United States · United States Congress · 25 October 1989
Hazardous Materials Transportation Act Uniform Safety Amendments Act of 1989 - Amends the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act to direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations for the safe transportation of hazardous materials in domestic and foreign commerce (including route designations). Cites the area in which Federal regulations preempt State hazardous materials transportation requirements. Authorizes the Secretary to promulgate regulations for dispute resolution among the States or Indian tribes regarding hazardous materials highway route designations. Permits States or Indian tribes to petition for judicial review of the dispute resolution decision. Grants the Secretary discretion to either adopt or reject hazardous materials transportation standards adopted by international bodies according to the Secretary's perception of the public interest. Requires a person who offers a hazardous material for transportation in commerce to disclose to the carrier specified information on such material. Prohibits a person from altering any required marking or packaging of hazardous materials. Prohibits a person who receives a package containing a hazardous material from removing any such markings from the package until the material has been removed. Directs the Secretary to issue regulations governing the number, content, and placement of documents with respect to the transportation of hazardous materials. Provides for: (1) filing of registration statements with the Secretary by persons who transport hazardous materials; (2) the issuance of safety permits to motor carriers who transport specified hazardous materials; and registration statements and safety permit fees. Increases the penalties for persons who commit violations in the transport of hazardous materials. Prescribes guidelines under which the preemption of State laws or Indian laws conflicting with this Act shall be determined. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1992. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study on a State-by-State basis of the flow of hazardous materials in commerce and the capability of emergency response to unintentional releases of them in the United States. Requires the Secretary to issue guidelines for the preparation and submission of a hazardous materials transportation emergency preparedness assessment of each State. Requires the Secretary to issue regulations with respect to the safe transportation of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel (including mode and route designations). Prohibits any railroad tank car constructed before a specified date from being used for the transportation of certain explosives or hazardous materials unless its air brake equipment support attachments comply with minimum Federal standards. Requires the Secretary to conduct a study of the present system of identifying hazardous materials and of means to improve such identification while in transit. Provides for State participation in the regulation of the transportation of hazardous materials by rail carriers. Requires the Secretary to issue regulations for the safe operation of trains that transport specified hazardous materials. Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations to prohibit the transportation in commerce of hazardous materials or solid waste in any motor vehicle which is also used to transport any food, food additive, drug, cosmetic, or device, or any package containing such items. Requires the Secretary to issue regulations with respect to making safety ratings of motor carriers available to the public. Requires the Federal Railroad Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, and the Research and Special Programs Administration to employ an additional number of safety inspectors. Provides for State participation in the regulation of hazardous materials transported by rail carriers.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 1989
Nuclear Facilities Occupational Safety Improvement Act of 1989 - Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA) to apply it to certain Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear facilities (including specified defense, production, utilization, and waste storage or disposal facilities). Directs the Secretary of Labor to promulgate specific regulations and standards to govern the application of OSHA to such facilities. Requires the Secretary of Energy and each contractor operating such a facility to: (1) cooperate with the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Health and Human Services in the conduct of an inspection or investigation under OSHA at such facility; (2) grant access to it to enable the conduct of such inspection or investigation; and (3) provide all information necessary for such inspection or investigation. Authorizes the Secretary of Energy, to protect the confidentiality of information, to deny access to any person who has not been granted a security clearance or access authorization. Provides for transfer and allocation of appropriations and personnel. Directs the Secretary of Labor, by specified deadlines, to promulgate interim regulations and propose and promulgate final regulations to provide for specified types of health and safety training of employees at such DOE nuclear facilities. Requires the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and its Director to: (1) perform functions authorized by OSHA at such facilities; and (2) conduct health hazard evaluations, including ionizing radiation evaluations, at such facilities. Requires medical examinations of employees at such DOE nuclear facilities. Requires all such employees to be given baseline medical examinations in accordance with guidelines developed by the Health Advisory Committee, and subsequent examinations, as recommended by the Committee, for their lifetime. Requires, where appropriate, such examinations for family members determined to be at high risk of disease because of an employee's exposure at the workplace. Requires that all former employees at such facilities and their families be offered participation in a medical surveillance program designed to focus on work-related exposure to toxic substances and radiation, including treatment for occupationally related illness. Requires all contractors with such facilities to maintain a full-time occupational health physician and supporting medical staff, in accordance with Committee guidelines. Establishes a Health Advisory Committee to: (1) review existing medical studies relating to the administration of such medical examination program; and (2) issue the aforementioned guidelines and standards for such program. Requires that all information from such medical examinations be available to individual employees and their representatives and that aggregate information from such examinations be available to the public. Requires that program costs be borne by DOE. Directs the Secretary of Labor, in coordination with the Secretary of Energy, to promulgate necessary regulations. Requires each such DOE nuclear facility to establish a labor-management health and safety committee in accordance with specified guidelines.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 1989
