tax from the requirement that provider-specific taxes be subtracted from the State share of Medicaid expenditures for purposes of Federal share calculation). (Sec. 3421) Grants States the option to provide for 12-month continuous Medicaid eligibility for children. (Sec. 3422) Requires State Medicaid plan coverage of the Medicare cost-sharing for certain additional low-income Medicare beneficiaries whose income otherwise disqualifies them for specified Medicare benefits. (Sec. 3423) Prescribes criminal penalties for knowingly and willfully, for a fee, counseling or assisting an individual to dispose of assets (including a transfer in trust) in order for that individual to become Medicaid-eligible (fraudulent eligibility). (Sec. 3424) Declares that certain payments in a class settlement of specified cases shall not be considered income or resources in determining Medicaid eligibility. (Sec. 3431) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for programs of all- inclusive care for the elderly (PACE programs) for individuals age 55 or older who require the level of care required under the State Medicaid plan for coverage of nursing facility services. States that such individuals need not be eligible for Medicare part A benefits, or enrolled under Medicare part B. Specifies eligibility and payment requirements. Limits PACE provider eligibility to public and private non-profit entities; but requires the Secretary to waive such limitations to demonstrate the operation of a PACE program by a private, for-profit entity. (Sec. 3432) Details provisions for the coverage of PACE programs under the Medicare program. (Sec. 3434) Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on the quality and cost of providing PACE program services under Medicare and Medicaid, specifically comparing the costs, quality, and access to services by private, for-profit entities with the costs, quality, and access to services of other PACE providers. (Sec. 3441) Changes from mandatory to discretionary a State's authority to enroll individuals under private group health plans, and pay their premiums. (Sec. 3442) Permits the same co-payments in HMO's as in fee-for- service plans. (Sec. 3443) Repeals: (1) certain physician qualification requirements with respect to services to pregnant women and to children under age 21; and (2) the requirement of prior institutionalization with respect to habilitation services furnished under a waiver for home or community-based services. (Sec. 3445) Provides for benefits for services of physician assistants. (Sec. 3446) Directs the Secretary to provide for a study, and report to the Congress, on the actuarial value of the provision of early and periodic screening, diagnostic, and treatment services under the Medicaid program. (Sec. 3451) Repeals requirements for inspections of the care being provided at mental hospitals and intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded (ICFS-MR). (Sec. 3452) Authorizes a State, in lieu of terminating a noncompliant ICFS-MR, to establish alternative remedies if the State demonstrates to the Secretary's satisfaction that such alternative remedies are effective in deterring noncompliance and correcting deficiencies. (Sec. 3453) Revises requirements for mechanized claims processing and information retrieval systems. (Sec. 3454) Repeals the requirement for State refund to the Federal Government of any payments received during remediation of a noncompliant nursing facility. (Sec. 3455) Includes the DRUGDEX Information System among the compendia to be used in drug use review for Medicaid payment. (Sec. 3456) Applies certain requirements to the extension of statewide comprehensive research and demonstration projects for which waivers of Medicaid compliance have been granted. (Sec. 3457) Declares that no provision of law shall be construed as preventing any State from allowing determinations of Medicaid eligibility by an entity that is not a State or local government, or by an individual who is not an employee of a State or local government, meeting such qualifications as the State determines. (Sec. 3458) Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989 to extend the moratorium on the treatment of Michigan's Kent Community Hospital Complex and Saginaw Community Hospital as institutions for mental diseases for purposes of Medicaid reimbursement. Chapter 2: Quality Assurance - Amends SSA title XIX to require any State contracting with Medicaid managed care organizations to develop and implement a quality assessment and improvement strategy incorporating certain access standards, monitoring procedures, and other measures. Waives Medicaid HMO requirements for: (1) HMO's with Medicare or MedicarePlus contracts; and (2) HMO's accredited by certain private, nonprofit accrediting organizations. Requires HMO and primary care case management contracts to provide for: (1) submission of care monitoring information to the State agency; (2) maintenance of an internal quality assurance program meeting the Secretary's standards; and (3) effective procedures for resolving grievances between the HMO or primary care case management contractor and enrollees. (Sec. 3462) Requires an HMO to meet solvency standards established by the State for private HMO's, or be State-licensed or -certified as a risk-bearing entity. (Sec. 3463) Provides for: (1) application of the prudent layperson standard for emergency medical condition determinations; (2) prohibition of "gag rule" restrictions against informing patients about their health status or medical care or treatment if the covered health care professional is acting within the lawful scope of practice; (3) various additional specified fraud and abuse protections in managed care; (4) grievances under Medicaid managed care plans; and (5) standards relating to access to obstetrical and gynecological services under Medicaid managed care plans. Chapter 3: Federal Payments - Amends SSA title XIX to require direct State Medicaid payment to disproportionate share hospitals (DSH's) for managed care enrollees. Sets at the FY 1995 level, with specified incremental reductions for high DSH States and other States, the annual DSH allotment through FY 2002. (Sec. 3472) Specifies additional funding for State emergency health services furnished to undocumented aliens. Subtitle F: Child Health Assistance Program (CHAP) - Child Health Assistance Program Act of 1997 - Amends SSA to add a new title XXI (Child Health Assistance Program) (CHAP) in order to provide funds to States to expand the provision of child health care assistance to uninsured, low-income children. Requires a State to submit for the Secretary's approval a child health plan for the use of funds, containing strategic objectives, performance goals, and performance measures. Specifies the benefits to be covered. Allows the use of funds for abortion only if the pregnancy results from rape or incest or if the woman suffers from a physical disorder, illness, or injury that would, as certified by a physician, place her in danger of death unless an abortion is performed. (Sec. 3503) Amends SSA title XIX to provide for an increased Medicaid Federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for expanded coverage of targeted low-income children. (Sec. 3504) Authorizes an approved State plan to make Medicaid available to a low-income child during a specified presumptive eligibility period after determination that family income does not exceed a certain level. Title IV: Committee on Commerce - Medicare - Subtitle A: MedicarePlus Program - Chapter 1: MedicarePlus Program - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to establish a MedicarePlus program under which each MedicarePlus eligible individual (one entitled to benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) and enrolled under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance)) is entitled to elect, in accordance with certain procedures, to receive Medicare benefits either through the Medicare fee-for-service program or through a MedicarePlus plan. (Sec. 4001) Outlines the types of MedicarePlus plans that may be available, including: (1) coordinated care plans; (2) plans offered by provider-sponsored organizations; and (3) a combination of MSA (MedicarePlus savings account) plan and contributions to MedicarePlus MSA. Sets forth various special rules regarding, among other things, residence, individuals with end-stage renal disease, and individuals covered under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program or eligible for veterans or military health benefits. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide for broad dissemination of coverage option and comparison information to Medicare beneficiaries and prospective Medicare beneficiaries. Directs the Secretary to maintain a toll-free number for inquiries about MedicarePlus options and program operation, as well as an Internet site through which individuals may obtain such information electronically. Requires MedicarePlus organizations to generally accept without restrictions individuals eligible to make an election at any time during which such elections are accepted. Requires the approval of MedicarePlus marketing material and application forms before they are distributed. Outlines benefits and beneficiary protections. Requires each MedicarePlus plan (except MSA plans) to provide those items and services for which benefits are available under Medicare parts A and B and specified additional benefits, as well, at its option, as certain supplemental benefits subject to the Secretary's approval. Prohibits a MedicarePlus organization from denying, limiting, or conditioning coverage or benefits based on any described health status-related factor. Prescribes plan disclosure requirements and an ongoing quality assurance program. Outlines a mechanism for grievances and appeals. Provides for the treatment of services furnished by providers that do not have a contract establishing payment amounts for services furnished to an individual enrolled with a MedicarePlus organization. Requires each MedicarePlus organization to provide the Secretary with information on the extent to which it provides inpatient and outpatient hospital benefits through the use of disproportionate share (DSH) and teaching hospitals. Allows a MedicarePlus organization offering a network plan to enrollees also to offer another plan covering items and services furnished by out-of- network providers. Directs the Secretary to make monthly, advance payments with respect to an individual's coverage to MedicarePlus organizations according to a specified formula. Requires the Secretary to establish separate payment rates for individuals with end-stage renal disease. Directs the Secretary to develop and submit to the Congress a report on a method of risk adjustment of payment rates that accounts for variations in per capita costs based on health status. Sets forth special rules for individuals electing MSA plans. Requires such an individual to establish a MedicarePlus MSA into which the Secretary shall make monthly deposits out of the Medicare trust funds in accordance with prescribed guidelines. Details rules for the submission and charging of premiums by each MedicarePlus organization. Sets limitations on enrollee cost-sharing for basic, additional, and supplemental benefits, except for MSA plans. Requires the Secretary to audit each year the financial records of at least one-third of the MedicarePlus organizations offering MedicarePlus plans. Prohibits a State from imposing a premium tax or similar tax with respect to payments on MedicarePlus plans or the offering of such plans. Sets out organizational and financial requirements for MedicarePlus organizations and provider-sponsored organizations. Directs the Secretary to establish solvency and capital adequacy standards for provider-sponsored organizations, and other standards for MedicarePlus organizations. Prescribes requirements, including minimum enrollment requirements, for contracts between the Secretary and MedicarePlus organizations. Provides for: (1) intermediate sanctions and civil monetary penalties to enforce contract provisions; and (2) procedures for termination of contracts. Directs the Secretary to: (1) study and report to the Congress on the feasibility and impact of removing a certain limitation added by this Act on the eligibility of most individuals medically determined to have end-stage renal disease to enroll in MedicarePlus plans; and (2) report to the Congress on graduate medical education programs operated by MedicarePlus organizations and the extent to which such organizations are providing for payments to DSH and teaching hospitals. (Sec. 4002) Details transitional rules for the current Medicare health maintenance organization (HMO) program, as well as specified conforming changes in the Medicare supplemental health insurance policy (Medigap) program. (Sec. 4006) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to outline special rules for MedicarePlus MSA's. Excludes from gross income any payment by the Secretary to an individual's MedicarePlus MSA. Excludes from qualified deductible medical expenses any amounts paid for the medical care of any individual but the account holder. Prescribes a penalty for distributions from the MedicarePlus MSA not used for qualified medical expenses if the minimum balance is not maintained, with certain exceptions if the account holder becomes disabled or dies. (Sec. 4008) Requires each contract with a MedicarePlus organization and each risk-sharing contract with an eligible organization to provide for an additional payment for Medicare's share of allowable direct graduate medical education (GME) costs incurred by such an organization for an approved medical residency program. Directs the Secretary to provide for specified additional payment amounts, subject to certain annual limits, for each Medicare- dependent, small rural hospital, each PPS-exempt hospital, and each hospital reimbursed under an authorized reimbursement system that has an approved medical residency training program and furnishes services to individuals who are enrolled under a risk-sharing contract with an eligible organization and are entitled to Medicare part A. (Sec. 4009) Directs the Secretary to provide for specified additional payment amounts, subject to certain annual limits, for each Medicare-dependent, small rural hospital and each hospital reimbursed under an authorized reimbursement system that: (1) furnishes services to individuals enrolled under a risk-sharing contract with an eligible organization and entitled to Medicare part A, and to individuals who are enrolled with a MedicarePlus organization; and (2) is, or if it were not reimbursed would qualify as, a DSH. Chapter 2: Integrated Long-Term Care Programs - Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 to extend the authorities for the social health maintenance organization (SHMO) demonstration project; and the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 to increase the cap on the number of individuals who may participate in a SHMO demonstration. Directs the Secretary to submit to the Congress a plan for the integration of SHMO health plans and similar plans as an option under the MedicarePlus program. (Sec. 4018) Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to authorize the Secretary to extend the municipal health service demonstration projects but only with respect to individuals enrolled with such projects before January 1, 1998. Requires the Secretary to work with each such demonstration project to develop a plan (to be submitted to certain congressional committees) for the orderly transition of demonstration projects and project enrollees to a non-demonstration project health care delivery system. Provides that a demonstration project which does not develop and submit such a transition plan by a certain deadline shall be discontinued as of December 31, 1998. (Sec. 4019) Extends for an additional two years certain Medicare community nursing organization demonstration projects under the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987. Chapter 3: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission - Amends SSA title XVIII to establish the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MPAC) to replace the Prospective Payment Assessment Commission and the Physician Payment Review Commission, hereby abolished. Requires the new Commission to review and make recommendations to the Congress about payment policies under Medicare (including certain specific payment-related topics). Authorizes appropriations. Chapter 4: Medigap Protections - Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to the issuer of a Medicare supplemental (Medigap) policy in the case of certain individuals terminated by an employee welfare benefit plan providing supplementary health benefits who seek to enroll under a Medigap policy not later than 63 days after termination or disenrollment. Prohibits the Medigap issuer from: (1) denying or conditioning the issuance or effectiveness of such a policy; (2) discriminating in the pricing of such policy because of health status, claims experience, receipt of health care, or medical condition; or (3) imposing an exclusion of benefits based on a pre-existing condition. (Sec. 4031) Specifies limitations on the imposition of preexisting condition exclusions during the initial open enrollment period in the case of a Medicare supplemental policy issued to an individual who is 65 years of age or older with a certain minimum period of creditable coverage. (Sec. 4032) Directs the Secretary to implement a project to demonstrate the application of, and the consequences of applying, a market-oriented pricing system for the provision of a full range of Medicare benefits in a geographic area. Requires the Secretary to appoint: (1) a national advisory committee to make recommendations concerning the appropriate research design for the project and, taking such recommendations into account, designate the areas in which the project will operate; and (2) an area advisory committee to advise the Secretary on actual project implementation in the area. Directs the Secretary to monitor and report periodically to the Congress on the impact of such projects on the price and quality of, and access to, Medicare covered services, and other relevant factors. Subtitle B: Prevention Initiatives - Outlines various specified new preventive health measures covered under Medicare, namely coverage for: (1) annual screening mammography for women over age 39, while providing for the waiver of the deductible for screening mammography; (2) screening pelvic exams, providing for their payment under the physician fee schedule; (3) prostate cancer screening tests, providing for payment of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test under the clinical diagnostic laboratory test fee schedules; (4) colorectal cancer screening tests, subject to prescribed frequency and payment limits, which will include a screening barium enema if found by the Secretary to be an appropriate alternative to certain other tests; (5) diabetes outpatient self-management training services, including blood-testing strips (with a ten percent payment reduction after 1997) and glucose monitors as durable medical equipment (DME) for individuals with diabetes; and (4) bone mass measurements for qualified individuals for the purpose of identifying bone mass or detecting bone loss or determining bone quality. (Sec. 4102) Makes certain changes in existing benefits, such as increasing the frequency of coverage of screening pap smears for high risk women and waiving the deductible that applies to such exams. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress on: (1) the extent to which the use of certain supplemental computer-assisted diagnostic tests in conjunction with pap smears improves the early detection of cervical or vaginal cancer; and (2) the costs implications for coverage of such supplemental tests under Medicare. (Sec. 4105) Directs the Secretary to establish outcome measures, including glysolated hemoglobin (past 90-day average blood sugar levels), for the purpose of evaluating the improvement of the health status of Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes mellitus, with a view to recommending coverage modifications. (Sec. 4107) Extends the Influenza and Pneumococcal Vaccination Campaign carried out by the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Coalition for Adult Immunization. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 4108) Directs the Secretary to request the National Academy of Sciences in conjunction with the United States Preventive Services Task Force to and report to the Congress on the expansion or modification of preventive benefits provided to Medicare beneficiaries. Provides funding. Subtitle C: Rural Initiatives - Directs the Secretary to provide for a four-year demonstration project to use eligible health care provider telemedicine networks to apply high-capacity computing and advanced networks to improve primary care and prevent health care complications to Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes mellitus residing in medically underserved rural or inner-city areas. Provides funding. Subtitle D: Anti-Fraud and Abuse Provisions - Revises requirements for mandatory exclusion of certain individuals and entities from participating in Medicare and State health programs. Mandates an ten-year exclusion of any individual for a second health care related conviction, and permanent exclusion for a third health care related conviction. (Sec. 4302) Authorizes the Secretary to refuse to enter into Medicare agreements with individuals or entities convicted of felonies for offenses determined inconsistent with the best interests of program beneficiaries. (Sec. 4303) Requires the annual explanation of Medicare benefits provided to Medicare beneficiaries to include a toll-free telephone number to report Medicare waste, fraud, and abuse. (Sec. 4304) Makes Medicare carriers and fiscal intermediaries liable for reimbursing the Secretary for amounts paid to excluded providers. Makes State agencies liable for reimbursing the Secretary for amounts paid to excluded providers under the Medicaid program. (Sec. 4305) Authorizes the Secretary to exclude from the Medicare program any entity with respect to which a sanctioned person with an ownership or control interest in it transfers such interest in anticipation of (or following) a conviction, assessment, or exclusion against the person, to an immediate family member or member of the household who continues to maintain such an interest. (Sec. 4306) Provides for the imposition of civil monetary penalties for any person who arranges or contracts with an individual or entity that the person knows or should know is excluded from participation in a Federal health care program. (Sec. 4307) Outlines various specified requirements regarding disclosure of information, surety bonds, and advisory opinions regarding certain physician self-referral provisions. Includes surety bond requirements for home health agencies, and provides for the application of disclosure and surety bond requirements to ambulance services and certain clinics. Applies surety bond requirements to comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facilities (CORF's) and to rehabilitation agencies. (Sec. 4308) Requires any participating entity to disclose to the Secretary its own employer identification numbers and social security account numbers, as well as those of persons with ownership or control interests and subcontractors in which the entity has a five percent or greater interest. Directs the Secretary to report to the Congress on the steps taken to assure the confidentiality of such social security account numbers. (Sec. 4309) Amends SSA title XVIII to direct the Secretary to issue written, binding advisory opinions concerning whether a referral relating to designated health services (other than clinical laboratory services) is prohibited. (Sec. 4310) Provides for: (1) notification of the availability of home health agencies as part of the discharge planning process; and (2) maintenance and disclosure of certain information on post-hospital home health agencies. Amends SSA title XI to provide for public disclosure of certain information on hospital financial interest and referral patterns. Subtitle E: Prospective Payment Systems - Chapter 2 (sic): Payment Under Part B - Eliminates formula-driven overpayments for certain outpatient hospital services. (Sec. 4412) Extends the current reductions in payments for capital-related and other costs of hospital outpatient services. (Sec. 4413) Directs the Secretary to establish a prospective payment system (PPS) for hospital outpatient department services. (Sec. 4421) Establishes payment rates for outpatient therapy services, with certain co-payments imposed for services furnished after 1998. (Sec. 4422) Provides for: (1) payment of CORF services based on fee schedule amounts; and (2) certain interim reductions in payments for ambulance services. Directs the Secretary to establish a prospective fee schedule for payment of such services. (Sec. 4431) Provides that in promulgating regulations to carry out certain provisions with respect to the coverage of ambulance service, the Secretary may include coverage of advanced life support services provided by a paramedic intercept service provider (ALS intercept services) in a rural area if specified conditions are met. (Sec. 4432) Sets out the framework for demonstration projects for coverage of ambulance services under Medicare through contracts with counties or parishes. Chapter 3: Payment Under Parts A and B - Directs the Secretary to establish a PPS for home health services. Subtitle G (sic): Provisions Relating to Part B Only - Chapter 1: Physicians' Services - Revises requirements for the payment of physicians' services, with changes: (1) establishing a single conversion factor for 1998; (2) adding new update provisions; (3) replacing the volume performance standard with sustainable growth rate; (4) adding payment rules for anesthesia services; and (5) phasing-in implementation of resource-based physician practice expense relative value units. (Sec. 4606) Directs the Secretary, for 1999 and 2001, to determine for each hospital: (1) the hospital-specific per discharge relative value according to prescribed guidelines (with a special rule for teaching hospitals); and (2) whether the hospital-specific relative value is projected to be excessive. Requires the Secretary to notify the medical executive committee of each hospital identified as having an excessive hospital-specific relative value of the determinations made with respect to the medical staff. (Sec. 4607) Provides that no x-ray is required for chiropractic services. Directs the Secretary to develop and implement utilization guidelines relating to the coverage of chiropractic services under Medicare part B in cases in which a subluxation has not been demonstrated by x-ray to exist. (Sec. 4608) Provides that effective for electrocardiogram tests performed during 1998, the Secretary shall restore separate payment under Medicare part B for the transportation of electrocardiogram equipment (HCPCS code R0076) based upon the status code and relative value units established for such service as of December 31, 1996. Requires the Comptroller General to report to the Congress on the appropriateness of continuing such payment. Chapter 2: Other Payment Provisions - Provides for a reduction in DME payment amounts and for a payment freeze for parenteral and enteral nutrients, supplies, and equipment. Revises payment rates for oxygen and oxygen equipment, clinical diagnostic laboratory tests, ambulatory surgical services, and drugs and biologicals. (Sec. 4614) Directs the Secretary to divide the United States into up to five regions, and designate a single carrier for each region, for the payment of Medicare part B claims for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests. Requires the Secretary to adopt uniform policies for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests. (Sec. 4617) Provides for Medicare coverage of oral drugs prescribed for use as an acute anti-emetic used as part of an anticancer chemotherapeutic regimen under certain conditions. Sets forth special rules for the payment of such drugs. (Sec. 4618) Revises certain requirements with regard to rural health clinic services, including per-visit payment limits for provider-based clinics, assurance of quality services, and certain staffing and shortage area requirements. (Sec. 4619) Provides for increased Medicare reimbursement for nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and physician assistants. Repeals certain restrictions on settings applicable to them. (Sec. 4621) Directs the Secretary to: (1) audit a sample of cost reports of renal dialysis providers for 1995 and for each third year thereafter; and (2) develop and implement a method to measure and report quality of renal dialysis services provider under Medicare in order to reduce payments for inappropriate or low quality care. (Sec. 4622) Provides for payment for cochlear implants as customized DME. Chapter 3: Part B Premium - Revises the formula for the monthly Medicare part B premium rate the Secretary promulgates each September for the following calendar year. Requires such rate to equal 50 percent of the monthly actuarial rate for enrollees age 65 and over. Subtitle H: Provisions Relating to Parts A and B - Chapter 1: Provisions Relating to Medicare Secondary Payer - Revises requirements for Medicare as secondary payer. Permits recovery against third party administrators of primary plans. Extends the claims filing period for employer group health plans. Limits beneficiary liability for items and services for which Medicare benefits are incorrectly paid. Chapter 2: Home Health Services - Prohibits the Secretary, in establishing payment limits for cost reporting periods beginning after September 30, 1997, from taking into account any changes in the home health market basket with respect to cost reporting periods beginning on or after July 1, 1994, and before July 1, 1996. (Sec. 4712) Revises requirements for interim payments for home health services. Directs the Secretary to: (1) expand research on a PPS for home health agencies under the Medicare program that ties prospective payments to a unit of service; and (2) study and report to the Congress on the criteria that should be applied in determining whether an individual is homebound for purposes of qualifying for Medicare home health services. (Sec. 4715) Bases the payment for home health services on the location where the service is furnished. (Sec. 4716) Provides for the denial of home health claims based on home health services the frequency and duration of which are in excess of normative guidelines established by the Secretary. (Sec. 4717) Provides that no home health benefits are based solely on drawing blood. (Sec. 4718) Makes Medicare part B the primary payer for certain home health services for an individual entitled to benefits under Medicare part A. Provides for Medicare coverage of post-hospital home health services. Revises requirements for Medicare part B payments with respect to home health services. Provides for the phase-in of additional part B costs in determination of Medicare part B monthly premiums. Directs the Secretary to: (1) report to specified congressional committees on the impact on home health utilization and admissions to hospitals and skilled nursing facilities of Medicare coverage of post- hospital home health services; and (2) further reexamine and report to such committees on this impact one year after the full implementation of the Medicare PPS for home health services. Chapter 3: Baby Boom Generation Medicare Commission - Establishes the Bipartisan Commission on the Effect of the Baby Boom Generation on the Medicare Program to: (1) examine the financial impact on the Medicare program of the significant increase in the number of Medicare-eligible individuals which will occur beginning approximately during 2010 and lasting for approximately 25 years; and (2) make specific recommendations to the Congress respecting a comprehensive approach to preserve the Medicare program for the period during which such individuals are eligible for Medicare. (Sec. 4721) Directs the Commission to report to the Congress its findings and recommendations regarding how to protect and preserve the Medicare program in a financially solvent manner until 2030 (or, if later, throughout the period of projected solvency of the Federal Old- Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund). Requires the report to include detailed recommendations for appropriate legislative initiatives on how to accomplish this objective. Authorizes appropriations. Chapter 4: Provisions Relating to Direct Graduate Medical Education - Sets out provisions relating to direct graduate medical education, including: (1) placing a limitation on the number of residents for cost reporting periods beginning after FY 1998; (2) phasing-in a limitation on hospital overhead and supervisory physician component of direct medical education costs; (3) permitting payment to non-hospital providers; and (4) providing incentive payments under plans for voluntary reduction in the number of residents. (Sec. 4735) Directs the Secretary to establish a demonstration project under which the Secretary shall make payments to specified qualifying consortia instead of teaching hospitals. (Sec. 4736) Requires the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission to examine and develop recommendations for the Congress on whether and to what extent Medicare payment policies and other Federal policies regarding teaching hospitals and graduate medical education should be reformed. (Sec. 4737) Provides a special Medicare reimbursement rule for certain combined residency programs. Chapter 5: Other Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII to direct the Secretary to use a competitive process to contract with specific hospitals or other entities meeting certain quality standards (centers for excellence) for furnishing services related to surgical procedures as well as other services (unrelated to surgical procedures) to hospital inpatients. (Sec. 4742) Establishes a Medicare part B and Medigap special enrollment period for certain military retirees and dependents during which they may enroll without being subject to a Medicare part B late enrollment penalty. (Sec. 4743) Directs the Secretary to establish and operate a two- year demonstration project in two geographic regions under which the Medicare payment for a selected item or service furnished in the region shall be equal to the price determined pursuant to a certain competitive bidding process meeting specified requirements. Subtitle I: Medical Liability Reform - Chapter 1: General Provisions - Sets forth definitions, limitations, preemption mandates, and specified exclusions relating to health care liability actions brought in any State or Federal court. Chapter 2: Uniform Standards for Health Care Liability Actions - Establishes certain uniform standards for such health care liability actions that include: (1) a general statute of limitations of two years after the date on which the claimant discovered or should have discovered the harm that is the subject of the action; (2) a $250,000 limitation on noneconomic damages; and (3) standards for the awarding of punitive damages (clear and convincing evidence of conscious, flagrant indifference to the rights and safety of others). (Sec. 4813) Declares that any alternative dispute resolution system (ADR) used to resolve a health care liability action or claim shall contain provisions relating to such statute of limitations, non- economic damages, punitive damages, and other specified matters which are identical to the relevant provisions of this subtitle. Title V: Committee on Education and the Workforce - Subtitle A: TANF Block Grant - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of SSA title IV to establish a program of welfare-to-work grants to States. (Sec. 5001) Sets forth requirements relating to State entitlement to non-competitive formula grants under such program and State distribution of such funds among local governments. Provides for competitive grants, based on the likelihood of successful long-term placement of individuals into the work force, for State-approved projects proposed by private industry councils or local governments. Prohibits private industry councils from directly providing services using such grant funds. Provides for such grants to territories and to Indian tribes. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop a plan to evaluate the use of such grants. (Sec. 5002) Sets forth requirements for: (1) nondisplacement of other workers by participants in work activities under this program; (2) applicable health and safety standards; and (3) grievance procedures with respect to alleged violations of such nondisplacement and health and safety requirements. (Sec. 5003) Exempts teen parents from the limitation on the number of persons who may be treated as engaged in work by reason of participation in a vocational education program. (Sec. 5004) Requires that participants in State welfare-to-work programs receive compensation at the same rates (in accordance with applicable law), including periodic increases, as trainees or employees who are similarly situated in similar occupations by the same employer and who have similar training, experience, and skills. Limits the number of hours per month that an assistance recipient may be required to be assigned to on-the-job-training, and to a work experience or community service position with a public agency or nonprofit organization. (Sec. 5005) Requires reduction of a State's welfare-to-work grant if a State fails to reduce assistance for recipients refusing work without good cause. Subtitle B: Higher Education Programs - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) with respect to title IV student assistance programs. (Sec. 5101) Directs the Secretary of Education to recall for deposit in the Treasury a specified amount of the reserve funds of State and nonprofit private loan insurance programs held by guaranty agencies on September 1, 2002. Denies the Secretary any authority to direct a guaranty agency to return reserve funds before such date. Requires each guaranty agency, between FY 1998 and 2002, to transfer a certain portion of its required share of the projected recall amount into restricted accounts for investment in U.S. obligations or other similarly low-risk securities. (Sec. 5102) Repeals the requirement that the Secretary pay direct loan origination fees to institutions of higher education. (Sec. 5103) Sets funding levels through FY 2002 for mandatory administrative expenses for the student financial aid programs. Reduces the previously authorized level of appropriations for FY 1998 ($750 million), while authorizing increasing amounts for subsequent fiscal years until the level reaches $750 million for FY 2002. Prescribes a formula for the calculation of administrative cost allowances payable to guaranty agencies. (Sec. 5104) Revises requirements for the Secretary's equitable share of collections to: (1) include collections of payments made on behalf of a borrower, such as payments made to discharge loans to obtain a consolidation loan; and (2) specify the share on consolidated defaulted loans. (Sec. 5105) Extends the HEA title IV student assistance program through FY 2002. Subtitle C: Repeal of Smith-Hughes Vocational Education Act - Repeals the Smith-Hughes Vocational Education Act. Subtitle D: Expansion of Portability and Health Insurance Coverage - Expansion of Portability and Health Insurance Coverage Act of 1997 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to establish rules governing association health plans, including requirements for: (1) certification; (2) sponsors and boards of trustees, and treatment of franchised networks and collectively bargained plans; (3) participation and coverage of employers and individuals, and of previously uninsured employees; (4) plan documents, contribution rates, and benefit options; (5) maintenance of reserves, excess-stop loss insurance, and solvency indemnification for plans providing health benefits in addition to health insurance coverage; (6) application and related matters, and notice for voluntary termination; (7) corrective actions and mandatory termination; and (8) special rules for church plans. (Sec. 5303) Revises requirements for the treatment of: (1) single employer arrangements; and (2) certain collectively bargained arrangements. (Sec. 5305) Adds requirements relating to association health plans, with respect to: (1) enforcement; and (2) cooperation between Federal and State authorities, and State responsibilities. Title VI: Committee on Government Reform and Oversight - Subtitle A: Postal Service - Repeals provisions authorizing transitional appropriations to the Postal Service. Provides that liabilities of the former Post Office Department to the Employees' Compensation Fund for which appropriations were authorized under such provisions shall remain liabilities payable by the Postal Service. Prohibits payments from being made to the Postal Service Fund pursuant to such provisions for FY 1998. Requires the amount of any such payments that have been made for FY 1998 to be paid from such Fund into the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts before October 1, 1998. Subtitle B: Civil Service - Specifies increases in certain contributions to the Civil Service Retirement System and the Federal Employees Retirement System. (Sec. 6103) Modifies the formula under which the Government contribution for health benefits for a Federal employee or annuitant enrolled in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB) is determined. Title VII: Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure - Extends through FY 2002 the current higher vessel tonnage duties imposed upon foreign vessels entering into U.S. ports. (Sec. 7002) Directs the Administrator of General Services, no earlier than FY 2002, to: (1) sell all U.S. rights and interest to the land and related improvements at Governors Island, New York (granting the right of first refusal to the State of New York and the City of New York); and (2) sell the air rights (currently owned by Amtrak) to the land adjacent to Union Station in Washington, D.C. Directs Amtrak to convey such air rights to the Administrator, for subsequent resale, as a condition of future Federal financial assistance. Title VIII: Committee on Veterans' Affairs - Veterans Reconciliation Act of 1997 - Subtitle A: Extension of Temporary Authorities - Extends through FY 2002 the authority to require certain veterans to make copayments for the receipt of Department of Veterans Affairs health and medical care benefits. Extends through FY 2002: (1) the requirement that veterans pay $2 for each 30-day supply of medication furnished through the Department for the treatment of a non-service-connected disability or condition; and (2) the right of the United States to recover from a veteran the cost of Department care and services provided for certain non-service-connected disabilities. (Sec. 8013) Establishes in the Treasury the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Care Collections Fund for receipt of amounts recovered or collected by the Department for the provision of certain reimbursable health care and services provided to veterans and their spouses and dependents. Specifies authorized Fund uses. Requires the Secretary to make certain certifications to the Secretary of the Treasury if amounts recovered in the Fund during FY 1998 through 2000 will be more than $25,000 less than the amount contained in the latest congressional baseline estimate for recovery in that fiscal year. Directs the Secretary to submit quarterly reports to the veterans' committees on the operation of such recovery provisions for such fiscal years and the first quarter of FY 2001. Terminates at the end of FY 1997 the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical-Care Cost Recovery Fund. Directs the Secretary to report to the veterans' committees on the implementation of this section. Extends through FY 2002: (1) the authority of the Secretary to obtain information under the Internal Revenue Code for veterans' income verification purposes; (2) a $90 monthly pension limitation for a Medicaid-covered veteran having neither spouse nor child and being furnished domiciliary or nursing home care by the Department; (3) the authority of the Secretary to charge a home loan fee under the veterans' home loan guaranty program; (4) the default procedures applicable to home liquidation sales under the program; and (5) the authority of the Secretary to issue and guarantee the principal and interest on certificates or other securities representing an interest in a pool of mortgage loans made to veterans and guaranteed by the Secretary. Increases the home loan fee rate charged for the purchase from the Department of repossessed homes (homes the loans for which were defaulted by veterans under the home loan guaranty program). Subtitle B: Other Matters - Provides for the rounding down to the next lower dollar of cost-of-living adjustments in veterans' disability compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation rates for FY 1998 through 2002. Allows such adjustments to be no more than the percentage adjustment to social security increases for such year. (Sec. 8022) Revises the notification procedures under which the Secretary may waive all or part of the indebtedness owed by a veteran on account of any loan made to, or assumed or guaranteed by, the Department. Title IX: Committee on Ways and Means--NonMedicare - Subtitle A: TANF Block Grant - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of SSA title IV to establish a program of welfare-to-work grants to States. (Sec. 9001) Sets forth requirements relating to State entitlement to non-competitive grants under such program and State distribution of such funds among local governments. Provides for competitive grants, based on program effectiveness and other factors, for State-approved projects proposed by private industry councils and local governments. Requires the targeting of at least 65 percent of available funds for such grants to cities with the greatest number of persons with income below the poverty line. Prohibits private industry councils from directly providing services using such grant funds. Sets forth requirements for: (1) nondisplacement of other workers by participants in work activities under this program; (2) applicable health and safety standards; and (3) grievance procedures with respect to alleged violations of such nondisplacement and health and safety requirements. Provides for such grants to outlying areas and to Indian tribes. