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| December 18, 2000 | |||
A Summary of Accomplishments
of the 106th CongressThe Republican Platform 2000 noted, "We believe that from freedom comes opportunity; from opportunity comes growth; and from growth comes progress and prosperity." In keeping with the commitments expressed in that platform of this Republican-led 106th Congress, categorized under these seven headings:
- New Economy (economic and personal financial growth initiatives) [pps. 1-4];
- Education and Opportunity [pps. 4-5];
- Family and Community (includes pro-family, crime- and drug-fighting, and personal safety initiatives) [pps. 5-8 ];
- Retirement Security and Quality Healthcare [pps. 8-9];
- Natural Resources (includes energy and environment legislation) [pps. 9-10];
- Reform (initiatives to improve government performance) [pps. 11-12]; and
- National Security (defense, foreign policy, and military and veteran quality-of-life initiatives) [pps. 12-14].[This document contains only those legislative items passed by both Houses that have been signed or are expected to be signed into law. It does not contain items that the Congress may yet pass in the remaining days of this session. Note we list bills that have been signed by the President but not yet assigned public law numbers as "Public Law 106-xxx." We list all public laws assigned to date.]
The New Economy
China Trade Bill
Public Law 106-286 (H.R. 4444)
Allows the President to grant permanent normal trade relation (PNTR) status to the People's Republic of China, in accordance with U.S. and China participation in the World Trade Organization. Under normalized U.S./China trade, China must dramatically lower trade barriers, giving U.S. producers unprecedented access to China's one billion-plus consumers. Also gives relief to American domestic industries and workers for market disruption from Chinese imports, and creates a Congressional-Executive Commission to monitor human rights in China.American Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century Act ("H-1B Visas")
Public Law 106-313 (S. 2045)
Allows more workers with special skills to enter the U.S. on a temporary basis in the H-1B visa category, notably in fields connected to information technology, and also provides training for Americans already in the workforce to meet those unfilled employment needs. The bill also looks to the future by including incentives to encourage more young people to study mathematics, engineering, and computer science.Africa and Caribbean Basin Trade Expansion Bill
Public Law 106-200 (H.R. 434)
Renews and expands the president's authority to relax tariffs to promote free and open trade -- particularly with respect to Sub-Saharan Africa and the countries of the Caribbean Basin -- while renewing trade adjustment assistance to workers and firms adversely affected by imports. Also contains a provision to create a permanent position of Chief Agricultural Negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), providing farmers with a strong advocate to represent their trade interests.Trade and Tariff Reform Bill
Public Law 106-476 (H.R. 4868)
Amends the U.S. tariff schedule to suspend or reduce tariffs on hundreds of items, suspend duties on a variety of anti-AIDS and anti-cancer drugs, and reduce the rate of duty paid by travelers on merchandise purchased abroad. Also bans the importation of items made with dog or cat fur.Foreign Sales Corporations Trade Compliance
Public Law 106-519 (H.R. 4986)
Ensures that the U.S. companies will not be subjected to punitive duties imposed by the European Union by bringing U.S. law into compliance with a recent World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling regarding tax treatment of Foreign Sales Corporations.Tax Relief for Middle-Class, R&D, and Welfare Employment
Public Law 106-170 (H.R. 1180)
Provides $18 billion over 10 years in tax relief by extending the Research & Development tax credit, granting relief to those who file using the Alternative Minimum Tax form, and by extending the Work Opportunity tax credit and the Welfare-to-Work tax credit, both of which encourage employers to hire former welfare recipients.Tax Simplification of Wireless Telephone Calls
Public Law 106-252 (H.R. 4391)
Creates a nationwide, uniform system for the taxation of wireless calls. By simplifying the taxation and billing of wireless calls, each transaction would no longer be subject to multiple taxing laws, and consumers will benefit from reduced rates and fewer billing headaches.Worker Economic Opportunity Act
Public Law 106-202 (S. 2323)
