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351 records in US in 2001
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2001
Directs the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration to issue standards for the use of motorized skate boards.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2001
Prohibits an air carrier from using the services of a person as a pilot who is 65 years or older (currently, a pilot cannot be 60 years or older).
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2001
Early Literacy Intervention Initiative Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to make: (1) formula grants to applicant States based on relative number of children in kindergarten through second grade; and (2) competitive grants to eligible States that have most effectively implemented early literacy intervention activities. Requires States to use such formula grants to make grants to local educational agencies (LEAs), but permits States to use a portion of grant funds for State activities to assist LEAs in designing and implementing early literacy intervention initiatives. Requires LEAs to use grant funds for activities that will contribute toward the goal of ensuring that all children are able to read by the third grade, including: (1) professional development programs for teachers; (2) selection and distribution of scientific research-based reading instructional materials, as determined under specified provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; (3) selection or development of assessment tools that meet established standards to measure elements of early reading skills at the end of kindergarten and first and second grades; (4) selection of pre- and post-assessment inventories to measure student progress in the acquisition of reading skills at the beginning and end of each school year; and (5) collection and summarization of data from scientifically-based assessments to document effectiveness of early literacy intervention in schools as well as the school district served by the LEA as a whole, and to spur improvement in literacy by reporting on schools that produce large gains in achievement. Authorizes the Secretary to use a portion of funds under this Act for certain national activities, including evaluation, training, technical assistance, and infrastructure for dissemination of elements of the initiative through various media, including the Internet and other distance-learning mechanisms.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Amends Federal aviation law preempting State authority (of at least two States) over air carrier prices, routes, and services. Declares that such preemption shall not be construed to prevent a State attorney general from enforcing State consumer protection law prohibiting unfair or deceptive business practices or unfair methods of competition with respect to air transportation or the advertisement or sale of air transportation services.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Amends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century to extend the authorization of appropriations for child passenger protection education grants through FY 2003.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Federal School Construction Act of 2001 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to revise and reauthorize provisions for school infrastructure improvement. Directs the Secretary of Education to award grants for the construction, repair, renovation, and modernization of public school facilities to eligible local educational agencies in specified categories based on numbers of students enrolled, and to set maximum award amounts for each such category. Requires reservation of one percent of program funds to provide assistance to schools operated predominantly for Native American or Alaska Native students. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a limited tax credit for holders of qualified public school modernization bonds. Repeals a restriction on zone academy bond holders. Amends the General Education Provisions Act to apply certain labor standards on construction projects financed under such public school modernization bond program and specified zone academy bond provisions. Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to establish provisions concerning local employment and training activities related to the construction or reconstruction of public school facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Personal Watercraft Responsible Use Act of 2001 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to withhold up to ten percent of grants made to a coastal State for development and administration of a management program for the land and water resources of its coastal zone in each fiscal year unless such State implements certain enforceable policies prohibiting a person from operating a personal watercraft in excess of no-wake speed in its coastal waters. Requires a coastal State's management program to include provisions that designate sensitive areas of its coast with respect to the enforcement of such policies in such areas. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish certain guidelines and standards for the operation of personal watercraft, consistent with the enforceable policies, in the national boating safety program. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation, subject to the availability of appropriations, to make recreational boating law enforcement grants to States that have: (1) implemented a recreational boating safety program incorporating the national guidelines and standards for personal watercraft; and (2) adopted the enforceable policies under this Act, if the State is a coastal State. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation, subject to the availability of appropriations, to make grants to States to support the activities of collaborative task forces to minimize conflicts between personal watercraft and other recreational and commercial users.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Foreign Truck Safety Act - Amends Federal transportation law to prohibit foreign commercial motor vehicles that enter the United States along the U.S.-Mexico border from operation in the United States by a foreign motor carrier or a foreign motor private carrier unless such vehicles have passed, in the 12-month period preceding entry into the United States, a federally-ordered safety equipment inspection. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation or a State to impose and collect a fee on such carriers to cover the costs of such inspections.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Clean Water Infrastructure Financing Act of 2001 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to remove certain requirements for States with respect to construction of treatment works under capitalization grant agreements. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to assist States in establishing simplified procedures for small water systems to obtain assistance under the Act. Requires revolving funds to be used only for providing assistance for activities which have as a principal benefit the improvement or protection of water quality of navigable waters. Provides for an extended repayment period and additional subsidization with respect to loans made to financially distressed communities from revolving funds. Reauthorizes appropriations for FY 2002 through 2006 for the revolving fund program.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Provides amounts for expenses of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for the 107th Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2001
Airline Customer Service Improvement Act - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to increase Department of Transportation (DOT) resources allocated to providing: (1) airline passenger consumer protection and related services; and (2) oversight and enforcement of laws and regulations that provide protection for air travelers. Amends Federal aviation law to require each large air carrier to incorporate the provisions of the Airline Customer Service Commitment executed by the Air Transport Association on June 17, 1999, in its contract of carriage. Requires each large air carrier to institute the following specified practices, including to: (1) include fares available at the air carrier's ticket offices and airport ticket service counters (including notifying customers that lower fares may be available on the Internet) when quoting the lowest fare available to passengers; (2) disclose, without being requested, the on-time performance and cancellation rate for a chronically-delayed or canceled flight whenever a customer makes a reservation or purchases a ticket; (3) establish a plan with respect to passengers who must unexpectedly remain overnight during a trip due to flight delays, cancellations, or diversions; (4) establish a customer service quality assurance and performance measurement system; (5) establish realistic targets for reducing chronically-delayed and canceled flights; (6) establish a toll-free telephone number that passengers may use to check on the status of checked baggage that was not delivered on arrival at the passenger's destination; (7) monitor its efforts to improve services provided to passengers with disabilities and special needs; and (8) if it has a frequent flyer program, make available to the public a comprehensive report of frequent flyer redemption information in their customer literature and annual reports. Provides for improved DOT statistics with respect to missing passenger baggage and chronically delayed or canceled flights. Requires the Secretary to initiate a rulemaking to amend DOT regulations to: (1) establish a uniform check-in deadline and to require air carriers to disclose their policies on how such deadlines apply to passengers making connections; and (2) increase the maximum amount of denied boarding compensation for passengers denied boarding involuntarily (bumped).
