MASCARA, FRANK (a Representative from Pennsylvania)

Bills and resolutions cosponsored

Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund: allocate accruing interest to cover health care costs for certain miners (see H.R. 4144), H2123 [11AP]

———assure funds are used solely for their stated purpose (see H.R. 3624), H1285 [22MR]

Abortion: prohibit partial-birth abortions (see H.R. 3660), H454 [15FE]

American Folklife Center: collect video and audio recordings of personal histories and testimonials of U.S. war veterans (see H.R. 5212), H7870 [19SE]

Animals: prohibit import, export, sale, or possession of bear viscera (see H.R. 2166), H7652 [14SE]

———provide for a system of sanctuaries for chimpanzees that are no longer needed in research conducted by the Public Health Service (see H.R. 3514), H7503 [12SE]

Armed Forces: annual determination of the basic benefit rate for educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill (see H.R. 4334), H4036 [7JN]

———restore health care coverage to retired members of the uniformed services (see H.R. 3573), H255 [8FE]

Belarus: human rights violations and democracy efforts (see H. Con. Res. 304), H2341 [13AP]

Birds: prohibit interstate movement of live birds, for the purpose of fighting, to States in which animal fighting is lawful (see H.R. 1275), H8062 [25SE]

Coastal zones: use of offshore oil and gas revenues to fund State and local conservation programs of coastal States (see H.R. 701), H757 [8MR]

Contracts: ensure public accountability, efficient delivery of services, reasonable cost savings, and prevention of unwarranted expenses (see H.R. 3766), H573 [29FE]

Courts: give U.S. district courts jurisdiction over competing State custody determinations (see H.R. 5456), H9899 [12OC]

———product liability reform (see H.R. 1577), H1077 [15MR]

Croatia: elections (see H. Con. Res. 251), H2655 [8MY]

Dept. of Agriculture: ensure milk producers receive a fair price for milk marketed for domestic consumption and establish a National Milk Pricing Board (see H.R. 5052), H7871 [19SE]

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 Defense: return unclaimed military decorations subject to State escheatment to the proper military department for donation to museums and resource centers (see H.R. 5517), H10472 [19OC]

Dept. of Energy: create an oil reserve for use when fuel oil prices rise sharply because of anticompetitive activity, shortage, or extreme winter weather (see H.R. 3608), H455 [15FE]

———draw down and sale of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve relative to anticompetitive activities (see H.R. 3543), H49 [27JA]

———treatment of Strategic Petroleum Reserve relative to anticompetitive activities (see H. Con. Res. 291), H1163 [21MR]

Dept. of Justice: establish the Violence Against Women Office (see H.R. 4848), H6355 [17JY]

Dept. of Labor: establish Normal Trade Relations for China Transitional Adjustment Assistance Program (see H.R. 4649), H6599 [19JY]

Dept. of the Interior: require study on methods to commemorate the national significance of the Lincoln Highway (see H.R. 2570), H2512 [3MY]

Dept. of Veterans Affairs: assist claimants for benefits in developing claims and clarify the burden of proof for such claims (see H.R. 3193), H1675 [3AP]

———enhance outreach programs to more fully inform surviving spouses and dependents of available benefits and provide dedicated staff to assist in obtaining those benefits (see H.R. 5552), H11194 [25OC]

———make pay adjustments for nurses and certain other health-care professionals in the same manner as Federal employees and allow locality pay adjustments for those employees (see H.R. 1216), H632 [1MR]

———reaffirm and clarify duty of the Secretary to administer laws which assist claimants for benefits (see H.R. 4864), H6600 [19JY]

Diseases: extend issuance of special postage stamps to fund breast cancer research (see H.R. 4069), H2412 [2MY]

———increase public awareness of tuberous sclerosis (see H. Con. Res. 337), H10473 [19OC]

———increased support and funding to combat juvenile diabetes (see H. Con. Res. 321), H5436 [28JN]

EPA: ensure changes to the rule on water quality standards total maximum daily load program are subjected to public and congressional review (see H.R. 4922), H7282 [6SE]

Fair Labor Standards Act: prohibit issuance of a certificate for subminimum wages for individuals with impaired vision (see H.R. 3540), H255 [8FE]

Federal employees: extend civil service retirement options to IRS revenue officers, INS inspectors, and certain other Federal law enforcement officers (see H.R. 1228), H4174 [9JN]

Financial institutions: allow payment of Financing Corporation interest obligations from excess deposit insurance fund reserves (see H.R. 4082), H3173 [16MY]

———establish a program to promote access to financial services for low- and moderate-income individuals (see H.R. 4490), H3412 [18MY]

Firearms: permit States to provide reciprocal treatment for carrying of certain concealed firearms by nonresidents (see H.R. 407), H574 [29FE]

———prohibit lawsuits against weapons manufacturers, distributors, dealers, or importers (see H.R. 1032), H511 [16FE]

