Input:
SECTION 1. CREDIT FOR BIOMETHANE PRODUCED FROM BIOMASS WHICH IS
              EQUIVALENT TO CREDIT FOR ELECTRICITY PRODUCED FROM
              BIOMASS.

    (a) In General.--Subsection (e) of section 45 of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to electricity produced from certain
renewable resources, etc.) is amended by redesignating paragraphs (9),
(10), and (11) as paragraphs (10), (11), and (12), respectively, and by
inserting after paragraph (8) the following new paragraph:
            ``(9) Credit for biomethane produced from biomass which is
        equivalent to credit for electricity produced from biomass.--
                    ``(A) Determination of credit amount.--In the case
                of a producer of biomethane, the credit determined
                under this section (without regard to this paragraph)
                for any taxable year shall be increased by 1.5 cents
                for each 3412 Btus of biomethane--
                            ``(i) produced by the taxpayer--
                                    ``(I) from biomass, and
                                    ``(II) at a biomethane facility
                                during the 10-year period beginning on
                                the date the facility was originally
                                placed in service, and
                            ``(ii) sold by the taxpayer to an unrelated
                        person during the taxable year.
                    ``(B) Biomass.--For purposes of this paragraph, the
                term `biomass' has the meaning given to such term by
                section 45K(c)(3).
                    ``(C) Biomethane.--For purposes of this paragraph,
                the term `biomethane' means gas produced from biomass
                if the properties of such gas meet the requirements to
                be transported in an interstate natural gas pipeline as
                a natural gas substitute. Such term includes liquefied
                gas which would be described in the preceding sentence
                but for being in liquid form.
                    ``(D) Application of rules.--Rules similar to the
                rules of the subsection (b)(3) and paragraphs (1)
                through (5) of this subsection shall apply for purposes
                of determining the amount of any increase under this
                paragraph.
                    ``(E) Facilities producing electricity before
                january 1, 2008.--For purposes of subparagraph
                (A)(i)(II) and subsection (d)(11), in the case of a
                facility which was originally placed in service before
                January 1, 2008 (determined without regard to this
                subparagraph), and which produced electricity from
                methane--
                            ``(i) such facility shall be treated as
                        originally placed in service on the first day
                        on which such facility first produced
                        biomethane if no credit was allowed under this
                        section for electricity so produced and sold
                        before such day, or
                            ``(ii) if credit was allowed under this
                        section for such electricity, only the portion
                        of the 10-year period referred to in subsection
                        (a)(2)(A)(ii) which is after December 31, 2007,
                        may be taken into account under this
                        paragraph.''.
    (b) Biomethane Facility.--Subsection (d) of section 45 of such Code
is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(11) Biomethane facility.--In the case of a facility
        producing biomethane, the term `biomethane facility' means any
        facility placed in service after December 31, 2007, and before
        January 1, 2017.''.
    (c) Coordination With Credit for Producing Fuel From a
Nonconventional Source.--Paragraph (10) of section 45(e) of such Code,
as redesignated by subsection (a), is amended by adding at the end the
following new subparagraph:
                    ``(C) Biomethane facilities.--The term `biomethane
                facility' shall not include any facility the production
                from which is allowed as a credit under section 45K for
                the taxable year or any prior taxable year (or under
                section 29, as in effect on the day before the date of
                enactment of the Energy Tax Incentives Act of 2005, for
                any prior taxable year).''.
    (d) Conforming Amendment.--Paragraph (2) of section 45(b) of such
Code is amended by striking ``subsection (a)'' and inserting
``subsections (a) and (e)(9)(A)''.
    (e) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall
apply to biomethane produced and sold after December 31, 2007.

Output: Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow a tax credit for the production of biomethane from biomass and make such credit amount equal to the tax credit for producing electricity from biomass; and (2) include biomethane facilities as qualified facilities for purposes of the tax credit for producing electricity from renewable resources.


Input:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Making College Affordable and
Accessible Act of 2016''.

SEC. 2. CREDIT-BASED ACADEMIC TRANSITION PROGRAMS.

    Part B of title VII of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1138 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating section 745 as section 746;
            (2) in section 746, as redesignated by paragraph (1), by
        striking ``fiscal year 2009'' and inserting ``fiscal year
        2017''; and
            (3) by inserting after section 744 the following:

``SEC. 745. CREDIT-BASED ACADEMIC TRANSITION PROGRAMS.

    ``(a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to expand access for
high school students to the opportunities offered in credit-based
academic transition programs established through partnerships between
high schools and institutions of higher education utilizing dual or
concurrent enrollment programs or early college high school programs
that enable such students to earn college credits while in high school.
    ``(b) Eligible Institution.--In this section, the term `eligible
institution' means an institution of higher education that carries out
a dual or concurrent enrollment program or an early college high school
program that enables high school students to earn college credits while
in high school.
    ``(c) Grants Authorized.--The Secretary may award grants to
eligible institutions to carry out credit-based academic transition
programs described in subsection (a).
    ``(d) Application.--An eligible institution that desires to receive
a grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary an application
at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the
Secretary may require.
    ``(e) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the
Secretary shall give priority to eligible institutions that serve
students from low-income families, students from rural communities, or
students who are the first in their family to receive postsecondary
education.
    ``(f) Use of Funds.--An eligible institution that receives a grant
under this section shall use the grant funds--
            ``(1) to carry out a dual or concurrent enrollment program
        or an early college high school program for high school
        students, through which such students while enrolled in high
        school are enrolled in postsecondary courses at the eligible
        institution, through which such students can earn college
        credits that can be transferred to 2-year and 4-year
        institutions of higher education in the State;
            ``(2) to provide teachers, principals, and other school
        leaders with professional development activities that enhance
        or enable the provision of postsecondary coursework through a
        dual or concurrent enrollment program or an early college high
        school program; and
            ``(3) to support activities such as--
                    ``(A) designing the curriculum and sequence of
                courses in collaboration with teachers from the local
                educational agency and faculty from the eligible
                institution;
                    ``(B) establishing a course articulation process
                for defining and approving courses for high school and
                postsecondary credit or credentials for both 2-year and
                4-year institutions of higher education in the State;
                    ``(C) outreach programs to provide elementary
                school and secondary school students, especially those
                in middle grades, and their parents, teachers, school
                counselors, and principals information about and
                academic preparation for the credit-based academic
                transition programs described in subsection (a);
                    ``(D) helping students meet eligibility criteria
                for postsecondary courses and ensuring that students
                understand how credits earned will transfer to
                institutions of higher education in the State; and
                    ``(E) coordinating secondary and postsecondary
                support services and academic calendars.
    ``(g) Flexibility of Funds.--An eligible institution that receives
a grant under this section may use grant funds for any of the costs
associated with carrying out credit-based academic transition programs
described in subsection (a), including the costs of--
            ``(1) tuition and fees, books, and required instructional
        materials for such program so that students will not be
        required to pay tuition or fees for postsecondary courses; and
            ``(2) transportation to and from such program.
    ``(h) Evaluation and Report.--Each eligible institution receiving a
grant under this section shall--
            ``(1) conduct an independent evaluation of the
        effectiveness of the activities carried out by such eligible
        institution under this section; and
            ``(2) prepare and submit to the Secretary a report
        containing the results of the evaluation described in paragraph
        (1).
    ``(i) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be
construed to impose on any State or public institution of higher
education any requirement or rule regarding credit-based academic
transition programs described in subsection (a) that is inconsistent
with State law.''.

Output: Making College Affordable and Accessible Act of 2016 This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to: (1) extend the authorization of appropriations for the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education through FY2022, and (2) authorize the Department of Education (ED) to award grants to institutions of higher education to carry out credit-based academic transition programs established through partnerships between high schools and such institutions that utilize dual or concurrent enrollment programs or early college high school programs that enable students to earn college credits while in high school. ED shall give priority in awarding grants to institutions that serve students from low-income families, students from rural communities, or students who are the first in their family to receive postsecondary education. Institutions shall use grant funds to:   provide teachers, principals, and other school leaders with professional development activities that enhance or enable the provision of the appropriate coursework through such programs; and  support activities including curriculum design, establishment of a course articulation process, outreach programs to provide elementary school and secondary school students information about and academic preparation for the transition programs, helping students meet eligibility criteria for the postsecondary courses, and coordinating secondary and postsecondary support services and academic calendars.  Institutions may use grant funds for costs associated with carrying out such transition programs, including the costs of: (1) tuition and fees, books, and required instructional materials; and (2) transportation to and from such programs.


