United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1989
Outer Space Protection Act of 1989 - Reaffirms U.S. policy that activities in space should be devoted to peaceful purposes to benefit mankind. Prohibits the use of funds by Federal agencies for: (1) the testing, production, or deployment of any weapon system designed to be based in outer space; (2) the testing of any weapon system to determine its capability to damage or destroy any object in outer space; or (3) the launch of any spacecraft that carries weapons capable of inflicting death or injury on people. Urges and requests the President to enter into bilateral negotiations with the Soviet Union concerning weapons systems in outer space. Specifies the purposes of such negotiations as: (1) prohibiting the testing, production, and deployment of all weapons based in outer space and the testing of all weapons against objects in outer space; (2) establishing limitations on technologies that could become weapons; (3) determining methods for monitoring compliance with such limitations and with mutually agreed upon prohibitions on weapons in outer space and the testing of antisatellite weapons; and (4) encouraging the effective utilization of the Standing Consultative Commission (established under the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty) to resolve disagreements and to develop limitations and verification procedures for new technologies. Urges and requests the President, in the event that such negotiations result in an agreement, to initiate discussions in the United Nations toward an international agreement to prohibit the testing, production, and deployment of all weapons in outer space and to prohibit the testing of all antisatellite weapons. Requires the Secretary of Defense to manage the long-term basic research on ballistic missile defense technologies so as to provide the United States with expanded options for responding to any future breakout by the Soviet Union from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. Specifies that nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit the obligation or expenditure of funds for non-weapon military operations in outer space. States that the provisions of this Act relating to bilateral negotiations with the Soviet Union and the prohibition on the use of funds for space weapons shall become inapplicable if the President certifies to the Congress that the Soviet Union: (1) has tested, produced, or deployed space weapons; or (2) has launched into orbit any spacecraft that carries a weapon capable of inflicting death or injury on people.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1989
Railroad Retirement Medicare Equity Act of 1989 - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to set the same limitation on annual increases in Medicare part B premium deductions from monthly annuities under the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 as currently applies to such premium deductions from monthly benefits under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Act, so that such increases cannot exceed cost of living increases in the annuities.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1989
Designates the Labor Day weekend beginning on September 2, 1989, as National Drive for Life Weekend. Calls on people to observe that weekend with a pledge to not drink and drive.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1989
Commission on the Mississippi River National Heritage Corridor Act of 1989 - Establishes the Commission on the Mississippi River National Heritage Corridor to investigate and make recommendations regarding: (1) the creation of a Mississippi River National Heritage Corridor, to run through Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, and Wisconsin; and (2) other issues affecting the growth and development of the Corridor. Terminates such Commission 90 days after submission of a specified report. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1989
National Voter Registration Act of 1989 - Requires each State to establish procedures with respect to elections for Federal office to permit voter registration by: (1) application in person simultaneously with application for a motor vehicle driver's license; (2) mail application; and (3) application in person at designated Federal, State, and private sector locations. Declares that this Act does not apply to any State that has no voter registration requirement with respect to elections for Federal office. Requires each State to establish a uniform and nondiscriminatory program to confirm the registration of voters in such State. States that challenges to the qualifications of an individual to vote in an election for Federal office may be made on the day of the election only as provided by State law. Provides for individuals with and without documentary proof of qualification to vote. Sets forth a special procedure to enable an individual to vote when his registration to vote cannot be verified. Requires each State to: (1) assure that any eligible applicant who submits his or her application 30 days before the election is registered to vote in the election; (2) require the appropriate State election official to notify each applicant of the disposition of the application; (3) provide that the name of a voter may not be removed from the official list of eligible voters for failure to vote or any other reason except death, criminal conviction, mental incapacity, change in residence, or voter request; and (4) inform those who register pursuant to this Act of voter eligibility requirements and penalties provided by law for submission of a false voter registration application. Requires the Federal Election Commission to report on the impact of this Act on the administration of elections for Federal office. Requires each State to designate a chief State election official to coordinate State functions under this Act. Provides a private right of action for an individual aggrieved by a violation of this Act. Provides for the awarding of attorney fees to the prevailing party, other than the United States. Imposes criminal penalties upon any person who: (1) intimidates, threatens, or coerces any person for registering or voting or exercising any right under this Act; or (2) deprives or defrauds the inhabitants of a State of a fair and impartially conducted election process. Authorizes appropriations necessary to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1989
Foreign Language Competence for the Future Act of 1989 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make: (1) grants to higher education institutions and consortia for summer foreign language institutes for elementary and secondary school foreign language teachers; (2) allotments to State education agencies for revolving loan funds for college students majoring in elementary and secondary foreign language education; (3) matching grants to States and major metropolitan areas for foreign language institutes and world trade council units to provide language training, translation services, and information about other cultures and markets to small- and medium-sized businesses seeking to enter export markets; (4) demonstration grants to State education agencies, higher education institutions, and nonprofit education and professional associations for technology for distance learning; and (5) demonstration grants to eligible consortia for critical languages and area studies programs and other activities to improve and expand elementary and secondary foreign language instruction. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1994.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1989
