Labor Department FY2000 Appropriations bill

Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000 - Makes appropriations for FY 2000 for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and related agencies.

Title I: Department of Labor - Department of Labor Appropriations Act, 2000 - Makes appropriations for FY 2000 to the Department of Labor for: (1) training and employment services; (2) community service employment for older Americans; (3) Federal unemployment benefits and allowances; (4) State unemployment insurance and employment service operations; (5) advances to the Unemployment Trust Fund and other trust funds; (6) employment and training program administration; (7) the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation; (8) the Employment Standards Administration; (9) certain special benefits; (10) the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund; (11) the Occupational Safety and Health Administration; (12) the Mine Safety and Health Administration; (13) the Bureau of Labor Statistics; (14) departmental management; (15) the Assistant Secretary for Veterans Employment and Training; and (16) the Office of Inspector General.

Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, funds appropriated under this title.

Title II: Department of Health and Human Services - Department of Health and Human Services Appropriations Act, 2000 - Makes appropriations for FY 2000 to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for: (1) the Health Resources and Services Administration; (2) the Medical Facilities Guarantee and Loan Fund for Federal interest subsidies for medical facilities; (3) health education assistance loans; (4) the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program Trust Fund; (5) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; (6) the National Institutes of Health, including amounts for the John E. Fogarty International Center, the National Library of Medicine, the Office of the Director, and buildings and facilities; (7) the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; (8) the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research; (9) the Health Care Financing Administration for grants to States for Medicaid, payments to health care trust funds, program management, and the Health Maintenance Organization Loan and Loan Guarantee Fund; (10) the Administration for Children and Families for family support payments to States; (11) low income home energy assistance; (12) refugee and entrant assistance; (13) the social services block grant; (14) children and families services programs; (15) family preservation and support pursuant to a specified provision of the Social Security Act; (16) payments to States for foster care and adoption assistance; (17) the Administration on Aging; (18) the Office of the Secretary for general departmental management; (19) the Office of Inspector General; (20) the Office for Civil Rights; (21) policy research; (22) retirement pay and medical benefits for Public Health Service commissioned officers; and (23) activities related to countering potential biological, disease, and chemical threats to civilian populations.

Rescinds FY 2000 funds for a sample study of child welfare.

Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, funds appropriated under this title.

(Sec. 208) Prohibits funds appropriated in this Act from being made available under title X (population research and voluntary family planning) of the Public Health Service Act unless the award applicant certifies to the Secretary of HHS that it encourages family participation in the decision of minors to seek family planning services and provides counseling to minors on resisting attempts to coerce them into engaging in sexual activities.

(Sec. 210) Prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act to carry out the Medicare+Choice program if the Secretary of HHS denies participation in such program to an otherwise eligible entity (including a Provider Sponsored Organization) because the entity informs the Secretary that it will not provide, pay for, provide coverage of, or provide referrals for abortions.

(Sec. 211) Amends the Public Health Service Act to require State allotments under block grants for: (1) community health services for FY 2000 to be at least the amount the State received for FY 1998; and (2) substance abuse prevention and treatment for FY 2000 to be equal to allotments for FY 1999.

Title III: Department of Education - Department of Education Appropriations Act, 2000 - Makes appropriations for FY 2000 to the Department of Education for: (1) education reform; (2) education for the disadvantaged; (3) impact aid; (4) school improvement activities; (5) reading excellence; (6) Indian education; (7) bilingual and immigrant education; (8) special education; (9) rehabilitation services and disability research; (10) special institutions for persons with disabilities, including the American Printing House for the Blind, the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, the Kendall Demonstration Elementary School, the Model Secondary School for the Deaf, and Gallaudet University; (11) vocational and adult education; (12) student financial assistance; (13) the Federal Family Education Loan program account; (14) higher education; (15) Howard University; (16) the college housing and academic facilities loans program; (17) the historically Black college and university capital financing program account; (18) education research, statistics, and improvement; (19) departmental management; (20) the Office for Civil Rights; and (21) the Office of the Inspector General.

Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, funds appropriated under this title.

(Sec. 301) Prohibits funds appropriated in this Act from being used to: (1) transport teachers or students in order to overcome racial imbalance in any school or to carry out a racial desegregation plan; or (2) prevent the implementation of programs of voluntary prayer and meditation in public schools.

(Sec. 306) Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to reduce to 35 percent the Federal share available for Even Start family literacy programs in any year after the eighth year of receiving assistance. Removes a provision which limits the receipt of such assistance to a period of eight years.