Input:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Medicare Patient Access to Drugs for
Rare Diseases Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Rare diseases and disorders are those which affect
        small patient populations, defined as fewer than 200,000
        individuals in the United States. Taken together, 25,000,000
        Americans suffer from one of the 6,000 rare diseases and
        disorders.
            (2) Because prescription drug manufacturers could not make
        a profit from marketing drugs for such small patient
        populations, very little ``rare disease'' research was
        conducted prior to 1983. Only 10 orphan drugs existed at that
        time.
            (3) The Orphan Drug Act, signed into law in 1983, created
        financial incentives for the research, development, production
        and distribution of such orphan drugs.
            (4) Since 1983, more than 240 new orphan drugs have been
        developed, approved, and marketed in the United States and more
        than 800 additional drugs are in the research pipeline.
            (5) The tremendous success of the Orphan Drug Act cannot be
        taken for granted because--
                    (A) patient access to the more expensive orphan
                drugs is a continuing problem; and
                    (B) there is a need to stimulate more research for
                the millions of Americans and thousands of rare
                diseases for which there are not yet effective
                therapies.
            (6) When Congress adopted the medicare hospital outpatient
        prospective payment system (HOPPS) in 1999, it defined orphan
        drugs based on the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic (FFD&C) Act
        and placed such orphan drugs in a category that provided
        sufficient reimbursement to assure continuing access for rare
        disease patients.
            (7) Despite expressions of concern from Congress, the HOPPS
        regulation for 2003 does not continue this policy and, instead,
        uses a definition of orphan drugs that is not supported by the
        history of the Orphan Drug Act and forces most orphan drugs
        into categories in which they are reimbursed at levels
        significantly below hospital acquisition costs.
            (8) Unless medicare provides adequate reimbursement for
        orphan drugs, hospitals are much less likely to have them
        available for beneficiaries with rare diseases, such as
        cervical dystonia, alpha-1 antitripsin deficiency, rare
        cancers, porphyria, sickle cell anemia, Tourette syndrome,
        cystic fibrosis, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou
        Gehrig's disease).
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to assure that medicare
beneficiaries with rare diseases have continued access to orphan drugs
in the hospital outpatient setting and that the FFD&C Act definition of
rare diseases is used by the medicare program.

SEC. 3. PAYMENT FOR ORPHAN DRUGS AND BIOLOGICALS UNDER THE PROSPECTIVE
              PAYMENT SYSTEM FOR HOSPITAL OUTPATIENT DEPARTMENT
              SERVICES.

    (a) Payment for Orphan Drugs and Biologicals.--
            (1) In general.--Section 1833(t)(1)(B) of the Social
        Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395l(t)(1)(B)) is amended--
                    (A) by striking the period at the end of clause
                (iv) and inserting a semi-colon; and
                    (B) by inserting at the end the following new
                clauses:
                            ``(v) for periods before January 1, 2007,
                        does not include a drug or biological that has
                        been designated as an orphan drug under section
                        526 of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act
                        or a drug or biological which is described
                        under the same Healthcare Procedure Coding
                        System product code (or product code under a
                        successor coding system designated in
                        regulations promulgated under section 1173(c)),
                        has the same non-proprietary name, or is the
                        `same drug' as that term is defined by the Food
                        and Drug Administration under regulations
                        promulgated under section 527 of the Federal,
                        Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act; and
                            ``(vi) for periods before January 1, 2007,
                        does not include blood clotting factors for
                        individuals with hemophilia for which a
                        biologics license application under subsection
                        (a) of section 351 of the Public Health Service
                        Act has been submitted on or before December
                        31, 2002.''.
            (2) Considerations in applying exemption rules.--
                    (A) In general.--In determining whether a drug or
                biological is excluded from the prospective payment
                system under section 1833(t) of the Social Security Act
                (42 U.S.C. 1395l(t)) for hospital outpatient department
                services by reason of the amendment made by paragraph
                (1), the Secretary shall not take into account the fact
that a drug or biological may have uses that have not been designated
as an orphan drug under section 526 of the Federal Food, Drug and
Cosmetic Act.
                    (B) Exception for high volume claims.--
                Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), for any drug or
                biological that would otherwise be covered by the
                amendment made by paragraph (1), if the number of
                claims submitted by hospitals for covered OPD services
                (as defined in section 1833(t)(1)(B) of such Act (42
                U.S.C. 1395l(t)(1)(B)) without regard to clauses (v)
                and (vi) of such section) for such drug or biological
                administered exceeds 30,000 for the year from which
                claims are reviewed to determine payment rates for a
                given year, the exclusion under such amendments shall
                apply only to the indications for which the drug has
                been designated under section 526 of the Food, Drug and
                Cosmetic Act or which are included on the Rare Diseases
                List maintained by the Office of Rare Diseases of the
                National Institutes of Health.
                    (C) Treatment for high volume claims.--In the case
                of a drug or biological that, with respect to which the
                Secretary determines that more than 30,000 claims for
                the drug or biological has been submitted in a year for
                covered OPD services as described in subparagraph (B),
                that drug or biological shall be considered to exceed
                30,000 claims for all succeeding years.
            (3) Payment methodology.--In the case of a drug or
        biological covered by the amendment made by paragraph (1),
        payment for the drug or biological shall be made under section
        1842(o)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395u(o)(1)).
            (4) Exemption from inherent reasonableness authority.--
        Section 1842(b)(8)(A)(i)(I) of the Social Security Act (42
        U.S.C. 1395u(b)(8)(A)(i)(I)) is amended by inserting after
        ``paid under section 1848'' the following: ``and other than
        drugs and biologicals and blood clotting factors for
        individuals with hemophilia excluded from the prospective
        payment system for covered OPD services under clauses (v) or
        (vi) of section 1833(t)(1)(B).''.
    (b) Report.--Not later than July 1, 2006, the Secretary shall
submit to the Committees on Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce of
the House of Representatives and the Committee on Finance of the Senate
a report on payment for orphan drugs and biologicals and blood clotting
factors for individuals with hemophilia in the hospital outpatient
setting including recommendations for either continuing or
discontinuing the exclusion of such drugs and biologicals from payment
under section 1833(t) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395l(t)).
Such report shall include the following:
            (1) Recommendations for methods to appropriately reflect
        the actual costs of orphan drugs and biologicals and blood
        clotting factors for individuals with hemophilia under such
        section. Such methods shall be designed to ensure that the
        payment rate established for each drug and biological
        adequately reimburses hospitals for the costs associated with
        acquiring and dispensing such product, including pharmacy
        service and overhead costs.
            (2) The impact of making payment for orphan drugs and
        biologicals and blood clotting factors for individuals with
        hemophilia under such section 1833(t) on access to such drugs
        and biologicals by patients with rare diseases.
In preparing this report, the Secretary shall consult with patients,
physicians, providers of services and suppliers of orphan drugs and
biologicals and blood clotting factors for individuals with hemophilia
as well as other organizations involved in the distribution of such
drugs and biologicals to such patients, physicians, providers of
services and suppliers.
    (c) Moratorium on Decreases in Payment Rates.--Notwithstanding any
other provision of law, effective for orphan drugs and biologicals and
blood clotting factors for individuals with hemophilia furnished by
hospital outpatient departments on or after January 1, 2007, the
Secretary may not directly or indirectly decrease the rates of
reimbursement in effect on December 31, 2006 for such orphan drugs and
biologicals and blood clotting factors for individuals with hemophilia
any earlier than six months after the date that the Secretary has
submitted to Congress the report required under section (b).
    (d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall
apply with respect to items furnished on or after January 1, 2004.

