United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1991
Veterans' Compensation Programs Improvement Act of 1991 - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to accept gifts, devises, and bequests which enhance the Secretary's ability to provide services and benefits. Allows the payment of parents' dependency and indemnity compensation less frequently than monthly if the amount of the annual benefit is less than four percent of the maximum annual rate payable. Prohibits a readjustment in the rating schedule from causing a veteran's compensation amount to be reduced unless an improvement in the veteran's disability is shown to have occurred. Makes the presumptive period (the period after service in a radiation-risk activity during which a disease must become manifest in order to be considered service-connected and, therefore, compensable as disability compensation) for leukemia 40 years (currently, 30). Creates a 40-year presumptive period for members of the reserves who were exposed to the atmospheric detonation of a nuclear device during active duty or inactive duty for training and who contract specified diseases or illnesses. Increases the amount of Veterans' Mortgage Life Insurance available to a veteran owning a home to the lesser of $90,000 (currently, $40,000) or the amount of the loan outstanding on the home. Increases from one to two years the period after discharge or release during which service-disabled veterans must apply in order to qualify for National Service Life Insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1991
Environmental Tax Credit Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for a three-year credit period for a percentage of the investment in acid rain control property installed to comply with sulfur dioxide emission limitations under the Clean Air Act. Allows the use of tax-exempt facility bonds to finance acid rain control property. Allows a business credit for a percentage of the expenditures incurred for coal cleaning minerals used to remove or reduce the sulfur content of coal. Excludes from gross income the value of clean air allowances allocated to the taxpayer under the Clean Air Act. Allows a 60-month amortization of acid rain control property.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permanently extend the period during which qualified mortgage bonds and mortgage credit certificates may be issued.
United States · United States Congress · 19 February 1991
Human Rights in India Act - Directs the President to report to the Congress on whether the Government of India is preventing human rights organizations from visiting India to monitor human rights conditions. Terminates development assistance to India (except for specified health projects) if the President reports that the Government of India is implementing such policy. Provides for the resumption of assistance if the President reports to the Congress that India is no longer implementing such policy.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Provides eligibility for the veterans' home loan program (whereby home loans are made, insured, or guaranteed to veterans through the Department of Veterans Affairs) for members of the Selected Reserve who have completed at least six years of service in the Selected Reserve and who: (1) were discharged honorably, were placed on the retired list, or were transferred to an element of the Ready Reserve other than the Selected Reserve; or (2) continue to serve in the Selected Reserve. Prescribes the amounts of home loan fees to be paid to the Department by such individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Social Security Notch Adjustment Act of 1991 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to establish a new formula for computing the primary insurance amount of individuals who attain age 65 in or after 1982 and would otherwise be subject to the benefit computation rules of the Social Security Amendments of 1977. Extends the application of such transitional benefit computation rules to those who become eligible for benefits before 1989. (Currently those who become eligible after 1983 are subject to the benefit computation rules of the Social Security Amendments of 1977.)
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Increases from $50,000 to $100,000 the amount of life insurance available to current and former military personnel under the Servicemen's Group Life Insurance and the Veterans' Group Life Insurance programs. Expands eligibility for such insurance to include individuals who are members of the Retired Reserve on August 8, 1990 (currently, January 1, 1986).
