bill_id,congress,bill_type,bill_number,title,policy_area,introduced_date,latest_action_date,latest_action_text,origin_chamber,sponsor_name,sponsor_state,sponsor_party,sponsor_bioguide_id,cosponsor_count,summary_text,update_date,url
104-hr-4344,104,hr,4344,"To amend title 10, United States Code, to provide that a member of the Armed Forces who is diagnosed as being HIV-positive within one year of entering military service shall be considered to have entered the Armed Forces under a fraudulent enlistment or appointment.",Armed Forces and National Security,1996-10-04,1996-10-04,Referred to the House Committee on National Security.,House,"Rep. Dornan, Robert K. [R-CA-46]",CA,R,D000435,0,Provides that a member of the armed forces who is medically determined to be positive for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) within one year after entering into military service shall be immediately discharged on the basis of having entered such service under a fraudulent enlistment or appointment.,2025-06-06T14:17:56Z,
104-hr-4339,104,hr,4339,Transported Air Pollution Mitigation Act of 1996,Environmental Protection,1996-10-03,1996-10-11,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Condit, Gary A. [D-CA-18]",CA,D,C000670,3,"Transported Air Pollution Mitigation Act of 1996 - Amends Clean Air Act provisions regarding State implementation plans for national primary and secondary ambient air quality standards to require a State, for each upwind area which causes or significantly contributes to a violation of the ambient air quality standard for ozone in a downwind area, to submit a plan revision that requires the upwind area to either:  (1) reduce emissions of each air pollutant concerned by an amount necessary to mitigate impacts to pollution concentrations in the downwind area; or (2) make payments to the State or the air quality district as compensation to the downwind area for the costs of emission reduction measures. Requires a State, for each Moderate ozone nonattainment area determined to cause or significantly contribute to a violation of the national ambient air quality standard for ozone in a downwind area, to submit a plan revision including all provisions necessary for an enhanced vehicle inspection described in provisions concerning Serious areas and Environmental Protection Agency regulations.  Requires amendment by a State of its plan for maintenance (required when a State requests redesignation of a nonattainment area as an area which has attained the national ambient air quality standard) to include measures for such an inspection program if the State determines that the area concerned is causing or significantly contributing to a violation of such standards for ozone in a downwind area.",2025-08-21T20:15:15Z,
104-hr-4340,104,hr,4340,"To prohibit, in connection with the termination of Army activities at the Stratford Army Engine Plant, the expenditure of Federal funds to cover the costs of relocating a Government contractor located at that installation.",Armed Forces and National Security,1996-10-03,1996-10-03,Referred to the House Committee on National Security.,House,"Rep. DeLauro, Rosa L. [D-CT-3]",CT,D,D000216,0,"Prohibits Department of Defense funds from being used to relocate any Government contractor from the Stratford Army Engine Plant, Connecticut, in connection with the termination of Army activities under the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990.",2025-06-06T14:17:56Z,
104-hr-4341,104,hr,4341,Child Support Recovery Amendments Act of 1996,Crime and Law Enforcement,1996-10-03,1996-10-04,Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime.,House,"Rep. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY-9]",NY,D,S000148,1,"Child Support Recovery Amendments Act of 1996 - Amends Federal criminal code provisions regarding failure to pay legal child support obligations to create two new categories of felony offenses, subject to a two-year maximum prison term:  (1) traveling in interstate or foreign commerce with intent to evade a support obligation if the obligation has remained unpaid for a period longer than one year or is greater than $5,000; and (2) willfully failing to pay a support obligation regarding a child residing in another State, if the obligation has remained unpaid for a period longer than two years or is greater than $10,000. Specifies that the existence of a support obligation that was in effect for the time period charged in the indictment or information creates a rebuttable presumption that the obligor has the ability to pay such obligation for that period.    Directs the court, upon a conviction, to order restitution in an amount equal to the total unpaid support obligation as it exists at the time of sentencing.",2025-08-21T20:14:48Z,
104-hr-4342,104,hr,4342,"To amend title 18, United States Code, to extend certain statutes of limitation.",Crime and Law Enforcement,1996-10-03,1996-10-04,Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime.,House,"Rep. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY-9]",NY,D,S000148,0,"Amends the Federal criminal code to:  (1) allow an indictment or information for a Class A felony involving murder to be found at any time without limitation; and (2) prohibit (except under such provision) a person from being prosecuted, tried, or punished for a Class A felony that is a crime of violence or a drug trafficking crime unless the indictment is returned or the information is filed within ten years after the commission of the offense.",2019-11-15T21:33:17Z,
104-hr-4343,104,hr,4343,"To prohibit the Secretary of Defense from making American communities non-competitive by using shipping cost differentials attributable to the application of the Merchant Marine Act, 1920.",Armed Forces and National Security,1996-10-03,1996-10-03,Referred to the House Committee on National Security.,House,"Del. Underwood, Robert A. [D-GU-At Large]",GU,D,U000014,0,"Prohibits the Secretary of Defense, when making cost or business comparisons between U.S. and foreign bases for the supply of U.S. Navy activities, from using shipping cost differentials that are attributable to the application of the Merchant Marine Act, 1920 to the United States bases.",2025-06-06T14:17:56Z,
104-s-2190,104,s,2190,Uniform Child Support Enforcement Act of 1996,Families,1996-10-03,1996-10-03,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.,Senate,"Sen. Kerry, John F. [D-MA]",MA,D,K000148,0,"Uniform Child Support Enforcement Act of 1996 - Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish in the Internal Revenue Service a national registry of abstracts of child support orders. Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of title IV of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, as well as the Internal Revenue Code, to require:  (1) a State, as a condition for receiving Federal child support funds, to prescribe procedures requiring any State court or administrative agency that issues or modifies a child support order to transmit an abstract of the order to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); (2) a State to prescribe procedures requiring an individual with the right to collect child support to be presumed to have assigned such right to the IRS (unless the individual affirmatively elects to retain such right); and (3) prescribe guidelines under which the IRS shall collect child support through tax withholding procedures.  Declares that child support obligations will be treated as taxes for purposes of penalties and interest.",2025-08-21T20:15:57Z,
104-s-2191,104,s,2191,Alien Public Assistance Benefits Amendments of 1996,Immigration,1996-10-03,1996-10-03,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.,Senate,"Sen. Simpson, Alan K. [R-WY]",WY,R,S000429,1,"TABLE OF CONTENTS:      Title I:  Affidavits of Support      Title II:  Public Charge Deportation      Title III:  Attribution of Sponsor's Income      Title IV:  Ineligibility of Illegal Aliens for Public           Assistance and Benefits      Title V:  Enhanced Verification of Eligibility Based on           Citizenship or Immigration Status      Title VI:  Housing Assistance      Title VII:  Miscellaneous Provisions      Title VIII:  General Provisions Alien Public Assistance Benefits Amendments of 1996 - Title I: Affidavits of Support - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (Act), as amended by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, to apply alien sponsor affidavit of support provisions to means-tested public benefits.  (Current law refers to Federal means-tested public benefits.)  Revises certain related income provisions. Title II:  Public Charge Deportation - Amends the Act to revise the public charge grounds for deportation, including increasing the public charge period.  Sets forth a special rule for battered spouses and children. Provides for exclusion and deportation of an alien who obtains public benefits through fraud or misrepresentation.  Makes an alien deportable as a public charge ineligible for naturalization. Title III:  Attribution of Sponsor's Income - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to apply attribution of sponsor income provisions for five years to current immigrants. Title IV:  Ineligibility of Illegal Aliens for Public Assistance and Benefits - Authorizes States to deny driver's licenses to illegal aliens. (Sec. 402) Amends the Social Security Act to prohibit crediting of ""employment"" for persons not authorized to work in the United States. (Sec. 403) Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to deny HIV or AIDS treatment to illegal aliens. Title V:  Enhanced Verification of Eligibility Based on Citizenship or Immigration Status - Amends the Social Security Act to require proof of identity for certain public assistance (SAVE program)benefits. (Sec. 502) Authorizes States to require proof of eligibility for State benefits. (Sec. 504) Requires verification of student eligibility (citizen, national, or immigrant) for postsecondary Federal student financial assistance. Title VI:  Housing Assistance - Use of Assisted Housing by Aliens Act of 1996 - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1980 to:  (1) prorate rental housing assistance based upon the number of eligible family members; (2) require prior verification of immigration status and eligibility for financial assistance; and (3) prohibit sanctions against an entity making financial assistance eligibility determinations. Title VII:  Miscellaneous Provisions - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate unemployment benefit crediting based upon the status of permanently residing in the United States under color of law. (Sec. 702) Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to repeal a specified food stamp program transition provision. Title VIII:  General Provisions - Sets forth provisions regarding:  (1) effective date; (2)foreign assistance inapplicability; (3) notification; and (4) definitions.",2025-08-21T20:15:11Z,
104-s-2192,104,s,2192,A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Army to award the Ranger Tab to veterans of certain service in the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam era.,Armed Forces and National Security,1996-10-03,1996-10-03,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.,Senate,"Sen. D'Amato, Alfonse [R-NY]",NY,R,D000018,0,Authorizes the Secretary of the Army to award a Ranger Tab to certain individuals assigned to specified Army units and performing active duty for specified periods in the Republic of Vietnam between 1960 and 1974.  Requires written application for such award.,2025-04-07T15:27:23Z,
104-s-2193,104,s,2193,United States Voluntary and Material Assistance Act of 1996,International Affairs,1996-10-03,1996-10-03,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.,Senate,"Sen. Lugar, Richard G. [R-IN]",IN,R,L000504,0,"United States Voluntary and Material Assistance Act of 1996 - Establishes the United States Voluntary and Material Assistance Program for the disposition of donated private sector and U.S. Government nonlethal personal property needed by eligible foreign countries. Authorizes the President, under the Program, to:  (1) receive nonlethal personal property donated to the Federal Government by any U.S. private sector organization and retransfer it to eligible foreign countries; (2) provide the necessary transportation to assist private organizations and voluntary organizations in the United States in transferring to eligible foreign countries nonlethal personal property that is donated to them; and (3) transfer to eligible foreign countries any available surplus nonlethal personal property subject to the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949. Expresses the sense of the Congress that, before carrying out any other activities under the Program, the President should first conduct a pilot project in eligible countries in sub-Saharan Africa in order to demonstrate the feasibility of transferring donated nonlethal personal property under the Program. Authorizes appropriations.",2025-08-21T20:16:52Z,
104-s-2194,104,s,2194,Outfitter and Guide Policy Act of 1996,Public Lands and Natural Resources,1996-10-03,1996-10-04,Referred to Subcommittee on Forests and Public Lands.,Senate,"Sen. Craig, Larry E. [R-ID]",ID,R,C000858,0,"Outfitter and Guide Policy Act of 1996 - Requires a person or entity who offers to provide or conduct outfitter and guide (O&G) services for a fee on Federal lands to obtain authorization under this Act.  Provides criteria for the issuance of such authorization, including the identification of skills, experience, and financial capability to offer O&G services.  Authorizes the head of the National Park Service, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, or Bureau of Reclamation (agency head) to enter into a written O&G agreement for the use and occupancy of Federal lands to perform appropriate O&G services for the public. Authorizes the agency head to issue a noncompetitive O&G business license to a person or entity qualified to provide visitor services on a limited basis at a Federal resource area.  Authorizes the issuance of additional agreements for specified reasons, including an increase in public recreational activity in an area or the termination of an existing O&G agreement.  Provides for the solicitation of applicants for O&G agreements and business licenses and permits. (Sec. 6) Directs the agency head to require payment of a reasonable fee for the opportunity to provide O&G services pursuant to this Act, allowing for the adjustment of such fee only for:  (1) inflation; (2) adverse material changes in agreement conditions; or (3) an unforeseen disaster. (Sec. 7) Directs the agency head to provide that the O&G license or permit holder (holder) will defend or indemnify the United States against all costs associated with injury, damage, or death of person or property resulting from the holder's negligence, with exceptions. (Sec. 8) Requires a holder to file an annual operating plan with the agency head prior to the first day in which operations are conducted under an O&G agreement. (Sec. 9) Requires the agency head to assign an allocation of use to the holder of an O&G authorization whose services are marketed and available to the public, requiring such allocation to include a principal use with regard to the nature of the O&G service.  Provides for:  (1) seasonal deviation from and adjustments to the assigned amount of principal use; and (2) an assignment of temporary use at the discretion of the agency. (Sec. 10) Specifies objectives to be used by the agency head to develop a program for O&G performance evaluations on at least an annual basis. (Sec. 11) Directs the agency head, upon a finding of good overall performance during the term of an O&G agreement, to renew such authorization at the request of the holder.  Provides for agreement termination for cause. (Sec. 12) Makes O&G agreements transferrable only with the approval of the appropriate agency head, but prohibits such approval from being unreasonably withheld or delayed.  Prohibits the modification of agreement terms upon transfer.  Considers a transfer approved if the agency head fails to act within 90 days. (Sec. 13) Provides for the resolution of disputes arising between an agency and O&Gs under this Act. (Sec. 17) Authorizes appropriations.",2026-03-24T12:48:03Z,
104-s-2195,104,s,2195,"A bill to provide for the regulation of human tissue for transplantation to ensure that such tissue is handled in a manner to preserve its safety and purity, and for other purposes.",Health,1996-10-03,1996-10-03,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources.,Senate,"Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]",OR,D,W000779,2,"Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to establish a specific definition for ""human tissue"" which expressly excludes vascularized human organs, gene therapy, blood, soluble blood components, milk, or products made by combining human tissue with biomaterials.  Declares that human tissue is not a drug, biological product, or device unless reclassified under this Act. Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to subject human tissue to regulation under such Act only if voluntary regulation is inadequate, or if it is reclassified as a drug, biological product, or device pursuant to specified guidelines established by this Act. Requires any person subject to such regulation who recovers, processes, stores, or distributes human tissue for transplantation or implantation in the United States to register in accordance with FFDCA drug registration procedures.  Deems registrants to be authorized to conduct human tissue recovery, processing, storage, and distribution activities identified as applicable on the registration, unless, among other things, the Secretary of Health and Human Services suspends or revokes such authority after determining that the registrant fails to meet operating standards established by the Secretary. Prescribes certain human tissue labeling and advertising requirements. Authorizes the Secretary to reclassify human tissue as a drug, biological product, or device in specified circumstances. Outlines the mechanism for enforcement of this Act in the event that any violations of it constitute a significant risk to the public health. Subjects registrants to inspections under the Act. Applies the PHSA to umbilical cord blood to the same extent as it applies to human tissue. Prohibits the Secretary from regulating eyes until voluntary regulation is inadequate to protect the public health.",2025-04-21T12:24:17Z,
104-s-2196,104,s,2196,Thomas Alva Edison Sesquicentennial Commemorative Coin Act,Finance and Financial Sector,1996-10-03,1996-10-03,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking.,Senate,"Sen. Lautenberg, Frank R. [D-NJ]",NJ,D,L000123,3,"TABLE OF CONTENTS:      Title I:  Commemorative Coins      Title II:  Circulating Coins Thomas Alva Edison Sesquicentennial Commemorative Coin Act - Title I:  Commemorative Coins - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint one-dollar silver coins emblematic of the inventions made by Thomas Alva Edison in commemoration of the sesquicentennial of his birth. Directs the Secretary to conduct an open design competition for the design of the obverse and reverse of the coins. Terminates the authority to mint such coins after December 31, 1997.  Requires that certain surcharges received from coin sales be distributed to specified entities. Title II:  Circulating Coins - Amends Federal law to declare that the obverse side of half-dollar coins minted between specified dates shall have the same likeness of Thomas Alva Edison as the commemorative coins minted under this Act.",2025-08-21T20:16:44Z,
104-s-2197,104,s,2197,A bill to extend the authorized period of stay within the United States for certain nurses.,Immigration,1996-10-03,1996-10-11,Became Public Law No: 104-302.,Senate,"Sen. Faircloth, Lauch [R-NC]",NC,R,F000437,1,"Extends the authorized period of U.S. stay for certain alien nurses through September 30, 1997. Prohibits such aliens from changing employment.",2025-04-07T15:23:16Z,
104-s-2198,104,s,2198,"A bill to provide for the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations to continue in existence, and for other purposes.",Government Operations and Politics,1996-10-03,1996-10-19,Became Public Law No: 104-328.,Senate,"Sen. Stevens, Ted [R-AK]",AK,R,S000888,1,"Authorizes the continuation of the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations solely for the purpose of performing any contract entered into under the National Gambling Impact Study Commission Act. Revises restrictions on funds provided under the Community Oriented Policing Services Program and part Q (Public Safety and Community Policing; ""Cops on the Beat"") of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 concerning the provision of health benefits to public safety officers retired because of certain personal injuries sustained in the line of duty in certain emergency situations.",2021-10-15T23:22:10Z,
104-s-2199,104,s,2199,"A bill to provide funding for the nutrition education and training program authorized under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966, and for other purposes.",Agriculture and Food,1996-10-03,1996-10-03,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture.,Senate,"Sen. Leahy, Patrick J. [D-VT]",VT,D,L000174,2,"Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to reduce funding for the nutrition education and training program for FY 1997 and each succeeding fiscal year.  Reduces funding, for FY 1997, for the:  (1) emergency food assistance program; and (2) school meals initiative for healthy children.",2025-01-14T16:41:20Z,
104-sconres-74,104,sconres,74,A concurrent resolution to provide for a change in the enrollment of H.R. 3539.,Congress,1996-10-03,1996-10-03,"Submitted in the Senate. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Over, Under the Rule.",Senate,"Sen. Brown, Hank [R-CO]",CO,R,B000919,0,"Rescinds the signing by the Acting President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of H.R. 3539 (reauthorizing certain programs of the Federal Aviation Administration). Directs the Clerk of the House, in the reenrollment of such bill, to add a section authorizing the Secretary of Transportation to obligate specified funds for any new airport runway construction project.",2025-04-07T15:23:12Z,
104-sres-311,104,sres,311,"A resolution designating the month of November 1996 as ""National American Indian Heritage Month"".",Native Americans,1996-10-03,1996-10-03,Referred to the Committee on Judiciary.,Senate,"Sen. McCain, John [R-AZ]",AZ,R,M000303,51,Designates November 1996 as National American Indian Heritage Month.,2025-07-21T19:32:26Z,
104-sres-312,104,sres,312,A resolution saluting the service of John L. Doney.,Congress,1996-10-03,1996-10-03,"Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S12367)",Senate,"Sen. Lott, Trent [R-MS]",MS,R,L000447,2,Salutes John L. Doney for his career of public service to the Senate and its Members.,2016-10-26T07:52:44Z,
104-sres-313,104,sres,313,"A resolution relating to the retirement of Jeanie Bowles, Superintendent of Documents, United States Senate.",Congress,1996-10-03,1996-10-03,"Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S12367)",Senate,"Sen. Lott, Trent [R-MS]",MS,R,L000447,0,"Commends Jeanie Bowles, former Superintendent of Documents, for her exemplary service to the Senate and the Nation.",2016-10-26T07:52:44Z,
104-sres-314,104,sres,314,"A resolution authorizing the President of the Senate, the President of the Senate pro tempore, and the Majority and Minority Leaders to make certain appointments after the sine die adjournment of the present session.",Congress,1996-10-03,1996-10-03,"Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S12367)",Senate,"Sen. Lott, Trent [R-MS]",MS,R,L000447,0,"Authorizes the President of the Senate, the President pro tempore, and the majority and minority leaders of the Senate, notwithstanding the sine die adjournment of the present session of the Congress, to make appointments to commissions, committees, boards, conferences, or interparliamentary conferences authorized by law, by concurrent action of the two Houses, or by order of the Senate.",2016-10-26T07:52:44Z,
104-sres-315,104,sres,315,A resolution appointing a committee to notify the President concerning the proposed adjournment of the session.,Congress,1996-10-03,1996-10-03,"Submitted in the Senate, read twice, considered, and agreed to without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S12367)",Senate,"Sen. Lott, Trent [R-MS]",MS,R,L000447,0,Provides for the appointment of a committee of two Senators to join a similar committee of Representatives to notify the President that the two Houses are ready to adjourn.,2016-10-26T07:52:44Z,
104-sres-316,104,sres,316,"A resolution tendering the thanks of the Senate to the Vice President for the courteous, dignified, and impartial manner in which he has presided over the deliberations of the Senate.",Congress,1996-10-03,1996-10-03,"Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S12368)",Senate,"Sen. Lott, Trent [R-MS]",MS,R,L000447,0,"Thanks the Honorable Al Gore, Vice President of the United States and President of the Senate, for the manner in which he has presided over the Senate during the second session of the 104th Congress.",2016-10-26T07:52:45Z,
104-sres-317,104,sres,317,"A resolution tendering the thanks of the Senate to the President pro tempore for the courteous, dignified, and impartial manner in which he has presided over the deliberations of the Senate.",Congress,1996-10-03,1996-10-03,"Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S12368)",Senate,"Sen. Lott, Trent [R-MS]",MS,R,L000447,0,"Thanks the Honorable Strom Thurmond, President pro tempore of the Senate, for the manner in which he presided over the Senate during the second session of the 104th Congress.",2016-10-26T07:52:45Z,
104-sres-318,104,sres,318,A resolution to commend the exemplary leadership of the Democratic Leader.,Congress,1996-10-03,1996-10-03,"Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S12368)",Senate,"Sen. Lott, Trent [R-MS]",MS,R,L000447,0,"Thanks the Honorable Thomas A. Daschle, Senate Democratic leader, for the manner in which he performed his leadership responsibilities in the conduct of the Senate business during the second session of the 104th Congress.",2016-10-26T07:52:45Z,
104-sres-319,104,sres,319,A resolution to commend the exemplary leadership of the Majority Leader.,Congress,1996-10-03,1996-10-03,"Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S12368)",Senate,"Sen. Daschle, Thomas A. [D-SD]",SD,D,D000064,0,"Thanks the Honorable Trent Lott, Senate Majority Leader, for the manner in which he performed his leadership responsibilities in the conduct of Senate business during the second session of the 104th Congress.",2016-10-26T07:52:45Z,
104-sres-320,104,sres,320,A resolution authorizing the printing of a Senate document.,Congress,1996-10-03,1996-10-03,"Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S12368-12369)",Senate,"Sen. Hatfield, Mark O. [R-OR]",OR,R,H000343,0,"Authorizes the printing of a compilation of materials entitled ""Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate, 129th Anniversary, 1867-1996"" as a Senate document.",2016-10-26T07:52:45Z,
104-sres-321,104,sres,321,A resolution authorizing the acceptance of pro bono legal services by a Member of the Senate challenging the validity of a Federal Statute in a civil action pursuant to a statute expressly authorizing Members of Congress to bring such a civil action.,Congress,1996-10-03,1996-10-03,"Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S12369)",Senate,"Sen. Byrd, Robert C. [D-WV]",WV,D,B001210,0,Provides that pro bono legal services provided to a Member of the Senate with respect to a civil action challenging the validity of a Federal statute that expressly authorizes a Member to file an action shall not:  (1) be deemed a gift to the Member nor a contribution to the Member's office account; or (2) require the establishment of a legal expense trust fund.  Directs the Select Committee on Ethics to establish regulations providing for the public disclosure of information relating to such pro bono legal services provided.,2016-10-26T07:52:46Z,
104-sres-322,104,sres,322,A resolution to commend the exemplary leadership of the Democratic Leader.,Congress,1996-10-03,1996-10-03,"Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S12369)",Senate,"Sen. Thurmond, Strom [R-SC]",SC,R,T000254,0,"Thanks the Honorable Thomas A. Daschle, Senate Democratic leader, for the manner in which he performed his leadership responsibilities in the conduct of the Senate business during the second session of the 104th Congress.",2016-10-26T07:52:46Z,
104-sres-323,104,sres,323,A resolution to commend the exemplary leadership of the Majority Leader.,Congress,1996-10-03,1996-10-03,"Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S12370)",Senate,"Sen. Thurmond, Strom [R-SC]",SC,R,T000254,0,"Thanks the Honorable Trent Lott, Senate Majority Leader, for the manner in which he performed his leadership responsibilities in the conduct of Senate business during the second session of the 104th Congress.",2016-10-26T07:52:46Z,
104-sres-324,104,sres,324,A resolution to provide funding for the Office of Senate Fair Employment Practices to carry out certain transition responsibilities.,Congress,1996-10-03,1996-10-03,"Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S12409)",Senate,"Sen. Lott, Trent [R-MS]",MS,R,L000447,0,"Directs the Secretary of the Senate to transfer specified funds from the resolution and reorganization reserve of the miscellaneous items appropriations account, within the contingent fund of the Senate, for use by the Director of the Office of Senate Fair Employment Practices for salaries and expenses through January 30, 1997, related to carrying out certain transition responsibilities under the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995.",2016-10-26T07:52:46Z,
104-hres-556,104,hres,556,"Expressing the intentions of the House of Representatives concerning the universal service provisions of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 as they relate to telecommunications services to Native Americans, including Alaskan Natives.",Government Operations and Politics,1996-10-02,1996-10-09,Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance.,House,"Rep. Richardson, Bill [D-NM-3]",NM,D,R000229,2,"Declares that no policies or procedures established to implement the Telecommunications Act of 1996 can be consistent with the intent of the Congress to ensure the delivery of telecommunications services to all regions of the Nation at just, reasonable, and affordable rates if they fail to address the telecommunications needs of low-income Native Americans, including Alaskan Natives.",2024-02-05T14:30:09Z,
104-s-2187,104,s,2187,Civil Rights Commission Reauthorization Act of 1996,"Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues",1996-10-02,1996-10-02,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.,Senate,"Sen. Brown, Hank [R-CO]",CO,R,B000919,0,"Civil Rights Commission Reauthorization Act of 1996 - Amends the Civil Rights Commission Act of 1983 to require approval of a majority of the Commission before the Commission may submit a report or issue a subpoena.  Prescribes a procedure for the withholding of the issuance of a subpoena. Allows the Commission, by majority vote, to remove the staff director from office. Provides for the application of the Freedom of Information Act, Privacy Act of 1974, and the Government in the Sunshine Act with regard to the Commission. Authorizes appropriations. Extends the Commission's termination date through FY 1997.",2025-08-21T20:15:53Z,
104-s-2188,104,s,2188,"A bill to provide for the retention of the name of the mountain at the Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming known as ""Devils Tower"", and for other purposes.",Public Lands and Natural Resources,1996-10-02,1996-10-03,"Referred to Subcommittee on Parks, Preservation and Recreation.",Senate,"Sen. Simpson, Alan K. [R-WY]",WY,R,S000429,2,Provides that the mountain at the Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming shall be known and designated as Devils Tower.,2026-03-24T12:48:03Z,
104-s-2189,104,s,2189,Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute Administrative Systems Act of 1996,Native Americans,1996-10-02,1996-10-02,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.,Senate,"Sen. Bingaman, Jeff [D-NM]",NM,D,B000468,1,"Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute Administrative Systems Act of 1996 - Provides that certain civil service laws relating to personnel management shall not apply to applicants for employment with, employees of, or positions in or under the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute.  Requires the Institute president by regulation to prescribe alternative personnel management provisions.  Disallows covering current Institute employees except pursuant to a voluntary election. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to delegate to the institute president procurement authority with respect to the conduct of the administrative functions of the Institute. Authorizes appropriations.",2025-08-21T20:16:20Z,
104-hr-4336,104,hr,4336,To restore the authority of the Secretary of Agriculture to extend existing and expiring contracts under the conservation reserve program.,Agriculture and Food,1996-10-01,1996-10-04,Executive Comment Requested from USDA.,House,"Rep. Roberts, Pat [R-KS-1]",KS,R,R000307,0,"Amends the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 to repeal the provision that eliminated contract extension authority under the conservation reserve program.",2024-02-05T11:45:06Z,
104-hr-4337,104,hr,4337,Gambling Credit Reform Act,Finance and Financial Sector,1996-10-01,1996-10-01,Referred to the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit.,House,"Rep. LaFalce, John J. [D-NY-29]",NY,D,L000556,0,"Gambling Credit Reform Act - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to prohibit any creditor from extending any credit to any consumer under any open end consumer credit plan if the creditor knows or has reason to believe that the proceeds of such extension of credit are being used or will be used by the consumer to make any form of wager or bet, to play any game of chance, to use any gambling device, or to otherwise participate in gambling at any gambling establishment.",2025-08-21T20:15:51Z,
104-hr-4338,104,hr,4338,To provide relief for domestic producers of tailored wool apparel from increased imports of such apparel from Canada.,Foreign Trade and International Finance,1996-10-01,1996-10-01,Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.,House,"Rep. LaFalce, John J. [D-NY-29]",NY,D,L000556,0,"Directs the President to take necessary steps to renegotiate with Canada the annual quantity limitations of tailored wool apparel assembled in Canada from fabric or yarn produced or obtained in a non-North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) country, that is eligible for preferential tariff treatment under NAFTA, to reflect current conditions in the wool apparel industry in Canada and the United States, including the ability of tailored wool apparel producers to obtain supplies of wool fabric within U.S. and Canadian territories.",2024-02-07T16:32:33Z,
104-s-2183,104,s,2183,A bill to make technical corrections to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996.,Social Welfare,1996-10-01,1996-10-19,Became Public Law No: 104-327.,Senate,"Sen. Domenici, Pete V. [R-NM]",NM,R,D000407,1,Makes technical corrections to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (the Act) with respect to: (1) the limitations on FY 1997 Federal obligations for the Temporary Family Assistance Program under new part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (raising the formula ceiling of the limitation to include any amount a State would have been eligible to receive from the Contingency Fund for State Welfare Programs during a specified transition period); and (2) a State's annual reconciliation refund of certain excess grant payments to the Contingency Fund for State Welfare Programs (revising the Federal child care assistance payment and State child care assistance expenditures components of the reconciliation formula). Makes these amendments effective as if included in the Act. Amends the Northern Great Plains Rural Development Act to extend the authorization of appropriations for the Northern Great Plains Rural Development Commission through FY 1997.,2025-04-07T15:29:07Z,
104-s-2184,104,s,2184,Tobacco-Free Children's Internet Act of 1996,Health,1996-10-01,1996-10-01,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce.,Senate,"Sen. Lautenberg, Frank R. [D-NJ]",NJ,D,L000123,0,Tobacco-Free Children's Internet Act of 1996 - Directs the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration to issue regulations limiting the advertising of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco over the Internet or other interactive computer service within the United States in a manner consistent with certain previously issued regulations.,2025-08-21T20:15:01Z,
104-s-2185,104,s,2185,Local Growth Management Incentives Act of 1996,Environmental Protection,1996-10-01,1996-10-01,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.,Senate,"Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]",OR,D,W000779,0,"Local Growth Management Incentives Act of 1996 - Requires each Federal agency to cooperate with qualified State agencies and local land use jurisdictions (those with growth management and land use programs certified under this Act) to reduce duplication of State and local requirements by National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) environmental assessment procedures.  Requires such cooperation to include joint planning processes, environmental research, public hearings, and environmental assessments.  Permits use of one document if State or local law imposes requirements that are in addition to, but not in conflict with, the NEPA requirements.  Requires a NEPA statement to address, and describe the extent to which the State or local entity will reconcile, any inconsistency of a proposed action with any approved plan or other requirement of the entity. Allows States and local land use jurisdictions, upon certification (and with exceptions), additional time to comply with any new Federal requirement in order to integrate a qualified program's requirements with the Federal requirement.  Describes certification procedures (and restrictions) and requires for support of a certification that State or local laws establish a qualified program containing, among other things, mechanisms for:  (1) designating areas of critical environmental concern (those in which development may damage important historic, cultural, or aesthetic values or natural systems or processes or result in a threat to human life and safety from natural hazards); (2) addressing compatibility of land uses; and (3) assessing whether development activity impacts would result in environmental or health law violations.  Describes methods for establishment of such a program.  Requires federally conducted development projects or activities that affect land use or are otherwise regulated under a qualified program to be carried out consistently with the program. Amends Federal law concerning obligation of Federal-aid highway and surface transportation funds to require the Secretary of Transportation to give priority, in discretionary awards of funding, to States and local land use jurisdictions that have in effect a State or local program that meets this Act's certification requirements. Requires the Council on Environmental Quality to report to the Congress regarding:  (1) the impacts of Federal activities on growth and land use; and (2) the effectiveness of growth management and land use programs in addressing the cumulative impacts of Federal activities.",2025-08-21T20:15:18Z,
104-s-2186,104,s,2186,Healthy Children Family Assistance Health Insurance Program Act of 1996,Health,1996-10-01,1996-10-01,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources.,Senate,"Sen. Kerry, John F. [D-MA]",MA,D,K000148,1,"TABLE OF CONTENTS:      Title I:  Coverage for Children and Pregnant Women           Subtitle A:  Definitions           Subtitle B:  Participating State Program      Title II:  Qualifying Policies           Subtitle A:  Qualifying Policies           Subtitle B:  Access and Preexisting Condition                Limitations           Subtitle C:  General Duties and Responsibilities of the                Secretary      Title III:  Assistance to Families and Pregnant Women      Title IV:  Miscellaneous Provisions Healthy Children Family Assistance Health Insurance Program Act of 1996 - Title I:  Coverage for Children and Pregnant Women - Subtitle A:  Definitions - Sets forth definitions used in this Act. Subtitle B:  Participating State Program - Sets forth the general framework for a State program negotiated and contracted with at least one health plan to provide access to qualified health plans to eligible children and pregnant women residing in the State.  Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide certain payments for operating and administrative costs of participating States. Title II:  Qualifying Policies - Subtitle A:  Qualifying Policies - Describes the qualifying health policies for children and pregnant women, with a prohibition under each policy against any cost-sharing requirements for preventive services. Subtitle B:  Access and Preexisting Condition Limitations - Places certain limitations on the imposition of preexisting condition exclusions under such policies, prohibiting them outright with regard to pregnant women. Subtitle C:  General Duties and Responsibilities of the Secretary - Authorizes the Secretary to issue regulations and interim final regulations to implement the State program. Title III:  Assistance to Families and Pregnant Women - Prescribes guidelines for determining the eligibility of children and pregnant women for premium and cost-sharing assistance.  Requires States to have such assistance programs in effect to qualify for Federal payments under this Act.  Prescribes penalties for material misrepresentation and false information in applications for assistance. Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations under which each State operating a program for premium assistance shall have in effect an enrollment outreach system.  Requires reduction of Federal payments for administrative errors. Title IV:  Miscellaneous Provisions - Prohibits any employer which elects to make employer contributions on behalf of an employee, or an employee dependent, for health insurance coverage from conditioning, or varying, such contributions with respect to any such individual by reason of their status as an individual eligible for premium assistance.  Provides that an employer shall not be treated as failing to meet such requirements if the employer ceases to make employer contributions for health insurance coverage for all its employees. (Sec. 402) Prohibits a participating State from modifying the eligibility requirements for children or pregnant women under the State Medicaid program under title XIX of the Social Security Act in any manner that would have the effect of reducing the eligibility of children or pregnant women for coverage under such program. (Sec. 403) Expresses the sense of the Committee on Labor and Human Resources of the Senate that the program established under this Act should be fully financed in a budget neutral manner by offsetting revenues derived from increasing the taxes on tobacco and providing for reductions in undeserved corporate tax breaks.",2025-08-21T20:15:16Z,