Overturns a Clinton Administration opinion that would have jeopardized the continued availability of employer-offered stock options to hourly employees, thereby assuring that it makes no difference if you work in the corporate boardroom or on the factory floor -- everyone should be able to share in the success of the company.Electronic Signatures in Interstate Commerce
Public Law 106-229 (S. 761)
Assures the legal recognition of so-called electronic signatures for contracts and other electronic transactions conducted on the Internet.Financial Services Modernization Act
Public Law 106-102 (S. 900)
Overhauls the financial services industry by eliminating outdated Depression-era laws that have long hampered the industry's ability to increase its efficiency. Consumers will benefit from reduced costs and increased financial services.Small Business Installment Sales Tax Relief
Public Law 106-554 (H.R. 3594, contained in H.R. 4577, the year-end omnibus appropriations bill)
Repeals the installment sales provision included in The Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Act (P.L. 106-170), providing $1.8 billion in tax relief over six years. The installment sales provision is imposing unexpected hardships on numerous small business owners by requiring the taxpayer to recognize the full tax liability of the sale of a business that year. Under previous law, whatever capital gain the seller realized would be due over the life of the note. This provision is unexpectedly and adversely affecting the sale of closely-held businesses by dramatically increasing the costs of closing the sale.Small Business Investment Improvement Act
Public Law 106-9 (H.R. 68/S. 364)
Makes more investment capital available to small businesses that are seeking to grow and to hire new employees.Small Business Loan Program Improvements
Public Law 106-22 (H.R. 440)
Improves the provisions and frees up the capital of the Small Business Act's Microloan Program, which makes loans and provides technical assistance to prospective small business owners for startup or materials and equipment costs.Year 2000 Readiness and Responsibility Act
Public Law 106-37 (H.R. 775/S. 96)
Protects working Americans from having to subsidize hefty legal costs from frivolous lawsuits fueled by anticipated economic consequences of Year 2000 computer problems; this law gave employers incentives to fix possible computer problems before they became lawsuit targets.Veterans Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development Act
Public Law 106-50 (H.R. 1568)
Assures the Department of Veterans Affairs offers programs that provide assistance to veterans who own small businesses, and establishes the National Veterans Business Development Corporation that expands and improves veterans' access to technical assistance and promotes entrepreneurship.Women's Business Centers Sustainability Act
Public Law 106-165 (S. 791)
Allows private organizations that already have received federal grants to receive additional funding, which comes in part from non-federal sources, to provide ongoing training and management support to small businesswomen.Satellite Communications Competition and Privatization Act
Public Law 106-180 (S. 376)
Encourages privatization in the international satellite communications market and permits a merger between two major corporations. Importantly for consumers, the bill provides that international satellite organizations no longer will enjoy government preferences that insulated them from competition, regulatory authority, tax liabilities, and antitrust restrictions.Satellite Home Viewers Improvement Act
Public Law 106-113 (Included in H.R. 3194; originally H.R. 1554)
Pro-consumer legislation which allows satellite companies for the first time to beam local broadcast signals to customers who use either satellite dishes or big backyard dishes. The bill also protects Americans' privacy by prohibiting the Corporation for Public Broadcasting from distributing its donor lists to political parties.Education and Opportunity
Accountability for Failing Schools; Opportunity Scholarships for Students
Public Law 106-113 (Included in H.R. 3194; previously part of H.R. 3424)
Provides low-income children the ability to flee failing schools, just as middle- and upper-income children can, by allowing them to attend another local public or charter school of their choice.Education Flexibility Partnership Act ("Ed-Flex")
Public Law 106-25 (H.R. 800/S. 280)
Ensures excellence in education by freeing local school districts from oppressive mandates and by promoting local choice and quality, as well as providing for special needs of certain children.High-Quality Teacher Assurance Act
Public Law 106-113 (Contained in the FY00 Labor-HHS-Education provisions)
Ensures our schools have more high-quality teachers by giving local educators added flexibility to use federal funds for teacher training instead of simply hiring new teachers who may or may not be qualified.Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act