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) develop a plan to evaluate the use of such grants; and (2) submit interim and final reports to the Congress. (Sec. 9002) Limits to not more than ten percent the portion of TANF block grant funds which a State may use to carry out State programs under SSA title XX block grants to State for social services. (Sec. 9003) Exempts teen parents from the limitation on the number of persons who may be treated as engaged in work by reason of participation in a vocational education program. Increases such limitation from 20 percent to 30 percent of the number of individuals in all families who may be so treated. (Sec. 9004) Limits the number of hours per month that a recipient of assistance may be required to be assigned to a work experience, on- the-job training, or community service position with a public agency or nonprofit organization. Applies Federal and State health and safety standards to the working conditions of participants. Requires the provision of workers' compensation to participants on the same basis as it is provided to other individuals in the State in similar employment. (Sec. 9005) Requires reduction of a State's welfare-to-work grant if the State fails to reduce assistance to recipients refusing work without good cause. Subtitle B: Supplemental Security Income - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRAWORA) to extend by six months the deadline for certain childhood disability redeterminations under SSA title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI). (Sec. 9102) Repeals maintenance of effort requirements applicable to optional State programs for supplementation of SSI benefits. (Sec. 9103) Prescribes the schedule of administrative fees the Commissioner of Social Security shall assess each State from FY 1997 through 2003 and after for making optional and mandatory State SSI payments to individuals. Revises requirements for deposit of such fees, directing that a portion be credited to a special fund for FY 1998 and subsequent fiscal years for use in defraying expenses. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle C: Child Support Enforcement - Amends SSA title III (Unemployment Insurance) with respect to the authority to permit certain redisclosures of wage and claim information for purposes related to the child support enforcement program under SSA title IV part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity). Subtitle D: Restricting Welfare and Public Benefits for Aliens - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to extend the refugee and asylee eligibility period for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid. Provides a five-year food stamp eligibility period for such aliens. (Sec. 9302) Makes aliens eligible for SSI benefits who were receiving such benefits as of the date of enactment of such Act. Deems Cuban and Haitian entrants and Amerasian immigrants to be "qualified aliens." (Sec. 9303) Provides SSI eligibility for permanent resident aliens who are members of an Indian tribe. (Sec. 9304) Authorizes States to require applicants for State or local benefits to provide eligibility verification. (Sec. 9305) States that an alien who is ineligible for food stamps shall not be eligible for such program based upon SSI eligibility. Authorizes Medicaid eligibility based upon SSI eligibility. Subtitle E: Unemployment Compensation - Declares that no State law definition of a base period shall be considered as meeting the SSA title III (Unemployment Compensation Administration) requirement for a method of administration reasonably calculated to insure full payment of unemployment compensation when due. (Sec. 9402) Amends SSA title IX (Employment Security) to increase the Federal Unemployment Account ceiling. (Sec. 9403) Provides for a special distribution to States of year- end excesses from the Unemployment Trust Fund. (Sec. 9404) Restricts interest-free advances to State accounts in the Unemployment Trust Fund to States which meet or exceed funding goals. (Sec. 9405) Revises the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from the Federal unemployment tax any election officials or election workers whose total annual remuneration for their services is under $1,000. (Sec. 9406) Excludes any service performed by a prison inmate from the definition of employment for unemployment compensation purposes. (Sec. 9407) Exempts from the Federal unemployment tax any services performed for certain income tax-exempt elementary or secondary schools which are operated primarily for religious purposes. (Sec. 9408) Amends SSA title III (Unemployment Compensation Administration) to authorize additional appropriations out of the employment security administration account to carry out State program integrity activities for unemployment compensation, including initial claims review, eligibility review, benefit payments control, and employer liability auditing activities. Subtitle F: Increase in Public Debt Limit - Amends Federal law to provide for an increase in the public debt limit to $5.95 trillion. Title X: Committee on Ways and Means - Medicare - Subtitle A: MedicarePlus Program - Chapter 1: MedicarePlus Program - (This title sets forth provisions generally analogous to those set forth above under title IV of this Act.) Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to establish a MedicarePlus program under which each MedicarePlus eligible individual (one entitled to benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) and enrolled under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance)) is entitled to elect, in accordance with certain procedures, to receive Medicare benefits either through the Medicare fee-for-service program or through a MedicarePlus plan. (Sec. 10001) Outlines the types of MedicarePlus plans that may be available, including: (1) coordinated care plans; (2) plans offered by provider-sponsored organizations; and (3) a combination of MSA (MedicarePlus savings account) plan and contributions to MedicarePlus MSA. Sets forth various special rules regarding, among other things, residence, individuals with end-stage renal disease, and individuals covered under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program or eligible for veterans or military health benefits. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) provide for broad dissemination of coverage option and comparative information to Medicare beneficiaries and prospective Medicare beneficiaries; and (2) maintain a toll-free number for inquiries about MedicarePlus options and program operation, as well as an Internet site through which individuals may obtain such information electronically. Requires a MedicarePlus organization to generally accept without restrictions individuals eligible to make an election at any time during which such elections are accepted. Requires the approval of MedicarePlus marketing material and application forms before they are distributed. Outlines benefits and beneficiary protections. Requires each MedicarePlus plan (except MSA plans) to provide those items and services for which benefits are available under Medicare parts A and B and specified additional benefits, as well as, at its option, certain supplemental benefits, subject to the Secretary's approval. Prohibits a MedicarePlus organization from denying, limiting, or conditioning coverage or benefits based on any described health status-related factor. Prescribes plan disclosure requirements and an ongoing quality assurance program. Outlines a mechanism for grievances and appeals. Provides for the treatment of services furnished by providers that do not have a contract establishing payment amounts for services furnished to an individual enrolled with a MedicarePlus organization (other than under an MSA plan). Requires each MedicarePlus organization to provide the Secretary with information on the extent to which it provides inpatient and outpatient hospital benefits through the use of disproportionate share (DSH) and teaching hospitals. Directs the Secretary to: (1) make monthly, advance payments with respect to an individual's coverage to MedicarePlus organizations according to a specified formula; (2) establish separate payment rules for individuals with end-stage renal disease; and (3) develop and submit to the Congress a report on a method of risk adjustment of payment rates that accounts for variations in per capita costs based on health status. Sets forth special rules for individuals electing MSA plans. Requires such an individual to establish a MedicarePlus MSA into which the Secretary shall make monthly deposits out of the Medicare trust funds in accordance with prescribed guidelines. Sets forth special rules for certain inpatient hospital stays. Details the rules for the submission and charging of premiums by each MedicarePlus organization. Sets limitations on enrollee cost- sharing for basic, additional, and supplemental benefits, except for MSA plans. Requires the Secretary to audit each year the financial records of at least one-third of the MedicarePlus organizations offering MedicarePlus plans. Prohibits a State from imposing a premium tax or similar tax with respect to premiums on MedicarePlus plans or the offering of such plans. Sets forth organizational and financial requirements for MedicarePlus organizations and provider-sponsored organizations. Directs the Secretary to establish solvency and capital adequacy standards for provider-sponsored organizations, and other standards for MedicarePlus organizations and plans. Prescribes requirements, including minimum enrollment requirements, for contracts between the Secretary and MedicarePlus organizations. Provides for: (1) intermediate sanctions and civil monetary penalties to enforce contract provisions; and (2) procedures for termination of contracts. Directs the Secretary to: (1) study and report to the Congress on the feasibility and impact of removing a certain limitation added by this Act on the eligibility of most individuals medically determined to have end-stage renal disease to enroll in MedicarePlus plans; and (2) report to the Congress on graduate medical education programs operated by MedicarePlus organizations and the extent to which such organizations are providing for payments to DSH and teaching hospitals. (Sec. 10002) Details transitional rules for the current Medicare health maintenance organization (HMO) program, as well as specified conforming changes in the Medicare supplemental health insurance policy (Medigap) program. (Sec. 10006) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to outline special rules for MedicarePlus MSA's. Excludes from gross income any payment by the Secretary to an individual's MedicarePlus MSA. Excludes from qualified deductible medical expenses any amounts paid for the medical care of any individual but the account holder. Prescribes a penalty for distributions from the MedicarePlus MSA not used for qualified medical expenses if the minimum balance is not maintained, with certain exceptions if the account holder becomes disabled or dies. Chapter 2: Integrated Long-Term Care Programs - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for programs of all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE programs) for individuals age 55 or older who require the level of care required under the State Medicaid plan for coverage of nursing facility services. Specifies benefit and payment requirements. Limits PACE provider eligibility to public and private non-profit entities; but requires the Secretary to waive such limitations to demonstrate the operation of a PACE program by a private, for-profit entity. (Sec. 10012) Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to provide for the establishment of State PACE programs as a State Medicaid option. (Sec. 10014) Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on the quality and cost of providing PACE program services under Medicare and Medicaid, specifically comparing the costs, quality, and access to services by private, for-profit entities under the demonstration projects with the costs, quality, and access to services of other PACE providers. (Sec. 10015) Amends the: (1) Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 to extend the authorities for the social health maintenance organization (SHMO) demonstration project; and (2) Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 to increase the cap on the number of individuals who may participate in a SHMO demonstration. Directs the Secretary to submit to the Congress a plan for the integration of SHMO health plans and similar plans as an option under the MedicarePlus program. (Sec. 10018) Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to authorize the Secretary to extend the municipal health service demonstration projects but only with respect to individuals enrolled with such projects before January 1, 1998. Requires the Secretary to work with each such demonstration project to develop a plan (to be submitted to certain congressional committees) for the orderly transition of demonstration projects and project enrollees to a non-demonstration project health care delivery system. Provides that a demonstration project which does not develop and submit such a transition plan by a certain deadline shall be discontinued as of December 31, 1998. (Sec. 10019) Extends for an additional two years certain Medicare community nursing organization demonstration projects under the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987. Chapter 3: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission - Amends SSA title XVIII to establish the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission to replace the Prospective Payment Assessment Commission and the Physician Payment Review Commission, hereby abolished. Requires the new Commission to review and make recommendations to the Congress about payment policies under Medicare (including certain specific payment-related topics). Authorizes appropriations. Chapter 4: Medigap Protections - Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to the issuer of a Medicare supplemental (Medigap) policy in the case of certain individuals terminated by an employee welfare benefit plan providing supplementary health benefits who seek to enroll under a Medigap policy not later than 63 days after termination or disenrollment. Prohibits the Medigap issuer from: (1) denying or conditioning the issuance or effectiveness of such a policy; (2) discriminating in the pricing of such policy because of health status, claims experience, receipt of health care, or medical condition; or (3) imposing an exclusion of benefits based on a pre-existing condition. (Sec. 10031) Specifies limitations on the imposition of preexisting condition exclusions during the initial open enrollment period in the case of a Medicare supplemental policy issued to an individual who is 65 years of age or older with a certain minimum period of creditable coverage. (Sec. 10032) Directs the Secretary to implement a project to demonstrate the application of, and the consequences of applying, a market-oriented pricing system for the provision of a full range of Medicare benefits in a geographic area. Requires the Secretary to appoint: (1) a national advisory committee to make recommendations concerning the appropriate research design for the project and, taking such recommendations into account, designate the areas in which the project will operate; and (2) an area advisory committee to advise the Secretary on actual project implementation in the area. Directs the Secretary to monitor and report periodically to the Congress on the impact of such projects on the price and quality of, and access to, Medicare covered services, and other relevant factors. Chapter 5: Tax Treatment of Hospitals Participating in Provider Sponsored Organizations - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that an organization shall not fail to be treated as a tax-exempt charitable organization solely because a hospital which it owns and operates also participates in a provider-sponsored organization, whether or not the provider-sponsored organization is exempt from tax. Provides that any person with a material financial interest in such a provider-sponsored organization shall be treated as a private shareholder or individual with respect to the hospital. Subtitle B: Prevention Initiatives - Outlines various specified new preventive health measures covered under Medicare, namely coverage for: (1) annual screening mammography for women over age 39, while providing for the waiver of the deductible for screening mammography; (2) screening pelvic exams, providing for their payment under the physician fee schedule; (3) prostate cancer screening tests, providing for payment of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test under the clinical diagnostic laboratory test fee schedules; (4) colorectal cancer screening tests, subject to prescribed frequency and payment limits, which will include a screening barium enema if found by the Secretary to be an appropriate alternative to certain other tests; (5) diabetes outpatient self-management training services, including blood-testing strips (with a ten percent payment reduction after 1997) and glucose monitors as durable medical equipment (DME) for individuals with diabetes; and (4) bone mass measurements for qualified individuals for the purpose of identifying bone mass or detecting bone loss or determining bone quality. (Sec. 10102) Makes certain changes in existing benefits, such as increasing the frequency of coverage of screening pap smears for high risk women and waiving the deductible that applies to such exams. (Sec. 10105) Directs the Secretary to establish outcome measures, including glysolated hemoglobin (past 90-day average blood sugar levels), for the purpose of evaluating the improvement of the health status of Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes mellitus, with a view to recommending coverage modifications. (Sec. 10107) Extends the Influenza and Pneumococcal Vaccination Campaign carried out by the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Coalition for Adult Immunization. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 10108) Directs the Secretary to request the National Academy of Sciences, in conjunction with the United States Preventive Services Task Force, to analyze and report to the Congress on the expansion or modification of preventive benefits provided to Medicare beneficiaries. Provides for funding for such analysis. Subtitle C: Rural Initiatives - Replaces the Essential Access Community Hospital (EACH) Program with an optional Medicare Rural Primary Care Hospital Program under which a State may designate one or more facilities as a rural primary care hospital in accordance with prescribed criteria while continuing payment to previously designated EACH's and rural primary care hospitals. Provides for payment under such new program on a reasonable cost basis. Lengthens the maximum period of permitted inpatient rural primary care hospital stay. (Sec. 10202) Amends SSA title XVIII to prohibit denial, on the basis of wage comparisons, of a rural referral center's request for reclassification. Provides that any hospital classified as a rural referral center for FY 1991 shall be classified as such for FY 1998 and each subsequent fiscal year. (Sec. 10203) Amends SSA title XVIII to permit hospital geographic reclassification for purposes of DSH payment adjustments. (Sec. 10204) Makes certain changes with regard to Medicare- dependent, small rural hospitals, including an extension of the current payment methodology. (Sec. 10205) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to publish and use alternative guidelines under which specified disproportionately large hospitals qualify for geographic reclassification for a fiscal year beginning with fiscal year 1998. (Sec. 10206) Sets the floor on the area wage index applicable to hospitals not located in a rural area for discharges occurring on or after October 1, 1997, for purposes of adjusting DRG prospective payment rates for different area wage levels. Directs the Secretary to adjust the area wage indices for certain hospitals to assure that aggregate payments in a fiscal year for the operating costs of inpatient hospital services are not greater or less than those which would have been made in the year if this requirement did not apply. (Sec. 10207) Directs the Secretary to provide for a four-year demonstration project to use eligible health care provider telemedicine networks to apply high-capacity computing and advanced networks to improve primary care and prevent health care complications to Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes mellitus who are residents of medically underserved rural or inner-city areas. Provides funding. Subtitle D: Anti-Fraud and Abuse Provisions - Revises requirements for mandatory exclusion of certain individuals and entities from participating in Medicare and State health programs. Mandates an ten-year exclusion of any individual for a second health care related conviction, and permanent exclusion for a third health care related conviction. (Sec. 10302) Authorizes the Secretary to refuse to enter into Medicare agreements with individuals or entities convicted of felonies for offenses determined inconsistent with the best interests of program beneficiaries. (Sec. 10303) Requires the annual explanation of Medicare benefits provided to Medicare beneficiaries to include a toll-free telephone number to report Medicare waste, fraud, and abuse. (Sec. 10304) Makes Medicare carriers and fiscal intermediaries liable for reimbursing the Secretary for amounts paid to excluded providers. Makes State agencies liable for reimbursing the Secretary for amounts paid to excluded providers under the Medicaid program. (Sec. 10305) Authorizes the Secretary to exclude from the Medicare program any entity with respect to which a sanctioned person with an ownership or control interest in it transfers such interest in anticipation of (or following) a conviction, assessment, or exclusion against the person, to an immediate family member or member of the household who continues to maintain such an interest. (Sec. 10306) Provides for the imposition of civil monetary penalties for: (1) any person who arranges or contracts with an individual or entity that the person knows or should know is excluded from participation in a Federal health care program; and (2) any person that presents or causes to be presented to any State or Federal agency a claim for a medical or other item or service ordered or prescribed by an excluded person and the person furnishing such item or service knows or should have known of such exclusion. (Sec. 10307) Outlines various specified requirements regarding disclosure of information, surety bonds, and advisory opinions regarding certain physician self-referral provisions. Includes surety bond requirements for home health agencies, and provides for the application of disclosure and surety bond requirements to ambulance services and certain clinics. Applies surety bond requirements to comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facilities (CORF's) and to rehabilitation agencies. (Sec. 10308) Requires any participating entity to disclose to the Secretary its own employer identification numbers and social security account numbers, as well as those of persons with ownership or control interests and subcontractors in which the entity has a five percent or greater interest. Directs the Secretary to report to the Congress on the steps taken to assure the confidentiality of such social security account numbers. (Sec. 10309) Amends SSA title XVIII to direct the Secretary to issue written, binding advisory opinions concerning whether a referral relating to designated health services (other than clinical laboratory services) is prohibited. Subtitle E: Prospective Payment Systems - Chapter 1: Payment Under Part A - Establishes a prospective payment system (PPS) under Medicare for skilled nursing facility (SNF) services and for inpatient rehabilitation hospital services. Provides for consolidated billing of covered SNF services. Requires payment to a SNF of claims for all Medicare part B SNF items and services, identified by code under a uniform coding system specified by the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to establish a thorough medical review process to examine the effects of this Act on the quality of covered SNF services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries. Chapter 2: Payment Under Part B - Eliminates formula-driven overpayments for certain outpatient hospital services. (Sec. 10412) Extends the current reductions in payments for capital-related and other costs of hospital outpatient services. (Sec. 10413) Directs the Secretary to establish a PPS for hospital outpatient department services. (Sec. 10421) Establishes payment rates for outpatient therapy services, with certain co-payments imposed for services furnished after 1998. (Sec. 10422) Provides for: (1) payment of CORF services based on fee schedule amounts; (2) certain interim reductions in payments for ambulance services; and (3) establishment of a prospective fee schedule by the Secretary for payment of such services. (Sec. 10431) Provides that in promulgating regulations to carry out certain provisions with respect to the coverage of ambulance service, the Secretary may include coverage of advanced life support services provided by a paramedic intercept service provider (ALS intercept services) in a rural area if specified conditions are met. (Sec. 10432) Sets out the framework for demonstration projects for coverage of ambulance services under Medicare through contracts with counties or parishes. Chapter 3: Payment Under Parts A and B - Directs the Secretary to establish a PPS for home health services. Eliminates periodic interim payments for home health agencies. Subtitle F: Provisions Relating to Part A - Chapter 1: Payment of PPS Hospitals - Revises requirements for PPS hospital payment updates and capital payments for PPS hospitals. (Sec. 10503) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for a freeze in DSH payment adjustments for Medicare-dependent, small rural hospitals for FY 1998 and 1999. Directs the Secretary to propose to specified congressional committees a modification of the current qualifying criteria and payment methodology under which DSH's are paid. (Sec. 10504) Amends SSA title XVIII to modify requirements for the valuation of capital assets of a hospital or SNF after a change of ownership. Extends their applicability to the capital assets of service providers, instead of just hospitals or SNF's. (Sec. 10505) Revises requirements for payments to hospitals for inpatient hospital services to: (1) eliminate indirect medical education and DSH payments attributable to outlier payments; (2) provide for a reduction in adjustment for indirect medical education; (3) provide for the treatment of certain transfer cases; and (4) increase the base payment rate for Puerto Rico hospitals. Chapter 2: Payment of PPS Exempt Hospitals - Revises requirements for the payment of PPS exempt hospitals, including those for: (1) payment updates; (2) capital payments; (3) bonus and relief payments; (4) payment and target amount for new providers; (5) rebasing; and (6) treatment of certain long-term care hospitals. (Sec. 10518) Amends SSA title XVIII to eliminate any exemptions from the method for determining the amount of payment to a hospital where events beyond the hospital's control or extraordinary circumstances create a distortion in the increase in costs for a reporting period. Directs the Secretary to publish annually in the Federal Register a report on the total amount of payments to hospitals by reason of any exceptions or adjustments made to the method described above for cost reporting periods ending during the previous fiscal year. Chapter 3: Provisions Related to Hospice Services - Provides for a reduced payment update for hospice services for FY 1998 through 2002. Directs the Secretary to provide for the collection of hospice care program data with respect to the costs of care provided starting in FY 1999. Bases payment for home hospice care on the location where care is furnished. Revises the home hospice care benefit period. Provides for home hospice care coverage of any other items and services specified in a plan. Allows waiver of certain staffing requirements for hospice care programs in non-urbanized areas. Chapter 4: Modification of Part A Home Health Benefit - Provides for modification of the Medicare part A home health benefit for individuals enrolled under Medicare part B to include, for 1998 through 2002, home health services subject to a specified transition reduction and, afterwards, a new post-institutional home health services component for up to 100 visits during a home health spell of illness. Chapter 5: Other Payment Provisions - Requires reductions in Medicare payments for enrollee bad debt. (Sec. 10542) Repeals the termination date to make a permanent extension of the hemophilia passthrough. (Sec. 10543) Eliminates the Medicare part A premium for certain public retirees. Subtitle G: Provisions Relating to Part B Only - Chapter 1: Physicians' Services - Revises requirements for the payment of physicians' services, with changes: (1) establishing a single conversion factor for 1998; (2) adding new update provisions; (3) replacing the volume performance standard with sustainable growth rate; (4) adding payment rules for anesthesia services; and (5) phasing-in implementation of resource-based physician practice expense relative value units. (Sec. 10606) Directs the Secretary, for 1999 and 2001, to determine for each hospital: (1) the hospital-specific per discharge relative value according to prescribed guidelines (with a special rule for teaching hospitals); and (2) whether the hospital-specific relative value is projected to be excessive. Requires the Secretary to notify the medical executive committee of each hospital identified as having an excessive hospital-specific relative value of the determinations made with respect to the medical staff. (Sec. 10607) Provides that no x-ray is required for chiropractic services. (Sec. 10608) Provides that effective for electrocardiogram tests furnished during 1998, the Secretary shall restore separate payment under Medicare part B for the transportation of electrocardiogram equipment (HCPCS code R0076) based upon the status code and relative value units established for such service as of December 31, 1996. Directs the Secretary to determine, taking into account the study of coverage of portable electrocardiogram transportation conducted by the Comptroller General and other relevant information, whether coverage of portable electrocardiogram transportation should be provided under Medicare part B. Chapter 2: Other Payment Provisions - Provides for a reduction in DME payment amounts and for a payment freeze for parenteral and enteral nutrients, supplies, and equipment. Revises payment rates for oxygen and oxygen equipment, clinical diagnostic laboratory tests, ambulatory surgical services, and drugs and biologicals. (Sec. 10614) Directs the Secretary to divide the United States into up to five regions, and designate a single carrier for each region, for the payment of Medicare part B claims for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests. Requires the Secretary to adopt uniform policies for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests. (Sec. 10617) Provides for Medicare coverage of oral drugs prescribed for use as an acute anti-emetic used as part of an anticancer chemotherapeutic regimen under certain conditions. Sets forth special rules for the payment of such drugs. (Sec. 10618) Revises certain requirements with regard to rural health clinic services, including per-visit payment limits for provider-based clinics, assurance of quality services, and certain staffing and shortage area requirements. (Sec. 10619) Provides for increased Medicare reimbursement for nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and physician assistants. Repeals certain restrictions on settings applicable to them. (Sec. 10621) Directs the Secretary to: (1) audit a sample of cost reports of renal dialysis providers for 1995 and for each third year thereafter; and (2) develop and implement a method to measure and report quality of renal dialysis services provided under Medicare in order to reduce payments for inappropriate or low quality care. Chapter 3: Part B Premium - Revises the formula for the monthly Medicare part B premium rate the Secretary promulgates each September for the following calendar year. Requires such rate to equal 50 percent of the monthly actuarial rate for enrollees age 65 and over. Subtitle H: Provisions Relating to Parts A and B - Chapter 1: Provisions Relating to Medicare Secondary Payer - Revises requirements for Medicare as secondary payer. Permits recovery against third party administrators of primary plans. Extends the claims filing period for employer group health plans. Limits beneficiary liability for items and services for which Medicare benefits are incorrectly paid. Chapter 2: Home Health Services - Provides that, in establishing payment limits for cost reporting periods beginning after September 30, 1997, the Secretary shall not take into account any changes in the home health market basket with respect to cost reporting periods which began on or after July 1, 1994, and before July 1, 1996. (Sec. 10712) Revises requirements for interim payments for home health services. Directs the Secretary to expand research on a PPS for home health agencies under the Medicare program that ties prospective payments to a unit of service. (Sec. 10714) Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on the criteria that should be applied in determining whether an individual is homebound for purposes of qualifying for Medicare home health services. (Sec. 10715) Bases the payment for home health services on the location where the service is furnished. (Sec. 10716) Provides for the denial of home health claims based on home health services the frequency and duration of which are in excess of normative guidelines established by the Secretary. (Sec. 10717) Provides that no home health benefits are based solely on drawing blood. Chapter 3: Baby Boom Generation Medicare Commission - Establishes the Bipartisan Commission on the Effect of the Baby Boom Generation on the Medicare Program to: (1) examine the financial impact on the Medicare program of the significant increase in the number of Medicare-eligible individuals which will occur beginning approximately during 2010 and lasting for approximately 25 years; and (2) make specific recommendations to the Congress respecting a comprehensive approach to preserve the Medicare program for the period during which such individuals are eligible for Medicare. Requires the Commission also to study the feasibility and desirability of establishing: (1) an independent commission on Medicare to make recommendations annually on how best to match the structure of the Medicare program to available funding for the program; (2) an expedited process for congressional consideration of such recommendations; and (3) a default mechanism to enforce congressional spending targets for the program if the Congress fails to approve such recommendations. Directs the Commission to report to the Congress its findings and recommendations regarding how to protect and preserve the Medicare program in a financially solvent manner until 2030 (or, if later, throughout the period of projected solvency of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund). Requires the report to include detailed recommendations for appropriate legislative initiatives on how to accomplish this objective. Authorizes appropriations. Chapter 4: Provisions Relating to Direct Graduate Medical Education - Sets out provisions relating to direct graduate medical education, including: (1) placing a limitation on the number of residents for cost reporting periods beginning after FY 1998; (2) phasing-in a limitation on hospital overhead and supervisory physician component of direct medical education costs; (3) permitting payment to non-hospital providers; and (4) providing incentive payments under plans for voluntary reduction in the number of residents. (Sec. 10735) Directs the Secretary to establish a demonstration project under which the Secretary shall make payments to specified qualifying consortia instead of teaching hospitals. (Sec. 10736) Requires the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission to examine and develop recommendations for the Congress on whether and to what extent Medicare payment policies and other Federal policies regarding teaching hospitals and graduate medical education should be reformed. (Sec. 10737) Provides a special Medicare reimbursement rule for certain combined residency programs. Chapter 5: Other Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII to direct the Secretary to use a competitive process to contract with specific hospitals or other entities meeting certain quality standards (centers for excellence) for furnishing services related to surgical procedures as well as other services (unrelated to surgical procedures) to hospital inpatients. (Sec. 10742) Establishes a Medicare part B and Medigap special enrollment period for certain military retirees and dependents during which they may enroll without being subject to a Medicare part B late enrollment penalty. (Sec. 10743) Establishes a Medicare part B special late penalty- free enrollment period for certain disabled workers whose continuous enrollment under a group health plan is involuntarily terminated. (Sec. 10744) Requires that any advance directive is placed in a prominent part of an individual's current medical record. Subtitle I: Medical Liability Reform - Chapter 1: General Provisions - Sets forth definitions, limitations, preemption mandates, and specified exclusions relating to health care liability actions brought in any State or Federal court. Chapter 2: Uniform Standards for Health Care Liability Actions - Establishes certain uniform standards for such health care liability actions that include: (1) a general statute of limitations of two years after the date on which the claimant discovered or should have discovered the alleged injury that is the subject of the action; (2) a $250,000 limitation on noneconomic damages; and (3) standards for the awarding of punitive damages (clear and convincing evidence of specific intent to cause harm or conscious, flagrant indifference to the rights and safety of others). (Sec. 10813) Declares that any alternative dispute resolution system (ADR) used to resolve a health care liability action or claim shall contain provisions relating to such statute of limitations, non- economic damages, punitive damages, and other specified matters which are identical to the relevant provisions of this subtitle.