104-sres-307,104,sres,307,A resolution electing Gary Lee Sisco of Tennessee as Secretary of the Senate.,Congress,1996-10-01,1996-10-01,"Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S12046)",Senate,"Sen. Lott, Trent [R-MS]",MS,R,L000447,0,Elects Gary Lee Sisco as Secretary of the Senate.,2016-10-26T07:52:43Z,
104-sres-308,104,sres,308,A resolution notifying the President of the United States of the election of Gary Lee Sisco of Tennessee as Secretary of the Senate.,Congress,1996-10-01,1996-10-01,"Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S12046)",Senate,"Sen. Lott, Trent [R-MS]",MS,R,L000447,0,Notifies the President of the election of Gary Lee Sisco as Secretary of the Senate.,2016-10-26T07:52:44Z,
104-sres-309,104,sres,309,A resolution notifying the House of Representatives of the election of Gary Lee Sisco of Tennessee as Secretary of the Senate.,Congress,1996-10-01,1996-10-02,Message on Senate action sent to the House.,Senate,"Sen. Lott, Trent [R-MS]",MS,R,L000447,0,Notifies the House of Representatives of the election of Gary Lee Sisco as Secretary of the Senate.,2016-10-26T07:52:44Z,
104-sres-310,104,sres,310,A resolution commending Kelly D. Johnston for his service to the United States Senate.,Congress,1996-10-01,1996-10-01,"Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S12046)",Senate,"Sen. Lott, Trent [R-MS]",MS,R,L000447,2,Recognizes the contributions of Kelly D. Johnston to the Senate and to the United States and commends him for such service.,2016-10-26T07:52:44Z,
104-hr-4329,104,hr,4329,"To designate the Federal building located at 300 East 8th Street in Austin, Texas, as the ""J. J. 'Jake' Pickle Federal Building"".",Government Operations and Politics,1996-09-30,1996-09-30,Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.,House,"Rep. Geren, Pete [D-TX-12]",TX,D,G000134,0,"Designates the Federal building located at 300 East 8th Street in Austin, Texas, as the J.J. ""Jake"" Pickle Federal Building.",2024-02-07T16:02:17Z,
104-hr-4330,104,hr,4330,"To amend titles 23 and 49, United States Code, relating to metropolitan planning.",Transportation and Public Works,1996-09-30,1996-09-30,Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.,House,"Rep. Hefley, Joel [R-CO-5]",CO,R,H000444,0,Amends Federal law to revise the criteria for designating metropolitan planning organizations for urbanized areas under the highway and mass transit programs.  Declares it shall be the responsibility of the State to provide oversight in areas with multiple metropolitan planning organizations.,2024-02-07T16:02:17Z,
104-hr-4331,104,hr,4331,Child Pornography Prevention Act of 1996,Crime and Law Enforcement,1996-09-30,1996-10-04,Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime.,House,"Rep. Kennedy, Joseph P., II [D-MA-8]",MA,D,K000110,0,"Child Pornography Prevention Act of 1996 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit and set penalties for specified activities relating to material:  (1) constituting or containing child pornography, including knowingly possessing any book, magazine, periodical, film, videotape, computer disk, or other material that contains three or more images of child pornography (and enhances penalties if the offender has a prior Federal or State conviction relating to aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse, abusive sexual conduct involving a minor or ward, or for specified activities relating to child pornography (prior conviction)); and (2) depicting the sexual exploitation of minors, including knowingly mailing, or transporting or shipping in interstate or foreign commerce, including by computer, any visual depiction created, adapted, or modified to appear that an identifiable minor is engaged in sexually explicit conduct.       Revises the definition of ""visual depiction"" to include data stored on computer disk or by electronic means which is capable of conversion into a visual image.  Defines ""identifiable minor"" to mean a person who was a minor at the time the visual depiction was created, adapted, or modified or whose image as a minor was used in creating, adapting, or modifying such depiction and who is recognizable by the person's face, likeness, or other distinguishing characteristic (but proof of the actual identity of such minor is not required). Increases and expands the scope of penalties for sexual exploitation of children.  Revises provisions regarding activities relating to material involving the sexual exploitation of minors, including providing enhanced penalties for offenders having a prior conviction. Amends the Privacy Protection Act of 1980 to authorize certain searches and seizures of work product materials and other documents if an offense involves the production, possession, receipt, mailing, sale, distribution, shipment, or transportation of child pornography, or the sale or purchase of children. Amber Hagerman Child Protection Act of 1996 - Modifies code provisions regarding aggravated sexual abuse and sexual abuse of a minor, including by:  (1) setting penalties for crossing a State line with intent to engage in a sexual act with a person under age 12; and (2) providing for life imprisonment (unless the death penalty is imposed) for violation of such provisions if the defendant has previously been convicted of specified Federal or State offenses involving aggravated sexual abuse or sexual abuse of a minor.",2025-08-21T20:14:57Z,
104-hr-4332,104,hr,4332,To prohibit United States assistance to foreign governments that provide landing rights to Libyan aircraft.,International Affairs,1996-09-30,1996-09-30,Referred to the House Committee on International Relations.,House,"Rep. Lantos, Tom [D-CA-12]",CA,D,L000090,1,"Prohibits the President, except in specified circumstances, from providing United States assistance to the government of any country that provides landing rights to aircraft owned or operated by the Government of Libya or by a Libyan national.",2024-02-07T11:38:03Z,
104-hr-4333,104,hr,4333,Smoke-Free Transportation Facilities Act of 1996,Transportation and Public Works,1996-09-30,1996-09-30,Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.,House,"Rep. Lewis, John [D-GA-5]",GA,D,L000287,0,"Smoke-Free Transportation Facilities Act of 1996 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to:  (1) require, as a condition of Federal financial assistance, that the owner or operator of a transportation facility take the necessary action to prohibit smoking in any indoor portion of the facility accessible to the general public; and (2) issue implementing regulations.",2025-08-21T20:14:57Z,
104-hr-4334,104,hr,4334,Lifetime Education and Retraining Needs Act,Taxation,1996-09-30,1996-09-30,Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.,House,"Rep. Smith, Lamar [R-TX-21]",TX,R,S000583,5,Lifetime Education and Retraining Needs Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income individual retirement account distributions used for post-secondary education and job retraining expenses.  Exempts such distributions from excess distributions tax provisions.,2025-08-21T20:15:00Z,
104-hr-4335,104,hr,4335,Alien Public Assistance Benefits Amendments of 1996,Immigration,1996-09-30,1996-10-22,"Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Chairman.",House,"Rep. Smith, Lamar [R-TX-21]",TX,R,S000583,1,"TABLE OF CONTENTS:      Title I:  Affidavits of Support      Title II:  Public Charge Deportation      Title III:  Attribution of Sponsor's Income      Title IV:  Ineligibility of Illegal Aliens for Public           Assistance and Benefits      Title V:  Enhanced Verification of Eligibility Based on           Citizenship or Immigration Status      Title VI:  Housing Assistance      Title VII:  Miscellaneous Provisions      Title VIII:  General Provisions Alien Public Assistance Benefits Amendments of 1996 - Title I: Affidavits of Support - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (Act), as amended by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, to apply alien sponsor affidavit of support provisions to means-tested public benefits. (Current law refers to Federal means-tested public benefits.)  Revises certain related income provisions. Title II:  Public Charge Deportation - Amends the Act to revise the public charge grounds for deportation, including increasing the public charge period.  Sets forth a special rule for battered spouses and children. Provides for exclusion and deportation of an alien who obtains public benefits through fraud or misrepresentation.  Makes an alien deportable as a public charge ineligible for naturalization. Title III:  Attribution of Sponsor's Income - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to apply attribution of sponsor income provisions for five years to current immigrants. Title IV:  Ineligibility of Illegal Aliens for Public Assistance and Benefits - Authorizes States to deny driver's licenses to illegal aliens. (Sec. 402) Amends the Social Security Act to prohibit crediting of ""employment"" for persons not authorized to work in the United States. (Sec. 403) Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to deny HIV or AIDS treatment to illegal aliens. Title V:  Enhanced Verification of Eligibility Based on Citizenship or Immigration Status - Amends the Social Security Act to require proof of identity for certain public assistance (SAVE program)benefits. (Sec. 502) Authorizes States to require proof of eligibility for State benefits. (Sec. 504) Requires verification of student eligibility (citizen, national, or immigrant) for postsecondary Federal student financial assistance. Title VI:  Housing Assistance - Use of Assisted Housing by Aliens Act of 1996 - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1980 to:  (1) prorate rental housing assistance based upon the number of eligible family members; (2) require prior verification of immigration status and eligibility for financial assistance; and (3) prohibit sanctions against an entity making financial assistance eligibility determinations. Title VII:  Miscellaneous Provisions - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate unemployment benefit crediting based upon the status of permanently residing in the United States under color of law. (Sec. 702) Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to repeal a specified food stamp program transition provision. Title VIII:  General Provisions - Sets forth provisions regarding:  (1) effective date; (2)foreign assistance inapplicability; (3) notification; and (4) definitions.",2025-08-21T20:14:39Z,
104-hres-553,104,hres,553,Electing the Honorable Robert S. Walker of Pennsylvania to act as Speaker pro tempore.,Congress,1996-09-30,1996-09-30,Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.,House,"Rep. Solomon, Gerald B. H. [R-NY-22]",NY,R,S000675,0,"Elects Robert S. Walker as Speaker pro tempore of the House of Representatives through the legislative day of October 1, 1996.",2016-10-26T07:34:29Z,
104-hres-555,104,hres,555,Expressing the sense of the House urging the inclusion of Ross Perot in the 1996 Presidential debates.,Government Operations and Politics,1996-09-30,1996-09-30,Referred to the House Committee on House Oversight.,House,"Rep. Barcia, James A. [D-MI-5]",MI,D,B000134,22,Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the format of the 1996 Presidential debates should be modified so that Ross Perot can have an equal opportunity to participate.,2024-02-07T11:39:48Z,
104-s-2161,104,s,2161,Federal Aviation Reauthorization Act of 1996,Transportation and Public Works,1996-09-30,1996-10-01,Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 639.,Senate,"Sen. Simon, Paul [D-IL]",IL,D,S000423,1,"TABLE OF CONTENTS:      Title I:  Airport and Airway Improvements           Subtitle A:  Reauthorization of FAA Programs           Subtitle B:  Airport Development Financing           Subtitle C:  Airport Improvement Program Modifications      Title II:  FAA Reform           Subtitle A:  General Provisions           Subtitle B:  Federal Aviation Administration                Streamlining Programs           Subtitle C:  System to Fund Certain Federal Aviation                Administration Functions      Title III:  Aviation Security      Title IV:  Aviation Safety      Title V:  Pilot Record Sharing      Title VI:  Child Pilot Safety      Title VII:  Family Assistance      Title VIII:  Airport Revenue Protection      Title IX:  Metropolitan Washington Airports      Title X:  Extension of Airport and Airway Trust Fund           Expenditures      Title XI:  FAA Research, Engineering, and Development      Title XII:  Miscellaneous Provisions Federal Aviation Reauthorization Act of 1996 - Title I:  Airport and Airway Improvements - Subtitle A:  Reauthorization of FAA Programs - Amends Federal aviation law to reauthorize the Airport Improvement Program through FY 1998, with specified allocations for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Facilities and Equipment Program. (Sec. 102) Authorizes appropriations for the FAA through FY 1998. Subtitle B:  Airport Development Financing - Revises the apportionment of airport improvement fund amounts to sponsors of primary and cargo service airports for each fiscal year. (Sec. 122) Revises the minimum amount of airport improvement funds that shall be credited in a fiscal year to the discretionary fund. (Sec. 123) Increases the apportionment for airport improvement grant funds for:  (1) airport noise compatibility programs; and (2) current and former military airports. (Sec. 124) Reduces from 15 to 12 at any time the number of current or former military airports that may receive airport improvement grant funds. Subtitle C:  Airport Improvement Program Modifications - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to encourage:  (1) airport sponsors and State and local officials to develop airport master plans and airport system plans; and (2) metropolitan planning organizations, particularly in areas with populations greater than 200,000, to establish membership positions for airport operators. (Sec. 142) Directs the FAA Administrator to issue guidelines to carry out up to ten pavement maintenance pilot projects to preserve and extend the useful life of airport runways, taxiways, and aprons. (Sec. 143) Makes it a condition for approval of a grant application for an airport development project that the airport owner or operator makes assurances that it will permit, to the maximum extent practicable, intercity buses to have access to the airport. (Sec. 144) Eliminates as an allowable project cost for Federal reimbursement certain costs for airport development projects commenced during FY 1994 before the execution of the grant agreement.  Allows such reimbursement only for costs incurred after September 30, 1996. Denies priority consideration for the use of discretionary funds for projects incurring costs before execution of the grant agreement. (Sec. 145) Specifies additional factors for the Secretary to consider in selecting a project for a grant to preserve and enhance capacity at primary and reliever airports. (Sec. 146) Requires the Secretary, in making grants to sponsors of small airports, to give priority consideration to multi-year projects for construction of new runways that are cost beneficial and that increase capacity in a U.S. region. (Sec. 147) Increases from seven to eight for FY 1997, and nine for each fiscal year thereafter, the number of States the Secretary may designate to assume administrative responsibility for all airport (except primary airport) grant amounts under the State block grant pilot program.  Makes permanent the State block grant pilot program. (Sec. 148) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a demonstration program of up to ten projects for grants to implement innovative financing techniques for airport development projects. (Sec. 149) Authorizes an airport sponsor who intends to sell or lease the airport for a long term to a private person to apply for exemption from the prohibition on the use of airport revenues for non-airport purposes, and the requirement for written assurances about such use.  Waives the current prohibition on the imposition of passenger facility fees by any airport receiving such an exemption. Title II:  FAA Reform - Air Traffic Management System Performance Improvement Act of 1996 - Subtitle A:  General Provisions - Amends the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 to delineate the powers and duties of the FAA Administrator and the Secretary with respect to the FAA. (Sec. 224) Authorizes the Administrator to issue, rescind, and revise regulations as necessary to carry out the FAA functions. Prohibits the Administrator, without prior approval of the Secretary, from issuing a proposed or final regulation that is significant or is likely to result in the expenditure by State, local, and tribal governments in the aggregate, or by the private sector, of $100 million or more in any year.  Excepts emergency regulations from such prohibition, but subjects them to rescission if the Secretary fails to ratify them.  Requires the Administrator to review, within three years after issuance, any unusually burdensome regulations, which would result in the annual expenditure by State, local, and tribal governments in the aggregate, or by the private sector, of $25 million or more (adjusted annually for inflation) in any year. (Sec. 225) Authorizes the Administrator to utilize personnel of other Federal agencies. (Sec. 230) Directs the Administrator to establish the Federal Aviation Management Advisory Council which shall:  (1) provide advice and counsel to the Administrator on issues which affect or are affected by the Administrator's operations; and (2) function as an oversight resource for management, policy, spending, and regulatory matters. Subtitle B:  Federal Aviation Administration Streamlining Programs - Directs the Administrator to employ outside experts to provide an independent evaluation of the effectiveness of the FAA's acquisition management system. (Sec. 252) Requires the Administrator to terminate programs funded under the Facilities and Equipment account, and to consider the termination of substantial acquisitions, that fail to meet specified established project criteria. (Sec. 253) Requires the Administrator to negotiate with the bargaining representatives of FAA employees in developing and making changes to the FAA personnel management system. Subtitle C:  System to Fund Certain Federal Aviation Administration Functions - Directs the Administrator to establish a schedule of new user fees, and a collection process for such fees, for various FAA services. (Sec. 274) Directs the Administrator to contract for an independent assessment of the financial requirements of the FAA through 2002. Establishes the National Civil Aviation Review Commission to:  (1) analyze the FAA's budgetary requirements through FY 2002, including an analysis of alternative financing means for meeting the needs of the aviation system; and (2) analyze (through a specified task force) aviation safety in the United States and emerging trends in the safety of particular sectors of the aviation industry. (Sec. 275) Sets forth congressional procedures for consideration of FAA funding proposals. (Sec. 277) Requires the multiyear appropriation of funds (not less than three years) for Airport and Airway Trust Fund activities. Rural Air Service Survival Act - Authorizes the availability of a specified amount of user fees collected for each fiscal year for expenditure to carry out the essential air service program. Title III:  Aviation Security - Directs the Administrator to study and report to the Congress on whether to transfer to airport operators or to the Federal Government certain responsibilities of air carriers relating to security activities at onsite commercial service airports, or to provide for shared responsibilities between air carriers and airport operators or the Federal Government. (Sec. 302) Directs the Administrator to:  (1) certify companies providing security screening at airports; and (2) develop uniform performance standards for providing security screening services. (Sec. 303) Directs the Administrator to arrange with the National Academy of Sciences or an equivalent entity for a study of the effectiveness of weapons and explosive detection technologies deployed in commercial aviation.  Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 304) Authorizes the Administrator to require by regulation an employment investigation (including, in certain circumstances, a criminal history record check) for employees who will be responsible for screening airline passengers and property. (Sec. 305) Directs the Administrator to provide for:  (1) the interim deployment of explosive detection devices at airports until certain certified equipment becomes commercially available to replace them; and (2) the periodic audit of the effectiveness of criminal history record checks. (Sec. 307) Urges the Administrator, the Secretary, the intelligence community, and the law enforcement community to continue to assist air carriers in developing computer-assisted passenger profiling programs for use with other security measures. (Sec. 308) Authorizes the use of certain project grant funds and passenger facility fees for airport security programs and activities. (Sec. 309) Requires the Secretary and the Attorney General, acting through the Administrator and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), to enter into an interagency agreement for establishment of an aviation security liaison at existing appropriate Federal agencies' field offices in or near cities served by a high-risk airport. (Sec. 310) Requires the Administrator and the FBI Director to carry out, at least triennially, joint threat and vulnerability assessments on security at each high-risk airport. (Sec. 311) Requires the Administrator to report to Congress on the safety and effectiveness of any bag match pilot program carried out pursuant to certain recommendations.  Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Administrator should work with airports and air carriers to develop, to the extent feasible, effective domestic bag matching proposals at airports. (Sec. 312) Authorizes the Administrator to require each air carrier and airport to conduct periodic vulnerability assessments of their security systems. (Sec. 313) Directs the Secretary to report to the Congress on any changes recommended and implemented as a result of the White House Conference on Aviation Safety and Security to enhance screening and inspection of cargo, mail, and company-shipped materials transported in commerce. (Sec. 314) Expresses the sense of the Senate that a state of war should be declared to exist between the United States and any nation that commits an act of international terrorism against a U.S. citizen. Title IV:  Aviation Safety - Directs the Administrator to consider the assigning, maintaining, and enhancing of safety and security as the highest priorities in air commerce.  Repeals the duty of the Administrator to promote civil aeronautics. (Sec. 402) Prohibits the Administrator or any agency from disclosing voluntarily-provided safety or security related information if certain conditions apply. (Sec. 403) Authorizes the Administrator to issue a supplemental type certificate for a change to an aircraft, aircraft engine, propeller, or appliance. (Sec. 404) Requires the Administrator to issue an airport operating certificate for an airport (not located in Alaska) that serves any scheduled passenger operation of an air carrier aircraft designed for more than nine but less than 31 passenger seats. (Currently, the mandate covers only an airport serving an air carrier operating aircraft designed for at least 31 passenger seats). (Sec. 405) Authorizes appropriations to the FAA for FY 1997 for the purpose of addressing State-specific aviation safety problems identified by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). (Sec. 406) Requires the Administrator to prescribe aircraft noise and sonic boom standards for aircraft engines. (Sec. 407) Directs the NTSB to develop a system for classifying air carrier accident data.  Directs the Administrator to give high priority to developing and deploying a fully enhanced safety performance analysis system including automated surveillance targeting systems. Title V:  Pilot Record Sharing - Pilot Records Improvement Act of 1996 - Requires air carriers to request and receive a pilot applicant's record for the previous five years with respect to:  (1) current airman certificate, including any summaries of legal enforcement actions; (2) employment; and (3) motor vehicle driving. (Sec. 502) Prohibits any Federal or State court action for defamation or invasion of privacy against any carrier or person with respect to the furnishing or use of such records according to the requirements of this Act. (Sec. 503) Directs the Administrator to appoint a task force to study:  (1) the development of standards and criteria for preemployment screening of pilots and pilot training facilities; and (2) to determine if the practice of air carriers requiring employees to pay for the training that is needed to perform flight check duties is in the public interest. (Sec. 504) Directs the Administrator to study and report to the Congress on whether current minimum flight requirements for air carrier pilot applicants are sufficient to ensure public safety. Title VI:  Child Pilot Safety - Child Pilot Safety Act - Prohibits a pilot in command of an aircraft from allowing an individual who does not hold a valid private pilot's certificate, and an appropriate medical certificate, to manipulate the controls of an aircraft if the pilot knows or should have known that the individual is attempting to set a record or engage in an aeronautical competition or aeronautical feat. (Sec. 602) Mandates revocation of the Federal certificate of any airman who, while acting as a pilot in command of an aircraft, permits another individual to manipulate the aircraft's controls in violation of this Act. Directs the Administrator to conduct a study and report on the impacts of children flying aircraft. Title VII:  Family Assistance - Aviation Disaster Family Assistance Act of 1996 - Requires the Chairman of the NTSB, after an accident involving an aircraft that results in a significant loss of life, to:  (1) designate and publicize the name and phone number of a director of family support services to be a Government liaison between the air carrier and the families of the passengers; and (2) designate an experienced, independent nonprofit organization which shall have primary responsibility for coordinating the care and support of the passengers' families.  Grants the NTSB primary responsibility for coordinating the recovery and identification of passengers involved in an aircraft accident. (Sec. 702) Prohibits any person from impeding the ability of the NTSB, or the designated organization, from carrying out its responsibilities under this Act.  Sets forth penalties for violations of this Act. (Sec. 703) Requires each air carrier to submit to the Secretary of Transportation a plan for addressing the needs of the passengers' families.  Prohibits the Secretary from approving an air carrier's application for a certificate of public convenience and necessity without such plan in its application. (Sec. 704) Requires the Secretary to establish a task force to develop:  (1) a model plan to assist air carriers in responding to aircraft accidents; and (2) recommendations to the Congress on methods to ensure that attorneys and the media do not intrude on the privacy of the passengers' families. Title VIII:  Airport Revenue Protection - Airport Revenue Protection Act of 1996 - Amends Federal aviation law to prohibit, with specified exceptions, the expenditure for non-airport purposes of local aviation fuel taxes or revenues generated by an airport that is the subject of Federal assistance or that operates pursuant to an airport operating certificate.  Sets forth a civil penalty for diversion of aviation revenues. (Sec. 805) Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator, to promulgate regulations requiring a recipient of an airport project grant or any other Federal airport financial assistance to include in its annual audit a review of airport-related funding activities. Requires the Secretary to review any audit identifying an illegal diversion of airport revenues.  Authorizes the Secretary, after determining such identification is accurate, and notifying the airport and its sponsor, to withhold any amount from apportioned or grant funds that would otherwise be made available to the sponsor.  Authorizes the Secretary to initiate a civil action under which the sponsor shall be liable for a civil penalty equal to the amount of the illegal diversion, plus interest. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to conform to this Act. Title IX:  Metropolitan Washington Airports - Metropolitan Washington Airports Amendments Act of 1996 - Amends the Metropolitan Washington Airports Act of 1986 to revise the composition of the board of directors of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, among other things increasing the number of members from 11 to 13. (Sec. 903) Requires board members appointed by the President to be registered voters of States other than Maryland, Virginia, or the District of Columbia.  Revises requirements for length of term and the filling of vacancies.  Declares that no more than two members of the board appointed by the President may be of the same political party. Requires eight votes (currently, seven) to approve bond issues and the annual budget. (Sec. 904) Terminates the Board of Review of the Airports Authority. (Sec. 905) Prohibits the Secretary, after October 1, 2001, from approving an application of the Airports Authority for:  (1) an airport development project grant; or (2) imposition of a passenger facility fee. (Sec. 906) Directs the Airports Authority to continue to enforce certain restrictions in the Metropolitan Washington Airports Regulations with respect to the use of the Dulles access highway. (Sec. 909) Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Airports Authority:  (1) should not provide free reserved parking areas to Members of Congress, Government officials, or diplomats; and (2) should establish a parking policy for airports that provides equal access to the public. Title X:  Extension of Airport and Airway Trust Fund Expenditures - Extends the expenditure authority of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund through October 1, 1998. Title XI:  FAA Research, Engineering, and Development - FAA Research, Engineering, and Development Management Reform Act of 1996 - Amends Federal transportation law to authorize appropriations for FY 1997 for specified aviation programs. (Sec. 1103) Directs the Administrator of the FAA to consider the advice of a certain research advisory committee in establishing research and development priorities. (Sec. 1104) Directs the research advisory committee in the FAA to review annually the Administrator's appropriation allocation among major research and development activities, and give advice and recommendations on whether such allocation is appropriate to meet certain needs and objectives. (Sec. 1105) Amends the guidelines for the national aviation research plan with respect to the goals, priorities, and resources of research and development activities. Title XII:  Miscellaneous Provisions - Authorizes the Administrator, in carrying out various aviation programs, to purchase a housing unit located outside the contiguous United States if the unit's cost is $300,000 or less. (Sec. 1203) Authorizes a sponsor to close, without any obligation to repay grants, a non-commercial service airport located near a closed or realigned military base. (Sec. 1204) Authorizes the Secretary to waive, subject to specified conditions, any deed terms in a specified conveyance of certain property to Gadsden, Alabama, for airport purposes. (Sec. 1205) Directs the FAA Administrator, in modifying certain regulations in a manner affecting intrastate aviation in Alaska, to consider the extent to which Alaska is not served by transportation other than aviation. (Sec. 1206) Provides for the payment of all Westchester County Airport, New York, fees into the Westchester County treasury. (Sec. 1207) Authorizes the Administrator to transfer and install at Bedford Airport, Pennsylvania, any instrument landing system decommissioned elsewhere in the State. (Sec. 1208) Directs the Administrator to take action to improve the safety of aircraft landing:  (1) at Worcester Municipal Airport, Massachusetts, including, if appropriate, providing air traffic radar service from the Providence Approach Radar Control in Coventry, Rhode Island; and (2) at Central Florida Airport, Sanford, Florida, including, if appropriate, providing a new instrument landing system on Runway 27R. (Sec. 1210) Amends the Airport and Airway Improvement Act of 1982 to establish within the FAA an Aircraft Noise Ombudsman who shall be consulted when the FAA proposes changes in aircraft routes so as to minimize any increases in aircraft noise over populated areas. (Sec. 1211) Amends Federal transportation law to declare that, if any privately owned reliever airport contributes any lands, easements, or rights-of-way to carry out an airport improvement project, their current fair market value shall be credited toward the non-Federal share of allowable project costs. (Sec. 1212) Expresses the sense of the Senate that there should be an immediate enactment of an 18-month reinstatement of the aviation excise taxes to provide short-term funding for the FAA. (Sec. 1213) Directs the Secretary to study and report to specified congressional committees on rural air fare. (Sec. 1214) Directs the Administrator to revise certain regulations to apply to candidates for State or local office the same or similar carriage rules as apply to candidates for Federal office. (Sec. 1215) Directs the Secretary, acting through the Administrator, to provide 45 additional days for comment by interested persons on certain proposed special flight rules in the vicinity of Grand Canyon National Park. (Sec. 1216) Authorizes the Administrator to:  (1) transfer any U.S. title, right or interest in the air traffic control tower at Hickory Regional Airport to the City of Hickory, North Carolina; and (2) study and certify to specified congressional committees whether the number of operations at such airport meet the criteria for contract towers. Prohibits the Administrator from closing the New Bern-Craven County flight services station, the Hickory Regional Airport flight service station, or the Pierre, South Dakota Regional Airport flight service station without certification to the same committees that such closure will not result in the degradation of air safety (at the first two stations) or (at the third station) of air safety, air service, or the loss of meteorological services or data that cannot be obtained in a more cost-effective way, and that any such station closure will reduce costs to taxpayers. (Sec. 1217) Directs the Administrator to study and report to the Congress on the feasibility of constructing two offshore platforms to serve as sites for the location of Doppler radar stations for John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport in New York City, New York. (Sec. 1218) Requires the Secretary to take into account the interest of affected communities (among other criteria) when issuing Federal train whistle regulations. (Sec. 1219) Prohibits the Surface Transportation Board from increasing service fees for small shippers in connection with rail maximum rate complaints. (Sec. 1220) Amends Federal transportation law to declare that, in a case in which two landfills have been proposed or established within six miles of a commercial service airport with fewer than 50,000 enplanements per year, no person shall construct or establish either landfill if an official of the Federal Aviation Administration has stated in writing within the three-year period ending on the date of the enactment of this Act that one of the landfills would be incompatible with aircraft operations at the airport, unless the landfill is already active on such date of enactment or the airport operator agrees to the construction or establishment of the landfill. (Sec. 1221) Declares that, through FY 1998, an air carrier which commenced all-cargo turnaround service during November 1995 with Stage 2 aircraft with a maximum weight of more than 75,000 pounds:  (1) may operate no more than one such aircraft in all-cargo turnaround service; but (2) may maintain a second such aircraft in reserve.  Limits the use of the reserve aircraft to replacement of the first aircraft when it is not airworthy or is unavailable due to closure of an airport in Hawaii at which it is located. (Sec. 1222) Amends the Johnson Act to provide that States (except Hawaii) may not regulate the possession or use of gambling equipment on a vessel whose voyage includes or consists of a segment:  (1) that begins and ends in the same State; (2) that is part of a voyage to another State or a foreign country; and (3) in which the vessel reaches the other State or foreign country within three days after leaving the State in which it begins.",2025-08-21T20:14:37Z,
104-s-2162,104,s,2162,Mississippi Sioux Tribes Judgment Fund Distribution Act of 1996,Native Americans,1996-09-30,1996-09-30,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.,Senate,"Sen. Dorgan, Byron L. [D-ND]",ND,D,D000432,2,"Mississippi Sioux Tribes Judgement Fund Distribution Act of 1996 - Provides for distribution to, and use of certain funds by, the Sisseton and Wahpeton Tribes of Sioux Indians. (Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary of the Interior, one year after enactment of this Act, to distribute specified amounts to the tribal governing body of the:  (1) Devils Lake Sioux Tribe of North Dakota; (2) Sisseton and Wahpeton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota; and (3) Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana. Designates the Sisseton and Wahpeton Sioux Council of the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes as the tribal governing body of the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Reservation. (Sec. 5) Directs each tribal governing body, as a condition for receiving the distributed funds, to establish a tribal trust fund for the benefit of the covered Indian tribe under its jurisdiction. Requires that each tribal governing body shall:  (1) serve as the trustee of the trust fund; and (2) administer the trust fund. (Sec. 6) Prohibits funds distributed to a covered Indian tribe from being used to make per capita payments to members of the covered Indian tribe. Allows funds distributed to be used by a tribal governing body only for the purpose of making investments or expenditures that the tribal governing body determines to be related to:  (1) economic development that is beneficial to the covered Indian tribe; (2) the development of resources of the covered Indian tribe; or (3) the development of a program that is beneficial to members of the covered Indian tribe, including educational and social welfare programs. Directs the Secretary to conduct an annual audit. (Sec. 7) Sets forth provisions concerning the effect of payments to a covered Indian tribe or an individual on eligibility for, or the reduction or denial of, Federal benefits.  Prohibits subjecting a payment made to a covered Indian tribe or individual under this Act to Federal or State income tax. (Sec. 8) Directs the Secretary, not later than one year after enactment, to distribute a specified amount to the lineal descendants of the Sisseton and Wahpeton Tribes of Sioux Indians.",2025-08-21T20:16:18Z,
104-s-2163,104,s,2163,Law Enforcement Officers Protection Amendment Act of 1996,Crime and Law Enforcement,1996-09-30,1996-09-30,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.,Senate,"Sen. Moynihan, Daniel Patrick [D-NY]",NY,D,M001054,0,"Law Enforcement Officers Protection Amendment Act of 1996 - Amends the Federal criminal code to expand the definition of ""armor piercing ammunition"" to include a projectile that may be used in a handgun and that the Secretary of Treasury determines to be capable of penetrating body armor. Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations based on standards to be developed for the uniform testing of projectiles to determine whether such projectiles are capable of penetrating National Institute of Justice Level II-A body armor. Authorizes appropriations for the Secretary and the Attorney General to develop and implement, and promulgate regulations for, performance standards for armor piercing ammunition.",2025-08-21T20:15:47Z,
104-s-2164,104,s,2164,Department of Agriculture Responsibility and Accountability Act of 1996,Agriculture and Food,1996-09-30,1996-09-30,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture.,Senate,"Sen. Lugar, Richard G. [R-IN]",IN,R,L000504,0,"TABLE OF CONTENTS:      Title I:  Information Technology System Control Board      Title II:  Administration of Department of Agriculture      Title III:  Effective Date Department of Agriculture Responsibility and Accountability Act of 1996 - Title I:  Information Technology System Control Board - Establishes in the Department of Agriculture the Information Technology System Control Board to manage the Department's technology planning and procurement processes.  Terminates the Board as of a specified date. Title II:  Administration of the Department of Agriculture - Amends the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 with respect to the Department of Agriculture personnel buyout authority to: (1) prohibit persons eligible for retirement from also receiving buyout payments; (2) require that buyout funds come only from salary and expense appropriations; and (3) end buyout authority as of March 31, 1997. Title III:  Effective Date - Sets forth the effective date for this Act.",2025-08-21T20:16:07Z,
104-s-2165,104,s,2165,Fair Trade Practices Act of 1996,International Affairs,1996-09-30,1996-09-30,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.,Senate,"Sen. Specter, Arlen [R-PA]",PA,R,S000709,1,Fair Trade Practices Act of 1996 - Directs the President to report annually to the Congress the identities of:  (1) foreign persons and concerns that engage in certain foreign corrupt trade practices; and (2) foreign countries that do not have in effect or do not enforce laws similar to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977. Authorizes the President to impose specified sanctions upon countries that are not making a good faith effort to enact or enforce such laws.,2025-08-21T20:14:21Z,