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2001
Public Education Reinvestment, Reinvention, and Responsibility Act (Three R's Act) - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to reauthorize and revise various ESEA programs. Revises and renames ESEA title I as Student Performance (currently Helping Disadvantaged Children Meet High Standards). Declares it to be U.S. policy to: (1) hold States, local educational agencies (LEAs), and schools accountable for increased student academic performance results; and (2) facilitate improved classroom instruction. Revises and reauthorizes title I: (1) part A, LEA basic program grants (I-A); (2) part B, Even Start; (3) part C, education of migratory children; (4) part D, prevention and intervention programs for youth who are neglected, delinquent, or at-risk of dropping out; (5) provisions for capital expenses; (6) part E, Federal evaluations, demonstrations, and transition projects, including a new comprehensive school reform grants program; and (7) a part F, rural education development initiative. Revises I-A with respect to: (1) State educational agency (SEA) and LEA reservations of funds; (2) formulas for distributing funds to schools with the highest concentrations of poverty; (3) State and LEA plans; (4) priorities in providing school support and improvement assistance; (5) parental involvement; (6) qualifications of teachers and paraprofessionals in I-A schools; (7) professional development; (8) LEA and Head Start services coordination; (9) reservation, allocation, and use of funds for basic, concentration, and targeted grants; and (10) school-wide programs. Penalizes States for failing to meet statutory deadlines for demonstrating that they have in place standards, assessments, a system for measuring and monitoring adequate yearly progress (AYP), and a statewide system for holding schools and LEAs accountable for making AYP with specified groups of students. Requires public school choice to be provided to families of students attending I-A schools deemed to be in need of corrective action. Requires LEAs to use I-A funds only to provide academic instruction and services directly related to instruction to students in preschool through grade 12 to assist eligible children to improve their academic achievement and to meet State achievement standards. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make education finance program grants to States. Revises and renames ESEA title II as Teacher and Principal Quality, Professional Development, and Class Size (currently Dwight D. Eisenhower Professional Development Program), with grants programs for: (1) Teacher and Principal Quality, Professional Development (II-A); and (2) Class Size Reduction (II-B). Establishes a new ESEA title III, Language Minority Students and Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native Education. Directs the Secretary to make grants to States, subject to specified requirements, to help limited English proficient (LEP) students become proficient in English. Repeals the current ESEA title III, Technology for Education, including parts: (1) A, Technology for Education of All Students; (2) B, Star Schools Program; (3) C, Ready-to-Learn Television; (4) D, Telecommunications Demonstration Project for Mathematics; and (5) E, Elementary Mathematics and Science Equipment Program. Eliminates the Foreign Language Assistance Program. Reauthorizes the Emergency Immigration Education Program and Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native Education. Establishes a new ESEA title IV, Public School Choice program. Reauthorizes and redesignates certain parts of the current title IV, Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities, under such new title IV. Reauthorizes appropriations for: (1) Magnet Schools Assistance; and (2) Public Charter Schools. Requires SEAs to hold assisted charter schools accountable for AYP in improving student performance. Declares it to be U.S. policy to: (1) support and stimulate improved public school performance through increased public school competition and increased Federal financial assistance; and (2) provide parents with more choices among public school options. Establishes a new title IV part C, Development of Public School Choice Programs, providing for competitive development grants. Sets forth a new title IV part D, Report Cards. Requires States to prepare and disseminate annual report cards on all elementary and secondary schools receiving funds under ESEA I-A or II-A. Reauthorizes and transfers ESEA Impact Aid provisions to a new title V (currently title VIII). Eliminates the current title V, Promoting Equity, including Women's Educational Equity, and Assistance to Address School Dropout Problems. Establishes a new title VI, High Performance and Quality Education Initiatives grants program (eliminating Innovative Education Program Strategies). Establishes a new ESEA title VII, Accountability, with sanctions and rewards based on meeting performance objectives. Directs the Secretary to make awards to States that ensure that all teachers teaching in their public schools are fully qualified or have exceeded certain student performance objectives, for distribution among high-performing LEAs for further distribution among high-performing schools, teachers, and principals. Repeals the Goals 2000: Educate America Act and the following ESEA titles: (1) V, Promoting Equity; (2) X, Programs of National Significance; (3) XI, Coordinated Services; (4) XII, School Facilities Infrastructure Improvement; and (5) XIII, Support and Assistive Programs to Improve Education.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2001
Prohibits the manufacture, sale, delivery, or importation of school buses that are not equipped with seat belts. Sets forth civil penalties for violation of this prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2001
Prohibits a State or interstate agency or political agency of two or more States from enforcing any regulation or law that restricts the operation of a motor vehicle providing limousine service between a place in a State and a place in another State. Prohibits a State from enforcing any regulation or law that would require a person engaged in intermunicipal limousine service within a State to obtain a license, permit, or other form of permission from more than one State agency in order to engage in such service. Declares that nothing in this Act shall prohibit any local authority from regulating limousine service if during the course of the service the same passenger is picked up within the local authority's jurisdictional area and the last stop of the passenger's service is also within the local authority's jurisdictional area.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2001
Airline Customer Notification Act - Amends Federal aviation law to require an air carrier to include an explanation of the reason or reasons for the delay (including its expected length), cancellation, or diversion of a flight if there is: (1) a delay of two or more hours or cancellation of a flight (or a delay of one or more hours in deplaning following an aircraft's touchdown at an airport); or (2) a diversion of a flight to an airport other than the airport at which the flight is scheduled to land. Prohibits an air carrier from providing a false or misleading explanation.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2001
Amends Federal highway provisions to direct that, if by specified dates (starting on October 1, 2004) a State has not enacted a child safety restraint law, the Secretary of Transportation shall transfer specified percentages of State highway funds to implement a statewide comprehensive child and other passenger protection education program to promote safety, including education programs about proper seating positions for children in air bag equipped motor vehicles and instruction that increases the proper use of child restraint systems.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2001