Output:
Medicare Patient Access to Drugs for Rare Diseases Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise the methodology by which payment for orphan drugs and biologicals is made under the Medicare prospective payment system for hospital outpatient department (OPD) services.

Directs the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on payment for orphan drugs and biologicals and blood clotting factors for individuals with hemophilia in the OPD setting, including recommendations for either continuing or discontinuing the exclusion of such drugs and biologicals from payment under Medicare.

Provides for a moratorium on decreases in payment rates for orphan drugs and biologicals and blood clotting factors for certain individuals with hemophilia.


Input:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Child Passenger Safety Act''.

SEC. 2. USE OF SAFETY BELTS AND CHILD RESTRAINT SYSTEMS BY CHILDREN.

    (a) In General.--Subchapter I of chapter 1 of title 23, United
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 165. Use of safety belts and child restraint systems by children
    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Child safety restraint law.--The term `child safety
        restraint law' means a State law that prohibits the driver of a
        passenger motor vehicle from driving the vehicle when there is
        in the vehicle a child under the age of 16 who does not have a
        safety belt properly fastened around the child's body, except
        in a case in which the child is under the age of 9 and is
        properly secured in a child safety seat or other appropriate
        restraint system in accordance with the instructions of the
        manufacturer of the seat or system.
            ``(2) Child safety seat.--The term `child safety seat'
        means a specially designed seating system (including a booster
        seat) that--
                    ``(A) meets the Federal motor vehicle safety
                standards set forth in section 571.213 of title 49,
                Code of Federal Regulations (or a successor
                regulation); and
                    ``(B) is permanently affixed to a passenger motor
                vehicle or is affixed to a passenger motor vehicle by a
                safety belt or a universal attachment system.
            ``(3) Motor vehicle.--The term `motor vehicle' means a
        vehicle driven or drawn by mechanical power and manufactured
        primarily for use on public highways, but does not include a
        vehicle operated only on a rail.
            ``(4) Multipurpose passenger vehicle.--The term
        `multipurpose passenger vehicle' means a motor vehicle with
        motive power (except a trailer), designed to carry not more
        than 10 individuals, that is constructed on a truck chassis or
        with special features for occasional off-road operation.
            ``(5) Passenger car.--The term `passenger car' means a
        motor vehicle with motive power (except a multipurpose
        passenger vehicle, motorcycle, or trailer) designed to carry
        not more than 10 individuals.
            ``(6) Passenger motor vehicle.--The term `passenger motor
        vehicle' means a passenger car or a multipurpose passenger
        vehicle.
            ``(7) Safety belt.--The term `safety belt' means--
                    ``(A) with respect to any open-body passenger motor
                vehicle, including any convertible, an occupant
                restraint system consisting of a lap belt or a lap belt
                and a detachable shoulder belt meeting applicable
                Federal motor vehicle safety standards; and
                    ``(B) with respect to any other passenger motor
                vehicle, an occupant restraint system consisting of
                integrated lap and shoulder belts meeting applicable
                Federal motor vehicle safety standards.
    ``(b) Transfer of Funds.--
            ``(1) Fiscal year 2005.--
                    ``(A) In general.--On October 1, 2004, if a State
                has not enacted a child safety restraint law, the
                Secretary shall transfer an amount equal to 4 percent
                of the funds apportioned to the State on that date
                under each of paragraphs (1), (3), and (4) of section
                104(b) to the apportionment of the State under section
                402 to be used to implement a statewide comprehensive
                child and other passenger protection education program
                to promote child and other passenger safety.
                    ``(B) Elements of program.--An education program
                under subparagraph (A) shall include--
                            ``(i) instruction concerning proper seating
                        positions for children in airbag-equipped motor
                        vehicles; and
                            ``(ii) instruction designed to increase the
                        proper use of child restraint systems.
            ``(2) Fiscal year 2006.--On October 1, 2005, if a State has
        not enacted a child safety restraint law, the Secretary shall
        transfer an amount equal to 6 percent of the funds apportioned
        to the State on that date under each of paragraphs (1), (3),
        and (4) of section 104(b) to the apportionment of the State
        under section 402 to be used as described in paragraph (1).
            ``(3) Fiscal year 2007.--On October 1, 2006, if a State has
        not enacted a child safety restraint law, the Secretary shall
        transfer an amount equal to 8 percent of the funds apportioned
        to the State on that date under each of paragraphs (1), (3),
        and (4) of section 104(b) to the apportionment of the State
        under section 402 to be used as described in paragraph (1).
            ``(4) Fiscal year 2008 and thereafter.--On October 1, 2007,
        and each October 1 thereafter, if a State has not enacted a
        child safety restraint law, the Secretary shall transfer an
        amount equal to 10 percent of the funds apportioned to the
        State on that date under each of paragraphs (1), (3), and (4)
        of section 104(b) to the apportionment of the State under
        section 402 to be used as described in paragraph (1).
    ``(c) Federal Share.--The Federal share of the cost of a project
carried out with funds transferred under subsection (b) shall be 100
percent.
    ``(d) Derivation of Amount To Be Transferred.--An amount to be
transferred under subsection (b) may be derived from 1 or more of the
following:
            ``(1) The apportionment of the State under section
        104(b)(1).
            ``(2) The apportionment of the State under section
        104(b)(3).
            ``(3) The apportionment of the State under section
        104(b)(4).
    ``(e) Transfer of Obligation Authority.--
            ``(1) In general.--If the Secretary transfers under
        subsection (b) any funds to the apportionment of a State under
        section 402 for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall transfer an
        amount, determined under paragraph (2), of obligation authority
        distributed for the fiscal year to the State for Federal-aid
        highways and highway safety construction programs for carrying
        out projects under section 402.
            ``(2) Amount.--The amount of obligation authority referred
        to in paragraph (1) shall be determined by multiplying--
                    ``(A) the amount of funds transferred under
                subsection (b) to the apportionment of the State under
                section 402 for the fiscal year; by
                    ``(B) the ratio that--
                            ``(i) the amount of obligation authority
                        distributed for the fiscal year to the State
                        for Federal-aid highways and highway safety
                        construction programs; bears to
                            ``(ii) the total of the sums apportioned to
                        the State for Federal-aid highways and highway
                        safety construction programs (excluding sums
                        not subject to any obligation limitation) for
                        the fiscal year.
    ``(f) Limitation on Applicability of Obligation Limitation.--
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no limitation on the total
of obligations for highway safety programs under section 402 shall
apply to funds transferred under this section to the apportionment of a
State under section 402.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--The analysis for subchapter I of chapter
1 of title 23, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the
following:

``165. Use of safety belts and child restraint systems by children.''.

Output: Child Passenger Safety Act - Requires the Secretary of Transportation, if by October 1 of years beginning in 2004 a State has not enacted a child safety restraint law, to transfer specified percentages of Federal-aid highway funds from specified State apportionments to the apportionment for highway safety, to be used to implement a statewide comprehensive child and other passenger protection education program. Requires such a program to include instruction concerning proper seating positions for children in air bag equipped motor vehicles and instruction designed to increase the proper use of child restraint systems. Defines a "child safety restraint law" as one that prohibits driving a motor vehicle if a passenger under age 16 is not properly secured by a safety belt, unless the passenger is under age nine and is properly secured in a child safety seat.


Input:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary
Assistance Act of 1999''.

SEC. 2. PRESUMPTIVE ELIGIBILITY OF CERTAIN LOW-INCOME INDIVIDUALS FOR
              MEDICARE COST-SHARING UNDER THE QMB OR SLMB PROGRAM.

