H R 2490 in Congressional Session 106

Bill Number : H R 2490

Title : Making appropriations for the Treasury Department, the United States Postal Service, the Executive Office of the President, and certain Independent Agencies, for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2000, and for other purposes.

SUMMARY AS OF:
9/14/1999--Conference report filed in House.    (There are 3 other summaries) TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• Title I:

  Department of the Treasury

• Title II:

  Postal Service

• Title III:

  Executive Office of the President and Funds Appropriated to the President

• Title IV:

  Independent Agencies

• Title V:

  General Provisions

• Title VI:

  General Provisions

Title I:

Department of the Treasury - Treasury Department Appropriations Act, 2000 - Makes appropriations for the Department of the Treasury for: (1) departmental offices; (2) department-wide systems and capital investments programs for development and acquisition of automatic data processing equipment, software, and services; (3) the Office of Inspector General; (4) the Inspector General for Tax Administration; (5) repair and restoration of the Treasury building and annex; (6) the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network; (7) violent crime reduction programs; (8) the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, including amounts for maintenance and facility improvements; (9) interagency crime and drug enforcement; (10) the Financial Management Service; (11) the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; (12) the U.S. Customs Service, including amounts for operations and maintenance of marine vessels and aircraft and collection of the Harbor Maintenance Fee; (13) the Bureau of the Public Debt; (14) the Internal Revenue Service, including amounts for tax law enforcement, earned income tax credit compliance and error reduction initiatives, and information systems and telecommunications support; and (15) the Secret Service, including an amount for construction and improvement of facilities.Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds.

(Sec. 116)

Authorizes the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, from October 1, 1999, through January 1, 2003, to offer voluntary separation incentives to specified employees to carry out the plan to reorganize the Office of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

(Sec. 119)

Permits the Commissioner of the Financial Management Service, from October 1, 1999, through January 31, 2000, to offer such incentives to specified employees to carry out the closure of the Chicago Financial Center in a manner deemed efficient, equitable to employees, and cost-effective.Requires the Secretary of the Treasury, prior to obligating resources for voluntary separation incentive payments, to submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a strategic plan outlining the intended use of such payments and a proposed organizational chart for the agency once such payments have been completed. Provides for approval of such plan by the OMB Director. Permits such payments only in accordance with the strategic plan. Reduces the total number of funded employee positions in the agency by one position for each vacancy created by the separation of any employee who has received such a payment unless OMB believes that the agency plan demonstrates that the positions would better be used to reallocate occupations or reshape the workforce and produce a more cost-effective result.

Title II:

Postal Service - Postal Service Appropriations Act, 2000 - Makes appropriations for payments to the Postal Service Fund for revenue foregone on free and reduced rate mail.Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds.

Title III:

Executive Office of the President and Funds Appropriated to the President - Executive Office Appropriations Act, 2000 - Makes appropriations for: (1) compensation of the President and the White House office; (2) operating, maintenance, and reimbursable expenses of the Executive Residence at the White House; (3) White House repair and restoration; (4) special assistance to the President and the official residence of the Vice President; (5) the Council of Economic Advisers; (6) the Office of Policy Development; (7) the National Security Council; (8) the Office of Administration; (9) OMB; (10) the Office of National Drug Control Policy; (11) the Counterdrug Technology Assessment Center; (12) Federal drug control programs, including amounts for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program and for a national anti-drug campaign for youth; and (13) unanticipated needs in furtherance of the national interest, security, or defense.Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds.

Title IV:

Independent Agencies - Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000 - Makes appropriations for the: (1) Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled; (2) Federal Election Commission; (3) Federal Labor Relations Authority; and (4) General Services Administration (GSA), including amounts for the Federal Buildings Fund, Government-wide policy and operations, Office of Inspector General, and allowances and office staff for former Presidents.Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds.

(Sec. 409)

Designates the Federal building located at 220 East Rosser Avenue in Bismarck, North Dakota, as the William L. Guy Federal Building, Post Office and United States Courthouse.

(Sec. 410)

Directs the GSA Administrator to convey specified lands in Washington, D.C. to the Columbia Hospital for Women to provide for hospital, medical, and health care services and related uses, including the expansion by the Hospital of its Ambulatory Care Center, Betty Ford Breast Center, Center for Teen Health, and Reproductive Toxicology Center. Sets forth conditions on such conveyance.

(Sec. 411)

Authorizes the GSA Administrator, from October 1, 1999, through April 30, 2001, to offer voluntary separation incentives to specified employees to provide for the closing of the Federal Supply Service distribution centers, forward supply points, and associated programs in a manner deemed efficient, equitable to employees, and cost-effective.Requires the GSA Administrator, prior to obligating resources for such payments, to submit to OMB a strategic plan outlining the use of such payments and a proposed organizational chart for the agency once such payments have been completed. Provides for approval of such plan by the OMB Director. Permits such payments only in accordance with the strategic plan. Reduces the total number of funded employee positions in the agency by one position for each vacancy created by the separation of any employee who has received such a payment unless OMB determines that the agency plan demonstrates downsizing or other restructuring within GSA that would produce a more cost-effective result.Makes appropriations for: (1) the Merit Systems Protection Board; (2) the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Foundation; (3) the Environmental Dispute Resolution Fund to carry out activities authorized in the Environmental Policy and Conflict Resolution Act of 1998; (4) the National Archives and Records Administration, including amounts for repairs and restoration of archives; (5) the National Historical Publications and Records Commission; (6) the Office of Government Ethics; (7) the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), including an amount for the Office of Inspector General; (8) Government contributions for health and life insurance benefits for annuitants; (9) the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund; (8) the Office of Special Counsel; and (9) the U.S. Tax Court.Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds.Rescinds a specified amount of funds made available for the National Historical Publications And Records Commission grants program.Establishes a revolving fund in the Treasury to be available for expenses and equipment necessary to provide for storage and related services for all temporary and pre-archival Federal records to be stored or stored at Federal National and Regional Records Centers by Federal agencies. Appropriates funds for the fund's initial capitalization. Credits the fund with user charges received from other Federal Government accounts as payment for providing personnel, storage, materials, supplies, equipment, and services.Requires the National Archives and Records Administration to provide quarterly reports on the fund to specified congressional committees.