Public Law 106-393 (H.R. 2389)
Stabilizes education and road maintenance funding by directing federal payments to states containing Forest Service lands to be used for public education and transportation. The bill also directs payments to counties containing Bureau of Land Management lands to be used for public safety, law enforcement, and other public purposes.Work Incentives Improvement Act
Public Law 106-170 (H.R. 1180)
Reforms federal disability programs by improving access to needed services and by removing barriers to work so that disabled individuals may work and increase their income without losing their disability cash benefits and their federal health care benefits.Family and Community
Community Renewal New Market Initiatives
Public Law 106-554 (Contained in H.R. 4577, the year-end omnibus appropriations bill)
Provides tax and regulatory relief – including wage credits, capital gains tax relief, new markets tax credits, brownfields cleanup incentives, and other benefits – toward distressed rural and urban communities.Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act
Public Law 106-274 (S. 2869)
Provides important protections for the free exercise of religion in America in two areas where it has been threatened: land use regulation and restrictions on institutionalized persons. In general, the law prohibits state and local governments from substantially burdening the free exercise of religion in those two areas unless the government can show that it used the least restrictive means of furthering compelling government interest.Crime-Fighting Provisions Involving Paroled Felons
Public Law 106-386 (Included in H.R. 3244)
Would enact "Aimee's Law," which provides that if a person is paroled in one state for murder, rape, or a sexual offense and then convicted of any of those offenses in a second state, the first state must pay (out of federal funds that would have gone to the first state) the second state's costs for apprehending, prosecuting, and incarcerating the felon. The amendment applies only to states that have not adopted stringent sentencing rules.Strengthening Abuse and Neglect Courts Act
Public Law 106-314 (S. 2272)
Helps ensure the safety, stability, and permanent placement of abused and neglected children by providing grants to state and local courts to automate the data collection and tracking of proceedings in abuse and neglect courts, and to reduce pending backlogs of abuse and neglect cases.Child Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Act
Public Law 106-177 (H.R. 764)
Helps prevent crimes against children by providing additional resources, such as helping states develop programs to deliver complete criminal history information to child welfare agencies and other organizations that do background checks. Provisions known as "Jennifer's Law" help improve the centralized reporting of information on unidentified deceased persons.Intercountry Adoption Act
Public Law 106-279 (H.R. 2909/S. 682)
Provides for State Department implementation of an international convention to facilitate intercountry adoption. This bill will make it easier for Americans wishing to adopt children from other countries.Adopted Orphans Citizenship Act
Public Law 106-395 (H.R. 2883)
Streamlines the process of conferring U.S. citizenship on children born outside the United States who are adopted by American citizens.Adoption Awareness Enhancements
Public Law 106-310 (Included in H.R. 4365)
Increases adoption awareness by providing grants to adoption agencies both to provide adoption training for family planning clinics, and to promote adoption of children with special needs.Foster Care Independence Act
Public Law 106-169 (H.R. 3443)
Provides additional funding and flexibility for states to prepare foster-care teenagers to live on their own, and sets new procedures to crack down on fraud and abuse within the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program.Date-Rape Drug Prohibition Act
Public Law 106-172 (H.R. 2130/S. 1561)
Makes the drug known as the "date-rape drug" (GHB) more difficult to obtain and increases the penalties for its abuse by reclassifying it as a "Schedule I" drug under the Controlled Substances Act (where the most dangerous drugs are classified).Colombia Anti-Drug Funding
Public Law 106-246 (Included in H.R. 4425)
Upgrades Colombia's ability to fight drug production and trafficking in accordance with an international partnership. Designed to promote peace and stability in Colombia and the Latin American region, the package also contains economic development, human rights, and "rule of law" programs to aid Colombia in its effort to build its economy and strengthen its democratic institutions.Drug Anti-Proliferation Act