———protect and enforce the right to obtain and use firearms for security, self-defense, and other legitimate purposes (see H.R. 347), H510 [16FE]

———protect right to keep and bear arms (see H.R. 1179), H574 [29FE]

Foreign trade: eliminate disincentives to fair trade conditions (see H.R. 842), H9900 [12OC]

George Atlee Goodling Post Office Building, York, PA: designate (see H.R. 5210), H7870 [19SE]

Gertrude A. Barber Post Office Building, Erie, PA: designate (see H.R. 4625), H4173 [9JN]

Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction: compliance (see H. Con. Res. 293), H1405 [23MR]

Health: increase public awareness of the dangers of pediatric cancer (see H. Con. Res. 115), H255 [8FE]

———prohibit health insurance and employment discrimination on the basis of genetic information (see H.R. 2457), H5737 [10JY]

———revise and extend organ procurement and transplantation programs (see H.R. 3885), H1852 [5AP]

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]

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]

Joseph F. Smith Post Office Building, Philadelphia, PA: designate (see H.R. 4554), H3867 [25MY]

King, Martin Luther, Jr.: mint coins in commemoration (see H.R. 3633), H2411 [2MY]

Korean War: anniversary (see H.J. Res. 86), H165 [1FE]

Korean War Veterans Association, Inc.: grant Federal charter (see H.R. 1671), H7502 [12SE]

Law enforcement officers: clarify procedures and conditions for the award of matching grants for the purchase of armor vests (see H.R. 4033), H1164 [21MR]

Lumber industry: promote open and competitive trade of softwood lumber between the U.S. and Canada (see H. Con. Res. 252), H3474 [19MY]

Medicaid: assure preservation of safety net hospitals through maintenance of Disproportionate Share Hospital Program (see H.R. 3710), H1120 [16MR]

———definition of audiologist (see H.R. 1068), H373 [14FE]

———State funding for disproportionate share hospitals (see H.R. 3698), H1406 [23MR]

Medicare: demonstration project to provide coverage for cancer patients enrolled in certain clinical trials (see H.R. 1388), H3869 [25MY]

———eliminate reduction in payment rates to home health agencies for home health services (see H.R. 4219), H5843 [11JY]

———expand and make permanent the demonstration project for military retirees and dependents (see H.R. 1413), H1674 [3AP]

———limit penalty for late enrollment (see H.R. 914), H48 [27JA]

———payments made under the prospective payment system for home health services (see H.R. 4727), H5737 [10JY]

———revise inflation update factor used in making payments to prospective payment system hospitals (see H.R. 3580), H575 [29FE]

Mental health: issue commemorative postage stamp to raise autism awareness (see H. Res. 458), H5436 [28JN]

Merchant marine industry: tribute to service and sacrifice during periods of war (see H. Con. Res. 327), H6720 [20JY]

Montgomery, G.V. (Sonny): name an honorary room in the House of Representatives wing of the Capitol (see H. Res. 491), H3050 [15MY]

NIH: establish Office of Autoimmune Diseases (see H.R. 2573), H255 [8FE]

O'Connor, John Cardinal: award Congressional Gold Medal (see H.R. 3557), H255 [8FE]

Poland: anniversary of workers' strikes that led to the creation of the independent trade union Solidarnosc (see H. Con. Res. 416), H8735 [3OC]

Pope, Edmond: demand release from Russian prison for humanitarian reasons (see H. Con. Res. 364), H5956 [12JY] (see H. Con. Res. 404), H7871 [19SE]

Pope John Paul II: award Congressional Gold Medal (see H.R. 3544), H2411 [2MY]

Postal Service: amend pay policies and schedules and fringe benefit programs for postmasters (see H.R. 3842), H1675 [3AP]

———issue a semipostal in order to afford the public a convenient way to contribute to funding for the establishment of the World War II Memorial (see H.R. 4492), H5241 [27JN]

Power resources: permit draw down of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve relative to anticompetitive activities and provide tax credits for certain energy efficiency improvements (see H.R. 4043), H1163 [21MR]

Radioactive substances: set contamination content standards in metals industry, prohibit release of contaminated scrap metal by Dept. of Energy facilities, and document contamination of imported scrap metals (see H.R. 4566), H3868 [25MY]

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

Robert S. Walker Post Office, Millersville, PA: designate (see H.R. 5418), H9504 [6OC]

Schools: provide grants for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training in public schools (see H.R. 4506), H11928 [14NO]

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

Smithsonian Institution: mint coins in commemoration of the National Museum of the American Indian (see H.R. 4259), H7871 [19SE]

Social Security: make corrections in Medicare, Medicaid, and State Children's Health Insurance Program relative to the Balanced Budget Act (see H.R. 5324), H8406 [27SE]

———restrict application of windfall elimination provisions to certain individuals (see H.R. 860), H50 [27JA]