104-s-2166,104,s,2166,Local Empowerment and Flexibility Pilot Act of 1996,Government Operations and Politics,1996-09-30,1996-09-30,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Governmental Affairs.,Senate,"Sen. Hatfield, Mark O. [R-OR]",OR,R,H000343,0,"Local Empowerment and Flexibility Pilot Act of 1996 - Lists the purposes of this Act, including to:  (1) improve the delivery of services to the public; (2) promote State, local, and tribal governments and private, nonprofit organizations to identify goals to improve their communities and the lives of their citizens; and (3) enable eligible applicants to adapt programs of Federal financial assistance to the particular needs of their communities by integrating programs and program funds across existing similar Federal financial assistance programs. (Sec.5) Creates a Community Empowerment Board composed of specified Cabinet Secretaries and agency heads.  Requires the Board, among other things, to:  (1) select six States to participate; and (2) receive, review, and approve or disapprove flexibility plans.  Defines a ""flexibility plan"" as a comprehensive plan for the coordination and administration by an eligible applicant of financial assistance provided by the Federal Government under two or more eligible Federal financial assistance programs that includes funds from Federal, State, local, or tribal government or private sources to address the service needs of a community.  Requires that the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in consultation with the Board, coordinate and assist in creating:  (1) a uniform Federal financial assistance application; (2) a release form to facilitate the sharing of information across Federal financial assistance programs; and (3) a system wherein an organization or consortium of organizations may use one proposal to apply for assistance. (Sec. 6) Authorizes an applicant to apply to the Board for approval of a flexibility plan which must meet specified requirements, including that the application:  (1) contain written certification that each entity with legal authority over a Federal financial assistance program included in the plan has consented to the terms of the plan; and (2) be submitted to, and contain all comments on the proposed plan made by, each affected State, local and tribal government and affected State agency.  Provides for the submission of an application to the Board without such comments if, within 60 days of submission of the plan to an affected government, such government has failed to act on or endorse the application. (Sec.7) Sets forth the following limitations:  (1) authorizes the Board to approve no more than 30 plans; and (2) allows State applicants to submit only three approved plans.  Prohibits the Board from approving any plan that includes funds under a Federal financial assistance program to support tuition vouchers for children attending private schools or otherwise pay their cost of attending such schools.  Authorizes affected Federal agencies to waive any requirement under a Federal financial assistance program if the waiver is:  (1) necessary to implement a plan; (2) not disapproved by the Board; and (3) necessary to effectively achieve the purposes of this Act by adhering to conditions for approval of a flexibility plan, and review and approval of flexibility plans and waiver requests. (Sec. 9) Requires an approved applicant to monitor the effectiveness of its plan and report on it to the Board.  Mandates a final report to the Board. Requires the:  (1) Board to report to the President and the Congress on the Federal laws or regulations most frequently waived, with the President reviewing the report and identifying those statutory and regulatory requirements that the President determines should be amended or repealed; and (2) OMB Director to report on its progress in achieving certain functions outlined under this Act requiring coordination and assistance with Federal agencies. Requires the General Accounting Office to:  (1) evaluate the effectiveness of Federal financial assistance programs included in flexibility plans approved pursuant to this Act; (2) establish and maintain a program for the ongoing collection of data and analysis of each such program included in an approved flexibility plan; and (3) submit a report to the Congress and the President. Mandates a specified report by the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations to the Congress and the President. Repeals this Act on January 1, 2005.",2025-08-21T20:17:07Z,
104-s-2167,104,s,2167,Children's Health Insurance for Long-Term Development Act of 1996,Health,1996-09-30,1996-10-03,Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S12350-12351),Senate,"Sen. Kerrey, J. Robert [D-NE]",NE,D,K000146,0,"Children's Health Insurance for Long-Term Development Act of 1996 -   Requires health plans and employee health benefit plans to ensure coverage of all medically necessary health care and related services for children during the Infant Neurological Risk Exposure Period (INREP), which extends through age three and encompasses the period of most rapid neurological changes in young children. Prohibits health plans from using a service limitation, including a lifetime benefit limit, to deny medically necessary health care and related services to a child. Sets forth enforcement provisions.",2025-08-21T20:15:21Z,
104-s-2168,104,s,2168,Aviation Safety Protection Act of 1996,Transportation and Public Works,1996-09-30,1996-09-30,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce.,Senate,"Sen. Kerry, John F. [D-MA]",MA,D,K000148,0,Aviation Safety Protection Act of 1996 - Amends Federal law regarding air commerce and safety to prescribe whistleblower protection guidelines for airline employees providing air safety information to the Federal government.  Sets forth civil penalties for violation of such employees' protections.,2025-08-21T20:16:15Z,
104-s-2169,104,s,2169,Endangered Cultural Heritage Act of 1996,"Arts, Culture, Religion",1996-09-30,1996-10-01,"Referred to Subcommittee on Parks, Preservation and Recreation.",Senate,"Sen. Pell, Claiborne [D-RI]",RI,D,P000193,0,"Endangered Cultural Heritage Act of 1996 - Establishes in the Treasury an Endangered Cultural Heritage Fund.  Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to designate or establish a Federal agency to administer the Fund. Requires use of the Fund to support activities by qualified U.S. and international organizations to preserve and protect cultural resources that are significantly at risk, at qualified sites both inside and outside the United States. Requires the designated agency to provide grants or fellowships that engage:  (1) U.S. professionals in historic preservation; and (2) U.S. and foreign graduate students in onsite conservation and development of plans to protect endangered cultural resources.  Directs the agency to support public education programs, seminars, conferences, and other activities.",2026-03-24T12:48:03Z,
104-s-2170,104,s,2170,Save Our Savings Act of 1996,Economics and Public Finance,1996-09-30,1996-09-30,Read twice and referred jointly to the Committees on Budget; Governmental Affairs.,Senate,"Sen. Kassebaum, Nancy Landon [R-KS]",KS,R,K000017,0,"TABLE OF CONTENTS:      Title I:  Cap Entitlements and Other Mandatory Spending      Title II:  Enforcement Provisions Save Our Savings Act of 1996 - Title I:  Cap Entitlements and Other Mandatory Spending - Sets forth a timetable for completion of certain budget actions by the President and by the Directors of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). (Sec. 103) Applies direct spending caps to all entitlement authority, except for undistributed offsetting receipts and net interest outlays.  Sets forth a table of such caps for specified categories of entitlements and other mandatory spending. (Sec. 104) Requires determinations of such direct spending caps (as well as any breaches of such caps and actions necessary to remedy such breaches) to be based on certain economic assumptions for specified future fiscal years, subject to periodic reestimation based on changed economic conditions or changes in eligible population. (Sec. 105) Provides for automatic adjustments to the caps for entitlements and other mandatory spending. Allows the direct spending caps to be revised in a specified manner, only by recorded vote. Title II:  Enforcement Provisions - Provides for enforcement of the direct spending caps on categories of spending established under title I of this Act.  Applies specified enforcement rules and procedures for any fiscal year in which direct spending exceeds the applicable direct spending cap. (Sec. 202) Directs OMB to:  (1) compile a statement of actual direct spending for a fiscal year, following the end of that year, identifying such spending by categories of entitlements and other mandatory spending; and (2) under specified conditions, issue a report to the President and the Congress, estimating necessary spending reductions.  Sets forth a timetable for specified budget actions by the President and by OMB and CBO. (Sec. 203) Subjects all direct spending (except matters specifically exempted under this title) to caps on total direct spending outlays for each fiscal year.  Establishes separate caps, consistent with the cap on total outlays, for:  (1) any entitlement program named in the table in title I; (2) such other program or groups of programs for which additional caps are established in subsequent legislation; and (3) the remainder of direct spending programs.  Prohibits the total of the separate caps from title I, plus any additional separate caps subsequently established, from exceeding the cap for total direct spending, as appropriately adjusted.  Sets forth:  (1) general rules triggering sequestration to reduce spending for programs subject to direct spending caps; (2) special rules for programs with certain characteristics; and (3) rules for insurance programs, loan programs, and State grant program formulas.  Requires a within session sequester under certain conditions. (Sec. 204) Exempts from sequestration specified programs and activities, in terms of their budget accounts, activities within accounts, or income. Authorizes the President to exempt any military personnel account from sequestration or provide for a lower uniform percentage reduction than would otherwise apply, if the Congress is notified of the manner in which such authority will be exercised on or before the initial snapshot date for the budget year. (Sec. 205) Sets forth special rules for sequestration orders for: (1) the child support enforcement program under the Social Security Act; (2) the Commodity Credit Corporation; (3) the earned income tax credit; (4) regular and extended unemployment compensation; (5) the Federal Employees Health Benefits Fund; (6) the Federal Housing (Finance) Board; (7) Federal personnel pay; (8) the Medicare program under the Social Security Act; (9) the Postal Service Fund; (10) the Department of Energy power marketing administration funds or the Tennessee Valley Authority fund; and (11) programs which provide a businesslike service in exchange for a fee. (Sec. 206) Directs CBO and OMB to report to the President and the Congress the budget baselines for the budget year and at least the subsequent nine fiscal years.  Requires submission of the CBO report on or before January 15.  Requires the OMB report to accompany the President's budget. Specifies requirements for the budget baseline.",2025-08-21T20:14:53Z,
104-s-2171,104,s,2171,Comprehensive Telehealth Act of 1996,Health,1996-09-30,1996-09-30,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.,Senate,"Sen. Conrad, Kent [D-ND]",ND,D,C000705,1,"TABLE OF CONTENTS:      Title I:  Medicare Reimbursement for Telehealth Services      Title II:  Telehealth Licensure      Title III:  Periodic Reports to Congress from the Joint           Working Group on Telehealth      Title IV:  Development of Telehealth Networks Comprehensive Telehealth Act of 1996 - Title I:  Medicare Reimbursement for Telehealth Services - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make payments from the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act in accordance with a specified payment methodology for professional consultation via telecommunications systems with an individual or entity furnishing a service for which payment may be made to a Medicare beneficiary residing in a rural or an underserved area, notwithstanding that the individual health care practitioner providing the professional consultation is not at the same location as the individual furnishing the service to the Medicare beneficiary. (Sec. 101) Amends the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 to require the Health Care Financing Administration's report to the Congress on Medicare's reimbursement of telemedicine services to include telehealth services. Title II:  Telehealth Licensure - Directs the Secretary to report to the appropriate congressional committees on:  (1) practitioners licensed to provide telehealth services across State lines, including those licensed to provide them in more than three States; (2) any reciprocal or other licensure agreements between or among various States; (3) any efforts to develop uniform national sets of licensure standards for interstate telehealth services; (4) a projection of future interstate telehealth consultations; (5) State efforts to increase or reduce licensure as a burden to interstate telehealth practice; and (6) any State licensure requirements that appear to constitute unnecessary barriers to interstate telehealth services. (Sec. 202) Directs the Secretary to report annually to the appropriate congressional committees on relevant developments concerning such matters.  Provides that, if States are not making progress in facilitating interstate telehealth services by eliminating unnecessary requirements, adopting reciprocal licensing arrangements, implementing uniform licensure requirements, or other means, the Secretary must include in the report recommendations on the Federal actions required to reduce licensure as a barrier to the interstate provision of telehealth services. Title III:  Periodic Reports to Congress from the Joint Working Group on Telehealth - Redesignates the Joint Working Group on Telemedicine as the Joint Working Group on Telehealth, with the chairperson designated by the Director of the Office of Rural Health Policy.  Makes it the mission of the Joint Working Group on Telehealth to:  (1)) identify, monitor, coordinate, and analyze Federal telehealth projects, data sets, and programs; and (2) make further recommendations for coordination of Federal and State efforts to increase access to health services, education, and information in rural and underserved areas. Requires the Joint Working Group to report annually to the Congress on mission status and the state of the telehealth field generally. Authorizes appropriations. Title IV:  Development of Telehealth Networks - Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Office of Rural Health Policy, to provide specified financial assistance to eligible providers to expand access to health care services for individuals in rural and frontier areas through the use of telehealth.  Authorizes appropriations.",2025-08-21T20:16:49Z,
104-s-2172,104,s,2172,"A bill to provide for the appointment of a Special Master to meet with interested parties in Alaska and make recommendations to the Governor of Alaska, The Alaska State Legislature, The Secretary of Agriculture, The Secretary of the Interior, and the United States Congress on how to return management of fish and game resources to the State of Alaska and provide for subsistence uses by Alaskans, and for other purposes.",Public Lands and Natural Resources,1996-09-30,1996-10-01,Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S12059),Senate,"Sen. Murkowski, Frank H. [R-AK]",AK,R,M001085,0,"Requires the President:  (1) to appoint a Special Master to mediate the issues involved in the impasse regarding fish and game management responsibilities in Alaska ; and (2) in making such appointment, to give careful consideration to recommendations submitted by the Governor of Alaska, the President of the Alaska State Senate, and the Speaker of the Alaska State House. Requires the principal office of the Special Master to be in Alaska. Directs the Special Master to:  (1) review existing State and Federal laws regarding subsistence use of fish and game resources in Alaska; (2) recommend specific actions to the Congress and to Alaska that assure that Alaska recovers and retains management authority and responsibility for fish and game on all of its lands, that provide for the continuation of the opportunity for subsistence uses by Alaska residents, including both Natives and non-natives, on the public lands and by Alaska Natives on Native lands which is essential for Native physical, economic, traditional, and cultural existence, and to non- native physical, economic, traditional, and social existence; and (3) report to the Secretary, the Congress, the Governor, and the Alaskan legislature.  Makes the report available to the public. Authorizes appropriations.",2026-03-24T12:48:03Z,
104-s-2173,104,s,2173,Family Business Estate Tax Relief Act of 1996,Taxation,1996-09-30,1996-10-03,Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S12258),Senate,"Sen. Dorgan, Byron L. [D-ND]",ND,D,D000432,0,"Family Business Estate Tax Relief Act of 1996 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from a family-owned business' gross estate up to $900,000 of family-owned business interest (in addition to the existing $600,000 estate and gift tax credit), provided that the heirs continue to materially participate in the business for a specified period after the owner's death. Increases the portion of the estate tax subject to the ""four- percent"" (interest) rule.",2025-08-21T20:16:18Z,
104-s-2174,104,s,2174,A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act with respect to the admission of temporary H-2A workers.,Immigration,1996-09-30,1996-09-30,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.,Senate,"Sen. Craig, Larry E. [R-ID]",ID,R,C000858,0,Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise the temporary agricultural worker (H-2A visa) program with respect to:  (1) H-2A petition considerations and approvals; (2) labor certification denial; (3) reduction in deadline filing; (4) expedited appeal of certain decisions; and (5) limitations on employer liability and judicial remedies.,2025-07-21T19:32:26Z,
104-s-2175,104,s,2175,Strengthening Social Security Act of 1996,Social Welfare,1996-09-30,1996-09-30,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.,Senate,"Sen. Kerrey, J. Robert [D-NE]",NE,D,K000146,1,"Strengthening Social Security Act of 1996 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code and title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require covered employers to have a plan for withholding certain contributions from the wages of their eligible employees for investment according to the individual employee's personal investment plan.  Defines personal investment plan as:  (1) any personal investment retirement plan restricted to certain contribution deposits in the Personal Investment Fund, established in the Treasury by this Act; or (2) any individual retirement plan restricted to certain contribution deposits and administered or issued by a bank.  Requires the Personal Investment Fund to be governed by a Personal Investment Fund Board under a system similar to the Thrift Savings Program for Federal employees.  Covers self-employed individuals.  Applies this Act only to employees who have not attained age 55. Specifies reduced social security tax rates for plan participants.  Imposes civil penalties upon employers who fail to establish a personal investment payroll deduction plan or observe certain requirements with respect to it. Provides for:  (1) specified graduated increases in ""normal"" and early retirement ages; and (2) reduction in cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) applied to higher primary insurance amounts under the OASDI program, tying OASDI COLA determinations based on applicable increase percentages to similar determinations under other specified Federal benefit programs, including the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program under SSA title XVI. Directs the Bureau of Labor Statistics to reduce by .5 percentage point the annual percentage change in the Consumer Price Indexes used with respect to OASDI COLA calculations. Provides for:  (1) a phased in reduction in spousal benefits other than survivors' benefits to 33 percent of the primary insurance amount; and (2) various specified adjustments in the formula for determining primary insurance amounts under OASDI. Mandates social security coverage of all State and local government employees hired after January 1, 1997. Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 with respect to social security and tier 1 railroad retirement benefits, continuing for only a limited period the increased amount of benefits included in the gross income of certain taxpayers. Establishes within the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund an Equities Fund containing the income on, and proceeds from the sale or redemption of, equities held in the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund.",2025-08-21T20:14:36Z,
104-s-2176,104,s,2176,Personal Investment Plan Act of 1996,Social Welfare,1996-09-30,1996-09-30,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.,Senate,"Sen. Kerrey, J. Robert [D-NE]",NE,D,K000146,1,"Personal Investment Plan Act of 1996 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code and title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to require covered employers to have a plan for withholding certain contributions from the wages of their eligible employees electing to participate for investment according to the individual employee's personal investment plan. Defines personal investment plan as:  (1) any personal investment retirement plan restricted to certain contribution deposits in the Personal Investment Fund, hereby established in the Treasury; or (2) any individual retirement plan restricted to certain contribution deposits and administered or issued by a bank or other specified person.  Establishes in the Social Security Administration a Personal Investment Fund Board to govern the Personal Investment Fund under a system similar to the Thrift Savings Program for Federal employees. Covers self-employed individuals. Specifies reduced social security tax rates for participating employees and self-employed individuals. Sets forth civil penalties for employers who fail to establish a personal investment payroll deduction plan or observe certain requirements with respect to it. Prescribes adjustments to primary insurance amounts under the OASDI program.",2025-08-21T20:16:03Z,
104-s-2177,104,s,2177,Military Reservists Small Business Relief Act,Commerce,1996-09-30,1996-09-30,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business.,Senate,"Sen. Santorum, Rick [R-PA]",PA,R,S000059,0,"Military Reservists Small Business Relief Act - Amends the Small Business Act to direct the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), upon request, to defer repayment of a direct loan made to:  (1) an individual who is a reservist who received such loan before being called or ordered to, or retained on, active duty; or (2) a small business that received such loan before a reservist who is an owner, manager, or key employee of such small business was so called, ordered, or retained.  Extends the loan deferral period from the date the individual is so called, ordered, or retained until the later of 180 days after:  (1) such individual is released; or (2) the enactment of this Act, with no accrual of interest during such period. Authorizes the SBA to make disaster loans to assist a small business that has suffered or is likely to suffer economic injury as the result of its owner, manager, or key employee being ordered to active duty during a period of military conflict.  Limits to $500,000 the amount outstanding and committed on each loan.",2025-08-21T20:15:41Z,
104-s-2178,104,s,2178,Better Pharmaceuticals for Children Act,Health,1996-09-30,1996-09-30,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources.,Senate,"Sen. Kassebaum, Nancy Landon [R-KS]",KS,R,K000017,5,"Better Pharmaceuticals for Children Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to allow for additional deferred effective dates for the approval of certain new drug applications to allow for additional pediatric information developed by further studies of the drug concerned.",2025-08-21T20:16:14Z,
104-s-2179,104,s,2179,Children's Environmental Protection Act of 1996,Environmental Protection,1996-09-30,1996-09-30,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.,Senate,"Sen. Boxer, Barbara [D-CA]",CA,D,B000711,0,"Children's Environmental Protection Act of 1996 - Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act to state U.S. policy regarding the adequacy of protection of children and other vulnerable subpopulations from exposure to environmental pollutants.  Defines ""vulnerable subpopulations"" to include children, pregnant women, the elderly, individuals with a history of serious illness, and other subpopulations identified by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as likely to experience elevated health risks from environmental pollutants. Directs the Administrator to:  (1) work with each State, including by making grants, to develop a family right-to-know initiative requiring disclosure of the details of application of a pollutant in a public area accessible to children, State reports of such information, and provision of data for a nationwide survey; (2) identify and make publicly available a list of hazardous substances and pesticides commonly used in schools and parks; (3) create a list of substances with high hazard risks; (4) develop and issue an EPA-approved warning sign and label for posting in such areas; and (5) prohibit a school or park from using any pollutant on the high hazard risk list. Directs the Administrator and the Secretaries of Agriculture and of Health and Human Services to:  (1) coordinate and implement research studies of the physiological and pharmacokinetic differences in the effects and toxicity of pesticides and other pollutants on children and other vulnerable subpopulations; (2) conduct surveys and research to document differences between children and adults with respect to exposure; and (3) report to the Congress. Directs the Administrator to evaluate environmental health risks to children and vulnerable subpopulations in all risk assessments and characterizations, environmental or public health standards, or general regulatory decisions and develop and use a separate assessment with respect to vulnerable subpopulations.  Requires a report to the Congress. Requires public availability, subject to restrictions, of information concerning any test of a pesticide, pesticide residue, or other pollutant to determine potential levels of exposure or health effects. Authorizes appropriations.",2025-08-21T20:14:03Z,
104-s-2180,104,s,2180,Deadbeat Parents Punishment Act of 1996,Crime and Law Enforcement,1996-09-30,1996-09-30,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.,Senate,"Sen. Kohl, Herb [D-WI]",WI,D,K000305,1,"Deadbeat Parents Punishment Act of 1996 - Amends Federal criminal code provisions regarding failure to pay legal child support obligations to create two new categories of felony offenses, subject to a two-year maximum prison term:  (1) traveling in interstate or foreign commerce with intent to evade a support obligation if the obligation has remained unpaid for a period longer than one year or is greater than $5,000; and (2) willfully failing to pay a support obligation regarding a child residing in another State, if the obligation has remained unpaid for a period longer than two years or is greater than $10,000. Specifies that the existence of a support obligation that was in effect for the time period charged in the indictment or information creates a rebuttable presumption that the obligor has the ability to pay such obligation for that period. Directs the court, upon a conviction, to order restitution in an amount equal to the total unpaid support obligation as it exists at the time of sentencing.",2025-08-21T20:16:41Z,
104-s-2181,104,s,2181,National Grasslands Management Act of 1996,Public Lands and Natural Resources,1996-09-30,1996-10-01,Referred to Subcommittee on Forests and Public Lands.,Senate,"Sen. Dorgan, Byron L. [D-ND]",ND,D,D000432,0,"National Grasslands Management Act of 1996 - Amends the Forest Rangeland Renewable Resource Planning Act of 1974 to remove the National Grasslands and land utilization projects administered under title III of the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act (such Act) from the National Forest System (NFS). Directs the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, to manage the National Grasslands as a separate entity and in accordance with this Act and the provisions and multiple use purposes of such Act. Requires the Secretary to administer grazing permits and implement grazing management decisions in consultation, cooperation, and coordination with local grazing associations and other grazing permits. Requires fees and charges for livestock grazing on the National Grasslands to be determined in the same manner and according to the same formula that was used for such grazing during the 1996 grazing year.  Allows the Secretary to adjust the grazing fee to compensate for approved conservation practices and administrative expenditures.",2026-03-24T12:48:03Z,
104-s-2182,104,s,2182,"A bill to consolidate certain mineral interests in the National Grasslands in Billings County, North Dakota, through the exchange of Federal and private mineral interests to enhance land management capabilities and environmental and wildlife protection, and for other purposes.",Public Lands and Natural Resources,1996-09-30,1996-10-01,Referred to Subcommittee on Forests and Public Lands.,Senate,"Sen. Dorgan, Byron L. [D-ND]",ND,D,D000432,1,"Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to convey to the Burlington Resources Oil and Gas Company (formerly known as Meridian Oil Inc.) all Federal rights and interests identified on a map entitled the ""Billings County, North Dakota, Consolidated Mineral Exchange--November 1995,"" contingent on Burlington's conveyance to the Secretary of title to its own rights and interests identified on the same map. Directs the Secretary to convey to owners of the remaining non-oil gas mineral interests identified on the map all Federal rights, title, and interests in the National Forest System lands and National Grasslands in the State of North Dakota, contingent on the owners' conveyance to the Secretary, after Burlington's conveyance, of all their rights, title, and interests. Directs the Secretary to grant to Burlington the use of federally-owned surface lands to explore for and develop interests conveyed to Burlington under this Act.",2026-03-24T12:48:03Z,
104-sjres-65,104,sjres,65,A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to protect the rights of crime victims.,Crime and Law Enforcement,1996-09-30,1996-09-30,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.,Senate,"Sen. Kyl, Jon [R-AZ]",AZ,R,K000352,2,"Constitutional Amendment - Grants victims of crimes of violence and other crimes that the Congress and the States may define by law the right:  (1) to notice of, and to not be excluded from, all public proceedings relating to the crime; (2) to be heard, if present, and to submit a statement at a public pre-trial or trial proceeding to determine a release from custody, an acceptance of a negotiated plea, or a sentence (grants such rights at a parole proceeding to the extent they are afforded to the convicted offender); (3) to notice of a release pursuant to a public or parole proceeding or an escape; (4) to a final disposition free from unreasonable delay; (5) to an order of restitution from the convicted offender; (6) to have the victim's safety considered in determining a release from custody; and (7) to notice of the rights established by this amendment. Grants the victim standing to assert such rights.  Provides that nothing in this amendment shall provide grounds for:  (1) the victim to challenge a charging decision or a conviction, to obtain a stay of trial, to compel a new trial, or to give rise to a claim for damages against the United States, a State, a political subdivision, or a public official; or (2) the accused or convicted offender to obtain any form of relief. Grants power to the Congress and the States to enforce this amendment within their respective jurisdictions by appropriate legislation, including the power to enact exceptions when required for compelling reasons of public safety.",2025-07-21T19:32:26Z,
104-sres-306,104,sres,306,"A resolution to state the sense of the Senate that the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security Between the United States of America and Japan is essential for furthering the security interests of the United States, Japan and the nations of the Asia-Pacific and that the people of Okinawa deserve recognition for their contributions toward ensuring the Treaty's implementation.",International Affairs,1996-09-30,1996-09-30,Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.,Senate,"Sen. Roth Jr., William V. [R-DE]",DE,R,R000460,2,Declares that:  (1) the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security Between the United States and Japan remains vital to American and Japanese security interests as well as the security interests of the Nations of the Asia-Pacific region; and (2) the people of Okinawa deserve special recognition and gratitude for their contributions toward ensuring the Treaty's implementation.,2025-01-14T19:00:46Z,
104-hconres-229,104,hconres,229,Directing the Secretary of the Senate to make corrections in the enrollment of S. 1004.,Congress,1996-09-28,1996-09-30,Message on Senate action sent to the House.,House,"Rep. Shuster, Bud [R-PA-9]",PA,R,S000394,0,Makes technical corrections in the enrollment of S. 1004 (authorizing appropriations for the Coast Guard).,2025-01-02T17:32:44Z,
104-hconres-230,104,hconres,230,Providing for the sine die adjournment of the second session of the One Hundred Fourth Congress.,Congress,1996-09-28,1996-10-04,Message on Senate action sent to the House.,House,"Rep. Armey, Richard K. [R-TX-26]",TX,R,A000217,0,"Provides for the sine die adjournment of the House of Representatives and of the Senate on October 2, 3, or 4, 1996.",2025-01-02T17:32:43Z,
104-hconres-231,104,hconres,231,"Condemning anti-semitic vandalism in Westchester County, New York.",Crime and Law Enforcement,1996-09-28,1996-10-04,Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime.,House,"Rep. Lowey, Nita M. [D-NY-18]",NY,D,L000480,3,"Condemns acts of anti-Semitic vandalism in Westchester County, New York, and throughout the country. Commends community leaders and residents in Westchester County for their resolve in combating such acts. Urges the Attorney General to continue to investigate anti-Semitic vandalism in Westchester County. Calls on every State to adopt legislation modeled after Federal law that enhances criminal penalties for hate crimes.",2025-01-02T17:32:43Z,
104-hjres-197,104,hjres,197,Waiving certain enrollment requirements with respect to any bill or joint resolution of the One Hundred Fourth Congress making general or continuing appropriations for fiscal year 1997.,Congress,1996-09-28,1996-09-30,Became Public Law No: 104-207.,House,"Rep. Pryce, Deborah [R-OH-15]",OH,R,P000555,0,Waives requirements for printing the enrollment of any bill or resolution of the 104th Congress making general or continuing appropriations for FY 1997 that is presented to the President after the enactment of this Act.,2025-01-02T17:33:49Z,
104-hjres-198,104,hjres,198,Appointing the day for the convening of the first session of the One Hundred Fifth Congress and the day for the counting in Congress of the electoral votes for President and Vice President cast in December 1996.,Congress,1996-09-28,1996-10-11,Became Public Law No: 104-296.,House,"Rep. Armey, Richard K. [R-TX-26]",TX,R,A000217,0,"Provides for convening the first session of the 105th Congress at noon on January 7, 1997. Requires the meeting of the Senate and the House of Representatives to count the electoral votes for President and Vice President to be held on January 9, 1997.",2025-01-02T17:33:49Z,
104-hr-4274,104,hr,4274,To require the Commissioner of Social Security and the Secretary of the Treasury to develop and implement measures to eliminate and prevent mismatching of earnings information maintained by the Social Security Administration and the Internal Revenue Service resulting in underpayment of social security benefits.,Social Welfare,1996-09-28,1996-09-28,Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.,House,"Rep. Brown, George E., Jr. [D-CA-42]",CA,D,B000918,6,"Directs the Commissioner of Social Security and the Secretary of the Treasury jointly to:  (1) study and report to specified congressional committees on the inability of the Social Security Administration to provide for American workers their full social security benefits by reason of insufficiency of information held by the Administration necessary for correctly identifying accounts for the earnings of such workers; and (2) take appropriate remedial measures, including devising and implementing a procedure for resolving new discrepancies involving uncredited earnings in the suspense file.",2024-02-07T16:32:33Z,
104-hr-4275,104,hr,4275,"To provide funding for the nutrition education and training program authorized under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966, and for other purposes.",Agriculture and Food,1996-09-28,1996-10-15,"Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Youth and Families.",House,"Rep. Goodling, William F. [R-PA-19]",PA,R,G000291,2,"Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to reduce funding for the nutrition education and training program for FY 1997 and each succeeding fiscal year.  Reduces funding, for FY 1997, for the:  (1) emergency food assistance program; and (2) school meals initiative for healthy children.",2025-07-21T19:44:15Z,
104-hr-4276,104,hr,4276,Community Exchange Act Amendments of 1996,Finance and Financial Sector,1996-09-28,1996-12-31,Unfavorable Executive Comment Received from FTC.,House,"Rep. Ewing, Thomas W. [R-IL-15]",IL,R,E000282,0,"TABLE OF CONTENTS:      Title I:  Administration of Commodity Exchange Act      Title II:  Treasury Amendment Clarification Commodity Exchange Act Amendments of 1996 - Title I: Administration of Community Exchange Act - Amends the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) to provide a conditional exemption for certain transactions involving professional markets. Revises requirements for the designation of a board of trade as a contract market. Revises the process for the submission and disapproval of contract market rules. Revises provisions for regulation of audit trail requirements. Requires the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to prescribe an objective standard or methodology for establishing whether a contract market meets certain requirements for being able to determine, with reasonable accuracy, the time of contract execution, in increments of at most one minute in length.  Sets forth criteria for the trade recordation data (including time stamps) that an audit trail system for a contract market shall rely on. Establishes requirements for use of cost-benefit analysis. Repeals specified provisions relating to Commodity Futures Trading Commission oversight and deficiency orders. Title II:  Treasury Amendment Clarification - Amends CEA to define board of trade, as it applies to transactions in or involving foreign currency, as any facility whereby standardized contracts are systematically marketed to retail investors.",2025-08-21T20:16:15Z,
104-hr-4277,104,hr,4277,Better Pharmaceuticals for Children Act,Health,1996-09-28,1996-10-11,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Greenwood, James C. [R-PA-8]",PA,R,G000439,6,"Better Pharmaceuticals for Children Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to allow for additional deferred effective dates for the approval of certain new drug applications to allow for additional pediatric information developed by further studies of the drug concerned.",2025-08-21T20:15:40Z,