Privacy for Consumers and Workers Act - Requires employers who engage in electronic monitoring to provide each affected employee with prior written notice describing specified aspects of the electronic monitoring directly affecting the employee. Requires employers to notify prospective employees at personal interviews or meetings of existing forms of electronic monitoring which may directly affect them and, upon request, provide them with the written notice provided to employees. Requires employers to provide affected employees with some form of visual or aural notice that indicates that electronic monitoring is taking place, at periodic intervals unless the monitoring is continuous during each of the employee's shifts. Requires employers to provide affected customers with some form of visual or aural notice, at periodic intervals, indicating that telephone service observation is taking place. Requires employers to permit employees or their authorized agents to have access to all personal data obtained by electronic monitoring of their work. Prohibits employers from collecting personal data on an employee which is not relevant to the employee's work performance. Prohibits employers from disclosing personal data obtained by electronic monitoring to any person or business except to the individual employee to whom that data pertains or without the employee's prior written consent, unless disclosure would be: (1) to the employer's officers and employees who need it to perform their duties; (2) to a law enforcement agency for a criminal investigation or prosecution; or (3) pursuant to a proper court order. Prohibits employers from using personal data obtained by electronic monitoring as the exclusive basis for individual employee performance evaluation or disciplinary action, unless the employee is given an opportunity to review the data within a reasonable time after it is obtained. Prohibits employers from using personal data or collective data obtained by electronic monitoring as the sole basis for setting production quotas or work performance expectations. Prohibits employers from maintaining, collecting, using, or disseminating personal data obtained by electronic monitoring which describes how an employee exercises First Amendment rights, unless such use is: (1) expressly authorized by statute or by the employee; or (2) pertinent to and within the scope of an authorized law enforcement activity. Sets forth the following enforcement provisions: (1) civil penalties; (2) injunctive actions by the Secretary of Labor; and (3) private civil actions. Prohibits waiver of rights and procedures provided by this Act, unless such waiver is part of a written settlement by the parties to a pending action or complaint. Directs the Secretary of Labor to issue rules and regulations to carry out this Act within six months. Makes this Act inapplicable to otherwise permissible electronic monitoring by law enforcement agencies in criminal investigations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1989
Elephant Protection Act - Requires the United States Trade Representative (USTR), before January 1, 1990, to identify each foreign country that has enacted sanctions against trading in ivory. Requires the USTR to: (1) determine, for each year after 1989, if each identified country has effectively enforced such sanctions; (2) determine, for each year after 1990, if each foreign country not so identified has enacted such sanctions; and (3) determine, for each year after 1990, if such countries that have implemented sanctions against trading in ivory have enforced them. Directs the USTR to: (1) make such determinations for each year; (2) notify the President of each negative determination; and (3) publish each negative determination in the Federal Register. Requires the President, after receiving a negative determination with respect to any foreign country, to revoke nondiscriminatory treatment (most-favored-nation treatment) for all products of such country that are imported into the United States. Makes it unlawful for any person to import or export ivory products. Sets forth civil and criminal penalties. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny foreign tax credit benefits with respect to income derived from trading in ivory. Provides that ivory-related income shall not be treated as foreign base company income.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1989
Requires a certain percentage of Federal fleets of passenger automobiles and light-duty trucks to be alternative fuel vehicles by specified deadlines if such vehicles are being operated in an area designated under the Clean Air Act as an area of serious health endangerment for ozone and/or carbon monoxide. Requires the Administrator of General Services and the Secretary of Defense, with the concurrence of the Secretary of Energy, to issue regulations ensuring that such vehicles shall: (1) be supplied with alcohol, natural gas, other gaseous hydrocarbons, or electricity in the primary area of operation; and (2) be operated exclusively on such fuel (except when it is impracticable to obtain it). Requires funds appropriated to implement this Act to be expended first in those areas determined by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (the Administrator) to have the most severe air pollution problems. Prescribes circumstances under which such alternative fuels shall be offered for sale to the public. Mandates that the funds appropriated for alternative fuel vehicle acquisition apply only to the portion of costs which exceeds the cost for comparable conventional fuel vehicles. Directs the Secretary of Energy to ensure that the cost to any Federal agency receiving an alternative fuel vehicle under this Act not exceed the cost to such agency of a comparable conventional fueled vehicle. Mandates that gasoline powered Federal vehicles, with specified exceptions, which are operated in an area designated as seriously endangering health for carbon monoxide, and which are not dual energy (or natural gas dual energy), be operated exclusively with fuel which blends oxygenates with gasoline at their primary fueling facility. Requires underground fuel storage equipment installed or replaced at designated Federal facilities to be capable of safely storing alcohol. Requires the Administrator to report to the Congress the results of a comprehensive analysis regarding the public health risk associated with the use of significant amounts of alcohol, natural gas, or other gaseous hydrocarbons as transportation fuels as compared to diesel and gasoline fuels. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1991. Sets forth criteria for alternative fuel vehicles. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1993 through 1996.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1989