Rail Passenger Disaster Family Assistance Act of 2001 - Amends Federal transportation law to require the Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, as soon as practicable after being notified of a rail passenger accident involving a major loss of life, to: (1) designate and publicize the name and phone number of a Board employee who shall be a director of family support services responsible for acting as a point of contact within the Federal Government for the families of passengers involved in a rail passenger accident, and a liaison between the rail passenger carrier and the families; and (2) designate an independent nonprofit organization (with experience in disasters and posttrauma communication with families) which shall have primary responsibility for coordinating the emotional care and support of the families of passengers involved in such accidents. Directs each rail passenger carrier to submit to the Secretary of Transportation and the Chairman of the Board a plan for addressing the needs of the families of passengers involved in a rail passenger accident resulting in a major loss of life. Shields a rail passenger carrier from liability for damages (except for gross negligence or intentional misconduct) in any action brought in a Federal or State court arising out of the carrier's performance in preparing or providing a passenger list, or in providing information concerning a train reservation, pursuant to the carrier's plan.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2001
Pipeline Safety Enhancement Act of 2001 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to implement the oil and gas pipeline safety improvement recommendations in the Department of Transportation (DOT) Inspector General's Report (RT-2000-069). Amends Federal pipeline safety law to require, under regulations prescribed by the Secretary, each operator of a natural gas transmission pipeline and of a hazardous liquid pipeline, or, in the case of an intrastate pipeline facility operator, the appropriate State regulatory agency, to submit to the Secretary a program designed to enhance the qualifications of pipeline personnel and reduce the likelihood of accidents and injuries. Requires the Secretary to issue regulations requiring operators of such pipelines to: (1) conduct an analysis of the risks to their pipeline facilities in environmentally sensitive areas and high-density population areas; and (2) adopt and implement an integrity management program for such facilities that reduces the risk of incident in those areas. Revises the public education program requirements for gas pipeline facility owners or operators, including specified items. Applies such requirements to owners or operators of a hazardous liquid pipeline facility. Requires an operator of a gas transmission or hazardous liquid pipeline facility to maintain liaison with the State emergency response commissions, and local emergency planning committees in the areas of pipeline right-of-way, established under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986 (or, in the absence of a committee, local firefighting, police, and other emergency response agencies) in each State in which it operates. Establishes a program for making grants to State, county, and local governments in high consequence areas (as designated by the Secretary) for emergency response management, training, and technical assistance. Increases from $25,000 to $500,000 the civil penalty for each facility operator failure to: (1) mark accurately the location of pipeline facilities in the vicinity of a demolition, excavation, tunneling, or construction; or (2) comply with safety standards, prepare and carry out an inspection and maintenance plan, allow access to records, or allow required entries or inspections. Increases the maximum civil penalty for a related series of violations from $500,000 to $1 million. Subjects an owner, operator, or person in charge of a hazardous liquid pipeline in which a hazardous liquid has been discharged to a civil penalty of at least $1,000 per barrel of oil or other hazardous liquid discharged, with a specified exception. Authorizes the Secretary, if a State pipeline safety program certification is accepted, to enter into an agreement authorizing a State authority to: (1) participate in the oversight of interstate pipeline transportation, including a plan for the State authority to participate in special investigations involving incidents or new construction, as well as other activities involving interstate pipeline transportation; or (2) assume additional inspection or investigatory duties. Requires any owner or operator of a hazardous liquid pipeline facility to report to the Secretary each release to the environment greater than five gallons of the hazardous liquid or carbon dioxide. Requires the DOT research and development program to include research directed toward the development of alternative technologies to: (1) expand the defect detection capabilities of internal inspection devices; (2) inspect pipelines that cannot accommodate internal inspection devices available on the date of enactment; and (3) develop innovative techniques measuring the structural integrity of pipelines. Requires the Secretary to develop and implement a strategic plan to reduce the annual number of accidental releases from pipelines caused by damage by outside force by 25 percent below the number for the year in which this Act is enacted. Sets forth whistle blower protections prohibiting discrimination by pipeline operators or contractors or subcontractors against employees who: (1) provide information, directly or indirectly, to the employer or the Federal Government about any alleged violation of Federal law or regulations relating to pipeline safety; (2) file a related Federal proceeding; or (3) testify or otherwise assist or participate in such a proceeding. Directs the DOT Inspector General to analyze and report to specified congressional committees on whether DOT assessment of pipeline fines and penalties are an effective deterrent for reducing pipeline safety risks. Authorizes the Secretary to study how best to preserve environmental resources in conjunction with maintaining pipeline rights-of-way. Requires the Secretary to study land use practices and zoning ordinances that affect pipeline rights-of-way. Repeals the requirement that the Secretary, when issuing pipeline safety standards, must determine that the benefits of such standard justify its costs.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2001
Preparedness Against Domestic Terrorism Act of 2001 - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (the Act) to include snow droughts, acts of terrorism or other catastrophic events within its definition of "major disaster" for purposes of authorized disaster relief. Requires the President (current law authorizes the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA Director)) to be responsible for carrying out Federal emergency preparedness plans and programs. Includes as a covered hazard a domestic terrorist attack involving a weapon of mass destruction. Requires the President to ensure that Federal response plans and programs are adequate to respond to the consequences of terrorism directed against a target in the United States. Includes the development of equipment, clothing, and facilities within authorized preparedness measures. Repeals provisions of the Act which: (1) allow State preparedness funds to be used to prepare for hazards and for providing emergency assistance in response to hazards; and (2) require the FEMA Director to establish emergency preparedness security regulations. Establishes the President's Council on Domestic Preparedness. Requires the Council to: (1) publish a Domestic Terrorism Preparedness Plan and an annual implementation strategy; (2) designate an entity to assess the risk of terrorist attacks against transportation, energy, and other infrastructure facilities; and (3) establish voluntary minimum guidelines for preparedness programs. Authorizes the Council to attend meetings of the National Security Council pertaining to domestic terrorist attack preparedness matters, subject to the direction of the President.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2001
Requires that ten percent of the funds apportioned to a State under the surface transportation program for a fiscal year be available for the purchase of recycled materials.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2001
Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations requiring the use of recycled materials in the construction of any Federal-aid highway.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2001
Designates majority membership on the House Committees on the Budget; Energy and Commerce; Government Reform; Resources; Science; Transportation and Infrastructure; and Veterans' Affairs.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2001
Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing Program Correction Act of 2001 - Declares that direct loans and loan guarantees made available under the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing Program shall not be subject to conditions requiring applicants for such loan and guarantees to have previously been denied financing from a commercial lender or of any condition requiring pledges of collateral with a recovery value covering 100 percent of the anticipated principal and accrued interest amount of the loan or guarantee.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2001
Clean Water Infrastructure Financing Act of 2001 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to remove certain requirements for States with respect to construction of treatment works under capitalization grant agreements. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to assist States in establishing simplified procedures for small water systems to obtain assistance under the Act. Requires revolving funds to be used only for providing assistance for activities that have as a principal benefit the improvement or protection of water quality of navigable waters. Provides for an extended repayment period and additional subsidization with respect to loans made to financially distressed communities from revolving funds. Reauthorizes appropriations for FY 2002 through 2006 for the revolving fund program.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2001
National Laboratories Partnership Improvement Act of 2001- Instructs the Secretary of Energy to: (1) establish a Technology Infrastructure Program to improve the ability of the National Laboratories to support department missions; (2) provide specified maximum funding among up to ten National Laboratories selected to conduct Technology Infrastructure Program Pilot Programs; (3) require the Director of each National Laboratory to establish a small business advocacy and assistance program; and (4) establish a Technology Transfer Coordinator within the Office of Policy, for oversight and policy development of DOE technology transfer activities. Amends the Department of Energy Organization Act to authorize the Secretary to enter into transactions with public and private entities for research, development, or demonstration projects. Directs the Secretary to determine whether it is reasonable to ensure whether each contractor operating a National Laboratory or facility has policies and procedures that do not create disincentives to the transfer of scientific, technical, and business personnel among the contractor-operated National Laboratory or facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2001
Amends of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to revise title XII (School Facilities Infrastructure Improvement). Directs the Secretary of Education to make grants to State educational agencies for elementary and secondary school construction, reconstruction, renovation, or modernization for information technology. Sets forth wage requirements for such projects, including Davis-Bacon Act compliance and overtime; but allows exceptions for certain workers who voluntarily donate their services without full compensation.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2001
Pipeline Safety Enhancement Act of 2001 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to implement the oil and gas pipeline safety improvement recommendations in the Department of Transportation (DOT) Inspector General's Report (RT-2000-069). Amends Federal pipeline safety law to require, under regulations prescribed by the Secretary, each operator of a natural gas transmission pipeline and of a hazardous liquid pipeline, or, in the case of an intrastate pipeline facility operator, the appropriate State regulatory agency, to submit to the Secretary a program designed to enhance the qualifications of pipeline personnel and reduce the likelihood of accidents and injuries. Requires the Secretary to issue regulations requiring operators of such pipelines to: (1) conduct an analysis of the risks to their pipeline facilities in environmentally sensitive areas and high-density population areas; and (2) adopt and implement an integrity management program for such facilities that reduces the risk of incident in those areas. Revises the public education program requirements for gas pipeline facility owners or operators, including specified items. Applies such requirements to owners or operators of a hazardous liquid pipeline facility. Requires an operator of a gas transmission or hazardous liquid pipeline facility to maintain liaison with the State emergency response commissions, and local emergency planning committees in the areas of pipeline right-of-way, established under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986 (or, in the absence of a committee, local firefighting, police, and other emergency response agencies) in each State in which it operates. Establishes a program for making grants to State, county, and local governments in high consequence areas (as designated by the Secretary) for emergency response management, training, and technical assistance. Increases from $25,000 to $500,000 the civil penalty for each facility operator failure to: (1) mark accurately the location of pipeline facilities in the vicinity of a demolition, excavation, tunneling, or construction; or (2) comply with safety standards, prepare and carry out an inspection and maintenance plan, allow access to records, or allow required entries or inspections. Increases the maximum civil penalty for a related series of violations from $500,000 to $1 million. Subjects an owner, operator, or person in charge of a hazardous liquid pipeline in which a hazardous liquid has been discharged to a civil penalty of at least $1,000 per barrel of oil or other hazardous liquid discharged, with a specified exception. Authorizes the Secretary, if a State pipeline safety program certification is accepted, to enter into an agreement authorizing a State authority to: (1) participate in the oversight of interstate pipeline transportation, including a plan for the State authority to participate in special investigations involving incidents or new construction, as well as other activities involving interstate pipeline transportation; or (2) assume additional inspection or investigatory duties. Requires any owner or operator of a hazardous liquid pipeline facility to report to the Secretary each release to the environment greater than five gallons of the hazardous liquid or carbon dioxide. Requires the DOT research and development program to include research directed toward the development of alternative technologies to: (1) expand the defect detection capabilities of internal inspection devices; (2) inspect pipelines that cannot accommodate internal inspection devices available on the date of enactment; and (3) develop innovative techniques measuring the structural integrity of pipelines. Requires the Secretary to develop and implement a strategic plan to reduce the annual number of accidental releases from pipelines caused by damage by outside force by 25 percent below the number for the year in which this Act is enacted. Sets forth whistle blower protections prohibiting discrimination by pipeline operators or contractors or subcontractors against employees who: (1) provide information, directly or indirectly, to the employer or the Federal Government about any alleged violation of Federal law or regulations relating to pipeline safety; (2) file a related Federal proceeding; or (3) testify or otherwise assist or participate in such a proceeding. Directs the DOT Inspector General to analyze and report to specified congressional committees on whether DOT assessment of pipeline fines and penalties are an effective deterrent for reducing pipeline safety risks. Authorizes the Secretary to study how best to preserve environmental resources in conjunction with maintaining pipeline rights-of-way. Requires the Secretary to study land use practices and zoning ordinances that affect pipeline rights-of-way. Repeals the requirement that the Secretary, when issuing pipeline safety standards, consider the reasonably identifiable or estimated benefits and costs expected to result from implementation or compliance with such standards.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2001