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Veterans PTSD Treatment and Psychological Readjustment Act of 1991 - States that it shall be the policy of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to implement the recommendations of the Chief Medical Director's (CMD) Special Committee on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to establish and operate specialized inpatient post-traumatic stress disorder units (SIPUs) at Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers. Requires such facilities and services to be available to all eligible veterans, including veterans of the Persian Gulf conflict. Requires the Secretary to gradually increase the number of SIPUs in order to meet a total increase of not less than 30 units by December 31, 1994. Requires the Secretary to direct the Special Committee to identify areas of the country in which there are significant needs for expanding the Vet Center program. Directs the Special Committee to present a list of not less than 40 areas as candidates for new Vet Centers to the Readjustment Counseling Service of the Department no later than September 30, 1991. Requires the Counseling Service to gradually increase the number of existing Vet Centers in order to meet a total increase of not less than 40 by December 31, 1994. Directs the Advisory Committee on Readjustment of Veterans (established under this Act) to prepare a report to be submitted to the Congress on recommendations to increase outreach efforts to veterans of the Vietnam era and thereafter with readjustment counseling needs. Expands eligibility under the Vet Center program to include veterans of the Persian Gulf conflict. Directs the Secretary to make facilities and services of the Vet Centers available to family members of military personnel assigned to duty in the Persian Gulf. Urges the Secretary to fill expeditiously Vet Center staff vacancies caused by reassignment to Department medical facilities in preparation for receipt of casualties from the Persian Gulf conflict. Directs the Secretary to establish the Advisory Committee and seek its advice with respect to: (1) the administration of Department benefits for veterans, particularly Vietnam and post-Vietnam era veterans; (2) reports and studies pertaining to veterans, particularly Vietnam and post-vietnam era veterans; and (3) the needs of all veterans with respect to compensation, health care, readjustment, outreach, and other benefits and programs administered by the Department. Requires the Advisory Committee to report annually to the Secretary pertaining to the social, economic, educational, and psychological readjustment of veterans. Requires the Secretary to submit such reports to the Congress, along with comments and recommendations. Authorizes the Secretary to conduct a pilot program to contract for care and treatment and rehabilitative services in halfway houses, therapeutic communities, psychiatric residential treatment centers, and other community-based treatment facilities for eligible veterans suffering from PTSD. Requires the CMD to plan, design, and conduct such program. Requires the Secretary to approve the quality and effectiveness of a program operated by a contract facility before allowing veterans to be furnished treatment there under the pilot program. Directs the Secretary to: (1) urge all public and private entities to provide appropriate employment and training opportunities to veterans who have been provided treatment and rehabilitative services under this Act for PTSD and who have been determined to be sufficiently rehabilitated to be employable; and (2) provide all possible assistance to the Secretary of Labor in placing such veterans in such opportunities. Requires the Secretary to provide referral services and advice to veterans discharged or released from active service who are not eligible for PTSD treatment and services. Limits participation in the PTSD pilot program to 500 eligible individuals. Directs the Secretary to report to the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees on the operation of the pilot program through FY 1994. Terminates the pilot program after five years of operation. Directs the Special Committee to examine the effectiveness of contracts for the treatment of PTSD with private facilities and therapists. Requires the Special Committee to report its findings and recommendations to the veterans' committees. Requires the Secretary, in administering the Health Professionals Educational Assistance Program, to encourage the participation of individuals who desire to become psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, psychiatric nurses, and other professionals specializing in the treatment of PTSD. Directs the CMD to conduct research programs to consider the most effective treatment for PTSD and the effectiveness of involving the family in the treatment of PTSD and to report his findings to the veterans' committees. Requires such research to be conducted through the National Center on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, with consultation from the Special Committee and the Advisory Committee. States that it shall be the policy of the Secretary to implement the recommendations of the Special Committee to establish and operate post-traumatic stress disorder clinical teams (PCTs) at Department medical centers that provide mental health services. Requires such services to be available to all veterans, including veterans of the Persian Gulf conflict. Directs the Secretary to increase the number of PCTs by 50 units by the end of calendar year 1994. Requires the Secretary, in establishing such new PCTs, to give priority to locations that do not have a SIPU or an affiliated Vet Center. Requires the Secretary to direct the Special Committee to assess the capacity of the Department to provide treatment for PTSD. Requires the Special Committee to report its findings to the Secretary, to be forwarded to the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Unemployment Insurance Program Budgeting Reform Act - Excludes the receipts of the Unemployment Trust Fund from deficit calculations. Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to exclude the State unemployment insurance and employment services operations account from sequestration.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Comprehensive Recycling Act of 1991 - Establishes as national goals: (1) the recycling of municipal waste; and (2) the creation and strengthening of markets for recycled materials. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to provide technical assistance and guidance to States on recycling methods and opportunities. Directs States to develop and implement comprehensive multimaterial recycling programs. Requires such programs to be designed to provide at least 20 percent of a State's population with an opportunity to participate in such programs within two years of this Act's enactment. Provides that such programs must be available to an additional 20 percent of a State's population every two years, until the entire population is provided with such opportunity. Sets forth minimum program requirements. Deems a State or its municipalities to be in compliance with this Act if they have in place an alternative program that meets this Act's requirements. Requires States to include recycling programs in the regional solid waste plan required by the Solid Waste Disposal Act. Makes States with approved plans eligible for Federal assistance for recycling infrastructures. Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to require the Administrator to make grants to States for the development of programs to promote the use of recycling techniques by businesses, local governments, or regional waste management authorities.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an individual an income tax deduction for qualified home health care and adult day and respite care expenses with respect to a dependent who: (1) resides with the taxpayer; (2) suffers from Alzheimer's disease or a related organic brain disorder; and (3) is physically or mentally incapable of self-care.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) Japan must live up to its commitment to defend its own air space and sea lanes out to 1,000 nautical miles, and must alter its defense plans to include the purchase of the requisite number of AWACS early warning aircraft and support tankers; and (2) the Department of State should enter into negotiations with Japan leading to the successful assumption by Japan of the 1,000-mile defense mission.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1991
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 1991); 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 · 28 January 1991
Persian Gulf War Cost-Sharing Resolution - Requires the President to impose additional duties on the imports of any of the following countries that fails to enter into, by July 1, 1991, or fails to comply with, a Gulf War mandatory cost-sharing agreement with the United States: (1) Japan; (2) Germany; (3) Saudi Arabia; and (4) Kuwait. Requires the President to consult with any other countries about entering into similar agreements if he determines a contribution from such a country is justified. Provides for termination or suspension of such duties and the determination of a country's contribution. Directs the President to submit to the Congress a report containing a description of each agreement. Requires the Congressional Budget Office to: (1) determine, and revise from time to time, U.S. Gulf War costs; and (2) make such determinations and revisions available to the Congress and the executive branch.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1991
Emergency Baltic States Immigration Relief Act of 1991 - Amends the Immigration Act of 1990 to provide special temporary protected status for certain nationals of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1991
Amends the Department of Energy Organization Act to direct the President to submit a National Energy Policy Plan biennially to the Congress that will provide for energy self-sufficiency by the year 2000.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1991
United Nations Sanctions Enforcement Act - Directs the President to prohibit the importation of a product from a foreign person that has been determinined to have knowingly assisted in the export or transfer of any item to a country that would have been prohibited under U.S. law implementing a United Nations Security Council resolution. Sets forth provisions with respect to the judicial review and waiver of such sanctions. Authorizes the Secretary of State, upon request, to issue advisory opinions on whether a proposed activity would subject the requester to sanctions under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 1991
Authorizes the appointment of chiropractors as commissioned officers in the Army, Navy, or Air Force Medical Service Corps. Provides special pay to chiropractic officers on active duty for not less than one year. Increases such special pay with service. Authorizes the payment of additional special pay for any 12-month period during which such an officer is not undergoing chiropractic internship training, with appropriate increases for years of service. Requires such an officer, to receive such additional special pay, to execute a written agreement to remain on duty for no less than one year. Authorizes the Secretary of the military department concerned to terminate the payment of such additional special pay at any time, with an appropriate refund required from the officer concerned for any period paid but unserved. Requires an officer who voluntarily terminates service for a period for which a special payment was made to refund the proper amount to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 1991