Public Law 106-310 (Included in H.R. 4365)
Combats drug trafficking and abuse, especially among children, by deterring and punishing manufacturers of methamphetamine, and by providing tougher sentences for distribution of methamphetamine and the drug known as ecstasy.Drug Kingpin Act
Public Law 106-120 (Included in H.R. 1555)
Provides a powerful new tool in our fight against illegal drugs: it blocks the U.S.-held assets of major foreign drug kingpins and prevents them from accessing U.S. markets -- that is, using U.S. economic power to undercut the financial base of the cartels and their kingpins.Trafficking Victims Protection Act
Public Law 106-386 (H.R. 3244)
Combats the growing international problem of trafficking of persons -- primarily women and children -- who are forced into the sex trade, prostitution, slavery, and slavery-like conditions in the U.S. and countries around the world. Provides for prevention, prosecution, and enhanced law enforcement against traffickers, and protection and assistance to victims of trafficking.Violence Against Women Act
Public Law 106-xxx (Included in H.R. 3244)
Increases federal funding over the next five years and reauthorizes key programs under the original 1994 law including funding for more police, prosecutors and battered women's shelters, and the National Domestic Violence Hotline, and creates some new programs to protect women in abusive situations.America's Law Enforcement and Mental Health Project
Public Law 106-515 (S. 1865)
Helps address the needs of mentally ill offenders by providing for programs which will identify, address, and treat their mental illness.Deceptive Mail Prevention and Enforcement Act
Public Law 106-168 (S. 335)
Protects consumers from fraudulent or misleading practices of those who send promotional materials, such as sweepstakes and skill contests, by mail. The bill strengthens the prohibition against so-called "government look-alike" mailings intended to deceive recipients.Auto Safety ("TREAD") Act
Public Law 106-414 (H.R. 5164)
Overhauls the nation's auto-safety laws in response to concerns raised by the Firestone tire recall. It calls for vehicle roll-over testing, tire-deflation warning systems, and it establishes jail sentences for those who "knowingly" mislead regulators about safety defects.Airport Security Improvement Act
Public Law 106-528 (S. 2440)
Helps protect those who travel by air by improving controls on access to secure areas in airports, increasing training for security screeners at U.S. airports, requiring criminal history record checks for baggage screeners and security personnel, and requiring the Federal Aviation Administration to improve security at its own air traffic control facilities.Wireless Telecommunications and Public Safety Act
Public Law 106-81 (S. 800)
Designates "911" as the universal emergency number for all phones -- wire-line and wireless -- and expands the areas covered by wireless telephone service.Poison Control Center Enhancement and Awareness Act
Public Law 106-174 (S. 632)
Helps to establish and promote a nationwide toll-free telephone number to access regional poison control centers, which help American families deal quickly, safely, and efficiently with a poisoning emergency.Retirement Security and Quality Healthcare
Prescription Drug Importation
Public Law 106-387 (Included in H.R. 4461, Agriculture appropriations)
Reduces the cost of prescription drugs by allowing pharmacists and wholesalers to purchase less costly drugs in other countries and re-import them into the U.S. The legislation maintains U.S. drug safety standards.Senior Citizens' Freedom to Work Act (Social Security Earnings Limit Repeal)
Public Law 106-182 (H.R. 5)
Fully repeals the earnings limit, allowing all those who've reached full retirement age to earn income with no reduction in their Social Security benefits. Repeal of the so-called earnings limit has been a goal of Republicans for decades.Medicare Access Relief
Public Law 106-554 (Contained in H.R. 4577, the year-end omnibus appropriations bill)
In addition to the relief provided last year [see Public Law 106-113], this year's legislation further corrects Medicare reimbursement policies from the 1997 Balanced Budget Act that resulted in greater-than-anticipated savings by providing additional Medicare funding for hospitals, medical education, and physician, home health, and nursing home services to ensure sufficient services for Medicare beneficiaries.Older Americans Act Reauthorization
Public Law 106-501 (H.R. 782)
Provides an array of services for the elderly, including grants for such programs as nutrition services and elder abuse prevention; assures the needs, including health care needs, of elderly living in rural areas are better addressed; and establishes an "aging network" and the National Family Caregiver Support Program.Nursing Home Resident Protection Amendments of 1999