Title V:

General Provisions - Sets forth authorized and prohibited uses of funds made available under this Act.

(Sec. 506)

Sets forth Buy American provisions.

(Sec. 509)

Prohibits funds appropriated by this Act from being available for an abortion or the administrative expenses of any Federal employee health plan which provides benefits for abortions. Makes such prohibition inapplicable if the mother's life would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term or in cases of rape or incest.

(Sec. 515)

Requires OMB to prepare and submit an inventory of existing Federal grant programs to specified congressional committees.

Title VI:

General Provisions - Sets forth authorized and prohibited uses of funds appropriated for Federal departments, agencies, and corporations.

(Sec. 621)

Bars the use of funds made available for the Customs Service in this Act to allow the importation of any good produced or manufactured by forced or indentured child labor.

(Sec. 628)

Requires the OMB Director to report to Congress: (1) estimates of annual costs and benefits of Federal rules and paperwork; (2) impacts of Federal regulation on State, local, and tribal government, small business, wages, and economic growth; and (3) recommendations for reform. Requires the Director to issue guidelines to agencies to standardize measures of costs and benefits and the format of accounting statements.

(Sec. 634)

Prohibits the use of funds made available in any Act for the implementation of Federal criminal code provisions regarding a national instant criminal background check system unless the system allows, in connection with the delivery of a firearm to a Federal firearms licensee as collateral for a loan, the check to be performed at the time the collateral is offered and provided that: (1) the licensee notifies local law enforcement within 48 hours of receiving a denial on the person offering collateral; and (2) such criminal code provisions apply at the time of the firearm's redemption.

(Sec. 635)

Bars the use of funds appropriated by this Act to enter into or renew a contract which includes a provision providing prescription drug coverage, except where the contract also includes a provision for contraceptive coverage. Makes exceptions to such prohibition for religious health plans.

(Sec. 638)

Amends Federal law to establish a Chief Financial Officer within the Executive Office of the President, to be appointed by the President.

(Sec. 639)

Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to promulgate a regulation requiring electronic filing (accessible by computers) of any required designation, statement, or report, if the person required to file the designation, statement, or report has, or has reason to expect to have, aggregate contributions or expenditures in excess of an FEC-determined threshold amount. Requires the regulation to allow an electronic or alternative filing by any person not required to make such filing. Requires the FEC to make any filing available to the public on the Internet within 24 hours of receipt.

(Sec. 640)

Authorizes the FEC, in the case of any violation of any requirement for the reporting of receipts and disbursements by treasurers of political committees, to: (1) find (after written notice and an opportunity for a hearing on the record) that a person committed such a violation on the basis of information obtained pursuant to specified current procedures; and (2) based on such finding, require the person to pay a civil money penalty in an amount determined under a schedule of penalties the FEC establishes and publishes, which takes into account the amount of the violation involved, the existence of previous violations by the person, and such other factors as the FEC considers appropriate. Provides for judicial review of any adverse determination in the appropriate U.S. district court.

(Sec. 641)

Requires election cycle reporting in the case of an authorized committee of a candidate for Federal office.

(Sec. 643)

Authorizes the use of appropriated funds by executive agencies to provide child care services for Federal civilian employees.

(Sec. 644)

Amends Federal law to increase the President's compensation.

(Sec. 645)

Transfers all personnel of the General Accounting Office employed to carry out the functions of the Joint Financial Management Improvement Program to the GSA.

(Sec. 646)

Provides for an increase of 4.8 percent in rates of basic pay for Federal employees under the statutory pay systems and comparability-based locality payment provisions for FY 2000.

(Sec. 647)

Authorizes a woman to breastfeed her child on Federal property if the woman and child are otherwise authorized to be present at the location.

(Sec. 649)

Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Postal Service is encouraged to issue a commemorative postage stamp in honor of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States.

(Sec. 650)

Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to establish an interactive program on an Internet website where any taxpayer may generate an itemized receipt showing a proportionate allocation of the taxpayer's total tax payments among the major expenditure categories (national defense, international affairs, Medicaid, Medicare, means-tested entitlements, domestic discretionary, social security, interest payments, and all other) as well as selected examples of more specific expenditure items.

(Sec. 651)

Amends the 1998 Supplemental Appropriations and Rescissions Act to make permanent certain provisions regarding eligibility for voluntary early retirement under the Civil Service Retirement System and the Federal Employees' Retirement System. (Currently, such provisions expire at the end of FY 1999).Repeals provisions regarding Department of Defense employee voluntary early retirement authority.

(Sec. 652)

Provides that the American Battle Monuments Commission and the World War II Memorial Advisory Board shall be considered to qualify for certain rates of postage currently in effect for third-class matter mailed by a qualified nonprofit organization.

(Sec. 653)

Establishes the National Intellectual Property Law Enforcement Coordination Council to coordinate domestic and international intellectual property law enforcement among Federal and foreign entities. Makes funds available for interagency funding of the Council.

(Sec. 654)

Appropriates additional funds for retired pay expenses under the Retired Serviceman's Family Protection and Survivor Benefit Plan and for payment for medical care of retired personnel and their dependents under the Dependents Medical Care Act.