To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 551 Kingstown Road in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, as the "David B. Champagne Post Office Building".

United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1997

Designates the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 551 Kingstown Road in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, as the David B. Champagne Post Office Building.

Balanced Budget Act of 1997

United States · United States Congress · 20 June 1997

TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Title II: Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Subtitle A: Mortgage Assignment and Annual Adjustment Factors Subtitle B: Multifamily Housing Reform Title III: Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation Subtitle A: Spectrum Auctions and License Fees Subtitle B: Merchant Marine Provisions Title IV: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Title V: Committee on Finance Division 1: Medicare Subtitle A: Medicare Choice Program Subtitle B: Prevention Initiatives Subtitle C: Rural Initiatives Subtitle D: Anti-Fraud and Abuse Provisions and Improvements in Protecting Program Integrity Subtitle E: Prospective Payment Systems Subtitle F: Provisions Relating to Part A Subtitle G: Provisions Relating to Part B Only Subtitle H: Provisions Relating to Parts A and B Division 2: Medicaid and Childrens' Health Insurance Initiatives Subtitle I: Medicaid Subtitle J: Children's Health Insurance Initiatives Division 3: Income Security and Other Provisions Subtitle K: Income Security, Welfare-to-Work Grant Program, and Other Provisions Division 4: Earned Income Credit and Other Provisions Subtitle L: Earned Income Credit and Other Provisions Subtitle M: Welfare Reform Technical Corrections Title VI: Committee on Governmental Affairs Subtitle A: Civil Service and Postal Provisions Subtitle B: GSA Property Sales Title VII: Committee on Labor and Human Resources Title VIII: Committee on Veterans' Affairs Subtitle A: Extension of Temporary Authorities Subtitle B: Copayments and Medical Care Cost Recovery Subtitle C: Other Matters Title I: Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry - Amends the Food Stamp Act to permit State agencies to provide a specified hardship exemption from the food stamp program (program) work requirement for certain individuals. (Sec. 1002) Obligates specified additional funds for program employment and training programs. Sets forth State allocation and additional payment provisions. Title II: Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs - Subtitle A: Mortgage Assignment and Annual Adjustment Factors - Amends the Balanced Budget Downpayment Act, I to extend permanently certain foreclosure avoidance and borrower assistance provisions under the single family housing mortgage insurance program. (Sec. 2003) Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 with respect to the section 8 rental assistance program to make certain maximum monthly rent adjustment provisions for certain new and rehabilitated and nonturnover units applicable to FY 1999 and thereafter. Subtitle B: Multifamily Housing Reform - Multifamily Assisted Housing Reform and Affordability Act of 1997 - Part 1: FHA-Insured Multifamily Housing Mortgage and Housing Assistance Restructuring - Directs the Secretary (Secretary) of Housing and Urban Development to enter into agreements with participating administrative entities (with preference given to State housing finance agencies) to develop and implement mortgage restructuring and rental assistance plans for FHA-insured multifamily housing mortgages in order to: (1) reduce expiring section 8 contracts costs; (2) address troubled projects; and (3) correct management and ownership deficiencies. Includes two-tiered mortgage restructuring among plan incentives. Terminates program authority as of October 1, 2001. Part 2: Miscellaneous Provisions - Amends the National Housing Act to authorize the Secretary to make rehabilitation grants for certain insured projects. (Sec. 2203) Repeals specified Federal housing preference provisions under the United States Housing Act of 1937, the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act, the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965, the Low-Income Housing Preservation and Resident Homeownership Act of 1990, and the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992. Part 3: Enforcement Provisions - Directs the Secretary to issue implementing regulations. Subpart A: FHA Single Family and Multifamily Housing - Amends the National Housing Act to expand HUD authorities with respect to: (1) lender sanctions; (2) equity skimming; and (3) civil money penalties. Subpart B: FHA Multifamily Provisions - Amends the National Housing Act and the Housing Act of 1937 to expand multifamily housing-related civil money penalties. (Sec. 2322) Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 to extend the double damages remedy. Title III: Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation - Subtitle A: Spectrum Auctions and License Fees - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 (the Act) to revise provisions regarding competitive bidding for use of the electromagnetic spectrum to authorize the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to: (1) use auctions as a means to assign spectrum; and (2) grant licenses or construction permits for spectrum assignment by competitive bidding at a later date than currently required (by the end of FY 1998) if certain requirements are met and the bidding is conducted in time for assignment by the end of FY 2002. Makes competitive bidding authority inapplicable to licenses or construction permits issued for: (1) public safety services; (2) public telecommunications services when the license application is for channels reserved for noncommercial use; (3) spectrum and associated orbits used within global satellite systems; (4) new digital television (TV) service given to existing terrestrial broadcast licensees to replace current licenses; (5) terrestrial radio and TV broadcasting when the FCC determines that an alternative method of resolving mutually exclusive applications serves the public interest better than competitive bidding; or (6) spectrum allocated for specified unlicensed use if competitive bidding would interfere with operation of end-user products. Extends competitive bidding authority through FY 2007. Requires the FCC, by the end of 2001, to assign by competitive bidding 45 megahertz (mhz.) located at 1,710-1,755 mhz. for commercial use. Provides that Federal Government stations assigned to use such band shall retain use until the end of 2003 unless exempted from relocation. Directs the FCC, by the end of FY 2002, to permit the assignment by competitive bidding of licenses for the use of currently allocated bands of frequencies that: (1) in the aggregate span not less than 100 mhz.; (2) are located below ten gigahertz (ghz.), of which no less than 40 mhz. shall be located below three ghz.; and (3) have not been designated for assignment, identified by the Secretary of Commerce as reallocable frequencies pursuant to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act, or allocated for Federal Government use. Requires the FCC to: (1) report to the President and specified congressional committees on recommendations for reallocation through competitive bidding and plans for relocation of displaced users; and (2) attempt to accommodate displaced licensees by relocating them to other frequencies and notify the Secretary whenever unable to provide for effective relocation. Amends the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act to require the Secretary of Commerce to make specified recommendations, upon receiving a report from the FCC on inability to accommodate displaced licensees, for purposes of reassigning such licensees to frequencies allocated for Government use. Sets forth requirements regarding: (1) the reimbursement of Federal spectrum users for relocation costs; (2) petitions by persons seeking to relocate Federal stations; and (3) Federal rights to reclaim reallocated spectrum. Directs the Secretary to make available for reallocation from Federal frequencies 20 mhz. located below three ghz. (Sec. 3002) Amends the Act to prohibit, under competitive bidding provisions, the renewal of a license authorizing analog TV services beyond the end of 2006. Extends or waives this deadline for a station in any TV market unless 95 percent of the TV households have access to digital local TV signals. Provides that commercial digital TV licenses shall expire at the end of FY 2003. Directs the FCC to report biennially to the Congress on the status of digital TV conversion in each TV market. Sets forth requirements with respect to the resale of, and competitive bidding for, spectrum previously used for the broadcast of analog TV. Directs the FCC to report the total revenues from such bidding by January 1, 2002. Requires the FCC to encourage broadcasters to transmit programming in digital format in the 30 largest markets by November 1, 1999. (Sec. 3003) Directs the FCC, no later than January 1, 1998, to allocate from the electromagnetic spectrum between 746 and 806 mhz.: (1) 24 mhz. for public safety services; and (2) 36 mhz. for commercial purposes to be assigned by competitive bidding. (Sec. 3005) Requires the FCC, within six months after enactment of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, to: (1) implement a system of spectrum lease fees applicable to newly allocated frequency bands assigned to systems in private wireless service; (2) provide incentives for licensees to confine their radio communications to the area of operation actually required for that communication; and (3) permit FCC-certified private land mobile frequency advisory committees to assist in the computation, assessment, collection, and processing of amounts received under the system of spectrum lease fees. Provides for: (1) a formula to be used by private wireless licensees and committees to compute spectrum lease fees; and (2) lease fees based on the approximate value of the assigned frequencies to licensees (with a fee cap). Directs the FCC to allocate for use under its spectrum lease fee program not less than 12 mhz. of electromagnetic spectrum, previously unallocated to private wireless, located between 150 and 1000 mhz. on a nationwide basis. Establishes in the Treasury an account for the spectrum license fees generated under this Act. Subtitle B: Merchant Marine Provisions - Extends through FY 2002 the current tonnage duties imposed upon foreign vessels entering into U.S. ports. Title IV: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to authorize the Secretary of Energy to store foreign-owned petroleum products in underutilized Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) facilities, subject to the following conditions: (1) funds resulting from the leasing or other use of an SPR facility after October 1, 2002, shall be available to the Secretary, without further appropriation, for SPR petroleum product purchases; (2) such stored petroleum product is neither part of the SPR, nor subject to the contracting requirements governing petroleum product not owned by the United States; and (3) such product may be exported. Title V: Committee on Finance - Division 1: Medicare - Subtitle A: Medicare Choice Program - Chapter 1: Medicare Choice Program - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to establish a Medicare Choice program under which each Medicare Choice eligible individual (one entitled to benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) and enrolled under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance)) is entitled to elect, in accordance with certain procedures, to receive Medicare benefits either through the traditional Medicare fee-for-service program or through a Medicare Choice plan. (Sec. 5001) Outlines the types of Medicare Choice plans that may be available, including: (1) fee-for-service plans; (2) plans offered by preferred provider organizations; (3) point of service plans; (4) plans offered by provider-sponsored organizations; (5) plans offered by health maintenance organizations; and (6) a combination of MSA (Medicare Choice savings account) plan and contributions to Medicare Choice MSA. Sets forth various special rules regarding, among other things, residence, individuals with end-stage renal disease, and individuals covered under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program or eligible for veterans or military health benefits. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide for broad dissemination of coverage option and comparison information to Medicare beneficiaries and prospective Medicare beneficiaries. Directs the Secretary to maintain a toll-free number for inquiries about Medicare Choice options and program operation, as well as an Internet site through which individuals may obtain such information electronically. Requires any Medicare Choice organization to accept without restrictions individuals eligible to make an election at any time during which such elections are accepted. Requires the approval of Medicare Choice marketing material and application forms before they are distributed. Outlines benefits and beneficiary protections. Requires each Medicare Choice plan (except MSA plans) to provide those items and services for which benefits are available under Medicare parts A and B and specified additional benefits, as well, at its option, as certain supplemental benefits, subject to the Secretary's approval. Prohibits a Medicare Choice organization from denying, limiting, or conditioning coverage or benefits based on any described health status-related factor. Prescribes plan disclosure requirements and an ongoing quality assurance program. Outlines a mechanism for grievances and appeals. Directs the Secretary to make monthly advance payments with respect to an individual's coverage to Medicare Choice organizations according to a specified formula. Requires the Secretary to establish separate payment rates for individuals with end-stage renal disease. Directs the Secretary and the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission to each study and report to the Congress on appropriate measures for adjusting the annual Medicare Choice capitation rates to reflect local price indicators. Sets forth special rules for individuals electing MSA plans. Requires such an individual to establish a Medicare Choice MSA into which the Secretary shall make monthly deposits out of the Medicare trust funds in accordance with prescribed guidelines. Details rules for the submission and charging of premiums by each Medicare Choice organization. Sets limitations on enrollee cost-sharing for basic, additional, and supplemental benefits, except for MSA plans and unrestricted fee-for-service plans. Requires the Secretary to audit each year the financial records of at least third of the Medicare Choice organizations offering Medicare Choice plans. Prohibits a State from imposing a premium tax or similar tax with respect to payments on Medicare Choice plans or the offering of such plans. Sets out organizational and financial requirements for Medicare Choice organizations and provider-sponsored organizations. Directs the Secretary to establish solvency and capital adequacy standards for provider-sponsored organizations, and other standards for Medicare Choice organizations. Prescribes requirements, including minimum enrollment requirements, for contracts between the Secretary and Medicare Choice organizations. Provides for: (1) intermediate sanctions and civil monetary penalties to enforce contract provisions; and (2) procedures for termination of contracts. (Sec. 5002) Details transitional rules for the current Medicare health maintenance organization (HMO) program, as well as specified conforming changes in the Medicare supplemental health insurance policy (Medigap) program. (Sec. 5006) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to outline special rules for Medicare Choice MSAs. Excludes from gross income any payment by the Secretary to an individual's Medicare Choice MSA. Excludes from qualified deductible medical expenses any amounts paid for the medical care of any individual but the account holder. Prescribes a penalty for distributions from the Medicare Choice MSA not used for qualified medical expenses if the minimum balance is not maintained, with certain exceptions if the account holder becomes disabled or dies. Chapter 2: Integrated Long-Term Care Programs - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for programs of all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE programs) for individuals age 55 or older who require the level of care required under the State Medicaid plan for coverage of nursing facility services. Specifies benefit and payment requirements. Limits PACE provider eligibility to public and private non-profit entities; but requires the Secretary to waive such limitations to demonstrate the operation of a PACE program by a private, for-profit entity. (Sec. 5013) Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on the quality and cost of providing PACE program services under Medicare and Medicaid, specifically comparing the costs, quality, and access to services by private, for-profit entities under the demonstration projects with the costs, quality, and access to services of other PACE providers. (Sec. 5015) Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 to extend the authorities for the social health maintenance organization (SHMO) demonstration project. Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 to increase the cap on the number of individuals who may participate in a SHMO demonstration. Directs the Secretary to submit to the Congress a plan for the integration of SHMO health plans and similar plans as an option under the Medicare Choice program. (Sec. 5018) Extends for an additional two years certain Medicare community nursing organization demonstration projects under the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987. Chapter 3: Commissions - Establishes the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare to: (1) review and analyze the long-term financial condition of the Medicare program; (2) identify problems that threaten the financial integrity of the Medicare trust funds and make appropriate recommendations to restore such integrity through the year 2030; and (3) analyze potential solutions to the problems identified that will ensure both the financial integrity of Medicare and the provision of appropriate benefits under such program, including the extent to which current Medicare update indexes do not accurately reflect inflation. Requires the Commission to make recommendations: (1) to restore the solvency of the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund and the financial integrity of the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund through the year 2030; and (2) to establish the appropriate financial structure of the Medicare program as a whole and the appropriate balance of benefits covered and beneficiary contributions. Requires recommendations on: (1) the financing of graduate medical education; (2) the feasibility of allowing individuals between age 62 and the Medicare eligibility age to buy into the Medicare program; and (3) the impact of chronic disease and disability trends on future costs and quality of services under the current benefit, financing, and delivery system structure of the Medicare program. Requires a report to the President and the Congress. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 5022) Establishes the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission to replace the Prospective Payment Assessment Commission and the Physician Payment Review Commission, hereby abolished. Requires the new Commission to review and make recommendations to the Congress about payment policies under Medicare (including certain specific payment-related topics). Authorizes appropriations. Chapter 4: Medigap Protections - Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to the issuer of a Medicare supplemental (Medigap) policy in the case of certain individuals terminated by an employee welfare benefit plan providing supplementary health benefits who seek to enroll under a Medigap policy not later than 63 days after termination or disenrollment. Prohibits the Medigap issuer from: (1) denying or conditioning the issuance or effectiveness of such a policy; (2) discriminating in the pricing of such policy because of health status, claims experience, receipt of health care, or medical condition; or (3) imposing an exclusion of benefits based on a pre-existing condition. (Sec. 5031) Specifies limitations on the imposition of preexisting condition exclusions during the initial open enrollment period in the case of a Medicare supplemental policy issued to an individual who is age 65 or older with a certain minimum period of creditable coverage. Provides for extending the six-month initial enrollment period under the Medicare supplemental policy program to non-elderly Medicare beneficiaries. (Sec. 5032) Creates under the Medicare supplemental policy program a high deductible feature which requires the policy beneficiary to pay annual out-of-pocket expenses (other than premiums) of $1,500 before the policy begins payment of benefits. Chapter 5: Demonstrations - Directs the Secretary to conduct demonstration projects in ten urban areas where less than 25 percent of the Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled with an eligible HMO, as well as three rural areas, which are to be treated as Medicare Choice payment areas. Requires such projects to: (1) apply a pricing methodology for payments to Medicare Choice organizations using a specified competitive market approach; (2) apply a benefit structure and beneficiary premium structure specified in this chapter; and (3) evaluate the effects of the methodology and structures on Medicare fee-for-service spending under Medicare parts A and B in the project area. Requires the Secretary to report on the project to the President, and the President to report to the Congress any legislative recommendations for extending the project to the entire Medicare population. (Sec. 5042) Provides that, in the case of a Medicare Choice payment area in which such a project is being conducted, the annual Medicare Choice capitation rate shall be the standardized payment amount determined according to prescribed guidelines rather than the amount determined under the Medicare Choice program. Establishes within HHS the Office of Competition to administer Medicare Choice competitive pricing demonstrations. (Sec. 5043) Outlines benefits and beneficiary premiums under Medicare Choice competitive pricing demonstrations, which include, respectively, those items and services traditionally covered under Medicare plus prescription drugs as well as any optional supplemental benefits the demonstration plan offers, and certain cost-sharing obligations. (Sec. 5045) Directs the Secretary to implement a time-limited demonstration project for the purpose of evaluating the use of a third-party contractor to conduct the Medicare Choice plan enrollment and disenrollment functions in an area. (Sec. 5046) Directs the Secretary to conduct demonstration projects in a certain number of rural and urban areas for the purpose of evaluating methods, such as case management and other models of coordinated care, that improve the quality of items and services provided to target individuals, and reduce Medicare expenditures for such items and services. Defines target individual as an individual with a chronic illness who is enrolled under the Medicare parts A and B fee-for-service program. Provides for project funding. (Sec. 5047) Authorizes the HHS Secretary and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a demonstration project under which the HHS Secretary shall reimburse the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from the Medicare trust funds for Medicare health care services furnished to certain targeted Medicare-eligible veterans. Directs the Secretaries to try to include in the demonstration at least one medical center that is in the same catchment area as a closed military medical facility. Authorizes the HHS Secretary and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a similar demonstration (subvention) project under which the HHS Secretary shall reimburse the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from the Medicare trust funds for Medicare health care services furnished to certain targeted Medicare-eligible military retirees or dependents. Directs the Secretary of Defense to waive the enrollment fee for any Medicare-eligible military retiree or dependent enrolled in the managed care option of the TRICARE program for any period for which reimbursement is made under such a demonstration project with respect to such retiree or dependent. Chapter 6: Tax Treatment of Hospitals Participating in Provider-Sponsored Organizations - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that an organization shall not fail to be treated as a tax-exempt charitable organization solely because a hospital which it owns and operates also participates in a provider-sponsored organization, whether or not the provider-sponsored organization is exempt from tax. Provides that for any person with a material financial interest in such a provider-sponsored organization shall be treated as a private shareholder or individual with respect to the hospital. Subtitle B: Prevention Initiatives - Outlines various specified new preventive health measures covered under Medicare, namely coverage for: (1) annual screening mammography for women over age 39, while providing for the waiver of coinsurance for screening mammography; (2) colorectal cancer screening tests, subject to prescribed frequency and payment limits; (3) diabetes outpatient self-management training services, including blood-testing strips (with a ten percent payment reduction after 1997) and glucose monitors as durable medical equipment (DME) for individuals with diabetes; and (4) bone mass measurements for qualified individuals. (Sec. 5103) Directs the Secretary to establish outcome measures, including glysolated hemoglobin (past 90-day average blood sugar levels), for the purpose of evaluating the improvement of health status of Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes mellitus, with a view to recommending coverage modifications. Subtitle C: Rural Initiatives - Revises the formula for payments to sole community hospitals, in order to increase a hospital's target amount, by replacing the base cost reporting period with: (1) a hospital's cost reporting period for FY 1997; and (2) allowable operating costs of inpatient hospital services for subsequent fiscal years. Extends the target amount for Medicare- dependent, small rural hospitals. (Sec. 5153) Replaces the Essential Access Community Hospital Program with an optional Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program under which participating States shall develop at least one rural health network in the State and at least one facility that shall be designated as a critical access hospital in accordance with prescribed guidelines. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to States: (1) for the planning and implementation of the program; and (2) for establishment or expansion of rural emergency medical services. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration to report to the Congress on the feasibility of, and administrative requirements necessary to establish, an alternative for certain medical diagnoses to the current 96-hour limitation for inpatient care in critical access hospitals. (Sec. 5154) Amends SSA title XVIII to prohibit denial, on the basis of wage comparisons, of a rural referral center's request for reclassification. Provides that any hospital classified as a rural referral center for FY 1991 shall be classified as such for FY 1998 and each subsequent fiscal year. (Sec. 5155) Amends requirements for rural health clinic services with respect to: (1) per-visit payment limits for provider-based clinics; (2) mandatory quality assessment and performance improvement programs; (3) limitation of waivers of certain staffing requirements to clinics participating in the rural health clinic program; (4) the insufficiency of needed health care practitioners in shortage areas; and (5) regulations providing for payment for certain physician assistant services. (Sec. 5156) Directs the Secretary to make payments from the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund under Medicare part B in accordance with a specified payment methodology for professional consultation via telecommunications systems with a health care provider furnishing a service for which payment may be made to a Medicare beneficiary residing in a rural health professional shortage area, notwithstanding that the individual health care provider providing the professional consultation is not at the same location as the health care provider furnishing the service to that beneficiary. Directs the Secretary to report to the Congress: (1) a detailed analysis of telemedicine and telehealth (T&T) services; and (2) an examination of the possibility of making similar payments for professional consultation via telecommunications systems to Medicare beneficiaries who do not reside in a rural health professional shortage area, are homebound or nursing homebound, and for whom being transferred for health care services imposes a serious hardship. (Sec. 5157) Directs the Secretary to conduct a demonstration project to study the use of eligible health care provider telemedicine networks to implement high-capacity computing and advanced networks to improve primary care and prevent health care complications, improve access to specialty care, and provide educational and training support to rural practitioners. Provides limited funding. Subtitle D: Anti-Fraud and Abuse Provisions and Improvements in Protecting Program Integrity - Chapter 1: Revisions to Sanctions for Fraud and Abuse - Authorizes the Secretary to refuse to enter into Medicare agreements with individuals or entities convicted of felonies for offenses determined inconsistent with the best interests of program beneficiaries. (Sec. 5202) Authorizes the Secretary to exclude from the Medicare program any entity with respect to which a sanctioned person with an ownership or control interest in it transfers such interest in anticipation of (or following) a conviction, assessment, or exclusion against the person, to an immediate family member or member of the household who continues to maintain such an interest. (Sec. 5203) Provides for the imposition of civil monetary penalties for: (1) any person who arranges or contracts with an individual or entity that the person knows or should know is excluded from participation in a Federal health care program; (2) any person that presents or causes to be presented to any State or Federal agency a claim for a medical or other item or service ordered or prescribed by an excluded person and the person furnishing such item or service knows or should have known of such exclusion; and (3) kickbacks. Chapter 2: Improvements in Protecting Program Integrity - Outlines various specified requirements regarding disclosure of information, surety bonds, and accreditation with regard to DME suppliers. Includes surety bond requirements for home health agencies, and provides for the application of disclosure and surety bond requirements to ambulance services and certain clinics. Applies surety bond requirements to comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facilities (CORFs) and to rehabilitation agencies. (Sec. 5212) Requires any participating entity to disclose to the Secretary its own employer identification numbers and social security account numbers, as well as those of persons with ownership or control interests and subcontractors in which the entity has a five percent or greater interest. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on the steps taken to assure the confidentiality of such social security account numbers. (Sec. 5213) Amends SSA title XI part A (General Provisions) to provide that: (1) Medicare- and Medicaid-related actions against debtors are generally not stayed by bankruptcy proceedings; (2) certain Medicare- and Medicaid-related debts are not dischargeable in bankruptcy; and (3) the repayment of certain debts is considered final. (Sec. 5214) Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) replace the reasonable charge payment methodology with fee schedules developed by the Secretary for particular services; (2) provide for application of inherent reasonableness to charges for all Medicare part B services other than physicians' services; (3) require bills and requests for payment for services by non-physician practitioners to include diagnostic codes; (4) outline requirements to provide diagnostic information when ordering certain items or services furnished by another entity; (5) mandate establishment of competitive acquisition areas for contract award purposes for the furnishing under Medicare part B after 1997 of described items and services; and (6) prohibit payment under Medicare part A or part B for any expenses for an item or service furnished in a competitive acquisition area by an entity other than an entity with which the Secretary has contracted, except for urgent need, or in other circumstances specified by the Secretary. Chapter 3: Clarifications and Technical Changes - Makes technical amendments with respect to fraud and abuse. Subtitle E: Prospective Payment Systems - Chapter 1: Provisions Relating to Part A - Provides for a prospective payment system (PPS) under Medicare for inpatient rehabilitation hospital services. (Sec. 5302) Directs the Secretary to submit to the Congress a legislative proposal for establishing a case-mix adjusted PPS for long-term care hospitals. Chapter 2: Provisions Relating to Part B - Eliminates formula-driven overpayments for certain outpatient hospital services. (Sec. 5312) Extends the current reductions in payments for capital-related and other costs of hospital outpatient services. (Sec. 5313) Directs the Secretary to establish a PPS for hospital outpatient department services. (Sec. 5321) Provides for certain interim reductions in payments for ambulance services. Directs the Secretary to establish a prospective fee schedule for payment of such services. Provides that in promulgating regulations to carry out certain provisions with respect to the coverage of ambulance service, the Secretary may include coverage of advanced life support services provided by a paramedic intercept service provider (ALS intercept services) in a rural area if specified conditions are met. Chapter 3: Provisions Relating to Parts A and B - Declares that updates to per diem limits, with respect to payments to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), effective for FY 1998, shall be based on cost limits effective for FY 1997. (Sec. 5332) Mandates a PPS for SNF services along with consolidated billing for them. Directs the Secretary, in order to ensure that Medicare beneficiaries are furnished appropriate SNF services, to establish a thorough medical review process to examine the provisions of this chapter and their effect on the quality of covered SNF services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries. (Sec. 5341) Provides that, in establishing payment limits for cost reporting periods beginning after September 30, 1997, the Secretary shall not take into account any changes in the home health market basket with respect to cost reporting periods which began on or after July 1, 1994, and before July 1, 1996. (Sec. 5342) Revises requirements for interim payments for home health services. Directs the Secretary to expand research on a PPS for home health agencies under the Medicare program that ties prospective payments to a unit of service. (Sec. 5343) Directs the Secretary to establish a PPS for home health services for cost reporting periods beginning in FY 2000. (Sec. 5344) Bases the payment for home health services on the location where the service is furnished. (Sec. 5361) Provides for a modification of the Medicare part A home health benefit for individuals enrolled under Medicare part B. Provides for specified post-institutional home health services. (Sec. 5362) Imposes a $5 co-payment for Medicare part B home health services. (Sec. 5364) Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on the criteria that should be applied in determining whether an individual is homebound for purposes of qualifying for Medicare home health services. (Sec. 5365) Provides for the denial of home health claims based on home health services the frequency and duration of which are in excess of normative guidelines established by the Secretary. (Sec. 5366) Requires each explanation of Medicare part B benefits provided in conjunction with the payment of claims to include the total cost of home health services for which the agency or provider billed. Subtitle F: Provisions Relating to Part A - Chapter 1: Payment of PPS Hospitals - Revises requirements for PPS hospital payment updates and capital payments for PPS hospitals. Chapter 2: Payment of PPS Exempt Hospitals - Revises requirements for the payment of PPS exempt hospitals, including those for: (1) payment updates; (2) capital payments; (3) bonus and relief payments; (4) target amounts for rehabilitation hospitals, long-term care hospitals, and psychiatric hospitals; (5) treatment of certain long-term care hospitals located within other hospitals; and (6) certain cancer hospitals. (Sec. 5427) Amends SSA title XVIII to eliminate any exemptions from the method for determining the amount of payment to a hospital where events beyond the hospital's control or extraordinary circumstances create a distortion in the increase in costs for a reporting period. Directs the Secretary to publish annually in the Federal Register a report on the total amount of payments to hospitals by reason of any exceptions or adjustments made to the method described above for cost reporting periods ending during the previous fiscal year. Chapter 3: Graduate Medical Education Payments - Revises requirements for direct and indirect Medicare payments for graduate medical education (GME). Limits the number of residents in allopathic and osteopathic medicine. Permits payment to qualified nonhospital providers for direct GME costs. Prohibits restandardization of certain indirect GME payment amounts. Requires the Secretary to provide for direct and indirect GME payments to hospitals for managed care enrollees. (Sec. 5452) Directs the Secretary to establish a demonstration project for making direct GME payments to qualifying consortia instead of teaching hospitals. Chapter 4: Other Hospital Payments - Directs the Secretary to make additional payments (including disproportionate share payments (DSH)) to hospitals for managed care and Medicare Choice enrollees. Revises requirements for DSH payments to hospitals serving vulnerable populations. Eliminates indirect GME and DSH payments attributable to outlier payments. Requires reductions in payments for enrollee bad debt. Increases the base payment rate to Puerto Rico hospitals. Repeals the termination date to make a permanent extension of the hemophilia passthrough. Authorizes Medicare and Medicaid coverage of inpatient hospital and post-hospital extended care services in religious nonmedical health care institutions (currently limited to Christian Science sanatoria). Chapter 5: Payments for Hospice Services - Bases payment for home hospice care on the location where care is furnished. Revises the home hospice care benefit period. Provides for home hospice care coverage of any other items and services specified in a plan. Allows waiver of certain staffing requirements for hospice care programs in non-urbanized areas. Subtitle G: Provisions Relating to Part B Only - Chapter 1: Payments for Physicians and Other Health Care Providers - Revises requirements for the payment of physicians' services, with changes: (1) establishing a single conversion factor for 1998; (2) adding new update provisions; (3) replacing the volume performance standard with sustainable growth rate; (4) adding payment rules for anesthesia services; (5) providing for adjustments in relative value units for 1998; and (6) increasing Medicare reimbursement for nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and physician assistants. (Sec. 5505) Directs the Comptroller General to review and evaluate the proposed rule on resource-based methodology for practice expenses issued by the Health Care Financing Administration. (Sec. 5508) Directs the Secretary to conduct certain chiropractic services coverage demonstration projects. Chapter 2: Other Payment Provisions - Requires a specified reduction in updates to payment amounts for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests, while lowering the cap on payment amounts. Directs the Secretary to request the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences to study Medicare part B payments for clinical laboratory services for a report to the appropriate congressional committees. (Sec. 5522) Directs the Secretary to divide the United States into up to five regions, and designate a single carrier for each region, for the payment of Medicare part B claims for clinical diagnostic laboratory services. Requires the Secretary to adopt uniform policies for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests. (Sec. 5523) Provides for a reduction in payment amounts for items of DME. Revises requirements for payment for oxygen and oxygen equipment, ambulatory surgical services, and drugs and biologicals. Provides for a reduction in the increase for parenteral and enteral nutrients, supplies, and equipment. Directs the Secretary to establish service standards and accreditation requirements for persons seeking Medicare part B payment for the providing of oxygen and oxygen equipment to beneficiaries within their homes. Details certain studies, demonstration projects, and congressional reporting relating to access to home oxygen equipment. Chapter 3: Part B Premium and Related Provisions - Revises the formula for the monthly Medicare part B premium rate the Secretary promulgates each September for the following calendar year. Requires such rate to equal 50 percent of the monthly actuarial rate for enrollees age 65 and over for that succeeding calendar year. (Sec. 5542) Specifies a formula for a mandatory annual income-related increases in the Medicare part B deductible. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury, upon the HHS Secretary's request, to disclose to Health Care Financing Administration officers and employees certain income tax return information about a taxpayer required to pay a monthly Medicare part B premium. Subtitle H: Provisions Relating to Parts A and B - Chapter 1: Secondary Payor Provisions - Revises requirements for Medicare as secondary payor. Permits recovery against third party administrators of primary plans. Extends the claims filing period for employer group health plans. Chapter 2: Other Provisions - Amends SSA title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) to conform the age for eligibility under Medicare to the retirement age for OASDI benefits. (Sec. 5612) Provides for an increased certification period for certain organ procurement organizations. Division 2: Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Initiatives - Subtitle I: Medicaid - Chapter 1: Medicaid Savings - Amends SSA title XIX to establish a new part B (Managed Care) giving States the option to require Medicaid-eligible, non-special needs individuals to enroll in managed care arrangements of the individual's choice as a condition of receiving Medicaid. Prescribes requirements for: (1) referral to specialty care; (2) treatment of children with special health care needs; (3) access to emergency care; (4) annual external independent review of managed care entity activities and other specified quality care assurance measures; (5) fraud and abuse prohibitions and protections; and (6) enforcement sanctions. (Sec. 5701) Directs the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on the effect of managed care entities on the delivery of and payment for the services traditionally provided through certain providers. Directs the Secretary and the Comptroller General to report annually to specified congressional committees on rates paid for hospital services under managed care entities. Directs the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences to analyze the quality assurance programs and accreditation standards applicable to managed care entities operating in the private sector or under Medicare contracts to determine if such programs and standards consider the accessibility and quality of the health care items and services delivered under such contracts to low-income individuals. (Sec. 5702) Amends SSA title XIX to grant States the option of providing Medicaid coverage of primary care case management services without the need for a waiver. (Sec. 5703) Repeals the (75-25) requirement that Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries under SSA titles XVIII and XIX, respectively, constitute less than 75 percent of the membership of a participating HMO. Repeals the prohibition on co-payments for services furnished by HMOs. (Sec. 5711) Repeals "Boren Amendment" provider reimbursement requirements. Requires the Secretary to study and report to the appropriate congressional committees on the effect on access to services, service quality, and service safety of the rate-setting methods used by States as a result of such repeal. (Sec. 5712) Revises requirements for Medicaid payment rates for qualified Medicare beneficiaries, placing a limitation on nonparticipating providers. (Sec. 5713) Provides that a State shall not be deemed out of compliance with certain such requirements because the State contracts, on a capital or other negotiated basis, with selected health care plans, individual health care providers, managed care entities, or other entities for the provision or arrangement of medical assistance, for case management services, or for coordination of medical assistance provided under the State Medicaid plan. (Thus eliminates the requirement of a waiver.) (Sec. 5721) Revises specified limitations of Federal payments for inpatient hospital services furnished by disproportionate share hospitals (DSH), including limitations on certain State DSH expenditures to institutions for mental diseases or other mental health facilities. Chapter 2: Expansion of Medicaid Eligibility - Grants States the option to: (1) permit workers with disabilities to buy into Medicaid; and (2) provide for 12-month continuous Medicaid eligibility for children. Chapter 3: Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) - Authorizes a State to establish a program of all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE) for individuals who need not be eligible for Medicare part A benefits, or enrolled under Medicare part B. Requires the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on the quality and cost of providing PACE program services under the Medicare and Medicaid programs, specifically comparing costs, quality, and access to services by private, for-profit entities operating under demonstration project waivers with those of other PACE providers. Chapter 4: Medicaid Management and Program Reforms - Repeals: (1) the requirement that a State pay for private insurance; (2) obstetrical and pediatric payment rate and various other specified requirements; and (3) certain physician qualification requirements. Authorizes a State to impose cost-sharing for any Medicaid provided to certain individuals. (Sec. 5755) Revises a specified penalty for fraudulent eligibility. (Sec. 5756) Prohibits the expenditure of Medicaid funds for roads, bridges, stadiums, and other items and services not covered by a State plan. Conditions issuance or renewal of a DME supplier provider number on the supplier's provision of a surety bond and disclosure of all persons with ownership or control interests in the supplier, and of all subcontractors in which the supplier has a five percent or greater interest. Requires home health agencies to provide a surety bond. Revises conflict-of-interest safeguards. Declares that States are not required to provide medical assistance for items or services furnished by a person or entity convicted of a felony for an offense inconsistent with the best interests of beneficiaries under the State plan. Requires State action for program and beneficiary protection against waste, fraud, and abuse. Directs the Administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration to: (1) develop mechanisms to better monitor and prevent inappropriate Medicaid payments in the case of individuals who are dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare benefits; (2) study the use of case management or care coordination in order to improve the appropriateness, quality, and cost effectiveness of care for dually- eligible individuals; and (3) work with the States to ensure better care coordination for dual eligibles. (Sec. 5757) Requires the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on: (1) early and periodic screening, diagnostic, and treatment benefits; and (2) the effectiveness of managed care entities in meeting the needs of Medicaid enrollees with special health care needs. Chapter 5: Miscellaneous - Provides for: (1) increased Federal medical assistance percentages (FMAPs) for the District of Columbia and Alaska and increased payment caps for the territories; (2) coverage of community-based mental health services and optional coverage of certain Centers for Disease Control screened breast cancer patients; and (3) treatment of veterans pensions. (Sec. 5765) Revises the treatment as broad-based health care related taxes of certain State hospital taxes which currently are not subtracted as revenues from the State share of Medicaid expenditures for purposes of calculating the Federal share of such expenditures. Declares that an exemption from such State hospital tax for certain Federal-tax-exempt hospitals that do not accept Medicaid or Medicare payments (provide free care) shall not disqualify the hospital tax as a broad-based health care related tax (thus allowing continued exclusion of such State hospital tax from the requirement that provider-specific taxes be subtracted from the State share of Medicaid expenditures for purposes of Federal share calculation). Subtitle J: Children's Health Insurance Initiatives - Amends SSA to add a new title XXI (Child Health Insurance Initiatives) in order to provide funds to States to expand the provision of health insurance coverage to low-income children. Mandates coverage that is actuarially equivalent to the benefits required to be offered for a child under the Federal Employees' Health Benefits Program (FEHBP). Requires the use of funds to achieve such purpose through specified outreach activities and, at the State's option, through: (1) a grant program to subsidize employee contributions to a group health plan for health insurance coverage for a dependent low-income child, or to provide FEHBP-equivalent children's health insurance coverage for low- income children in the State; or (2) expansion of coverage of such children under the State Medicaid program who are not otherwise required to be provided medical assistance under Medicaid. Makes appropriations to carry out this title. Directs the Secretary to establish a basic allotment pool for distribution of funds to eligible States, with provision for bonus payments, including incentive bonuses. Prohibits their use for abortions except when necessary to save the life of the mother or if the pregnancy results from rape or incest. Exempts such a State program from the five-year limit on means-tested public benefits under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. Division 3: Income Security and Other Provisions - Subtitle K: Income Security, Welfare-to-Work Grant Program, and Other Provisions - Chapter 1: Income Security - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to make aliens eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) who, as of the date of enactment of such Act, were: (1) receiving such benefits; or (2) disabled and lawfully residing in the United States. Includes Cuban and Haitian entrants within the definition of "qualified alien" for purposes of welfare and public benefits. (Sec. 5812) Extends from five years to seven years the refugee and asylee eligibility period for SSI and Medicaid, and includes Cuban and Haitian entrants within such category. Provides a five-year food stamp eligibility period for such aliens. (Sec. 5813) Exempts from SSI eligibility limitations: (1) permanent resident aliens who are members of an Indian tribe; and (2) certain SSI recipients with pre-January 1, 1979 applications. (Sec. 5816) States that an alien who is ineligible for food stamps shall not be eligible for such program based upon SSI eligibility. Authorizes Medicaid eligibility based upon SSI eligibility. (Sec. 5817) Exempts legal aliens under the age of 19 from the five-year Medicaid limitation. Chapter 2: Welfare-to-Work Grant Program - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of SSA title IV to establish a program of welfare-to-work grants to States. (Sec. 5821) Sets forth requirements relating to State entitlement to non-competitive grants under such program and State distribution of such funds among local governments. Provides for competitive grants, based on program effectiveness and other factors, for State-approved projects proposed by local governments. Sets forth requirements for: (1) nondisplacement of other workers by participants in work activities under this program; (2) applicable health and safety standards; and (3) grievance procedures with respect to alleged violations of such nondisplacement and health and safety requirements. Provides for such grants to outlying areas and to Indian tribes. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) develop a plan to evaluate the use of such grants; and (2) submit interim and final reports to the Congress. (Sec. 5822) Authorizes State plans to: (1) consolidate and automate the administration of low-income benefit programs, including Medicaid; and (2) contract competitively for the administration of such programs. (Sec. 5823) Revises PRWORA with respect to a State's ability to sanction an individual receiving assistance under the TANF program for noncompliance. Chapter 3: Unemployment Compensation - Amends SSA title IX (Employment Security) with respect to unemployment compensation to increase the Federal Unemployment Account ceiling. (Sec. 5832) Provides for a special distribution to States from the Unemployment Trust Fund. (Sec. 5833) Revises provisions relating to State laws defining base periods for unemployment compensation. (Sec. 5834) Revises the Internal Revenue Code exclude from the definition of employment, for specified unemployment compensation purposes, any service performed by a prison inmate. Division 4: Earned Income Credit and Other Provisions - Subtitle L: Earned Income Credit and Other Provisions - Chapter 1: Earned Income Credit - Prohibits allowing the earned income credit for: (1) ten years, if the credit was found to have been fraudulently claimed; and (2) two years, if the credit was claimed with intentional or reckless disregard of the earned income credit rules. Chapter 2: Increase in Public Debt Limit - Increases the public debt limit. Chapter 3: Miscellaneous - Expresses the sense of the Senate that all cost-of-living adjustments required by statute should accurately reflect the best available estimate of changes in the cost of living. Subtitle M: Welfare Reform Technical Corrections - Welfare Reform Technical Corrections Act of 1997 - Chapter 1: Block Grants for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to make various specified technical as well as substantive amendments with regard to sundry (welfare reform) provisions added by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRAWORA). (Sec. 5902) Provides for a later deadline for submission of State TANF plans. (Sec. 5903) Revises the computation of bonus grants to States for a decrease in illegitimacy, requiring: (1) use of calendar year instead of fiscal year data; (2) use of the ratio of out-of-wedlock births to all births instead of the number of out-of-wedlock births; and (3) that certain territories be taken into account. Revises the formula for annual reconciliation of payments to States with specified maximums. Limits to non-needy States the requirement for annual State remission of excess funds to HHS. (Sec. 5905) Revises specified mandatory work requirements. States that a family with a disabled parent shall not treated as a two-parent family. Allows the minimum work requirement for a two-parent family to be shared between both parents, if it amounts to a total of at least 55 hours per week. Deems the caretaker relative of a child under age six to meet work requirements if he or she is engaged in work for 20 hours per week. Allows 12 weeks of job search to count as work in a needy State. Extends to married teens the rule that receipt of sufficient education is enough to meet work participation requirements. Exempts teen parents from the limitation on the number of persons that may be treated as engaged in work by virtue of participation in vocational education activities. (Sec. 5906) Reinstates certain special rules applicable to aliens (non-213A aliens) who entered the country under affidavits of support formerly used (before PRAWORA added section 213A to the Immigration and Nationality Act, requiring such affidavits to be contracts enforceable against the sponsor by the alien or by the Federal Government for recovery of any public assistance paid the alien). Revises the income deeming rule for such aliens. (Sec. 5907) Changes from one month to 45 days the deadline for States to file quarterly reports before incurring a penalty. Conforms TANF penalties to those under SSA title IV part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity). Provides for additional State TANF grant reductions for States which fail to expend additional State funds to replace previous grant penalty reductions. (Sec. 5908) Requires State quarterly reports to specify: (1) any disability benefits a child is receiving; (2) whether or not a family member under age 20 is also a parent of a child in the family; and (3) the number of families and individuals receiving TANF, and the total dollar value of TANF received by all families. (Sec. 5909) Reduces appropriations for tribal work activities programs. (Sec. 5910) Revises requirements for the methodology for determining child poverty rates to require county-by-county estimates of children in poverty only to the extent available. (Sec. 5913) Amends SSA title XI to: (1) revise the limitation on total payments to each territory under TANF and other specified SSA programs to require the disregard of certain payments under TANF in determining such limitation; and (2) treat certain child care and social services expenditures by territories as SSA title IV part A expenditures for matching grant purposes. (Sec. 5914) Makes conforming amendments to SSA title IV parts D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) and E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance). (Sec. 5917) Amends PRAWORA with regard to the denial of assistance and benefits for drug-related convictions. Revises the exemption from benefit denial for convictions on or before enactment of PRAWORA to specify convictions relating to conduct on or before such enactment date. Chapter 2: Supplemental Security Income - Amends SSA title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) and PRAWORA to make conforming and technical amendments relating to certain eligibility restrictions on prisoners and eligibility redeterminations and continuing disability reviews with respect to SSI benefits for disabled children. (Sec. 5924) Amends SSA title XI part A (General Provisions) to designate the Commissioner of Social Security instead of the HHS Secretary as the authority who shall determine the timing of grants and payments for jointly financed cooperative agreements or grants concerning SSA title XVI research or demonstration projects. Chapter 3: Child Support - Amends SSA title IV part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) to modify child support requirements affecting: (1) individuals subject to fee for child support enforcement services; (2) distribution of State-collected support and State options for applicability of certain rules; (3) distribution of collections with respect to families receiving assistance and families under certain agreements; (4) civil penalties for failure to report required information to a State Directory of New Hires; (5) uses of the Federal Parent Locator Service, including access to its registry data for research purposes; (6) collection and use of social security numbers for child support enforcement purposes in State certificates and licenses for marriage, occupational, professional and commercial activities; (7) availability of funds earmarked for the Federal Parent Locator Service; (8) authority to collect child support from Federal employees; (9) direct Federal grants to Indian tribes for child support enforcement; (10) State retention of child support amounts collected on behalf of a child for whom a public agency is making foster care maintenance payments to the extent necessary to reimburse it for such payments; (11) high-volume automated administrative enforcement in interstate cases; and (12) statutory procedures to ensure that persons with child support arrearages have a work or payment plan. (Sec. 5956) Requires State plans for child and spousal support to: (1) mandate notification to the Secretary, whenever the Federal Parent Locator Service is utilized, that the State has reasonable evidence of domestic violence or child abuse, and that disclosure of such information could jeopardize the victims; and (2) prescribe safeguard procedures for State courts to utilize upon notification that the Secretary has such evidence, including a proscription against court disclosure. (Sec. 5959) Amends PRAWORA, with respect to the temporary limitation on payments under the special Federal matching rate for the development costs of automated systems, to revise the formula for allocation of such limitation to include certain systems approved by the Secretary to receive enhanced development funding, as well as systems that have received funding pursuant to a waiver. Chapter 4: Restructuring Welfare and Public Benefits for Aliens - Subchapter A: Eligibility for Federal Benefits - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to make certain aliens eligible for Medicare and Railroad Retirement Act benefits. (Sec. 5966) Makes technical corrections with respect to: (1) aliens under withheld deportation; (2) notification of unlawfully present aliens; and (3) Cuban and Haitian entrants. (Sec. 5967) Requires alien veterans to have fulfilled minimum active duty service requirements to be eligible for specified Federal and State public assistance programs. Extends assistance eligibility to the unremarried surviving spouse of such a veteran. (Sec. 5970) States that the term "Federal public benefit" shall not apply with respect to grants, contracts, or appropriations to citizens of a freely associated state under specified circumstances. (Sec. 5971) Expresses the sense of the Congress that permanent resident Hmong and other Highland Lao veterans who fought on behalf of the United States during the Vietnam conflict should be considered veterans for purposes of continuing certain assistance benefits. Subchapter B: General Provisions - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 with respect to the treatment of certain battered aliens as "qualified aliens" to: (1) transfer determination authority from the Attorney General to the providing agency; and (2) include the alien child of a battered parent under such definition and under the special income attribution rule. (Sec. 5973) Directs the Attorney General to promulgate procedures for State verification of alien eligibility. (Sec. 5974) Amends provisions concerning qualifying social security quarters. Subchapter C: Miscellaneous Clerical and Technical Amendments; Effective Date - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) of the Social Security Act to require States receiving specified grants to provide the Immigration and Naturalization Service with identifying information about illegal aliens. Makes technical corrections to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. Chapter 5: Child Protection - Amends the Social Security Act to make technical and conforming amendments relating to child protection. Chapter 6: Child Care - Amends the Social Security Act to make technical and conforming amendments relating to child care. (Sec. 5987) Repeals: (1) the Child Development Associate Scholarship Assistance Act of 1985; and (2) the State Dependent Care Development Grants Act. Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to repeal the Federal grant eligibility of specified child care programs for at-risk secondary school students who are parents and their children. Amends the Native Hawaiian Education Act to repeal the authority to make direct grants to Native Hawaiian Family-Based Education Centers. Chapter 7: ERISA Amendments Relating to Medical Child Support Orders - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), with respect to group health plan coverage of children under a medical child support order, pursuant to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), to permit payment of plan benefits to a State or local official in lieu of the child. (Sec. 5992) Requires treatment as a medical child support court order of specified similar administrative orders. (Sec. 5993) Repeals the requirement that a medical child support order specify each health benefit plan to which it applies. Title VI: Committee on Governmental Affairs - Subtitle A: Civil Service and Postal Positions - Specifies increases in certain contributions to Federal civilian retirement systems. (Sec. 6002) Modifies the formula under which the Government contribution for health benefits for a Federal employee or annuitant enrolled in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program is determined. (Sec. 6003) Repeals the requirement authorizing transitional appropriations to the Postal Service Fund. Subtitle B: GSA Property Sales - Mandates the sale of Governors Island, New York. (Sec. 6012) Mandates the sale of specified air rights adjacent to Washington Union Station, including the air rights of Amtrak transferred to the Administrator of General Services (GSA). Directs Amtrak, as a condition of future Federal financial assistance, to transfer specified air rights to the GSA on or before December 31, 1997. Prohibits Amtrak from obligating Federal funds if it fails to comply. Title VII: Committee on Labor and Human Resources - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) with respect to title IV student assistance programs. (Sec. 7001) Directs the Secretary of Education to recall for deposit in the Treasury a specified amount of the reserve funds of State and nonprofit private loan insurance programs held by guaranty agencies on September 1, 2002. Denies the Secretary any authority to direct a guaranty agency to return reserve funds before such date. Requires each guaranty agency, between FY 1998 and 2002, to transfer a certain portion of its equitable share of the projected recall amount into restricted accounts for investment in U.S. obligations or other similarly low-risk securities. (Sec. 7002) Repeals the requirement that the Secretary pay direct loan origination fees to institutions of higher education. (Sec. 7003) Sets funding levels through FY 2002 for mandatory administrative expenses for the student financial aid programs. Reduces the previously authorized level of appropriations for FY 1998 ($750 million), while authorizing increasing amounts for subsequent fiscal years until the level reaches $750 million for FY 2002. Prescribes a formula for the calculation of administrative cost allowances payable to guaranty agencies. (Sec. 7004) Extends the HEA title IV student assistance program through FY 2002. Title VIII: Committee on Veterans' Affairs - Veterans Reconciliation Act of 1997 - Subtitle A: Extension of Temporary Authorities - Extends through December 1, 2002, the authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to issue and guarantee the principal and interest on certificates or other securities representing an interest in a pool of mortgage loans made to veterans and guaranteed by the Secretary. Extends through FY 2002: (1) the authority of the Secretary to charge a home loan fee under the veterans' home loan guaranty program; (2) the default procedures applicable to home liquidation sales under the program; (3) the authority of the Secretary to obtain information under the Internal Revenue Code for veterans' income verification purposes; and (4) a $90 monthly pension limitation, after three months, for a veteran having neither spouse nor child and being furnished domiciliary or nursing home care by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Subtitle B: Copayments and Medical Care Cost Recovery - Amends the Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1990 to extend through FY 2002 the authority to require certain veterans to make copayments for the receipt of Department health care benefits. Extends through FY 2002: (1) the requirement that veterans pay $2 for each 30-day supply of medication furnished through the Department for the treatment of a non-service-connected disability or condition; and (2) the right of the United States to recover from a veteran the cost of Department care and services provided for certain non-service-connected disabilities. (Sec. 8023) Establishes in the Treasury the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Care Collections Fund for receipt of amounts recovered or collected by the Department for the provision of certain reimbursable health care and services provided to veterans and their spouses and dependents. Specifies authorized Fund uses. Transfers to the Fund any unobligated balance of the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical-Care Cost Recovery Fund. Subtitle C: Other Matters - Provides for the rounding down to the next lower dollar of cost-of-living adjustments in veterans' disability compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation rates for FY 1998 through 2002. Allows such adjustments to be no more than the percentage adjustment to social security increases for such year. (Sec. 8032) Increases the home loan fee rate charged for the purchase from the Department of repossessed homes (homes the loans for which were defaulted by veterans under the home loan guaranty program). (Sec. 8033) Revises the notification procedures under which the Secretary may waive all or part of the indebtedness owed by a veteran on account of any loan made to, or assumed or guaranteed by, the Department.

Budget Enforcement Act of 1997

United States · United States Congress · 20 June 1997

TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Ensure that the Bipartisan Balanced Budget Agreement of 1997 Achieves Its Goal Title II: Enforcement Provisions Budget Enforcement Act of 1997 - Title I: Ensure that the Bipartisan Balanced Budget Agreement of 1997 Achieves Its Goal - Sets forth a timetable for completion of certain budget actions by the President, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). (Sec. 102) Directs the President to submit a special message with the OMB Analysis of Actual Spending Levels and Projections for the Upcoming Year if such Analysis indicates that: (1) deficits or outlays in the most recent fiscal or budget year exceeded or are projected to exceed deficit targets or caps, as appropriate; or (2) revenues in such years were less than or projected to be less than revenue targets. Requires such message to include proposed legislative changes to: (1) offset the net deficit, outlay excess, or revenue shortfall; or (2) revise the deficit or revenue targets or outlay caps contained in this Act. Sets forth congressional procedures for the consideration of legislation to address excess deficits or outlays and revenue shortfalls. (Sec. 103) Requires presidential budgets to be consistent with the spending, revenue, and deficit levels established in this Act or to recommend changes to such levels. Makes it out of order in the House of Representatives or the Senate to consider any concurrent budget resolution unless it is consistent with the levels set forth in this Act. (Sec. 104) Sets forth consolidated deficit (or surplus) and revenue targets for FY 1998 through 2002. (Sec. 105) Requires OMB to submit a report containing account numbers and spending limits for specific entitlement categories to the President and the Congress. Applies direct spending caps, effective upon submission of such report, to all entitlement authority except for undistributed offsetting receipts and net interest outlays. Sets forth entitlement categories subject to caps. (Sec. 106) Requires determinations of direct spending caps (as well as any breaches of such caps and actions necessary to remedy such breaches) to be based on certain economic assumptions set forth in the joint explanatory statement of managers accompanying the concurrent resolution on the budget for FY 1998 (House Concurrent Resolution 84) and subject to periodic reestimation based on changed economic conditions or changes in eligible population. (Sec. 107) Provides for automatic adjustments to deficit and revenue targets and caps for entitlements and other mandatory spending to reflect changes in specified economic and other conditions. Title II: Enforcement Provisions - Directs OMB: (1) to compile a statement of actual deficits, revenues, and direct spending for a fiscal year, following the end of that year, identifying such deficits, revenues, and spending by categories of entitlements and other mandatory spending; and (2) in any year in which actual or projected deficits, revenues, or spending in violation of revenue targets or caps by more than one percent of the applicable total revenues or direct spending for the year concerned occurs, to issue a report to the President and the Congress, estimating necessary spending reductions. (Sec. 202) Provides for enforcement of the direct spending caps on categories of spending established under title I of this Act. Applies specified enforcement rules and procedures for any fiscal year in which direct spending exceeds the applicable direct spending cap. (Sec. 203) Sets forth: (1) general rules triggering sequestration to reduce spending for programs subject to direct spending caps; (2) special rules for direct spending programs with certain characteristics; and (3) rules for insurance and loan programs and State grant program formulas. Requires a within session sequester under certain conditions. (Sec. 204) Sets forth procedures for enforcing revenue targets, including delays in implementing tax credits, deductions, exclusions, or cuts under the Revenue Reconciliation Act of 1997. (Sec. 205) Exempts certain budget accounts, activities within accounts, or income from sequestration. Authorizes the President to exempt any military personnel account from sequestration or provide for a lower uniform percentage reduction that would otherwise apply, subject to specified congressional notification requirements. (Sec. 206) Sets forth special rules for sequestration orders for: (1) the child support enforcement program under the Social Security Act; (2) the Commodity Credit Corporation; (3) the earned income tax credit; (4) regular and extended unemployment compensation; (5) the Federal Employees Health Benefits Fund; (6) the Federal Housing Finance Board; (7) Federal pay; (8) Medicare; (9) the Postal Service Fund; (10) Department of Energy power marketing administration funds or the Tennessee Valley Authority fund; and (11) programs which provide a businesslike service in exchange for a fee. (Sec. 207) Directs CBO and OMB to report to the President and the Congress the budget baselines for the budget year and the next nine fiscal years. Specifies requirements for the budget baseline. (Sec. 208) Requires amounts to be withheld from allocation to the appropriate congressional committees (within the discretionary caps for each fiscal year) and reserved for natural disasters and other emergency purposes. Provides that such amounts shall be at least one percent of total budget authority and outlays available within those caps for the fiscal year concerned. Sets forth conditions under which reserved amounts shall be made available for allocation to such committees. Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to make it out of order in the House or the Senate to consider legislation containing an emergency designation if it also provides an appropriation or direct spending for any other item or contains other matter. Permits such legislation to contain rescissions or spending reductions.