Public Law 106-4 (H.R. 540)
Responds to the problem of Medicaid recipients' evictions from nursing homes by affording nursing home residents protection from discharge or transfer if the nursing home decides to withdraw from the Medicaid program.Organ Procurement Organization Certification Act
Public Law 106-505 (Includeded in H.R. 2498; Originally S. 2625)
Revamps the way organ procurement organizations are evaluated, measuring their performance in obtaining viable organs relative to the number of potential donors in their area, rather than the total population.Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act
Public Law 106-354 (H.R. 4386)
Provides quicker and more comprehensive access to care for low-income women diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer.Extension of Medical Savings Accounts
Public Law 106-554 (Contained in H.R. 5662, the Community Renewal Tax Relief Acto of 2000, and passed as part of H.R. 4577, the year-end omnibus appropriations bill)
In addition to the relief provided last year [see Public Law 106-113], this year's legislation further corrects Medicare reimbursement policies from the 1997 Balanced Budget Act that resulted in greater-than-anticipated savings by providing additional Medicare funding for hospitals, medical education, and physician, home health, and nursing home services to ensure sufficient services for Medicare beneficiaries.Natural Resources
Strategic Petroleum Reserve and Home Heating Oil Protections
Public Law 106-469 (H.R. 2884)
Assures that any exchange of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) will not jeopardize national security, and assures that the reserve's inventory is increased. Also establishes a Northeast home heating oil reserve, strengthens the weatherization act, and requires the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to undertake an expedited review of hydro-licensing procedures.Energy Supply Commission
Public Law 106-377 (Included in H.R. 4635; originally in H.R. 4733, FY01 Energy/Water appropriations bill)
Addresses rising energy prices and America's energy policies by establishing a Presidential Energy Commission to explore long- and short-term responses to domestic energy shortages in supply and severe spikes in energy prices, and by directing the Secretary of Energy to submit to Congress a report on America's energy policy.Coal Market Competition Act
Public Law 106-463 (S. 2300)
Improves the level of capital investment in federal coal resources by removing disincentives to leasing and development of those lands. It also will allow for greater use of new methane development technologies and will provide more energy for electricity generation.Land Conservation
Public Law 106-291 (Included in H.R. 4578)
Establishes a Land Conservation, Preservation and Infrastructure Improvement program that recognizes as national priorities a number of important conservation efforts, including land purchases, land conservation activities, and backlog maintenance.Everglades Restoration
Public Law 106-541 (Contained in S. 2796)
Restores, preserves, and protects the Everglades. Authorizes projects carefully selected by the Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District to move forward with critical projects providing immediate and substantial benefits to the natural system.Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration
Public Law 106-408 (H.R. 3671)
Amends the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act and the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act to provide additional grant funds to States for fish and wildlife conservation projects and to increase opportunities for recreational hunting, bow hunting, trapping, archery, and fishing.Wildland Fire Management
Public Law 106-291 (Included in H.R. 4578)
Provides funding to rehabilitate and maintain national forest and other federal lands damaged by wildfires. Also upgrades firefighting facilities and provides for community and landowner assistance, and alleviates immediate threats from wildfires to populated areas near federal wildlands by allowing the federal government to conduct fuel-reduction treatments on federal land through the use of grants and cooperative agreements.Estuary Habitat Restoration Partnership Act
Public Law 106-457 (S. 835)
Restores and enhances one million acres of estuaries by having states, local communities, and the private sector work together to identify estuary habitat restoration projects. Estuaries are critical for wildlife, and also play a major role in commercial and recreational fishing.Reform
Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR-21)