104-hr-4278,104,hr,4278,"Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act, 1997",Economics and Public Finance,1996-09-28,1997-02-10,"By amendment to the Journal on February 10, 1997, the Act was indefinetely postponed by Unanimous Consent.",House,"Rep. Livingston, Bob [R-LA-1]",LA,R,L000371,0,"TABLE OF CONTENTS:      Division A      Title I:  Omnibus Appropriations           Title I(sic):  Department of Justice           Title II:  Department of Commerce and Related Agencies           Title III:  The Judiciary           Title IV:  Department of State and Related Agencies           Title V:  Related Agencies           Title VI:  General Provisions           Title VII:  Rescissions           Title VIII:  Fiscal Year 1996 Supplemental and                Rescission           Title IX:  Supplemental Appropriations           Title I(sic):  Military Personnel           Title II:  Operation and Maintenance           Title III:  Procurement           Title IV:  Research, Development, Test and Evaluation           Title V:  Revolving and Management Funds           Title VI:  Other Department of Defense Programs           Title VII:  Related Agencies           Title VIII:  General Provisions           Title IX:  Fiscal Year 1996 Supplemental Appropriations                and Rescissions for Anti-Terrorism, Counter-                Terrorism, and Security Enhancement Activities           Title I(sic):  Export and Investment Assistance           Title II:  Bilateral Economic Assistance           Title III:  Military Assistance           Title IV:  Multilateral Economic Assistance           Title V:  General Provisions           Title VI:  NATO Enlargement Facilitation Act of 1996           Title VII:  Middle East Development Bank           Title I(sic):  Department of the Interior           Title II:  Related Agencies           Title III:  General Provisions           Title IV:  Emergency Appropriations           Title I(sic):  Department of Labor           Title II:  Department of Health and Human Services           Title III:  Department of Education           Title IV:  Related Agencies           Title V:  General Provisions           Title VI:  Reorganization and Privatization of Sallie                Mae and Connie Lee           Title VII:  Museum and Library Services Act of 1996           Title I(sic):  Department of the Treasury           Title II:  Postal Service           Title III:  Executive Office of the President and Funds                Appropriated to the President           Title IV:  Independent Agencies           Title V:  General Provisions           Title VI:  General Provisions           Title I(sic):  Additional Investment Funds for the                Thrift Savings Plan           Title II:  Thrift Savings Accounts Liquidity           Title VII:  Counter-Terrorism and Drug Law Enforcement           Title VIII:  Federal Financial Management Improvement      Title II(sic):  Economic Growth and Regulatory Paperwork           Reduction           Subtitle A:  Streamlining the Home Mortgage Lending                Process           Subtitle B:  Streamlining Government Regulation           Subtitle C:  Regulatory Impact on Cost of Credit and                Credit Availability           Subtitle D:  Consumer Credit           Subtitle E:  Asset Conservation, Lender Liability, and                Deposit Insurance Protection           Subtitle F:  Miscellaneous           Subtitle G:  Deposit Insurance Funds      Title III:  Spectrum Allocation Provisions      Title IV:  Adjustment of Paygo Balances      Title V:  Additional Appropriations      Division B:  Oregon Resources Conservation Act of 1996      Title I(sic):  Opal Creek Wilderness and Scenic Recreation Area      Title II:  Upper Klamath Basin      Title III:  Deschutes Basin      Title IV:  Mount Hood Corridor      Title V:  Coquille Tribal Forest      Title VI:  Bull Run Watershed Protection      Title VII:  Oregon Islands Wilderness, Additions      Title VIII:  Umpqua River Land Exchange Study      Division C:  Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant           Responsibility Act of 1996      Title I(sic):  Improvements to Border Control, Facilitation           of Legal Entry, and Interior Enforcement           Subtitle A:  Improved Enforcement at the Border           Subtitle B:  Facilitation of Legal Entry           Subtitle C:  Interior Enforcement      Title II:  Enhanced Enforcement and Penalties Against Alien           Smuggling; Document Fraud           Subtitle A:  Enhanced Enforcement and Penalties Against                Alien Smuggling           Subtitle B:  Deterrence of Document Fraud      Title III:  Inspection, Apprehension, Detention,           Adjudication, and Removal of Inadmissible and Deportable                Aliens           Subtitle A:  Revision of Procedures for Removal of                Aliens           Subtitle B:  Criminal Alien Provisions           Subtitle C:  Revision of Grounds for Exclusion and                Deportation           Subtitle D:  Changes in Removal of Alien Terrorist                Provisions           Subtitle E:  Transportation of Aliens           Subtitle F:  Additional Provisions      Title IV:  Enforcement of Restrictions Against Employment           Subtitle A:  Pilot Programs for Employment Eligibility                Confirmation           Subtitle B:  Other Provisions Relating to Employer                Sanctions           Subtitle C:  Unfair Immigration-Related Employment                Practices      Title V:  Restrictions on Benefits for Aliens           Subtitle A:  Eligibility of Aliens for Public Assistance                and Benefits           Subtitle B:  Public Charge Exclusion           Subtitle C:  Affidavits of Support           Subtitle D:  Miscellaneous Provisions           Subtitle E:  Housing Assistance           Subtitle F:  General Provisions      Title VI:  Miscellaneous Provisions           Subtitle A:  Refugees, Parole, and Asylum           Subtitle B:  Miscellaneous Amendments to the Immigration                and Nationality Act           Subtitle C:  Provisions Relating to Visa Processing and                Consular Efficiency           Subtitle D:  Other Provisions           Subtitle E:  Technical Corrections      Division D:  Small Business Programs Improvement Act      Title I(sic):  Amendments to Small Business Act      Title II:  Amendments to Small Business Investment Act      Division E      Title I(sic):  California Bay-Delta Environmental Enhancement           and Water Security Act Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act, 1997 - Division A - Title I:  Omnibus Appropriations - Makes appropriations for programs, projects, and activities provided for in the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997, as if it had been enacted into law as the regular appropriations Act. Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 - Title I (sic):  Department of Justice - Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 1997 - Makes FY 1997 appropriations to the Department of Justice. Sets forth requirements and limitations relating to use of such funds. (Sec. 103) Prohibits the use of funds to pay for an abortion, except where the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term, or in the case of rape. (Sec. 104) Prohibits the use of funds to require any person to perform, or facilitate the performance of, any abortion. (Sec. 109) Amends the Federal judicial code to revise:  (1) quarterly bankruptcy fees; and (2) the formulae for the deposit of portions of such fees in the United States Trustee System Fund. (Sec. 110) Amends specified Federal law to establish in the Treasury the Department of Justice Telecommunications Carrier Compliance Fund, which shall be available to the Attorney General to make specified payments to telecommunications carriers, equipment manufacturers, and providers of telecommunications support services. (Sec. 111) Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Drug Enforcement Administration, together with other appropriate Federal agencies, should take necessary action to end the illegal importation into the United States of Rohypnol (flunitrazepam), a drug frequently distributed with the intent to facilitate sexual assault and rape. (Sec. 112) Amends the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 to authorize the use of specified funds to make supplemental grants to U.S. Attorneys Offices to provide assistance to victims of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, to facilitate their observation or participation at related trial proceedings, and to pay other related expenses. (Sec. 113) Amends the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to report to the Congress on vapor detection devices, computed tomography, nuclear quadropole resonance, thermal neutron analysis, pulsed fast-neutron analysis, and other new technologies for preventing and solving acts of terrorism involving explosive devices. Requires the Secretary to contract with the National Academy of Sciences to study the tagging of smokeless and black powder by any viable detection and identification technology. (Sec. 114) Amends the Federal judicial code to allow the forfeiture portion of an award payment to be paid for out of the permanent indefinite appropriation of the Asset Forfeiture Fund. (Sec. 115) Allows the Attorney General to reimburse employees paid under any Department of Justice appropriation account for additional Federal, State, and local income taxes incurred as a result of extended temporary duty status when traveling on behalf of the United States to investigate, prosecute, or litigate a criminal or civil matter, or for other similar special circumstances. (Sec. 116) Amends the Federal judicial code to authorize the Attorney General to accept gifts of personal property for aiding or facilitating Department work. (Sec. 117) Authorizes the Attorney General during FY 1997 to transfer certain forfeited properties to State and local governments, or their designated contractor or transferee, for public health, safety, and welfare purposes. (Sec. 118) Permits the Independent Counsel to extend by successive six-month periods the travel status of an employee and the appropriate reimbursement of travel expenses. Age Discrimination in Employment Amendments of 1996 - Amends the Age Discrimination in Employment Amendments of 1986 to restore the public safety exemption (thus allowing police and fire departments to use maximum hiring and mandatory retirement ages). Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, to study and report to the Congress on performance tests for law enforcement officers and firefighters.  Requires the Secretary to: (1) develop guidelines for the use of physical and mental fitness tests for such individuals; (2) issue regulations identifying valid, nondiscriminatory job performance tests for use by employers of such individuals; and (3) propose advisory standards for wellness programs. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 120) Amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to provide that evidence of a defendant's prior sexual assaults is admissible in all Federal sex offense trials commenced after the Act's effective date. Child Pornography Prevention Act of 1996 - Amends the Federal criminal code to define child pornography to mean any visual depiction, including photograph, film, videotape or computer image, produced by any means including electronically by computer, of sexually explicit conduct if:  (1) its production involved the use of a minor engaging in such conduct; (2) it appears to depict a minor engaging in such conduct; (3) it has been created, adapted, or modified to appear that an identifiable minor is engaging in such conduct; or (4) it is promoted or advertised as depicting a minor engaging in such conduct. Increases criminal penalties for child sexual exploitation. Amends the Privacy Protection Act to permits searches and seizures where the offense involves child pornography, the sexual exploitation of children, or the sale or purchase of children. Amber Hagerman Child Protection Act of 1996 - Amends the Federal criminal code to establish special penalties for aggravated sexual abuse of persons under age 12 and of persons between ages 12 and 16, where State lines have been crossed.  Prescribes life imprisonment for certain repeat offenders. Title II:  Department of Commerce and Related Agencies - Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 - Makes FY 1997 appropriations to the Department of Commerce and related agencies, including the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the International Trade Commission. Sets forth requirements and limitations relating to use of such funds. Rescinds specified amounts of unobligated balances for:  (1) construction of research facilities of the National Institute of Standards and Technology; and (2) operations, research, and facilities of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). (Sec. 206) Provides for transfer of appropriations to successor organizations in the event the Department of Commerce is dismantled or reorganized. (Sec. 208) Prohibits the use of any funds appropriated under this or any other Act henceforth to develop new fishery management plans, amendments, or regulations which create new individual fishing quota, individual transferable quota, or new individual transferable effort allocation programs, or to implement any such plans, amendments, or regulations approved by a Regional Fishery Management Council or the Secretary of Commerce after January 4, 1995, until offsetting fees to pay for administrative costs are expressly authorized under the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act.  Makes such restriction inapplicable to the North Pacific halibut and sablefish, South Atlantic wreckfish, or the Mid-Atlantic surfclam and ocean (including mahogany) quahog individual quota programs. (Sec. 210) Establishes the Bureau of the Census Working Capital Fund to cover costs of maintenance and operation of services and projects that the Director of the Census Bureau determines may be performed more advantageously when centralized. (Sec. 211) Renames the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act as the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Title III:  The Judiciary - Judiciary Appropriations Act, 1997 - Appropriates FY 1997 funds for activities of the Judiciary, including: (1) the Supreme Court; (2) the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; (3) the U.S. Court of International Trade; (4) Courts of Appeals, district courts, and other judicial services; (5) the Administrative Office of the United States Courts; (6) the Federal Judicial Center; (7) Judicial Retirement Funds; and (8) the U.S.  Sentencing Commission. Sets forth requirements and limitations relating to the use of such funds. (Sec. 305) Extends the Judiciary Automation Fund and related authorities through FY 1998. (Sec. 306) Prohibits the use of funds available to the Judiciary for certain costs related to the appointment of Special Masters before April 26, 1996. (Sec. 307) Designates a specified U.S. courthouse in Medford, Oregon, as the James A. Redden Federal Courthouse. Title IV:  Department of State and Related Agencies - Department of State and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 - Appropriates FY 1997 funds for the Department of State and related agencies, programs, and trust funds (including the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and the U.S. Information Agency). Sets forth requirements and limitations relating to the use of such funds. Provides specified funds for:  (1) broadcasting to Cuba; (2) the Center for Cultural and Technical Interchange Between East and West, in Hawaii; and (3) the North-South Center, in Florida. (Sec. 406) Denies availability of funds under this Act to support the activities of the Standing Consultative Commission (SCC) unless the President reports to the Congress a detailed analysis of:  (1) whether the Memorandum of Understanding on Succession and the Agreed Statement regarding Demarcation agreed to by the SCC on June 24, 1996, represent substantive changes to the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty of 1972; and (2) whether these agreements will require the advice and consent of the Senate. (Sec. 407) Amends Federal law to permit the Secretary of State to authorize State officials or the U.S. Postal Service to collect and retain the execution fee for passport applications. Title V:  Related Agencies - Appropriates FY 1997 funds for:  (1) the Maritime Administration of the Department of Transportation; (2) the Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad; (3) the Commission on Civil Rights; (4) the Commission on Immigration Reform; (5) the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe; (6) the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; (7) the Federal Communications Commission; (8) the Federal Maritime Commission; (9) the Federal Trade Commission; (10) the Legal Services Corporation; (11) the Marine Mammal Commission; (12) the National Bankruptcy Review Commission; (13) the Securities and Exchange Commission; (14) the Small Business Administration; (15) the Gambling Impact Study Commission; (16) the Ounce of Prevention Council and Grant Program; and (17) the State Justice Institute. Continues certain requirements and restrictions with respect to use of funds by the Legal Services Corporation. Title VI:  General Provisions - Sets forth limitations and prohibitions on the use of funds appropriated by this Act. (Sec. 606) Prohibits the use of funds for the construction, repair, overhaul, conversion, or modernization of vessels for the NOAA in shipyards located outside of the United States. (Sec. 607) Expresses the sense of the Congress that equipment and products purchased under this Act should be American-made. Declares ineligible to receive any Federal contract or subcontract made with funds under this Act any person finally determined by a court or Federal agency to have intentionally affixed a false ""Made in America"" label to any product sold in or shipped to the United States that is no made in the United States. (Sec. 608) Prohibits the use of funds to implement, administer, or enforce any guidelines of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission covering harassment based on religion, when it is made known that such guidelines do not differ from certain proposed guidelines. (Sec. 609) Prohibits the use of funds from this Act, unless certain conditions are met, to pay for costs incurred for:  (1) opening or operating any U.S. diplomatic or consular post in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam that was not operating on July 11, 1995; (2) expanding any such post that was in operation on such date; or (3) increasing the number of personnel assigned to such posts above the level existing on such date.  Allows the use of such funds for such purposes only if the President certifies that the Vietnamese Government is fully cooperating with the United States in specified activities relating to the investigation and recovery of missing U.S.  military personnel, including:  (1) resolution of discrepancy cases, live-sightings, and field activities; (2) recovery and repatriation of American remains; (3) provision of documents on POW-MIAs; and (4) implementation of trilateral investigations with Laos. (Sec. 610) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act for any United Nations peacekeeping mission involving U.S. forces under the command or control of a foreign national, if the President's military advisors have not recommended that such involvement is in the U.S. national security interest, and the President has not submitted such a recommendation to the Congress. (Sec. 611) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act to provide specified amenities or personal comforts in the Federal prison system. (Sec. 614) Prohibits funds under this Act for the Federal Bureau of Prisons from being used to distribute or make available to a prisoner any commercially published information or material that is sexually explicit or features nudity. (Sec. 615) Limits the amount of State and local law enforcement assistance funds which may be provided to any entity under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 if that entity does not provide a certain level of health insurance benefits to its employed public safety officers who retire or are separated from service due to injury suffered in the line of duty while responding to an emergency situation or a hot pursuit. (Sec. 616) Amends Federal patent law to shield a medical practitioner or related health care entity from liability for patent infringement even though such practitioner's performance of a medical activity constitutes a patent infringement.  Denies this exemption from liability to the activities of any person (or employee or agent), regardless of tax-exempt status, who is engaged in the commercial development, manufacture, sale, importation, or distribution of a machine, manufacture, or composition of matter or the provision of pharmacy or clinical laboratory services (other than those provided in a physician's office), if such activities:  (1) are directly related to such commercial development, and so forth; and (2) are regulated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the Public Health Service Act, or the Clinical Laboratories Improvement Act. (Sec. 617) Amends the Department of Justice Appropriation Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 1980 to repeal the mandate that Department of Justice organizations notify congressional committees before reprogramming funds or taking certain other administrative actions. (Sec. 618) Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to provide a guarantee or commitment to guarantee, under the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, for shipyard infrastructure development and modernization and for vessels integral to the reactivation and modernization of an eligible shipyard that receives such a guarantee. Title VII:  Rescissions - Rescinds specified amounts from unobligated balances under the following headings for the Department of Justice:  (1) general administration, working capital fund; and (2) Immigration and Naturalization Service, Immigration Emergency Fund. Title VIII:  Fiscal Year 1996 Supplemental and Rescission - Provides for specified additional funds for FY 1997, and rescissions of similar unobligated amounts for FY 1996, for the Department of Justice's Federal Prison System salaries and expenses. Title IX:  Supplemental Appropriations - Appropriates additional amounts for emergency expenses resulting from Hurricanes Fran and Hortense and other natural disasters:  (1) to the Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration's economic development assistance programs (infrastructure expenses); and (2) to the Small Business Administration, Disaster Loans Program Account. Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 1997 - Title I(sic): Military Personnel - Appropriates funds for FY 1997 for active-duty and reserve personnel in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force and for National Guard personnel in the Army and Air Force. Title II:  Operation and Maintenance - Appropriates funds for FY 1997 for the operation and maintenance (O&M) of the Army, Navy, and Air Force (including a transfer of funds in each case), the Marine Corps, the defense agencies (including a transfer of funds), the reserve components, and the Army and Air National Guards.  Appropriates funds for:  (1) overseas contingency operations (including a transfer of funds); (2) the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces; (3) environmental restoration for the Army, Navy, Air Force, and defense-wide (including a transfer of funds in each case); (4) environmental restoration at former defense sites (including a transfer of funds); (5) overseas humanitarian, disaster, and civic aid; (6) nuclear threat reduction programs with respect to republics of the former Soviet Union; and (7) quality of life enhancements, defense. Title III:  Procurement - Appropriates funds for FY 1997 for procurement by the armed forces and its reserve components of aircraft, missiles, weapons, tracked combat vehicles, ammunition, shipbuilding and conversion, and for other procurement.  Appropriates funds for defense-wide procurement and for National Guard and reserve equipment. Title IV:  Research, Development, Test and Evaluation - Appropriates funds for FY 1997 for research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) by the armed forces and defense agencies. Appropriates funds for the Directors of Test and Evaluation and Operational Test and Evaluation. Title V:  Revolving and Management Funds - Appropriates funds for:  (1) the Defense Business Operations Fund (DBOF); and (2) programs under the National Defense Sealift Fund. Title VI:  Other Department of Defense Programs - Appropriates funds for:  (1) the Department of Defense (DOD) medical and health care programs; (2) the destruction of lethal chemical agents and munitions; (3) drug interdiction and counter-drug activities, defense (including a transfer of funds); and (4) expenses and activities of the Office of the Inspector General in carrying out the Inspector General Act of 1978. Title VII:  Related Agencies - Appropriates funds for:  (1) the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System Fund; (2) expenses of the Intelligence Community Management Account; (3) authorized payments to the Kaho'olawe Island Conveyance, Remediation, and Environmental Restoration Trust Fund; and (4) national security scholarships, fellowships, and grants (using funds derived from the National Security Education Trust Fund). Title VIII:  General Provisions - Specifies authorized, restricted, and prohibited uses of appropriated funds. (Sec. 8009) Authorizes procurement funds appropriated under this Act to be used for multiyear procurement contracts for Javelin missiles, Arleigh Burke class destroyers, the Army Tactical Missile System, and certain machine guns, rifles, and automatic weapons. (Sec. 8011) Prohibits during FY 1997 the management by end strengths of DOD civilian personnel. (Sec. 8020) Authorizes the Secretary of Defense (Secretary) to establish with host governments of NATO-member countries an account for the deposit of residual value amounts negotiated in the return of U.S. military installations to such countries. (Sec. 8035) Authorizes DOD to incur up to $350 million in obligations for DOD personnel compensation, military construction projects, and supplies and services in anticipation of receipts of contributions from the government of Kuwait. (Sec. 8036) Earmarks funds from this Act for the Civil Air Patrol. (Sec. 8037) Prohibits the use of funds appropriated under this Act to establish a new DOD federally funded research and development center (FFRDC).  Limits:  (1) compensation payments made to FFRDC officers and employees; and (2) the total FY 1997 number of technical effort staff years which may be funded for DOD FFRDCs.  Requires a report from the Secretary to the congressional defense and appropriations committees concerning such staff years.  Reduces by a specified amount the total amounts appropriated under titles II through IV of this Act to reflect savings from the decreased use of non-FFRDC consulting services by DOD.  Requires a report on the allocation of such funding reductions. (Sec. 8044) Authorizes the payment of voluntary separation incentive payments to military personnel. (Sec. 8048) Authorizes funds available for defense drug interdiction and counter-drug activities to be used for the Young Marines program. (Sec. 8055) Prohibits the use of funds:  (1) for the modification of an aircraft, weapon, ship, or other equipment that the military department concerned plans to retire or otherwise dispose of within five years after completion of the modification; (2) by a DOD entity without compliance with the Buy American Act; (3) for the design, development, acquisition, or operation of more than 47 Titan IV expendable launch vehicles; (4) for assistance to or programs in the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea unless specifically appropriated for such purpose; (5) to reduce the civilian medical and medical support personnel assigned to military treatment facilities below the September 30, 1996 level; and (6) to transport chemical munitions to the Johnston Atoll for storage or demilitarization (with an exception and an authorized wartime waiver by the President). (Sec. 8059) Earmarks funds appropriated under this Act for the mitigation of adverse environmental impacts on Indian lands resulting from DOD activities. (Sec. 8065) Earmarks $40 million from the funds authorized for chemical agents and munitions destruction, defense, to conduct a pilot program to identify and demonstrate not less than two alternatives to the current incineration process for demilitarized chemical munitions (requiring an evaluation and annual report to the defense and appropriations committees with respect to such program). (Sec. 8068) Authorizes DOD to enter into interim leasing arrangements for the Adak Naval Air Facility. (Sec. 8070) Rescinds specified funds from various accounts under prior defense appropriations Acts. (Sec. 8087) Appropriates funds to DOD for transfer to the Coast Guard. (Sec. 8088) Reduces by $150 million the total amount appropriated under this Act to reflect savings from reduced carryover of activities funded through the DBOF. (Sec. 8091) Directs the Secretary to report quarterly to specified congressional committees setting forth all costs incurred by DOD in implementing or supporting United Nations (UN)  Security Council resolutions. (Sec. 8092) Prohibits the use of FY 1996 funds to transfer to another nation or international organization any defense articles or services (other than intelligence services) for use in international peacekeeping or peace enforcement activities. (Sec. 8093) Directs the Secretary, to the extent authorized by law, to issue loan guarantees in support of U.S. defense exports not otherwise provided for, with a contingent liability limit of $15 billion.  Requires quarterly reports to specified congressional committees on such loan guarantees. (Sec. 8094) Prohibits the use of DOD funds for a financial contribution to the UN for the cost of a UN peacekeeping activity or for the payment for any U.S. arrearage to the UN. (Sec. 8096) Reduces Air Force O&M funds to reflect a reduction in the pass through to the Air Force business areas of the DBOF. (Sec. 8103) Authorizes specified amounts for Air Force B-2 aircraft procurement from prior-year defense appropriations Acts to remain available for expenditure until the end of FY 2002. (Sec. 8105) Directs the Secretary, upon the enactment of this Act, to make specified transfers between various DOD appropriation accounts. (Sec. 8106) Requires, no later than June 30, 1997, that DOD disbursements in excess of $3 million be matched to a particular obligation before the disbursement is made. (Sec. 8108) Directs the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) to submit to the defense and appropriations committees a detailed report identifying any activity for which the FY 1998 budget was reduced because the Congress appropriated funds above the President's budget request for such activity for FY 1997. (Sec. 8111) Directs the Secretary to:  (1) carry out the deep-strike tradeoff study announced by the President to study tradeoffs between bombers, aircraft, and missiles capable of striking targets in an enemy's rear area; and (2) establish an ad hoc review committee to aid in such study. (Sec. 8112) Makes certain prior-year Air Force missile procurement funds available, until paid, for the payment of satellite on-orbit incentive fees. (Sec. 8113) Directs the Secretary and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to carry out a joint study assessing future tactical aircraft requirements across service jurisdictions. (Sec. 8115) Prohibits the use of funds appropriated under this Act to reimburse a defense contractor for restructuring costs associated with a business combination unless the savings resulting for DOD will exceed the costs charged.  Requires a report from the DOD Inspector General concerning such costs. (Sec. 8116) Restricts the purchase of security locks used to protect critical national security information or other classified material. (Sec. 8117) Repeals a provision of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 1996, which prohibits the use of Navy funds to develop or procure an emergency generator set for the New Attack Submarine unless such equipment is powered by a diesel engine manufactured in the United States by a U.S. entity. (Sec. 8118) Directs the Secretary to ensure that DOD contractors who are required to submit annual reports to the Secretary of Labor concerning the hiring of qualified special disabled veterans and veterans of the Vietnam era under DOD contracts are aware of, and in compliance with, such reporting requirements.  Requires a joint report from such Secretaries to the Congress concerning reporting compliance. (Sec. 8120) Prohibits, during FY 1997, any advance billing for services provided or work performed by DBOF activities of the Navy in excess of $1 billion. Authorizes additional charges to increase revenues to the DBOF.  Provides additional transfer authority to reimburse costs paid through the DBOF. (Sec. 8121) Authorizes the Secretary to waive reimbursement of certain educational costs of the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies for military officers and civilian officials of foreign nations if the Secretary determines that their attendance is in the national security interest. (Sec. 8122) Earmarks specified Air Force funds appropriated under this Act for a facility at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, to provide care and rehabilitative services to disabled children who are military dependents.  Provides grant authority (with conditions) for the construction of such a facility. (Sec. 8123) Prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act to reduce the number of special operations units of the National Guard. (Sec. 8124) Requires the Secretary of the Army to ensure that solicitations for Army contracts include specific goals for subcontracts with small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, and women-owned small businesses. (Sec. 8125) Directs the Secretary of the Air Force and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to submit a joint report to specified congressional committees concerning the benefits, allowances, services, and other assistance provided to any civilian Federal employee or private citizen (or family of such employee or citizen) who is injured or killed while traveling on an aircraft owned, leased, chartered, or operated by the Federal Government. (Sec. 8126) Requires a report from:  (1) the Deputy Secretary of Defense concerning DOD procurements of propellant raw materials; (2) the Secretary of the Air Force on a cost-benefit analysis of consolidating the ground station infrastructure of the Air Force that supports polar orbiting satellites; and (3) the Secretary on the establishment of a demonstration program under which covered beneficiaries under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services who are also entitled to benefits under part A of the Medicare program (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) and who do not have access to TRICARE (a DOD managed health care program) would be permitted to enroll in a health benefits program offered through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. (Sec. 8128) Appropriates funds for defense against weapons of mass destruction. (Sec. 8130) Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1997 to repeal specified provisions:  (1) authorizing appropriations for the defense dual-use technology program; and (2) providing funding requirements and transfer authority with respect to such program. (Sec. 8132) Directs the Secretary to complete a cost-benefits analysis on the establishment of a National Missile Defense Joint Program Office. (Sec. 8133) Authorizes the Chief of the National Guard Bureau to permit the use of equipment of the National Guard Distance Learning Project by any person or entity on a space-available, reimbursable basis. (Sec. 8134) Authorizes the Secretary of the Air Force to implement cost-effective agreements for required heating facility modernization in the Kaiserslautern Military Community in the Federal Republic of Germany. (Sec. 8135) Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1997 to rename the Michael O'Callaghan Military Hospital as the Michael O'Callaghan Federal Hospital. (Sec. 8136) Reduces by specified amounts the appropriations made under this Act for various defense R&D accounts.  Requires a report on such funding reductions. (Sec. 8137) Appropriates funds to DOD, allocated among various accounts, for antiterrorism, counter-terrorism, and security enhancement programs, designating each such amount as an emergency requirement under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.  Cancels an equal amount of funds appropriated in titles I through VII of this Act, requiring the cancelled amount to be allocated on a pro-rata basis among each budget activity. Title IX:  Fiscal Year 1996 Supplemental Appropriations and Rescissions for Anti-Terrorism, Counter-Terrorism, and Security Enhancement Activities - Appropriates funds for Army and Air Force military personnel, O&M, and procurement, designating each such amount as an emergency requirement pursuant to the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act. (Sec. 9001) Rescinds specified funds in various DOD accounts under prior defense appropriations Acts. (Sec. 9002) Requires funds appropriated by this title for programs and activities of the Central Intelligence Agency to remain available until September 30, 1997. Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1997 - Title I(sic):  Export and Investment Assistance - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 for:  (1) Export-Import Bank subsidies; (2) the Overseas Private Investment Corporation; and (3) the Trade and Development Agency. Title II:  Bilateral Economic Assistance - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 for:  (1) expenses of the President under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961; (2) the Agency for International Development (AID) for child survival and disease programs; (3) AID for specified development assistance (including transfers of funds) allowing availability of limited amounts for the Inter-American Foundation and the African Development Foundation; (4) assistance to Vietnam to reform its trade regime; (5) AID's Office of Population and the U.S.  Telecommunications Training Institute; (6) specified projects aimed at reunification of Cyprus; (7) democracy and humanitarian activities in Burma; (8) private and voluntary organizations; (9) international disaster assistance; (10) debt restructuring; (11) micro and small enterprise development programs; (12) guaranteed loans under the worldwide housing guarantees program; (13) the Foreign Service Retirement and Disability Fund; (14) operating expenses of AID and the AID Office of Inspector General; (15) Economic Support Fund (ESF) assistance (but not for Zaire); (16) the International Fund for Ireland; (17) economic assistance for Eastern Europe, the Baltic States, and the independent states of the former Soviet Union; (18) the Peace Corps (but with a ban on fund use for abortions); and (19) the Department of State for international narcotics control, migration and refugee assistance, and nonproliferation, anti-terrorism, and related programs and activities. Title III: Military Assistance - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 for:  (1) international military education and training (with a ban on such assistance to Zaire and Guatemala); and (2) foreign military financing and direct loans and grants (earmarking amounts for Israel, Egypt, Greece, and Turkey, and for the participation of Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic in the Partnership for Peace Program). Prohibits foreign military financing for:  (1) any non-North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) country participating in the Partnership for Peace Program except through the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations; and (2) Zaire, Sudan, Liberia, and Guatemala. Title IV:  Multilateral Economic Assistance - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 for the U.S. contribution to the:  (1) International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank); (2) International Development Association; (3) International Finance Corporation; (4) Inter-American Development Bank; (5) Enterprise for the Americas Multilateral Investment Fund; (6) Asian Development Bank; (7) Asian Development Fund; (8) European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; and (9) North American Development Bank. Makes appropriations for FY 1997 for international programs and organizations, with restrictions, including a ban on the use of funds for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for activities in China. Title V:  General Provisions - Sets forth limits on the use of appropriations identical or very similar to restrictions enacted in the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1996 (P.L. 104-107), notably with respect to:  (1) countries supporting the Arab boycott of Israel, Cuba, Iraq, Iran, Liberia, Montenegro, the Palestine Liberation Organization, Serbia, terrorist countries or countries supporting terrorism or giving sanctuary to war criminals; and (2) financial incentives to induce a business to relocate outside the United States or assistance to develop certain kinds of export processing zones in foreign countries. (Sec. 517) Declares it continues to be U.S. policy that funds allocated to Israel from the ESF shall not be less than the annual debt repayment from Israel to the United States. (Sec. 518) Prohibits the use of development assistance funds for abortions or involuntary sterilizations (including to lobby for or against abortions). (Sec. 518A) Prohibits funds for population planning programs from being expended prior to July 1, 1997.  Permits such funds to be made available March 1, 1997, if the President finds, and the Congress approves by a joint resolution, that the limitation has a negative impact on the population planning programs. (Sec. 520) Prohibits the use of funds for Colombia, Guatemala (except for development assistance), the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Liberia, Pakistan, Peru, Serbia, Sudan, or Zaire, except through the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations. (Sec. 533A) States that direct costs associated with meeting a foreign customer's additional or unique requirements will continue to be allowable under contracts for sales of defense articles under the Arms Export Control Act, with loadings applicable to such costs permitted at the same rates applicable to procurement of like items purchased by the Department of Defense for its own use. (Sec. 539) Authorizes the President, subject to notification of the congressional appropriations committees, to direct the transfer of defense articles to the Bosnia and Herzegovina governments, without reimbursement, if he certifies to the Congress that the transfer would assist that nation in self-defense and promote the security and stability of the region.  Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 561) Declares the sense of the Congress that, to the greatest extent practicable, all equipment and products purchased with funds available in this Act should be American-made.  