Dutch John Federal Property Disposition and Assistance Act of 1998

United States · United States Congress · 12 June 1997

Dutch John Federal Property Disposition and Assistance Act of 1997 - Provides for the transfer or disposal of certain Federal properties at Dutch John, Utah. Transfers lands designated for disposal from the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary), acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, to the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation (BLM), and, if appropriate, the Postal Service. Removes such lands from inclusion in the Ashley National Forest and the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to transfer administrative jurisdiction over certain lands acquired for the Central Utah Project and developed for wildlife mitigation to the Secretary. Incorporates such lands into the Ashley or Uinta National Forests. Directs the Secretary to transfer administrative jurisdiction over certain lands to the Postal Service. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to conduct appraisals to determine the fair market value of properties designated for disposal. Conveys specified infrastructure facilities, land, and public schools to Daggett County, and certain facilities of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources to the Division, without consideration. Sets forth requirements for the purchase of disposed residential properties. Bases priority in purchasing on seniority of reclamation lease or residency in Dutch John. Limits households to one residential lot. Sets forth requirements for the purchase of unoccupied lots, special use lands, and church land. Transfers all water rights to the Dutch John municipal water system to the County, subject to certain conditions. Requires the Secretary to consider issuance of a special use permit affording Flaming Gorge Reservoir public shoreline access and use within the vicinity of Dutch John in conjunction with commercial visitor facilities provided under such a permit. Directs the Secretary, before transfer or disposal of any land that contains cultural resources and may be eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, to prepare a memorandum of agreement, for review and approval by the Utah Office of Historical Preservation and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, that contains a strategy for protecting or mitigating adverse effects on cultural resources. Conveys such land to the County upon completion of actions required under the agreement. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to provide training and transitional operating assistance to County personnel designated as successors to operators of conveyed infrastructure facilities. Provides for annual payments to the County, for up to 15 years, for purposes of defraying administrative transition costs. Makes available a limited amount of electric power and energy from the Colorado River Storage Project for the Dutch John community. Authorizes appropriations.

1997 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Recovery from Natural Disasters, and for Overseas Peacekeeping Efforts, Including Those in Bosnia

United States · United States Congress · 12 June 1997

TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for the Department of Defense Chapter 1: Department of Defense - Military Chapter 2: Rescissions Chapter 3: General Provisions - This Title Title II: Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Recovery from Natural Disasters Chapter 1: Department of Agriculture Chapter 2: Department of Commerce Chapter 3: Department of Defense - Civil Chapter 4: Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Chapter 5: Department of the Interior Chapter 6: Department of Health and Human Services Chapter 7: Congressional Operations Chapter 8: Department of Transportation Chapter 9: Department of the Treasury Chapter 10: Department of Veterans Affairs Chapter 11: Offsets and Rescissions Title III: General Provisions - This Act Title IV: Cost of Higher Education Review Title V: Depository Institution Disaster Relief Title VI: Technical Amendments With Respect To Education Title VII: Food Stamp Program Title VIII: 2000 Decennial Census 1997 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Recovery from Natural Disasters, and for Overseas Peacekeeping Efforts, Including Those in Bosnia - Title I: Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for the Department of Defense - Chapter 1: Department of Defense - Military - Makes emergency supplemental appropriations to the Department of Defense (DOD) - Military for: (1) military personnel, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force; (2) operation and maintenance (O&M), Overseas Contingency Operations Transfer Fund; (3) OPLAN 34A-35 prisoner-of-war (P.O.W.) payments to individuals; and (4) the Reserve Mobilization Income Insurance Fund. (Sec. 101) Directs the Secretary of the Navy to transfer specified funds to reimburse costs incurred for repairing damage caused by hurricanes, flooding, and other natural disasters during 1996 and 1997 to real property and facilities at Marine Corps facilities (including Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point, North Carolina; and the Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, California). (Sec. 102) Makes additional appropriations for: (1) direct patient care at military treatment facilities; (2) force protection and counter-terrorism activities; and (3) a grant to the American Red Cross for armed forces emergency services. (Sec. 105) Requires the President to submit to the Congress a report on the estimated cumulative cost of all U.S. activities relating to Bosnia after December 1, 1995, and a detailed accounting of the source of funds to meet such costs. (Sec. 106) Makes additional appropriations to cover incremental O&M costs from hurricane damage to family housing units at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. Chapter 2: Rescissions - Rescinds specified funds provided in the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 1997 for: (1) military personnel of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force; (2) O&M for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force as well as defense-wide O&M; (3) environmental restoration by the Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as defense-wide environmental restoration and environmental restoration of formerly used defense sites; (4) former Soviet Union threat reduction; (5) the National Defense Sealift Fund; (6) the Defense Health Program; and (7) drug interdiction and counter-drug activities. Rescinds funds made available in such Act and certain other defense appropriations Acts for: (1) various types of procurement, including aircraft, missile, weapons, tracked combat vehicles, shipbuilding and conversion, and ammunition, by various branches of the armed forces; (2) National Guard and reserve equipment; (3) armed forces research, development, test and evaluation; and (4) chemical agents and munitions destruction. (Sec. 201) Rescinds specified amounts of the funds appropriated in specified categories in: (1) the Military Construction Appropriations Act, 1996, including the Base Realignment and Closure Account; (2) the Military Construction Appropriations Act, 1997; and (3) the Military Construction Appropriations Act, 1995. Chapter 3: General Provisions - This Title - Directs DOD to report to the congressional defense committees prior to transferring management, development, and acquisition authority over the National Missile Defense Program from the military services. Requires the Joint Requirements Oversight Council to submit recommendations to such committees on the future roles of the military services with respect to such program. (Sec. 302) Authorizes the incumbent to continue to serve as the Secretary of Defense designee on the Board of the Panama Canal Commission if he retires as an officer of DOD, until and unless the Secretary designates another person to serve in this position. (Sec. 303) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into an agreement, which meets certain requirements, for the lease of a specified building at the Lexington Blue Grass Station, Lexington, Kentucky, and any associated real property, for use by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service. (Sec. 304) Authorizes the continuing obligation and expenditure of certain funds appropriated for Navy weapons procurement that were obligated and expended to settle claims on the MK-50 torpedo program. (Sec. 305) Prohibits the use of any DOD funds to pay the cost of operating a National Missile Defense Joint Program Office which includes more than 55 military and civilian personnel located in the National Capital Region. (Sec. 306) Requires the merger of certain National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Air Force funds for obligation only on Titan IV vehicles and related activities. Title II: Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Recovery From Natural Disasters - Chapter 1: Department of Agriculture - Makes emergency appropriations for FY 1997 with respect to flood and other natural disaster costs to the Department of Agriculture for: (1) the Farm Service Agency's Agricultural Credit Insurance Fund Program Account for the additional cost of certain emergency insured and operating loans (including loan modifications); (2) the Emergency Conservation Program for expenses, including carcass removal; (3) the Tree Assistance Program for assistance to small orchardists to replace or rehabilitate disaster-damaged trees and vineyards; and (4) the Commodity Credit Corporation Fund, Disaster Reserve Assistance Program, to implement a livestock indemnity program. Makes such appropriations to: (1) the Natural Resources Conservation Service, for watershed and flood prevention operations to repair damages to the waterways and watersheds; (2) the Rural Housing Service, Rural Housing Insurance Fund Program Account, for the cost of specified loans and domestic farm labor grants for emergency expenses; and (3) the Rural Utilities Service, Rural Utilities Assistance Program, for the cost of direct loans, loan guarantees, and grants for emergency expenses. Bars the use of watershed and flood prevention funds for the salmon memorandum of understanding. Authorizes the use of certain community facility grants for the Rural Housing Assistance Program for expenses resulting from natural disasters. Makes additional funds available for the Food and Consumer Service's Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966. (Sec. 1001) Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to collect and disseminate weekly statistically reliable information on bulk cheese prices. Chapter 2: Department of Commerce - Makes emergency appropriations for FY 1997 to the Department of Commerce for: (1) the Economic Development Administration's economic development assistance programs for emergency infrastructure expenses; (2) the National Institute of Standards and Technology for new grants for industrial technology services under the Advanced Technology Program; and (3) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for disaster assistance related to recent flooding and red tide and for emergency construction expenses resulting from flooding and other natural disasters. Makes additional amounts available to implement the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Makes additional appropriations for the Commission on the Advancement of Federal Law Enforcement. (Sec. 2001) Earmarks a specified amount from the Counterterrorism Fund of the Department of Justice for allocation to the appropriate unit or units of government in Ogden, Utah, for necessary expenses to counter any potential terrorism threat related to the 2002 Winter Olympic games. (Sec. 2002) Amends the Small Business Competitiveness Demonstration Program Act of 1988 to extend to the end of FY 1997 the authorization of the program for expanding small business participation in dredging. (Sec. 2003) Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to establish certain Good Samaritan exemptions from specified violations. (Sec. 2004) Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to reprogram a limited amount of funds provided for NOAA satellite observing systems for other NOAA programmatic and operational requirements, provided certain notification requirements are met. Chapter 3: Department of Defense - Civil - Makes emergency appropriations for FY 1997, with respect to emergency expenses due to flooding and other natural disasters, to DOD, Army Corps of Engineers - Civil for: (1) flood control, Mississippi River and tributaries, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee; (2) general O&M (with earmarked funds for an interagency management plan and other activities related to water allocation in the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa and Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basins, subject to certain restrictions); and (3) flood control and coastal emergencies. Makes emergency appropriations for FY 1997, with respect to flood and other natural disaster costs, to the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation (BLM) for O&M. (Sec. 3001) Makes the U.S. members and the alternate members, appointed under the Susquehanna River Basin Compact and the Delaware River Basin Compact, officers of the Army Corps of Engineers, who hold presidential appointments as regular Army officers with Senate confirmation, and serve without additional compensation, and at the President's pleasure. (Sec. 3002) Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to obligate a limited amount of funds for carrying out construction for safety purposes to modify the Willow Creek Dam, Sun River Project, Montana. (Sec. 3003) Defers specified consultation and conferencing requirements under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 for certain emergency flood control projects. Chapter 4: Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs - Authorizes the President to waive certain minimum funding requirements under provisions of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1997 with respect to assistance for Ukraine if he reports to the Appropriations Committees that Ukraine: (1) has not made progress toward comprehensive economic reform; (2) is not taking steps to ensure that U.S. businesses and individuals are able to operate according to generally accepted business principles; or (3) is not taking steps to cease the illegal dumping of steel plate. Chapter 5: Department of the Interior - Makes emergency appropriations for FY 1997 to the Department of the Interior for: (1) BLM flood damage repair and other activities for Oregon and California Grant Lands; (2) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service resource management, construction, and land acquisition; (3) National Park Service emergency expenses and construction; (4) the U.S. Geological Survey; and (5) the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Makes such appropriations for emergency expenses of the Forest Service and the Indian Health Service. (Sec. 5001) Amends the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1996 (part of the Omnibus Consolidated Rescissions and Appropriations Act of 1996) to revise the formula for distribution of amounts collected under the recreational fee demonstration program. (Sec. 5003) Amends the San Carlos Apache Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 1992 to extend its expiration date from June 30, 1997, through March 31, 1999, or, if before that date a Settlement Agreement between the San Carlos Apache Tribe and Phelps Dodge Corporation is submitted for approval to the Superior Court of Arizona in and for Maricopa County, through December 31, 1999. Extends the Tribe's Central Arizona Project water lease authority to Gila, Graham, and Greenlee Counties. Makes the Gila Valley and Franklin Irrigation Districts parties to the Settlement Agreement. Directs the United States, through the BLM, to operate and maintain the Black River facilities, and to contract for delivery of water at Eagle Creek to Phelps Dodge for a specified monthly fee in addition to a specified monthly power line right-of-way fee. Sets forth provisions for a final agreement between Phelps Dodge and the San Carlos Apache Tribe under which the Tribe will operate the facilities and receive payment for leased water. Ratifies the agreement between the Tribe, Phelps Dodge, and the Secretary of the Interior. (Sec. 5004) Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to modify requirements for the importation of polar bear parts from polar bears legally harvested in Canada before the date of enactment of the Marine Mammal Protection Act Amendments of 1994. Chapter 6: Department of Health and Human Services - Amends specified Federal law relating to appropriations to provide for additional amounts for: (1) the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Health Resources and Services Administration's Health Education Assistance Loans Program; (2) the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund for priority health research; and (3) the Department of Education, Education for the Disadvantaged programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Makes funds available for the National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education. (Sec. 6001) Extends through FY 1998 the availability, to recipients in presidentially-declared disaster areas declared during FY 1997, of certain funds awarded for State-administered programs of the Department of Education for FY 1995 (and for FY 1996, with respect to such programs under the Rehabilitation Act). (Sec. 6002) Authorizes the Secretary of Education, with respect to student aid awards for award years 1996-1997 and 1997-1998, to waive or modify any statutory or regulatory provision applicable to the student financial aid programs under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to assist individuals and other program participants who suffered financial harm from natural disasters. (Sec. 6003) Prohibits the use of any funds to administer or implement in Denver, Colorado, a Medicare Competitive Pricing-Open Enrollment Demonstration program. (Sec. 6004) Provides for emergency use of certain child care funds. Authorizes eligible State Governors, for a limited time period, to use amounts received for the provision of child care assistance or services under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to provide emergency child care services to eligible individuals. Bases State eligibility on the President's determination, pursuant to specified provisions of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, that a major disaster exists, or that an area within the State is determined to be eligible for disaster relief under other Federal law by reason of damage related to flooding in 1997. Bases individual eligibility on: (1) residence within such an area where a major disaster exists, or which is so eligible for disaster relief; and (2) involvement in unpaid work activities (including the cleaning, repair, restoration, and rebuilding of homes, businesses, and schools) resulting from such flood emergency. Sets forth limitations and priorities with respect to such assistance. (Sec. 6005) Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to extend certain redetermination provisions for the supplementary security income (SSI) program. Chapter 7: Congressional Operations - Makes supplemental appropriations for an additional amount for expenses of the Office of the Secretary of the Senate, to carry out specified provisions of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1997. Provides an amount for payment to the children of Frank Tejeda, the late Representative from the State of Texas. Makes additional amounts available for salaries and expenses of the Botanic Garden for emergency repair and renovation of the conservatory. (Sec. 7001) Amends the Legislative Branch Appropriation Act, 1968 to make a specified limitation on the minimum rate of gross compensation inapplicable to any member or civilian employee of the Capitol Police whose compensation is disbursed by the Secretary of the Senate. (Sec. 7002) Authorizes the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate, with the approval of the Committee on Rules and Administration, to provide additional facilities, services, equipment, and office space for use by a Senator in that Senator's State in connection with a presidentially-declared disaster or emergency. (Sec. 7003) Allows the transfer of a limited amount of funds for the expense allowance of the Secretary of the Senate. (Sec. 7004) Authorizes the Comptroller General to use available funds to enter into contracts for the acquisition of severable services for periods that begin in one fiscal year and end in another and to enter into specified multiyear contracts to the same extent as agencies under the authority of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act. Chapter 8: Department of Transportation - Makes supplemental appropriations to the Department of Transportation for: (1) Coast Guard retired pay and for operating expenses directly related to support activities in the TWA Flight 800 crash investigation; (2) Federal Highway Administration, Federal-Aid Highways and for the Emergency Relief Program; and (3) the Federal Railroad Administration, to repair and rebuild freight rail lines of regional and short line railroads damaged by floods (with earmarks for West Virginia and the northern Plains States). Makes such appropriations to the National Transportation Safety Board for: (1) emergency expenses resulting from the crashes of TWA Flight 800, ValuJet 592, and Comair Flight 3272; and (2) assistance to families of victims of aviation accidents. (Sec. 8003) Authorizes additional appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account) for FY 1997 for grants to States for alcohol-impaired driving countermeasures. (Sec. 8004) Extends through FY 1997 the authorization of appropriations for the National Driver Register. Chapter 9: Department of the Treasury - Makes supplemental appropriations to the Department of the Treasury. Authorizes the Secretary of Treasury to use the law enforcement services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of the State of Colorado and of the county and city of Denver for security arrangements for the Denver Summit of Eight. Makes supplemental appropriations to: (1) the Customs Service for the automated targeting system with respect to counterterrorism and drug law enforcement; and (2) the Postal Service Fund, for revenue foregone on free and reduced rate mail for specified purposes. (Sec. 9001) Authorizes the Administrator of General Services (GSA) to obligate specified appropriations for construction of the Montgomery, Alabama, courthouse. (Sec. 9002) Prohibits the use of funds by GSA to implement certain cooperative purchasing provisions of the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994 prior to the adjournment of the first session of the 105th Congress. (Sec. 9003) Prohibits the Bureau of Engraving and Printing from awarding a contract for the procurement of distinctive currency paper until the General Accounting Office has completed an analysis of the optimum circumstances for procuring such paper. Limits the term of the bridge contract with respect to such paper to 24 months and requires the Secretary of the Treasury to make certain certifications concerning the price and terms of the agreement. (Sec. 9004) Amends specified Federal civil service law to authorize and establish a leave transfer program in disasters and emergencies. Chapter 10: Department of Veterans Affairs - Makes additional amounts available for: (1) the Veterans Benefits Administration for compensation and pensions; and (2) the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for preserving existing housing investment, capacity building for community development and affordable housing, and for community development block grants for activities in communities affected by disasters in the upper Midwest. Authorizes appropriations for the construction of a parking garage at the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Cleveland, Ohio. Earmarks amounts of assisted housing special purpose grants for acquiring parking and restoring a theater in Ashland, Kentucky. Requires the HUD Secretary to enter into a contract with the National Academy of Public Administration for an evaluation of HUD's management systems. Directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), from previous appropriations for the Center for Ecology Research and Training (CERT), to obligate the maximum amount of funds necessary to settle all outstanding CERT-related claims against the EPA pursuant to the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970. Authorizes EPA, from any unobligated balances then remaining, to make grants to Bay City, Michigan, for the purpose of EPA-approved environmental remediation and rehabilitation of publicly owned real property included in the boundaries of the CERT project. Authorizes the use of a specified amount of funds for grants to States and federally recognized tribes for multi-media or single media pollution prevention, control, and abatement for direct implementation by the Federal Government of programs required in absence of acceptable State or tribal programs. Makes additional funds available to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for disaster relief. Conditions the availability of a portion of such funds on the submission by the FEMA Director of a legislative proposal to control disaster relief expenditures, including the elimination of funding for certain revenue producing facilities. Authorizes transfer of a specified amount of FEMA disaster relief funds to the Disaster Assistance Direct Loan Program for the cost of direct loans under certain provisions of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, under specified conditions. (Sec. 10001) Directs the HUD Secretary to submit semi-annually to the Appropriations Committees a list of all contracts and task orders in excess of $250,000 entered into by HUD, the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae), and the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight in the preceding six months. (Sec. 10002) Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to revise certain time periods relating to notice requirements for terminating section 8 housing contracts. (Sec. 10003) Amends the Multifamily Housing Finance Improvement Act, under specified provisions of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992, to revise limitations on the Secretary of HUD's mortgage insurance authority to allow commitments with respect to a limited number of additional units during FY 1997. (Sec. 10005) Amends the National Housing Act to authorize HUD mortgage insurance for condominiums in an amount up to 100 percent of appraised value where a mortgagor establishes that the home was destroyed or damaged as a result of a major disaster. Chapter 11: Offsets and Rescissions - Sets forth offsets with respect to the Fund for Rural America and the Food and Consumer Service's emergency food assistance program. Prohibits the use of Department of Agriculture funds under the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 to pay the personnel salaries and expenses above specified levels to carry out: (1) a combined program for export credit guarantees, supplier credit guarantees, and emerging democracies facilities guarantees; and (2) an export enhancement program. Rescinds specified funds available for: (1) the Department of Justice for the Working Capital Fund, the Assets Forfeiture Fund, and Immigration and Naturalization Service construction; (2) the National Institute of Standards and Technology for the Advanced Technology Program; (3) the Federal Communications Commission; (4) the Ounce of Prevention Council; (5) the Department of Energy for energy supply and research and development activities, power marketing administrations, clean coal technology, and the Strategic Petroleum Reserve; (6) the Department of HHS for job opportunities and basic skills; (7) the Department of Transportation for grants-in-aid for airports, highway traffic safety grants, and other Highway Trust Fund monies; (8) GSA presidential transition expenses; (9) HUD assisted housing programs; and (10) NASA. Title III: General Provisions - This Act - Provides that no appropriation made in this Act shall remain available beyond the current fiscal year unless otherwise provided. (Sec. 30002) Sets forth Buy-American requirements. Title IV: Cost of Higher Education Review - Cost of Higher Education Review Act of 1997 - Establishes a National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education to study and make recommendations regarding: (1) the increase in tuition compared with other commodities and services; (2) innovative methods of reducing or stabilizing tuition; (3) the impact on tuition of specified trends in college and university costs, student financial aid, and government mandates and fiscal policies; (4) mechanisms for a more timely and widespread distribution of data on tuition trends and other costs of operating colleges and universities; and (5) the adequacy of existing Federal and State financial aid programs in meeting the costs of attending colleges and universities. (Sec. 40006) Authorizes appropriations for the Commission. Title V: Depository Institution Disaster Relief - Depository Institutions Disaster Relief Act of 1997 - Authorizes the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to make exceptions, during specified limited periods, to the Truth in Lending Act for transactions, and to the Expedited Funds Availability Act for depository institution offices, within a major disaster area or an area eligible for disaster relief because of the recent flooding of the Red River of the North, the Minnesota River, and their tributaries. (Sec. 50003) Authorizes the appropriate Federal banking agency to permit, for a specified time period, certain insured depository institutions, in or involved with such area, to subtract from the institution's total assets, in calculating compliance with the leverage limit prescribed under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, an amount not exceeding the qualifying amount attributable to insurance proceeds. (Sec. 50004) Authorizes qualifying regulatory agencies to take specified actions with respect to depository institutions or other regulated entities whose principal place of business is within, or with respect to transactions or activities within such area. (Sec. 50005) Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Comptroller of the Currency, the Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the National Credit Union Administration should encourage depository institutions to meet the financial services needs of their communities and customers located in areas affected by the 1997 flooding of the Red River of the North, the Minnesota River, and their tributaries. Expresses the sense of the Congress that each Federal financial institutions regulatory agency should make exceptions to the appraisal standards prescribed by the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 for transactions involving institutions located in disaster areas if the exceptions can be expected to alleviate hardships to the public resulting from such disasters. Title VI: Technical Amendments With Respect to Education - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make certain technical corrections relating to graduation rates data disclosures. (Sec. 60002) Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to extend from January 1, 1998, to January 1, 1999, the deadline for a final report by the Secretary of Education on a national assessment of programs assisted under ESEA title I, Helping Disadvantaged Children Meet High Standards. (Sec. 60003) Directs the Secretary to deem Kansas and New Mexico as having timely submitted certain written notices of intent to consider specified impact aid payments under ESEA in providing State aid to local educational agencies (LEAs) for school year 1997-1998. Authorizes the Secretary to require these States to submit appropriate additional information, which shall be considered part of such notice. (Sec. 60004) Provides that no eligible LEA shall receive less than 85 percent of the FY 1996 amount in a specified hold-harmless impact aid payment for each of FY 1997 through 2000. (Sec. 60005) Revises requirements for the Secretary's use of data in providing additional assistance for heavily impacted LEAs, to specify that the student and revenue data used be expenditure data. Repeals the requirement that the Secretary use the most recent data available adjusted to the fiscal year in question. Title VII: Food Stamp Program - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to grant States an option to issue food stamp benefits to certain individuals made ineligible by welfare reform. Title VIII: 2000 Decennial Census - Directs the Department of Commerce to provide to the Congress a comprehensive plan outlining its proposed methodologies for conducting the 2000 decennial census and available methods for conducting an actual enumeration of the population.

A bill entitled the Emergency Disaster Assistance Act.

