Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government Appropriations Act, 1997

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Title I: Department of the Treasury

Title II: Postal Service

Title III: Executive Office of the President and Funds

Appropriated to the President

Title IV: Independent Agencies

Title V: General Provisions (This Act)

Title VI: General Provisions (Departments, Agencies, and

Corporations)

Title VII: Supplemental Appropriations and Rescissions for

the Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 1996

Treasury, Postal Service and General Government Appropriations Act, 1997 - Title I: Department of the Treasury - Treasury Department Appropriations Act, 1997 - Makes appropriations to the Department of the Treasury and its related agencies for FY 1997.

(Sec. 119) Amends the Federal criminal code, with respect to licensing and related gun show sales requirements for firearms importers, manufacturers, and dealers, to declare that nothing in such requirements shall be construed to diminish the right of a licensee to conduct "curios or relics" firearms transfers and business away from its business premises with another licensee without regard to whether the place where the business is conducted is located in the State specified on the license of either licensee.

Title II: Postal Service - Makes appropriations to the Postal Service Fund for FY 1997.

Title III: Executive Office of the President and Funds Appropriated to the President - Executive Office Appropriations Act, 1997 - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 for the Executive Office of the President and related offices and programs.

Title IV: Independent Agencies - Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 for: (1) the Committee for Purchase from People who are Blind or Severely Disabled; (2) the Federal Election Commission; (3) the Federal Labor Relations Authority; (4) the General Services Administration; (5) the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Review Board; (6) the Merit Systems Protection Board; (7) the National Archives and Records Administration; (8) the National Historical Publications and Records Commission; (9) the Office of Government Ethics; (10) the Office of Personnel Management (OPM); (11) the Office of Inspector General; (12) the Office of Special Counsel; and (13) the United States Tax Court.

Specifies uses of funds provided to the General Services Administration.

(Sec. 404) Amends the Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government Appropriations Act, 1989 (Public Law 100-440) to repeal the mandate for an annual average of at least 1,000 full-time equivalent positions for Federal Protective Officers.

(Sec. 409) Amends the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to authorize the Administrator of the General Services Administration to establish, acquire space for, and equip flexiplace work telecommuting centers, and charge fees, for use by employees of Federal agencies, State and local governments, and the private sector.

(Sec. 410) Amends the General Services Administration General Provisions, Public Law 103-123, to repeal the termination by certain dates of office and staff support to former Presidents.

(Sec. 411) Directs the Administrator of General Services to acquire certain land in Portland, Oregon, for construction of a proposed Law Enforcement Center on the site.

Makes appropriations for FY 1997, also, for: (1) an OPM revolving fund; (2) specified Government contributions, with respect to retired Federal employees, as payments for annuitants, employee health benefits and life insurance; and (3) the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund.

Title V: General Provisions (This Act) - Sets forth certain prohibitions and limitations on the use of appropriations made under this Act.

(Sec. 512) Requires entities appropriated funds under this Act to comply with the Buy American Act. Expresses the sense of the Congress to such effect.

(Sec. 523) Amends Federal law to allow for the minting of 24 karat gold coins and of platinum coins.

(Sec. 525) Directs the heads of the Internal Revenue Service, of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and of the U.S. Customs Service to submit to specified congressional committees their respective strategic plans for making voluntary separation incentive ("buyout") payments, meeting specified requirements, to eligible employees. Requires reduction of an agency's total number of funded employee positions by the number of employees separating and receiving such payments.

(Sec. 528) Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to pay up to $500,000 to reimburse former employees of the White House Travel Office, terminated on May 19, 1993, for attorney fees and related costs (except those incurred with respect to any Congressional hearing or investigation).

(Sec. 529) Prohibits use of funds in this Act by the Executive Office of the President to request from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) any official background investigation report on any individual without the individual's express written consent.

(Sec. 530) Amends Federal law to require that the U.S. Mint Facility at West Point, New York, be used to mint the 24 karat gold coins and platinum coins authorized by this title.