Child Welfare and Foster Care Amendments of 1989 - Title I: Provisions Relating to Older Children in Foster Care Independent Living Program - Amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to authorize States to continue foster care payments for children under age 21 who are participating in an independent living program but have exceeded the age limit (age 18 or, for full-time secondary school students, 19) for such payments. Extends, indefinitely, Federal funding for State programs to assist children who have attained age 16 in making the transition from foster care to independent living. Title II: Health Care Plans for Foster Care Children - Requires that: (1) the written case plan developed for each foster care child include a health care record and plan for each child indicating how the child's health care needs have been and are being met; and (2) foster care children who are under a State's responsibility and not covered under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Act receive comprehensive health assessments comparable to those required under the Medicaid early and periodic screening, diagnosis, and treatment program. Reimburses States for a percentage of assessment costs equal to the Medicaid Federal assistance percentage. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) develop and disseminate foster children health care standards; and (2) provide technical assistance to foster care agencies and providers to ensure the development and management of health care plans and records for foster children and the adequate provision of health care assessments and services to such children. Title III: Training and Compensation of Foster Care Parents, Staff, and Providers - Directs States to require foster parents and staff members of child-care institutions to satisfactorily participate in training designed to familiarize them with the special needs and problems of foster children. Requires States to develop specific training and retraining requirements and provide free child care services to foster parents who are receiving such training. Covers 75 percent of State costs of providing such training and child care. Requires that in conducting periodic reviews of foster care payment amounts States give full consideration to increases in the cost of providing foster care and the costs relating to the care of children with extraordinary physical or mental health care needs. Directs the Secretary to periodically (at least biennially) collect information on each State's level of foster care payments and distribute such information to all States. Title IV: Increase in Authorization for Child Welfare Services under Title IV - B of the Social Security Act and Extension of Transfer of Funds Provisions - Amends part B (Child Welfare Services) of title IV of the Act to increase authorized appropriations under such program. Amends the Foster Care and Adoption Assistance program to extend through FY 1991: (1) the ceiling on Federal payments to States for foster care expenditures; and (2) the authority for States to use such payments to cover expenditures under part B (Child Welfare Services) of title IV of the Act. (Currently, such ceiling and authorization runs through FY 1989.) Title V: Effective Date - Makes this Act's amendments effective on October 1, 1989, unless otherwise specified.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1989
Precludes veterans entitled to benefits under the All Volunteer Force Educational Assistance Program from receiving other veterans' educational assistance. Terminates other veterans' educational assistance as of June 30, 1993.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 1989
Business and Citizen School Volunteers of America Act of 1989 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make grants to eligible partnerships to assist elementary and secondary schools in organizing, promoting, and utilizing volunteers in such schools. (Defines an eligible partnership as a volunteer program development agreement between: (1) an elementary or secondary school, State educational agency, and/or local educational agency; and (2) a government agency, nonprofit organization, institution of higher education, and/or business concern.) Directs the Secretary to establish a National Center for Leadership in School Volunteer and Partnership Programs, through grants to or contracts with a nonprofit organization that operates nationwide and has as its primary purpose assisting school volunteer programs. Requires the Center to: (1) provide technical assistance; (2) train volunteers; (3) conduct an annual survey of volunteer programs; and (4) evaluate volunteer programs. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1994.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 1989
Overseas Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1989 - Establishes the Commission on Realignment and Closure of Bases Outside the United States. Requires the Commission to make recommendations with respect to the realignment or closure of U.S. military installations outside the United States and report to the Secretary and specified congressional committees the results of such recommendations. Directs the Secretary of Defense to: (1) close all military installations located outside the United States and recommended for closure by the Commission on Realignment and Closure of Bases Outside the United States; (2) realign all military installations located outside the United States and recommended for realignment by the Commission; and (3) initiate such closure or realignment no later than the earliest date on which the United States may, pursuant to treaty or other agreement with the foreign country concerned, close or realign the military installation concerned. Prohibits the Secretary from carrying out any closure or realignment under this Act unless: (1) no later than March 15, 1990, the Secretary has reported to the Senate and House Armed Services Committees that the Secretary has approved and will implement all closures and realignments recommended by the Commission; and (2) the Commission has recommended such closures or realignments and has reported such recommendations to the Committees. Prohibits the Secretary from carrying out any such closure or realignment if a joint resolution is enacted disapproving the recommendations of the Commission within a specified time. Directs the Secretary, in closing or realigning a military installation under this Act, to carry out any actions necessary to implement such closure or realignment. Waives, for purposes of this Act, any provision of law restricting the use of funds for closing or realigning military installations included in any appropriation or authorization Act. Establishes in the Treasury the Department of Defense Overseas Base Closure Account. Provides that, when a decision is made to use funds in the Account to carry out a construction project and the cost of such project will exceed the maximum amount authorized by law for a minor construction project, the Secretary shall notify the appropriate congressional committees of the nature of, and justification for, such project and the amount of expenditures for the project. Directs the Secretary, as part of each annual budget request for the Department of Defense, to transmit to the appropriate committees of the Congress: (1) a schedule of the closures and realignments to be carried out under this Act and the cost savings to be achieved; and (2) a description of the military installations to which functions are to be transferred as a result of such closures and realignments. Directs the Secretary to report to the appropriate congressional committees the amount and nature of deposits into, and expenditures from, the Account during the prior fiscal year. Outlines the legislative process for the consideration of Commission recommendations by way of a joint resolution in the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1989
Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act to authorize the distribution of a meat article or animal without charge to nonprofit private entities or to State, local, and Federal entities engaged in the distribution of food without charge to individuals, if the article or animal: (1) is in violation of the Act; (2) has been seized and condemned; (3) is capable of use as a human food; and (4) has been inspected under the Act. Relieves the United States and the person from whom the meat was seized and condemned from legal responsibility for the article or animal if it was found after inspection under the Act to be capable of use as a human food.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1989
Automated Telephone Solicitation Protection Act of 1989 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 with respect to automatic telephone dialing devices (telephone terminal equipment with the capacity to store or produce numbers, dial them, and deliver a prerecorded message without manual assistance). Makes it unlawful for any person in interstate or foreign communications to use such device for a telephone solicitation to a telephone customer unless: (1) the recorded message states the name and telephone number of the person initiating the call; (2) the dialer automatically terminates its connection within five seconds after the person called fails to give consent to the recorded message or hangs up his or her telephone; (3) the device does not make calls to any emergency phone numbers; or (4) the device is used only between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. States exceptions to such prohibition. States that a $5,000 limitation on certain forfeiture penalties under such Act does not apply to violations of such prohibition. Requires the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission to jointly study and report to the Congress on the practicality and constitutionality of a complete ban on the use of automatic dialing devices to deliver telephone solicitations.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1989
Emergency Nurse Shortage Relief Act of 1989 - Amends title VIII (Nurse Education) of the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants for programs to: (1) promote nursing as a career, including promotion in public secondary schools; (2) identify and provide internships to students in such schools who show an interest in health care; and (3) recruit nursing students from groups not traditionally well represented in the profession. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants for programs to: (1) encourage and assist non-practicing nurses to reenter the profession; (2) train nurses as nurse practitioners or nurse midwives or in areas of needed specialized nursing skills; and (3) provide tuition assistance to students in educational programs designed to facilitate reentry. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants for programs to: (1) increase the attractiveness of nursing as a career through changes in wage structures, employment options and benefits, and the role of nurses in health care facilities; and (2) demonstrate innovative methods of providing for career advancement and encourage nurses and nurse assistants to continue nursing education. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary, subject to appropriations, to establish a program to insure educational loans to individuals with a degree as a registered nurse for educational expenses related to training nurses as nurse practitioners or nurse midwives or in areas of needed specialized nursing skills. Makes provisions of the Federal Program of Insured Loans to Graduate Students in Health Professions Schools, established by current law in the Public Health Service Act, apply to this program except as inconsistent. Authorizes the Secretary, subject to appropriations, to enter into agreements with eligible individuals to assist in repaying specified amounts of their eligible educational loans. Sets forth criteria for an individual to be eligible to receive assistance, including a requirement that the individual agree to work full-time as a registered nurse in a nursing crisis area. Sets forth a schedule for loan repayment by the Secretary to the holder of the loans based on the number of years of work completed as agreed. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow C corporations a tax credit for 20 percent of the amount paid or incurred as qualified nursing scholarships. Directs the Attorney General to extend for at least one additional year the status of nonimmigrant alien for those aliens admitted under specified provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act who perform services as registered nurses in a nursing crisis area, provided the Secretary of Labor has certified that the continuing employment of the aliens will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of U.S. registered nurses. Amends title VIII (Nurse Education) of the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to designate areas that have: (1) a severe shortage in the number of nurses as nursing crisis areas; and (2) a shortage of practicing nurses with specialized nursing skills as areas of needed specialized nursing skills. Directs the Secretary to review and, if necessary, redesignate such areas at least annually.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1989
Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Amendments of 1989 - Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act to prohibit persons from having a financial interest in both the contractor who prepares a school asbestos plan and the contractor who implements such plan. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate regulations concerning air monitoring for asbestos to require that: (1) such monitoring be based on electron microscopy with a certain analytical sensitivity; (2) such monitoring be conducted in a manner most likely to detect asbestos; and (3) no person may have a financial interest in both the monitoring contractor and the contractor performing the response action. Requires the model school asbestos contractor accreditation plan for States to include a State-approved contractor training course and require that those who have passed the accreditation exam engage in supervised work experience before achieving accreditation. Directs the Administrator and the States to establish procedures for terminating accreditation. Requires the Administrator to review and report to the Congress on procedures in effect in some States to expedite accreditation reciprocity and the need and feasibility of developing a model procedure. Authorizes the Administrator to distribute an advisory model to States. Directs the Administrator to: (1) develop and implement a plan for conducting random, on-site school inspections to ensure that asbestos response actions are carried out in a manner that protects human health and the environment; (2) promulgate regulations to require school asbestos contractors to provide assurances of financial responsibility for all liabilities resulting from their work; and (3) promulgate regulations to delineate the division of responsibility between the EPA and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for worker safety under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response program. Authorizes school employees who are directed to conduct emergency repairs or operations and maintenance activities which may involve asbestos to refuse to conduct such activities unless they are provided with proper equipment and training and allowed to follow safe work practices. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations requiring owners of Federal, State, and commercial buildings to conduct asbestos inspections and, if asbestos is present, develop and implement asbestos management plans for such buildings. Sets deadlines for the implementation and completion of such activities. Provides for notification of the building occupants and the State Governor or Administrator, as appropriate, prior to undertaking such activities. Imposes civil monetary penalties against building owners who violate such regulations. Directs the Administrator to develop and report to the Congress on a system for monitoring asbestos-containing material removed from schools to assure that it is transported and disposed of in a manner protective of human health and the environment. Establishes an Asbestos Abatement Scientific Commission to assess available asbestos response actions for their effectiveness and appropriateness in protecting human health and the environment. Sets forth reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1989
Amends the District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act to authorize appropriations for FY 1990 through 1994 for 700 additional officers and members of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia. Prohibits the use of such funds in FY 1990 until 120 days after the Mayor develops and submits a community-oriented policing system plan to the Committee on the District of Columbia of the House of Representatives. Prohibits the use of such funds after FY 1990 until 120 days after the Mayor notifies such committee that a community-oriented policing system has been implemented in the District of Columbia. Directs the District of Columbia to: (1) construct a prison at a specified location within the District which is to serve solely as a place for detaining and incarcerating individuals accused or convicted of crimes within the District of Columbia; and (2) submit the design for the prison to the Committee on the District of Columbia of the House of Representatives for the Committee's approval. Requires the Attorney General and the Joint Committee on Judicial Administration in the District of Columbia to submit a report to the Congress analyzing resources available to District of Columbia courts and the feasibility of, and costs associated with, increasing such resources. Directs the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to assign district judges of such Circuit to temporary service as judges of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Directs the Chief Justice of the United States to assign district judges of other circuits for service in the District of Columbia Circuit upon presentation of a certificate of necessity by the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Requires the Attorney General to: (1) submit a report to the Congress analyzing the potential effects of increased efforts to eliminate drug-related criminal activity in the District of Columbia on crime and law enforcement in the metropolitan area surrounding the District; and (2) authorize U.S. marshals for the District of Columbia and surrounding judicial districts to appoint eligible law enforcement officers from the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia to temporary service as deputy U.S. marshals while investigating criminal activity within the District of Columbia, Maryland, and the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1989
Amends Federal law relating to the provision of books for the adult blind to provide that the certification of dyslexia, for purposes of eligibility for a loan of books published on sound reproduction recordings, may be made by a competent authority only through the use of a test: (1) approved by the Director of the National Institutes of Health; and (2) administered by an individual (who does not have to be a doctor of medicine) qualified to administer and evaluate such a test.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1989
Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions governing the income tax deduction for the health insurance costs of self-employed individuals to: (1) make the deduction permanent (under current law it will expire after tax year 1989); and (2) phase in an increase in the allowable deduction, reaching 100 percent for taxable years beginning in 1994 and thereafter.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1989
Amends the District of Columbia Code to set an 18-month limit on the term of imprisonment which may be imposed for contempt in child custody cases. Requires the District of Columbia Court of Appeals to hear an appeal from an order of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia holding an individual in contempt and imposing imprisonment on such individual in the course of a child custody case within 60 days after such individual requests such appeal.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1989
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Bankruptcy Court and all involved parties should facilitate the prompt restoration of Eastern Airlines to full operations through appropriate action which may include appointment of a trustee, pending the sale of the company.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1989
Drug Abuse Treatment Policy Act of 1989 - Prohibits the expenditure of any Federal funds or the provision of advice by any Federal officer or employee with respect to any program of distributing needles for the injection of any illegal drug or distributing bleach for cleansing needles for such injection. Prohibits any narcotic treatment program from providing any narcotic to treat any individual for dependence on heroin or any similar drug unless the program provides a comprehensive range of rehabilitative services, including counseling. Allows an exception for certain short-term detoxification programs. Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General from authorizing a program for narcotic addiction treatment involving the provision of methadone under the terms and conditions proposed on a specified date, as published in the Federal Register.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1989
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the targeted jobs income tax credit through 1992 (under current law the credit will expire after December 31, 1989). Amends the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 to authorize appropriations through FY 1992 in connection with the targeted jobs credit. Raises from 23 to 25 years the age limitation with respect to economically disadvantaged youth targeted for credit purposes. Adds as a targeted group under the credit economically disadvantaged individuals who have completed a qualified drug rehabilitation program.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1989