Public Law 106-181 (H.R. 1000)
Provides the Federal Aviation Administration $40 billion through FY 2003 for operations, facilities, and equipment, and for the Airport Improvement Fund, thus promoting a competitive aviation industry and improving airline customer service and passenger safety during this time of ever-increasing demand for airport and airway usage.Bankruptcy Reform Act
Pocket Vetoed by President (H.R. 2415)
Provides much-needed reform of the bankruptcy system and makes permanent the bankruptcy protections for family farms. The bill requires those who can repay a portion of their debts to do so, and provides additional benefits to those who are legitimately in need of the protections of the bankruptcy courts. Bankruptcies impose enormous costs on all consumers and taxpayers, and requiring some repayment by those who can do so will save American families billions of dollars through lower prices and lower interest rates.Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act
Public Law 106-159 (H.R. 3419)
Establishes a more independent agency within the Department of Transportation to carry out the duty of the interim Office of Motor Carrier Safety, and reforms truck safety laws.Government Intelligence Improvements
Vetoed by the President (H.R. 4392)
Improves the federal government's ability to detect cases of foreign espionage against the U.S.; updates the law regarding the unauthorized disclosure of classified information; and creates a POW/MIA analytic capability within the U.S. intelligence community to assist in efforts to locate and return unaccounted-for U.S. persons who have gone missing during military action.Agricultural Risk Protection Act
Public Law 106-224 (H.R. 2559/S. 2251)
Intended as a first step toward reforming the federal crop insurance program and making it a more effective risk management tool for America's farmers. Its provisions increase likelihood of producer participation, streamline program administration, encourage better risk management, and address problems with fraud and abuse. Offers insurance for the first time to ranchers and livestock producers, and expands coverage for produce growers.Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act
Public Law 106-185 (H.R. 1658)
Protects the rights of Americans by shifting the burden of proof in asset forfeiture cases from the property owner to the government. Under current Federal law, the burden is on the property owner. The bill also makes other reforms that will help ensure that persons are not deprived of their property without due process of law while still allowing the seizure of criminal proceeds.Patent Protection for American Inventors
Public Law 106-113 (Included in H.R. 3194)
Modernizes and reforms America's successful patent system; among its reforms are reducing patent filing fees, providing a "first inventor" defense, and guaranteeing a minimum 17-year patent term.Truth in Regulating Act
Public Law 106-312 (S. 1198)
Establishes a three-year pilot project for the General Accounting Office to report to Congress on economically significant rules of federal agencies in order to assure that bureaucrats are using the best available resources to predict the costs and benefits of proposed new rules before their effects are borne on communities, businesses, and citizens.Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act
Public Law 106-107 (S. 468)
Streamlines federal assistance programs and facilitates greater coordination among federal agencies and their non-federal partners.Food Stamp Electronic Benefit Transfer
Public Law 106-171 (S. 1733)
Requires a uniform standard (in all 50 States) to use ATM-like electronic cards for food stamp benefits. By using electronic cards instead of paper coupons, food stamp recipients will gain the ability to use their card in any state, and taxpayers will save millions of dollars.Endangered Species Act Accountability Reporting
Public Law 106-201 (S. 1744)
Requires the Secretary of the Interior to continue to provide an annual report to Congress on the cost-effectiveness of Endangered Species Act activities.National Security
National Missile Defense Act
Public Law 106-38 (H.R. 4)
Long sought by Republicans, this law makes it the policy of the United States to deploy a missile defense system to defend the country as soon as one is technologically feasible.Assuring Defense Priorities
Public Law 106-398 (H.R. 4205)