Auto Safety Assurance Act of 2001 - Amends Federal transportation law to direct the Secretary of Transportation to prescribe an amendment to the Federal Motor Vehicle Standard 206 issued under the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 requiring all passenger cars manufactured after January 1, 2004, to be fitted with equipment which automatically locks the vehicle's doors when the vehicle transmission is engaged or the vehicle reaches a specified rate of speed.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2001
Railroad Crossing Delay Reduction Act - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations to address safety concerns and to minimize delay for automobile traffic on our Nation's roads with respect to trains blocking traffic at railroad grade crossings.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2001
Railroad Crossing Delay Safety Assurance Act - Authorizes a State or local government, in order to ensure public safety, to enact a law or regulation to address the problem of trains blocking road traffic, if the Secretary of Transportation has not issued regulations to address such problem before August 1, 2002.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2001
Amends Federal aviation law to prohibit the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, solely by reason of a person's age if under 65, from: (1) refusing to issue to, or renew for, such person an airman certificate for the operation of a commercial aircraft; or (2) requiring an air carrier to terminate the employment of, or refuse to employ, such person as a pilot on such aircraft.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2001
Designates cyberterrorism as an emerging threat to the national security of the United States and the nation's electronic infrastructure. Calls for: (1) a partnership between the Federal Government and private industry in combating the cyber menace; (2) a revised legal framework for the prosecution of hackers and cyberterrorists; and (3) a new interagency study to be conducted by the Departments of Commerce and Defense, the National Security Agency, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to assess the threat posed by cyberterrorists.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2001
Department of Energy University Nuclear Science and Engineering Act - Instructs the Secretary of Energy, acting through the Office of Nuclear Energy Science and Technology, to support a program to maintain the nation's human resource investment and infrastructure in nuclear sciences and engineering. Directs the Secretary to: (1) promote interactions between university and Department of Energy (DOE) laboratories; and (2) provide student fellowships at DOE nuclear science laboratories. Authorizes appropriations through FY2006 that target: (1) graduate and undergraduate fellowships; (2) junior faculty research initiation grant programs; (3) nuclear engineering and education research programs; (4) communication and outreach related to nuclear science and engineering; (5) refueling research reactors and instrumentation upgrades; (6) re-licensing assistance; (7) reactor research and training award program; and (8) university-DOE laboratory interactions.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2001
See summary of: S. 141
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2001
Excellence and Accountability in Education Act of 2001 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to revise, and reauthorize appropriations for, certain ESEA programs. Revises and renames ESEA title I as Student Results programs, including: (1) the basic program for assistance to local educational agencies (LEAs) to help "low-achieving" (renamed from the current "disadvantaged") schoolchildren to achieve high standards; (2) education of migratory children; and (3) programs for neglected or delinquent youth (transfers to title V revised provisions relating to dropouts and dropout prevention). Establishes programs relating to: (1) financial incentives for comprehensive school reform; (2) academic achievement awards and improving State assessments; and (3) required qualifications for teachers and professionals. Revises and renames ESEA title II provisions as Smart Classrooms programs for teacher professional development, recruitment, and retention, including programs for: (1) qualified teachers in every classroom, with priority for professional development in mathematics and science and fully qualified teachers; (2) transition of career-changing professional to teaching, and troops-to-teachers; (3) class-size reduction; and (4) teacher compensation. Redesignates under title II the National Writing Project (currently under title X). Reauthorizes the Reading Excellence Act under ESEA. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to establish programs for student loan forgiveness for teachers. Revises ESEA title III (Technology for Education Act). Provides for: (1) a national long-range technology plan and activities; (2) State and local technology innovation and learning; and (3) a program for getting our girls ready for the 21st century (Go Girl) in mathematics, science, technology, and engineering. Revises ESEA title IV (Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act), including State grants for drug and violence prevention programs, and national programs. Sets forth programs for alternative education, resource staff for students, and comprehensive technical assistance grants. Revises and renames ESEA title V as Magnet Schools Assistance, Public School Choice, and National Priorities, including programs for magnet schools assistance and women's educational equity. Transfers to title V revisions of provisions currently under title X, including: (1) the Fund for the Improvement of Education; (2) gifted and talented children's programs (as the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act of 2001); (3) public charter schools; (4) arts in education; (5) the inexpensive book distribution program; (6) civic education; (7) the Allen J. Ellender fellowship program; (8) 21st century community learning centers; (9) a rural education achievement program (but repeals provisions for urban education demonstration grants); and (10) physical education for progress. Transfers to title V revised provisions for coordinated services (currently title XI). Sets forth provisions for assistance to address school dropout problems, including an Office of Dropout Prevention and Program Completion. Revises ESEA title VIII provisions for Impact Aid. Revises and renames ESEA title VI as Innovative Education Program Strategies and School Capacity. Revises innovative educational strategies to add requirements for annual performance reporting. Sets forth a program for school construction and renovation grants. Revises and renames ESEA title VII as Education of Limited English Proficient Children and Emergency Immigrant Education, including: (1) instructional programs for limited English proficient children (Bilingual Instruction and Academic Achievement Act); and (2) the emergency immigrant education program. Revises ESEA title IX provisions for Indian, Native Hawaiian, And Alaska Native Education. Prohibits any services under ESEA from being provided through voucher or certificate. Prohibits State educational agencies (SEAs) and LEAs that receive ESEA funds from entering into agreements (or allowing schools under their supervision to do so) that allow any person or entity to monitor, gather, or obtain information used to advertise, sell, or develop a product from any student under 18 years of age unless such agreement requires the prior written permission of the parent. Requires SEAs to: (1) comply with standards for uniform data collection regarding school dropout rates; and (2) develop uniform, long-term suspension and expulsion policies for serious infractions. Repeals: (1) ESEA title XII, School Facilities Infrastructure Improvement (the Education Infrastructure Act of 1994); and (2) ESEA title XIII, Support and Assistance Programs to Improve Education. Amends the Education Amendments of 1978 with respect to education programs of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Amends the Tribally Controlled Schools Act of 1988 to provide for a tribally controlled grant school endowment program. Amends the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Act to reauthorize appropriations for homeless education programs and to prohibit States receiving such program funds from segregating a child or youth, either in a separate school, or in a separate program within a school, based solely on such child or youth's status as homeless.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2001