Title VI: General Provisions (Departments, Agencies, and Corporations) - Sets forth certain requirements for and prohibitions and limitations on the use of appropriations by all Federal departments, agencies, and corporations.

(Sec. 624) Prohibits use of funds in this Act for certain types of employee training, including those containing elements: (1) inducing high emotional or psychological stress; (2) associated with religious, quasi-religious, or "new age" belief systems; (3) offensive to, or designed to change, participants' personal values or lifestyle; or (4) related to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) other than that necessary for specified purposes.

(Sec. 627) Amends the Federal Financial Management Act of 1994 (title IV of the Government Management Reform Act of 1994, P.L. 103-356) to extend through FY 2001 the franchise fund pilot program.

(Sec. 632) Amends the Federal criminal code to permit a Government officer or employee, without compensation, to represent before the Government any cooperative, voluntary, professional, recreational, or similar organization or group not operated for profit, if specified circumstances pertain.

(Sec. 633) Amends Federal civil service law for the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) to mandate survivor annuity resumption, as well as resumption of Federal employees health benefits, upon divorce for a disabled child whose annuity and Federal health benefits had terminated because of marriage.

(Sec. 634) Amends Federal civil service law for CSRS and FERS to allow a Federal employee involuntarily terminated due to a reduction in force or transfer of function to apply unused annual leave to remain on the agency's rolls after the would-be separation date if, and only to the extent that, such additional time in pay status will enable the employee to meet minimum age and service requirements for title to an immediate annuity, or to qualify to carry health benefits coverage into retirement.

(Sec. 635) Amends the Federal criminal code to specify that certain post-employment restrictions for senior officials do not apply to Federal officers and employees whose basic rate of compensation is below level 5 of the Senior Executive Service.

(Sec. 636) Provides for Federal agency reimbursement to Federal law enforcement officers and Federal supervisors or management officials for up to half the costs they incur for professional liability insurance. Applies such reimbursement authority to the Legislative Branch, including any office or committee of the Senate or the House of Representatives, as well as to the Executive Branch.

(Sec. 639) Amends the Treasury, Postal Service and General Government Appropriations Act, 1996 to authorize all Federal agencies to receive and use funds resulting from the sale of Federal records disposed of pursuant to a record schedule (the Federal Register) which are subsequently recovered through recycling or waste prevention programs.

(Sec. 640) Authorizes Federal agency heads to use the private sector to review and analyze the contracting out, outsourcing or privatization of business and administrative functions and related issues subject to the Information Technology Management Act (title LI of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 1996).

(Sec. 641) Amends the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 to authorize appropriations for their FY 1998 through 2002 activities under such Act to the Merit Systems Protection Board and the Office of Special Counsel.

(Sec. 643) Amends the Treasury, Postal Service and General Government Appropriations Act, 1996 with respect to co-chairs, the meeting quorum, donations to, and travel allowances of the National Commission on Restructuring the Internal Revenue Service.

(Sec. 644) Amends Federal law to increase from $10,000 to $30,000 the annual salary of each Governor on the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors.

(Sec. 645) Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to submit to the Congress an accounting statement estimating the cumulative costs and benefits of Federal regulatory programs, together with: (1) an analysis of the impact of Federal rules on the private sector as well as on Federal, State, and local governments; (2) cost-benefit estimates for each rule likely to have a gross annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more in increased costs; and (3) recommendations to reform or eliminate any Federal regulatory program or program element that is inefficient or not a sound use of national resources.

Title VII: Supplemental Appropriations and Rescissions for the Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 1996 - Makes supplemental appropriations for FY 1996 to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in a specified amount for salaries and expenses in connection with investigations or arson at religious institutions. Rescinds the same amount from certain funds appropriated to the Internal Revenue Service in the Treasury, Postal Service and General Government Appropriations Act, 1996 for information systems under the heading of Tax Systems Modernization.