Title IV: Related Agencies - Makes appropriations for FY 2000 to the: (1) Armed Forces Retirement Home; (2) Corporation for National and Community Service; (3) Corporation for Public Broadcasting; (4) Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service; (5) Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission; (6) Institute of Museum and Library Services; (7) Medicare Payment Advisory Commission; (8) National Commission on Libraries and Information Science; (9) National Council on Disability; (10) National Education Goals Panel; (11) National Labor Relations Board; (12) National Mediation Board; (13) Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission; (14) Railroad Retirement Board for the dual benefits payments account, Federal payments to the railroad retirement accounts, administration, and the Office of Inspector General; (15) Social Security Administration for payments to the social security trust funds, special benefits for disabled coal miners, the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Program, administrative expenses, and the Office of Inspector General; and (16) U.S. Institute of Peace.

Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, funds appropriated under this title.

Title V: General Provisions - Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, funds appropriated under this Act.

(Sec. 505) Prohibits the use of funds appropriated under this Act for programs to distribute sterile needles or syringes for the injection of illegal drugs.

(Sec. 506) Sets forth Buy American requirements.

(Sec. 508) Prohibits funds appropriated under this Act from being expended for abortions or for health benefits coverage that includes coverage of abortion, except in cases where the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest or where a woman suffers from a physical condition that would, as certified by a physician, place her in danger of death unless an abortion is performed.

(Sec. 510) Prohibits the use of funds made available in this Act for: (1) the creation of a human embryo for research purposes; or (2) research in which a human embryo is destroyed or knowingly subjected to risk of injury or death greater than that allowed for research on fetuses in utero under Federal regulations and the Public Health Service Act.

(Sec. 511) Prohibits the use of funds made available in this Act for activities to promote the legalization of a controlled substance unless there is significant medical evidence of a therapeutic advantage to the use of such substance or that federally-sponsored trials are being conducted to determine such advantage.

(Sec. 514) Bars the use of funds made available in this Act to promulgate a final standard under the Social Security Act providing for a unique health identifier for an individual (except in an individual's capacity as an employer or health care provider) until legislation is enacted specifically approving the standard.

Title VI: Early Detection, Diagnosis, and Interventions For Newborns and Infants With Hearing Loss - Mandates grants or cooperative agreements to: (1) develop statewide newborn and infant hearing screening, evaluation, and intervention programs and systems; and (2) provide technical assistance to State agencies to complement an intramural program and to conduct applied research related to newborn and infant hearing screening, evaluation, and intervention programs and systems. Requires the National Institutes of Health to continue a program of research and development on the efficacy of new screening techniques and technology. Mandates Federal coordination and collaboration with State and local agencies, consumer groups, national medical, health, and education specialty organizations, deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals and their families, qualified professional personnel, and related commercial industries. Authorizes appropriations.

Title VII: Child Protection Act of 1999 - Child Protection Act of 1999 - Requires any elementary or secondary school or public library that has received Federal funds for the acquisition or operation of any computer that is accessible to minors and that has access to the Internet to: (1) install software on that computer adequately designed to prevent minors from obtaining access to any obscene information or child pornography; and (2) ensure that such software is operational whenever that computer is used by minors.

Allows temporary interruption of software operation to permit a minor, under the direct supervision of an adult designated by the school or library, to have access to information that is not obscene, is not child pornography, or is otherwise unprotected by the Constitution.

Requires determinations of adequate design to be made by an agency or official designated by the chief executive officer of the State.

Authorizes Federal agency heads to respond to violations of this Act by seeking remedies, in the same manner as under the General Education Provisions Act, including withholding of further payments, issuing a complaint to compel compliance through a cease and desist order, or entering into a compliance agreement with the recipient of funds. Prohibits seeking recovery of funds from the recipient.

Title VIII: Inflation Adjustments to Mandatory Jurisdiction Thresholds of National Labor Relations Board - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to provide for inflation adjustments to the mandatory jurisdiction thresholds of the National Labor Relations Board.

Title IX: Miscellaneous Provisions - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require earned income credit refunds to be paid in 12 substantially equal installments. Makes such requirement inapplicable to refunds under $600.

Terminates provisions regarding advanced payment of earned income credit after September 30, 1999. Makes such termination inapplicable to earned income eligibility certificates in effect on such date and to renewals of such certificates which are so in effect.

Applies the preceding amendments to taxable years beginning after December 31, 1998.

(Sec. 902) Directs the General Accounting Office to conduct a study of the impact on earned income tax credit recipients with respect to a disbursement over 12 months versus the current one-time, lump-sum payment.

Title X: Disaster Relief for Farmers - Makes a specified amount of Commodity Credit Corporation funds available to the Secretary of Agriculture to provide assistance to producers for crop and livestock losses incurred as a result of the hurricanes and flooding that struck the eastern United States in August and September 1999.