WISE, ROBERT E., JR. (a Representative from West Virginia)

Bills and resolutions cosponsored

Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund: allocate accruing interest to cover health care costs for certain miners (see H.R. 4144), H1628 [30MR]

Armed Forces: restore health care coverage to retired members of the uniformed services (see H.R. 3573), H757 [8MR]

———revise rules on retirement payments to former spouses (see H.R. 72), H2239 [12AP]

Contracts: ensure public accountability, efficient delivery of services, reasonable cost savings, and prevention of unwarranted expenses (see H.R. 3766), H2607 [4MY]

Correctional institutions: prohibit operation by private contractors and require persons convicted of Federal offenses be housed in facilities managed and maintained by Federal employees (see H.R. 979), H7211 [27JY]

Dept. of Commerce: establish an Office of Community Economic Adjustment to coordinate the Federal response in regions and communities experiencing economic distress (see H.R. 4711), H4816 [21JN]

Dept. of Veterans Affairs: establish presumption of service connection for certain chronic symptoms of Persian Gulf Conflict veterans (see H.R. 2697), H50 [27JA]

Diseases: study and demonstration projects regarding cases of hepatitis C among firefighters, paramedics, and emergency medical technicians who are employees or volunteers of units of local government (see H.R. 3659), H7003 [25JY]

Education: provide grants to local educational agencies to enable them to recruit and retain qualified school administrators (see H.R. 2789), H1764 [4AP]

———provide grants to local educational agencies to initiate and improve physical education programs (see H.R. 4536), H3813 [24MY]

FCC: prohibit from establishing rules authorizing the operation of new, low power FM radio stations (see H.R. 3439), H511 [16FE]

FDA: uniform food safety warning notification requirements (see H.R. 2129), H2411 [2MY]

Federal firefighters: make mandatory separation age match requirement for Federal law enforcement officers (see H.R. 460), H7280 [6SE]

Financial institutions: encourage acceptance of environmentally sound processes for dry and wet cleaning as safe investments (see H. Con. Res. 383), H7210 [27JY]

Firefighters: authorize equal overtime pay for all Federal employees engaged in wildfire suppression operations (see H.R. 2814), H1163 [21MR]

Foreign trade: eliminate disincentives to fair trade conditions (see H.R. 842), H8736 [3OC]

GAO: require report to Congress on agency regulatory actions (see H.R. 3669), H509 [16FE]

Health: application of antitrust laws to labor negotiations by groups of health care professionals with HMO's (see H.R. 1304), H90 [31JA]

Higgins, Andrew Jackson and family: award Congressional Gold Medals (see H.R. 4384), H4485 [14JN]

Higgins Industries: award Congressional Gold Medal to World War II-era employees (see H.R. 4384), H4485 [14JN]

Housing: provide for one percent FHA mortgage loan downpayments for teachers and public safety officers to purchase homes within employing jurisdictions (see H.R. 3884), H1852 [5AP]

Iron and steel industry: provide relief from injury caused by steel imports and request the ITC to commence an expedited investigation for positive adjustment (see H. Res. 635), H10036 [17OC]

Law enforcement officers: clarify procedures and conditions for the award of matching grants for the purchase of armor vests (see H.R. 4033), H1407 [23MR]

———exempt from State laws prohibiting the carrying of concealed handguns (see H.R. 218), H1077 [15MR]

Liberty Day: observance (see H. Con. Res. 376), H8552 [29SE]

Medicaid: assure preservation of safety net hospitals through maintenance of Disproportionate Share Hospital Program (see H.R. 3710), H3309 [17MY]

———State funding for disproportionate share hospitals (see H.R. 3698), H3869 [25MY]

———waive disproportionate share hospital designation for certain rural hospitals relative to obstetrician requirements (see H.R. 4793), H5654 [29JN]

Medicare: coverage for surgical first assisting services of certified registered nurse first assistants (see H.R. 3911), H996 [14MR]

———coverage of outpatient prescription drugs (see H.R. 1495), H50 [27JA]

———coverage of vision rehabilitation services (see H.R. 2870), H6599 [19JY]

———eliminate reduction in payment rates to home health agencies for home health services (see H.R. 4219), H2607 [4MY]

———revise inflation update factor used in making payments to prospective payment system hospitals (see H.R. 3580), H3523 [22MY]

Motor vehicles: impose a mandatory fuel surcharge for transportation provided by certain motor carriers (see H.R. 4441), H6471 [18JY]

National Fallen Firefighters Memorial: commemorate fallen firefighters by lowering the U.S. flag to half-staff during the memorial service in Emmitsburg, MD (see H.J. Res. 112), H9767 [11OC]

National Health Service Corps: authorizing appropriations (see H.R. 5116), H7578 [13SE]

National School Lunch Act: ensure an adequate level of commodity purchases under the school lunch program (see H.R. 3614), H632 [1MR]

National Weather Service: provide overtime pay for forecasters performing essential services during severe weather events and limit Sunday premium pay to hours of service actually performed (see H.R. 826), H632 [1MR]

Northern Mariana Islands: prohibit use of the ``Made in USA'' label on products and deny such products duty-free and quota-free treatment (see H.R. 1621), H4484 [14JN]