Amends the Federal criminal code to provide enhanced criminal penalties for kidnapping children. Provides a minimum sentence of ten years' imprisonment (life imprisonment if any listed aggravating conduct exists) for such violation. States that persons sentenced under this Act shall not be granted a probationary or suspended sentence, and shall not be eligible for parole during the first five years (20 years if the offender engaged in any listed aggravating conduct) of such imprisonment. Includes as aggravating conduct: (1) selling the victim of such offense; (2) sexually abusing such victim; (3) using such victim for pornography; or (4) intentionally harming such victim physically to a life-threatening extent.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1989
Department of Veterans' Affairs Minority Affairs Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to designate the Assistant Secretary in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), whose functions include equal opportunity functions as the Chief Minority Affairs Officer. Outlines the duties of the Chief Minority Affairs Officer (the Chief), including the following: (1) investigating and examining VA activities affecting minority group members who are veterans or who receive benefits from the VA; (2) assessing the needs of minority veterans within the VA; (3) advising the Secretary regarding the effect on minority veterans of policies, regulations, and programs of the VA and of methods to ensure that minority veterans are afforded an opportunity to participate fully in the activities and benefits of the VA; and (4) carrying out any other additional functions as the Secretary may prescribe. Establishes within the VA five Deputy Officers of Minority Affairs, each of whom shall be appointed by the Secretary. Requires each officer to be responsible for one of the following areas: (1) Asian American affairs; (2) Black American affairs; (3) Hispanic American affairs; (4) Native American affairs; and (5) women's affairs. Requires the Secretary, no less than annually, to report to the Congress a detailed description of any activities and policies of the VA relating to minority group members who are veterans or who receive benefits from the VA and the duties of the Chief and the Deputy Officers of Minority Affairs.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1989
Authorizes and directs the President to call on representatives of the broadcasting industry, in cooperation with public health organizations, to provide free air time to private and government organizations for antismoking public service announcements which educate the public about the dangers of cigarette smoking.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1989
Directs the Administrator of General Services to convey specified lands in the District of Columbia to the Columbia Hospital for Women. Requires that such lands be used for medical purposes, unless use for such other purpose is approved by the Administrator or by Act of Congress. Retains to the United States the right to use the building and parking lot on such lands until the Hospital provides one-year notice of its need for such facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1989
Provides for the establishment of categories of aliens who are subject to persecution in the Soviet Union or in Indochina (Vietnam, Cambodia, or Laos) and therefore admissible as refugees into the United States. Deems Jews and Evangelical Christians in the Soviet Union as such a category. Provides for the adjustment of status to refugee status for certain Soviet and Indochinese parolees residing in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1989
Live Performing Arts Labor Relations Amendments - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to exclude specified types of employers and performers in the live performing arts from coverage under unfair labor practice provisions: (1) prohibiting specified contracts or agreements between employers and labor organizations; and (2) prohibiting specified actions of labor organizations to force or require cessation of dealings with others, joining of labor or employer organizations, or recognition of or negotiation with labor organizations not certified as representative. Permits such employers to: (1) agree with a labor organization to make membership in it a condition of performing arts employment; and (2) make agreements with a labor organization covering performing artists even if its majority status has not yet been established. Defines "employer" to include purchasers of live musical performance services. Defines "employee" to include independent contractors engaged to perform live musical services.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1989
Coal Miners' Justice Act of 1989 - Directs the Secretary of Labor to review certain claims of coal miners and their survivors under the Black Lung Benefits Act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1989
Food Labeling and Heart Disease Reduction Act of 1989 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to deem foods containing fat, cholesterol, or sodium to be misbranded unless their labeling states certain information with regard to: (1) calories from fat; (2) total fat and saturated, polyunsaturated, or monounsaturated fat; (3) sodium; and (4) cholesterol.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1989
Employee Educational Assistance Act of 1989 - Repeals provisions of the Internal Revenue Code that: (1) terminated the income tax exclusion of amounts paid under employee educational assistance programs as of tax year 1989; and (2) deny benefits in connection with graduate work.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1989
Disabled Veterans and Assistive Animals Partnership Act of 1989 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, during FY 1990 through 1993, to conduct a pilot program for providing assistive animals (dogs and monkeys) to aid quadriplegic veterans. Requires a veteran, in order to be eligible, to have a service-connected disability rated not less than 50 percent disabling. Limits the number of veterans to be so assisted. Requires the Secretary to determine if the veteran is suited for the provision of an assistive dog or monkey. Requires the Secretary to give a preference to veterans whose quadriplegia is service-connected. Outlines administrative provisions concerning such program, including determinations of suitability by the Secretary, the selection of veteran participants, funding for the program, and ownership of the assistive animals involved. Directs the Secretary, during FY 1990 through 1993, to conduct a pilot program for providing signal dogs (dogs trained to provide hearing assistance to the hearing-impaired) to veterans. Requires a veteran, in order to be eligible for such assistance, to have a service-connected hearing impairment and be in need of the assistance of a signal dog. Limits the number of veterans to participate in such program. Requires the Secretary to determine if the veteran is suited for the provision of a signal dog. Outlines administrative provisions concerning such program, including determinations of suitability by the Secretary, the selection of veteran participants, funding for the program, and ownership of the signal dog involved. Directs the Secretary to evaluate on an ongoing basis the pilot programs established under this Act. Directs the Secretary, no later than February 1, 1993, to report to the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees on the experience under the programs.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1989