While the Congress last year addressed critical problems with recruitment and retention, this year's annual defense bill offers solutions to serious readiness and quality-of-life issues that have plagued our military under the Clinton-Gore years. The bill adequately addresses problems with aging equipment by adding funds for modernization, research, and testing, and in keeping with last year's pledge, provides our men and women in uniform with a 3.7-percent pay raise. The bill also assures improvements to military family housing and other quality-of-life areas, and institutes a special assistance allowance for those military personnel whose income level qualifies them for food stamps.Military Bill of Rights and Readiness Enhancements
Public Law 106-65 (S. 1059)
Responds to declining morale in the military by providing both a cost-of-living increase and assurances that future pay raises be greater than the rate of inflation; it also provides improved retirement, health care, and education benefits; increases funding for depleted military readiness accounts; and restructures U.S. nuclear weapons laboratories so as to avoid future occurrences of espionage.Military Retirees Healthcare Assistance
Public Law 106-398 (Included in H.R. 4205)
Provides complete prescription drug coverage and access to comprehensive healthcare services for Medicare-eligible military retirees, making all military retirees eligible for health care within TRICARE, the military healthcare system.Long-Term Care for Federal and Military Employees/Retirees
Public Law 106-265 (S. 2420/H.R. 4040)
Directs the Office of Personnel Management to assist current and retired federal employees and current and retired members of the armed services in securing long-term care coverage for themselves and their families.Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty
Senate rejected President's treaty (Treaty Doc. 105-28)
The Senate rejected the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty because it was not verifiable and would not have stopped nuclear proliferation. The treaty would have reduced the safety, reliability, and survivability of America's own nuclear weapons, and would have limited the options for responding to future threats created by new technologies.
Iran Nonproliferation Act
Public Law 106-178 (H.R. 1883)
After vetoing similar legislation in 1998 that passed by sound majorities in both chambers, the President finally signed this bill, which takes steps intended to reverse a very dangerous proliferation problem: firms in Russia, China, North Korea, and elsewhere are known to be transferring to Iran items to assist in its development of weapons of mass destruction and missiles capable of delivering such weapons. Among its provisions, this bill directs the president to twice yearly report to Congress on foreign persons who have transferred goods, services, or technology to Iran that could assist with nuclear proliferation.Veterans' and Dependents' Health Care and Education Improvements
Public Law 106-419 (S. 1402) and also Public Law 106-117 (H.R. 2116)
Building on last year's efforts that established a program of extended care services for veterans and improved the accessability, timeliness, and quality of healthcare programs for veterans, this year's focus was on increasing the rates of veterans' basic educational assistance under the Montgomery GI bill, and also increasing the rates of their survivors' and dependents' educational assistance.Disabled Veterans Benefit Increases and Claim Assistance
Public Law 106-413 (H.R. 4850) and also H.R. 4864, Cleared for the White House
Increases compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and increases the rates of dependence and indemnity compensation for the survivors of certain disabled veterans, as well as providing a clothing allowance for certain disabled veterans. H.R. 4864 provides veterans with a process for obtaining evidence to establish an entitlement to a benefit.Vietnam Veterans Recognition Act
Public Law 106-214 (H.R. 3293)
Honors and recognizes those Vietnam veterans who died after their service in the Vietnam war, as a direct result of that service.POW/MIA Live-Return Incentive Bill
Public Law 106-484 (S. 484)
Directs the Attorney General to grant U.S. refugee status to aliens who are nationals of certain foreign countries and who assist in the delivery into U.S. custody of a living American Vietnam or Korean War prisoner of war or person listed as Missing in Action.American Embassy Security Act
Public Law 106-113 (Included in H.R. 3194)
Includes measures to safeguard American posts abroad from terrorist attack, to combat proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, and to mandate institutional reforms at the United Nations and its related agencies.Palestinian State Opposed
Passed House and Senate (H. Con. Res. 24)
Expresses congressional opposition to the unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state, and urges the President to assert clearly United States opposition to such a unilateral declaration.
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