HR 3756: Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government Appropriations Act, 1997

Congress: 104 · Status: active · Israel/Palestine classification: neutral

Data (JSON) — machine-readable record of this bill (identifiers, sponsor, classification, actions, and the member-by-member vote breakdown).

Sponsor: Rep. Lightfoot, Jim [R-IA-3] (R-IA)

Summary

TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Department of the Treasury Title II: Postal Service Title III: Executive Office of the President and Funds Appropriated to the President Title IV: Independent Agencies Title V: General Provisions (This Act) Title VI: General Provisions (Departments, Agencies, and Corporations) Title VII: Supplemental Appropriations and Rescissions for the Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 1996 Treasury, Postal Service and General Government Appropriations Act, 1997 - Title I: 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. 116) Revises the formula for reserves in the Department of the Treasury Forfeiture Fund, beginning FY 1998. (Sec. 118) Directs the Department to establish a priority placement program for eligible employees separated or scheduled to be separated from service due to a reduction in force. Prohibits the filling of vacant Department positions from outside the agency if qualified eligible employees within the same commuting area are available. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a job placement and counseling service program. Requires any contract under the Internal Revenue Service's Tax System Modernization program to require the contractor, in hiring employees to perform the contract, to obtain referrals of eligible employees from the priority placement or job placement programs. 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. 404) Amends the Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government Appropriations Act, 1989 (Public Law 100-440) to repeal the mandate for an annual average of at least 1,000 full-time equivalent positions for Federal Protective Officers. (Sec. 406) Amends the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to authorize the Administrator of the General Services Administration 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. Makes appropriations for FY 1997, also, for: (1) an OPM revolving fund; (2) specified Government contributions, with respect to retired Federal employees, as payments for annuitants, employee health benefits and life insurance; and (3) the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund. Title V: General Provisions (This Act) - Sets forth certain prohibitions and limitations on the use of appropriations made under this Act. (Sec. 512) Requires entities appropriated funds under this Act to comply with the Buy American Act. Expresses the sense of the Congress to such effect. (Sec. 518) Prohibits Act funds being available to pay for an abortion or expenses in connection with any health plan under the Federal employees health benefit 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 (PSC) 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. 522) Amends Federal law to repeal the requirement that: (1) each U.S. mint have a presidentially appointed superintendent and assayer; and (2) the Philadelphia mint have a presidentially appointed engraver. (Sec. 523) Amends Federal law to allow for the minting of 24 karat gold coins and of platinum coins. (Sec. 525) Directs the heads of the Internal Revenue Service, of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and of the U.S. Customs Service 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. 526) Exempts the Bureau of Printing and Engraving, through FY 1999, from laws governing procurement and public contracts. (Sec. 527) Authorizes the U.S. Mint to establish a demonstration project to test alternative management systems. Changes the service of the Director of the Mint from a five-year term to a six-year renewable contract, at specified compensation. (Sec. 528) 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's fees and related costs. (Sec. 529) Prohibits use of funds in this Act by the Executive Office of the President to request from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) any official background investigation report on any individual without the individual's express written consent. Title VI: General Provisions (Departments, Agencies, and Corporations) - 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, Public Law 103-356) to extend through FY 2001 the franchise fund pilot program. (Sec. 632) Amends the Federal criminal code to permit a Government officer or employee, without compensation, to represent before the Government any cooperative, voluntary, professional, recreational, or similar organization or group not operated for profit, if specified circumstances pertain. (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 upon divorce for a disabled child whose annuity had terminated because of marriage. (Sec. 634) Amends Federal civil service law for CSRS and FERS to require that Federal employees involuntarily terminated due to a reduction in force be given credit for unused annual leave in order to meet minimum age and service requirements for title to an immediate annuity. (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 for up to half the costs they incur for professional liability insurance. Title VII: Supplemental Appropriations and Rescissions for the Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 1996 - Makes supplemental appropriations for FY 1996 to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in a specified amount for salaries and expenses in connection with investigations or arson at religious institutions. Rescinds the same amount from certain funds appropriated to the Internal Revenue Service in the Treasury, Postal Service and General Government Appropriations Act, 1996 for information systems under the heading of Tax Systems Modernization.