Establishes within the Department of Energy an Office for Environment, Safety, and Health, to be headed by an Assistant Secretary assisted by a Chief Environment Officer, a Chief Safety Officer, and a Chief Health Officer. Outlines the Assistant Secretary's functions, including: (1) establishing a coordinated Departmental policy on environment, safety, and health issues; (2) reviewing Departmental procedures regarding such policy issues; (3) acquiring updated information through technical liaison with experts in nuclear facilities safety and health; and (4) reporting to the Congress regarding such coordinated Departmental policy.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 1989
NP-5 Program Amendments of 1989 - Amends the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 to extend the NP-5 visa program through FY 1995. (Such program provides 15,000 additional visas annually to nationals of countries adversely affected by the 1965 Immigration Act.) Revises such program's visa lottery to award visas on the basis of application chronology. Voids the application of an alien who submits multiple petitions. Requires the Secretary of State to report to the appropriate congressional committees with respect to the lottery's implementation. Provides, with regard to such program, for: (1) definition of "adversely affected foreign state"; (2) waiver of the two-year home country residency requirement for certain temporary residents; (3) carryover of unused visas; and (4) no denial of visa for failure to have U.S. employment. Directs the Comptroller General to conduct a country by country study of consular visa denials and report to the appropriate congressional committees.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 1989
Integrated Pest Management Research Act of 1989 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture, through the Assistant Secretary for Science and Education, to establish an Office of Integrated Pest Management. Directs the Secretary to submit an integrated pest management report to the Congress. Authorizes FY 1991 through 1995 appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 1989
Federal Reserve Reform Act of 1989 - Amends the Federal Reserve Act to direct the Federal Open Market Committee to meet and consult with the Secretary of the Treasury, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors during certain periods related to the submission of: (1) certain reports by the Board of Governors to the Congress; and (2) the President's budget for the coming fiscal year. Changes the term of office of the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System from four years to the period ending on January 31 of the first calendar year beginning after the end of the term of the President who appointed the Chairman expires. Provides that in the event of the absence or unavailability of the chairman, the vice chairman (or in the vice chairman's absence, another member of the Board) may be designated acting chairman. Provides that the vice chairman shall perform the duties of the chairman until a successor takes office if a vacancy occurs in the office of the chairman. Provides that in the case of vacancies in both offices chairman and vice chairman, the member of the Board with the most years of service shall perform the duties of the chairman until a successor takes office. Requires each change in the intermediate targets for monetary policy adopted by the Federal Open Market Committee to be disclosed to the public on the date of adoption. Defines "intermediate targets" as any policy objectives regarding monetary aggregates, credit aggregates, prices, interest rates, or bank reserves. Repeals provisions which exempt from Comptroller General audit any transactions made under the direction of the Federal Open Market Committee and deliberations, decisions, or actions on monetary policy by the Federal Reserve Board and Federal Reserve banks. Requires the estimated expenditures and receipts and proposed appropriations for the Board to be submitted to the President by October 16 each year and included, unchanged, in the annual Federal budget submitted by the President to the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 1989
State Employment Security Services Act of 1989 - Amends the Social Security Act to revise provisions relating to State unemployment insurance accounts. Provides that, of amounts appropriated for credit to the Employment Security Administration Account (ESAA) for specified fiscal years, at least 90 percent shall be paid to States, two-thirds of which shall be for unemployment compensation law administration and one-third for public employment offices. Provides that not more than ten percent of such amounts may be used by the Department of Labor for its functions under specified laws relating to unemployment taxes and compensation and the U.S. Employment Service. Revises formulas for transfers of funds to the extended unemployment compensation account. Guarantees each State a minimum of the higher of 80 percent of Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) contributions by the State's employers to the ESAA or the State's 1986 allocation compounded for increases in the total funds in the ESAA. Revises eligibility criteria to require the State Governor to develop a comprehensive annual employment security plan describing the delivery of unemployment insurance and employment services, including coordination of specified programs and collection and dissemination of labor market information. Amends the Wagner-Peyser Act to add to the duties of the U.S. Employment Service: (1) developing and disseminating information about assessment and testing tools; and (2) serving as a central repository for research and a clearinghouse on State program activities. Revises provisions relating to allotments to States, authorized uses of such funds, and State plan requirements. Establishes a demonstration project under which the Secretary of Labor shall permit an eligible State to impose its own unemployment administrative taxes and provide for increased FUTA offset credits for employers in the State as a means of obtaining funding for the administration of its unemployment compensation laws and the establishment and maintenance of public employment offices in the State. Directs the Secretary, within one year after enactment of this Act, to select three to five States to participate in such project. Sets forth selection criteria and application requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 1989
Small Business Access Improvement Act of 1989 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for small businesses for the expense of providing public accommodations access to the disabled. Reduces the tax deduction for expenditures to remove architectural and transportation barriers to the handicapped and elderly.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 1989
Declares it is in the interests of the United States to support efforts to protect South Pacific marine resources (including albacore tuna, porpoises, whales, seals and other marine mammals, birds, sea turtles, and fish) from the slaughter of driftnet fishing. Supports the Tarawa Declaration and the South Pacific Commission resolution calling for an immediate ban on driftnet fishing in the South Pacific. Urges the Secretary of State to work toward an international convention banning driftnet fishing in the South Pacific. Urges Japan and Taiwan to immediately cease the use of driftnets in international South Pacific waters.