Public Education Reinvestment, Reinvention, and Responsibility Act (Three R's) - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to revise, and reauthorize appropriations for, certain ESEA programs. Sets forth national educational priorities, including: (1) performance-based funding; (2) State and local flexibility in using funds to achieve high student performance objectives; and (3) concentration of funding on impoverished areas, and on a small number of goals, including compensatory education for disadvantaged children and youth, teacher quality and professional development, programs for limited English proficient students, public school choice programs, innovative educational programs, student safety, and the incorporation of educational technology. Revises and renames ESEA title I as Student Performance programs, including: (1) the basic program for assistance to local educational agencies (LEAs) to help disadvantaged schoolchildren to achieve high standards; (2) Even Start family literacy programs; (3) education of migratory children; and (3) programs for neglected or delinquent youth, including those at-risk of dropping out. Reauthorizes appropriations for a rural education achievement program (currently under title X). Revises and renames ESEA title II as Teacher and Principal Quality, Professional Development, and Class Size, and sets forth related programs. Revises and renames ESEA title III as Language Minority Students and Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native Education, and sets forth related programs, as well as the emergency immigrant education program. Eliminates: (1) the current title III, Technology for Education, including programs for technology for education of all students, Star Schools, Ready-to-Learn Television, and elementary mathematics and science equipment; and (2) current title VII Bilingual Education, Language Enhancement, and Language Acquisition Programs, including programs for bilingual education and foreign language assistance (but continues certain provisions for language minority students and emergency immigrant education). Revises and transfers to the new title III provisions from the current title VIII Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native Education. Repeals the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (current ESEA title IV), including provisions for State grants for drug and violence prevention programs. Revises and renames ESEA title IV as Public School Choice. Declares it U.S. policy to: (1) support and stimulate improved public school performance through increased public elementary school and secondary school competition and increased Federal financial assistance; and (2) provide parents with more choices among public school options. Reauthorizes and revises as title IV parts: (1) A, Magnet School Assistance (current title V, part A); and (2) B, Public Charter Schools (current title X, part C), and doubles the amount for charter school assistance. Establishes title IV parts: (1) D, competitive grants for development of public school choice programs; and (2) E, requirements for State and local educational agency (LEA) and school report cards. Revises, reauthorizes, and transfers from ESEA title VIII to title V, Impact Aid programs. Revises provisions for payments relating to Federal acquisition of real property. Repeals a special rule relating to computation of payments for eligible federally connected children. Revises and renames ESEA title VI as High Performance and Quality Education Initiatives. Requires LEAs to use certain portions of grants under such title for: (1) school improvement; (2) 21st Century extra learning opportunities; (3) safe learning environments; and (4) New Economy Technology Schools. Sets forth, as ESEA title VII, accountability requirements, including performance reviews, sanctions, and awards. Reauthorizes and revises provisions for the America's Education Goals Panel in the executive branch. Sets forth ESEA title VIII (current title XIV) general provisions, including a requirement that ESEA funds supplement and not supplant State and local funds. Repeals the Goals 2000: Educate America Act and the following ESEA titles: (1) V, Promoting Equity, including part B Women's Educational Equity and part C Assistance to Address School Dropout Problems; (2) X, Programs of National Significance, including the Fund for the Improvement of Education and programs for gifted and talented children, arts in education, inexpensive book distribution, civic education, Ellender fellowships, 21st century community learning centers, urban education assistance, and national writing project; (3) XI, Coordinated Services; (4) XII, School Facilities Infrastructure Improvement; and (5) Support and Assistance Programs to Improve Education, including comprehensive regional assistance centers, the national diffusion network, Eisenhower regional mathematics and science education consortia, and technology-based technical assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2001
Airline Passenger Fair Treatment Act of 2001 - Amends Federal aviation law to revise provisions prohibiting an air carrier, foreign air carrier, or ticket agent from engaging in unfair or deceptive practices or unfair methods of competition in air transportation. Extends such prohibition to any action of an air carrier or foreign air carrier that: (1) fails to provide a consumer full access to all fares for air transportation provided by them, regardless of the technology or other method the consumer uses to access the fares; (2) fails to provide an air carrier passenger with an accurate explanation of the reasons for a flight delay, cancellation, or diversion from a ticketed itinerary; or (3) prohibits a person (including a governmental entity) that purchases air transportation from only using a portion of the air transportation purchased (including using air transportation purchased only for one-way travel instead of round-trip travel), or assesses an additional fee on or charge to such person or ticket agent that sold the air transportation to such person. Prohibits an air carrier or foreign air carrier, in the case of a termination, cancellation, nonrenewal, or substantial change in the competitive circumstances of a ticket agent's appointment, from failing to provide the ticket agent with: (1) written notice, and a full statement of reasons for the action, on or before the 90th day preceding the action; and (2) at least 60 days to correct any deficiency claimed in such notice. Exempts a carrier from this requirement only in cases of insolvency, an assignment for the benefit of creditors, bankruptcy, or nonpayment of sums due under the appointment. Revises the preemption of State, local, and regional law or regulation related to a price, route, or level of service for air transportation provided by an air carrier. Limits the preemption to any such law or regulation that would directly prescribe a price, route, or level of service. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations to establish minimum Federal standards for resuscitation, emergency medical, and first-aid equipment and supplies to be carried on board an aircraft operated by an air carrier that is capable of carrying at least 30 passengers. Bars an air carrier or foreign air carrier from preventing or hindering (including by failing to assist) a passenger from exiting an aircraft if: (1) the aircraft is parked at an airport terminal gate with access to ramp or other facilities through which passengers are customarily boarded and deplaned; (2) such aircraft has remained at the gate more than one hour past its scheduled departure time; and (3) the aircraft captain has not been informed by air traffic control authorities that such aircraft can be cleared for departure within 15 minutes.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2001
Amends Federal commercial vehicle safety law to grant the State of New York authority to allow the operation of tandem trailers (not in actual operation on June 1, 1991) on Interstate Route 787 between exit 23 on the New York State Thruway and the Church Street and I-787 interchange in Albany, New York.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2001