Department of Veterans Affairs Physicians' and Dentists' Compensation and Labor-Relations Act of 1991 - Title I: Physicians and Dentists Special Pay - Revises provisions of Federal law relating to special pay for health-care professionals of the Veterans Health Services and Research Administration (HSRA) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (Department). Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in order to recruit and retain highly qualified physicians and dentists, to provide special pay upon the execution of a written agreement between the Secretary and the individual involved requiring the individual to serve a period of obligated service within the HSRA. Provides that such an individual is not entitled to such special pay during the first three years of such service, except at the discretion of the Secretary for full-time service. Prohibits the payment of special pay to those physician and dentist positions for which there are no significant recruitment and retention problems. Outlines requirements of a written agreement, including providing for: (1) a covered period of one to four years; (2) refunding of special pay for unfulfilled service; (3) the waiver of such refund requirement due to circumstances beyond the control of the physician or dentist; and (4) submission to the Secretary of agreements where an individual is entering into a second or subsequent agreement for a specified amount of special pay. Authorizes the Secretary to adjust amounts of special pay to reflect changes in the status of a physician or dentist. Requires an agreement to be specifically approved by the Secretary if the special pay, in combination with the basic pay given to such individuals, will be in excess of Level I of the Executive Schedule of the Federal Government. States that such special approval does not apply to any agreement entered into after FY 1994. Directs the Secretary to provide special pay to eligible full-time physicians based upon specified factors, including: (1) tenure within the HSRA; (2) service in a medical specialty for which it is extremely difficult to recruit and retain qualified professionals; (3) service in certain executive positions; (4) specialty or board certifications; (5) service in a geographic location for which there are extraordinary difficulties in the recruitment or retention of qualified personnel; and (6) service within a medical specialty by an individual with exceptional qualifications. Requires the maximum amount of special pay to be paid to the Chief Medical Director (CMD) and the Deputy Chief Medical Director (DCMD). Provides for special pay for part-time eligible physicians based upon similar factors in an amount equal to the proportion of full-time service that a physician performs. Directs the Secretary to provide special pay to eligible full-time and part-time dentists based upon similar factors. Prohibits physicians and dentists provided special pay and serving in certain executive positions from being paid scarce specialty pay (another form of special pay that rewards scarce specialty areas of practice). Requires, with regard to the payment of special pay, determinations: (1) that there are extraordinary difficulties in recruitment or retention; (2) of the amount of special pay based upon the special pay factors for each individual; and (3) of whether there are extraordinary difficulties in a specific geographic location in the recruitment or retention of qualified physicians or dentists. Outlines considerations for determinations with respect to extraordinary recruitment and retention difficulties and the payment of scarce specialty pay for individual medical facilities of the Department. Outlines the manner in which special pay is to be considered for purposes of other benefits laws for Federal employees. States as the policy of the Congress to assure that total pay for HSRA physicians and dentists is comparable to total pay of other Government physicians and dentists and to the income of non-Federal physicians and dentists. Directs the Secretary: (1) in order to assist in implementing such policy, to obtain measures of income of such non-Department physicians and dentists and to define the bases for pay distinctions; (2) to report to the President quadrennially on appropriate amounts of special pay to HSRA physicians and dentists to carry out such policy; and (3) to report to specified congressional committees annually on the use of authorities under this title. Directs the Secretary to reimburse any full-time board-certified physician or dentist appointed in the HSRA for expenses incurred, up to $1,000 per year, for continuing professional education. Allows the Secretary to authorize the CMD to pay allowances and expenses of certain professional health care personnel appointed by the Secretary as additional personnel necessary for the medical care of veterans in the same manner as the Office of Personnel Management is authorized to pay such allowances and expenses to other Federal employees. Provides agreement effective dates and transition provisions to cover agreements already in effect before the enactment of this Act. Title II: Labor-Management Relations - Directs the Secretary to prescribe the