Designates December 21, 1989, as a national day of mourning for the victims of the crash of Pan American Airways Flight 103. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should: (1) determine the cause of the crash; and (2) identify those responsible for the crash and bring them to justice.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1989
Prohibits the issuance of a license for the export to China of any defense article on the U.S. Munitions List, including helicopters and parts, unless the President certifies to the Congress that China is not using any such articles to violate the human rights of Tibetans and foreign press and human rights organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1989
Requires the Committee on House Administration, not later than December 31, 1989, to: (1) take such action as may be necessary to discontinue use of disposable polystyrene foam trays, dishes, and beverage containers in the food service operations of the House of Representatives; and (2) require that disposable trays, dishes, and beverage containers used in such operations be biodegradable.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1989
Childless Veterans Assistance Act of 1989 - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide procreative services and reimbursement for adoption expenses to veterans (or their spouses) with a service-connected inability to procreate. Prohibits the Secretary from reimbursing a veteran for adoption expenses: (1) until after the adoption is final; (2) that are paid to or for the veteran under any other program administered by the Federal Government or by a State or local government; or (3) in an amount greater than $2,000 per child or $4,000 total per veteran.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1989
Depository Institution Affiliation Act - Title I: Creation and Control of Depository Institution Holding Companies - Sets forth the terms and conditions under which a depository institution holding company (DIHC) can be established and must be operated. Requires any DIHC seeking to acquire control of an insured bank, an insured institution, a bank holding company, a savings and loan holding company, or a depository institution holding company to comply with the requirements of the Change in Bank Control Act or the Change in Savings and Loan Control Act, as applicable. Establishes penalties and additional procedures for failing to comply with such requirements. Permits the appropriate Federal regulatory agency (the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or the Federal Home Loan Bank Board) to adopt rules and regulations to prevent an insured bank or institution that is controlled by a DIHC from engaging in unsafe or unsound practices. Subjects DIHCs to the same restrictions on affiliate transactions that are imposed upon member banks (banks which are members of a Federal Reserve bank) under the Federal Reserve Act. Establishes additional restrictions on inter-affiliate transactions, including prohibiting an insured bank or institution that is an affiliate of a DIHC from: (1) extending credit to a securities affiliate or subsidiary; and (2) purchasing the assets of a securities affiliate or subsidiary. Provides certain exceptions from such restrictions. Requires any DIHC which is in control of an insured bank or institution found to be undercapitalized to: (1) enter into an agreement with the appropriate Federal regulatory agency to return the bank or institution to compliance with the applicable minimum required capital; (2) divest control of such bank or institution; or (3) be subject to civil penalty. States that Federal regulatory agencies may not impose requirements pertaining to the capitalization of a DIHC. Subjects interstate acquisitions: (1) of an insured bank by a DIHC to the same restrictions applicable to bank holding companies under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956; and (2) of an insured institution by a DIHC to the same restrictions applicable to savings and loan companies. Prohibits Federal and State governments from enacting laws that discriminate against DIHCs. Prohibits insured banks and institutions that are associated with a DIHC from: (1) dealing in or underwriting securities; (2) underwriting insurance; or (3) investing in or developing real estate. Provides certain limitations on DIHC entry into the businesses of insurance agency and real estate brokerage. Subjects DIHCs to the tying provisions of the Bank Holding Company Act Amendments of 1970 and to the insider lending prohibitions of the Federal Reserve Act. Makes conforming amendments to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956. Amends the Federal Reserve Act to provide that, for the purpose of restricting loans or extending credit to affiliates, a loan or extension of credit shall not be deemed to be made to an affiliate if: (1) the approval of such loan or extension of credit was in accordance with the same standards and procedures and on substantially the same terms that apply to similar loans or extensions of credit; and (2) such loan or extension of credit was not made for the purpose of evading any of the requirements of such Act. Amends the Banking Act of 1933 to make certain provisions which prohibit member banks from becoming affiliated with securities corporations inapplicable to member banks which are controlled by DIHCs. Makes conforming amendments to the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the National Housing Act. Requires the acquisitions of DIHCs controlling insured institutions to be in accordance with the procedures of such Acts. Amends the Clayton Act to exempt acquisitions of insured banks and institutions by DIHCs from the premerger notification requirements of the Depository Institution Affiliation Act, the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, and the National Housing Act. Makes conforming amendments to the Community Reinvestment Act. Title II: Supervisory Improvements - Establishes a National Financial Services Committee to establish uniform principles and standards for the examination and supervision of financial institutions and other providers of financial services. Title III: Thrift Improvements - Amends the National Housing Act to exempt institutions controlled by DIHCs from the definition of "insured institution" for purposes of the Savings and Loan Holding Company Act. States that savings and loan holding companies and their subsidiaries shall not be subject to the debt approval requirements of such Act if their insured subsidiaries have met certain qualified thrift lender requirements. Deletes the Savings and Loan Holding Company Act management interlock prohibitions. Establishes affiliate transaction standards which are applicable to all insured institutions. Preempts inconsistent State and Federal laws, rules, and regulations. Exempts savings and loan holding companies from restrictions on: (1) affiliation with institutions which engage in underwriting and distributing securities; and (2) cross marketing practices. Amends the Depository Institutions Management Interlocks Act to permit management interlocks between savings and loan holding companies whose insured subsidiaries satisfy the qualified thrift lender requirement (unless the Federal Home Loan Bank Board determines that such an interlock would result in a monopoly or lessen competition and that preventing the interlock is the only way to prevent such anticompetitive results).
