For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
December 28, 2001

President Signs Bills into Law
Statement by the Deputy Press Secretary

On Thursday, December 27, 2001, the President signed the following bills into law:

H.R. 483, which approves an agreement among the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs of Oregon, the Portland General Electric Company, and the Department of the Interior regarding the uses of tribal trust land and resources; and authorizes 99-year leases on land held in trust for the Tribes.

H.R. 1291, to enhance and makes changes to a number of Department of Veteran Affairs programs, including increasing educational assistance benefits, changing presumptions of service-connection for diseases for Vietnam veterans, providing compensation for certain illnesses for Gulf War veterans, and authorizing changes to housing and burial benefits.

H.R. 2559, to amend the Federal Employees Long-Term Care Insurance program to permit former Federal employees who are entitled to defferred annuities to participate in the program, and exempt the premiums paid for insurance under the program form State and local taxes.

H.R. 3323, to delay, until October 16, 2003, the deadline for certain health care providers plans, and clearinghouses, to comply with a regulation establishing national standards for exchanging health care data electronically.

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