hours and conditions of employment and leaves of absence of the following HSRA employees: physicians, dentists, podiatrists, optometrists, nurses, physician assistants, and expanded-duty dental auxiliaries. Provides that the authority of the Secretary to prescribe regulations with regard to such employees is subject to the right of Federal employees to engage in the collective bargaining process with respect to conditions of employment. States that such collective bargaining may not cover, or have any applicability to, any matter or question arising out of: (1) professional conduct or competence; (2) peer review; or (3) the establishment, determination, or adjustment of employee compensation. Requires any HSRA employee who accepts responsibilities for professional services for remuneration other than assigned responsibilities to work a minimum 80-hour biweekly amount. Outlines such outside activities and responsibilities that such person may not engage in or take on while an employee of the Department. Provides that whenever the CMD brings charges against a Department employee based on conduct or performance and, as a result of those charges, an adverse (disciplinary) action is taken against the employee, the employee shall have the right to appeal the action, either through: (1) a Disciplinary Appeals Board; (2) Department procedures; or (3) grievance procedures provided through collective bargaining, depending on the type of action involved. Requires the Secretary to publish in the Federal Register any proposed regulations concerning the collective bargaining or adverse action procedures. States that Disciplinary Appeals Boards shall have exclusive jurisdiction to review any case: (1) which arises out of a question of professional conduct or competence of an employee of the Department employed on a full-time basis under a permanent appointment; and (2) in which a major adverse action was taken (suspension, transfer, reduction in grade or pay, or discharge). Gives employees involved in such a case the right to: (1) advance written notice of the charges and actions that could be taken if the charges are sustained; and (2) an opportunity to be heard both orally and in writing on such charges. Requires a decision on such case by a deciding official within 21 days after the employee's response to the charges. Allows for a delay in a proposed action for up to one year while an employee seeks counseling or treatment for a condition covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Allows the Secretary to require an employee to make a written or oral response to the charges within 30 days of receipt, with extension for good cause shown. Outlines further administrative action to be taken by the Board in a major adverse action appeal procedure, together with time limitations involved in each step. States that the Secretary's execution of the Board's decision shall be the final administrative action in the case, with the affected employee entitled to judicial review of the order or decision. Requires the Secretary to prescribe procedures for the consideration of grievances of Department employees arising from adverse actions in which each action taken either: (1) is not a major adverse action; or (2) does not arise out of a question of professional conduct or competence. States that Disciplinary Appeals Boards shall not have jurisdiction to review such matters other than as part of a mixed case. States that review of an adverse action shall be provided through either Department procedures or through grievance procedures provided through collective bargaining. Outlines the rights of employees under the Department procedures to: (1) a formal review by an impartial examiner within the Department; (2) a prompt report of findings; (3) a prompt review of the examiner's findings by a higher official; and (4) legal or other representation in adverse action reviews under grievance procedures. Requires the Secretary to appoint Disciplinary Appeals Boards to hear appeals of major adverse actions taken against full-time Department employees based on professional conduct or performance. Authorizes the chairman of such a Board to authorize disclosure to the affected employee of records or information to be reviewed during an appeal procedure. Provides for the protection of the privacy of the individuals whose records are involved. Requires the Secretary to periodically designate Department employees qualified to serve on Disciplinary Appeals Boards and to announce that a list of such qualified employees is available to any person requesting such list. Requires the Secretary to provide training in the functions and duties of such Boards and grievance procedures for employees selected to be on the panel. Title III: Miscellaneous - Requires physician assistants and expanded-function dental auxiliaries to be paid in accordance with a Nurse Schedule in effect on August 14, 1990, until the effective date of a determination by the Secretary to convert those occupations to covered positions under provisions enacted by the Department of Veterans Affairs Nurse Pay Act of 1990. Empowers the CMD with the authority to determine the rates of pay with respect to covered Department regional and central office employees in certain grades. Requires the CMD to prescribe regulations for the adjustment of basic pay rates for such employees in order to assure that those rates are sufficient and competitive. Amends the Veterans' Health Care Amendments of 1986 to extend through FY 1991 a required annual report on the furnishing of nonservice-connected health care services to veterans. Allows full-time employees of the HSRA to receive and retain amounts paid for