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1989
Prohibits U.S. military or security assistance to Zaire under the Arms Export Control Act or the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. Limits U.S. economic assistance to Zaire under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 to assistance that benefits the majority, is for humanitarian purposes, and is channeled through private and voluntary organizations. Authorizes the President to suspend or modify any prohibition or limitation under this Act 30 days after the President determines, and notifies specified congressional committees, that the Government of Zaire has made progress towards fulfilling certain human and political rights. Requires the U.S. representatives to international financial institutions to raise the issues of human rights violations and misuse of funds in Zaire.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1989
United States Peace Tax Fund Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish in the Treasury the United States Peace Tax Fund (Fund) to receive payments designated on the tax returns of qualified individuals to be used for nonmilitary purposes. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to report annually to the Congress on amounts transferred into the Fund. Requires the information to be printed in the Congressional Record. Permits conscientious objectors to designate on their income tax returns that any tax liability be paid into the Fund. Makes this designation procedure available to any individual who has demonstrated himself or herself, by reason of religious training and belief, to be opposed to participation in war in any form. Requires that each publication of general instructions accompanying income tax returns include specified information about the Fund, including the purposes of the Fund and the criteria governing one's eligibility to designate tax payments for it. Requires every taxpayer who makes such a designation for any taxable year to file a questionnaire return for the purpose of determining whether the taxpayer is an eligible individual. Permits the setting aside of criminal or civil penalties imposed upon a taxpayer for nonpayment of tax prior to 1990 if the taxpayer pays the tax due (with interest) and establishes to the satisfaction of the Secretary of the Treasury that the nonpayment was due to religious beliefs. Authorizes corresponding procedures in connection with estate and gift tax payments, under conditions prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury. Directs the Comptroller General to determine the percentage of actual appropriations made by the United States from the Federal budget during the preceding year for military purposes. Requires publication of this information in the Congressional Record. Establishes a United States Peace Tax Fund Board of Trustees to distribute funds for eligible nonmilitary activities and research. Directs the Board to publish regulations to govern applications for funds. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1989
World War I Veterans' Service Pension Act - Directs the Administrator (effective March 1989, Secretary) of Veterans Affairs to pay a monthly pension of $150 to each veteran of World War I who meets specified service requirements. Requires such veteran, if receiving another pension administered by the Veterans Administration (effective March 1989, Department of Veterans Affairs) (VA), to elect which pension he will receive. Provides for the payment of a monthly pension of $100 to surviving spouses of World War I veterans who meet certain marriage requirements. Requires such surviving spouses to choose between pensions if they are currently receiving another pension through the VA.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1989
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit an individual taxpayer an income tax deduction for travel, food, lodging, and transportation expenses paid or incurred in connection with the taxpayer's performance of services as a member of the armed forces reserves or the National Guard. Excludes the taxpayer's meal and entertainment expenses from deductibility limitations in this context.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1989
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a new test for determining whether an employee health plan meets the new (section 89) nondiscrimination requirements for coverage and benefits. Considers a plan as meeting the requirements if: (1) it does not contain eligibility provisions that discriminate in favor of highly compensated employees; (2) the taxable benefit of any highly compensated employee is limited to 133 percent of the premium made available to 90 percent of the employees who are not in this category; and (3) the employer maintains at least one qualified plan that consists primarily of core health benefits and does not require employee weekly contributions of more than $10 per week ($25 for family coverage) (indexed for inflation), and at least 90 percent of all employees who are not highly paid employees are eligible to participate in such a plan. Revises the definition of "highly compensated employee." Increases from 17 1/2 hours to 25 hours per week the threshold number of work hours triggering requirements with respect to part-time employees. Adjusts benefits and requirements in connection with employees who work less than 30 hours per week. Applies the requirements separately in connection with employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement. Permits an employer to disregard leased employees in connection with requirements if specified conditions are met. Imposes a 34 percent tax on employers in connection with amounts paid or incurred during any taxable year under a specified employee benefit plan that does not meet enumerated general criteria, including that it be in writing, be maintained exclusively for the benefit of employees, and provide for employee notice about benefits. Repeals nondiscrimination provisions as applied to group-term life insurance. Amends the Technical and Miscellaneous Revenue Act of 1988 to delay application of the requirements with respect to retired employees. Requires employers to report to highly compensated employees amounts of taxable fringe benefits. Imposes a penalty for failure to report.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1989
Authorizes the Raoul Wallenberg Tribute Committee to establish a work to honor Raoul Wallenberg on Federal land in the District of Columbia or its environs. Prohibits the United States from paying any expense of the establishment of the work.
![Official portrait of Del. Fauntroy, Walter E. [D-DC-At Large]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/f000046_200.jpg)