    Title XIX of the Social Security Act is amended by inserting after
section 1920A the following new section:

      ``presumptive eligibility of certain low-income individuals

    ``Sec. 1920B. (a) A State plan approved under section 1902 shall
provide for making medical assistance with respect to medicare cost-
sharing covered under the State plan available to a low-income
individual on the date the low-income individual becomes entitled to
benefits under part A of title XVIII during a presumptive eligibility
period.
    ``(b) For purposes of this section:
            ``(1) The term `low-income individual' means an individual
        who at the age of 65 years is described--
                    ``(A) in section 1902(a)(10)(E)(i), or
                    ``(B) in section 1902(a)(10)(E)(iii).
            ``(2) The term `medicare cost-sharing'--
                    ``(A) with respect to an individual described in
                paragraph (1)(A), has the meaning given such term in
                section 1905(p)(3).
                    ``(B) with respect to an individual described in
                paragraph (1)(B), has the meaning given such term in
                section 1905(p)(3)(A).
            ``(3) The term `presumptive eligibility period' means, with
        respect to a low-income individual, the period that--
                    ``(A) begins with the date on which a qualified
                entity determines, on the basis of preliminary
                information, that the income and resources of the
                individual do not exceed the applicable income and
                resource level of eligibility under the State plan, and
                    ``(B) ends with (and includes) the earlier of--
                            ``(i) the day on which a determination is
                        made with respect to the eligibility of the
                        low-income individual for medical assistance
                        for medical cost-sharing under the State plan,
                        or
                            ``(ii) in the case of a low-income
                        individual on whose behalf an application is
                        not filed by the last day of the month
                        following the month during which the entity
                        makes the determination referred to in
                        subparagraph (A), such last day.
            ``(4)(A) Subject to subparagraph (B), the term `qualified
        entity' means any of the following:
                    ``(i) Qualified individuals within the Social
                Security Administration.
                    ``(ii) An entity determined by the State agency to
                be capable of making determinations of the type
                described in paragraph (3).
            ``(B) The Secretary may issue regulations further limiting
        those entities that may become qualified entities in order to
        prevent fraud and abuse and for other reasons.
    ``(c)(1) The State agency, after consultation with the Secretary,
shall provide qualified entities with--
            ``(A) such forms as are necessary for an application to be
        made on behalf of a low-income individual for medical
        assistance for medical cost-sharing under the State plan, and
            ``(B) information on how to assist low-income individuals
        and other persons in completing and filing such forms.
    ``(2) A qualified entity that determines under subsection (b)(2)(A)
that a low-income individual is presumptively eligible for medical
assistance for medical cost-sharing under a State plan shall--
            ``(A) notify the State agency of the determination within 5
        working days after the date on which the determination is made,
        and
            ``(B) inform the low-income individual at the time the
        determination is made that an application for medical
        assistance for medical cost-sharing under the State plan is
        required to be made by not later than the last day of the month
        following the month during which the determination is made.
    ``(3) In the case of a low-income individual who is determined by a
qualified entity to be presumptively eligible for medical assistance
for medical cost-sharing under a State plan, the low-income individual
shall make application for medical assistance for medical cost-sharing
under such plan by not later than the last day of the month following
the month during which the determination is made.
    ``(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, medical
assistance for medicare cost-sharing that--
            ``(1) is furnished to a low-income individual during a
        presumptive eligibility period under the State plan; and
            ``(2) is included in the services covered by a State plan;
shall be treated as medical assistance provided by such plan for
purposes of section 1903.''.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR OUTREACH EFFORTS.

    There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Health
and Human Services $12,000,000 for the purpose of conducting outreach
efforts to increase awareness of the availability of medical assistance
for medicare cost-sharing under a State plan under title XIX of the
Social Security Act to eligible low-income medicare beneficiaries
described in clauses (i) and (iii), respectively, of section
1902(a)(10)(E) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1396a(a)(10)(E)).

Output: Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary Assistance Act of 1999 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require a State plan to provide for making medical assistance with respect to Medicare (SSA title XVIII) cost-sharing covered under the State plan available to a low-income individual on the date the low-income individual becomes entitled to benefits under part A (Hospital Insurance) of title XVIII during a presumptive eligibility period.


Input:
SECTION 1.

    (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law and subject to the
provisions of subsections (e) and (g), upon the joint motion of the
United States and the State of Alaska and the issuance of an
appropriate order by the United States District Court for the District
of Alaska, the joint trust funds, or any portion thereof, including any
interest accrued thereon, previously received or to be received by the
United States and the State of Alaska pursuant to the Agreement and
Consent Decree issued in United States v. Exxon Corporation, et al.
(No. A91-082 CIV) and State of Alaska v. Exxon Corporation, et al. (No.
A91-083 CIV) (hereafter referred to as the ``Consent Decree''), may be
deposited in--
            (1) the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration
        Fund (hereafter referred to as the ``Fund'') established in
        title I of the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies
        Appropriations Act, 1992 (Public Law 102-154, 43 U.S.C. 1474b);
            (2) accounts outside the United States Treasury (hereafter
        referred to as ``outside accounts''); or
            (3) both.
Any funds deposited in an outside account may be invested only in
income-producing obligations and other instruments or securities that
have been determined unanimously by the Federal and State natural
resource trustees for the Exxon Valdez oil spill (``trustees'') to have
a high degree of reliability and security.
    (b) Joint trust funds deposited in the Fund or an outside account
that have been approved unanimously by the Trustees for expenditure by
or through a State or Federal agency shall be transferred promptly from
the Fund or the outside account to the State of Alaska or United States
upon the joint request of the governments.
    (c) The transfer of joint trust funds outside the Court Registry
shall not affect the supervisory jurisdiction of the District Court
under the Consent Decree or the Memorandum of Agreement and Consent
Decree in United States v. State of Alaska (No. A91-081-CIV) over all
expenditures of the joint trust funds.
    (d) Nothing herein shall affect the requirement of section 207 of
the Dire Emergency Supplemental Appropriations and Transfers for Relief
From the Effects of Natural Disasters, for Other Urgent Needs, and for
the Incremental Cost of ``Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm'' Act of
1992 (Public Law 102-229, 42 U.S.C. 1474b note) that amounts received
by the United States and designated by the trustees for the expenditure
by or through a Federal agency must be deposited into the Fund.
    (e) All remaining settlement funds are eligible for the investment
authority granted under subsection (a) of this act so long as they are
managed and allocated consistent with the Resolution of the Trustees
adopted March 1, 1999, concerning the Restoration Reserve, as follows:
            (1) $55 million of the funds remaining on October 1, 2002,
        and the associated earnings thereafter shall be managed and
        allocated for habitat protection programs including small
        parcel habitat acquisitions. Such sums shall be reduced by--
                    (A) the amount of any payments made after the date
                of enactment of this Act from the Joint Trust Funds
                pursuant to an agreement between the Trustee Council
                and Koniag, Inc. which includes those lands which are
                presently subject to the Koniag Non-Development
                Easement, including, but not limited to, the
                continuation or modification of such Easement; and
                    (B) payments in excess of $6.32 million for any
                habitat acquisition or protection from the joint trust
                funds after the date of enactment of this Act and prior
                to October 1, 2002, other than payments for which the
                Council is currently obligated through purchase
                agreements with the Kodiak Island Borough, Afognak
                Joint Venture and the Eyak Corporation.
            (2) All other funds remaining on October 1, 2002, and the
        associated earnings shall be used to fund a program, consisting
        of--
                    (A) marine research, including applied fisheries
                research;
                    (B) monitoring; and
                    (C) restoration, other than habitat acquisition,
                which may include community and economic restoration
                projects and facilities (including projects proposed by
                the communities of the EVOS Region or the fishing
                industry), consistent with the Consent Decree.
    (f) The Federal trustees and the State trustees, to the extent
authorized by State law, are authorized to issue grants as needed to
implement this program.
    (g) The authority provided in this Act shall expire on September
30, 2002, unless by September 30, 2001, the Trustees have submitted to
the Congress a report recommending a structure the Trustees believe
would be most effective and appropriate for the administration and
expenditure of remaining funds and interest received. Upon the
expiration of the authorities granted in this Act all monies in the
Fund or outside accounts shall be returned to the Court Registry or
other account permitted by law.

            Passed the Senate November 19, 1999.

            Attest:

                                                    GARY SISCO,

                                                             Secretary.