United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1997

TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for the Department of Defense Chapter 1: Department of Defense - Military Chapter 2: Rescissions Chapter 3: General Provisions - This Title Title II: Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Recovery from Natural Disasters Chapter 1: Department of Agriculture Chapter 2: Department of Commerce Chapter 3: Department of Defense - Civil Chapter 4: Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Chapter 5: Department of the Interior Chapter 6: Department of Health and Human Services Chapter 7: Congressional Operations Chapter 8: Department of Transportation Chapter 9: Department of the Treasury Chapter 10: Department of Veterans Affairs Chapter 11: Offsets and Rescissions Title III: General Provisions - This Act Title IV: Cost of Higher Education Review Title V: Depository Institution Disaster Relief Title VI: Technical Amendments With Respect to Education Title VII: Food Stamp Program Title I: Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for the Department of Defense - Chapter 1: Department of Defense - Military - Makes emergency supplemental appropriations to the Department of Defense (DOD) - Military for: (1) military personnel, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force; (2) operation and maintenance (O&M), Overseas Contingency Operations Transfer Fund; (3) OPLAN 34A-35 prisoner-of-war (P.O.W.) payments to individuals; and (4) the Reserve Mobilization Income Insurance Fund. (Sec. 101) Directs the Secretary of the Navy to transfer specified funds to reimburse costs incurred for repairing damage caused by hurricanes, flooding, and other natural disasters during 1996 and 1997 to real property and facilities at Marine Corps facilities (including Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point, North Carolina; and the Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, California). (Sec. 102) Makes additional appropriations for: (1) direct patient care at military treatment facilities; (2) force protection and counter-terrorism activities; and (3) a grant to the American Red Cross for armed forces emergency services. (Sec. 105) Requires the President to submit to the Congress a report on the estimated cumulative cost of all U.S. activities relating to Bosnia after December 1, 1995, and a detailed accounting of the source of funds to meet such costs. (Sec. 106) Makes additional appropriations to cover incremental O&M costs from hurricane damage to family housing units at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. Chapter 2: Rescissions - Rescinds specified funds provided in the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 1997 for: (1) military personnel of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force; (2) O&M for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force as well as defense-wide O&M; (3) environmental restoration by the Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as defense-wide environmental restoration and environmental restoration of formerly used defense sites; (4) former Soviet Union threat reduction; (5) the National Defense Sealift Fund; (6) the Defense Health Program; and (7) drug interdiction and counter-drug activities. Rescinds funds made available in such Act and certain other defense appropriations Acts for: (1) various types of procurement, including aircraft, missile, weapons, tracked combat vehicles, shipbuilding and conversion, and ammunition, by various branches of the armed forces; (2) National Guard and reserve equipment; (3) armed forces research, development, test and evaluation; and (4) chemical agents and munitions destruction. (Sec. 201) Rescinds specified amounts of the funds appropriated in specified categories in: (1) the Military Construction Appropriations Act, 1996, including the Base Realignment and Closure Account; (2) the Military Construction Appropriations Act, 1997; and (3) the Military Construction Appropriations Act, 1995. Chapter 3: General Provisions - This Title - Directs DOD to report to the congressional defense committees prior to transferring management, development, and acquisition authority over the National Missile Defense Program from the military services. Requires the Joint Requirements Oversight Council to submit recommendations to such committees on the future roles of the military services with respect to such program. (Sec. 302) Authorizes the incumbent to continue to serve as the Secretary of Defense designee on the Board of the Panama Canal Commission if he retires as an officer of DOD, until and unless the Secretary designates another person to serve in this position. (Sec. 303) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into an agreement, which meets certain requirements, for the lease of a specified building at the Lexington Blue Grass Station, Lexington, Kentucky, and any associated real property, for use by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service. (Sec. 304) Authorizes the continuing obligation and expenditure of certain funds appropriated for Navy weapons procurement that were obligated and expended to settle claims on the MK-50 torpedo program. (Sec. 305) Prohibits the use of any DOD funds to pay the cost of operating a National Missile Defense Joint Program Office which includes more than 55 military and civilian personnel located in the National Capital Region. (Sec. 306) Requires the merger of certain National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Air Force funds for obligation only on Titan IV vehicles and related activities. Title II: Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Recovery From Natural Disasters - Chapter 1: Department of Agriculture - Makes emergency appropriations for FY 1997 with respect to flood and other natural disaster costs to the Department of Agriculture for: (1) the Farm Service Agency's Agricultural Credit Insurance Fund Program Account for the additional cost of certain emergency insured and operating loans (including loan modifications); (2) the Emergency Conservation Program for expenses, including carcass removal; (3) the Tree Assistance Program for assistance to small orchardists to replace or rehabilitate disaster-damaged trees and vineyards; and (4) the Commodity Credit Corporation Fund, Disaster Reserve Assistance Program, to implement a livestock indemnity program. Makes such appropriations to: (1) the Natural Resources Conservation Service, for watershed and flood prevention operations to repair damages to the waterways and watersheds; (2) the Rural Housing Service, Rural Housing Insurance Fund Program Account, for the cost of specified loans and domestic farm labor grants for emergency expenses; and (3) the Rural Utilities Service, Rural Utilities Assistance Program, for the cost of direct loans, loan guarantees, and grants for emergency expenses. Bars the use of watershed and flood prevention funds for the salmon memorandum of understanding. Authorizes the use of certain community facility grants for the Rural Housing Assistance Program for expenses resulting from natural disasters. Makes additional funds available for the Food and Consumer Service's Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966. (Sec. 1001) Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to collect and disseminate weekly statistically reliable information on bulk cheese prices. Chapter 2: Department of Commerce - Makes emergency appropriations for FY 1997 to the Department of Commerce for: (1) the Economic Development Administration's economic development assistance programs for emergency infrastructure expenses; (2) the National Institute of Standards and Technology for new grants for industrial technology services under the Advanced Technology Program; and (3) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for disaster assistance related to recent flooding and red tide and for emergency construction expenses resulting from flooding and other natural disasters. Makes additional amounts available to implement the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Makes additional appropriations for the Commission on the Advancement of Federal Law Enforcement. (Sec. 2001) Earmarks a specified amount from the Counterterrorism Fund of the Department of Justice for allocation to the appropriate unit or units of government in Ogden, Utah, for necessary expenses to counter any potential terrorism threat related to the 2002 Winter Olympic games. (Sec. 2002) Amends the Small Business Competitiveness Demonstration Program Act of 1988 to extend to the end of FY 1997 the authorization of the program for expanding small business participation in dredging. (Sec. 2003) Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to establish certain Good Samaritan exemptions from specified violations. (Sec. 2004) Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to reprogram a limited amount of funds provided for NOAA satellite observing systems for other NOAA programmatic and operational requirements, provided certain notification requirements are met. Chapter 3: Department of Defense - Civil - Makes emergency appropriations for FY 1997, with respect to emergency expenses due to flooding and other natural disasters, to DOD, Army Corps of Engineers - Civil for: (1) flood control, Mississippi River and tributaries, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee; (2) general O&M (with earmarked funds for an interagency management plan and other activities related to water allocation in the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa and Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basins, subject to certain restrictions); and (3) flood control and coastal emergencies. Makes emergency appropriations for FY 1997, with respect to flood and other natural disaster costs, to the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation (BLM) for O&M. (Sec. 3001) Makes the U.S. members and the alternate members, appointed under the Susquehanna River Basin Compact and the Delaware River Basin Compact, officers of the Army Corps of Engineers, who hold presidential appointments as regular Army officers with Senate confirmation, and serve without additional compensation, and at the President's pleasure. (Sec. 3002) Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to obligate a limited amount of funds for carrying out construction for safety purposes to modify the Willow Creek Dam, Sun River Project, Montana. (Sec. 3003) Defers specified consultation and conferencing requirements under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 for certain emergency flood control projects. Chapter 4: Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs - Authorizes the President to waive certain minimum funding requirements under provisions of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1997 with respect to assistance for Ukraine if he reports to the Appropriations Committees that Ukraine: (1) has not made progress toward comprehensive economic reform; (2) is not taking steps to ensure that U.S. businesses and individuals are able to operate according to generally accepted business principles; or (3) is not taking steps to cease the illegal dumping of steel plate. Chapter 5: Department of the Interior - Makes emergency appropriations for FY 1997 to the Department of the Interior for: (1) BLM flood damage repair and other activities for Oregon and California Grant Lands; (2) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service resource management, construction, and land acquisition; (3) National Park Service emergency expenses and construction; (4) the U.S. Geological Survey; and (5) the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Makes such appropriations for emergency expenses of the Forest Service and the Indian Health Service. (Sec. 5001) Amends the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1996 (part of the Omnibus Consolidated Rescissions and Appropriations Act of 1996) to revise the formula for distribution of amounts collected under the recreational fee demonstration program. (Sec. 5003) Amends the San Carlos Apache Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 1992 to extend its expiration date from June 30, 1997, through March 31, 1999, or, if before that date a Settlement Agreement between the San Carlos Apache Tribe and Phelps Dodge Corporation is submitted for approval to the Superior Court of Arizona in and for Maricopa County, through December 31,1999. Extends the Tribe's Central Arizona Project water lease authority to Gila, Graham, and Greenlee Counties. Makes the Gila Valley and Franklin Irrigation Districts parties to the Settlement Agreement. Directs the United States, through the BLM, to operate and maintain the Black River facilities, and to contract for delivery of water at Eagle Creek to Phelps Dodge for a specified monthly fee in addition to a specified monthly power line right-of-way fee. Sets forth provisions for a final agreement between Phelps Dodge and the San Carlos Apache Tribe under which the Tribe will operate the facilities and receive payment for leased water. Ratifies the agreement between the Tribe, Phelps Dodge, and the Secretary of the Interior. (Sec. 5004) Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to modify requirements for the importation of polar bear parts from polar bears legally harvested in Canada before the date of enactment of the Marine Mammal Protection Act Amendments of 1994. (Sec. 5005) Establishes the Commission on Section 2477 of the Revised Statutes to recommend changes to law to provide for expeditious resolutions of all outstanding claims of a right-of-way across Federal lands established pursuant to such section of the Revised Statutes. Sets forth provisions regarding approval and congressional consideration of such recommendations. Chapter 6: Department of Health and Human Services - Amends specified Federal law relating to appropriations to provide for additional amounts for: (1) the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Health Resources and Services Administration's Health Education Assistance Loans Program; (2) the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund for priority health research; and (3) the Department of Education, Education for the Disadvantaged programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Makes funds available for the National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education. (Sec. 6001) Extends through FY 1998 the availability, to recipients in presidentially-declared disaster areas declared during FY 1997, of certain funds awarded for State-administered programs of the Department of Education for FY 1995 (and for FY 1996, with respect to such programs under the Rehabilitation Act). (Sec. 6002) Authorizes the Secretary of Education, with respect to student aid awards for award years 1996-1997 and 1997-1998, to waive or modify any statutory or regulatory provision applicable to the student financial aid programs under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to assist individuals and other program participants who suffered financial harm from natural disasters. (Sec. 6003) Prohibits the use of any funds to administer or implement in Denver, Colorado, a Medicare Competitive Pricing-Open Enrollment Demonstration program. (Sec. 6004) Provides for emergency use of certain child care funds. Authorizes eligible State Governors, for a limited time period, to use amounts received for the provision of child care assistance or services under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to provide emergency child care services to eligible individuals. Bases State eligibility on the President's determination, pursuant to specified provisions of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, that a major disaster exists, or that an area within the State is determined to be eligible for disaster relief under other Federal law by reason of damage related to flooding in 1997. Bases individual eligibility on: (1) residence within such an area where a major disaster exists, or which is so eligible for disaster relief; and (2) involvement in unpaid work activities (including the cleaning, repair, restoration, and rebuilding of homes, businesses, and schools) resulting from such flood emergency. Sets forth limitations and priorities with respect to such assistance. (Sec. 6005) Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to extend certain redetermination provisions for the supplementary security income (SSI) program. Chapter 7: Congressional Operations - Makes supplemental appropriations for an additional amount for expenses of the Office of the Secretary of the Senate, to carry out specified provisions of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1997. Provides an amount for payment to the children of Frank Tejeda, the late Representative from the State of Texas. Makes additional amounts available for salaries and expenses of the Botanic Garden for emergency repair and renovation of the conservatory. (Sec. 7001) Amends the Legislative Branch Appropriation Act, 1968 to make a specified limitation on the minimum rate of gross compensation inapplicable to any member or civilian employee of the Capitol Police whose compensation is disbursed by the Secretary of the Senate. (Sec. 7002) Authorizes the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate, with the approval of the Committee on Rules and Administration, to provide additional facilities, services, equipment, and office space for use by a Senator in that Senator's State in connection with a presidentially-declared disaster or emergency. (Sec. 7003) Allows the transfer of a limited amount of funds for the expense allowance of the Secretary of the Senate. (Sec. 7004) Authorizes the Comptroller General to use available funds to enter into contracts for the acquisition of severable services for periods that begin in one fiscal year and end in another and to enter into specified multiyear contracts to the same extent as agencies under the authority of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act. Chapter 8: Department of Transportation - Makes supplemental appropriations to the Department of Transportation for: (1) Coast Guard retired pay and for operating expenses directly related to support activities in the TWA Flight 800 crash investigation; (2) Federal Highway Administration, Federal-Aid Highways and for the Emergency Relief Program; and (3) the Federal Railroad Administration, to repair and rebuild freight rail lines of regional and short line railroads damaged by floods (with earmarks for West Virginia and the northern Plains States). Makes such appropriations to the National Transportation Safety Board for: (1) emergency expenses resulting from the crashes of TWA Flight 800, ValuJet 592, and Comair Flight 3272; and (2) assistance to families of victims of aviation accidents. (Sec. 8003) Authorizes additional appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account) for FY 1997 for grants to States for alcohol-impaired driving countermeasures. (Sec. 8004) Extends through FY 1997 the authorization of appropriations for the National Driver Register. Chapter 9: Department of the Treasury - Makes supplemental appropriations to the Department of the Treasury. Authorizes the Secretary of Treasury to use the law enforcement services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of the State of Colorado and of the county and city of Denver for security arrangements for the Denver Summit of Eight. Makes supplemental appropriations to: (1) the Customs Service for the automated targeting system with respect to counterterrorism and drug law enforcement; and (2) the Postal Service Fund, for revenue foregone on free and reduced rate mail for specified purposes. (Sec. 9001) Authorizes the Administrator of General Services (GSA) to obligate specified appropriations for construction of the Montgomery, Alabama courthouse. (Sec. 9002) Prohibits the use of funds by GSA to implement certain cooperative purchasing provisions of the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994 prior to the adjournment of the first session of the 105th Congress. (Sec. 9003) Prohibits the Bureau of Engraving and Printing from awarding a contract for the procurement of distinctive currency paper until the General Accounting Office has completed an analysis of the optimum circumstances for procuring such paper. Limits the term of the bridge contract with respect to such paper to 24 months and requires the Secretary of the Treasury to make certain certifications concerning the price and terms of the agreement. (Sec. 9004) Amends specified Federal civil service law to authorize and establish a leave transfer program in disasters and emergencies. Chapter 10: Department of Veterans Affairs - Makes additional amounts available for: (1) the Veterans Benefits Administration for compensation and pensions; and (2) the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for preserving existing housing investment, capacity building for community development and affordable housing, and for community development block grants for activities in communities affected by disasters in the upper Midwest. Authorizes appropriations for the construction of a parking garage at the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Cleveland, Ohio. Earmarks amounts of assisted housing special purpose grants for acquiring parking and restoring a theater in Ashland, Kentucky. Requires the HUD Secretary to enter into a contract with the National Academy of Public Administration for an evaluation of HUD's management systems. Directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), from previous appropriations for the Center for Ecology Research and Training (CERT), to obligate the maximum amount of funds necessary to settle all outstanding CERT-related claims against the EPA pursuant to the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970. Authorizes EPA, from any unobligated balances then remaining, to make grants to Bay City, Michigan, for the purpose of EPA-approved environmental remediation and rehabilitation of publicly owned real property included in the boundaries of the CERT project. Authorizes the use of a specified amount of funds for grants to States and federally recognized tribes for multi-media or single media pollution prevention, control, and abatement for direct implementation by the Federal Government of programs required in absence of acceptable State or tribal programs. Makes additional funds available to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for disaster relief. Conditions the availability of a portion of such funds on the submission by the FEMA Director of a legislative proposal to control disaster relief expenditures, including the elimination of funding for certain revenue producing facilities. Authorizes transfer of a specified amount of FEMA disaster relief funds to the Disaster Assistance Direct Loan Program for the cost of direct loans under certain provisions of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, under specified conditions. (Sec. 10001) Directs the HUD Secretary to submit semi-annually to the Appropriations Committees a list of all contracts and task orders in excess of $250,000 entered into by HUD, the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae), and the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight in the preceding six months. (Sec. 10002) Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to revise certain time periods relating to notice requirements for terminating section 8 housing contracts. (Sec. 10003) Amends the Multifamily Housing Finance Improvement Act, under specified provisions of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992, to revise limitations on the Secretary of HUD's mortgage insurance authority to allow commitments with respect to a limited number of additional units during FY 1997. (Sec. 10005) Amends the National Housing Act to authorize HUD mortgage insurance for condominiums in an amount up to 100 percent of appraised value where a mortgagor establishes that the home was destroyed or damaged as a result of a major disaster. Chapter 11: Offsets and Rescissions - Sets forth offsets with respect to the Fund for Rural America and the Food and Consumer Service's emergency food assistance program. Prohibits the use of Department of Agriculture funds under the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 to pay the personnel salaries and expenses above specified levels to carry out: (1) a combined program for export credit guarantees, supplier credit guarantees, and emerging democracies facilities guarantees; and (2) an export enhancement program. Rescinds specified funds available for: (1) the Department of Justice for the Working Capital Fund, the Assets Forfeiture Fund, and Immigration and Naturalization Service construction; (2) the National Institute of Standards and Technology for the Advanced Technology Program; (3) the Federal Communications Commission; (4) the Ounce of Prevention Council; (5) the Department of Energy for energy supply and research and development activities, power marketing administrations, clean coal technology, and the Strategic Petroleum Reserve; (6) the Department of HHS for job opportunities and basic skills; (7) the Department of Transportation for grants-in-aid for airports, highway traffic safety grants, and other Highway Trust Fund monies; (8) GSA presidential transition expenses; (9) HUD assisted housing programs; and (10) NASA. Title III: General Provisions - This Act - Provides that no appropriation made in this Act shall remain available beyond the current fiscal year unless otherwise provided. (Sec. 30002) Sets forth Buy-American requirements. Title IV: Cost of Higher Education Review - Cost of Higher Education Review Act of 1997 - Establishes a National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education to study and make recommendations regarding: (1) the increase in tuition compared with other commodities and services; (2) innovative methods of reducing or stabilizing tuition; (3) the impact on tuition of specified trends in college and university costs, student financial aid, and government mandates and fiscal policies; (4) mechanisms for a more timely and widespread distribution of data on tuition trends and other costs of operating colleges and universities; and (5) the adequacy of existing Federal and State financial aid programs in meeting the costs of attending colleges and universities. (Sec. 40006) Authorizes appropriations for the Commission. Title V: Depository Institution Disaster Relief - Depository Institutions Disaster Relief Act of 1997 - Authorizes the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to make exceptions, during specified limited periods, to the Truth in Lending Act for transactions, and to the Expedited Funds Availability Act for depository institution offices, within a major disaster area or an area eligible for disaster relief because of the recent flooding of the Red River of the North, the Minnesota River, and their tributaries. (Sec. 50003) Authorizes the appropriate Federal banking agency to permit, for a specified time period, certain insured depository institutions, in or involved with such area, to subtract from the institution's total assets, in calculating compliance with the leverage limit prescribed under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, an amount not exceeding the qualifying amount attributable to insurance proceeds. (Sec. 50004) Authorizes qualifying regulatory agencies to take specified actions with respect to depository institutions or other regulated entities whose principal place of business is within, or with respect to transactions or activities within such area. (Sec. 50005) Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Comptroller of the Currency, the Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the National Credit Union Administration should encourage depository institutions to meet the financial services needs of their communities and customers located in areas affected by the 1997 flooding of the Red River of the North, the Minnesota River, and their tributaries. Expresses the sense of the Congress that each Federal financial institutions regulatory agency should make exceptions to the appraisal standards prescribed by the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 for transactions involving institutions located in disaster areas if the exceptions can be expected to alleviate hardships to the public resulting from such disasters. Title VII: Technical Amendments With Respect to Education - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make certain technical corrections relating to graduation rates data disclosures. (Sec. 60002) Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to extend from January 1, 1998, to January 1, 1999, the deadline for a final report by the Secretary of Education on a national assessment of programs assisted under ESEA title I, Helping Disadvantaged Children Meet High Standards. (Sec. 60003) Directs the Secretary to deem Kansas and New Mexico as having timely submitted certain written notices of intent to consider specified impact aid payments under ESEA in providing State aid to local educational agencies (LEAs) for school year 1997-1998. Authorizes the Secretary to require these States to submit appropriate additional information, which shall be considered part of such notice. (Sec. 60004) Provides that no eligible LEA shall receive less than 85 percent of the FY 1996 amount in a specified hold-harmless impact aid payment for each of FY 1997 through 2000. (Sec. 60005) Revises requirements for the Secretary's use of data in providing additional assistance for heavily impacted LEAs, to specify that the student and revenue data used be expenditure data. Repeals the requirement that the Secretary use the most recent data available adjusted to the fiscal year in question. Title VII: Food Stamp Program - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to grant States an option to issue food stamp benefits to certain individuals made ineligible by welfare reform.

1997 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Recovery from Natural Disasters, and for Overseas Peacekeeping Efforts, Including Those in Bosnia

United States · United States Congress · 5 June 1997

TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for the Department of Defense Chapter 1: Department of Defense - Military Chapter 2: Rescissions Chapter 3: General Provisions - This Title Title II: Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Recovery from Natural Disasters Chapter 1: Department of Agriculture Chapter 2: Department of Commerce Chapter 3: Department of Defense - Civil Chapter 4: Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Chapter 5: Department of the Interior Chapter 6: Department of Health and Human Services Chapter 7: Congressional Operations Chapter 8: Department of Transportation Chapter 9: Department of the Treasury Chapter 10: Department of Veterans Affairs Chapter 11: Offsets and Rescissions Title III: General Provisions - This Act Title IV: Cost of Higher Education Review Title V: Depository Institution Disaster Relief Title VI: Technical Amendments With Respect To Education Title VII: Food Stamp Program 1997 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Recovery from Natural Disasters, and for Overseas Peacekeeping Efforts, Including Those in Bosnia - Title I: Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for the Department of Defense - Chapter 1: Department of Defense - Military - Makes emergency supplemental appropriations to the Department of Defense (DOD) - Military for: (1) military personnel, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force; (2) operation and maintenance (O&M), Overseas Contingency Operations Transfer Fund; (3) OPLAN 34A-35 prisoner-of-war (P.O.W.) payments to individuals; and (4) the Reserve Mobilization Income Insurance Fund. (Sec. 101) Directs the Secretary of the Navy to transfer specified funds to reimburse costs incurred for repairing damage caused by hurricanes, flooding, and other natural disasters during 1996 and 1997 to real property and facilities at Marine Corps facilities (including Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point, North Carolina; and the Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, California). (Sec. 102) Makes additional appropriations for: (1) direct patient care at military treatment facilities; (2) force protection and counter-terrorism activities; and (3) a grant to the American Red Cross for armed forces emergency services. (Sec. 105) Requires the President to submit to the Congress a report on the estimated cumulative cost of all U.S. activities relating to Bosnia after December 1, 1995, and a detailed accounting of the source of funds to meet such costs. (Sec. 106) Makes additional appropriations to cover incremental O&M costs from hurricane damage to family housing units at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. Chapter 2: Rescissions - Rescinds specified funds provided in the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 1997 for: (1) military personnel of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force; (2) O&M for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force as well as defense-wide O&M; (3) environmental restoration by the Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as defense-wide environmental restoration and environmental restoration of formerly used defense sites; (4) former Soviet Union threat reduction; (5) the National Defense Sealift Fund; (6) the Defense Health Program; and (7) drug interdiction and counter-drug activities. Rescinds funds made available in such Act and certain other defense appropriations Acts for: (1) various types of procurement, including aircraft, missile, weapons, tracked combat vehicles, shipbuilding and conversion, and ammunition, by various branches of the armed forces; (2) National Guard and reserve equipment; (3) armed forces research, development, test and evaluation; and (4) chemical agents and munitions destruction. (Sec. 201) Rescinds specified amounts of the funds appropriated in specified categories in: (1) the Military Construction Appropriations Act, 1996, including the Base Realignment and Closure Account; (2) the Military Construction Appropriations Act, 1997; and (3) the Military Construction Appropriations Act, 1995. Chapter 3: General Provisions - This Title - Directs DOD to report to the congressional defense committees prior to transferring management, development, and acquisition authority over the National Missile Defense Program from the military services. Requires the Joint Requirements Oversight Council to submit recommendations to such committees on the future roles of the military services with respect to such program. (Sec. 302) Authorizes the incumbent to continue to serve as the Secretary of Defense designee on the Board of the Panama Canal Commission if he retires as an officer of DOD, until and unless the Secretary designates another person to serve in this position. (Sec. 303) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into an agreement, which meets certain requirements, for the lease of a specified building at the Lexington Blue Grass Station, Lexington, Kentucky, and any associated real property, for use by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service. (Sec. 304) Authorizes the continuing obligation and expenditure of certain funds appropriated for Navy weapons procurement that were obligated and expended to settle claims on the MK-50 torpedo program. (Sec. 305) Prohibits the use of any DOD funds to pay the cost of operating a National Missile Defense Joint Program Office which includes more than 55 military and civilian personnel located in the National Capital Region. (Sec. 306) Requires the merger of certain National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Air Force funds for obligation only on Titan IV vehicles and related activities. Title II: Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Recovery From Natural Disasters - Chapter 1: Department of Agriculture - Makes emergency appropriations for FY 1997 with respect to flood and other natural disaster costs to the Department of Agriculture for: (1) the Farm Service Agency's Agricultural Credit Insurance Fund Program Account for the additional cost of certain emergency insured and operating loans (including loan modifications); (2) the Emergency Conservation Program for expenses, including carcass removal; (3) the Tree Assistance Program for assistance to small orchardists to replace or rehabilitate disaster-damaged trees and vineyards; and (4) the Commodity Credit Corporation Fund, Disaster Reserve Assistance Program, to implement a livestock indemnity program. Makes such appropriations to: (1) the Natural Resources Conservation Service, for watershed and flood prevention operations to repair damages to the waterways and watersheds; (2) the Rural Housing Service, Rural Housing Insurance Fund Program Account, for the cost of specified loans and domestic farm labor grants for emergency expenses; and (3) the Rural Utilities Service, Rural Utilities Assistance Program, for the cost of direct loans, loan guarantees, and grants for emergency expenses. Bars the use of watershed and flood prevention funds for the salmon memorandum of understanding. Authorizes the use of certain community facility grants for the Rural Housing Assistance Program for expenses resulting from natural disasters. Makes additional funds available for the Food and Consumer Service's Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966. (Sec. 1001) Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to collect and disseminate weekly statistically reliable information on bulk cheese prices. Chapter 2: Department of Commerce - Makes emergency appropriations for FY 1997 to the Department of Commerce for: (1) the Economic Development Administration's economic development assistance programs for emergency infrastructure expenses; (2) the National Institute of Standards and Technology for new grants for industrial technology services under the Advanced Technology Program; and (3) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for disaster assistance related to recent flooding and red tide and for emergency construction expenses resulting from flooding and other natural disasters. Makes additional amounts available to implement the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Makes additional appropriations for the Commission on the Advancement of Federal Law Enforcement. (Sec. 2001) Earmarks a specified amount from the Counterterrorism Fund of the Department of Justice for allocation to the appropriate unit or units of government in Ogden, Utah, for necessary expenses to counter any potential terrorism threat related to the 2002 Winter Olympic games. (Sec. 2002) Amends the Small Business Competitiveness Demonstration Program Act of 1988 to extend to the end of FY 1997 the authorization of the program for expanding small business participation in dredging. (Sec. 2003) Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to establish certain Good Samaritan exemptions from specified violations. (Sec. 2004) Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to reprogram a limited amount of funds provided for NOAA satellite observing systems for other NOAA programmatic and operational requirements, provided certain notification requirements are met. Chapter 3: Department of Defense - Civil - Makes emergency appropriations for FY 1997, with respect to emergency expenses due to flooding and other natural disasters, to DOD, Army Corps of Engineers - Civil for: (1) flood control, Mississippi River and tributaries, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee; (2) general O&M (with earmarked funds for an interagency management plan and other activities related to water allocation in the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa and Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basins, subject to certain restrictions); and (3) flood control and coastal emergencies. Makes emergency appropriations for FY 1997, with respect to flood and other natural disaster costs, to the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation (BLM) for O&M. (Sec. 3001) Makes the U.S. members and the alternate members, appointed under the Susquehanna River Basin Compact and the Delaware River Basin Compact, officers of the Army Corps of Engineers, who hold presidential appointments as regular Army officers with Senate confirmation, and serve without additional compensation, and at the President's pleasure. (Sec. 3002) Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to obligate a limited amount of funds for carrying out construction for safety purposes to modify the Willow Creek Dam, Sun River Project, Montana. (Sec. 3003) Defers specified consultation and conferencing requirements under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 for certain emergency flood control projects. Chapter 4: Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs - Authorizes the President to waive certain minimum funding requirements under provisions of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1997 with respect to assistance for Ukraine if he reports to the Appropriations Committees that Ukraine: (1) has not made progress toward comprehensive economic reform; (2) is not taking steps to ensure that U.S. businesses and individuals are able to operate according to generally accepted business principles; or (3) is not taking steps to cease the illegal dumping of steel plate. Chapter 5: Department of the Interior - Makes emergency appropriations for FY 1997 to the Department of the Interior for: (1) BLM flood damage repair and other activities for Oregon and California Grant Lands; (2) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service resource management, construction, and land acquisition; (3) National Park Service emergency expenses and construction; (4) the U.S. Geological Survey; and (5) the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Makes such appropriations for emergency expenses of the Forest Service and the Indian Health Service. (Sec. 5001) Amends the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1996 (part of the Omnibus Consolidated Rescissions and Appropriations Act of 1996) to revise the formula for distribution of amounts collected under the recreational fee demonstration program. (Sec. 5003) Amends the San Carlos Apache Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 1992 to extend its expiration date from June 30, 1997, through March 31, 1999, or, if before that date a Settlement Agreement between the San Carlos Apache Tribe and Phelps Dodge Corporation is submitted for approval to the Superior Court of Arizona in and for Maricopa County, through December 31, 1999. Extends the Tribe's Central Arizona Project water lease authority to Gila, Graham, and Greenlee Counties. Makes the Gila Valley and Franklin Irrigation Districts parties to the Settlement Agreement. Directs the United States, through the BLM, to operate and maintain the Black River facilities, and to contract for delivery of water at Eagle Creek to Phelps Dodge for a specified monthly fee in addition to a specified monthly power line right-of-way fee. Sets forth provisions for a final agreement between Phelps Dodge and the San Carlos Apache Tribe under which the Tribe will operate the facilities and receive payment for leased water. Ratifies the agreement between the Tribe, Phelps Dodge, and the Secretary of the Interior. (Sec. 5004) Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to modify requirements for the importation of polar bear parts from polar bears legally harvested in Canada before the date of enactment of the Marine Mammal Protection Act Amendments of 1994. Chapter 6: Department of Health and Human Services - Amends specified Federal law relating to appropriations to provide for additional amounts for: (1) the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Health Resources and Services Administration's Health Education Assistance Loans Program; (2) the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund for priority health research; and (3) the Department of Education, Education for the Disadvantaged programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Makes funds available for the National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education. (Sec. 6001) Extends through FY 1998 the availability, to recipients in presidentially-declared disaster areas declared during FY 1997, of certain funds awarded for State-administered programs of the Department of Education for FY 1995 (and for FY 1996, with respect to such programs under the Rehabilitation Act). (Sec. 6002) Authorizes the Secretary of Education, with respect to student aid awards for award years 1996-1997 and 1997-1998, to waive or modify any statutory or regulatory provision applicable to the student financial aid programs under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to assist individuals and other program participants who suffered financial harm from natural disasters. (Sec. 6003) Prohibits the use of any funds to administer or implement in Denver, Colorado, a Medicare Competitive Pricing-Open Enrollment Demonstration program. (Sec. 6004) Provides for emergency use of certain child care funds. Authorizes eligible State Governors, for a limited time period, to use amounts received for the provision of child care assistance or services under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to provide emergency child care services to eligible individuals. Bases State eligibility on the President's determination, pursuant to specified provisions of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, that a major disaster exists, or that an area within the State is determined to be eligible for disaster relief under other Federal law by reason of damage related to flooding in 1997. Bases individual eligibility on: (1) residence within such an area where a major disaster exists, or which is so eligible for disaster relief; and (2) involvement in unpaid work activities (including the cleaning, repair, restoration, and rebuilding of homes, businesses, and schools) resulting from such flood emergency. Sets forth limitations and priorities with respect to such assistance. (Sec. 6005) Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to extend certain redetermination provisions for the supplementary security income (SSI) program. Chapter 7: Congressional Operations - Makes supplemental appropriations for an additional amount for expenses of the Office of the Secretary of the Senate, to carry out specified provisions of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1997. Provides an amount for payment to the children of Frank Tejeda, the late Representative from the State of Texas. Makes additional amounts available for salaries and expenses of the Botanic Garden for emergency repair and renovation of the conservatory. (Sec. 7001) Amends the Legislative Branch Appropriation Act, 1968 to make a specified limitation on the minimum rate of gross compensation inapplicable to any member or civilian employee of the Capitol Police whose compensation is disbursed by the Secretary of the Senate. (Sec. 7002) Authorizes the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate, with the approval of the Committee on Rules and Administration, to provide additional facilities, services, equipment, and office space for use by a Senator in that Senator's State in connection with a presidentially-declared disaster or emergency. (Sec. 7003) Allows the transfer of a limited amount of funds for the expense allowance of the Secretary of the Senate. (Sec. 7004) Authorizes the Comptroller General to use available funds to enter into contracts for the acquisition of severable services for periods that begin in one fiscal year and end in another and to enter into specified multiyear contracts to the same extent as agencies under the authority of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act. Chapter 8: Department of Transportation - Makes supplemental appropriations to the Department of Transportation for: (1) Coast Guard retired pay and for operating expenses directly related to support activities in the TWA Flight 800 crash investigation; (2) Federal Highway Administration, Federal-Aid Highways and for the Emergency Relief Program; and (3) the Federal Railroad Administration, to repair and rebuild freight rail lines of regional and short line railroads damaged by floods (with earmarks for West Virginia and the northern Plains States). Makes such appropriations to the National Transportation Safety Board for: (1) emergency expenses resulting from the crashes of TWA Flight 800, ValuJet 592, and Comair Flight 3272; and (2) assistance to families of victims of aviation accidents. (Sec. 8003) Authorizes additional appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account) for FY 1997 for grants to States for alcohol-impaired driving countermeasures. (Sec. 8004) Extends through FY 1997 the authorization of appropriations for the National Driver Register. Chapter 9: Department of Treasury - Makes supplemental appropriations to the Department of the Treasury. Authorizes the Secretary of Treasury to use the law enforcement services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of the State of Colorado and of the county and city of Denver for security arrangements for the Denver Summit of Eight. Makes supplemental appropriations to: (1) the Customs Service for the automated targeting system with respect to counterterrorism and drug law enforcement; and (2) the Postal Service Fund, for revenue foregone on free and reduced rate mail for specified purposes. (Sec. 9001) Authorizes the Administrator of General Services (GSA) to obligate specified appropriations for construction of the Montgomery, Alabama courthouse. (Sec. 9002) Prohibits the use of funds by GSA to implement certain cooperative purchasing provisions of the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994 prior to the adjournment of the first session of the 105th Congress. (Sec. 9003) Prohibits the Bureau of Engraving and Printing from awarding a contract for the procurement of distinctive currency paper until the General Accounting Office has completed an analysis of the optimum circumstances for procuring such paper. Limits the term of the bridge contract with respect to such paper to 24 months and requires the Secretary of the Treasury to make certain certifications concerning the price and terms of the agreement. (Sec. 9004) Amends specified Federal civil service law to authorize and establish a leave transfer program in disasters and emergencies. Chapter 10: Department of Veterans Affairs - Makes additional amounts available for: (1) the Veterans Benefits Administration for compensation and pensions; and (2) the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for preserving existing housing investment, capacity building for community development and affordable housing, and for community development block grants for activities in communities affected by disasters in the upper Midwest. Authorizes appropriations for the construction of a parking garage at the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Cleveland, Ohio. Earmarks amounts of assisted housing special purpose grants for acquiring parking and restoring a theater in Ashland, Kentucky. Requires the HUD Secretary to enter into a contract with the National Academy of Public Administration for an evaluation of HUD's management systems. Directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), from previous appropriations for the Center for Ecology Research and Training (CERT), to obligate the maximum amount of funds necessary to settle all outstanding CERT-related claims against the EPA pursuant to the Uniform Relocation and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970. Authorizes EPA, from any unobligated balances then remaining, to make grants to Bay City, Michigan, for the purpose of EPA-approved environmental remediation and rehabilitation of publicly owned real property included in the boundaries of the CERT project. Authorizes the use of a specified amount of funds for grants to States and federally recognized tribes for multi-media or single media pollution prevention, control, and abatement for direct implementation by the Federal Government of programs required in absence of acceptable State or tribal programs. Makes additional funds available to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for disaster relief. Conditions the availability of a portion of such funds on the submission by the FEMA Director of a legislative proposal to control disaster relief expenditures, including the elimination of funding for certain revenue producing facilities. Authorizes transfer of a specified amount of FEMA disaster relief funds to the Disaster Assistance Direct Loan Program for the cost of direct loans under certain provisions of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, under specified conditions. (Sec. 10001) Directs the HUD Secretary to submit semi-annually to the Appropriations Committees a list of all contracts and task orders in excess of $250,000 entered into by HUD, the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae), and the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight in the preceding six months. (Sec. 10002) Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to revise certain time periods relating to notice requirements for terminating section 8 housing contracts. (Sec. 10003) Amends the Multifamily Housing Finance Improvement Act, under specified provisions of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992, to revise limitations on the Secretary of HUD's mortgage insurance authority to allow commitments with respect to a limited number of additional units during FY 1997. (Sec. 10005) Amends the National Housing Act to authorize HUD mortgage insurance for condominiums in an amount up to 100 percent of appraised value where a mortgagor establishes that the home was destroyed or damaged as a result of a major disaster. Chapter 11: Offsets and Rescissions - Sets forth offsets with respect to the Fund for Rural America and the Food and Consumer Service's emergency food assistance program. Prohibits the use of Department of Agriculture funds under the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 to pay the personnel salaries and expenses above specified levels to carry out: (1) a combined program for export credit guarantees, supplier credit guarantees, and emerging democracies facilities guarantees; and (2) an export enhancement program. Rescinds specified funds available for: (1) the Department of Justice for the Working Capital Fund, the Assets Forfeiture Fund, and Immigration and Naturalization Service construction; (2) the National Institute of Standards and Technology for the Advanced Technology Program; (3) the Federal Communications Commission; (4) the Ounce of Prevention Council; (5) the Department of Energy for energy supply and research and development activities, power marketing administrations, clean coal technology, and the Strategic Petroleum Reserve; (6) the Department of HHS for job opportunities and basic skills; (7) the Department of Transportation for grants-in-aid for airports, highway traffic safety grants, and other Highway Trust Fund monies; (8) GSA presidential transition expenses; (9) HUD assisted housing programs; and (10) NASA. Title III: General Provisions - This Act - Provides that no appropriation made in this Act shall remain available beyond the current fiscal year unless otherwise provided. (Sec. 30002) Sets forth Buy-American requirements. Title IV: Cost of Higher Education Review - Cost of Higher Education Review Act of 1997 - Establishes a National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education to study and make recommendations regarding: (1) the increase in tuition compared with other commodities and services; (2) innovative methods of reducing or stabilizing tuition; (3) the impact on tuition of specified trends in college and university costs, student financial aid, and government mandates and fiscal policies; (4) mechanisms for a more timely and widespread distribution of data on tuition trends and other costs of operating colleges and universities; and (5) the adequacy of existing Federal and State financial aid programs in meeting the costs of attending colleges and universities. (Sec. 40006) Authorizes appropriations for the Commission. Title V: Depository Institution Disaster Relief - Depository Institutions Disaster Relief Act of 1997 - Authorizes the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to make exceptions, during specified limited periods, to the Truth in Lending Act for transactions, and to the Expedited Funds Availability Act for depository institution offices, within a major disaster area or an area eligible for disaster relief because of the recent flooding of the Red River of the North, the Minnesota River, and their tributaries. (Sec. 50003) Authorizes the appropriate Federal banking agency to permit, for a specified time period, certain insured depository institutions, in or involved with such area, to subtract from the institution's total assets, in calculating compliance with the leverage limit prescribed under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, an amount not exceeding the qualifying amount attributable to insurance proceeds. (Sec. 50004) Authorizes qualifying regulatory agencies to take specified actions with respect to depository institutions or other regulated entities whose principal place of business is within, or with respect to transactions or activities within such area. (Sec. 50005) Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Comptroller of the Currency, the Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the National Credit Union Administration should encourage depository institutions to meet the financial services needs of their communities and customers located in areas affected by the 1997 flooding of the Red River of the North, the Minnesota River, and their tributaries. Expresses the sense of the Congress that each Federal financial institutions regulatory agency should make exceptions to the appraisal standards prescribed by the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 for transactions involving institutions located in disaster areas if the exceptions can be expected to alleviate hardships to the public resulting from such disasters. Title VI: Technical Amendments With Respect to Education - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make certain technical corrections relating to graduation rates data disclosures. (Sec. 60002) Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to extend from January 1, 1998, to January 1, 1999, the deadline for a final report by the Secretary of Education on a national assessment of programs assisted under ESEA title I, Helping Disadvantaged Children Meet High Standards. (Sec. 60003) Directs the Secretary to deem Kansas and New Mexico as having timely submitted certain written notices of intent to consider specified impact aid payments under ESEA in providing State aid to local educational agencies (LEAs) for school year 1997-1998. Authorizes the Secretary to require these States to submit appropriate additional information, which shall be considered part of such notice. (Sec. 60004) Provides that no eligible LEA shall receive less than 85 percent of the FY 1996 amount in a specified hold-harmless impact aid payment for each of FY 1997 through 2000. (Sec. 60005) Revises requirements for the Secretary's use of data in providing additional assistance for heavily impacted LEAs, to specify that the student and revenue data used be expenditure data. Repeals the requirement that the Secretary use the most recent data available adjusted to the fiscal year in question. Title VII: Food Stamp Program - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to grant States an option to issue food stamp benefits to certain individuals made ineligible by welfare reform.

