To find out the status of these or any other bills, contact the congressional bill status line at (202) 225-1772. This information is also available on the World Wide Web at http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d105query.html (105th Congress) or http://thomas.loc.gov/d104/d104query.html (104th Congress).
| H.R. 2977 | H.R. 2807 | H.R. 752 | H.R. 478 | S. 901 | S. 1033 |
Introduce November 10, 1997, by Steve Horn (R-California), passed both House and Senate and cleared for the White House on November 13, 1997. This act may be cited as the "Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments of 1997."
(1) The Academy shall determine and provide public notice of the names and brief biographies of individuals that the Academy appoints or intends to appoint to serve on [a] committee. The Academy shall determine and provide a reasonable opportunity for the public to comment on such appointments before they are made or, if the Academy determines such prior comment is not practicable, in the period immediately following the appointments. The Academy shall make its best efforts to ensure that (A) no individual appointed to serve on the committee has a conflict of interest that is relevant to the functions to be performed, unless such conflict is promptly and publicly disclosed and the Academy determines that the conflict is unavoidable, (B) the committee membership is fairly balanced as determined by the Academy to be appropriate for the functions to be performed, and (C) the final report of the Academy will be the result of the Academy's independent judgment. '(2) The Academy shall determine and provide public notice of committee meetings that will be open to the public. '(3) The Academy shall ensure that meetings of the committee to gather data from individuals who are not officials, agents, or employees of the Academy are open to the public, unless the Academy determines that a meeting would disclose matters described in section 552(b) of title 5, United States Code. The Academy shall make available to the public, at reasonable charge if appropriate, written materials presented to the committee by individuals who are not officials, agents, or employees of the Academy, unless the Academy determines that making material available would disclose matters described in that section. '(4) The Academy shall make available to the public as soon as practicable, at reasonable charge if appropriate, a brief summary of any committee meeting that is not a data gathering meeting, unless the Academy determines that the summary would disclose matters described in section 552(b) of title 5, United States Code. Thesummary shall identify the committee members present, the topics discussed, materials made available to the committee, and such other matters that the Academy determines should be included. '(5) The Academy shall make available to the public its final report, at reasonable charge if appropriate, unless the Academy determines that the report would disclose matters described in section 552(b) of title 5, United States Code. If the Academy determines that the report would disclose matters described in that section, the Academy shall make public an abbreviated version of the report that does not disclose those matters. '(6) After publication of the final report, the Academy shall make publicly available the names of the principal reviewers who reviewed the report in draft form and who are not officials, agents, or employees of the Academy.
Introduced November 4, 1997, by Jim Saxton (R-New Jersey) and referred to the Committee on Resources. This act may be cited as the "Rhino and Tiger Product Labeling Act."
Congress finds the following: (1) The populations of several magnificent and unique endangered species of rhinoceros and tigers, such as the Indian rhinoceros, the Javan rhinoceros, the African black rhinoceros, and all of the tiger subspecies, continue to decline. (2) Growing demand throughout the world for wildlife and wildlife parts and products has created a market in which commercial exploitation has threatened certain rhinoceros and tiger populations. (3) There are insufficient legal mechanisms enabling the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to forcefully interdict products that are labeled as containing substances derived from rhinoceros or tiger species and prosecute the merchandisers for sale or display of those products. (4) Although approximately 77,000 import and export shipments occur annually in the United States, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service is able to maintain only 92 wildlife inspectors at 30 ports of entry, including 13 designated ports, to monitor the shipments. (5) Wildlife inspectors are able to physically inspect only an estimated 5 to 10 percent of all import and export shipments, making the rate of detection of contraband wildlife products extremely low.
Section 7 outlines prohibitions relating to labeling. "No person shall sell, import, or export any product labeled as containing any substance derived from any species of rhinoceros or tiger. Any person who knowingly violates this prohibition shall be fined under title 18, United States Code, imprisoned for not more than 1 year, or both."
Introduced February 13, 1997, by Helen Chenoweth (R-Idaho) and referred to the Committee on Resources. This act may be cited as the "Citizen's Fair Hearing Act of 1996."
Congress finds the following: (1) The Endangered Species Act of 1973 grants broad regulatory authority to various agencies to take actions to protect, preserve, and recover species of plants and animals determined to be in danger of extinction or threatened with becoming so within the foreseeable future. (2) Recently, private property owners and other persons that have been adversely impacted by Federal agency actions under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 have sought to bring civil actions for judicial review of those agency actions. The United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit has found that plaintiffs in those actions do not have standing to bring the suits, because they do not fall into the zone of interests protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
Section 3. Giving persons with affected economic interests equal standing to sue under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. "Any person that satisfies the requirements of the Constitution and demonstrates having suffered or being threatened with economic or other injury resulting from a violation of the Act or a failure of the Secretary to act in accordance with the Act is deemed to be within the zone of protected interests of this Act and shall have standing to commence a civil suit on his or her own behalf."
Introduced on January 21, 1997, by Wally Herger (R-California) and referred to the Committee on Resources. This act may be cited as the "Flood Prevention and Family Protection Act of 1997."
The purpose of this act is to improve the ability of individuals and local, State, and Federal agencies to comply with the Endangered Species Act of 1973 in building, operating, maintaining, or repairing flood control projects, facilities, or structures to address imminent threats to public health or safety or catastrophic natural events or to comply with Federal, State, or local public health or safety requirements.
Section 3 lists exemptions from consultation and conferencing requirements of Section 7(a) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1536(a)). An activity of a Federal or non-Federal person is not a taking of a species if the activity consists of building, operating, maintaining, or repairing a Federal or non-Federal flood control project, facility, or structure to address a critical, imminent threat to public health or safety; or to address a catastrophic natural event; or to comply with Federal, State, or local public health or safety requirements; or consists of routine operation, maintenance, rehabilitation, repair, or replacement of a Federal or non-Federal flood control project, facility, or structure, including operation of a project or a facility in accordance with a previously issued Federal license, permit, or other authorization.
Introduced June 12, 1997, by Dirk Kempthorne (R-Idaho) and referred to the Committee on Finance. This act may be cited as the "Endangered Species Habitat Protection Act of 1997."
The Senate finds and declares the following: The majority of American property owners recognize the importance of protecting the environment, including the habitat upon which endangered and threatened species depend. (2) Current Federal tax laws discourage placement of privately held lands into endangered and threatened species conservation agreements. (3) The Federal Government should assist landowners in the goal of conserving endangered and threatened species and their habitat. (4) If the environment is to be protected and preserved, existing Federal tax laws must be modified or changed to provide tax incentives to landowners to attain the goal of conservation of endangered and threatened species and the habitats they depend upon.
Section 3 allows for enhanced tax deductions for the denotation of a conservation easement. Section 4 includes exclusions from estate for real property subject to endangered species conservation agreement. Sections five outlines income tax incentives to preserve land to protect endangered species.
Introduced July 17, 1997, Thad Cochran (R-Mississippi), and referred to the Committee on Appropriations. Senate Report No. 105-51 issued.
"For necessary expenses to enable the Agricultural Research Service to perform agricultural research and demonstration relating to production, utilization, marketing, and distribution (not otherwise provided for); home economics or nutrition and consumer use including the acquisition, preservation, and dissemination of agricultural information; and for acquisition of lands by donation, exchange, or purchase at a nominal cost... "
Appropriation language included for buildings and facilities, Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and other programs.
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