Olympic games: mint commemorative coins to support the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic Winter Games and U.S. Olympic Committee programs (see H.R. 3679), H7211 [27JY]

Pipelines: improve safety and environmental protection (see H.R. 4276), H2337 [13AP]

Postal Service: amend pay policies and schedules and fringe benefit programs for postmasters (see H.R. 3842), H3869 [25MY]

Public welfare programs: improve onsite inspections of State food stamp programs and provide grants to develop community partnerships and innovative outreach strategies for food stamp and related programs (see H.R. 2738), H7578 [13SE]

Radio: ensure the availability of spectrum to amateur radio operators (see H.R. 783), H50 [27JA]

Railroads: modernize financing of railroad retirement system and provide enhanced benefits to employees and beneficiaries (see H.R. 4844), H6471 [18JY]

Roads and highways: vehicle weight limits (see H.R. 1667), H3869 [25MY]

Schulz, Charles M.: award Congressional Gold Medal (see H.R. 3642), H341 [10FE]

Small business: permit the sale of guaranteed loans made for export purposes before the loans have been fully disbursed to borrowers (see H.R. 4944), H7933 [20SE]

Social Security: enhance privacy protections for individuals, prevent fraudulent misuse of account numbers, and provide additional safeguards for beneficiaries with representative payees (see H.R. 4857), H7212 [27JY]

———extend availability of State Children's Health Insurance Program allotments (see H.R. 4393), H7281 [6SE]

———make corrections in Medicare, Medicaid, and State Children's Health Insurance Program relative to the Balanced Budget Act (see H.R. 5324), H8617 [2OC]

Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act: rename as the ``McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act'' (see H.R. 5417), H9504 [6OC]

Taxation: allow credit for dry cleaning equipment that uses reduced amounts of hazardous substances (see H.R. 1303), H3869 [25MY]

———allow tax credit to holders of qualified bonds issued by an intercity passenger rail carrier (see H.R. 3700), H5084 [23JN]

———expand incentives for the construction and renovation of public schools (see H.R. 4094), H5656 [29JN]

———expand types of equipment which may be acquired with tax-exempt financing by volunteer fire departments and emergency medical service organizations (see H.R. 1229), H209 [2FE]

———reduce estate and gift tax rates (see H.R. 5315), H10473 [19OC]

———repeal excise tax on telephone use and other communications services (see H.R. 3916), H3413 [18MY]

———require certain political organizations to report information to the FEC (see H.R. 4168), H2341 [13AP]

———treatment of damages and back pay received on account of, and expenses incurred in asserting any claim of employment discrimination (see H.R. 4570), H3868 [25MY]

———treatment of small businesses (see H.R. 3874), H920 [9MR]

———treatment of volunteer firefighter savings account contributions (see H.R. 1870), H90 [31JA]

Veterans: increase minimum Survivor Benefit Plan basic annuity for surviving spouses age 62 and older (see H.R. 2000), H1406 [23MR]

———mint coins in commemoration and use proceeds of surcharges imposed on the sale of such coins to fund the transport of veterans to and from Dept. of Veterans Affairs hospitals (see H.R. 5397), H9010 [5OC]

———repeal computation system that reduces annuity for surviving spouses at age 62 relative to Social Security offset (see H.R. 363), H5955 [12JY]

Water: authorize appropriations for State water pollution control revolving funds (see H.R. 2720), H90 [31JA]

Water pollution: exempt discharges from certain silviculture activities from permit requirements of the national pollutant discharge elimination system (see H.R. 3625), H5241 [27JN]

Wheeling National Heritage Area: establish (see H.R. 4156), H1674 [3AP]

Bills and resolutions introduced

Health: prevent group and individual health insurance coverage, and group health plans, from seeking to recover more than costs in cases of third party recoveries (see H.R. 3765), H573 [29FE]

Social Security: provide additional safeguards for certain beneficiaries with representative payees (see H.R. 4651), H4336 [13JN]

———provide that if failure to monitor a representative payee results in misuse of benefits, that payment of such benefits is made to the beneficiary or alternate payee (see H.R. 3666), H454 [15FE]

Remarks

Abortion: prohibit partial-birth abortions (H.R. 3660), consideration (H. Res. 457), H1776 [5AP]

Clay, WV: tribute to Clay County High School for participation in We the People . . . The Citizen and the Constitution competition, E877 [25MY]

Foreign trade: temporarily modify certain rates of duty and make other technical amendments to the trade laws (H.R. 4868), H6925 [25JY]

Law enforcement officers: clarify procedures and conditions for the award of matching grants for the purchase of armor vests (H.R. 4033), H6935 [25JY]

Medicare: make more competitive and efficient and provide for a prescription drug benefit (H.R. 4680), consideration (H. Res. 539), H5312 [28JN]

Minimum wage: level (H.R. 3846), H761 [9MR]

Votes: position on missed, E774 [19MY], E940 [9JN]

Remarks in House relative to

Leave of absence: granted, H2903 [10MY]

Special order: granted, H8734 [3OC]

Tributes

Bailey, Peri, E1291 [21JY]

Brannon, Robert C., Jr., E1772 [13OC]

Morrison, William C., Jr., E1526 [19SE]