Requires each Federal agency head to notify any entity using assistance or contract funds under this Act of this declaration. (Sec. 564) Authorizes the President (similarly to authority under P.L. 104-107) to:  (1) reduce certain debts owed the United States by eligible countries; and (2) sell, reduce, or cancel certain loans under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 in order to facilitate debt-for-equity, debt-for-development, or debt-for-nature swaps, or debt buybacks. (Sec. 566) Authorizes the availability of funds for assistance for Liberia. (Sec. 567) Waives certain restrictions and authorizes the availability of funds for the Guatemalan military forces only if the President certifies to the Congress that the Guatemalan military is cooperating fully with efforts to resolve human rights abuses and to negotiate a peace settlement. (Sec. 570) Imposes certain economic sanctions against Burma until the President certifies to the Congress that Burma has made progress in improving human rights and implementing democracy. (Sec. 571) Requires that a certain additional report on U.S. Hong Kong policy scheduled for 1997 include detailed information on the status and implementation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration on the Question of Hong Kong. (Sec. 573) Directs the Secretary of State to report to the Committees on Appropriations on U.S. Government actions to resolve the conflict in Chechnya. (Sec. 578) Requires the Secretary of State to report annually to the Congress (in some instances optionally in classified form) on the cooperation of foreign countries in:  (1) the apprehension, conviction, and punishment of individuals responsible for acts of international terrorism against U.S citizens or interests; and (2) the prevention of further such acts against U.S. citizens in the respective foreign countries. (Sec. 579) Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the U.S. Executive Director of each international financial institution to vote against any loan or other use of the institution's funds, other than to address basic human needs, for the government of any country with a known history of female genital mutilation which has not made the practice illegal or taken steps to implement educational programs to prevent it. (Sec. 580) Requires the Secretary of State's annual report to the Congress on voting practices at the UN to include a side-by-side comparison of individual countries' overall support for the United States at the UN and the amount of U.S. assistance provided to such country in FY 1996. (Sec. 581) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act to pay any voluntary U.S. contribution to the UN unless the President certifies to the Congress that the UN is not making any effort to impose any taxation on any U.S. persons. (Sec. 582) Declares that the Government of Haiti shall be eligible to purchase defense articles and services under the Arms Export Control Act for the civilian-led Haitian National Police and Coast Guard. (Sec. 584) Declares that, for purposes of eligibility for the Orderly Departure Program for nationals of Vietnam, certain Vietnamese aliens shall be considered refugees of special humanitarian concern, and shall be admitted to the United States for resettlement. (Sec. 585) Directs the Secretary of State to report to the Committee on Appropriations about certain military activities of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. (Sec. 587) Withholds specified funds from Mexico until the President reports to the Congress that Mexico is taking action to reduce the flow of illegal drugs to the United States as well as enforce its laws against narcotic trafficking and money-laundering. (Sec. 589) Makes officials or employees of a foreign state designated a state sponsor of terrorism liable to U.S. nationals for personal injury or death caused by acts of terrorism. Title VI:  NATO Enlargement Facilitation Act of 1996 - NATO Enlargement Facilitation Act of 1996 - Declares it is the policy of the United States to:  (1) assist the transition to full membership in NATO of emerging democracies in Central and Eastern Europe; and (2) work to construct a political and security relationship between an enlarged NATO and the Russian Federation. (Sec. 604) Expresses the sense of the Congress that in order to promote security in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Albania, Moldova, and Ukraine:  (1) the United States should support the full and active participation of these countries in activities that will qualify them for NATO membership; (2) the U.S. Government should press the European Union to admit as soon as possible any country qualifying for membership; and (3) the United States and NATO should support military and peacekeeping initiatives between and among such countries, NATO countries, and Russia. (Sec. 605) Expresses the sense of the Congress that Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania should not be disadvantaged in seeking membership into NATO. (Sec. 606) Designates Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia as eligible to receive certain assistance for transition to full membership in NATO.  Requires the President to designate as eligible for such assistance other emerging democracies in Central and Eastern Europe that meet specified criteria. (Sec. 607) Authorizes appropriations for NATO enlargement assistance. (Sec. 608) Authorizes the availability of certain funds for the Regional Airspace Initiative and the Partnership for Peace Information Management System. (Sec. 609) Declares that the transfer of excess defense articles to countries intending to participate in NATO (including countries of NATO's southern flank) shall be given priority, to the maximum extent feasible, over the delivery of such articles to other countries, except certain countries specified under the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1995. (Sec. 610) Declares that the Congress endorses U.S. efforts to modernize the defense capability of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and any other countries the President designates under the NATO Participation Act of 1994, by exploring options for the sale or lease to such countries of weapons systems compatible with those used by NATO members, including air defense systems, advanced fighter aircraft, and telecommunications infrastructure. (Sec. 611) Amends the NATO Participation Act of 1994 to establish a presidential and congressional procedure for termination of eligibility for assistance for Partnership for Peace countries which: (1) no longer meet certain eligibility criteria; (2) are hostile to the NATO alliance; or (3) pose a national security threat to the United States. Title VII:  Middle East Development Bank - Bank for Economic Cooperation and Development in the Middle East and North Africa Act - Authorizes the President to accept membership for the United States in the Bank for Economic Cooperation and Development in the Middle East and North Africa, including subscription to up to a specified number of shares of stock in such Bank. Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 - Title I(sic):  Department of the Interior - Makes appropriations for the FY 1997 operation of the Department of the Interior. Sets forth uses and prohibitions on the use of funds under this title. Names the Bureau of Land Management's Visitor Center in Rand, Oregon, the William B. Smullin Visitor Center. Prohibits the National Park Service from spending any funds under this Act for activities in direct response to the United Nations Biodiversity Initiative in the United States. Authorizes the National Park Service (NPS) to transfer NPS funds to State, local, and tribal governments, other public entities, educational institutions, and private nonprofit organizations to carry out NPS programs. Provides certain funds for closure of the U.S. Bureau of Mines, including payments for workers' compensation and unemployment compensation for former Bureau employees. (Sec. 113) Establishes in the Treasury a franchise fund pilot for capitalizing and operating central administrative services. (Sec. 114) Amends the Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act (Public Law 102-495) to allow the State of Washington, upon appropriation of a specified amount for the Federal Government to acquire the Elwha and Glines dams, and upon submission to the Congress by the State of a binding agreement to remove them within a reasonable period of time, to purchase such dams from the Federal Government for $2.  Repeals such Act upon purchase of the dams by the State. (Sec. 115) Extends, for one year, the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission (Massachusetts and Rhode Island). (Sec. 116) Designates and ratifies assignment to the University of Utah as successor to, and beneficiary of, all the existing assets, revenues, funds and rights granted to the State of Utah under the Miners Hospital Grant and the School of Mines Grant.  Directs the Secretary of the Interior to accept relinquishment of all remaining and unconveyed entitlement for quantity grants owed the State of Utah for the Miners Hospital Grant and any unconveyed entitlement that may remain for the University of Utah School of Mines Grant. (Sec. 117) Amends the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act to increase from 20 to 50 the number of new tribes per year which the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the Office of Self-Governance, may select from an applicant pool to participate in self-governance. (Sec. 118) Allows the Indian Arts and Crafts Board to carry out specified revenue-generating activities, including charging museum admission fees, if such revenue is covered into a designated special fund. (Sec. 119) Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), to transfer:  (1) to Lander County, Nevada, title to the former BLM administrative site and associated buildings in Battle Mountain, Nevada; and (2) to the State of Nevada, title to the surplus BLM District Office building in Winnemucca, Nevada. (Sec. 120) Directs the Secretary of the Interior to transfer a certain Grumman Goose aircraft to the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum in Anchorage, Alaska. (Sec. 121) Amends the Mesquite Lands Act of 1988 to require the City of Mesquite, Nevada, to notify the Secretary of the Interior, within a specified period, as to which of specified public lands it wishes to purchase. Father Aull Site Transfer Act of 1996 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey without consideration certain land near Silver City, New Mexico, to Saint Vincent DePaul Parish. (Sec. 124) Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to use BLM appropriations to enter into cooperative agreements, directly or indirectly through State, local, or tribal governments, with willing private landowners for restoration and enhancement of fish, wildlife, and other biotic resources on public or private land, or both, that benefit these resources on public lands within the watershed. (Sec. 125) Designates the visitor center at Channel Islands National Park, California, the Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center. Title II:  Related Agencies - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 to the Department of Agriculture for the Forest Service, including additional amounts for emergency rehabilitation, forest fire presuppression due to emergencies, and wildfire suppression activities. Prohibits the use of funds to implement any reorganization or ""reinvention"" of the Forest Service, without the consent of the congressional appropriations committees, other than the relocation of a specified regional office from San Francisco to excess military property at Mare Island, Vallejo, California. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to report to the congressional appropriations committees on the status and disposition of all salvage timber sales started under the emergency salvage timber sale program mandated by the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Additional Disaster Assistance, for Anti-terrorism Initiatives, for Assistance in the Recovery from the Tragedy that Occurred at Oklahoma City, and Rescissions Act, 1995 and subsequently withdrawn or delayed and completed under different authorities as a consequence of the Secretary's July 2, 1996 directive on the implementation of the mandate. Names the Pacific Northwest Research Station Silviculture Laboratory in Bend, Oregon, the Robert W. Chandler Building. Makes appropriations for FY 1997 to the Department of Energy (DOE) for fossil energy research and development, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), the SPR Petroleum Account, and other activities. Rescinds a specified amount of funds for clean coal technology, making them available for any ongoing DOE project. Directs the Secretary of Energy to sell a specified dollar amount of oil during FY 1997 from the SPR and deposit the proceeds in an SPR Operating Fund. Makes appropriations for FY 1997 to the Department of Health and Human Services for the Indian Health Service for services and facilities. Appropriates funds for FY 1997 to:  (1) the Department of Education for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education for Indian Education; (2) the Office of Navajo and Hopi Relocation; (3) the Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development; (4) the Smithsonian Institution; (5) the National Gallery of Art; (6) the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; and (7) the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Makes FY 1997 appropriations for:  (1) the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities; (2) the Institute of Museum Services; (3) the Commission of Fine Arts; (4) the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; (5) the National Capital Planning Commission; (6) the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Commission; and (7) the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council. Sets forth uses and prohibitions on funds under this title. Title III:  General Provisions - Sets forth uses and limitations of funds appropriated by this Act. (Sec. 307) Requires expenditures under this Act to comply with the Buy American Act.  Expresses the sense of the Congress that entities receiving Federal assistance should purchase only American-made equipment and products.  Prohibits Federal contracts with persons found to have falsely labeled a product with a ""Made in America"" inscription. (Sec. 312) Permits the use of funds from this Act for the AmeriCorps program, subject to availability of funds under the VA-HUD and Independent Agencies FY 1997 appropriations bill, and only if the relevant agencies follow appropriate reprogramming guidelines. (Sec. 316) Places limitations on the type of grant awards that can be made by the National Endowment for the Arts. (Sec. 317) Prohibits the use of funds for any rules or regulations under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act to assert jurisdiction, management, or control over any waters (other than non- navigable waters on Federal lands), non-Federal lands, or lands selected by, but not conveyed to, Alaska under the Submerged Lands Act of 1953 or the Alaska Statehood Act of 1959, or an Alaska Native Corporation under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. (Sec. 318) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act to review or modify sourcing areas previously approved under specified provisions of the Forest Resources Conservation and Shortage Relief Act of 1990 or to enforce or implement specified Federal regulations.  Prohibits adoption of policies that would restrain domestic transportation or processing of timber from private lands or impose additional accountability requirements on any timber. (Sec. 319) Extends through FY 1999 the authority to collect recreation fees under the Recreation Fee Demonstration Program, and through FY 2002 the availability in accounts of the fees collected. (Sec. 320) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act for any activity in connection with a scenic shoreline drive in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan. (Sec. 321) Transfers specified land, including the Bend Silviculture Lab, to the Central Oregon Community College, Bend, Oregon. (Sec. 322) Prohibits the use of any funds for activities of the Office of Forestry and Economic Assistance, or any successor office. (Sec. 323) Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to:  (1) accept title to specified land in Prince Georges County, Maryland, adjacent to Oxon Cove Park, on condition that it has not become contaminated with hazardous substances; and (2) in exchange, convey to the Corrections Corporation of America specified land located in Oxon Cove Park in the District of Columbia. (Sec. 324) Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to exchange certain National Forest lands (including a wastewater treatment facility) in Chelan County, Washington, for certain lands owned by Public Utility District Number 1 of Chelan County, Washington. (Sec. 325) Snoqualmie National Forest Boundary Adjustment Act of 1996 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to modify the boundary of the Snoqualmie National Forest to include specified adjacent lands in Washington State. (Sec. 326) Sugarbush Land Exchange Act of 1996 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to provide for conveyance to Sugarbush Resort Holdings, Inc., of certain land in the Green Mountain National Forest, in exchange for cash or other land which shall become part of such National Forest. (Sec. 327) Amends the North Carolina Wilderness Act of 1984 to remove 100 acres from the Snowbird Wilderness Study Area. (Sec. 328) Renames the Columbia Wilderness the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness. (Sec. 329) Authorizes the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior during FY 1997 to limit competition for watershed restoration project contracts under the ""Jobs in the Woods"" component of the President's Forest Plan for the Pacific Northwest to individuals and entities in historically timber-dependent areas of Washington, Oregon, and northern California that have been affected by reduced timber harvesting on Federal lands. (Sec. 330) Amends the Rhode Island Indian Claims Settlement Act to declare that, for purposes of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, settlement lands shall not be treated as Indian lands. Title IV:  Emergency Appropriations - Makes additional appropriations for specified functions and activities of the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior. Makes emergency appropriations in additional amounts to:  (1) the Department of Agriculture, for the Forest Service; (2) the Smithsonian Institution; (3) the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; (4) the National Gallery of Art; and (5) U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 - Title I (sic):  Department of Labor - Department of Labor Appropriations Act, 1997 - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 (including certain transfers of funds) for agencies, programs, and various trust funds, within the Department of Labor. Prescribes uses and limitations on funds under this title. (Sec. 105) Authorizes the Secretary of Labor, in certain circumstances, to waive specified requirements under the Job Training Partnership Act in order to assist States in improving State workforce development systems. Title II:  Department of Health and Human Services - Department of Health and Human Services Appropriations Act, 1997 - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 (including certain transfers of funds) for agencies and programs within the Department of Health and Human Services. Prescribes limitations on the use of appropriated funds under this title. (Sec. 212) Directs the Administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration, with the assistance of the Agency for Health Care Policy Research, to report to the appropriate congressional committees a review of research on treatment of end-stage emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by specified surgical procedures, and recommend as to the appropriateness of Medicare coverage of such conditions and procedures. (Sec. 213) Amends the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act to increase the maximum allowable State grant allotment. (Sec. 214) Names the new clinical research center at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as the Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research and Patient Care Center. Title III:  Department of Education - Department of Education Appropriations Act, 1997 - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 (including certain transfers of funds) for agencies and programs within the Department of Education, subject to certain requirements for and limitations of their use.    (Sec. 301) Prohibits the use of appropriated funds to transport teachers or students in order to:  (1) overcome racial imbalance in any school or school system; or (2) carry out a racial desegregation plan. (Sec. 303) Prohibits the use of funds to prevent the implementation of programs of voluntary prayer and meditation in public schools. (Sec. 304) Limits the amount of funds which may be used for specified student aid programs under the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA). Prohibits the Secretary of Education from using HEA funds for subsequent fiscal years for administrative expenses of the William D. Ford Direct Loan Program. (Sec. 307) Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 with respect to additional assistance for heavily impacted local educational agencies (LEAs) to allow LEAs to participate in the determination of maximum impact aid payments. (Sec. 308) Amends HEA to change from June 30-June 30 to August 30- August 30 the reporting year for certain annual reports to the Secretary of Education concerning athletically related student aid. Title IV:  Related Agencies - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 for the following agencies or programs:  (1) Armed Forces Retirement Home; (2) Corporation for National and Community Service (for domestic volunteer service programs); (3) Corporation for Public Broadcasting; (4) Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service; (5) Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission; (6) National Commission on Libraries and Information Science; (7) National Council on Disability; (8) National Education Goals Panel; (9) National Labor Relations Board; (10) National Mediation Board; (11) Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission; (12) Physician Payment Review Commission; (13) Prospective Payment Assessment Commission; (14) Social Security Administration, for various trust funds and programs; (15) Railroad Retirement Board; and (16) United States Institute of Peace. Title V:  General Provisions - Sets forth requirements and limitations on the use of appropriated funds under this Act. (Sec. 505) Prohibits the use of funds to carry out any program of distributing sterile needles for the hypodermic injection of any illegal drug unless the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) determines that such programs are effective in preventing the spread of HIV and do not encourage the use of illegal drugs. (Sec. 506) Expresses the sense of the Congress that, to the greatest extent practicable, all equipment and products purchased under this Act should be American-made. (Sec. 508) Prohibits the use of funds to perform abortions except to save the life of the mother or where the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. (Sec. 510) Prohibits use of funds in this Act for the expenses of an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) task force. (Sec. 511) Prohibits use of funds in this Act to enforce specified requirements under HEA with respect to any lender that has a guaranteed student loan portfolio less than $5 million. (Sec. 512) Prohibits use of funds in this Act for:  (1) the creation of a human embryo or embryos for research purposes; or (2) research in which a human embryo or embryos are destroyed, discarded, or knowingly subjected to risk of injury or death greater than that allowed for research on fetuses in utero under certain Federal regulations and the Public Health Service Act. (Sec. 513) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act for promotion of legalization of controlled substances, except with respect to certain therapeutic uses. (Sec. 514) Denies funds to any covered educational entity that has a policy prohibiting, or effectively preventing, ROTC access to campus or Federal military recruiting on campus. (Sec. 519) Permanently cancels a specified amount of the budgetary resources available to agencies (except the Food and Drug Administration and the Indian Health Service) under this Act for salaries and expenses, such cancelled amount to be allocated by the Office of Management and Budget. (Sec. 520) Provides for voluntary separation incentives for employees of the Railroad Retirement Board and its Office of Inspector General. Title VI:  Reorganization and Privatization of Sallie Mae and Connie Lee - Student Loan Marketing Association Reorganization Act of 1996 - Amends the HEA to provide for the reorganization of the Student Loan Marketing Association (Sallie Mae) through the formation of a holding company and the cessation of Federal sponsorship. (Sec. 603) Amends HEA to provide for the privatization and renaming of the College Construction Loan Insurance Association (Connie Lee) and the cessation of Federal sponsorship. (Sec. 604) Amends HEA to prohibit Sallie Mae, or any successor entity functioning as a secondary market for student loans, from engaging in certain discriminatory practices against borrowers. Title VII:  Museum and Library Services Act of 1996 - Museum and Library Services Act of 1996 - Amends the Museum Services Act to revise and rename it as the Museum and Library Services Act (MLSA). (Sec. 702) Establishes within the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), consisting of an Office of Museum Services (OMS) and an Office of Library Services (OLS), along with the current National Museum Services Board, relocated in OMS.  Provides for an IMLS Director and Deputy Directors for OMS and OLS. Library Services and Technology Act - Provides for library services and technology under MLSA, with an emphasis on library services and technology, access, and literacy programs for underserved communities. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Education for grants to States for information access through technology and information empowerment through special services.  Directs the Secretary to transfer such funds to the Director to carry out such library services and technology programs. Sets forth basic program requirements, including a 50 percent Federal share and State five-year plans. Sets forth requirements and authorized activities for library programs of grants to States for:  (1) information access through technology; and (2) information empowerment through special services (including special services for children in poverty who are served by libraries). Sets forth administrative requirements for such library grants programs, including State evaluation of assisted activities, State advisory councils, Federal grants for library services for Indian tribes, and a program of national leadership and evaluation activities. Continues to authorize:  (1) grants to museums to increase and improve museum services through specified types of activities; and (2) contracts and cooperative agreements with appropriate entities for projects to strengthen museum services. Requires the Director to assess the collaborative possibilities museums can engage in to serve the public more broadly and effectively. Authorizes the Director to make an annual National Award for Museum Service to outstanding museums that have made significant contributions in service to their communities. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 703) Amends the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science Act to make the Commission responsible for advising the IMLS Director on general library services policies. Includes the IMLS Director as an ex officio, nonvoting member of such Commission.  Requires that nonprofessional members have special competence in or knowledge of (currently, interest in) society's need for library and information services.  Requires that at least one of the nonprofessional members be knowledgeable about the library and information service and science needs of the elderly. (Sec. 704) Transfers functions from the Institute of Museum Services (IMS) to the IMLS. (Sec. 708) Repeals the Library Services and Construction Act. Repeals specified provisions of:  (1) HEA, relating to academic libraries and information services; (2) the Higher Education Amendments of 1986, relating to library resources; (3) the Education Amendments of 1974; and (4) the Technology for Education Act of 1994. Treasury, Postal Service and General Government Appropriations Act, 1997 - Title I (sic):  Department of the Treasury - Treasury Department Appropriations Act, 1997 - Makes appropriations to the Department of the Treasury and its related agencies for FY 1997. (Sec. 118) Amends the Federal criminal code, with respect to licensing and related gun show sales requirements for firearms importers, manufacturers, and dealers, to declare that nothing in such requirements shall be construed to diminish the right of a licensee to conduct ""curios or relics"" firearms transfers and business away from its business premises with another licensee without regard to whether the place where the business is conducted is located in the State specified on the license of either licensee. Title II:  Postal Service - Makes appropriations to the Postal Service Fund for FY 1997. Title III: Executive Office of the President and Funds Appropriated to the President - Executive Office Appropriations Act, 1997 - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 for the Executive Office of the President and related offices and programs. Title IV:  Independent Agencies - Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 for:  (1) the Committee for Purchase from People who are Blind or Severely Disabled; (2) the Federal Election Commission; (3) the Federal Labor Relations Authority; (4) the General Services Administration; (5) the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Review Board; (6) the Merit Systems Protection Board; (7) the National Archives and Records Administration; (8) the National Historical Publications and Records Commission; (9) the Office of Government Ethics; (10) the Office of Personnel Management (OPM); (11) the Office of Inspector General; (12) the Office of Special Counsel; and (13) the United States Tax Court. Specifies uses of funds provided to the General Services Administration. (Sec. 407) Amends the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to authorize the Administrator of General Services to establish, acquire space for, and equip flexiplace work telecommuting centers, and charge fees, for use by employees of Federal agencies, State and local governments, and the private sector. (Sec. 408) Directs the Administrator to acquire certain land in Portland, Oregon, for construction of a proposed Law Enforcement Center on the site. (Sec. 409) Amends specified Federal law to mandate conveyance of certain real property at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant to the City of Middleton, Iowa.  Repeals the requirement that the City pay fair market value for such property.  Requires the Secretary of the Army to permit the City to use existing water and sewer lines and systems at the Plant for a three-year period after conveyance. (Sec. 410) Directs the Administrator to convey, without compensation, to the Beaver County Corporation for Economic Development certain real property in Hopewell Township, Pennsylvania. (Sec. 411) Declares that certain land in Denver, Colorado, shall not be subject to condemnation by any Federal agency or instrumentality without the owner's consent. Makes appropriations for FY 1997 for:  (1) specified Government contributions, with respect to retired Federal employees, as payments for annuitants, employee health benefits and life insurance; and (2) the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund. Title V:  General Provisions - Sets forth certain prohibitions and limitations on the use of appropriations made under this Act. (Sec. 503) Amends Federal law to repeal the mandate for presidentially appointed superintendents and assayers at U.S. mints, and for a presidentially appointed engraver at the Philadelphia mint. (Sec. 512) Requires entities receiving funds under this Act to comply with the Buy American Act.  Expresses the sense of the Congress to such effect. (Sec. 518) Phohibits Act funds from being available to pay for an abortion or expenses in connection with any health plan under the Federal employees health benefits program which provides any benefits or coverage for abortions, except where the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term, or the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. (Sec. 521) Considers personal service contractors employed by the Department of the Treasury outside the United States to be Federal employees for purposes of Federal employee health and life insurance. (Sec. 523) Amends Federal law to allow for the minting of 24 karat gold coins and platinum coins. (Sec. 526) Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to pay up to $500,000 to reimburse former employees of the White House Travel Office, terminated on May 19, 1993, for attorney fees and related costs (except those incurred with respect to any congressional hearing or investigation). (Sec. 527) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act by the Executive Office of the President to request from the Federal Bureau of Investigation any official background investigation report on any individual without the individual's express written consent. (Sec. 528) Closes to the public a specified alley in Washington, D.C., on which the Federal Government is constructing a facility. Grants the Administrator of General Services administrative jurisdiction over, and title on behalf of the United States to, the alley, facility, and related property. (Sec. 529) Amends Federal law to authorize the Secretary, beginning January 1, 1999, to mint and issue commemorative coins in no more than two commemorative coin programs per calendar year. Specifies mintage levels and conditions on payment of surcharges to recipient organizations.  Requires quarterly financial reports to the Congress on commemorative coin programs.  Sets a fixed four-year term for members of the Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory Committee, and provides for election of a Chairperson. Title VI:  General Provisions - Sets forth certain requirements for and prohibitions and limitations on the use of appropriations by all Federal departments, agencies, and corporations. (Sec. 624) Prohibits use of funds in this Act for certain types of employee training, including those containing elements:  (1) inducing high emotional or psychological stress; (2) associated with religious, quasi-religious, or ""new age"" belief systems; (3) offensive to, or designed to change, participants' personal values or lifestyle; or (4) related to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) other than that necessary for specified purposes. (Sec. 627) Amends the Federal Financial Management Act of 1994 (title IV of the Government Management Reform Act of 1994, P.L. 103-356) to extend through FY 2001 the franchise fund pilot program. (Sec. 632) Designates a certain U.S. courthouse under construction in Portland, Oregon, as the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse. (Sec. 633) Amends Federal civil service law for the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) to mandate survivor annuity resumption, as well as resumption of Federal employees health benefits, upon divorce for a disabled child whose annuity and Federal health benefits had terminated because of marriage. (Sec. 634) Amends CSRS and FERS to allow a Federal employee involuntarily terminated due to a reduction in force or transfer of function to apply unused annual leave to remain on the agency's rolls after the would-be separation date if, and only to the extent that, such additional time in pay status will enable the employee to meet minimum age and service requirements for title to an immediate annuity, or to qualify to carry health benefits coverage into retirement. (Sec. 635) Amends the Federal criminal code to specify that certain post-employment restrictions for senior officials do not apply to Federal officers and employees whose basic rate of compensation is below level 5 of the Senior Executive Service. (Sec. 636) Provides for Federal agency reimbursement to Federal law enforcement officers and Federal supervisors or management officials of up to half the costs they incur for professional liability insurance. Applies such reimbursement authority to the legislative branch, including any office or committee of the Senate or the House of Representatives, as well as to the executive branch. (Sec. 638) Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury, for FY 1997, to use certain funds made available to the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation Resolution Fund to reimburse the Department of Justice for litigation expenses incurred in defense of claims against the United States arising from the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 and its implementation. (Sec. 639) Amends the Treasury, Postal Service and General Government Appropriations Act, 1996 to authorize all Federal agencies to receive and use funds resulting from the sale of Federal records disposed of pursuant to a record schedule (the Federal Register) which are subsequently recovered through recycling or waste prevention programs. (Sec. 640) Authorizes Federal agency heads to use the private sector to review and analyze the contracting out, outsourcing or privatization of business and administrative functions and related issues subject to the Information Technology Management Act (title LI of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 1996). (Sec. 641) Amends the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 to authorize appropriations for their FY 1998 through 2002 activities under such Act to the Merit Systems Protection Board and the Office of Special Counsel. (Sec. 643) Amends the Treasury, Postal Service and General Government Appropriations Act, 1996 with respect to co-chairs, the meeting quorum, donations to, and travel allowances of the National Commission on Restructuring the Internal Revenue Service. (Sec. 644) Amends Federal law to increase from $10,000 to $30,000 the annual salary of each Governor on the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors. (Sec. 645) Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to report to the Congress estimates of the total annual costs and benefits of Federal regulatory programs, together with:  (1) an analysis of the impact of Federal rules on the private sector as well as on Federal, State, and local governments; (2) cost-benefit estimates for each rule likely to have a gross annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more in increased costs; and (3) recommendations to reform or eliminate any Federal regulatory program or program element that is inefficient, ineffective, or not a sound use of national resources. (Sec. 646) Amends the Federal Financial Management Act of 1994 to extend the authority of the OMB Director with respect to simplification of the management reporting process. (Sec. 647) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to transfer to the University of Miami, without charge, title to the real property and improvements that constitute the Perrine Primate Center. (Sec. 648) Amends the Federal criminal code to upgrade counterfeiting offenses from a class C to a class B felony, thus increasing penalties.  Prescribes criminal penalties for the production, sale, transportation, or possession of fictitious financial instruments (including fictitious obligations) purporting to be those of State or local governments or of private organizations. (Sec. 649) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act by a Federal agency to provide a Federal employee's home address to any labor organization without the employee's consent or a court order. (Sec. 650) Requires the Inspector General of each Federal agency to audit and report on the use of administratively uncontrollable overtime by employees.  Directs OPM to issue revised guidelines to limit or, in specified circumstances, prohibit the use of administratively uncontrollable overtime. (Sec. 651) Authorizes a Federal agency head to pay up to $10,000 in a death gratuity to the personal representative of a civilian employee whose death resulted from an injury sustained on the job on or after August 2, 1990. (Sec. 653) Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to :  (1) establish scientific certification standards for explosives detection canines; (2) provide for certification of explosives detection canines employed by Federal agencies; and (3) establish a program for the training of canines for explosives detection at U.S. airports. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 654) Amends the Federal criminal code to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a national repository of information on incidents involving arson and the suspected criminal use of explosives.  Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 655) Amends Federal law to allow a trustee of the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Foundation to serve past expiration of his or her term until a successor is chosen. (Sec. 656) Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, to transfer directly to Indian tribes in North and South Dakota portable housing units at the Grand Forks Air Force base in North Dakota which the Department of Defense has declared excess. (Sec. 657) Amends the Federal criminal code to limit to firearms that have moved in or otherwise affect interstate or foreign commerce the existing prohibition against the possession or discharge of firearms in a school zone. (Sec. 658) Amends Federal criminal law to make it unlawful to sell firearms to anyone who has been convicted in any court of any crime involving domestic violence, if the individual has been represented by counsel or knowingly and intelligently waived the right to counsel. Makes it unlawful for such persons to engage in the trafficking of firearms. (Sec. 659) Title I (sic):  Additional Investment Funds for the Thrift Savings Plan - Thrift Savings Investment Funds Act of 1996 - Amends Federal civil service law to add two new funds, the International Stock Index Investment Fund and the Small Capitalization Stock Index Fund, to the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) under the Federal Employees' Retirement System. Title II:  Thrift Savings Account Liquidity - Thrift Savings Plan Act of 1996 - Increases withdrawal options for TSP participants upon separation from employment.  Eliminates the purpose requirements for taking a TSP loan.  Requires an employee or member, before a loan is issued, to be given appropriate information in writing about the cost of the loan relative to other sources of financing, as well as the lifetime cost of the loan, including the difference in interest rates between the funds offered by the Thrift Savings Fund, and any other effect of such loan on the employee's or member's final account balance before a loan is issued.  Permits a TSP participant, before separation, to make a one-time withdrawal from the account upon:  (1) attaining age 59 and one-half; or (2) financial hardship.  Revises provisions concerning notification of an employee's or member's spouse upon making or changing a withdrawal election.  Eliminates the definition of basic pay with respect to the TSP. (Sec. 660) Authorizes interagency financing to carry out the purposes of the National Bioethics Advisory Commission. (Sec. 661) Designates a specified U.S. courthouse in Omaha, Nebraska, as the Roman L. Hruska U.S. Courthouse. (Sec. 662) Amends the Inspector General Act of 1978 and Federal law to establish an Office of Inspector General within the U.S. Postal Service.   Requires the Inspector General and the Chief Postal Inspector to prepare five-year strategic plans for submission with annual budgets. (Sec. 663) Directs the heads of certain Federal agencies to submit to specified congressional committees their respective strategic plans for making voluntary separation incentive (""buyout"") payments, meeting specified requirements, to eligible employees.  Requires reduction of an agency's total number of funded employee positions by the number of employees separating and receiving such payments. (Sec. 664) Continues the existing electronic benefit transfer (EBT) pilot program. Provides that selection and designation of financial agents for such program, program design, and related matters shall not be subject to judicial review. (Sec. 665) Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to select associations as financial agents by any process the Secretary deems appropriate.  