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Senate
Senate President: Al Gore (D)
Senate Pres. pro tem: Strom Thurmond (R)
Republican: 55
Democratic: 45
Senate Majority: Republican Party
Chaplain: Lloyd John Ogilvie
Historian: [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Parliamentarian: Bob Dove
Secretary: Gary Lee Sisco
Secretary for the Majority: Elizabeth B. Greene
Secretary for the Minority: Martin P. Paone
Sergeant at Arms: Gregory S. Casey -
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First session
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House of Representatives
House Speaker: Newt Gingrich (R)
Members: 435 Representatives
Republican: 234
Democratic: 198
House Majority: Republican Party
Chaplain: James David Ford
Chief Administrative Officer:Jeff Trandahl (acting)
Clerk: Robin H. Carle
Parliamentarian: Charles W. Johnson
Sergeant at Arms: Wilson Livingood
Inspector General: John W. Lainhart IV -
First female Secretary of State
Madeleine Korbelová Albright (born May 15, 1937) is the first woman to become a United States Secretary of State. She was appointed by U.S. President Bill Clinton on December 5, 1996, and was unanimously confirmed by a U.S. Senate vote of 99–0. She was sworn in on January 23, 1997. -
State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)
In the January 1997 State of the Union address, Clinton proposed a new initiative to provide coverage to up to five million children. Senators Ted Kennedy and Orrin Hatch teamed up with Hillary Rodham Clinton and her staff in 1997, and succeeded in passing legislation forming the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), the largest (successful) health care reform in the years of the Clinton Presidency. -
NASA's Pathfinder space probe lands on the surface of Mars.
The lander then opened, exposing the rover which conducted many experiments on the Martian surface. The mission carried a series of scientific instruments to analyze the Martian atmosphere, climate, geology and the composition of its rocks and soil. It was the second project from NASA's Discovery Program, which promotes the use of low-cost spacecraft and frequent launches under the motto "cheaper, faster and better" promoted by the then administrator, Daniel Goldin. -
Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997
The Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 reduced several federal taxes in the United States.The act exempted from taxation the profits on the sale of a personal residence of up to $500,000 for married couples filing jointly and $250,000 for singles.
Family farms and small businesses could qualify for an exemption of $1.3 million, The act also provided tax relief for retirement accounts as well as education savings in the Hope Scholarship Credit and Lifetime Learning Credits. -
Balanced Budget Act of 1997
The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 was signed into law on August 5, 1997. It was an omnibus legislative package enacted using the budget reconciliation process and designed to balance the federal budget by 2002. -
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Second session
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United States v. Microsoft
United States v. Microsoft was a set of civil actions filed against Microsoft Corporation by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and 20 U.S. states.The issue central to the case was whether Microsoft was allowed to bundle its flagship Internet Explorer (IE) web browser software with its Microsoft Windows operating system. Bundling them together is alleged to have been responsible for Microsoft's victory in the browser wars as every Windows user had a copy of Internet Explorer. -
Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century
Requires seven planning factors be included in regional transportation plans:1.support the economic vitality of the metropolitan planning area.2.increase the safety for the transportation system for motorized and non-motorized users
3.increase the accessibility and mobility options available to people
5.enhance the integration of connectivity of the transportation system
6.promote efficient system management and operation,
7.emphasize the efficient preservation of existing transportation system -
Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform
also known as Taxpayer Bill of Rights III, resulted from hearings held by the United States Congress in 1996 and 1997. The Act included numerous amendments to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_Revenue_Service_Restructuring_and_Reform_Act_of_1998 -
Workforce Investment Act
The law was enacted to replace the Job Training Partnership Act and certain other Federal job training law with new workforce investment systems. The principal vehicle for this was Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) which were to be chaired by private sector members of the local community. A majority of Board members were also required to represent business interests. -
United States embassy bombings
United States embassy bombings were a series of attacks, in which hundreds of people were killed in simultaneous truck bomb explosions at the US embassies in the East African capitals of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya. The date of the bombings marked the eighth anniversary of the arrival of American forces in Saudi Arabia. The attacks were linked Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri and brought them to the attention of the American public for the first time. -
Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (СOPPA)
The act applies to the online collection of personal information by persons or entities under U.S. jurisdiction from children under 13 years of age. It details what a website operator must include in a privacy policy, when and how to seek verifiable consent from a parent or guardian, and what responsibilities an operator has to protect children's privacy and safety online including restrictions on the marketing to those under 13. -
Copyright Term Extension Act
extended copyright terms in the United States by 20 years, The Act extended these terms to life of the author plus 70 years and for works of corporate authorship to 120 years after creation or 95 years after publication, whichever endpoint is earlier.This law, also known as the Sonny Bono Act, or as the Mickey Mouse Protection Act,effectively "froze" the advancement date of the public domain in the United States for works covered by the older fixed term copyright rules. -
Iraq Liberation Act
This act required the President to designate one or more qualified recipients of assistance, with the primary requirement being opposition to the present Saddam Hussein regime. Such groups should, according to the Act, include a broad spectrum of Iraqi individuals, groups, who are opposed to the Saddam Hussein regime, and are committed to democratic values, respect for human rights, peaceful relations with Iraq's neighbors and maintaining Iraq's territorial integrity. -
Impeachment of Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton, President of the United States, was impeached by the House of Representatives on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice on December 19, 1998, but acquitted by the Senate on February 12, 1999.The charges arose from the Lewinsky scandal and the Paula Jones lawsuit. It was only the second impeachment of a President in American history.