Aviation Consumer Right To Know Act of 2001 - Amends Federal aviation law to require an air carrier, upon the request of any person (including a governmental entity), to: (1) provide the person full access to all air transportation fares it provides, regardless of the technology the person uses to access the fares; and (2) permit the person to purchase air transportation at any published fare. Requires any announcement by an air carrier of a delay or cancellation of a flight, a diversion of a flight to an airport other than the airport at which the flight is scheduled to land, or a delay in deplaning at an airport, to include an explanation of the reason for such delay, cancellation, or diversion and, in the case of a delay, its expected length. Prohibits an air carrier from providing false or misleading explanations. Prohibits an air carrier from: (1) prohibiting a person (including governmental entity) that purchases air transportation from only using a portion of the air transportation purchased (including using the air transportation purchased only for one-way travel instead of round-trip travel); and (2) assessing an additional fee or charge to the person, or any ticket agent that sold the air transportation to such person. Requires an air carrier, upon the request of any person (including a governmental entity), to disclose the number or percentage of seats that the carrier intends to make available on a specific date for use by a person redeeming an award under a frequent flyer program. Prohibits an air carrier, foreign air carrier, or ticket agent from selling air transportation in the United States for a flight on which an insecticide is planned to be used while passengers are on board the aircraft, unless such carrier or ticket agent first informs the purchaser of the insecticide's use, including its name.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2001
Amends Federal shipping law to exempt from Federal inspection requirements small passenger vessels that carry no more than 12 passengers and operate only in U.S. Virgin Islands waters.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2001
Designates minority membership on the House Committees on Agriculture; Appropriations; Armed Services; the Budget; Education and the Workforce; Energy and Commerce, Financial Services; Government Reform; House Administration; International Relations; the Judiciary; Science; Small Business; Transportation and Infrastructure; Veterans' Affairs; and Ways and Means.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2001
Aircraft Noise Reduction Act of 2001 - Amends Federal aviation law to prohibit a person from operating any civil subsonic turbojet that fails to comply with stage three noise levels to or from an airport located in any of the 20 most populated U.S. metropolitan areas.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2001
Directs Congress to establish a nonpartisan independent Department of State Review Panel, which shall report to Congress on its review of the following matters concerning Department of State organization and operations: (1) current Department structures and possible reorganization; (2) changes to ensure effective diplomacy and implementation of U.S. foreign policy; (3) challenges through the year 2020 and beyond; (4) efficient handling of future risks; (5) planning assumptions; (6) positioning necessary for negotiation and conflict deterrence; (7) information infrastructure and technology; (8) the vulnerability of U.S. technology to nontraditional threats, such as information warfare; and (9) future scenarios requiring a Department response.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2001
Air Travelers Fair Treatment Act of 2001 - Amends Federal transportation law to make it an unfair or deceptive practice for an air carrier or foreign air carrier to fail to provide a passenger with an accurate explanation of the reasons for a flight delay, cancellation, or diversion from a ticketed itinerary. Makes it an unfair or deceptive practice for an air carrier or foreign air carrier, in the case of a termination, cancellation, nonrenewal, or substantial change in the competitive circumstances of the appointment of a ticket agent by an air carrier or foreign air carrier, to fail: (1) to provide the ticket agent with written notice, and a full statement of reasons for the action, on or before the 90th day preceding the action; and (2) to provide the ticket agent with at least 60 days to correct any deficiency claimed. Exempts from this rule cases of insolvency, an assignment for the benefit of creditors, bankruptcy, or nonpayment of sums due under the appointment. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to prescribe regulations to establish minimum standards for resuscitation, emergency medical, and first-aid equipment and supplies to be carried on board an aircraft capable of carrying at least 30 passengers. Prohibits air carriers or foreign air carriers from preventing, hindering, or failing to assist any passenger from exiting an aircraft (under the same circumstances as any flight crew member may exit) if: (1) the aircraft is parked over an hour past its scheduled departure time at an airport terminal gate with access to ramp or other boarding and deplaning facilities; and (2) the aircraft captain has not been informed by air traffic control authorities that the aircraft can be cleared for departure within 15 minutes. Directs the Secretary to require by regulations each air carrier or foreign air carrier to provide, upon request, to their passengers any information concerning the safety of the aircraft and the competency of the aircraft crew. Directs the National Transportation Safety Board to establish and administer a program for victims and survivors of aircraft accidents in which they receive immediate and unrestricted access to information with regard to such accidents. Establishes a toll-free telephone line for the public to provide specified information concerning an aircraft accident. Sets forth civil penalties for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2001
Airline Competition Preservation Act of 2001 - Amends Federal transportation law to authorize the Secretary of Transportation, on his own initiative or on a complaint, to: (1) investigate whether an air carrier is charging an unreasonably high fare or an average fare for interstate air transportation on a route; and (2) upon an affirmative finding, order the carrier to reduce the fare, offer the reduced fare for a specific number of seats on the route, and offer rebates to individuals who have been charged the fare. Prescribes fare offering requirements for a dominant air carrier (which accounts for more than 50 percent of total annual boardings) that institutes or changes its fares with respect to a route in interstate air transportation to or from a hub airport in a manner that: (1) results in fares lower than or comparable to fares offered by a new entrant air carrier; and (2) increases the passenger capacity at which such fares are offered on the route to a level two or more times the capacity previously offered by the air carrier at such fares on the route, and two or more times the total capacity offered by the new entrant air carrier on the route. Requires such a dominant air carrier to continue (in the two-year period beginning on the date that such fares and additional capacity are instituted) to offer such fares with respect to not less than 80 percent of the highest number of seats per week for which the dominant air carrier has offered them. Authorizes the Secretary, on his own initiative or on complaint, to: (1) investigate whether a dominant air carrier at a hub airport is charging higher than average fares at the airport; and (2) upon an affirmative finding, order the carrier to take specified actions to increase opportunities for competition at the hub airport. Makes this Act effective immediately upon the Secretary's determination that three or fewer air carriers account for 70 percent or more of the scheduled revenue passenger miles in interstate air transportation as a result of specified consolidations, mergers, or acquisitions.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2001