Allows the reasonable duties of such agents to include provision of EBT services, including State-administered benefits with the consent of the States. Title VII:  Counter-Terrorism and Drug Law Enforcement - Makes additional appropriations for counter-terrorism and drug law enforcement to:  (1) specified Offices of the Department of the Treasury, including Office of Inspector General, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, U.S. Customs Service, Internal Revenue Service, and U.S. Secret Service; (2) the Office of Personnel Management; and (3) certain Federal drug control programs. Title VIII:  Federal Financial Management Improvement - Federal Financial Management Improvement Act of 1996 - Requires each Federal agency to implement and maintain financial management systems that comply with Federal requirements, Federal accounting standards, and the U.S. Government Standard General Ledger at the transaction level. Requires:  (1) audit compliance reporting; (2) compliance implementation determination by the agency Head; and (3) if there is noncompliance with the standards, a remediation plan to bring the agency into compliance within three years. (Sec. 808) Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1996 to entitle Division D (Federal Acquisition Reform Act of 1996) and Division E (Information Technology Management Reform Act of 1996), together, the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996. Title II (sic):  Economic Growth and Regulatory Paperwork Reduction - Economic Growth and Regulatory Paperwork Reduction Act of 1996 - Subtitle A:  Streamlining the Home Mortgage Lending Process - Sets a deadline by which the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Board) and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) must take action under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) and the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) to simplify and provide a single format for credit transaction disclosures. (Sec. 2102) Amends TILA to authorize the Board to exempt those transactions from TILA disclosure requirements which the Board determines:  (1) are not necessary to effectuate its purposes; or (2) do not provide a measurable benefit in the form of useful information or consumer protection.  Requires the Board to publish its rationale for exemption at the time a proposed exemption is published for comment.  Includes among factors for Board consideration:  (1) whether the loan in question is secured by the consumer's principal residence; and (2) whether the goal of consumer protection would be undermined by such an exemption. (Sec. 2103) Amends RESPA to repeal requirements that:  (1) a federally related mortgage lender disclose to a mortgage loan applicant the servicing of mortgages the lender has assigned, sold, or transferred during the most recent three calendar years; and (2) a lender that does not service federally related loans similarly disclose any intention to assign, sell, or transfer such servicing. Repeals the mandate for model disclosure statements. Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to ensure that the exemption from RESPA regulations for credit transactions for primarily business, commercial, or agricultural purposes shall be the same as the exemption for such transactions under TILA. Redesignates ""controlled"" business arrangements as ""affiliated"" business arrangements.  Declares that the proscription against kickbacks and unearned fees shall not be construed as prohibiting an affiliated business arrangement so long as certain disclosures are made by telephone or electronic media. Extends from one year to three-years the statute of limitations for claims arising from violations of requirements for servicing mortgages and escrow accounts. Delays until July 31, 1997 the effective date of final Federal regulations governing employer-employee payments for referral activities. (Sec. 2104) Amends TILA to exempt from its disclosure requirements any credit transactions involving consumers with an annual earned income of more than $200,000 or having net assets in excess of $1 million at the time of the transaction, upon submission of a handwritten waiver, signed and dated by such consumer. (Sec. 2105) Grants creditors the option to set forth alternative disclosures regarding conditions which could trigger increases or decreases in payment and interest rates for variable interest rate residential mortgage transactions. (Sec. 2106) Modifies TILA restitution guidelines for violations to authorize specified Federal regulatory agencies to order partial adjustments or payments over an extended period in order to avoid causing the creditor to become legally undercapitalized. (Sec. 2107) Amends TILA to restrict certain limitations on creditor liability with respect to consumer credit transactions to closed end consumer credit transactions secured by real property or a dwelling under the Act.  Establishes September 30, 1995 as the effective date for such limitations. Subtitle B:  Streamlining Government Regulation - Chapter 1: Eliminating Unnecessary Regulatory Requirements and Procedures - Permits an insured depository institution to participate in optional conversion transactions between members of the Bank Insurance Fund and the Savings Association Insurance Fund without prior approval of the responsible agency (but still requires approval).  Eliminates the requirement for approval of such a merger under the Oakar Amendment as well as the Bank Merger Act. (Sec. 2203) Amends the Home Owners' Loan Act to remove from its regulatory purview a bank holding company subject to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (BHCA). Revises the definition of ""savings and loan holding company"" to exclude a bank holding company under BHCA jurisdiction. Provides that acquisition of a savings association by a bank holding company under BHCA jurisdiction obviates approval by the Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision. Amends the BHCA to direct the Federal Reserve Board to solicit the views of the Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision with respect to its examination and enforcement role over bank holding companies. (Sec. 2204) Amends the Revised Statutes to repeal the requirement that the aggregate minimum capital of a national banking association and all its branches be no less than the aggregate minimum capital that would be required if each branch were a separately chartered national bank. (Sec. 2205) Amends the Revised Statutes and the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA) to exclude from the definition of ""branch"" an automated teller machine or remote service unit (thus exempting those entities from the approval requirements and geographic restrictions of such Acts). (Sec. 2206) Amends the Federal Reserve Act (FRA) to permit well-capitalized and well-managed banks to invest amounts equal to 150 percent (currently, only 100 percent) of capital and surplus in bank premises without prior approval. (Sec. 2207) Amends BHCA to repeal the presumption that shares transferred by a bank holding company to a transferee under its control (divestitures) remain under the holding company's control (thus subject to specified approval requirements). (Sec. 2208) States that prior notice and approval is not required (but written notice to the Federal Reserve Board within ten days after commencing such an activity is required) for a proposal by a well-capitalized, well-managed bank holding company to engage in any activity or acquire the shares or assets of any company (other than an insured depository institution) if it meets specified financial and managerial criteria. (Sec. 2209) Amends FDIA to repeal the requirement that the appropriate Federal banking agency be notified prior to the appointment or addition of a new director or senior executive officer if the affected insured depository institution or depository institution holding company:  (1) has been chartered less than two years; or (2) has undergone a change in control within the preceding two years.  Retains the prior notice requirement for troubled insured depository institutions or depository institution holding companies only if the agency determines that prior notice is appropriate. Extends from 30 days up to 90 days the period during which, following notice, the agency may disapprove board of directors or senior executive officer appointments by such institutions or companies. (Sec. 2210) Amends the Depository Institutions Management Interlocks Act to revise the prohibition on dual service of management officials to raise the asset-size thresholds of the depository institutions or depository holding companies to which the prohibition applies.  Authorizes Federal banking regulatory agencies to adjust such thresholds for inflation. Repeals the 20-year exemption from the dual service prohibition for certain grandfathered directors and management officials (thus permitting them to continue their dual service permanently). Repeals the requirement that each appropriate Federal depository institutions regulatory agency:  (1) review according to prescribed criteria the petition of a management official to serve in more than one position (interlocking directorate); and (2) determine whether continuation of such dual service produces an anti-competitive effect. Authorizes the appropriate regulatory agencies to prescribe regulations permitting dual service by a management official that would otherwise be prohibited if such service would not result in a monopoly or substantial lessening of competition. Repeals the criteria governing regulatory approval of management interlocks. (Sec. 2211) Amends FRA to exempt from its proscription against preferential terms in credit extensions to executive officers, directors, or principal shareholders (insider lending) any credit extension:  (1) made pursuant to a benefit or compensation program widely available to employees of the member bank; and (2) that does not give preference to any officer, director, or principal shareholder of the member bank, or to any related interest of such person, over other employees of the member bank. Authorizes the Federal Reserve Board to waive the proscription against such preferential terms for certain executive officers and directors of a subsidiary that controls the member bank if the subsidiary's assets do not exceed ten percent of the consolidated assets of a company that controls the member bank and such subsidiary (and is not controlled by any other company). (Sec. 2212) Amends the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 to direct the Appraisal Subcommittee to repay the Secretary of the Treasury the unpaid portion of its startup funding by the end of FY 1998. (Sec. 2213) Amends the FDIA to exempt from branch closure notice requirements automated teller machines and relocated or consolidated bank branches, if:  (1) the relocation or consolidation occurs within the same neighborhood and does not substantially affect the nature of the business or customers served; or (2) a branch is closed in connection with emergency acquisitions or any Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) assistance. (Sec. 2214) Amends the International Banking Act of 1978 to direct the Federal Reserve Board to avoid unnecessary duplication of foreign bank examinations. Provides that:  (1) each Federal and State branch or agency of a foreign bank shall be subject to on-site examination by the appropriate regulator as frequently as would its U.S. counterpart (instead of annually, as at present); and (2) the cost of such examination shall be assessed against its owner to the same extent that fees are collected by the Federal Reserve Board for examination of any State member bank. Authorizes the Board to approve an application by a foreign bank even if the authorities in the home country have not yet established a comprehensive regulation on a consolidated basis, as long as they are actively working to establish one. Instructs the Board to consider, when acting on a foreign bank application, whether the foreign bank has adopted and implemented procedures to combat money laundering. Directs the Board to take final action on any application within 180 days after its receipt. Authorizes the Board to terminate a foreign bank office in the United States if it finds that the authorities in the home country are not making demonstrable progress in establishing arrangements for comprehensive consolidated supervision. (Sec. 2215) Amends the BHCA to authorize the Board to approve extensions beyond the current five-year deadline for a bank holding company to dispose of foreclosed assets, under certain conditions, up to an aggregate of five more years. (Sec. 2216) Amends the Bank Holding Company Act Amendments of 1970 and the Home Owners Loan Act to extend the authority of the Board, and the Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision, respectively, to grant exceptions to certain antitying prohibitions. (Sec. 2217) Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA) to require the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to act within a 60- day period (which may be extended for an additional 30 days) upon receipt of the application of an insured State bank (or subsidiary) to engage as principal in activity impermissible for a national bank. Chapter 2:  Eliminating Unnecessary Regulatory Burdens - Amends FDIA to increase from $175 million to $250 million the asset-size ceiling on the meaning of ""small depository institution"" which Federal banking agencies may in their discretion determine for examination on an 18-month cycle. (Sec. 2222) Directs the Federal Financial Institutions Examinations Council, and each Federal banking agency represented on it, to review and report to the Congress on Federal banking regulations at least every ten years to identify unnecessary regulatory requirements imposed upon insured depository institutions. Requires the Council or the pertinent banking agency to eliminate unnecessary regulations to the extent appropriate. (Sec. 2223) Amends Federal monetary law to repeal the authority of the Secretary of the Treasury to require each insured depository institution to identify certain non-bank financial institution customers. (Sec. 2224) Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991 to repeal the mandate that insured depository institutions include information on small businesses and small farm lending in their annual reports of condition. Amends the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 and the International Lending Supervision Act of 1983 to repeal annual reporting requirements for specified Federal financial institution regulatory agencies, including certain reports on changes to improve the international lending operations of banking institutions. (Sec. 2225) Amends the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975 to prescribe a Consumer Price Index adjustment schedule applicable to certain small-sized institutions exempt from the Act's disclosure requirements. Declares that a depository institution shall be deemed to have satisfied the public availability requirements for its mortgage loan transactions if its branch offices provide notice of the availability of such information from the home office upon request. (Sec. 2226) Amends FDIA guidelines governing a change in control of insured depository institutions to repeal mandatory reporting by financial institutions (or affiliates) of any loans secured by 25 percent or more of any class of shares of an insured depository institution (stock loans).  Retains such mandatory reporting for foreign banks and their affiliates. (Sec. 2227) Requires the Federal Reserve Board to study and report to the Congress on the extent of small business lending by all creditors. Chapter 3:  Regulatory Micromanagement Relief - Amends the Revised Statutes to allow the Comptroller of the Currency to waive the residency requirement for national banking association directors. Repeals the Comptroller's authority to waive citizenship requirements for a minority of the directors of a foreign bank subsidiary or affiliate. (Sec. 2242) Amends the Riegle Community Development and Regulatory Improvement Act of 1994 to require each Federal banking agency to review and eliminate regulations which require insured depository institutions and credit unions to produce unnecessary internal written policies. (Sec. 2243) Amends FDIA to mandate:  (1) that one of the presidentially appointed directors serving on the FDIC Board have State bank supervisory experience; (2) that each appropriate Federal banking agency take action necessary to ensure that depository institution examiners consult and reach agreement on examination activities and resultant recommendations; (3) such agencies consider appointing an examiner-in-charge to ensure such consultation; and (4) the Federal banking agencies jointly implement a system for determining which one of the Federal banking agencies or State bank supervisors (currently, Federal banking agencies only) shall be the lead agency responsible for managing the requisite unified examination schedule. Subtitle C:  Regulatory Impact on Cost of Credit and Credit Availability - Amends FDIA guidelines for improved accountability in financial management to:  (1) repeal the use of an independent public accountant to detect and report violations of law by an insured depository institution or depository institution holding company; and (2) authorize a Federal banking agency to permit an independent audit committee to be composed of a majority of outside directors independent of institution management (currently the entire committee must be composed of such outside directors) if it determines that an insured depository institution has encountered hardships in retaining competent directors on such committee. (Sec. 2302) Amends the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and the Fair Housing Act to set forth incentives for self-testing and self-correcting by lenders subject to such Acts.  Prescribes conditions under which:  (1) an enforcing agency is prohibited from acquiring or using reports generated by any creditor-conducted review of lending operations to determine compliance with such Acts; and (2) such self-test results may be used by an adversary party. (Sec. 2303) Permits a Federal savings association to make credit card loans or education loans without being subject to a percentage-of-assets limitation. Raises from ten percent to 20 percent the percentage-of-assets limitations ceiling placed upon commercial and agricultural loans offered by an association.  Restricts loan amounts exceeding ten percent of an association's total assets to loans made to small businesses. Repeals the five-percent-of-assets loan restriction placed upon education loans offered by an association. Expands the scope of ""qualified thrift lender"" to include a domestic building and loan association. Permits a savings association that qualifies as a qualified thrift lender to operate a branch outside the State in which it has its home office. Redefines ""qualified thrift investment"" to cover, as assets includible without limit, educational loans, small business loans, and loans made through credit cards or credit card accounts. Removes the ten-percent-of-assets loan restriction placed upon certain personal, family, household or education loans other than educational loans, small business loans, and loans made through credit cards or credit card accounts. (Sec. 2304) Amends BHCA to repeal the seven percent growth cap restrictions placed upon banks controlled by certain bank holding companies not statutorily treated as bank holding companies. Excludes from BHCA jurisdiction any limited purpose institution that accepts collateral for extensions of credit by holding deposits under $100,000. (Sec. 2305) Amends the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to revise the prohibition against failure to disclose clearly in all communications with a consumer that the debt collector is attempting to collect a debt. (Sec. 2306) Amends the Federal Credit Union Act to increase from $10,000 to $20,000 the ceiling on credit union loans which may be made to a director or member of a supervisory or credit committee without first being approved by the board of directors. (Sec. 2307) Amends the Federal Reserve Act to increase from ten percent to 25 percent the amount of capital and surplus that a national bank may invest in the stock of Edge Act subsidiaries and certain financial service corporations held by a member bank's non- U.S. branches, as long as the investment of an additional amount over ten percent would not be unsafe or unsound. Subtitle D:  Consumer Credit - Chapter 1:  Credit Reporting Reform - Consumer Credit Reporting Reform Act of 1996 - Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to cite additional permissible purposes for which a consumer reporting agency may furnish a consumer report, including:  (1) for employment purposes; and (2) for credit or insurance transactions that are not initiated by the consumer. Mandates consumer consent as a prerequisite to furnishing medical information contained in a consumer report. (Sec. 2406) Revises exceptions to the prohibition against the reporting of certain obsolete information by a consumer reporting agency.  Raises the minimum dollar threshold amounts permitting release of such information:  (1) from $50,000 to $150,000 in the case of a credit transaction; (2) from $50,000 to $150,000 the policy amount in the case of life insurance underwriting; and (3) from $20,000 to $75,000 the amount of salary of an individual in the case of an employment-related credit report.  Provides that the seven- year reporting period applicable to accounts placed for collection begins no later than 180 days after the beginning of the delinquency immediately preceding the collection activity. Mandates disclosure in a consumer report of:  (1) the particular chapter under which a bankruptcy case arises; (2) withdrawal of a bankruptcy case prior to final judgment; (3) voluntary closure by a consumer of a credit account; (4) information disputed by the consumer. (Sec. 2407) Prohibits a consumer reporting agency from prohibiting disclosure by a user to the consumer of report contents if the user has taken adverse action against the consumer based on such report. Prescribes guidelines for procurement of a consumer report for resale. (Sec. 2408) States that nothing requires a consumer reporting agency to disclose to a consumer any credit scores, risk scores, and other predictors relating to her or him.  Provides for mandatory disclosure to a consumer of additional kinds of information, including a summary of consumer rights. Requires the Federal Trade Commission to take action to assure that consumer standardization and comprehensibility are achieved. Prohibits consumer lawsuits for defamation, invasion of privacy, or negligence against a consumer reporting agency based on information disclosed by a credit report user to or for a consumer against whom the user has taken adverse action based on the report. (Sec. 2409) Revises procedural and disclosure guidelines governing:  (1) disputed information in a consumer's file, including free mandatory reinvestigation by the reporting agency; (2) users of information in a consumer report taking adverse actions, or making written credit or insurance solicitations based upon such report (including any direct marketing transaction that is not initiated by the consumer); and (3) adverse action based on information obtained from third parties other than consumer reporting agencies. (Sec. 2412) Revises civil liability guidelines to set forth liquidated damages for willful and negligent noncompliance, and to award attorney's fees to the prevailing party for pleadings filed in bad faith. (Sec. 2413) Specifies the responsibilities of persons who furnish information to a consumer reporting agency, including the obligation to provide accurate, updated information and notices of information disputed by consumers. (Sec. 2414) Revises disclosure guidelines governing investigative consumer reports to require:  (1) certification that the consumer has been notified; and (2) confirmation of any adverse information obtained from personal sources. (Sec. 2415) Increases criminal penalties for obtaining information under false pretenses, and for unauthorized disclosures. (Sec. 2416) Revises administrative enforcement guidelines to authorize the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to commence a civil action to recover a civil penalty in Federal district court in the event of a knowing violation constituting a pattern or practice of FCRA violations.  Limits such penalty to $2500.  Precludes:  (1) the FTC from promulgating trade regulation rules with respect to the FCRA; and (2) specified Federal regulatory agencies from conducting an examination of a bank, savings association or credit union regarding FCRA compliance except in response to a complaint alleging noncompliance. (Sec. 2417) Authorizes the States to bring a court action for FCRA violations. (Sec. 2418) Authorizes the Federal Reserve Board to issue interpretations of the FCRA with respect to certain financial institutions and holding companies. (Sec. 2419) Identifies specified FCRA provisions that preempt State law. (Sec. 2422) Requires the Federal Reserve Board to:  (1) study and report to the Congress on whether organizations not presently subject to the FCRA as consumer reporting agencies are nevertheless engaged in the business of making sensitive consumer identification information available to the general public; (2) determine whether such activities create undue potential for fraud and risk of loss to depository institutions; and (3) determine whether legislative changes are necessary to address such risks. Chapter 2:  Credit Repair Organizations - Amends the Consumer Credit Protection Act to revise title IV to read as the Credit Repair Organizations Act. (Sec. 2451) Prohibits:  (1) advising any consumer to make an untrue or misleading statement, or to alter the consumer's identification to prevent the display of the consumer's credit record; (2) other fraud or deception; and (3) a credit repair organization (CRO) from charging or receiving valuable consideration for any service before such service is fully performed. Specifies a statement which a CRO must provide to consumers before an agreement is executed regarding the consumer, the CRO, and related rights, powers, and obligations.  Requires written, signed contracts covering specified matters in order for a CRO to provide services. Allows a consumer to cancel a contract with a CRO within three business days of making the contract. Declares void any consumer waiver of any protection under this title.  Makes an attempt to obtain a waiver a violation of this title. Voids any contract not in compliance with this title. Provides for civil liability for failing to comply with this title, including allowing punitive damages and class actions. Requires enforcement of this title under the Federal Trade Commission Act (FTCA) by the FTC.  Makes:  (1) a violation of this title an unfair or deceptive act or practice in violation of specified provisions of the FTCA; and (2) all functions and powers of the FTC available for enforcement of this title.  Establishes a five-year statute of limitations for actions to enforce liability under this title. (Sec. 2452) Expresses the sense of the Senate that:  (1) individuals should be judged for credit worthiness based upon their own credit worthiness and not that of their zip code or residential neighborhood; and (2) the FTC should report to certain congressional committees regarding the impact of residential location upon corporate lenders' consideration of an application for unsecured credit. Subtitle E:  Asset Conservation, Lender Liability, and Deposit Insurance Protection - Asset Conservation, Lender Liability, and Deposit Insurance Protection Act of 1996 - Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) to declare that the liability of a fiduciary for the release or threatened release of a hazardous substance in connection with a vessel or facility held in fiduciary capacity shall not exceed the assets held in fiduciary capacity, unless:  (1) a person is liable independently of the person's ownership of a vessel or facility as a fiduciary or actions taken in a fiduciary capacity; or (2) the fiduciary negligently causes or contributes to the release or threatened release. Subtitle F:  Miscellaneous - Directs the Federal Reserve Board to evaluate and report to the Congress whether the Electronic Fund Transfer Act could be applied to electronic stored value products without adversely impacting their cost, development, and operation. (Sec. 2602) Amends FDIA to treat as administrative expenses of a receiver or conservator for an insured depository institution any final and unappealable judgment for monetary damages entered against such receiver or conservator for breach of a post-appointment agreement executed or approved by such receiver or conservator. (Sec. 2603) Amends the Federal criminal code to:  (1) increase the penalty for certain counterfeiting violations; and (2) establish criminal penalties for the production, sale, transportation, or possession of fictitious financial instruments purporting to be those of the States, political subdivisions, and of private organizations. (Sec. 2604) Amends the Truth in Savings Act to repeal:  (1) civil liability for violations of such Act; and (2) the definition of an on-premises display in a depository institution. Redefines ""depository institution"" to exclude certain nonautomated credit unions (thus exempting them from such Act). (Sec. 2605) Amends TILA to direct the Federal Reserve Board to: (1) promulgate regulations to update and clarify requirements and definitions applicable to lease disclosures and contracts; (2) publish model disclosure forms to facilitate compliance with disclosure requirements; and (3) consider, when establishing such model forms, the use of automated equipment by lessors. Amends the guidelines governing requisite disclosures in consumer lease advertisements.  Shields the owner or employee of an advertising medium from liability relating to such disclosures. (Sec. 2606) Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to study and report to the Congress on:  (1) the regulatory practices of the National Credit Union Administration Board with respect to the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund; (2) the potential effects of the administration of that Fund by an entity other than the National Credit Union Administration; and (3) the investment practices and financial status of the ten largest corporate credit unions. (Sec. 2607) Directs each Federal banking agency to report to the Congress on its actions regarding inconsistent or duplicative accounting and reporting requirements (differences between regulatory accounting principles and generally accepted accounting principles) affecting certain reports filed by insured depository institutions. (Sec. 2608) Amends the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 (FIRREA) to instruct the Federal Reserve Board to include in its annual report to the Congress a description of any discernible trend in the cost and availability of certain retail banking services in the nation as a whole, in each of the 50 States and in each consolidated metropolitan statistical area or primary metropolitan statistical area. (Sec. 2609) Amends the Federal monetary code to continue the ban on gold clauses in contracts prior to 1977 unless all parties to a pre-1977 contract specifically agree to include such clause in the new agreement. (Sec. 2610) Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 to exclude a qualified family partnership from the meaning of ""company"" under such Act. (Sec. 2611) Expresses the sense of the Congress that financial institutions and Federal bank regulators should work cooperatively with farmers and ranchers in drought-affected communities to allow financial obligations to be met without imposing undue burdens. (Sec. 2613) Renames the Bank Service Corporation Act as the Bank Service Company Act.  Defines a ""bank service company"" as: (1) any corporation organized to perform certain services, and whose capital stock is totally owned by one or more insured banks; and (2) any limited liability company organized to perform certain services, whose members are all insured banks (thus authorizing bank service companies to organize as limited liability companies). (Sec. 2614) Amends the FDIA to exclude from the definition of ""deposit"" (and thus from the jurisdiction of the Act) any depository institution liability arising under an annuity contract whose income is tax deferred under the Internal Revenue Code. (Sec. 2615) Amends the Federal Credit Union Act to prohibit an insured credit union from being sponsored by, or accepting financial support from, any Government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) whose customers include members of such credit union.  Excludes from the meaning of financial support any forms of financial assistance generally provided by a GSE in its ordinary course of business. Amends the FDIA to prohibit a depository institution from being an affiliate of, sponsored by, or accepting financial support from any GSE.  Exempts from such prohibition:  (1) members of a depository institution in a Federal Home Loan Bank; and (2) financial assistance authorized by statute. Subtitle G:  Deposit Insurance Funds - Deposit Insurance Funds Act of 1996 - Directs the Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to impose a special assessment on the Savings Association Insurance Fund (SAIF)-assessable deposits of each insured depository institution at a rate that the Board, in its sole discretion, determines will cause the SAIF to achieve the designated reserve ratio on the first business day of the first month beginning after the date of enactment of this Act.  Allows the Board to exempt weak institutions from such assessment, but requires exemption for certain newly chartered and other defined institutions, which shall pay semiannual assessments at certain former rates during calendar years 1996 through 1998, with a special rate provision for calendar 1999. (Sec. 2702) Authorizes certain institutions facing hardship as a result of the special assessment to elect to pay it in two assessments, plus a third supplemental special assessment, determined according to specified formulae. Prescribes adjustments of the special assessment for Bank Insurance Fund (BIF) member banks and certain savings associations. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA) to require the 20 percent reductions to the adjusted attributable deposit amount for certain BIF members and to the special assessment for certain converted savings associations. (Sec. 2703) Amends the Federal Home Loan Bank Act (FHLBA) and the FDIA to revise the assessment authority of the Financing Corporation (FICO), extending FICO assessments to all depository institutions insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) (rather than SAIF members only).  Repeals specified limits on the amount that may be assessed. Declares that assessments imposed upon insured depository institutions with respect to any BIF-assessable deposit shall be assessed at one fifth of the rate of the assessments imposed on insured depository institutions with respect to any SAIF-assessable deposit. (Sec. 2704) Declares that the SAIF and the BIF shall be merged into the Deposit Insurance Fund, which shall have a Special Reserve for any excess of the SAIF reserve ratio over the designated reserve ratio.  Makes conforming amendments to specified banking statutes. (Sec. 2705) Amends the FDIA to establish a SAIF Special Reserve if the SAIF reserve exceeds the designated reserve ratio on January 1, 1999. (Sec. 2706) Prescribes procedural guidelines for the refund of assessed payments in a deposit insurance fund in excess of the designated reserve amount. (Sec. 2707) States that the assessment rate for a SAIF member may not be less than the assessment rate for a BIF member posing a comparable risk to the deposit insurance fund. (Sec. 2708) Prohibits the FDIC Board of Directors from setting semi-annual assessments in excess of the amount needed to maintain or achieve the designated reserve ratio of a deposit insurance fund. (Sec. 2709) Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to study and report to the Congress all issues relevant to the development of a common charter for all insured depository institutions and the abolition of separate and distinct charters between banks and savings associations. (Sec. 2711) Allows as an income tax deductible business expenses any FDIC special assessment paid upon depository institution deposits in order to achieve the designated SAIF reserve ratio.  States that the net operating loss deduction rules governing specified liability loss shall not apply to such tax deduction. Title III:  Spectrum Allocation Provisions - Requires the Federal Communications Commission:  (1) to reallocate, by competitive bidding, the use of frequencies at 2305-2320 megahertz and 2345-2360 megahertz to wireless services that are consistent with international agreements concerning spectrum allocation; and (2) in making the bands of frequencies available, to seek to promote the most efficient use of the spectrum and to take into account the needs of public safety radio services. Title IV:  Adjustment of Paygo Balances - Requires the Directors of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), for FY 1997, to change to zero the balances of direct spending and receipts legislation, as computed under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings), if such balance for the fiscal year is not an increase in the deficit. Title V:  Additional Appropriations - Chapter 1 - Makes additional FY 1997 appropriations to the Department of Agriculture for: (1) Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service; (2) Natural Resources Conservation Service (for waterway and watershed repairs resulting from Hurricanes Fran and Hortense); and (3) Farm Service Agency (for emergency expenses resulting from Hurricanes Fran and Hortense). Chapter 2 - Authorizes the District of Columbia Financial and Management Assistance Authority (the Authority) to contract with a private entity or entities to carry out public school facility repair programs in the District of Columbia.  Transfers a certain amount to the Authority for such purposes, to be derived according to specified transfers and reallocations.  Directs the General Services Administration (GSA) to provide program management services to assist short-term management of D.C. public school repairs and capital improvements. (Sec. 5202) Waives certain congressional review requirements, under the District of Columbia Self-Governing and Governmental Reorganization Act, in the case of a specified D.C. General Obligation Bond Act, if it is enacted by the D.C. Council. (Sec. 5203) Amends the District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Act of 1995 (FRMAA) with respect to calculation of the review period for D.C. Council Acts, penalties for certain prohibited acts, and waiver of certain privacy requirements with respect to obtaining official data.  Authorizes the Authority to review D.C. government rulemaking.  Requires deposit of all D.C. government borrowed funds with the Authority during a control year.  Grants the Authority additional power to issue general orders. (Sec. 5204) Prohibits D.C. government funding for terminated employees or contractors, with specified exceptions for services already provided. (Sec. 5205) Amends the District of Columbia School Reform Act of 1995 (SRA) with respect to the D.C. public charter school petition contents and filing and approval processes.  Directs the D.C. government to give preference in leasing or purchasing public school facilities to public charter schools.  Provides for charter renewal or revocation.  