Output:
Makes all remaining settlement funds eligible for the investment authority granted under this Act so long as they are managed and allocated consistent with the Resolution of the Trustees adopted March 1, 1999, concerning the Restoration Reserve, as follows: (1) $55 million of the funds remaining on October 1, 2002, and the associated earnings thereafter, shall be managed and allocated for habitat protection programs, including small parcel habitat acquisitions, with such sums reduced as specified; and (2) all other funds remaining on that date and associated earnings shall be used to fund (consistent with the Consent Decree) a program consisting of marine research, monitoring, and restoration, other than habitat acquisition, and additionally for community and economic restoration projects and facilities.
Authorizes the Federal trustees and the State trustees, to the extent authorized by State law, to issue grants as needed to implement this program.
Terminates the authority provided in this Act on September 30, 2002, unless by September 30, 2001, the Trustees have submitted to Congress a report recommending a structure the Trustees believe would be most effective and appropriate for the administration and expenditure of remaining funds and interest received. Directs that, upon the expiration of the authorities granted in this Act, all monies in the Fund or outside accounts be returned to the Court Registry or other account permitted by law.


Input:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Leave Equity for Adoptive Families
Act of 1995''.

SEC. 2. LEAVE REQUIREMENT.

    (a) In General.--An employee who needs leave because of the
placement of a son or daughter with the employee for adoption or foster
care shall be entitled to any leave benefit provided by the employee's
employer to an employee who needs leave--
            (1) to care for the employee's newborn biological child, or
            (2) to recover from the employee's own illness, injury, or
        disability.
    (b) Expiration of Entitlement.--Leave because of the placement of a
son or daughter with the employee for adoption or foster care under
subsection (a) shall commence no later than 12 months after the
placement of a child with the employee for adoption or foster care.

SEC. 3. CIVIL ACTION.

    (a) In General.--Subject to the limitations contained in this
section, any person may bring a civil action against an employer to
enforce the provisions of section 2 in any appropriate court of the
United States or in any State court of competent jurisdiction.
    (b) Timing of Commencement of Civil Action.--No civil action may be
commenced under subsection (a) later than 1 year after the date of the
last event that constitutes the alleged violation of section 2.
    (c) Venue.--An action brought under subsection (a) in a district
court of the United States may be brought in any appropriate judicial
district under section 1391 of title 28, United States Code.
    (d) Relief.--In any civil action brought under subsection (a), the
court may--
            (1) grant as relief against any respondent that violates
        section 2--
                    (A) any permanent or temporary injunction,
                temporary restraining order, or other equitable relief
                as the court determines appropriate,
                    (B) damages in an amount equal to any wages,
                salary, employment benefits, or other compensation
                denied or lost to the employee bringing the action by
                reason of the violation of section 2 or in a case in
                which wages, salary, employment benefits, or other
                compensation have not been denied or lost to the
                employee, any actual monetary losses sustained by the
                employee as a direct result of such violation,
                including the cost of providing care, up to an amount
                equal to 12 weeks of wages or salary for the employee,
                and
                    (C) interest at the prevailing rate on the total
                monetary damages calculated under subparagraph (B), and
            (2) award to a prevailing party (other than the United
        States) in the action a reasonable attorney's fee and expert
        witness fee.
SEC. 4. CONSTRUCTION.

    Nothing in this Act shall be construed to require an employer to
provide any leave benefit that the employer would not otherwise have
provided to an employee to care for a newborn biological child or to
recover from the employee's illness, injury, or disability.

SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.

    As used in this Act:
            (1) Employee.--The term ``employee'' means any individual
        employed by an employer.
            (2) Employer.--The term ``employer'' means any person
        engaged in commerce or in any industry or activity affecting
        commerce. The terms ``commerce'' and ``industry affecting
        commerce'' mean any activity, business, or industry in commerce
        or in which a labor dispute would hinder or obstruct commerce
        or the free flow of commerce and includes such terms as defined
        in section 120 of the Labor Management Relations Act, 1947.
            (3) Employment benefits.--The term ``employment benefits''
        means all benefits provided or made available to employees by
        an employer, including health insurance, sick leave, annual
        leave, parental leave, and disability leave regardless of
        whether such benefits are provided by a policy or practice of
        an employer or through an ``employee welfare benefit plan'', as
        defined in section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income
        Security Act of 1974 (29 U.S.C. 1002(1)).
            (4) Leave benefit.--The term ``leave benefit'' means--
                    (A) any sick or parental leave provided by an
                employer,
                    (B) any right to reemployment with the employer
                after the leave described in subparagraph (A); and
                    (C) any right to the receipt of pay or employment
                benefits, or the accrual of seniority, during the leave
                described in subparagraph (A).
            (5) Parent.--The term ``parent'' means the biological
        parent, adoptive parent, prospective adoptive parent, foster
        parent, legal guardian, or stepparent, of a child.
            (6) Parental leave.--The term ``parental leave'' means any
        leave to enable a parent to care for a newborn biological
        child.
            (7) Placement.--The term ``placement'' means the
        introduction of a child into a family or the process to bring
        about the introduction of a child into a family.
            (8) Sick leave.--The term ``sick leave'' means any leave
        provided by an employer to enable an employee to recover from
        an illness, injury, or disability.
            (9) Son or daughter.--The term ``son or daughter'' means a
        biological or adopted child, a foster child, a stepchild, a
        legal ward, or a child placed for adoption.

Output:
Leave Equity for Adoptive Families Act of 1995 - Entitles any employee who needs it, because of the placement of a child with that employee for adoption or foster care, to any leave benefit provided by the employer for care of an employee's newborn biological child or for recovery from the employee's own illness, injury, or disability. Requires that such leave commence no later than 12 months after such placement.
Authorizes civil actions to enforce this Act.


Input:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Student Dropout Prevention
and Recovery Act of 2000''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Lowering the student dropout rate is one of the most
        significant challenges facing educators today. Students must
        stay in school in order to receive the education they need to
        succeed in the new economy and contribute fully to American
        society.
            (2) The ability of local educational agencies to lower the
        student dropout rate has been inhibited by the lack of focus at
        the Federal level and the limited availability of appropriate
        dropout prevention-focused curriculum, instruction,
        professional development, and administrative support services.
            (3) According to the National Dropout Prevention Network,
        it is at the local and community level where school
        improvements and change occur that will eventually have an
        impact on the graduation rate of students. The focus of these
        efforts should be concentrated on the most successful
        strategies that research has identified as having an impact on
        increasing the graduation rate. These strategies encompass--
                    (A) systemic renewal;
                    (B) community collaboration;
                    (C) professional development;
                    (D) family involvement;
                    (E) early childhood education;
                    (F) reading and writing programs;
                    (G) individualized instruction;
                    (H) instructional technologies;
                    (I) mentoring and tutoring;
                    (J) service learning;
                    (K) learning styles and multiple intelligences;
                    (L) violence prevention and conflict resolution;
                    (M) career education and workforce readiness;
                    (N) out-of-school experiences; and
                    (O) alternative public schooling.
            (4) The National Dropout Prevention Network has found that
        the strategies described in paragraph (3) have been successful
        in all school levels from K-12 in rural, suburban, or urban
        centers. When schools or school districts develop a program
        improvement plan that encompasses most or all of these
        strategies, positive outcomes will result.
            (5) It is necessary to develop a number of model dropout
        prevention programs to fully develop the effective strategies
        listed above into comprehensive dropout prevention programs.
        These model programs should be used as examples by schools
        across the country that wish to implement similar programs.
        Subsequently, a nationwide dropout prevention program, in order
        to be effective, should be based on these model programs.
            (6) Dropout prevention and recovery programs which are
        proven to be successful in lowering dropout rates need to be
        disseminated to school and community leaders willing to adapt
        and support these innovative programs in their schools and
        community.

SEC. 3. SCHOOL DROPOUT PREVENTION GRANT PROGRAMS.

    Part C of title V of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 7261 et seq.) is amended to read as follows:

           ``PART C--SCHOOL DROPOUT PREVENTION GRANT PROGRAMS

       ``Subpart 1--Model School Dropout Prevention Grant Program

``SEC. 5311. AUTHORIZATION.