Supplemental Appropriations and Rescissions Act of 1997

United States · United States Congress · 3 June 1997

TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for the Department of Defense Chapter 1: Department of Defense - Military Chapter 2: Rescissions Chapter 3: General Provisions - This Title Title II: Other Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Chapter 1: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Chapter 2: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Chapter 3: Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development Chapter 4: Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Chapter 5: Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies Chapter 6: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Chapter 7: Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch Chapter 8: Subcommittee on the Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Chapter 9: Subcommittee on Treasury and General Government Chapter 10: Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies Title III: Depository Institution Disaster Relief Title IV: Cost of Higher Education Review Title V: Technical Amendments with Respect to Education Title VI: General Provisions - This Act Supplemental Appropriations and Rescissions Act of 1997- Title I: Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for the Department of Defense - Chapter 1: Department of Defense - Military - Makes emergency supplemental appropriations to the Department of Defense (DOD) - Military for: (1) military personnel, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force; (2) operation and maintenance (O&M), Overseas Contingency Operations Transfer Fund; (3) OPLAN 34A-35 prisoner-of-war (P.O.W.) payments to individuals; and (4) the Reserve Mobilization Income Insurance Fund. (Sec. 101) Directs the Secretary of the Navy to transfer specified funds to reimburse costs incurred for repairing damage caused by hurricanes, flooding, and other natural disasters during 1996 and 1997 to real property and facilities at Marine Corps facilities (including Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point, North Carolina; and the Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, California). (Sec. 102) Makes additional appropriations for: (1) direct patient care at military treatment facilities; (2) force protection and counter-terrorism activities; and (3) a grant to the American Red Cross for armed forces emergency services. (Sec. 105) Requires the President to submit to the Congress a report on the estimated cumulative cost of all U.S. activities relating to Bosnia after December 1, 1995, and a detailed accounting of the source of funds to meet such costs. (Sec. 106) Makes additional appropriations to cover incremental O&M costs from hurricane damage to family housing units at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. Chapter 2: Rescissions - Rescinds specified funds provided in the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 1997 for: (1) military personnel of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force; (2) O&M for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force as well as defense-wide O&M; (3) environmental restoration by the Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as defense-wide environmental restoration and environmental restoration of formerly used defense sites; (4) former Soviet Union threat reduction; (5) the National Defense Sealift Fund; (6) the Defense Health Program; and (7) drug interdiction and counter-drug activities. Rescinds funds made available in such Act and certain other defense appropriations Acts for: (1) various types of procurement, including aircraft, missile, weapons, tracked combat vehicles, shipbuilding and conversion, and ammunition, by various branches of the armed forces; (2) National Guard and reserve equipment; (3) armed forces research, development, test and evaluation; and (4) chemical agents and munitions destruction. (Sec. 201) Rescinds specified amounts of the funds appropriated in specified categories in: (1) the Military Construction Appropriations Act, 1996, including the Base Realignment and Closure Account; (2) the Military Construction Appropriations Act, 1997; and (3) the Military Construction Appropriations Act, 1995. Chapter 3: General Provisions - This Title - Requires the Joint Requirements Oversight Council to conduct an analysis and submit recommendations to the congressional defense committees as to the future roles of the military services with respect to the National Missile Defense Program. (Sec. 302) Authorizes the incumbent to continue to serve as the Secretary of Defense designee on the Board of the Panama Canal Commission if he retires as an officer of DOD, until and unless the Secretary designates another person to serve in this position. (Sec. 303) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into an agreement, which meets certain requirements, for the lease of a specified building at the Lexington Blue Grass Station, Lexington, Kentucky, and any associated real property, for use by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service. (Sec. 304) Authorizes the continuing obligation and expenditure of certain funds appropriated for Navy weapons procurement that were obligated and expended to settle claims on the MK-50 torpedo program. (Sec. 305) Prohibits the use of any DOD funds to pay the cost of operating a National Missile Defense Joint Program Office which includes more than 55 military and civilian personnel located in the National Capital Region. (Sec. 306) Requires the merger of certain National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Air Force funds for obligation only on Titan IV vehicles and related activities. Title II: Other Emergency Supplemental Appropriations - Chapter 1: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies - Makes emergency appropriations for FY 1997 with respect to flood and other natural disaster costs to the Department of Agriculture for: (1) the Farm Service Agency's Agricultural Credit Insurance Fund Program Account for the additional cost of certain emergency insured and operating loans (including loan modifications); (2) the Emergency Conservation Program for expenses, including carcass removal; (3) the Tree Assistance Program for assistance to small orchardists to replace or rehabilitate disaster-damaged trees and vineyards; and (4) the Commodity Credit Corporation Fund, Disaster Reserve Assistance Program, to implement a livestock indemnity program. Makes such appropriations to: (1) the Natural Resources Conservation Service, for watershed and flood prevention operations to repair damages to the waterways and watersheds; (2) the Rural Housing Service, Rural Housing Insurance Fund Program Account, for the cost of specified loans and domestic farm labor grants for emergency expenses; and (3) the Rural Utilities Service, Rural Utilities Assistance Program, for the cost of direct loans, loan guarantees, and grants for emergency expenses. Bars the use of watershed and flood prevention funds for the salmon memorandum of understanding. Authorizes the use of certain community facility grants for the Rural Housing Assistance Program for expenses resulting from natural disasters. Makes additional funds available for the Food and Consumer Service's Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966. (Sec. 101) Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to collect and disseminate weekly statistically reliable information on bulk cheese prices. (Sec. 102) Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to grant States an option to issue food stamp benefits to certain individuals made ineligible by welfare reform. Sets forth offsets with respect to the Fund for Rural America and the Food and Consumer Service's emergency food assistance program. Prohibits the use of Department of Agriculture funds under the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 to pay the personnel salaries and expenses above specified levels to carry out: (1) a combined program for export credit guarantees, supplier credit guarantees, and emerging democracies facilities guarantees; and (2) an export enhancement program. Chapter 2: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies - Makes emergency appropriations for FY 1997 to the Department of Commerce for: (1) the Economic Development Administration's economic development assistance programs for emergency infrastructure expenses; (2) the National Institute of Standards and Technology for new grants for industrial technology services under the Advanced Technology Program; and (3) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for disaster assistance for emergency construction expenses resulting from flooding and other natural disasters. Makes additional appropriations for the Commission on the Advancement of Federal Law Enforcement. (Sec. 201) Earmarks a specified amount from the Counterterrorism Fund of the Department of Justice for allocation to the appropriate unit or units of government in Ogden, Utah, for necessary expenses to counter any potential terrorism threat related to the 2002 Winter Olympic games. (Sec. 202) Prohibits the use of any funds made available in an appropriations Act for FY 1997 by the Department of Commerce to make irreversible plans for the use of sampling or any other statistical method in taking the 2000 decennial census for purposes of the apportionment of Representatives in the Congress. (Sec. 203) Amends the Small Business Competitiveness Demonstration Program Act of 1988 to extend to the end of FY 1997 the authorization of the program for expanding small business participation in dredging. (Sec. 204) Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to establish certain Good Samaritan exemptions from specified violations. Rescinds specified funds available for: (1) the Department of Justice for the Working Capital Fund, the Assets Forfeiture Fund, and Immigration and Naturalization Service construction; (2) the National Institute of Standards and Technology for the Advanced Technology Program; (3) the Federal Communications Commission; and (4) the Ounce of Prevention Council. Chapter 3: Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development - Makes emergency appropriations for FY 1997, with respect to emergency expenses due to flooding and other natural disasters, to DOD, Army Corps of Engineers - Civil for: (1) flood control, Mississippi River and tributaries, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee; (2) general O&M (with earmarked funds for an interagency management plan and other activities related to water allocation in the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa and Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basins, subject to certain restrictions); and (3) flood control and coastal emergencies. Makes emergency appropriations for FY 1997, with respect to flood and other natural disaster costs, to the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation (BLM) for O&M. (Sec. 301) Makes the U.S. members and the alternate members, appointed under the Susquehanna River Basin Compact and the Delaware River Basin Compact, officers of the Army Corps of Engineers, who hold presidential appointments as regular Army officers with Senate confirmation, and serve without additional compensation, and at the President's pleasure. (Sec. 302) Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to obligate a limited amount of funds for carrying out construction for safety purposes to modify the Willow Creek Dam, Sun River Project, Montana. (Sec. 303) Defers specified consultation and conferencing requirements under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 for certain emergency flood control projects. Rescinds specified funds available to the Department of Energy for energy supply, research and development activities and for construction, rehabilitation, and O&M for the Western Area Power Administration. Chapter 4: Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs - Authorizes the President to waive certain earmarks under provisions of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1997 with respect to assistance for Ukraine if he reports to the Appropriations Committees that Ukraine is not: (1) making progress toward economic reform and the elimination of corruption; (2) permitting American firms and individuals to operate according to generally accepted business principles; or (3) assisting American firms and individuals in their efforts to enforce commercial contracts and resist extortion and other corrupt demands. Chapter 5: Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies - Makes emergency appropriations for FY 1997 to the Department of the Interior for: (1) BLM flood damage repair and other activities for Oregon and California Grant Lands; (2) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service resource management, construction, and land acquisition; (3) National Park Service emergency expenses and construction; (4) the U.S. Geological Survey; and (5) the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Makes such appropriations for emergency expenses of the Forest Service and the Indian Health Service. (Sec. 501) Amends the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1996 (part of the Omnibus Consolidated Rescissions and Appropriations Act of 1996) to revise the formula for distribution of amounts collected under the recreational fee demonstration program. (Sec. 503) Amends the San Carlos Apache Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 1992 to extend its expiration date from June 30, 1997, through March 31, 1999, or, if before that date a Settlement Agreement between the San Carlos Apache Tribe and Phelps Dodge Corporation is submitted for approval to the Superior Court of Arizona in and for Maricopa County, through December 31, 1999. Extends the Tribe's Central Arizona Project water lease authority to Gila, Graham, and Greenlee Counties. Makes the Gila Valley and Franklin Irrigation Districts parties to the Settlement Agreement. Directs the United States, through the BLM, to operate and maintain the Black River facilities, and to contract for delivery of water at Eagle Creek to Phelps Dodge for a specified monthly fee in addition to a specified monthly power line right-of-way fee. Sets forth provisions for a final agreement between Phelps Dodge and the San Carlos Apache Tribe under which the Tribe will operate the facilities and receive payment for leased water. Ratifies the agreement between the Tribe, Phelps Dodge, and the Secretary of the Interior. (Sec. 504) Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to modify requirements for the importation of polar bear parts from polar bears legally harvested in Canada before the date of enactment of the Marine Mammal Protection Act Amendments of 1994. Rescinds specified funds made available to the Department of Energy for clean coal technology and the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Chapter 6: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies - Amends specified Federal law relating to appropriations to provide for additional amounts for: (1) the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Health Resources and Services Administration's Health Education Assistance Loans Program; (2) the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund for priority health research; and (3) the Department of Education, Education for the Disadvantaged programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Makes funds available for the National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education. (Sec. 601) Extends through FY 1998 the availability, to recipients in presidentially-declared disaster areas declared during FY 1997, of certain funds awarded for State-administered programs of the Department of Education for FY 1995 (and for FY 1996, with respect to such programs under the Rehabilitation Act). (Sec. 602) Authorizes the Secretary of Education, with respect to student aid awards for award years 1996-1997 and 1997-1998, to waive or modify any statutory or regulatory provision applicable to the student financial aid programs under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to assist individuals and other program participants who suffered financial harm from natural disasters. (Sec. 603) Prohibits the use of any funds to administer or implement in Denver, Colorado, a Medicare Competitive Pricing-Open Enrollment Demonstration program. (Sec. 604) Provides for emergency use of certain child care funds. Authorizes eligible State Governors, for a limited time period, to use amounts received for the provision of child care assistance or services under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to provide emergency child care services to eligible individuals. Bases State eligibility on the President's determination, pursuant to specified provisions of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, that a major disaster exists, or that an area within the State is determined to be eligible for disaster relief under other Federal law by reason of damage related to flooding in 1997. Bases individual eligibility on: (1) residence within such an area where a major disaster exists, or which is so eligible for disaster relief; and (2) involvement in unpaid work activities (including the cleaning, repair, restoration, and rebuilding of homes, businesses, and schools) resulting from such flood emergency. Sets forth limitations and priorities with respect to such assistance. (Sec. 605) Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to extend certain redetermination provisions for the supplementary security income (SSI) program. Rescinds specified funds available to the Department of HHS for job opportunities and basic skills. Chapter 7: Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch - Makes supplemental appropriations for an additional amount for expenses of the Office of the Secretary of the Senate, to carry out specified provisions of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1997. Provides an amount for payment to the children of Frank Tejeda, the late Representative from the State of Texas. Makes additional amounts available for salaries and expenses of the Botanic Garden for emergency repair and renovation of the conservatory. (Sec. 701) Amends the Legislative Branch Appropriation Act, 1968 to make a specified limitation on the minimum rate of gross compensation inapplicable to any member or civilian employee of the Capitol Police whose compensation is disbursed by the Secretary of the Senate. (Sec. 702) Allows the transfer of a limited amount of funds for the expense allowance of the Secretary of the Senate. (Sec. 703) Authorizes the Comptroller General to use available funds to enter into contracts for the acquisition of severable services for periods that begin in one fiscal year and end in another and to enter into specified multiyear contracts to the same extent as agencies under the authority of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act. Chapter 8: Subcommittee of the Department of Transportation and Related Agencies - Makes supplemental appropriations to the Department of Transportation for: (1) Coast Guard retired pay and for operating expenses directly related to support activities in the TWA Flight 800 crash investigation; (2) Federal Highway Administration, Federal-Aid Highways and for the Emergency Relief Program; and (3) the Federal Railroad Administration, to repair and rebuild freight rail lines of regional and short line railroads damaged by floods (with earmarks for West Virginia and the northern Plains States). Makes such appropriations to the National Transportation Safety Board for: (1) emergency expenses resulting from the crashes of TWA Flight 800, ValuJet 592, and Comair Flight 3272; and (2) assistance to families of victims of aviation accidents. (Sec. 803) Authorizes additional appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account) for FY 1997 for grants to States for alcohol-impaired driving countermeasures. (Sec. 804) Extends through FY 1997 the authorization of appropriations for the National Driver Register. Rescinds specified funds available to the Department of Transportation for grants-in-aid for airports, highway traffic safety grants, and Highway Trust Fund contract authority. Chapter 9: Subcommittee on Treasury and General Government - Makes supplemental appropriations to the Department of the Treasury. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to use the law enforcement services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of the State of Colorado and of the county and city of Denver for security arrangements for the Denver Summit of Eight. Makes supplemental appropriations to: (1) the Customs Service for the automated targeting system with respect to counterterrorism and drug law enforcement; and (2) the Postal Service Fund, for revenue foregone on free and reduced rate mail for specified purposes. (Sec. 901) Authorizes the Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA) to obligate specified appropriations for construction of the Montgomery, Alabama courthouse. (Sec. 902) Prohibits the Bureau of Engraving and Printing from awarding a contract for the procurement of distinctive currency paper until the General Accounting Office has completed an analysis of the optimum circumstances for procuring such paper. Limits the term of the bridge contract with respect to such paper to 24 months and requires the Secretary of the Treasury to make certain certifications concerning the price and terms of the agreement. (Sec. 903) Amends specified Federal civil service law to authorize and establish a leave transfer program in disasters and emergencies. (Sec. 904) Prohibits the use of funds by GSA to implement certain cooperative purchasing provisions of the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994 prior to the adjournment of the first session of the 105th Congress. Rescinds specified funds available for GSA presidential transition expenses. Chapter 10: Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies - Makes additional amounts available for: (1) the Veterans Benefits Administration for compensation and pensions; and (2) the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for preserving existing housing investment, capacity building for community development and affordable housing, and for community development block grants for activities in communities affected by disasters in the upper Midwest. Authorizes appropriations for the construction of a parking garage at the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Cleveland, Ohio. Earmarks amounts of assisted housing special purpose grants for acquiring parking and restoring a theater in Ashland, Kentucky. Requires the HUD Secretary to enter into a contract with the National Academy of Public Administration for an evaluation of HUD's management systems. Directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), from previous appropriations for the Center for Ecology Research and Training (CERT), to obligate the maximum amount of funds necessary to settle all outstanding CERT-related claims against the EPA pursuant to the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970. Authorizes EPA, from any unobligated balances then remaining, to make grants to Bay City, Michigan, for the purpose of EPA-approved environmental remediation and rehabilitation of publicly owned real property included in the boundaries of the CERT project. Authorizes the use of a specified amount of funds for grants to States and federally recognized tribes for multi-media or single media pollution prevention, control, and abatement for direct implementation by the Federal Government of programs required in absence of acceptable State or tribal programs. Makes additional funds available to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for disaster relief. Conditions the availability of a portion of such funds on the submission by the FEMA Director of a legislative proposal to control disaster relief expenditures, including the elimination of funding for certain revenue producing facilities. Authorizes transfer of a specified amount of FEMA disaster relief funds to the Disaster Assistance Direct Loan Program for the cost of direct loans under certain provisions of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, under specified conditions. (Sec. 1001) Directs the HUD Secretary to submit semi-annually to the Appropriations Committees a list of all contracts and task orders in excess of $250,000 entered into by HUD, the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae), and the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight in the preceding six months. (Sec. 1002) Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to revise certain time periods relating to notice requirements for terminating section 8 housing contracts. (Sec. 1003) Amends the Multifamily Housing Finance Improvement Act, under specified provisions of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992, to revise limitations on the Secretary of HUD's mortgage insurance authority to allow commitments with respect to a limited number of additional units during FY 1997. (Sec. 1005) Amends the National Housing Act to authorize HUD mortgage insurance for condominiums in an amount up to 100 percent of appraised value where a mortgagor establishes that the home was destroyed or damaged as a result of a major disaster. Rescinds specified funds made available for HUD assisted housing programs and for NASA. Title III: Depository Institution Disaster Relief - Depository Institutions Disaster Relief Act of 1997 - Authorizes the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to make exceptions, during specified limited periods, to the Truth in Lending Act for transactions, and to the Expedited Funds Availability Act for depository institution offices, within a major disaster area or an area eligible for disaster relief because of the recent flooding of the Red River of the North, the Minnesota River, and their tributaries. (Sec. 3003) Authorizes the appropriate Federal banking agency to permit, for a specified time period, certain insured depository institutions, in or involved with such area, to subtract from the institution's total assets, in calculating compliance with the leverage limit prescribed under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, an amount not exceeding the qualifying amount attributable to insurance proceeds. (Sec. 3004) Authorizes qualifying regulatory agencies to take specified actions with respect to depository institutions or other regulated entities whose principal place of business is within, or with respect to transactions or activities within such area. (Sec. 3005) Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Comptroller of the Currency, the Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the National Credit Union Administration should encourage depository institutions to meet the financial services needs of their communities and customers located in areas affected by the 1997 flooding of the Red River of the North, the Minnesota River, and their tributaries. Expresses the sense of the Congress that each Federal financial institutions regulatory agency should make exceptions to the appraisal standards prescribed by the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 for transactions involving institutions located in disaster areas if the exceptions can be expected to alleviate hardships to the public resulting from such disasters. Title IV: Cost of Higher Education Review - Cost of Higher Education Review Act of 1997 - Establishes a National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education to study and make recommendations regarding: (1) the increase in tuition compared with other commodities and services; (2) innovative methods of reducing or stabilizing tuition; (3) the impact on tuition of specified trends in college and university costs, student financial aid, and government mandates and fiscal policies; (4) mechanisms for a more timely and widespread distribution of data on tuition trends and other costs of operating colleges and universities; and (5) the adequacy of existing Federal and State financial aid programs in meeting the costs of attending colleges and universities. (Sec. 40006) Authorizes appropriations for the Commission. Title V: Technical Amendments With Respect to Education - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make certain technical corrections relating to graduation rates data disclosures. (Sec. 50002) Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to extend from January 1, 1998, to January 1, 1999, the deadline for a final report by the Secretary of Education on a national assessment of programs assisted under ESEA title I, Helping Disadvantaged Children Meet High Standards. (Sec. 50003) Directs the Secretary to deem Kansas and New Mexico as having timely submitted certain written notices of intent to consider specified impact aid payments under ESEA in providing State aid to local educational agencies (LEAs) for school year 1997-1998. Authorizes the Secretary to require these States to submit appropriate additional information, which shall be considered part of such notice. (Sec. 50004) Provides that no eligible LEA shall receive less than 85 percent of the FY 1996 amount in a specified hold-harmless impact aid payment for each of FY 1997 through 2000. (Sec. 50005) Revises requirements for the Secretary's use of data in providing additional assistance for heavily impacted LEAs, to specify that the student and revenue data used be expenditure data. Repeals the requirement that the Secretary use the most recent data available adjusted to the fiscal year in question. Title VI: General Provisions - This Act - Provides that no appropriation made in this Act shall remain available beyond the current fiscal year unless otherwise provided. (Sec. 60002) Sets forth Buy-American requirements.