Revises provisions relating to public charter schools and school board membership. (Sec. 5206) Amends FRMAA to provide for disposition of certain school property and use of proceeds from such disposition. Amends the Board of Education Real Property Disposal Act of 1990 to direct the Authority to administer the Board of Education Real Property Maintenance and Improvement Fund until an agency or authority is established within the D.C. government to administer a public schools facilities revitalization plan pursuant to SRA. Chapter 3 - Makes additional emergency amounts available to the Army Corps of Engineers (Civil) for emergency expenses (relating to energy and water development) resulting from Hurricane Fran and other natural disasters in 1996. (Sec. 5301) Prohibits the availability to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) of funds in the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 1997 if the TVA is imposing a performance deposit in connection with residential shoreline alteration permits. Chapter 4 - Rescinds specified amounts for:  (1) House of Representatives allowances and expenses for Government contributions to certain funds for employees' life insurance, retirement, Social Security, Medicare, health benefits, and worker's and unemployment compensation; and (2) Capitol Police salaries. Provides additional amounts to:  (1) the Capitol Police Board, for design and installation of security systems for the Capitol buildings and grounds; and (2) the Architect of the Capitol, for architectural and engineering services related to design and installation of such systems. (Sec. 5401) Amends the Congressional Award Act to extend the duration of:  (1) requirements for financial operations of the Congressional Award program; and (2) the Congressional Award Board. (Sec. 5402) Designates the Founders Hall instructional area in the House of Representatives Page School as Bill Emerson Hall. Chapter 5 - Makes additional FY 1997 appropriations (together with specified rescissions) to the Department of Transportation for: (1) the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); (2) the Federal Highway Administration for the Emergency Disaster Relief program under the Highway Trust Fund's Federal-Aid Highways; (3) the Federal Railroad Administration for Northeast Corridor improvement, direct loan financing for the Alameda Corridor Project, and grants to the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak); (4) the Research and Special Programs Administration, for vulnerability and threat assessments of the Nation's transportation system; and (5) the National Transportation Safety Board, for wreckage recovery reimbursements and other costs related to the TWA 800 accident investigation, and other emergency funds for accident investigations. (Sec. 5501) Authorizes the FAA Administrator to establish at individual airports consortia of government and aviation industry representatives to advise on aviation security and safety. (Sec. 5502) Permits the use of Federal Highway Administration emergency relief funds to halt erosion and stabilize a bank protecting a scenic highway or byway, if necessary to protect the highway from imminent failure and if less expensive than highway relocation. (Sec. 5504) Requires conveyance of specified property in Traverse City, Michigan, to the Traverse City Area Public School District. (Sec. 5505) Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to convey in three parcels the land on which the U.S. Coast Guard Whitefish Point Light Station is situated to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Michigan Audubon Society, subject to specified conditions. (Sec. 5506) Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation or the Secretary of the Interior, as appropriate, to convey:  (1) Saint Helena Island Light Station (in MacKinac County, Moran Township, Michigan) to the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association; and (2) Presque Isle Light Station to Presque Isle Township, Presque Isle County, Michigan, subject to certain conditions. Chapter 6 - Makes additional FY 1997 appropriations to:  (1) the Department of the Treasury, for the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund Program Account; (2) the Environmental Protection Agency, for science and technology, environmental programs and management, and State and tribal assistance grants; (3) the Federal Emergency Management Agency, for the National Flood Insurance Fund, and for Federal, State, and local preparedness to mitigate and respond to the consequences of terrorism; (4) the Department of Health and Human Services, for the Office of Consumer Affairs; and (5) the National Aeronautics and Space administration, for science, aeronautics, and technology. Chapter 7 - Makes additional FY 1997 appropriations for the following purposes relating to international security assistance:  (1) under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, nonproliferation, anti- terrorism, demining, and related programs, and peacekeeping operations; and (2) under the Arms Export Control Act, the foreign military financing program. Chapter 8 - Reserves specified amounts under the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 1997 (DDAA) for the Corps Surface-to-Air Missile (CORPS SAM) program. (Sec. 5802) Establishes in the Treasury a Support for International Sporting Competitions, Defense, account. (Sec. 5803) Appropriates amounts in addition to those under DDAA for the Dual-Use Applications Program. Division B:  Oregon Resource Conservation Act of 1996 - Oregon Resource Conservation Act of 1996 - Title I(sic):  Opal Creek Wilderness and Scenic Recreation Area - Opal Creek Wilderness and Opal Creek Scenic Recreation Area Act of 1996 - Provides that on the determination of the Secretary of Agriculture that certain parcels of land have been donated to the United States without encumbrances and that a binding agreement between the Secretary and owners of specified interests for the disposition of such interests to the Government has been executed:  (1) certain land in the Willamette National Forest in Oregon shall be designated as the Opal Creek Wilderness (OCW); (2) the part of the Bull of the Woods Wilderness located within the Forest shall be incorporated into the OCW; and (3) the Secretary shall establish the Opal Creek Scenic Recreation Area within the Forest. Requires lands or interests conveyed to the United States to become part of the OCW or the Opal Creek Scenic Recreation Area as appropriate. (Sec. 105) Requires, with respect to such Area, the Secretary to: (1) prepare a comprehensive Opal Creek Management Plan which shall become part of the land and resource management plan for the Forest; (2) permit recreation activities at no less than the levels in existence upon enactment of this Act; (3) prepare a transportation plan to maintain reasonable motorized and other access to recreation sites and facilities, including access by persons with disabilities (otherwise prohibits motorized vehicles in the Area); (4) permit hunting and fishing, with limitations; (5) prohibit the cutting or selling of trees, with specified exceptions; and (6) review and revise the inventory of cultural and historic resources on the public land in the Area.  Withdraws Area lands from operations under the public land laws, mining laws, and mineral and geothermal leasing laws.  Specifies exceptions applicable with respect to the Bornite Project.  Places restrictions on new water impoundments in the Area. Directs the Secretary to establish an advisory council for the Area and to consult with the Council and seek the views of private groups, individuals, the public, other government agencies, and nonprofit organizations regarding the Area. (Sec. 107) Provides for the acquisition of lands within the Area. Authorizes the Secretary to conduct any necessary environmental response actions within the Area. (Sec. 108) Provides for an equal-value land exchange between the Rosboro Lumber Company and the Government.  Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 109) Amends the Wild and Scenic Recreation Rivers Act to designate Elkhorn Creek as a wild and scenic river. (Sec. 109) Requires the Secretary, upon completion of a management plan and receipt of an economic development projects plan developed by the State of Oregon, to provide $15 million to Oregon to be used to make grants and loans for such projects that benefit the local communities in the vicinity of the Area.  Requires the State to report annually on the use of such funds. Title II:  Upper Klamath Basin - Directs the Upper Klamath Basin Working Group, through the Klamath Basin Ecosystem Restoration Office, to propose ecological restoration projects, economic development and stability projects, and projects designed to reduce the impacts of drought conditions to be undertaken in the Upper Klamath Basin in Oregon based on a consensus of the Working Group membership.  Requires the Secretary to pay up to 50 percent of the cost of such projects during FY 1997 through 2001 (with a $1 million annual limit). Requires the Secretary to formulate a cooperative agreement among the Working Group, the Klamath River Basin Fisheries Task Force, the Trinity River Restoration Task Force, and the Klamath River Basin Compact Commission to ensure that projects proposed and funded through the Group are consistent with other basin-wide fish and wildlife restoration and conservation plans.  Authorizes appropriations. Title III:  Deschutes Basin - Directs the Deschutes River Basin Working Group to propose ecological restoration projects on Federal and non-Federal lands and waters to be undertaken in the Deschutes River Basin based on a consensus of the Working Group membership, provided that such projects, when involving Federal land or funds, shall be proposed to the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) in the Department of the Interior and other Federal agencies with affected land or funds.  Requires BOR to pay up to 50 percent of the cost of such projects during FY 1997 through 2001 (with a $1 million annual limit). Authorizes appropriations. Title IV:  Mount Hood Corridor - Provides for an equal-value land exchange between Longview Fibre Company and the Secretary of the Interior.  Requires:  (1) all lands managed by the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), in the Mount Hood Corridor which can be seen from U.S. Highway 26 to be managed primarily for the protection or enhancement of scenic qualities; and (2) management prescriptions for other resource values associated with these lands to be planned and conducted for purposes other than timber harvest, so as not to impair scenic qualities in the Corridor. Allows timber cutting in the Corridor after a resource-damaging catastrophic event only for specified management objectives. Requires Forest Service Road 2503 to remain closed, except for limited uses, to protect resources and to prevent illegal dumping and vandalism in the Corridor.  Exempts this title from the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 for one year.   Authorizes appropriations. Title V:  Coquille Tribal Forest - Amends the Coquille Restoration Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior, two years after enactment of this title, to take approximately 5,400 acres in Coos County, Oregon, into trust for the Coquille Tribe.  Designates such lands as the Coquille Forest.  Provides for management of such lands by BLM in the interim two years.  Directs the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs to initiate development of a forest management plan and the Secretary to assist in the transition of forest management operations to the Assistant Secretary. Requires the Secretary to:  (1) manage the Forest, acting through the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, under applicable State and Federal forestry and environmental protection laws, subject to critical habitat designations under the Endangered Species Act and to the standards and guidelines of Federal forest plans on adjacent or nearby Federal lands, and in accordance with the laws pertaining to the management of Indian Trust lands; and (2) distribute revenues in accordance with existing Federal law. Subjects unprocessed logs harvested from the Forest to the same Federal statutory restrictions on exportation to foreign nations that apply to unprocessed logs harvested from Federal lands. Requires all sales of timber from land subject to this title to be advertised, offered, and awarded according to competitive bidding practices, with sales being awarded to the highest responsible bidder. Allows the Secretary, upon a satisfactory showing of management competence, to enter into a binding Indian self-determination agreement with the Tribe which provides for it to carry out all or a portion of the forest management for the Forest. Conditions the agreement on the:  (1) Tribe entering into a binding Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Oregon relating to the establishment and management of the Forest; and (2) Secretary's authority to rescind the agreement without encumbrances. Requires the Forest to remain open to public access for purposes of hunting, fishing, recreation, and transportation, except when closed by Federal or State law or when the Tribe and the State of Oregon agree in writing that access restrictions are necessary or appropriate to prevent harm to natural resources, cultural resources, or environmental quality. Vests jurisdiction in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon over actions:  (1) against the Secretary arising out of claims that this title has been violated; and (2) between Oregon and the Tribe arising out of claims of breach of the MOA. Prohibits suits against the Secretary for claims that the MOA has been violated.  Limits remedies available under this title to equitable relief and excludes damages. Specifies exclusive regulatory civil jurisdiction vested in the State of Oregon. Title VI:  Bull Run Watershed Protection - Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to prohibit timber cutting within the hydrographic boundary of the Bull Run River Drainage, including certain lands within the unit and located below the headworks of Portland, Oregon's water storage and delivery project, except for the:  (1) protection or enhancement of water quality in the area; (2) protection, enhancement, or maintenance of water quantity available from the area; (3) construction, expansion, protection, or maintenance of municipal water supply facilities; or (4) construction, expansion, protection, or maintenance of facilities for the transmission of energy through and over the unit or previously authorized hydroelectric projects associated with such facilities.  Prohibits the Secretary from authorizing a salvage sale in the Area. (Sec. 605) Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to study and report to specified congressional committees on that part of the Little Sandy Watershed that is within the Bull Run Management Unit (study area) to determine:  (1) the impact of management activities within the study area on the quality of drinking water provided to the Portland metropolitan area; (2) the identity and location of certain ecological features within the study area; and (3) the location and extent of any significant cultural or other values within the study area.  Prohibits the Secretary from advertising, offering, or awarding any timber sale within the study area for a two-year period after the enactment of this title. (Sec. 606) Provides that lands within the Bull Run Management Unit but not contained within the Bull Run River Drainage shall continue to be managed in accordance with existing Federal law. Title VII:  Oregon Islands Wilderness, Additions - Designates as wilderness:  (1) certain lands within the boundaries of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon; and (2) all other federally owned rocks, reefs, islets, and islands lying within three geographic miles off the Oregon coast and above mean high tide and also within the Refuge boundaries under the administration of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or presently under the jurisdiction of BLM. Makes permanent Public Land Order 6287 which withdrew certain rocks, reefs, islets, and islands lying within three geographical miles off the coast of Oregon and above mean high tide as an addition to the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge. Title VIII:  Umpqua River Land Exchange Study - Directs the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to:  (1) consult, coordinate, and cooperate with the Umpqua Land Exchange Project (ULEP), affected units and agencies of State and local government, and, as appropriate, the World Forestry Center and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to assist ULEP's ongoing efforts in studying and analyzing land exchange opportunities in the Umpqua River basin and to provide assistance and information to such entities; and (2) report thereon to specified congressional committees.  Lists priority matters for specific study by the Secretaries, including identifying:  (1) areas where consolidation of land ownership could promote long term species protection; (2) areas where land exchanges might be utilized to better satisfy sustainable timber harvest goals; and (3) options to insure that post-exchange revenues will approximate pre-exchange revenues. (Sec. 803) Authorizes appropriations. Division C:  Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 - Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 - Title I(sic):  Improvements to Border Control, Facilitation of Legal Entry, and Interior Enforcement - Subtitle A:  Improved Enforcement at the Border - Directs the Attorney General to increase the number of Border Patrol agents through FY 2001.  Authorizes the increase of Border Patrol support personnel. (Sec. 102) Provides for barrier and road improvements at U.S. border areas of high illegal entry, including San Diego, California. Authorizes appropriations for San Diego area improvements. (Sec. 103) Provides for:  (1) improved border equipment and technology; and (2) biometric identifiers to be included in border crossing identification cards. (Sec. 105) Establishes civil penalties for illegal U.S. entry. (Sec. 106) Provides for a review of Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) hiring and training standards. (Sec. 107) Directs the Comptroller General to evaluate the Attorney General's border strategy. (Sec. 108) Amends Federal criminal law to establish criminal penalties for high speed flights from immigration checkpoints. (Sec. 109) Provides for:  (1) a joint study of automated data collection at points of entry; and (2) development of an automated (alien) entry-exit control system. (Sec. 111) Directs the Attorney General to submit a final plan for the realignment of interior Border Patrol positions to front-line border positions. (Sec. 112) Authorizes additional appropriations for the INS IDENT program for fingerprinting of apprehended aliens. Subtitle B:  Facilitation of Legal Entry - Directs the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury to increase the number of land border inspectors for FY 1997 and 1998. (Sec. 122) Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (Act) to: (1) extend (and enlarge) through FY 2000 land border inspection projects (including commuter lanes); and (2) authorize automated land border entry pilot projects. (Sec. 123) Provides for:  (1) preinspection at specified foreign airports serving as departure points for high numbers of inadmissible aliens; and (2) training of airline personnel in fraudulent documentation detection.  Establishes a carrier consultant program. (Sec. 125) Authorizes the Attorney General to permit foreign officer at U.S. preclearance facilities.  Bases their authority and immunity upon reciprocity with U.S. immigration officers. Subtitle C:  Interior Enforcement - Authorizes appropriations to increase the number of INS investigators and support personnel assigned to investigate:  (1) visa overstayers; and (2) employer violations and alien smuggling. (Sec. 133) Amends the Act to authorize the Attorney General to accept State services to carry out immigration enforcement activities. (Sec. 134) Requires at least ten full-time INS agents per State. Title II:  Enhanced Enforcement and Penalties Against Alien Smuggling; Document Fraud - Subtitle A:  Enhanced Enforcement and Penalties Against Alien Smuggling - Amends Federal criminal law to: (1) authorize INS wiretaps for alien smuggling or document fraud investigations; (2) include alien document and smuggling offenses; and (3) include such offenses within the parameters of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations statute (RICO) if done for financial gain. (Sec. 203) Amends the Act to revise and increase criminal penalties for alien smuggling. (Sec. 204) Increases the number of Assistant United States Attorneys by at least 25, and provides for their assignment to criminal matters involving illegal aliens. (Sec. 205) Authorizes and provides for INS undercover operations. Subtitle B:  Deterrence of Document Fraud - Amends Federal criminal law and the Act to increase and establish criminal and civil penalties for specified immigration related document fraud offenses, including false citizenship claims and unlawful voting. Title III:  Inspection, Apprehension, Detention, Adjudication, and Removal of Inadmissible and Deportable Aliens - Subtitle A:  Revision of Procedures for Removal of Aliens - Amends the Act to revise alien removal and penalty provisions, including:  (1) inadmissibility of previously removed unlawful aliens; (2) inspection and expedited removal (including a required General Accounting Office study); (3) alien apprehension and detention; (4) removal procedures; (5) judicial review; and (6) penalties relating to removal. Sets forth transition provisions. Subtitle B:  Criminal Alien Provisions - Amends the Act to revise the definition of ""aggravated felony."" (Sec. 323) Authorizes special registration of aliens on criminal probation or parole. (Sec. 324) Extends criminal liability for illegal reentry to an alien who has departed the United States while under an outstanding order of exclusion or deportation. (Sec. 326) Amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to:  (1) direct INS to operate a criminal alien identification system, including fingerprint identification; and (2) increase and extend authorization of appropriations through FY 2001 for the criminal alien tracking center. (Sec. 328) Amends the Act to permit the use of State criminal alien assistance program funds for State, local, and municipal alien incarceration costs.  Expresses the sense of the Congress that such funds should be more expeditiously distributed. (Sec. 329) Authorizes the Attorney General to conduct a six-month demonstration project for identification of illegal aliens in local prisons, including the detailing of an INS specialist to Anaheim, California, and Ventura County, California. (Sec. 330) Provides for:  (1) the President to negotiate or renegotiate bilateral (alien) prisoner transfer treaties, including provision of compensation; and (2) training of foreign law enforcement personnel.  Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 331) Directs the Secretary of State and the Attorney General to conduct a prisoner transfer treaties study. (Sec. 332) Directs the Attorney General to submit an annual report on criminal aliens. (Sec. 333) Directs the United States Sentencing Commission to:  (1) review and promulgate sentencing guidelines with respect to a person conspiring with or assisting an alien to commit an offense under the Controlled Substance Import and Export Act; and (2) promulgate sentencing guidelines for increased penalties for failure to depart, illegal reentry, and passport and visa fraud. Subtitle C:  Revision of Grounds for Exclusion and Deportation - Amends the Act to require (with exceptions) proof of specified health vaccinations for aliens seeking admission as immigrants or for adjustment of status. (Sec. 342) Makes ""incitement of terrorist activity"" a basis for exclusion. (Sec. 343) Establishes certification requirements for aliens seeking U.S. health care employment (other than physicians). (Sec. 344) Provides for exclusion and deportation of aliens who have falsely claimed U.S. citizenship. (Sec. 345) Authorizes a waiver of exclusion or deportation for civil document fraud under specified family-related circumstances. (Sec. 346) Makes an alien inadmissible for five years for student visa violations. (Sec. 347) Amends Federal criminal law to provide for exclusion and deportation of an alien who has illegally voted. (Sec. 348) Amends the Act with respect to waivers of inadmissibility for:  (1) immigrants convicted of crimes; and (2) family hardship. (Sec. 350) Establishes grounds for exclusion and deportation for offenses of domestic violence, stalking, crimes against children, and violation of protection orders. (Sec. 352) Provides for exclusion of former U.S. citizens who renounced citizenship in order to avoid U.S.  taxation. Subtitle D:  Changes in Removal of Alien Terrorist Provisions - Amends the Act to revise alien terrorist special removal procedures, including establishment of a panel of special attorneys with access to classified information. (Sec. 355) Revises terrorist related provisions regarding:  (1) exclusion for membership; (2) judicial review of terrorist organization designation; and (3) voluntary departure. Subtitle E:  Transportation of Aliens - Amends the Act with regard to vessel, aircraft, and railway transportation of illegal aliens into the United States. Subtitle F:  Additional Provisions - Amends the Act to set forth immigration judge (special inquiry officer) compensation provisions. (Sec. 372) Authorizes the Attorney General to delegate immigration enforcement to State and local officials during circumstances of mass alien arrivals. (Sec. 373) Authorizes payments and cooperative agreements for services, facilities, and equipment with respect to aliens detained by INS in non-Federal institutions. (Sec. 374) Extends the scope of judicial deportation. (Sec. 376) Establishes in the Treasury an Immigration Detention Account. (Sec. 377) Limits court jurisdiction on legalization litigation. (Sec. 380) Establishes:  (1) civil penalties for failure to depart; and (2) the Immigration Enforcement Account in the Treasury. (Sec. 383) Amends the Immigration Act of 1990 to exclude aliens who have committed certain crimes from the family unity program. (Sec. 384) Prohibits (with exceptions) an adverse determination of an alien's admissibility or deportability to be made based solely upon information furnished by a spouse or parent who has battered such alien or his or her child.  Establishes penalties for use or disclosure of such information. (Sec. 385) Authorizes additional appropriations to the Attorney General for removal of inadmissible or deportable aliens. (Sec. 386) Provides for an increase in INS detention facilities. Requires the Attorney General to report on alien detention space, including an estimate of the number of released deportable or excludable aliens. (Sec. 387) Directs the Attorney General and the Secretary of Defense to establish one or more pilot programs to use closed military bases as detention centers for excludable or deportable aliens. (Sec. 388) Directs the Attorney General to report on the interior repatriation program. Title IV:  Enforcement of Restrictions Against Employment - Subtitle A:  Pilot Programs for Employment Eligibility Confirmation - Directs the Attorney General to conduct:  (1) three employment eligibility confirmation pilot programs and a pilot program confirmation system; and (2) a citizen attestation pilot program. Subtitle B:  Other Provisions Relating to Employer Sanctions - Reduces specified document requirements in the employer sanctions program. (Sec. 413) Requires reports regarding:  (1) additional authority or resources needed for employer sanction enforcement; and (2) earnings of aliens not authorized to work. (Sec. 415) Authorizes the Attorney General to require aliens to provide their social security numbers. (Sec. 416) Grants certain immigration officers witness and document subpoena authority. Subtitle C:  Unfair Immigration - Related Employment Practices - Amends the Act to provide that certain employee document requests by an employer shall only be considered as unfair immigration related employment practices if made for discriminatory purposes. Title V:  Restrictions on Benefits for Aliens - Subtitle A: Eligibility of Aliens for Public Assistance and Benefits - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to make certain battered aliens eligible for public benefits. (Sec. 502) Authorizes States to conduct pilot programs of denying driver's licenses to illegal aliens. (Sec. 503) Amends the Social Security Act to make illegal aliens ineligible for social security benefits. (Sec. 504) Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to direct the Attorney General to establish procedures for requiring proof of citizenship for Federal public benefits. (Sec. 505) Makes illegal aliens ineligible for in-state tuition rates at institutions of higher learning. (Sec. 506) Directs:  (1) the Comptroller General to report on illegal alien receipt of postsecondary Federal student financial assistance; and (2) the Secretary of Education and the Commissioner of Social Security to report on the computer matching program. (Sec. 507) Amends the Social Security Act and the Higher Education Act of 1965 with respect to the transfer of information for INS verification. (Sec. 508) States that nonprofit charitable organizations shall not be required to verify applicant eligibility. (Sec. 509) Directs the Comptroller General to report on the extent to which means-tested public benefits are being paid to ineligible aliens on behalf of eligible persons. Subtitle B:  Public Charge Exclusion - Amends the Act to expand the public charge grounds for exclusion. Subtitle C:  Affidavits of Support - Amends the Act, as amended by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, to revise sponsor affidavit of support requirements.  Exempts indigents and battered spouses and children from sponsor attribution of income provisions. (Sec.  553) Authorizes States and their subdivisions to limit (but not more so than Federal limits) the public assistance eligibility of aliens or classes of aliens. Subtitle D:  Miscellaneous Provisions - Amends Federal criminal law to increase penalties for forging or counterfeiting a Federal agency or department seal to facilitate alien benefit fraud. (Sec. 563) Sets forth State and local emergency medical reimbursement provisions. (Sec. 564) Directs the Attorney General to establish a three-year pilot program to permit aliens to post certain public charge bonds. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle E:  Housing Assistance - Use of Assisted Housing by Aliens Act of 1996 - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1980 with respect to:  (1) prorating public housing assistance based upon family member eligibility; (2) prohibiting assistance prior to establishment and verification of eligibility; and (3) prohibiting sanctions against entities that make erroneous eligibility determinations. Subtitle F:  General Provisions - States that this title and its amendments shall be effective upon enactment of this Act. Title VI:  Miscellaneous Provisions - Subtitle A:  Refugees, Parole, and Asylum - Amends the Act to include in the definition of ""refugee"" a person who has been subject to a coercive population control program (including abortion or sterilization).  Provides for a specified number of such entrants annually. (Sec. 602) Makes parole authority useable on a case-by-case basis for humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. (Sec. 603) Includes long-term parolees in world-wide levels of family-sponsored immigrants. (Sec. 604) Revises asylum provisions. (Sec. 605) Directs the Attorney General, subject to appropriation availability, to increase the number of asylum officers. (Sec. 606) Repeals the Cuban Adjustment Act, effective upon a presidential determination of a democratically elected government in Cuba. Subtitle B:  Miscellaneous Amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act - Amends the Act, as amended by the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, to increase the number of ""witness cooperation"" visas. (Sec. 622) Amends the Immigration and Technical Corrections Act of 1994 to extend, through June 1, 2002, the foreign country residence waiver for international medical graduates.  Sets forth restrictions for federally requested waivers. (Sec. 623) Revises legalization and special agricultural worker confidentiality provisions to permit specified disclosures. (Sec. 624) States that a labor certification and petition for certain professional athletes shall remain valid for same-sport team changes. (Sec. 625) Prohibits foreign student status for an alien in a public elementary school or a publicly funded adult education program. Prohibits such status at a public secondary school unless the period in question does not exceed 12 months and the alien has reimbursed the appropriate school agency.  Prohibits transfer from a private educational program to such public programs unless the required provisions are met. (Sec. 626) Authorizes the Attorney General to use appropriated funds to transport for burial the remains of INS officers or Border Patrol agents killed in the line of duty. Subtitle C:  Provisions Relating to Visa Processing and Consular Efficiency - Amends the Act to:  (1) extend immigrant visa validity to six months; and (2) authorize nonimmigrant visa reciprocity for refugees and permanent residents. (Sec. 632) Eliminates ""consular shopping"" for visa overstayers. (Sec. 635) Extends the visa waiver program through FY 1997.  Sets forth duration and termination provisions based upon a participating country's (nationals) disqualification rate. (Sec. 636) Authorizes a diversity immigrant lottery fee. (Sec. 637) Grants FY 1997 priority eligibility to certain FY 1995 diversity program aliens. Subtitle D:  Other Provisions - Directs the Attorney General to collect specified foreign student information from certain institutions of higher education and visitor exchange programs. Expands the program to all countries' nationals after a specified time. (Sec. 642) Prohibits restrictions on INS-governmental communications. (Sec. 644) Directs INS to make information (including legal consequences) available to aliens regarding female genital mutilation. Amends Federal criminal law to establish criminal penalties for such acts performed on persons under 18 years old, with specified exceptions. (Sec. 646) Provides for status adjustment to permanent resident of specified Polish and Hungarian parolees. (Sec. 647) Makes specified funds available in FY 1997 through 2001 for naturalization demonstration projects. (Sec. 649) Amends Federal law to provide for Federal vessel movement controls in instances of anticipated or actual mass migration of aliens to the United States. (Sec. 650) Directs the Attorney General to report on the practices of entities that administer certain English and civics tests. (Sec. 651) Designates a specified United States Customs Administrative Building in El Paso, Texas, as the ""Timothy C. McCaghren Customs Administrative Building."" (Sec. 652) Requires:  (1) the Attorney General to report on the mail order bride business; and (2) such businesses to disseminate immigration-related information to recruits.  Imposes civil penalties for noncompliance. (Sec. 653) Directs the Comptroller General to report on the effectiveness of the H-2A nonimmigrant worker program. (Sec. 654) Directs the Commissioner of the United States Customs Service to report on allegations of commercial harassment by Canadian customs agents along the United States - New Brunswick border. Expresses the sense of the Congress concerning the discriminatory application of the New Brunswick Provincial Sales Tax on goods purchased in the United States by New Brunswick residents. (Sec. 656) States that Federal agencies shall only accept birth certificates and drivers licenses for identification purposes that meet specified standards (as of specified dates).  Provides grants to assist States to:  (1) meet such Federal standards; and (2) match birth and death records. (Sec. 657) Directs the Commissioner of Social Security to develop a prototype of a counterfeit-proof social security card. (Sec. 658) Authorizes the Attorney General to transfer equipment and memorabilia to the Border Patrol Museum and Memorial Library Foundation in Texas. (Sec. 660) Amends Federal law to authorize INS to use National Guard personnel and equipment to transport certain criminal aliens. Subtitle E:  Technical Corrections - Makes technical amendments to:  (1) the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994; (2) the Immigration and Nationality Technical Corrections Act of 1994; (3) the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986; (4) the Immigration Act of 1990; (5) the Intelligence Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 1990; and (6) the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1994 and 1995. Division D:  Small Business Programs Improvement Act - Small Business Programs Improvement Act of 1996 - Title I(sic):  Amendments to Small Business Act - Amends the Small Business Act (the Act) to direct the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish a loan risk management database capable of providing timely and accurate information for identifying loan underwriting, collections, recovery, and liquidation problems.  Outlines information to be maintained in such database.  Provides deadlines for database operational capability. (Sec.  103) Authorizes the Administrator to permit lenders participating in the Certified Lenders Program to liquidate loans guaranteed by the SBA pursuant to a liquidation plan approved by the Administrator. Prohibits more than ten percent of the total small business loans guaranteed by the SBA in a fiscal year from being awarded as part of an SBA pilot program commenced on or after October 1, 1996. Authorizes the Administrator to carry out the low documentation loan program for loans of $100,000 or less only through lenders with significant experience making small business loans.  Requires the Administrator to promulgate regulations defining the experience necessary for lenders. Prohibits, beginning on March 31, 1997, the sale of the unguaranteed portion of any SBA loan until the promulgation of a final regulation which:  (1) applies uniformly to both depository institutions and other lenders; and (2) sets forth sale terms and conditions. Provides for appropriate interest payments for banks or other institutions making a claim for payment on the guaranteed portion of an SBA loan. Directs the Administrator to:  (1) submit to the Senate and House Small Business Committees (small business committees) a detailed plan for consolidating in one or more centralized centers the performance of the various loan servicing functions with respect to SBA-guaranteed loans; and (2) commence a standard review program for the Preferred Lender program. Requires the Administrator to conduct, through a private contractor, a comprehensive assessment of the performance of SBA small business loan programs, addressing specified matters, including default rates.  Provides contract funding.  Requires a report concerning such assessment:  (1) from the contractor to the Administrator; and (2) from the Administrator to the small business committees. (Sec. 104) Directs the Administrator to conduct a demonstration program under which a sample of SBA private sector disaster loans are evaluated to determine the costs and benefits of having the SBA's portfolio of disaster loans serviced under contract rather than directly by SBA employees.  Requires:  (1) the demonstration program to commence no later than October 1, 1997; and (2) the Administrator to submit interim and final reports to the small business committees on program results.  Includes commercial fishery failures or fishery resource disasters within the parameters of the disaster loan program. (Sec. 105) Revises the technical assistance grant and spending limitation requirements under the Microloan Demonstration Program (a program providing grants to women, low-income, and other underprivileged and minority businesses) to authorize the Administrator to award grant funds to a State in excess of 125 percent of the authorized per-State amount when the Administrator determines that a portion of the appropriated microloan funds are unlikely to be awarded during a fiscal year. (Sec. 106) Amends the Small Business Development Center Program to:  (1) provide that the Associate Administrator for Small Business Development Centers shall be responsible for the management and administration of such program and shall not be subject to the approval or concurrence of SBA officials; (2) replace references to the Deputy Associate Administrator of the Small Business Development Center program and the Deputy Associate Administrator for Management Assistance with references to the Associate Administrator; and (3) prohibit the SBA, after FY 2000, from renewing or extending any cooperative agreement with a center that has not been approved under a certification program.  Provides for a waiver of such prohibition by the Associate Administrator when the center is making a good faith effort to obtain certification. (Sec. 107) Repeals the authority of the SBA to hold seminars to make small businesses aware of opportunities under the small business development center program. (Sec. 108) Amends the Small Business Competitiveness Demonstration Program Act of 1988 to:  (1) extend such Program through FY 2000; (2) repeal a provision which prohibits the SBA from adjusting the numerical size standards for the designated industry groups participating in the Program; (3) revise the establishment and termination dates of a simplified data collection system under such Program; and (4) extend reporting requirements under the Program to conform with the Program's extension. (Sec. 109) Repeals on September 29, 1996, a provision of the Small Business Guaranteed Credit Enhancement Act of 1993 which was to repeal, on September 30, 1996, provisions of such Act relating to the authority of the SBA to impose secondary marketing fees and to reduce loan guarantee percentages. (Sec. 110) Extends through FY 1997 the pilot Small Business Technology Transfer Program. (Sec. 111) Provides the SBA level of participation for loans made on a deferred basis under the Export Working Capital Program. Title II:  Amendments to Small Business Investment Act - Amends provisions of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 relating to the development company debenture program to require that not less than 50 percent of the total cost of plant acquisition, construction, conversion, or expansion projects under such program be derived from State or local governments, banks or other financial institutions, foundations or other nonprofit institutions, or the small business concern receiving assistance through a body authorized under the program.  Provides specified requirements with respect to the funding derived from a participating small business concern.  Increases the loan guarantee fee authorized to be collected by the SBA for development company debentures.  Authorizes the SBA to:  (1) impose a one-time participation fee on all participating institutions named above other than a small business concern; and (2) collect annually from each development company a specified percentage of the outstanding balance of any guaranteed debenture authorized by the SBA after September 30, 1996. (Sec. 203) Provides required actions upon default of a debenture guaranteed by the SBA, including purchase or acceleration of the debenture and prepayment penalties. (Sec. 204) Directs the Administrator to carry out a loan liquidation pilot program under which certain development companies authorized to make loans and issue debentures under the Act are selected by the Administrator to carry out loan liquidations.  Directs participating development companies, as part of the pilot program, to perform all liquidation and foreclosure functions for SBA-guaranteed loans, subject to a loan liquidation plan approved in advance by the Administrator.  Outlines SBA authority under the pilot program. Requires a report from the Administrator to the small business committees on the pilot program. (Sec. 205) Amends a provision of the Act relating to the registration of certificates representing ownership of a portion of one or more SBA-guaranteed small business loans to state that nothing shall prohibit the utilization of a book entry or other electronic form of registration for such certificates.  Authorizes the Administrator to use the book-entry system of the Federal Reserve System.  Provides identical book-entry authority (without reference to the use of the Federal Reserve System) for certificates sold under the small business investment company program and the development company program. (Sec. 206) Directs the SBA to act promptly upon an application from a surety to participate in the Preferred Surety Bond Guarantee Program.  Authorizes the SBA to reduce the allotment of bond guarantee authority or terminate the participation of a surety in the Program. (Sec. 207) Expresses the sense of the Congress that the subsidy models prepared by the Office of Management and Budget relative to SBA loan programs tend to overestimate and overemphasize potential and historical losses under such programs.  Mandates an independent study to more accurately reflect the budgetary implications of such programs. (Sec. 208) Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to provide that an investment in a small business by a venture capital firm, investment company, employee welfare or pension plan, or tax- exempt organization shall be disregarded in the determination of the size of the small business under the Act. Includes as a small business investment company (SBIC) a limited liability company organized and operated in accordance with a State statute approved by the SBA. Requires each SBIC license applicant to apply to the Administrator.  Requires the Administrator to provide a status report to such applicant within 90 days and to act on such application within a reasonable time.  Specifies matters to be considered.  Provides application approval procedures for certain applicants with private capital of not less than $3 million. Repeals a provision authorizing the organization and chartering of SBICs formed to provide financing to socially or economically disadvantaged persons. Increases the private capital requirement of SBICs to:  (1) $5 million; or (2) $10 million for applicants seeking authority to issue participating securities to be purchased or guaranteed by the SBA (with an exception in special circumstances and for good cause). Requires the Administrator to determine the adequacy of the private capital of each licensee.  Authorizes the Administrator to approve leverage for licensees:  (1) with private capital of not less than $2.5 million; (2) that certify that at least 50 percent of its available financing will be provided to smaller enterprises; and (3) when such action would not create or otherwise contribute to an unreasonable risk of default or loss for the Government.  Directs the Administrator to ensure that the management of each licensee licensed after the enactment of this Act is sufficiently diversified from, and unaffiliated with, licensee ownership. Requires the Administrator to:  (1) prohibit a licensee having outstanding leverage (debentures or securities guaranteed by the SBA) from incurring third party debt that creates or contributes to an unreasonable risk of default or loss to the Government; and (2) permit such licensees to incur third party debt only on established terms and conditions.  Directs the Administrator:  (1) to require each licensee, as a condition of approval of an application for leverage, to certify that not less than 20 percent of its financing will be provided to smaller enterprises; and (2) before approving such applications, to determine to what extent the applicant's private capital has been impaired.  Provides, with respect to SBIC debentures or securities purchased and guaranteed by the SBA, for:  (1) a revised equity investment requirement; (2) a leverage fee; and (3) calculation of the appropriate subsidy rate. Allows qualified private sector entities to assist the Investment Division of the SBA in the examination of SBICs.  Requires each SBIC licensee to submit semiannual evaluations of its loans and investments, except that licensees with no outstanding leverage shall submit such valuations annually.  Requires the licensee to notify the Administrator quarterly of any material adverse changes in its loans, investments, or operations.  Provides independent certification and audit requirements for SBICs.  Requires valuation criteria to be established or approved by the Administrator. Directs the Administrator to submit to the small business committees a detailed plan to expedite the orderly liquidation of all licensee assets held in liquidation, including those held in receivership or trust by the SBA. Authorizes the Administrator, with respect to deferred participation loans, to allow participating lending institutions to take actions relating to loan servicing on behalf of the Administrator. Increases to $300 million the amount of guarantees of debentures the Administrator is authorized to make for SBIC programs in FY 1997. Division E:  Title I(sic):  California Bay-Delta Environmental Enhancement and Water Security Act - California Bay-Delta Environmental Enhancement and Water Security Act - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1998 through 2000 for the initial Federal share of the cost of developing and implementing:  (1) a specified portion of an ecosystem protection plan for the San Francisco Bay Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Watershed (Bay-Delta) in California; and (2) the ecosystem restoration elements of the long-term California-Federal Bay-Delta Program. Requires funds authorized to be appropriated to agencies that are currently or that subsequently become Program participants to be in addition to the baseline funding levels established in this Act for currently authorized projects and programs under the Central Valley Project Improvement Act and other currently authorized Federal programs for the purpose of Bay-Delta ecosystem protection and restoration. Authorizes agencies and departments that are or that become participants in the Program to undertake the activities and programs for which Federal cost sharing is provided by this Act.  Requires the United States to immediately initiate coordinated consultations and negotiations with California to expeditiously execute a specified cost-sharing agreement signed by its Governor on July 11, 1996. Directs the Office of Management and Budget to submit to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations, as part of the President's FY 1998 Budget, an interagency budget crosscut that displays Federal spending for FY 1993 through 1998 on ecosystem restoration and other purposes in the Bay-Delta Region, separately showing funding provided previously or requested under pre-existing authorities and new authorities granted by this Act.",2025-08-21T20:16:12Z,