    ``(a) In General.--The Director of the Office of Dropout Prevention
and Program Completion shall award grants to public elementary schools,
middle schools, and secondary schools that have established and are
carrying out school dropout prevention programs to provide those
schools with additional resources to develop such programs further,
develop methods to assist other schools to implement similar programs,
and provide for research on the effects of such programs on the student
populations of the schools involved.
    ``(b) Duration.--A grant under subsection (a) shall be awarded for
a period of not more than 5 years. A school that desires to continue to
receive funding for the purposes described in subsection (a) shall
apply for a grant under the national school dropout prevention grant
program under subpart 2.

``SEC. 5312. REQUIRED ACTIVITIES.

    ``A school that receives a grant under section 5311 shall use
amounts under the grant to establish and carry out, or further develop,
school dropout prevention programs, intervention programs, and recovery
programs, including as many of the following activities as possible:
systemic renewal, community and family participation, professional
development, early childhood education, reading and writing programs,
alternative public schooling, individualized instruction, use of
instructional technologies, mentoring and tutoring, service learning,
instruction that recognizes that students learn in different ways
(commonly referred to as `learning styles instruction'), violence
prevention and conflict resolution, career education and workforce
readiness, out-of-school experiences, and a comprehensive plan for
dropout prevention.

``SEC. 5313. APPLICATION; SELECTION OF SCHOOLS; FISCAL AGENT.

    ``(a) Application.--
            ``(1) In general.--Each school desiring a grant under
        section 5311 shall submit an application, after review by the
        local educational agency of the school, to the Director at such
        time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as
        the Director may require.
            ``(2) Contents.--A school desiring a grant under section
        5311 shall submit an application, through the local educational
        agency of the school under paragraph (1), that contains a
        description of the current dropout prevention program of the
        school.
    ``(b) Selection of Schools.--
            ``(1) Limitation.--The Director may award grants to not
        more than 20 schools under section 5311. Such schools shall
        have demonstrated success in establishing and carrying out
        activities described in section 5312.
            ``(2) Allocation.--Grants awarded under section 5311 shall
        be allocated among schools that meet the following
        requirements:
                    ``(A) 4 elementary schools that have established
                and are carrying out early childhood education
                programs.
                    ``(B) 4 secondary schools that have established and
                are carrying out academic intervention programs and
                mediation programs.
                    ``(C) 4 secondary schools that have established and
                are carrying out intervention programs and recovery
                programs.
                    ``(D) 4 schools (either elementary, middle, or
                secondary) that are located in rural school districts
                and that have demonstrated success in establishing and
                carrying out 12 or more of the activities described in
                section 5312.
                    ``(E) 4 schools (either elementary, middle, or
                secondary) that are located in urban school districts
                and that have demonstrated success in establishing and
                carrying out all of the activities described in section
                5312.
            ``(3) Priority.--In awarding grants under section 5311, the
        Director shall give priority to schools that have demonstrated
        success in establishing and carrying out the highest number of
        activities described in section 5312.
    ``(c) Fiscal Agent.--The local educational agency of the school
shall act as the fiscal agent for the school and shall accept and
administer the grant awarded to the school under section 5311, except
that all funds shall be expended at the school level.

     ``Subpart 2--National School Dropout Prevention Grant Program

``SEC. 5321. AUTHORIZATION.

    ``(a) In General.--Beginning in the third year of the Model School
Dropout Prevention Grant Program under subpart 1, the Director of the
Office of Dropout Prevention and Program Completion shall award grants
to public elementary schools, middle schools, and secondary schools to
enable the schools to implement, or further carry out, effective,
sustainable, and coordinated school dropout prevention programs.
    ``(b) Duration.--A grant under subsection (a) shall be awarded for
a period of not less than 2 years but not more than 5 years.

``SEC. 5322. REQUIRED ACTIVITIES.

    ``A school that receives a grant under section 5321 shall use
amounts under the grant to establish and carry out, or further develop,
school dropout prevention programs, intervention programs, and recovery
programs, including as many of the following activities as possible:
systemic renewal, community and family participation, professional
development, early childhood education, reading and writing programs,
alternative public schooling, individualized instruction, use of
instructional technologies, mentoring and tutoring, service learning,
instruction that recognizes that students learn in different ways
(commonly referred to as `learning styles instruction'), violence
prevention and conflict resolution, career education and workforce
readiness, out-of-school experiences, and a comprehensive plan for
dropout prevention.

``SEC. 5323. APPLICATION; SELECTION OF SCHOOLS; FISCAL AGENT.

    ``(a) Application.--Each school desiring a grant under section 5321
shall submit an application, after review by the local educational
agency of the school, to the Director at such time, in such manner, and
accompanied by such information as the Director may require.
    ``(b) Selection of Schools.--The Director shall establish clear and
specific selection criteria for awarding grants to schools under
section 5321, including the number of grants to award and the type of
schools to be awarded grants. Such criteria shall be based on school
dropout rates and other relevant factors, such as the quality of the
existing or proposed dropout prevention program, the number of students
who are dropouts, the number of students who are eligible to receive
free or reduced price lunches under the Richard B. Russell National
School Lunch Act, the number of students who are below their grade
level in basic skills, the number of students who are involved in
family court or the juvenile justice system, and the number of students
who are teen mothers.
    ``(c) Fiscal Agent.--The local educational agency of the school
shall act as the fiscal agent for the school and shall accept and
administer the grant awarded to the school under section 5321, except
that all funds shall be expended at the school level.

  ``Subpart 3--Additional Requirements for Model and National Dropout
                        Prevention Grant Program

``SEC. 5331. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES.

    ``Each school that receives a grant under section 5311 or 5321, or
the local educational agency of the school, shall provide information
and technical assistance, including presentations, document-sharing,
and joint staff development, to other schools within their school
district and to other schools in their State that are desiring to
receive grants under section 5311 or 5321, as the case may be.

``SEC. 5332. SCHOOL DROPOUT RATE CALCULATION.

    ``For purposes of calculating a school dropout rate under subparts
1 and 2, a school shall use--
            ``(1) the annual event school dropout rate for students
        leaving a school in a single year determined in accordance with
        the National Center for Education Statistics' Common Core of
        Data, if available;
            ``(2) the standard method used by the State agency; or
            ``(3) in other cases, a standard method for calculating the
        school dropout rate as determined by the Director.

``SEC. 5333. REPORTING AND ACCOUNTABILITY.

    ``(a) Reporting.--In order to receive funding under subpart 1 or 2
for a fiscal year after the first fiscal year a school receives funding
under subpart 1 or 2, as the case may be, the school shall provide, on
an annual basis, to the Director a report regarding the status of the
implementation of activities funded under subpart 1 or 2 and
certification of progress from the eligible entity whose strategies the
school is implementing.
    ``(b) Accountability.--On the basis of the reports submitted under
subsection (a), the Director shall evaluate the effect of the
activities assisted under subpart 1 or 2, as the case may be, on school
dropout prevention compared to a control group, to the extent
practicable.

    ``Subpart 4--National Clearinghouse on Effective School Dropout
                               Prevention

``SEC. 5341. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL CLEARINGHOUSE.

    ``Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this part,
the Director shall establish a national clearinghouse on effective
school dropout prevention, intervention programs, and reentry programs.
The clearinghouse shall be established through a competitive grant or
contract awarded to an organization with a demonstrated capacity to
provide technical assistance and disseminate information in the area of
school dropout prevention, intervention programs, and reentry programs.
The clearinghouse shall--
            ``(1) collect and disseminate to educators, parents, and
        policymakers information on research, effective programs, best
        practices, and available Federal resources with respect to
        school dropout prevention, intervention programs, and reentry
        programs, including dissemination by an electronically
        accessible database, a worldwide Web site, and a national
        journal;
            ``(2) provide technical assistance regarding securing
        resources with respect to, and designing and implementing,
        effective and comprehensive school dropout prevention,
        intervention programs, and reentry programs; and
            ``(3) provide professional development opportunities
        through workshops, seminars, and institutes for educators and
        program providers responsible for planning, implementing, and
        evaluating comprehensive school dropout prevention,
        intervention programs, and recovery programs.