speeches, appearances, or articles so long as no conflict of interest is created by such actions or articles. Allows the same payments to part-time employees under the same conditions. Allows the Secretary to submit an administrative reorganization plan at any time during the year. Requires a 90-day congressional notification period to expire before the Secretary may implement the reorganization. Defines a covered administrative reorganization as one involving a reduction during any fiscal year in the number of full-time equivalent employees by: (1) 15 percent or more (currently, ten); or (2) by a percent which, when added to the percentage reduction in the number of such employees at a covered office or facility for the preceding fiscal year, is 25 percent (currently, 15) or more. Requires a report from the Secretary to the veterans' committees for the reorganization of any unit of the central office of the Department that is the duty station of 30 or more employees (currently, more than 25 but less than 100). Requires judges of the U.S. Court of Veterans Appeals to receive the salary rate received by judges of the U.S. Court of Military Appeals.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 1991
Baltic Republics Freedom Act of 1991 - Prohibits any Federal agency from extending credit with respect to the export of U.S. goods or services to the Soviet Union, unless the President certifies that the overall Soviet military presence in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania does not exceed its overall presence on January 1, 1991.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 1991
Declares that: (1) Saddam Hussein should be held legally and morally responsible for the brutal treatment by Iraq of American and other allied prisoners of war and should be tried by an international tribunal for his crimes against such prisoners of war; and (2) under no circumstances should the nations allied against Iraq agree to an arrangement whereby Hussein would resign as president of Iraq in exchange for his not being prosecuted for such crimes.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 1991
Calls upon the United Nations to set up an international tribunal upon completion of the action to enforce United Nations Security Council Resolution 678 to try Saddam Hussein and his subordinates responsible for high crimes following the invasion of Kuwait.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 1991
Calls on the Soviet Government to cease its military intimidation of the freely-elected Baltic Governments and to respect freedom of speech, assembly, and the press and all internationally-recognized standards of human rights. Urges the President to instruct the U.S. representative to the United Nations (U.N.) to: (1) address the issue in the U.N. Security Council; and (2) raise the issue of human rights violations in the Baltic States and urge the U.N. Commission on Human Rights to take action on this issue during its February 1991 meeting. Calls upon member states of the U.N. to exercise their diplomatic influence with the Soviet Union to bring about a prompt resolution of the Baltic conflict and a restoration of peaceful relations with the Republics of Estonia, Lithuania, and Lativa. Requests the U.N. Secretary General to keep the situation in the Baltic States under constant surveillance and to report to the Security Council and the Commission on Human Rights on further developments.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1991
Makes it unlawful to ship or transport any solid waste generated in a State into another State for treatment or disposal if such shipment or transportation is in violation of the laws of the recipient State. Authorizes States to enact and enforce laws regulating the treatment and disposition of solid waste, including laws regulating the importation of such wastes and laws imposing fees on the disposition of such out-of-State solid wastes. Prescribes penalties for violations of this Act, including up to ten years' imprisonment for subsequent violations. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, by regulation, to require persons transporting or shipping more than 100 pounds of solid waste in interstate commerce to submit annual registration statements. Directs the Administrator, upon request, to make such statements available to the public.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1991
Constitutional Amendment - Declares that the Congress and the States shall have power to prohibit the act of desecration of the U.S. flag and to set criminal penalties for such act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1991
Constitutional Amendment - States that Federal judges (including Supreme Court justices): (1) shall be appointed to six-year terms; and (2) may not serve for more than 12 years.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1991
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the U.S. Government should: (1) suspend all trade assistance and benefits for the Soviet Union (including commodities credits and export-import credits) until all Soviet troops have been removed from Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia; and (2) reaffirm its recognition of such countries as sovereign nations and establish diplomatic relations with them.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1991
Amends Federal law to declare that the Tax Reform Act of 1986 shall be applied and administered as if the three-year basis recovery rule applicable to government employees' annuities had not been repealed.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the targeted jobs credit permanently. Increases the maximum age requirement for economically disadvantaged youth from 23 to 25.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1991