Use of recycled paper by Deutsche Post AG in accordance with Section 37 of the Circular Economy and Waste Act (G-SIG: 13049379)

Germany · German Bundestag · 23 May 1997

The same market access opportunities for Deutsche Post AG to other European countries as for foreign competitors to Germany (G-SIG: 13049385)

Germany · German Bundestag · 23 May 1997

To provide for the privatization of the United States Postal Service.

United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1997

Provides for the transfer of the United States Postal Service to a private corporation. Directs the President to transmit to the Congress: (1) a comprehensive plan providing for the transfer of property subject to this Act; and (2) recommendations for legislation as necessary. Establishes the Postal Privatization Commission to: (1) carry out functions relating to the issuance of securities to postal employees; and (2) consult with the President on the transfer.

Expressing the sense of the Congress that a postage stamp should be issued to mark the 85th anniversary of the dedication of the Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct, now known as the Nicholson Viaduct, in Nicholson, Pennsylvania.

United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1997

Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee of the U.S. Postal Service should recommend to the Postmaster General that a postage stamp be issued to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the dedication of the Nicholson Viaduct.

Stamp Out Breast Cancer Act

United States · United States Congress · 13 May 1997

Stamp Out Breast Cancer Act - Requires the U.S. Postal Service to establish a special rate of postage for first-class mail that is one cent higher than the regular rate as an alternative that patrons may use voluntarily to contribute to funding for breast-cancer research. Authorizes the Service to design and sell special stamps. Requires the Service to pay 70 percent of the amounts attributable (additional revenues minus costs) to the one-cent differential to the National Institutes of Health and the remainder to the Department of Defense under arrangements as mutually agreed, provided payments are made at least twice a year.

Breast-Cancer Research Stamp Act

United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1997

Breast-Cancer Research Stamp Act - Requires the U.S. Postal Service to establish a special rate of postage for first-class mail that is one cent higher than the regular rate as an alternative that patrons may use voluntarily to contribute to funding for breast-cancer research. Authorizes the Service to design and sell special stamps. Requires the Service to pay amounts attributable (additional revenues minus costs) to the one-cent differential to the Department of Health and Human Services at least twice a year.

Millennium Society Act of 1997

United States · United States Congress · 1 May 1997

TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Recognition of the Millennium Society Title II: Commemorative Postage Stamps Millennium Society Act of 1997 - Title I: Recognition of the Millennium Society - Recognizes the Millennium Society (a nonprofit U.S. corporation chartered and organized under the laws of the State of Illinois on November 21, 1983) and any other organization that is organized and operated by the corporation exclusively for charitable and educational purposes. (Sec. 105) Sets forth the goals and purposes of the Society, which include: (1) establishing national goals for commemoration and celebration of the millennium in the United States and U.S. participation in such international events; (2) exercising exclusive jurisdiction over all matters pertaining to U.S. participation in commemorations or celebrations of the millennium; (3) coordinating activities and holding forums and symposiums to promote educational and cross-cultural exchange; and (4) establishing, endowing, and administering the Millennium Scholars Program providing for a university level exchange for women and men from all world regions to better prepare young leaders for greater achievements in the next millennium. (Sec. 114) Grants the Society the sole and exclusive right to the use of specified symbols, emblems, trademarks, and names in carrying out its functions. Allows persons who lawfully used such a symbol or slogan before the enactment of this Act to continue such lawful use for the same purpose and for the same goods or services. Title II: Commemorative Postage Stamps - Urges the Postal Service to cooperate with the Society in: (1) issuance of appropriate first day of issuance postage stamps commemorating the end of the second millennium and the advent of the third; and (2) production of a philatelic numismatic combination as a unique item to be made available to the public for such commemoration.

Supplemental Appropriations and Rescissions Act of 1997

United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1997

TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Department of Defense Supplementals Title II: Natural Disasters and Other Emergencies Title III: Other Supplementals Title IV: Department of Defense Offsets Title V: Other Offsets Title VI: Social Services Block Grant Amendment Title VII: Government Shutdown Prevention Act Supplemental Appropriations and Rescissions Act of 1997 - Title I: Department of Defense Supplementals - Makes emergency appropriations for FY 1997 to the Department of Defense (DOD)--Military, for: (1) Military Personnel of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps,and Air Force; (2) operation and maintenance, Overseas Contingency Operations Transfer Fund; (3) OPLAN 34A-35 POW payments to individuals; and (4) the Reserve Mobilization Income Insurance Fund. (Sec. 101) Authorizes the Secretary of Defense, upon his determination that it is necessary in the national interest and with Office of Management and Budget approval, to transfer between such appropriations, but only for higher priority items, based on unforeseen military requirements, up to a specified amount of DOD working capital and other specified funds earmarked for: (1) U.S. participation in the Bosnia Stabilization Force (SFOR); and (2) enforcement of the no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq. (Sec. 102) Prohibits the use of DOD funds to transfer management, development, and acquisition authority over the National Missile Defense Program from the Military Services until the contract for a Lead System Integrator for it is awarded. Directs the Joint Requirements Oversight Council to: (1) submit recommendations to Congressional Defense Committees on the future roles of the Services with respect to the management, technical development, cost, schedule, and acquisition plan for the elements in such program; and (2) certify that such contract will conform to these recommendations. (Sec. 103) Makes additional appropriations for a grant to reimburse the American Red Cross for disaster relief and recovery expenditures. (Sec. 104) Directs the Secretary of the Navy to transfer specified funds to reimburse costs incurred for repairing damage caused by hurricanes, flooding, and other natural disasters during 1996 and 1997 to real property and facilities at Marine Corps facilities (including Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; Cherry Point, North Carolina; and the Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, California). (Sec. 105) Makes additional appropriations to cover incremental operation and maintenance costs from hurricane damage to family housing units at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. (Sec. 106) Prohibits use of DOD funds for operations or activities of the Armed Forces relating to Bosnia, unless the President reports to the Congress, with specified details, on the cost and source of funds for military activities relating to Bosnia. (Sec. 107) Authorizes the incumbent to continue to serve as the Secretary of Defense designee on the Board of the Panama Canal Commission if he retires as an officer of the Department of Defense, until and unless the Secretary of Defense designates another person to serve in this position. Title II: Natural Disasters and Other Emergencies - Chapter 1: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related Agencies - Makes emergency appropriations for FY 1997 with respect to flood and other natural disaster costs to the Department of Agriculture for: (1) the Farm Service Agency's Agricultural Credit Insurance Fund Program Account for the additional cost of certain emergency insured loans (including loan modifications); (2) the Emergency Conservation Program for expenses, including carcass removal; (3) the Tree Assistance Program for assistance to small orchardists to replace, rehabilitate, or replant disaster-damaged trees and vineyards, including (through the Forestry Incentives Program) trees damaged by 1997 tornadoes; and (4) the Commodity Credit Corporation Fund, Disaster Reserve Assistance Program, to implement a livestock indemnity program. Makes such appropriations to: (1) the Natural Resources Conservation Service, for Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations to repair damages to the waterways and watersheds; (2) the Rural Housing Service, Rural Housing Insurance Fund Program, for the cost of specified direct loans for emergency expenses, and Rural Housing Assistance Program, for very low-income housing repair grants and domestic farm labor grants; and (3) the Rural Utilities Service, Rural Utilities Assistance Program, for the cost of direct loans, loan guarantees, and grants. Chapter 2: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies - Makes emergency appropriations for FY 1997 with respect to flood and other natural disaster costs to the Department of Commerce for: (1) the Economic Development Administration, Economic Development Assistance Programs; and (2) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, for construction. Chapter 3: Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development - Makes emergency appropriations for FY 1997 with respect to flood and other natural disaster costs to the Department of Defense--Civil, Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers--Civil, for: (1) flood control, Mississippi River and tributaries, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee; (2) general operations and maintenance; and (3) flood control and coastal emergencies. Makes emergency appropriations for FY 1997 with respect to flood and other natural disaster costs to the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation, for operation and maintenance. Chapter 4: Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies - Makes emergency appropriations for FY 1997 with respect to flood and other natural disaster costs to the Department of the Interior for: (1) the Bureau of Land Management; (2) the Fish and Wildlife Service; (3) National Park Service; (4) U.S. Geological Survey; and (5) the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Makes such appropriations for FY 1997 with respect to flood and other natural disaster costs to: (1) the Department of Agriculture's Forest Service for the National Forest System's emergency expenses;and (2) the Department of Health and Human Services' Indian Health Service. Chapter 5: Subcommittee on Transportation and Related Agencies - Makes emergency appropriations for FY 1997 with respect to flood and other natural disaster costs to the Department of Transportation for: (1) the Federal Highway Administration, Federal-Aid Highways, Emergency Relief Program; and (2) the Federal Railroad Administration, Emergency Railroad Rehabilitation and Repair, to repair and rebuild freight rail lines of regional and short line railroads damaged as a result of the floods in the northern plains States in March and April of 1997. Makes such appropriations for a related agency, the National Transportation Safety Board, for emergency expenses resulting from the crashes of TWA Flight 800 and ValuJet 592, and for assistance to families of victims of aviation accidents. Chapter 6: Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies - Makes emergency appropriations to: (1) the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Community Planning and Development, community development block grants fund; and (2) the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), for disaster relief. Requires the FEMA Director to submit to the Congress a legislative proposal to control disaster relief expenditures, including the elimination of funding for certain revenue producing facilities. Chapter 7: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies - Makes emergency appropriations to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Secretary, Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund, to support research on environmental risk factors associated with breast cancer. Directs the Secretary of HHS to award such funds on a competitive basis. Title III: Other Supplementals - Chapter 1: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related Agencies - Makes supplemental appropriations to the Department of Agriculture for: (1) the Farm Service Agency's Agricultural Credit Insurance Fund Program Account for the additional cost of certain direct operating loans; and (2) the Food and Consumer Service's Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966. Chapter 2: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies - Makes supplemental appropriations to the Department of State for payment of United States arrearages owed to the United Nations, subject to express authorization enacted in a subsequent Act. Chapter 3: Subcommittee on the District of Columbia - Makes supplemental FY 1997 appropriations to the District of Columbia, (Federal Payment to the District of Columbia) for deposit into an escrow account of the D.C. Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Authority and disbursal pursuant to the instructions of, and in accordance with a plan approved by, such Authority. Requires the use of specified portions of such funds for: (1) emergency repair of D.C. public schools; and (2) pay raises within the Metropolitan Police Department. Chapter 4: Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies - Makes supplemental appropriations to the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, for repairs, facilities construction, visitor transportation, and related purposes at Yosemite National Park. Chapter 5: Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, Congressional Operations, Senate - Makes supplemental appropriations for an additional amount for expenses of the Office of the Secretary of the Senate, to carry out specified provisions of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1997. Chapter 6: Subcommittee on Transportation and Related Agencies - Makes supplemental appropriations to the Department of Transportation for: (1) Coast Guard retired pay and for operating expenses directly related to support activities in the TWA Flight 800 crash investigation; (2) Federal Aviation Administration, to reimburse State and local agencies for unanticipated disaster costs associated with efforts directly related to the 1996 TWA Flight 800 and ValuJet Flight 592 tragedies; and (3) Federal Highway Administration, Federal-Aid Highways. Chapter 7: Subcommittee on Treasury and General Government - Makes supplemental appropriations to the Department of the Treasury. Authorizes the Secretary of Treasury to use the law enforcement services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of the State of Colorado and of the County and City of Denver for security arrangements for the Denver Summit of Eight. Makes supplemental appropriations to the U.S. Postal Service, for the Postal Service Fund, for revenue forgone on free and reduced rate mail for specified purposes. Chapter 8: Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies - Makes supplemental appropriations to: (1) the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Benefits Administration; and (2) the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), for annual contributions for assisted housing and for capacity building for community development and affordable housing. Chapter 9: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies - Amends specified Federal law relating to appropriations to provide for additional amounts for: (1) the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Health Resources and Services Administration's Health Education Assistance Loans Program, and the Administration for Children and Families' Social Services Block Grant program; and (2) the Department of Education, Education for the Disadvantaged programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Chapter 10: General Provisions - Earmarks a specified amount from the Counterterrorism Fund of the Department of Justice for allocation to the appropriate unit or units of government in Ogden, Utah, for necessary expenses to counter any potential terrorism threat related to the 2002 Winter Olympic games. (Sec. 303) Prohibits the use of any funds made available in any appropriations Act for FY 1997 to the Department of Commerce for preparing to use sampling in the 2000 decennial census. (Sec. 304) Provides that, for specified purposes, all patents in force on June 8, 1995, are entitled to the full benefit of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act of 1994 as well as any extension granted before such date. (Sec. 305) Repeals specified provisions of the Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act, 1997, which make certain additional Department of Defense appropriations earmarked for the Dual-Use Applications Program. (Sec. 306) Declares that the U.S. members and alternate members, appointed under the Susquehanna River Basin Compact and the Delaware River Basin Compact, shall be officers of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who hold Presidential appointments as Regular Army officers with Senate confirmation, and serve without additional compensation. (Sec. 307) Amends the Delaware River Basin Compact to provide that certain members serve at the pleasure of the President. (Sec. 308) Amends the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1996 (part of the Omnibus Consolidated Rescissions and Appropriations Act of 1996) with respect to a recreational fee demonstration program. (Sec. 309) Amends the Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act, 1997, to authorize the Indian Health Service (IHS), with respect to functions it transfers to tribes or tribal organizations, to provide goods and services to those entities, on a reimbursable basis, including payment in advance with subsequent adjustment. (Sec. 310) Prohibits the use of any funds for any Federal agency for FY 1997 and thereafter to promulgate or implement any rule, regulation, policy, statement, or directive issued after October 1, 1993, regarding the recognition, validity, or management of any right of way established pursuant specified Federal law relating to public lands. (Sec. 311) Amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to exempt certain emergency flood control projects from specified consultation and conferencing requirements, and prohibitions against the taking of species. (Sec. 312) Extends through FY 1998 the availability, to recipients in Presidentially-declared disaster areas, of certain funds awarded for State-administered programs of the Department of Education for FY 1995 (and for FY 1996, with respect to such programs under the Rehabilitation Act). (Sec. 313) Authorizes the Secretary of Education, with respect to student aid awards for award year 1997-1998, to waive or modify any statutory or regulatory provision applicable to the student financial aid programs under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to assist individuals and other program participants who suffered financial harm from natural disasters. (Sec. 314) Prohibits the use of any funds to administer or implement in Denver, Colorado, a Medicare Competitive Pricing-Open Enrollment Demonstration program. (Sec. 315) Amends the Legislative Branch Appropriation Act, 1968 to make a specified limitation on the minimum rate of gross compensation inapplicable to any member or civilian employee of the Capitol Police whose compensation is disbursed by the Secretary of the Senate. (Sec. 316) Authorizes the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate, with the approval of the Committee on Rules and Administration, to provide additional facilities, services, equipment, and office space for use by a Senator in that Senator's State in connection with a Presidentially-declared disaster or emergency. (Sec. 319) Authorizes additional appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account) for FY 1997 for grants to States for alcohol-impaired driving countermeasures. (Sec. 320) Amends Federal transportation law to exempt from certain fees overflights operated by citizens of a country contiguous to the United States if: (1) both the origin and destination of such flights are within that country; and (2) that country exempts similar categories of flights operated by U.S. citizens. (Sec. 321) Authorizes the Administrator of General Services to obligate specified appropriations for construction of the Montgomery, Alabama, courthouse. (Sec. 322) Prohibits the use of funds to impose or collect any penalty imposed solely because of a failure to use the electronic fund transfer system by a person first required do so during the last six months of 1997. (Sec. 323) Amends the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994 to repeal specified provisions relating to cooperative purchasing. (Sec. 324) Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to publish quarterly in the Federal Register a list of all contracts and task orders in excess of $250,000 entered into by HUD, the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae), and the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight. (Sec. 325) Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to revise certain time periods relating to notice requirements for terminating section 8 housing contracts. Title IV: Department of Defense Offsets - Rescinds specified funds provided in the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 1997 for: (1) military personnel of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force; (2) operation and maintenance for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Defense-wide; (3) environmental restoration by the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Defense-wide; (4) Former Soviet Union Threat Reduction; (5) various types of procurement, including aircraft missile, weapons, tracked combat vehicles, shipbuilding and conversion, and ammunition, by various branches of the armed forces; (6) National Guard and Reserve equipment; (7) armed forces research, development, test and evaluation; (8) the National Defense Sealift Fund; (9) chemical agents and munitions destruction; and (10) drug interdiction and counter-drug activities. (Sec. 401) Rescinds specified amounts of the funds appropriated in specified categories in: (1) the Military Construction Appropriations Act, 1996, including the Base Realignment and Closure Account; and (2) the Military Construction Appropriations Act, 1997. (Sec. 402) Authorizes the continuing obligation and expenditure of certain funds appropriated for Navy weapons procurement that were obligated and expended to settle claims on the MK-50 torpedo program. (Sec. 403) Prohibits the use of any Department of Defense funds to pay the cost of operating a National Missile Defense Joint Program Office which includes more than 55 military and civilian personnel located in the National Capital Region. (Sec. 404) Requires the merger of certain National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Air Force funds for obligation only on Titan IV vehicles and related activities. (Sec. 405) Rescinds a certain amount of funds appropriated for Military Construction in the Navy under specified Federal law. Title V: Other Offsets - Chapter 1: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies - Rescinds specified amounts of the available unobligated balances for the Department of Justice under the General Administration Working Capital Fund. Chapter 2: Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies - Rescinds specified funds made available to the Department of Energy for Clean Coal Technology and for Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Chapter 3: Subcommittee on Transportation and Related Agencies - Rescinds specified contract authorizations for the Department of Transportation for: (1) Federal Aviation Administration grants-in-aid for airports; (2) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration highway traffic safety grants; and (3) Federal Transit Administration discretionary grants for fixed guideway modernization and bus activities. Chapter 4: Subcommittee on Treasury and General Government - Rescinds specified amounts available to the General Services Administration for Presidential transition expenses. Chapter 5: Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies - Rescinds specified amounts recaptured by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from annual contributions for assisted housing. Directs the Secretary of HUD to recapture a specified section 8 reserve funds made available to housing agencies for tenant-based assistance. Rescinds a specified amount of negative credit subsidy from the sale of mortgage notes for the HUD Federal Housing Administration General and Special Risk Program Account. Rescinds certain funds for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and NASA. Chapter 6: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related Agencies - Prohibits the use of Department of Agriculture funds under the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 to pay the personnel salaries and expenses above specified levels to carry out: (1) a combined program for export credit guarantees, supplier credit guarantees, and emerging democracies facilities guarantees; and (2) an export enhancement program. Chapter 7: Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development - Cancels, permanently, specified funds for the Department of Defense--Civil, Corps of Engineers--Civil, for general construction. Title VI: Social Services Block Grant Amendment - Amends title XX of the Social Security Act to establish a program of block grants to States for non-Medicaid assistance to noncitizens. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1997. Title VII: Government Shutdown Prevention Act - Government Shutdown Prevention Act - Provides for continuing appropriations for FY 1998 at 98 percent of the level of FY 1997 operations, in the absence of regular appropriations for FY 1998.

Supplemental Appropriations and Rescissions Act of 1997

United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1997

TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Recovery from Natural Disasters Title II: Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Peacekeeping Title III: General Provisions -- This Act 1997 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Recovery from Natural Disasters, and for Overseas Peacekeeping Efforts, Including Those in Bosnia - Title I: Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Recovery from Natural Disasters - Chapter 1 - Makes emergency supplemental appropriations for FY 1997 to the Department of Agriculture for: (1) Farm Service Agency emergency conservation, conservation reserve, and tree assistance programs; (2) Natural Resources Conservation Service watershed and flood prevention operations; (3) the Rural Housing Service (RHS) Rural Housing Insurance Fund program (RHS grant and loan eligibility for the College Station area of Pulaski County, Arkansas); and (4) the Food and Consumer Service's Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966. Chapter 2 - Makes such appropriations to the Department of Commerce for: (1) the Economic Development Administration's economic development assistance programs for emergency infrastructure expenses; (2) the National Institute of Standards and Technology, for new grants for industrial technology services under the Advanced Technology Program; and (3) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, for emergency construction expenses resulting from flooding and other natural disasters. Chapter 3 - Makes such appropriations to the Department of Defense--Civil, Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers--Civil, for emergency expenses due to flooding and other natural disasters, including flood control on the Mississippi River and tributaries, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. Makes such appropriations to the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation for repair of damage caused by floods and other natural disasters. (Sec. 301) Makes the U.S. members and the alternate members, appointed under the Susquehanna River Basin Compact and the Delaware River Basin Compact, officers of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who hold Presidential appointments as Regular Army officers with Senate confirmation, and serve without additional compensation, and at the President's pleasure. (Sec. 303) Declares that a specified policy issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to implement emergency provisions of the Endangered Species Act (currently applicable to certain California counties declared Federal disaster areas) shall also apply for a certain period of time to: (1) all counties nationwide declared Federal disaster areas at any time during 1997; and (2) repair activities on flood control facilities in response to an imminent threat to human lives and property. Chapter 4 - Makes such appropriations to the Department of the Interior for: (1) Bureau of Land Management flood damage repair and other activities for Oregon and California Grant Lands; (2) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service resource management; (3) National Park Service emergency expenses and construction; (4) the U.S. Geological Survey; and (5) the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Makes such appropriations for emergency expenses of the Department of Agriculture's Forest Service and the Department of Health and Human Services' Indian Health Service. (Sec. 401) Amends the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1996 (part of the Omnibus Consolidated Rescissions and Appropriations Act of 1996) to revise the formula for distribution of amounts collected under the recreational fee demonstration program. Chapter 5 - Makes such appropriations to the Department of Transportation for: (1) the Coast Guard, retired pay; (2) the Federal Aviation Administration; (3) the Federal Highway Administration, Federal-Aid Highway emergency relief program; and (4) the Federal Railroad Administration, to repair and rebuild freight rail lines of regional and short line railroads damaged as a result of the floods in the northern plains States in the spring of 1997. Makes such appropriations to the National Transportation Safety Board for: (1) emergency expenses resulting from the crashes of TWA Flight 800 and ValuJet 592; and (2) assistance to families of victims of aviation accidents. (Sec. 503) Authorizes additional appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account) for FY 1997 for grants to States for alcohol-impaired driving countermeasures. (Sec. 504) Extends through FY 1997 the authorization of appropriations for the National Driver Register. Chapter 6 - Makes such appropriations to: (1) the U.S. Postal Service, for revenue foregone on free and reduced rate mail; (2) the Federal Election Commission, for internal automated data processing systems to carry out the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971; and (3) the U.S. Customs Service of the Department of the Treasury, for the Automated Targeting System with respect to counter-terrorism and drug law enforcement. (Sec. 601) Permits Federal contracting for procurement of distinctive currency paper with any corporation or other entity created under Federal or State law, more than 50 percent of which is held by U.S. citizens. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to induce an appropriate level of competition among those desiring to provide such paper to the United States. Chapter 7 - Makes such appropriations to: (1) the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Benefits Administration; (2) the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), for preserving the existing housing investment and for drug elimination grants for low-income housing; and (3) the Federal Emergency Management Agency, for disaster relief as well as salaries and expenses. Reduces from 30 days to 15 days the waiting period before the effective date of new contracts for flood insurance coverage (and any coverage modifications for existing contracts) under the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 entered into between January 1 and June 30, 1997. Chapter 8 - Sets forth various offset conditions for certain Department of Agriculture funds with respect to: (1) the Office of the Secretary, the Fund for Rural America and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); (2) the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Wetlands Reserve Program; (3) the Food and Consumer Service, the Emergency Food Assistance Program; and (4) the Foreign Agricultural Service, for the export credit and export enhancement programs. Rescinds specified funds available for: (1) the Department of Justice; (2) the Department of Commerce; (3) the Federal Communications Commission; (4) the Department of Energy; (5) the Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and Federal Transit Administration; (6) the General Services Administration; and (7) the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Title II: Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Peacekeeping - Chapter 1 - Makes emergency supplemental appropriations to the Department of Defense--Military, for: (1) Military Personnel, of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force; (2) operation and maintenance, Overseas Contingency Operations Transfer Fund; (3) OPLAN 34A-35 P.O.W. payments to individuals; and (4) the Reserve Mobilization Income Insurance Fund. (Sec. 2102) Directs the Secretary of the Navy to transfer up to a specified amount from certain accounts to the Marine Corps for repair of damage caused by hurricanes, flooding, and other natural disasters during 1996 and 1997 to Marine Corps facilities (including Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point, North Carolina, and the Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, California). (Sec. 2103) Appropriates additional amounts for direct patient care at military treatment facilities and for force protection and counter-terrorism initiatives. (Sec. 2105) Requires prior and specific written approval from the Appropriations Committees of the Congress for the use of any funds appropriated for any fiscal year to compensate certain military personnel or civilian employees employed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller) on or after May 1, 1997, or in the organization of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Resources, Warfare Requirements, and Assessments) for budgeting or financial management. Chapter 2 - Rescinds specified funds provided in the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 1997 to reflect savings from revised economic assumptions and revised foreign currency exchange rates. (Sec. 2203) Rescinds from funds provided in previous Department of Defense Appropriations Acts specified amounts associated with unobligated balances expected to expire at the end of the current fiscal year. (Sec. 2204) Rescinds specified amounts from funds provided in previous Department of Defense Appropriations Acts or appropriated in the Military Construction Appropriations Act, 1996. Chapter 3 - Rescinds a specified amount of the funds appropriated for Military Construction, Navy, under specified Federal law. Makes appropriations in an additional amount (equal to the preceding rescission) for Family Housing, Navy and Marine Corps, to cover the incremental operation and maintenance costs arising from hurricane damage to family housing units at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. Title III: General Provisions: This Act - Authorizes the President to waive any earmarks for Ukraine under Assistance for the New Independent States of the Former Soviet Union in the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1997 upon determining, and reporting to the congressional committees on Appropriations, that the Government of Ukraine: (1) is not making significant progress toward economic reform and the elimination of corruption; (2) is not permitting American firms and individuals to operate in Ukraine according to generally accepted business principles; or (3) is not effectively assisting American firms and individuals in their efforts to enforce commercial contracts and resist extortion and other corrupt demands.

National POW/MIA Recognition Act of 1997

United States · United States Congress · 9 April 1997

National POW-MIA Recognition Act of 1997 - Mandates the display of the National League of Families POW-MIA flag on Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day, National POW-MIA Recognition Day, and on the last business day before each of the preceding holidays, on the grounds or in the public lobbies of: (1) major military installations as designated by the Secretary of Defense; (2) Federal national cemeteries; (3) the national Korean War Veterans Memorial; (4) the national Vietnam Veterans Memorial; (5) the White House; (6) the official office of the Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and the Director of the Selective Service System; and (7) U.S. Postal Service post offices. Repeals provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1992 and 1993 relating to the display of the POW-MIA flag.

Post Office Relocation Act of 1997

United States · United States Congress · 8 April 1997

Post Office Relocation Act of 1997 - Modifies Federal postal provisions to require a 60-day notice before the renovation, relocation, closing, or consolidation (currently, the closing or consolidation) of a post office. Requires such notice to be: (1) hand delivered or delivered by mail; and (2) published in one or more newspapers of general circulation within the zip codes served by such post office. Sets forth provisions which: (1) allow any person served by the post office to offer an alternative renovation, relocation, consolidation, or closing proposal within such 60-day period; and (2) require the Postal Service to conduct a hearing to allow the individual to present oral or written testimony. Revises the factors to be considered in deciding whether or not to renovate, relocate, close, or consolidate a post office to include: (1) the extent to which the post office is part of a core downtown business area; (2) the sentiment of the community; (3) whether postal officials negotiated with persons served; (4) whether management of the post office contributed to a desire to relocate; and (5) the adequacy of the existing post office. Requires the Postal Service to follow a community's public participation procedures to address the renovation, relocation, closing, or consolidation of buildings in the community if participation requirements of such procedures are more stringent than those provided in this Act. Requires the Postal Service, in making a determination to renovate, relocate, close, or consolidate any post office, to comply with any zoning, planning, or land use regulations or building codes applicable to State or local public entities, including the zoning authority of the local jurisdiction. Includes within the Postal Service policy with respect to planning and building new postal facilities that the Service consider the effect a new facility may have on the community.

To mandate the display of the POW/MIA flag on various occasions and in various locations.

United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1997

Mandates the display of the POW-MIA flag on Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Veterans Days, National POW-MIA Recognition Day, and on the last business day before each of the preceding holidays, on the grounds or in the public lobbies of: (1) major military installations as designated by the Secretary of Defense; (2) Federal national cemeteries; (3) the national Korean War Veterans Memorial; (4) the national Vietnam Veterans Memorial; (5) the White House; (6) the official office of the Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and the Director of the Selective Service System; and (7) U.S. Postal Service post offices. Repeals provisions from the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1992 and 1993 relating to the display of the POW-MIA flag.

To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service under construction at 150 West Margaret Drive in Terre Haute, Indiana, as the "John T. Myers Post Office Building".

United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1997

Designates a specified Postal Service facility in Terre Haute, Indiana, as the John T. Myers Post Office Building.

Expressing the sense of the Congress that a postage stamp should be issued to honor Bishop Frederic Baraga.

United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1997

Calls for the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend and the Postal Service to issue a postage stamp to honor Bishop Frederic Baraga.

Expressing the sense of the Congress that a postage stamp should be issued to honor law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.

United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1997

Calls for the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend and the Postal Service to issue a postage stamp to honor law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.