104-hr-4279,104,hr,4279,Auto Theft Deterrent Act of 1996,Transportation and Public Works,1996-09-28,1996-10-09,"Referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Hazardous Materials.",House,"Rep. Ackerman, Gary L. [D-NY-5]",NY,D,A000022,0,"Auto Theft Deterrent Act of 1996 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to study the feasibility of prescribing standards for the placement of bar codes on passenger motor vehicles (except exports), and the placement of devices for reading such codes at toll gates, in order to trace stolen vehicles (including abandoned stolen vehicles).",2025-08-21T20:15:53Z,
104-hr-4280,104,hr,4280,Government Printing Reform Act of 1996,Congress,1996-09-28,1996-09-28,"Referred to the Committee on House Oversight, and in addition to the Committees on Government Reform and Oversight, and Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.",House,"Rep. Thomas, William M. [R-CA-21]",CA,R,T000188,0,"TABLE OF CONTENTS:      Title I:  Joint Committee on Information      Title II:  Production of Printing and Binding           Subtitle A:  Organization and Management of Government                Printing Office           Subtitle B:  Production and Procurement Reform      Title III:  Printing and Distribution of Documents           Subtitle A:  Congressional Printing           Subtitle B:  Congressional Record           Subtitle C:  Executive and Judicial Branch Printing           Subtitle D:  Repeal Requirements to Print Particular                Reports and Documents           Subtitle E:  Federal Register and Code of Federal                Regulations      Title IV:  Distribution and Sale of Public Documents           Subtitle A:  Publication and Sale of Public Documents           Subtitle B:  Distribution of Publications      Title V:  Depository Library Program      Title VI:  Effective Date Government Printing Reform Act of 1996 - Title I:  Joint Committee on Information - Amends Federal law to replace the Joint Committee on Printing and the Joint Committee on the Library with a Joint Committee on Information (the Joint Committee). Title II:  Production of Printing and Binding - Subtitle A: Organization and Management of Government Printing Office - Revises provisions concerning the qualifications and terms of service of the Public Printer and the Deputy Public Printer. Directs the Public Printer to remedy neglect, delay, duplication, and waste in the preparation of publications, including the reduction and elimination of internal printing and high-speed duplicating capacities of Federal departments, agencies, and entities. (Sec.  202) Revises personnel rules. (Sec. 203) Revises provisions concerning the disbursing officer. Requires the Public Printer, in making purchases which are exempt from the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act and purchases which are made without advertising, to subject such purchases to the maximum degree of competition possible consistent with the Federal Government's interests. (Sec. 204) Authorizes appropriations for each fiscal year, from the revolving fund, such amounts as may be necessary to operate and maintain the GPO.  (Currently, funds are available from the fund without fiscal year limitation.) Revises GPO auditing requirements to, among other things, require the Inspector General of the GPO (currently, the Comptroller General) to audit the GPO. Sets forth certain requirements regarding the annual estimates of the funds necessary for the activities and personnel requirements of the Inspector General of the GPO during the year involved.  Authorizes the Inspector General to expend any amounts provided for the Inspector General in the GPO annual budget for a year without the approval or direction of the Public Printer. Subtitle B:  Production and Procurement Reform - Revises requirements concerning certain printing, binding, and blank-book work carried out at the GPO or through procurement.  Requires, with respect to such procurement, that there be the maximum possible competition. (Sec. 212) Revises requirements respecting the control and sale of duplicate stereotype or electrotype plates. (Sec. 213) Directs the Public Printer to establish, subject to oversight by the Joint Committee, standards for paper.  (Currently, the Joint Committee on Printing fixes such standards.) Title III:  Printing and Distribution of Documents - Subtitle A:   Congressional Printing - Replaces provisions which provide for the printing of the ""usual number "" of documents with requirements for the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate to:  (1) determine the number and distribution of congressional documents and reports; and (2) make such reports and documents of their respective Houses available through electronic or other means. Revises provisions concerning the style and form of bills and resolutions to:  (1) authorize the Committee on House Oversight of the House and the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate (currently, the Joint Committee on Printing) to print House and Senate bills and resolutions in the style and form the appropriate Committee considers appropriate; and (2) repeal the authority to curtail the number of copies of bills and resolutions, including the slip form of a public Act or public resolution. Repeals current provisions concerning:  (1) copies of Acts furnished to the Public Printer; and (2) the printing of Acts, joint resolutions, and treaties.  Replaces such provisions with provisions which require:  (1) the Archivist of the United States to furnish a copy of every Act and joint resolution to the Clerk of the House who shall then print an accurate copy and transmit it to the Archivist for revision; (2) the Secretary of State to furnish a copy of each treaty, after its ratification, to the Secretary of the Senate who shall then print an accurate copy and transit it to the Secretary of State for revision; and (3) the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate, on the return of the copies, to make the marked corrections and print as specified. Revises provisions concerning the lapse of authority to print. (Sec. 302) Repeals the following with respect to the reprinting of congressional documents:  (1) the limit on the number of pages of a document; and (2) the requirement that each requisition for reprinting cite the specific authority of law for its execution. (Sec. 303) Revises requirements with respect to specified documents, including:  (1) requiring the cost of printing the slip form of laws, postal conventions, and treaties to be charged to the House or Senate allotment (currently, the charge is to the congressional allotment for printing and binding); (2) requiring the electronic publishing of a directory for the House and an electronic directory for the Senate (currently, the Congressional Directory is published); and (3) requiring the electronic publishing of the United States Statutes at Large and the United States Treaties and Other International Agreements. (Sec. 304) Repeals requirements requiring the cost of printing a document or report by order of Congress which cannot be charged to another appropriation or allotment of appropriation already made to be charged to the allotment for printing for the Congress.  Requires instead, in such instances, that publishing costs shall be charged to the originating House or in the case of publishing on behalf of the Architect of the Capitol, the Comptroller General, the Library of Congress, or the Public Printer to the Joint Committee. Subtitle B:  Congressional Record - Revises the following with respect to the form of the Congressional Record:  (1) eliminates the reference to the timing for the publication of the index; (2) requires daily publishing (currently, printing) of the Congressional Record; (3) requires that the daily form of the Record shall be revised in permanent form (currently, revised, printed and etc.) for distribution after the close (currently, during and after the close) of each session of Congress; and (4) repeals provisions which prohibit the ""usual number"" of Congressional Records from being printed. (Sec. 312) Revises the following with respect to the contents of the Congressional Record:  (1) transfers authority for the publication of the additional insertions to the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives; and (2) prohibits the insertion of maps, diagrams, and illustrations in the Record. (Sec. 313) Repeals current provisions regarding distribution of gratuitous copies.  Replaces them with requirements for the distribution of gratuitous copies by the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate. Revises requirements for subscriptions and sales of the Record by:  (1) transferring authority to the Superintendent of Documents; and (2) repealing the requirement that the money from sales be paid into the Treasury and accounted for in the Public Printer's annual report to the Congress. Revises requirements respecting the exchange of the permanent (currently, bound) copy of the Congressional Record for a copy of the Parliamentary Hansard (of Canada), including transferring ownership of the Hansard so received from the State Department to the Library of Congress. (Sec. 314) Requires, for the purposes of any Federal law, that the Congressional Record for a day in which a House of the Congress is in session shall be considered the official journal of the House for that day. Subtitle C:  Executive and Judicial Branch Printing - Requires the Public Printer to execute such publishing (currently, printing and binding) for the President as the President may order and make requisition for. (Sec. 322) Revises requirements for printing authorized by law and necessary to the public business by:  (1) requiring that a document cannot be published (currently, printed) unless it is necessary to the public business (currently, unless it is authorized by law and necessary to the public business) and transferring the authority to make such a determination from the Public Printer to the head of an executive department, independent agency, or establishment; and (2) prohibiting publishing (currently, printing) to be done without a requisition (currently, special requisition) signed by the chief of the department, independent agency or establishment. Repeals the following requirements relating to printing and binding:  (1) the separate estimate of cost; and (2) the determination by the Public Printer of the form and style. Revises rules concerning appropriations chargeable for publishing (currently, printing and binding) documents and reports to require that all such costs shall be charged to the originating department or agency. (Sec. 324) Revises requirements for the daily examination by agencies of the Congressional Record and other publications for the purpose of ordering documents of interest to:  (1) require agency heads to purchase publications required for official use; and (2) repeal the requirement of the Public Printer to distribute to such agencies a specified number of copies of public bills and resolutions. (Sec. 325) Revises requirements concerning the timing for the publishing of annual reports by agencies.  Repeals current requirements concerning the delivery of printed copies of such reports to the Congress. (Sec. 326) Repeals certain printing and binding requirements for: (1) blanks and letterheads for judges and officers of the court; (2) paper and envelopes for Government agencies in the District of Columbia; and (3) specified binding materials for Government departments and libraries. Subtitle D:  Repeal Requirements to Print Particular Reports and Documents - Repeals requirements for printing particular reports and documents. Subtitle E:  Federal Register and Code of Federal Regulations - Repeals the requirement for transmittal by the Office of the Federal Register to the GPO of one duplicate original or certified copy of each document required or authorized to be published in the Federal Register and replaces it with a requirement for the Office to publish a certified version of each such document. (Sec. 342) Provides for the publishing, as well as the printing, of the Federal Register. (Sec. 343) Revises the requirement respecting the costs of other publications of the Federal Register program and other expenses incurred by the GPO in connection with such publications to require that the costs and other expenses shall be borne by an appropriation to the Office of the Federal Register. (Sec. 344) Requires the publication (currently, printing and binding) of the Code of Federal Regulations. Title IV:  Distribution and Sale of Public Documents - Subtitle A: Publication and Sale of Public Documents - Repeals current provisions respecting the public distribution of publications by the Public Printer.  Replaces them with provisions providing for:  (1) the publishing of Government publications by Federal entities; (2) the distribution of such publications by either the publishing Federal entity or the Superintendent of Documents; and (3) all costs of publication and distribution to be borne by the publishing Federal entity. (Sec. 403) Revises the following relating to the sale of public documents:  (1) the treatment of funds received from sales; (2) the reference to the timing of the report by the Superintendent to the Public Printer; and (3) the delivery of documents to the executive departments and to both Houses of the Congress. (Sec. 404) Repeals the limit on the number of extra copies of documents furnished to applicants giving notice before the matter is published. (Sec. 405) Revises provisions for reprinting public documents required for sale by:  (1) repealing the timing requirement; and (2) requiring reimbursement to the appropriation for the Superintendent (currently, the Revolving Fund) for the cost of reprints from the moneys received by the Superintendent from the sale of public documents. (Sec. 406) Revises provisions concerning:  (1) the cost of additional copies; (2) the comprehensive index of public documents; and (3) the catalog of government publications. Subtitle B:  Distribution of Publications - Requires the delivery of specified unbound (currently, bound) documents to the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress (currently, the Library of Congress). Reduces the number of different types of documents which must be delivered.  Repeals the requirement that no more than 25 of such documents shall be furnished. Revises provisions concerning the international exchange of Government publications by:  (1) repealing limit on the maximum number of Government publications which are to be supplied for distribution to foreign governments; and (2) requiring that any costs of such distributions shall be charged to appropriations provided to the Library of Congress (currently, the Superintendent of Documents) for such purpose. (Sec. 412) Repeals certain mandatory distribution requirements. Title V:  Depository Library Program - Revises the definition of Government publication. (Sec. 502) Increases the authority of the Superintendent of Documents (the Superintendent) to make Government publications available, by such means as the Superintendent considers appropriate, including by the dissemination and republication of Government publications, with the cost of dissemination republication to be borne by the Federal Government entity involved. (Sec. 503) Revises certain requirements relating to the distribution of publications. Repeals provisions directing the Superintendent to issue a classified list of Government publications to facilitate selection of such publications by depositories. (Sec. 504) Requires that, as of January 1, 1997, Government publications shall be disseminated and made available only to institutions designated as depositories. (Sec. 505) Revises the requirement regarding the disposal of unwanted Government publications to permit their disposal after use only in accordance with regulations established by the Superintendent and approved by the Joint Committee on Information. (Sec. 506) Repeals the designation of specified types of institutions as depositories. Title VI:  Effective Date - Sets forth the effective date.",2025-08-21T20:15:43Z,
104-hr-4281,104,hr,4281,United States-Puerto Rico Political Status Act,Government Operations and Politics,1996-09-28,1996-09-28,"Referred to the Committee on Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.",House,"Rep. Young, Don [R-AK-At Large]",AK,R,Y000033,2,"United States-Puerto Rico Political Status Act - Declares it is the policy of the Congress that:  (1) English shall be the common language of mutual understanding in the United States, and this policy shall apply in all of the States freely admitted to the Union; and (2) if the referenda under this Act result in approval of sovereignty leading to Statehood for Puerto Rico, it is anticipated that English would become the official language of the Federal government in Puerto Rico.  Declares that Congress has the authority to expand existing English language requirements in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Requires a referendum to be held by December 31, 1998, on Puerto Rico's political status, either:  (1) retention of its present Commonwealth status; (2) full self-government through separate sovereignty leading to independence or free association; or (3) full self-government through U.S. sovereignty leading to statehood. Requires the President to develop and submit to the Congress for approval legislation for:  (1) a transition plan of at least ten years which leads to full self-government for Puerto Rico; and (2) a recommendation for the implementation of such self-government consistent with Puerto Rico's approval.  Requires the transition plan to include proposals and incentives to increase the opportunities of the people of Puerto Rico to learn English, including the teaching of English in public schools, fellowships, and scholarships. Sets forth specified requirements with respect to the referendum and congressional procedures for consideration of legislation. Makes funds available for the referendum.  Requires the Government of Puerto Rico to make grants to the State Elections Commission of Puerto Rico for referenda held under this Act.",2025-08-21T20:14:21Z,
104-hr-4282,104,hr,4282,To amend the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1993 to make a technical correction relating to the provision of Department of Defense Assistance to local educational agencies.,Armed Forces and National Security,1996-09-28,1996-09-30,Received in the Senate.,House,"Rep. Bateman, Herbert H. [R-VA-1]",VA,R,B000229,0,Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1993 to correct a statutory reference relating to Department of Defense assistance to certain local educational agencies.,2025-07-21T19:44:15Z,
104-hr-4283,104,hr,4283,National Invasive Species Act of 1996,Environmental Protection,1996-09-28,1996-10-26,Became Public Law No: 104-332.,House,"Rep. LaTourette, Steven C. [R-OH-19]",OH,R,L000553,0,"National Invasive Species Act of 1996 - Amends the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 to mandate regulations to prevent the introduction and spread of aquatic nuisance species into the Great Lakes through ballast water.  Authorizes education, technical assistance, and other measures to promote compliance.  Mandates voluntary guidelines to prevent such introduction and spread in U.S. waters by ballast water and other vessel operations.  Mandates education, technical assistance, and other measures to encourage compliance.  Requires mandatory regulations if guideline compliance is inadequate.  Provides for enforcement through civil and criminal penalties and revocation of clearance.  Encourages negotiations with foreign governments to develop and implement an international program for preventing such introduction and spread.  Allows a vessel to not conduct a ballast water exchange if the exchange would threaten the safety or stability of the vessel.  Allows a vessel that does not, for that reason, conduct an exchange to discharge ballast in any harbor, except in the Great Lakes.  Mandates a study and report to the Congress on the effectiveness of existing shoreside ballast water facilities used by crude oil tankers in the coastwise trade off Alaska in preventing such introduction and spread. Mandates studies of Lake Champlain, the Chesapeake Bay, San Francisco Bay, Honolulu Harbor, the Columbia River system, other estuaries of national significance, and other waters.  Provides for making specified amounts available for research on aquatic nuisance species prevention and control in the Chesapeake Bay, the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific coast, the Atlantic Coast, and the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary. Establishes a clearinghouse of national data on ballasting practices and compliance with guidelines under this Act. Mandates a ballast water management program for vessels of the Department of Defense and the Coast Guard. Requires:  (1) a ballast water management program to demonstrate technologies and practices to prevent aquatic nonindigenous species from being introduced into and spread through ballast water in U.S. waters; and (2) that the installation and construction of those technologies and practices be performed in the United States. Modifies:  (1) the composition and research priorities of the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force; and (2) zebra mussel demonstration program requirements. Mandates research grants regarding environmentally sound methods for controlling the dispersal of aquatic nuisance species.  Authorizes appropriations. Requires research on environmentally sound methods for preventing and reducing dispersal between the Great Lakes-Saint Lawrence drainage and the Mississippi River drainage through the Chicago River Ship and Sanitary Canal. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Task Force to encourage the development and use of regional coordination panels and similar entities in regions in addition to the Great Lakes and Western regions. Provides for interstate (in addition to existing State) aquatic nuisance species management plans, allowing Indian tribes as well as States to participate. Authorizes appropriations, including for research on the prevention, monitoring, and control of aquatic nuisance species in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island.",2025-04-07T15:29:40Z,
104-hr-4284,104,hr,4284,Late Term Abortion Restriction Act,Health,1996-09-28,1996-10-04,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Hoyer, Steny H. [D-MD-5]",MD,D,H000874,15,"Late Term Abortion Restriction Act - Makes it unlawful, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, to knowingly perform an abortion after the fetus has become viable, except, if in the medical judgment of the attending physician, it is necessary to preserve the life of the woman or to avert serious adverse health consequences to her.",2025-08-21T20:15:11Z,
104-hr-4285,104,hr,4285,Budget Process Reform Act,Economics and Public Finance,1996-09-28,1996-09-28,"Referred to the Committee on the Budget, and in addition to the Committees on Government Reform and Oversight, Appropriations, and Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.",House,"Rep. Cox, Christopher [R-CA-47]",CA,R,C000830,223,"TABLE OF CONTENTS:      Title I:  Statement of Congressional Purpose      Title II:  Binding Budget Law      Title III:  Enforcement of Budget Discipline           Subtitle A:  Supermajority Required to Break Budget Law           Subtitle B:  Line Item Reduction           Subtitle C:  ""Blank Check"" Appropriations Prohibited           Subtitle D:  ""Pay-as-You-Go"" Requirement for New                Spending           Subtitle E:  ""Lock-Box"" for Savings From Spending                Reductions      Title IV:  Sustaining Mechanism      Title V:  Protection of Social Security      Title VI:  Technical Amendments to Federal Law to Carry Out           This Act      Title VII:  Definitions and Rules of Interpretation Budget Process Reform Act - Title I:  Statement of Congressional Purpose - Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Federal budget process should focus the attention of policymakers and the public on the aggregate impact of Federal spending on the economy, and on the tradeoffs that must be made among priorities in order to control overall levels of spending.  Declares that the budget process should contain safeguards against delay and inaction, so that temporary shut-downs of the Government may be avoided. Title II:  Binding Budget Law - Requires the Congress to enact a binding budget law, in the form of a joint resolution, by April 15 of the calendar year before that in which the fiscal period commences. (Sec. 202) Makes it out of order in the House of Representatives or the Senate to consider any spending bill affecting spending in a major functional category unless and until a joint resolution on the budget is enacted. Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (CBA) to require a two-thirds majority vote in the House and the Senate to consider any spending bill prior to the enactment of the budget law.  Repeals authority for consideration of spending bills prior to adoption of the budget resolution. (Sec. 203) Prohibits baseline budgeting.  Requires objective year- to-year comparisons under budget law, with the starting point for both Presidential and congressional budgets the levels of budget outlays for the current fiscal year. (Sec. 204) Amends the CBA to establish a rainy day fund for natural disasters.  Requires budget law to include a major functional category for natural disasters, under specified conditions. (Sec. 205) Amends Federal law relating to the contents of the President's annual budget submission to the Congress to require the President to submit: (1) a budget of the U.S. Government for the following fiscal period on a single page, which sets forth specific budget ceilings in each major functional category, by the first Monday in February of each year before that in which a fiscal period commences; and (2) a detailed budget for that fiscal period, on or before the 15th day after a joint resolution on the budget for the following budget period is enacted. Title III:  Enforcement of Budget Discipline - Subtitle A: Supermajority Required to Break Budget Law - Amends CBA to require the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to provide to the Congress an estimate of the costs in each major functional category of each spending bill before being voted on by the Senate or the House. (Sec. 301) Requires a two-thirds affirmative vote in the House and the Senate to consider over-budget spending bills. (Sec. 302) Requires a two-thirds affirmative vote in the House and the Senate to waive any provision of this Act. Subtitle B:  Limited Enhanced Rescission Authority - Amends the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to authorize the President to exercise line-item reduction authority if the Congress exceeds the budget ceilings in the binding budget law or an automatic continuing resolution for a fiscal period.  Declares that such authority shall permit the reduction of over-budget spending in a major functional category to the level established in the binding budget law or automatic continuing resolution. Sets forth procedures for congressional introductions of line-item bills after the President transmits a special message to rescind an item of budget authority.  Prohibits amendments to such bills. Subtitle C:  ""Blank Check"" Appropriations Prohibited - Declares the intent of the Congress to end open-ended, ""blank check"" appropriations which typically authorize spending ""such sums as may be necessary."" (Sec. 306) Amends CBA to require fixed-dollar appropriations for every account except Social Security and interest on the debt. Prohibits open-ended appropriations. (Sec. 307) Requires Executive agencies to adjust expenditures, including program eligibility requirements and benefit levels, to ensure that appropriations for entitlement programs are not exceeded. (Sec. 308) Restricts budget authority and entitlement authority to one fiscal period. Subtitle D:  ""Pay As You Go"" Requirement for New Spending - Amends CBA to prohibit the Congress from considering any legislation which exceeds the budget ceiling unless it offsets such increased spending with an equal amount of reductions.  Requires a two-thirds affirmative vote in the House or in the Senate to waive such prohibition. Sets forth special rules in the case of legislation that exceeds a budget ceiling for the natural disaster functional category. Repeals a CBA provision for an exemption in the House from pay-as- you-go rules. Subtitle E:  ""Lock-Box"" for Savings From Spending Reductions - Amends CBA to:  (1) establish ""lock-box"" procedures to ensure budget savings from House and Senate amendments to appropriations bills result in actual spending cuts; (2) require Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reports on such procedures; and (3) mandate reduction of spending allocations to House and Senate committees and subcommittees to meet ""lock-box"" levels. Title IV:  Sustaining Mechanism - Makes appropriations to provide for an automatic continuing resolution if for any account an appropriation for a fiscal period does not become law before the beginning of such period. (Sec. 402) Provides for contingency regulations for automatic continuing resolutions.  Grants each State the option of receiving an aggregate amount for the fiscal period for social safety net programs equal to the allocation to the State for such programs in the preceding fiscal period. (Sec. 403) Restricts consideration of legislation providing budget or spending authority to only that reported by the Committees on Appropriations.  Makes such restriction inapplicable in the case of Social Security benefits. Title V:  Protection of Social Security - Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to require or permit reductions in otherwise payable Social Security benefits. (Sec. 502) Provides that no reduction in benefits under title II of the Social Security Act (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) shall be made as a consequence of this Act. Title VI:  Technical Amendments to Federal Law to Carry Out This Act - Makes various technical and conforming amendments, including changing references to a concurrent resolution on the budget to references to a joint resolution on the budget. Title VII:  Definitions and Rules of Interpretation - Sets forth definitions for specified terms. Changes the definition of budget authority to exclude offsetting receipts.",2025-08-21T20:16:16Z,
104-hr-4286,104,hr,4286,Car Find Act of 1996,Crime and Law Enforcement,1996-09-28,1996-10-04,Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime.,House,"Rep. Ackerman, Gary L. [D-NY-5]",NY,D,A000022,0,"Car Find Act of 1996 - Amends the Anti Car Theft Act of 1992 to direct the Attorney General to:  (1) establish and publicize a toll-free telephone number for reporting stolen and abandoned vehicles; and (2) use such number to assist Federal, State, and local law enforcement officials, insurance carriers, and other appropriate persons. Authorizes the Attorney General to collect fees from insurance carriers and other appropriate persons to offset the costs of establishing and maintaining such number. Authorizes appropriations.",2025-08-21T20:16:15Z,
104-hr-4287,104,hr,4287,Queens and North Shore of Long Island Aircraft Noise Correction Act of 1996,Transportation and Public Works,1996-09-28,1996-09-28,Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.,House,"Rep. Ackerman, Gary L. [D-NY-5]",NY,D,A000022,0,"Queens and North Shore of Long Island Aircraft Noise Correction Act of 1996 - Directs the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to develop, without compromising safety, a comprehensive plan to reduce aircraft noise in Queens and the north shore of Long Island, New York.  Requires such plan to include assurances that any diversion of air traffic from New Jersey or Staten Island, New York, will not result in an increase in aircraft noise in such areas.",2025-08-21T20:17:06Z,
104-hr-4288,104,hr,4288,Natural Gas Vehicle Incentives Act of 1996,Environmental Protection,1996-09-28,1996-10-11,Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Power.,House,"Rep. Barton, Joe [R-TX-6]",TX,R,B000213,9,"TABLE OF CONTENTS:      Title I:  General Provisions      Title II:  Emission Reduction Credits      Title III:  Tax Incentives         Title IV:  Revision of Purchase Mandates      Title V:  Federal Transit Incentives for Natural Gas Vehicles      Title VI:  Government Contract Incentives for Natural Gas           Vehicles      Title VII:  Research, Development, and Demonstration           Incentives for Natural Gas Vehicles Natural Gas Vehicle Incentives Act of 1996 - Title I:  General Provisions - Sets forth the findings of Congress with respect to increased use of domestic natural gas as a transportation fuel. Title II:  Emission Reduction Credits - Amends the Clean Air Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish an emission reduction credit program for natural gas vehicles, Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV)-certified alternative fuel vehicles, and fueling infrastructure. Title III:  Tax Incentives - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish natural gas vehicle property credits for any of the following property placed in service during the taxable year:  (1) natural gas vehicles (50 percent of the cost); (2) fueling stations (the lesser of $25,000 or ten percent of the cost); and (3) transportation fuel (25 cents per gallon of liquefied natural gas or per gasoline gallon equivalent of compressed natural gas). (Sec. 302) Imposes an excise tax of 3.54 cents per gallon on liquefied natural gas sold for use or used as motor vehicle or motorboat fuel unless there was a taxable sale of such gas. (Sec. 303) Provides for shorter depreciation recovery periods for natural gas vehicles (three years) and refueling property (seven years). Title IV:  Revision of Purchase Mandates - Declares the national policy to be that:  (1) a viable, sustainable market for natural gas and other low emission vehicles requires cooperative efforts by and among fleet operators and other users, fuel providers, and vehicle manufacturers; (2) government mandates requiring private sector fleet purchases do not support such cooperative efforts; (3) the low emission vehicle market should be based on voluntary, economically sound decisions; and (4) market-oriented incentives can provide an appropriate and effective means for developing a self-sustaining market for such vehicles and fuels. (Sec. 402) Amends the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to repeal private fleet mandates.  Sets forth sunset provisions to end the fuel provider mandate and the State fleet mandate. Title V:  Federal Transit Incentives for Natural Gas Vehicles - Amends Federal transportation law to require metropolitan mass transportation planning organizations, in developing plans, to consider opportunities to stimulate the use of natural gas vehicles and ULEV-certified alternative fueled vehicles and the installation of a fueling infrastructure to support such vehicles. (Sec. 504) Declares that research and investigations for which non-profit institutions of higher learning may receive Department of Transportation grants include the relationship between environmental policy and transportation policy, particularly the potential applications for natural gas vehicles and ULEV-certified alternative fueled vehicles in urban settings. (Sec. 505) Requires any Federal grant for a mass transportation project that involves acquiring buses powered by natural gas, or any ULEV-certified alternative fueled bus, and all related fueling property or equipment, to cover at least 90 percent of the project cost. Title VI:  Government Contract Incentives for Natural Gas Vehicles - Amends Federal law for Armed Services acquisitions and the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to direct the Secretary of Defense and Federal civilian agencies, respectively, to give a preference in procurement contracts to contractors and subcontractors using motor vehicles that:  (1) operate on natural gas; or (2) operate on alternative fuel and meet the ULEV standard. Title VII:  Research, Development, and Demonstration Incentives for Natural Gas Vehicles - Directs the Secretary of Energy to conduct a five-year program of natural gas vehicle research, development, and demonstration, including specified activities.",2025-08-21T20:17:00Z,
104-hr-4289,104,hr,4289,Fair Trade Opportunities Act,Foreign Trade and International Finance,1996-09-28,1996-09-28,"Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.",House,"Rep. Bereuter, Doug [R-NE-1]",NE,R,B000403,0,"Fair Trade Opportunities Act - Amends the Trade Act of 1975 to repeal Title IV (Trade Relations with Countries not Currently Receiving Nondiscriminatory Treatment) (Jackson Vanick Act). Directs the President to consult with the appropriate congressional committees and determine whether each foreign country that is not a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) is not according adequate trade benefits or substantially equal competitive opportunities to U.S. commerce.  Mandates an increase in the rate of duty with respect to the products of such a country. Authorizes the President to increase such rate on any product of a non-market economy country that is not a WTO member if it:  (1) denies its citizens the right or opportunity to emigrate; (2) imposes more than a nominal tax on emigration documents, for any purpose; or (3) imposes more than a nominal tax, fine, fee or other charge on any citizen as a consequence of such citizen's desire to emigrate to a country of his or her choice.",2025-08-21T20:14:39Z,