Constitutional Amendment - Proclaims the English language to be the official language of the United States. Prohibits the United States or any State from requiring the use of any other language. Declares that this article shall not prohibit educational instruction in a language other than English for the purpose of making students proficient in English. Authorizes the Congress and the States to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1991
Imposes upon the Soviet Union the trade and assistance restrictions described in this resolution unless and until the President certifies to the Congress that the Soviet Union has: (1) ceased all interference with freedom of the press in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia; (2) ceased the threat and use of force against the people of such states; (3) ceased its military occupation of all buildings and facilities in such states seized during the crackdown that commenced in March 1990; and (4) entered into meaningful negotiations with the democratically elected leaders of such states for the purposes of establishing the formal recognition of their independence. Specifies as such restrictions: (1) prohibiting the Export-Import Bank and the Commodity Credit Corporation from issuing or paying any insurance or credit guarantee with respect to financing exports to the Soviet Union; (2) making ineffective the U.S.-Soviet trade agreement concluded on June 1, 1990; (3) denying authority to the Secretary of the Treasury and the U.S. executive director of the International Monetary Fund and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development to support any grant of special association status; and (4) requiring the United States to oppose any waiver or modification of restrictions contained in the Charter of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development applicable to the provision of loans to the Soviet Union and to oppose loans by such bank to the Soviet Union.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 1991
Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act Amendments of 1991 - Amends the Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act of 1940 (the Act) to prohibit an eviction or distress from being made during a period of military service with respect to a premise for which the agreed rent does not exceed $1,200 (currently, $150) per month, when such premises is occupied chiefly by the dependents of the person in military service, except upon leave of the court granted upon application or in a proceeding affecting the rights of possession. Extends the power of attorney coverage under the Act to include a power of attorney that by its terms expires after July 31, 1990. Provides professional liability protection for persons ordered to active duty after July 31, 1990, who, prior to such date, were engaged in the furnishing of health care services or other services determined by the Secretary of Defense to be professional services and who had in effect a professional liability insurance policy that does not continue coverage during the period of active duty. Requires an insurance carrier to suspend and to reinstate coverage of such affected person upon receipt of a written request from such person. Requires such person to request reinstatement within 30 days after release from active duty. Provides a minimum period of required coverage by the carrier following reinstatement, without an increase in the insurance premiums charged. Provides for the stay of a civil or administrative action for damages on the basis of professional liability of a person whose insurance has been suspended under these provisions if: (1) the action is based on an act or omission that occurred before the suspension was effective; and (2) the suspended insurance would, on its face, cover the alleged professional misconduct. States that the period of such stay shall not be included in any statute-of-limitations period. Outlines provisions concerning the death of a person whose professional liability insurance has been suspended and the consequences with respect to the suspended insurance coverage on previous or suspended (stayed) claims. Provides that, in the case of employer-offered health insurance, an exclusion or waiting period may not be imposed in connection with coverage of a health or physical condition of a person employed and covered under such policy who goes to active military service or training and returns and is reemployed if: (1) the condition arose before or during a person's training or services in the armed forces; (2) such exclusion or waiting period would not be imposed for the condition during a normal period of coverage; and (3) the condition of such person has not been determined by the Secretary to be service-connected. Provides that any person who, by reason of being ordered to active duty after July 31, 1990, is entitled to the rights and benefits of such Act shall be entitled upon release from such service to reinstatement of any health insurance coverage which: (1) was in effect on the day before such service commenced; and (2) was terminated during the period of such service. Prohibits the imposition of an exclusion or waiting period upon such person under the same conditions previously stated for health insurance reinstatement upon reemployment. Requires a court, upon application, to stay a judicial action or proceeding involving any member of the armed forces serving on active duty outside the State in which the court is located until after June 30, 1991. Provides that an application by a person in military service for a stay, postponement, or suspension of the payment of any tax, fine, penalty, insurance premium, or other civil obligation shall not provide the basis for denial or revocation of, or a change in, credit by creditors, a presumption that such individual cannot pay his or her debts due and owing, or refusal of an insurer to insure such individual. Provides reemployment rights for all reservists (currently, only those serving on active duty for not more than 90 days) upon their return from any active duty other than for training.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 1991