Sudan Peace Act - Declares that Congress: (1) condemns violations of human rights on all sides of the conflict in Sudan (including the Government of Sudan), the ongoing slave trade there, and the Government's use and organization of "murahalliin" (or "mujahadeen"), Popular Defense Forces (PDF), and regular Sudanese Army units into raiding and slaving parties in Bahr al Ghazal, the Nuba Mountains, Upper Nile, and Blue Nile regions; and (2) recognizes that the use of raiding and slaving parties is a tool for creating food shortages as a systematic means to destroy the societies, culture, and economies of the Dinka, Nuer, and Nuba peoples in a policy of low-intensity ethnic cleansing. Authorizes the Secretary of State to utilize Department of State personnel for the support of ongoing negotiations, and eventual implementation of a peace settlement, between the Government of Sudan and opposition forces. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United Nations (UN) should be used as a tool to facilitating peace and recovery in Sudan. Directs the President to develop a contingency plan to provide, outside UN auspices, the greatest amount of U.S. Government and privately donated relief to all affected areas in Sudan, including the Nuba Mountains, Upper Nile, and Blue Nile, in the event the Government of Sudan imposes a ban on Operation Lifeline Sudan air transport relief flights.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
United States Cruise Vessel Act - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to issue a certificate of documentation with a temporary coastwise endorsement for an eligible foreign-built cruise vessel to operate in domestic itineraries in the transportation of passengers in the coastwise trade between U.S. ports if such vessel meets certain requirements, including that: (1) the operator of the vessel promises that any repairs to it will be performed in a U.S. shipyard; and (2) such operator, with a specified exception, executes a contract with one or more U.S. shipyards for the construction of two or more cruise vessels with a total combined berth or stateroom capacity equal to at least that of the operator's vessel to which a certificate of documentation has been issued. Terminates the coastwise endorsement for an eligible cruise vessel 24 months after the delivery date for the replacement vessel(s) for such eligible vessel. Authorizes the operator of an eligible cruise vessel that has been issued a certificate of documentation, or a cruise vessel that has been constructed under contract, to place such vessel under foreign registry. Prohibits eligible cruise vessels operating in domestic itineraries from operating as a ferry, regularly carrying for hire both passengers and vehicles or other cargo, or operating between or among the Hawaiian Islands. Directs the Secretary to give priority to U.S.- built cruise vessels over other eligible foreign-built cruise vessels in a comparable market that have been issued a certificate of documentation if the Secretary, after notice and an opportunity for public comment, determines that the employment in the coastwise trade of an eligible foreign-built cruise vessel will adversely affect the coastwise trade business of any person operating a vessel not documented under this Act. Makes special provision for vessels carrying passengers for hire into Glacier Bay or other National Park Service areas.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2001 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to implement the oil and gas pipeline safety improvement recommendations in the Department of Transportation (DOT) Inspector General's Report (RT-2000-069). Requires each operator of a natural gas transmission pipeline and of a hazardous liquid pipeline, or, in the case of an intrastate pipeline facility operator, the appropriate State regulatory agency, to submit to the Secretary a plan designed to enhance the qualifications of pipeline personnel and reduce the likelihood of accidents and injuries. Amends Federal pipeline safety law to require the Secretary to issue regulations requiring operators of such pipelines to: (1) evaluate the risks to their pipeline facilities in environmentally sensitive areas and high-density population areas; and (2) adopt and implement a program for integrity management that reduces the risk of incident in those areas. Revises the public education program requirements for gas pipeline facility owners or operators, including specified items. Applies such requirements to owners or operators of a hazardous liquid pipeline facility. Requires an operator of a gas transmission or hazardous liquid pipeline facility to initiate and maintain liaison with the State emergency response commissions, and local emergency planning committees in the areas of pipeline right-of-way, established under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986 (or, in the absence of a committee, local fire, police, and other emergency response agencies) in each State in which it operates. Increases from $25,000 to $500,000 the civil penalty for each facility operator failure to: (1) mark accurately the location of pipeline facilities in the vicinity of a demolition, excavation, tunneling, or construction; or (2) comply with safety standards, prepare and carry out an inspection and maintenance plan, allow access to records, or allow required entries or inspections. Increases the maximum civil penalty for a related series of violations from $500,000 to $1 million. Authorizes the Secretary, if a State pipeline safety program certification is accepted, to make an agreement authorizing a State authority to: (1) participate in the oversight of interstate pipeline transportation, including a plan for the State authority to participate in special investigations involving incidents or new construction, as well as (subject to specified requirements) other activities involving interstate pipeline transportation; or (2) assume additional inspection or investigatory duties. Requires any owner or operator of a hazardous liquid pipeline facility to report to the Secretary each release to the environment greater than five gallons of the hazardous liquid or carbon dioxide. Requires the Secretary, as part of the DOT research and development program, to direct research attention to the development of alternative technologies: (1) to expand the defect detection capabilities of internal inspection devices; (2) to inspect pipelines that cannot accommodate internal inspection devices available on the date of enactment; and (3) to develop innovative techniques measuring the structural integrity of pipelines. Sets forth whistle blower protections prohibiting discrimination by pipeline operators or contractors or subcontractors against employees who: (1) provide information, directly or indirectly, to the employer or the Federal Government about any alleged violation of Federal law or regulations relating to pipeline safety; (2) file a related Federal proceeding; or (3) testify or otherwise assist or participate in such a proceeding. Directs the DOT Inspector General to analyze and report to specified congressional committees on whether DOT assessment of pipeline fines and penalties are an effective deterrent for reducing safety risks. Authorizes the Secretary to study how best to preserve environmental resources in conjunction with maintaining pipeline rights-of-way.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Directs the Secretary of the Navy to terminate operation of the Extremely Low Frequency Communication System while maintaining the infrastructure necessary for its resumption.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Amends the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 to grant to the Secretary of Transportation the sole responsibility for determining and designating those programs subject to the requirement that at least 50 percent of Government-generated cargoes be shipped on privately owned U.S.-flag commercial vessels to the extent such vessels are available at fair and reasonable rates. Declares that requirements that specified percentages of gross tonnage of equipment, materials, or agricultural commodities furnished or financed by the United States be transported on U.S.-flag commercial vessels shall be applicable for the 12-month period commencing April 1 of each year before 2001, the 18 month period commencing on April 1, 2001, and the 12-month period commencing on October 1 (fiscal year) of each year after 2001. Repeals certain additional gross tonnage requirements with respect to U.S.-flag commercial vessels.