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

Tariff: establish import drawbacks for N-cyclohexyl-2-benzothiazolesulfenamide based on exports of N-tert-butyl-2-benzothiazolesulfenamide (see H.R. 810), H1852 [5AP]

Taxation: allow credit to businesses who employ military reservists and a comparable credit to self-employed military reservists, and restore deductions for services performed by military reservists (see H.R. 3915), H3049 [15MY]

———allow small business employers a credit for certain expenses for long-term training of employees in highly skilled small business trades, cosponsorship withdrawn (see H.R. 1824), H1764 [4AP]

———allow tax credit to holders of qualified bonds issued by an intercity passenger rail carrier (see H.R. 3700), H3474 [19MY]

———exclude from gross income payments made under Dept. of Defense programs for the repayment of student loans of members of the Armed Forces (see H.R. 4214), H2967 [11MY]

———expand incentives for the construction and renovation of public schools (see H.R. 4094), H1476 [28MR]

———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), H5656 [29JN]

———provide incentives for production, sale, and use of highly fuel-efficient, advanced-technology motor vehicles (see H.R. 4270), H4592 [15JN]

———require certain political organizations to report information to the FEC (see H.R. 3688), H4485 [14JN] (see H.R. 4168), H2341 [13AP]

———restore deductions for expenses relative to services performed by military reservists (see H.R. 4328), H2967 [11MY]

———treatment of contributions of computers to schools and public libraries (see H.R. 2308), H455 [15FE]

———treatment of flexible spending arrangements relative to long-term care insurance (see H.R. 3872), H7932 [20SE]

———treatment of payments received pursuant to the Declaration on Extraordinary Emergency Because of Plum Pox Virus (see H.R. 5211), H8062 [25SE]

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

Turkey: call for the release of certain Kurdish members of the Parliament from prison, and for the recognition of full cultural and language rights for the Kurdish people (see H. Res. 461), H10473 [19OC]

Veterans: add diabetes mellitus to the list of service-connected diseases (see H.R. 5438), H9767 [11OC]

———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]

———presumption of service connection for hepatitis C in certain veterans (see H.R. 1020), H3925 [6JN]

———require employers to give employees who are members of reserve components leave of absence to participate in an honor guard for veterans' funerals (see H.R. 284), H7578 [13SE]

———revise rules applicable to net worth limitation relative to pension eligibility (see H.R. 5271), H8736 [3OC]

Veterans Health Administration: ensure pay parity between dentists and physicians (see H.R. 2660), H997 [14MR]

Vietnam Veterans Memorial: place a plaque to honor those veterans who died after their service, but as a direct result of that service (see H.R. 3293), H632 [1MR]

Bills and resolutions introduced

Uniontown, PA: authorize a study concerning George C. Marshall Plaza (see H.R. 4436), H2966 [11MY]

Pledge of Allegiance

House of Representatives, H8203 [27SE]

Remarks

China, People's Republic of: make trade relations with the U.S. contingent upon free emigration and improved human rights conditions (H.J. Res. 103), H6410 [18JY]

Customs Service: monitoring for radioactivity in imported scrap metals funding through reductions in the Dept. of the Treasury Inspector General's office, H6647 [20JY]

Dept. of Energy: Clean Coal Technology Program funding, H4543 [15JN]

Dept. of the Interior: release reversionary interests held by the U.S. in certain parcels of land in Washington County, UT (H.R. 4721), H8713 [3OC]

Dept. of the Interior and related agencies: making appropriations (H.R. 4578), H4543 [15JN]

Dept. of the Treasury, Postal Service, Executive Office of the President, and independent agencies: making appropriations (H.R. 4871), H6647 [20JY]

Foreign policy: reduce, suspend, or terminate certain assistance to countries engaged in oil price fixing to the detriment of the U.S. economy (H.R. 3822), H1223 [22MR]

Health: revise and extend organ procurement and transplantation programs (H.R. 2418), H1694 [4AP]

Medicare: coverage of outpatient prescription drugs, H8796 [4OC]

———make more competitive and efficient and provide for a prescription drug benefit (H.R. 4680), H5357 [28JN]

National Child Abuse Prevention Month: observance, E534 [11AP]

National Guard: anniversary of initial activation of personnel for Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm (H. Res. 549), H6845 [25JY]

Senior citizens: limit hardship endured when meeting prescription drug needs (H. Con. Res. 152), H8796 [4OC]

States: regulate transactions at pawn shops and prohibit the imposition of usurious interest rates on loans to consumers (H. Con. Res. 312), H5180 [27JN]

Votes: position on missed, E2044 [31OC]

Washington County, PA: tribute to Watchful Shepherd Program, E534 [11AP]

Remarks in House relative to

Leave of absence: granted, H11617 [30OC]

Special order: granted, H8797 [4OC]

Tributes

Caridi, Michael, H8203 [27SE]

Sikon, Sylvester M., E656 [4MY]