Agent Orange Act of 1991 - Presumes the following diseases to be service-connected and resulting from exposure to dioxins and other herbicide agents during service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era unless there is affirmative evidence to the contrary: (1) non-Hodgkins lymphoma, each soft-tissue sarcoma (with certain exceptions), and chloracne or other consistent acneform diseases becoming manifest to a degree of disability of ten percent or more; and (2) those additional diseases that the Secretary determines warrant such a presumption by reason of having a positive association with a herbicide agent, if they become manifest within the appropriate period. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to prescribe regulations providing that a presumption of service connection is warranted whenever it is determined by the Secretary that a positive association exists between the exposure of humans to a herbicide agent and the occurrence of a disease in humans. Requires the Secretary to take into account reports received from the National Academy of Sciences, as well as other sound medical and scientific information. Outlines procedures to be followed by the Secretary in weighing evidence and report information and making conclusions for or against the positive association and, therefore, the service-connection presumption. Provides for the issuance of final regulations listing the diseases for which positive associations have been found or removing the presumption for a disease. Directs the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) under which NAS shall review and summarize the scientific evidence (and its strength) concerning the association between exposure to a herbicide agent during service in Vietnam and each disease suspected to be associated with such exposure. Provides for NAS: (1) scientific determinations concerning diseases; (2) recommendations for additional studies to resolve areas of uncertainty relating to herbicide exposure; (3) subsequent reviews; and (4) reports, at least biennially, to the Secretary and the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees (the veterans' committees). Terminates the agreement ten years after the fiscal year of the first report from NAS. Directs the Secretary to enter into an agreement with another body if the Secretary cannot reach an agreement with NAS within two months after enactment of this Act. Amends the Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 1988 to direct the Secretary to annually furnish updated information on health risks associated with exposure to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era. Extends through 1993 the eligibility for hospital, nursing home, or domiciliary care and medical treatment of individuals who served in Vietnam and who have been determined to have been exposed to dioxin or a toxic substance in a herbicide as the result of such service and of veterans exposed to ionizing radiation while serving between September 11, 1945 and July 1, 1946. Directs the Secretary to compile and analyze, on a continuing basis, all clinical data obtained by the Department of Veterans Affairs in connection with examinations and treatment furnished to veterans by the Department after November 3, 1981, for exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam and which is likely to be useful in determining the exposure to such agents and the disabilities suffered. Requires an annual report on such compilations and provides funding. Directs the Secretary, for facilitating research on the effects of exposure to herbicides used in Vietnam, to establish and maintain a system for the collection and storage of voluntarily contributed blood and tissue samples of veterans who served there. Provides for: (1) specimen security; (2) authorized uses; (3) limitations on acceptance of samples; and (4) authority based on specific funding. Directs the Secretary to establish a scientific research feasibility studies program for conducting research on health hazards resulting from: (1) exposure to dioxin; (2) exposure to other toxic agents in herbicides used in Vietnam; and (3) active military service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era. Outlines program and report requirements. Directs the Secretary to consult with NAS. Directs the Secretary, upon the request of a Vietnam veteran who has applied for Department medical care and filed a claim for, or is in receipt of, disability compensation, to obtain a blood sample to conduct a test for the presence of a specified dioxin. Provides for notification to the veteran of test results and requires such blood sample to be maintained as part of the collection of blood and tissue samples required under this Act. Makes conforming amendments and provides for alternative effective dates.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 1991
Amends Federal law to prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from awarding a contract in National Park System units to a concessioner who is not a U.S. citizen.
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