       ``Subpart 5--Definitions; Authorization of Appropriations

``SEC. 5351. DEFINITIONS.

    ``In this part:
            ``(1) Director.--The term `Director' means the Director of
        the Office of Dropout Prevention and Program Completion
        established under section 218 of the General Education
        Provisions Act.
            ``(2) Intervention programs.--The term `intervention
        programs' means programs or strategies that are designed to
        improve academic or personal problems of students that
        negatively affect the students' performance or ability to
        remain in school and graduate from school with a diploma.
            ``(3) Prevention programs.--The term `prevention programs'
        means programs that anticipate, forestall, or relate to
        cognitive, social, or personal problems of students before such
        problems impair a student's ability to perform in school.
            ``(4) Recovery programs.--The term `recovery programs'
        means programs or strategies designed to offer another
        schooling option to an individual who has dropped out of
        school.
            ``(5) School dropout.--The term `school dropout' has the
        meaning given the term in section 4(17) of the School-to-Work
        Opportunities Act of 1994.

``SEC. 5352. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``(a) Subpart 1.--There are authorized to be appropriated to carry
out subpart 1 such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2001 and
for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.
    ``(b) Subpart 2.--There are authorized to be appropriated to carry
out subpart 2 such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2003 and
for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.
    ``(c) Subpart 4.--There are authorized to be appropriated to carry
out subpart 4 such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2001 and
for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.''.

SEC. 4. OFFICE OF DROPOUT PREVENTION AND PROGRAM COMPLETION.

    (a) Establishment.--Title II of the Department of Education
Organization Act (20 U.S.C. 3411 et seq.) is amended by adding at the
end the following:

         ``office of dropout prevention and program completion

    ``Sec. 218. (a) Establishment.--There shall be in the Department of
Education an Office of Dropout Prevention and Program Completion
(hereafter in this section referred to as the `Office'), to be
administered by the Director of the Office of Dropout Prevention and
Program Completion. The Director of the Office shall report directly to
the Under Secretary of Education and shall perform such additional
functions as the Under Secretary may prescribe.
    ``(b) Duties.--The Director of the Office of Dropout Prevention and
Program Completion (hereafter in this section referred to as the
`Director'), through the Office, shall--
            ``(1) help coordinate Federal, State, and local efforts to
        lower school dropout rates and increase program completion by
        elementary, middle, and secondary school students;
            ``(2) recommend Federal policies, objectives, and
        priorities to lower school dropout rates and increase program
        completion;
            ``(3) oversee the implementation of subparts 1 and 2 of
        part C of title V of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
        of 1965;
            ``(4) annually prepare and submit to Congress and the
        Secretary a national report describing efforts and recommended
        actions regarding school dropout prevention and program
        completion;
            ``(5) recommend action to the Secretary and the President,
        as appropriate, regarding school dropout prevention and program
        completion; and
            ``(6) consult with and assist State and local governments
        regarding school dropout prevention and program completion.
    ``(c) Scope of Duties.--The scope of the Director's duties under
subsection (b) shall include examination of all Federal and non-Federal
efforts related to--
            ``(1) promoting program completion for children attending
        elementary, middle, or secondary school;
            ``(2) programs to obtain a secondary school diploma or its
        recognized equivalent (including general equivalency diploma
        (GED) programs); and
            ``(3) reentry programs for individuals aged 12 to 24 who
        are out of school.
    ``(d) Detailing.--In carrying out the Director's duties under this
section, the Director may request the head of any Federal department or
agency to detail personnel who are engaged in school dropout prevention
activities to another Federal department or agency in order to
implement the National School Dropout Prevention Strategy.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--The table of contents of the Department
of Education Organization Act (20 U.S.C. 3401 note) is amended by
inserting after the item relating to section 217 the following new
item:

``Sec. 218. Office of Dropout Prevention and Program Completion.''.

Output:
Requires the Director of the Office of Dropout Prevention and Program Completion (established by this Act in the Department of Education) to carry out provisions for: (1) a model school dropout prevention grant program; (2) a national school dropout prevention grant program; and (3) a national clearinghouse on effective school dropout prevention, intervention programs, and reentry programs.
Authorizes appropriations for such part C programs.
Amends the Department of Education Organization Act to establish an Office of Dropout Prevention and Program Completion, to be administered by a Director who shall report directly to the Under Secretary of Education. Sets forth the Director's duties and their scope.


Input:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Hereditary Hemorrhagic
Telangiectasia Diagnosis and Treatment Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds as follows:
            (1) Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is a
        largely undiagnosed or misdiagnosed vascular genetic bleeding
        disorder resulting in artery-vein malformations (AVMs) which
        lead to preventable catastrophic and disabling consequences.
        HHT can cause sudden death at any age, unless detected and
        treated. Early detection, screening, and use of readily
        available treatment can prevent premature deaths and long-term
        health complications resulting from HHT. A person with HHT has
        the tendency to form blood vessels that lack the capillaries
        between an artery and vein. HHT often results in spontaneous
        hemorrhage or stroke from brain or lung AVMs. In addition to
        hemorrhagic stroke, embolic stroke and brain abscess occur in
        approximately 30 percent of persons with HHT artery-vein
        malformations in the lung (due to lack of capillaries between
        the arterial and venous systems which normally filter out clots
        and bacteria).
            (2) One in 5,000 American children and adults suffer from
        HHT.
            (3) Studies have found an increase in morbidity and
        mortality rates for individuals who suffer from HHT.
            (4) Due to the widespread lack of knowledge, accurate
        diagnosis, and appropriate intervention, 90 percent of HHT-
        affected families are at risk for preventable, life-
        threatening, and disabling medical incidents such as stroke.
            (5) Early detection, screening, and treatment can prevent
        premature deaths, spontaneous hemorrhage, hemorrhagic stroke,
        embolic stroke, brain abscess, and other long-term health care
        complications resulting from HHT.
            (6) HHT is an important health condition with serious
        health consequences which are amenable to early identification
        and diagnosis with suitable tests, and acceptable and available
        treatments in established treatment centers.
            (7) Timely identification and management of HHT cases is an
        important public health objective because it will save lives,
        prevent disability, and reduce direct and indirect health care
        costs. A recent study found that use of a genetic testing model
        for HHT diagnosis saves $9.9 million in that screening can be
        limited to those persons within the family groups who actually
        have the gene defect, leading to early intervention in those
        found to have treatable AVMs.
            (8) Without a new program for early detection, screening,
        and treatment, 14,000 children and adults who suffer from HHT
        in the population today will suffer premature death and
        disability.

SEC. 3. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to create a federally led and financed
initiative for early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of hereditary
hemorrhagic telangiectasia that will--
            (1) reduce the suffering of families;
            (2) prevent premature death and disability; and
            (3) lower health care costs through proven treatment
        interventions.

SEC. 4. CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION.

    Part B of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 243
et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 317T the following:

``SEC. 317U. HEREDITARY HEMORRHAGIC TELANGIECTASIA.

    ``(a) In General.--With respect to hereditary hemorrhagic
telangiectasia (in this section referred to as `HHT'), the Director of
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (in this section
referred to as the `Director') shall carry out the following
activities:
            ``(1) The conduct of surveillance of the prevalence and
        incidence of HHT as described in subsection (c).
            ``(2) The identification and conduct of investigations to
        further develop and support guidelines for diagnosis of, and
        intervention for, HHT, including cost-benefit studies.
            ``(3) The development of a standardized survey and
        screening tool on family history.
            ``(4) The establishment, in collaboration with a voluntary
        health organization representing HHT families, of an HHT
        resource center within the Centers for Disease Control and
        Prevention to provide comprehensive education on, and
        disseminate information about, HHT to health professionals,
        patients, industry, and the public.
            ``(5) The conduct or support of public awareness programs
        in collaboration with medical, genetic, and professional
        organizations to improve the education of health professionals
        about HHT.
    ``(b) Collaborative Approaches.--The Director shall carry out this
section through collaborative approaches within the National Center on
Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities and the Division for Heart
Disease and Stroke Prevention of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention for clotting and bleeding disorders.
    ``(c) Related Activities.--In carrying out subsection (a), the
Director shall--
            ``(1) designate and provide funding for a sufficient number
        of HHT Treatment Centers of Excellence--
                    ``(A) to collect data on the prevalence of, and
                stroke incidence associated with, HHT; and
                    ``(B) to improve patient access to information,
                diagnosis, early intervention, and treatment of HHT;
            ``(2) provide data collected under paragraph (1) to the
        Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Registry to facilitate--
                    ``(A) analyses of the natural history of
                hemorrhagic and embolic stroke in HHT; and
                    ``(B) development of screening and artery-vein
                malformation treatment guidelines specific to
                prevention of complications from HHT; and
            ``(3) develop and implement programs, targeted for
        physicians and health care professional groups likely to be
        accessed by families with HHT, to increase HHT diagnosis and
        treatment rates through the--
                    ``(A) establishment of a partnership with HHT
                Treatment Centers of Excellence designated under
                paragraph (1) through the creation of a database of
                patients assessed at such HHT Treatment Centers of
                Excellence (including with respect to phenotype
                information, genotype information, transfusion
                dependence, and radiological findings); and
                    ``(B) inclusion of other medical providers who
                treat HHT patients.
    ``(d) Eligibility for Designation as an HHT Treatment Center of
Excellence.--In carrying out subsection (c)(1), the Director may
designate, as an HHT Treatment Center of Excellence, only academic
health centers demonstrated to have each of the following:
            ``(1) A team of medical experts capable of providing
        comprehensive evaluation, treatment, and education to
        individuals with known or suspected HHT and their health care
        providers.
            ``(2) Administrative staff with sufficient knowledge to
        respond to patient inquiries and coordinate patient care in a
        timely fashion.''.

SEC. 5. ADDITIONAL HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES ACTIVITIES.

    With respect to hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (in this
section referred to as ``HHT''), the Secretary of Health and Human
Services, acting through the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare
& Medicaid Services, shall award grants on a competitive basis--
            (1) for an analysis by grantees of the Medicare Provider
        Analysis and Review (MEDPAR) file to develop preliminary
        estimates from the Medicare program under title XVIII of the
        Social Security Act for preventable costs of annual health care
        expenditures including items, services, and treatments
        associated with untreated HHT furnished to individuals with
        HHT, as well as socioeconomic costs such as disability
        expenditures associated with preventable medical events in this
        population, who are entitled to benefits under part A of title
        XVIII of the Social Security Act or enrolled under part B of
        such title; and
            (2) to make recommendations regarding an enhanced data
        collection protocol to permit a more precise determination of
        the total costs described in paragraph (1).

SEC. 6. NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH.

    Part B of title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 284
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 409K. HEREDITARY HEMORRHAGIC TELANGIECTASIA.

    ``(a) HHT Initiative.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish and
        implement an HHT initiative to assist in coordinating
        activities to improve early detection, screening, and treatment
        of people who suffer from HHT. Such initiative shall focus on--
                    ``(A) advancing research on the causes, diagnosis,
                and treatment of HHT, including through the conduct or
                support of such research; and
                    ``(B) increasing physician and public awareness of
                HHT.
            ``(2) Consultation.--In carrying out this subsection, the
        Secretary shall consult with the Director of the National
        Institutes of Health and the Director of the Centers for
        Disease Control and Prevention.
    ``(b) HHT Coordinating Committee.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--Not later than 60 days after the date
        of enactment of this section, the Secretary, in consultation
        with the Director of the National Institutes of Health, shall
        establish a committee to be known as the HHT Coordinating
        Committee.
            ``(2) Membership.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The members of the Committee
                shall be appointed by the Secretary, in consultation
                with the Director of the National Institutes of Health,
                and shall consist of 12 individuals who are experts in
                HHT or arteriovenous malformation (AVM) as follows:
                            ``(i) Four representatives of HHT Treatment
                        Centers of Excellence designated under section
                        317U(c)(1).
                            ``(ii) Four experts in vascular, molecular,
                        or basic science.
                            ``(iii) Four representatives of the
                        National Institutes of Health.
                    ``(B) Chair.--The Secretary shall designate the
                Chair of the Committee from among its members.
                    ``(C) Interim members.--In place of the 4 members
                otherwise required to be appointed under subparagraph
                (A)(i), the Secretary may appoint 4 experts in
                vascular, molecular, or basic science to serve as
                members of the Committee during the period preceding
                designation and establishment of HHT Treatment Centers
                of Excellence under section 317U.
                    ``(D) Publication of names.--Not later than 30 days
                after the establishment of the Committee, the Secretary
                shall publish the names of the Chair and members of the
                Committee on the public Web site of the Department of
                Health and Human Services.
                    ``(E) Terms.--The members of the Committee shall
                each be appointed for a 3-year term and, at the end of
                each such term, may be reappointed.
                    ``(F) Vacancies.--A vacancy on the Committee shall
                be filled by the Secretary in the same manner in which
                the original appointment was made.
            ``(3) Responsibilities.--The Committee shall develop and
        coordinate implementation of a plan to advance research and
        understanding of HHT by--
                    ``(A) conducting or supporting basic,
                translational, and clinical research on HHT across the
                relevant national research institutes, national
                centers, and offices of the National Institutes of
                Health, including the National Heart, Lung, and Blood
                Institute; the National Institute of Neurological
                Disorders and Stroke; the National Institutes of
                Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; the Eunice
                Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and
                Human Development; the National Cancer Institute; the
                National Human Genome Research Institute; the National
                Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (including
                the Office of Rare Diseases Research); and the National
                Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering; and
                    ``(B) conducting evaluations and making
                recommendations to the Secretary, the Director of the
                National Institutes of Health, and the Director of the
                National Cancer Institute regarding the prioritization
                and award of National Institutes of Health research
                grants relating to HHT, including with respect to
                grants for--
                            ``(i) expanding understanding of HHT
                        through basic, translational, and clinical
                        research on the cause, diagnosis, prevention,
                        control, and treatment of HHT;
                            ``(ii) training programs on HHT for
                        scientists and health professionals; and
                            ``(iii) HHT genetic testing research to
                        improve the accuracy of genetic testing.
    ``(c) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) The term `Committee' means the HHT Coordinating
        Committee established under subsection (b).
            ``(2) The term `HHT' means hereditary hemorrhagic
        telangiectasia.''.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--To carry out section 317U of the Public Health
Service Act as added by section 4 of this Act, section 5 of this Act,
and section 409K of the Public Health Service Act as added by section 6
of this Act, there is authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for each
of fiscal years 2016 through 2020.
    (b) Resource Center.--Of the amount authorized to be appropriated
under subsection (a) for each of fiscal years 2016 through 2020,
$1,000,000 shall be for carrying out section 317U(a)(4) of the Public
Health Service Act (providing for an HHT resource center), as added by
section 4 of this Act.
    (c) Offset.--There is authorized to be appropriated to the
Department of Health and Human Services for salaries and expenses of
the Department for each of fiscal years 2016 through 2020 the amount
that is $5,000,000 less than the amount appropriated for such salaries
and expenses for fiscal year 2015.

Output: Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia Diagnosis and Treatment Act of 2015 Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish and implement a hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT, a genetic vascular bleeding disorder that causes abnormalities of the blood vessels) initiative to improve early detection, screening, and treatment of people who suffer from HHT, focusing on advancing HHT research and increasing physician and public awareness of HHT.  Directs HHS to establish the HHT Coordinating Committee to develop and coordinate implementation of a plan to advance research and understanding of HHT, including by conducting or supporting research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and making recommendations regarding NIH research grants relating to HHT.  Requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to carry out activities with respect to HHT, including conducting surveillance and establishing an HHT resource center to provide comprehensive education on and disseminate information about HHT to health professionals, patients, industry, and the public.  Requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to award grants for HHT research, including an analysis of health care expenditures associated with untreated HHT and costs associated with preventable medical events among Medicare beneficiaries with HHT.