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 1989
Long-Term Care Insurance for the Elderly Act of 1989 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax-free distributions from an individual retirement account or an individual retirement annuity for the purchase of long-term care insurance coverage when: (1) the entire amount received is used to buy such insurance for the individual or individual's spouse within 90 days of its receipt; and (2) the individual or individual's spouse has reached age 59 and one-half by the date of the distribution. Describes the method, based on the taxpayer's adjusted gross income for the taxable year, for determining the applicable percentage of the distribution or payment amount to which tax-free treatment will be accorded. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to submit to the Congress, within one year after this Act's enactment, a proposal for the regulation of long-term care insurance policies, including minimum standards and an evaluation of the various catastrophic and long-term care policies currently available.
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 1989
Consumer Awareness and Trademark Protection Act of 1989 - Amends the Trademark Act of 1946 to prohibit the importation, selling, or distribution in the United States of foreign-made items (and their wrappings) which bear a trademark that is identical (or substantially similar) to one owned by a U.S. citizen who has registered it with the Patent and Trademark Office, unless such person consents to the importation or sale. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to exclude such items from entry into Federal customs territory if the trademark owner files a copy of the trademark registration certificate with the Secretary. Authorizes such trademark owner to bring an action to enjoin such importation or sale.
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 1989
Approves the location of a commemorative work to honor women who served in the armed forces of the United States in Vietnam during the Vietnam era on certain Federal land in the District of Columbia.
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 1989
Newsprint Recycling Incentives Act of 1989 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to require producers or importers of newsprint to recycle, through methods specified under this Act, an amount of newsprint equal to at least the amount determined by multiplying the amount of newsprint produced or imported annually by such individuals by the recycling percentage established by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Authorizes such individuals to comply with this Act by: (1) recycling (through deinking) newsprint; (2) purchasing recycled newsprint to combine with shipments of virgin newsprint; or (3) purchasing recycling credits under this Act. Directs the Administrator to establish a recycling percentage that is two points higher than the existing recycling rate for newsprint. Provides for increases in such percentage of two points annually until 1999. Requires the Administrator to promulgate regulations to allow newsprint producers or importers to create or purchase recycling credits. Provides that such regulations shall require: (1) producers and importers to keep specified records; (2) producers of recycled newsprint to notify EPA of capacity to recycle old newsprint; (3) importers of recycled newsprint to notify the U.S. Customs Service of the amount of newsprint being imported and to have certifications of the accuracy of such amount from the trade representative of the country shipping such newsprint to the United States; and (4) producers and importers to report to the Administrator on the amount of recycled newsprint produced or imported annually and the number of credits purchased from, or sold to, other producers or importers. Directs the Administrator to report to the Congress on such regulations and to include: (1) a discussion of the effects of such regulations on the newsprint and newspaper industry and the environment; and (2) an evaluation of the level of the recycling percentage and whether such percentage should be increased in future years. Requires an updated report to be submitted with ten years of this Act's enactment. Applies recycling requirements to persons who produce or import more than ten tons of newsprint annually. Sets the recycling percentage at 20 percent if the Administrator fails to promulgate such regulations. Prescribes civil penalties for violations of this Act. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 1989
Directs the Attorney General to defer deportation of an alien pending disposition of aggravated felony charges and any term of imprisonment. Provides, upon State request, for the temporary Federal custody of such an alien.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 1989
Pornography Victims Protection Act of 1989 - Amends the Federal criminal code with respect to the prohibition against the sexual exploitation of children to add as a condition triggering Federal penalties that the person concerned know that a minor was transported in interstate or foreign commerce for the purpose of producing pornography. Makes it a criminal offense for any person to coerce, intimidate, or fraudulently induce an individual 18 years or older to engage in any sexually explicit conduct for the purposes of producing any visual depiction of such conduct. Grants the U.S. district courts jurisdiction to prevent and restrain violations of this Act. Authorizes the Attorney General or any person threatened with loss or damage by such conduct to institute a civil suit. Provides for treble damages for a victim who suffers physical injury, emotional distress, or property damage. Imposes civil penalties for violation of the prohibition against sexual exploitation of children.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 1989
Amends the Peace Corps Act to require the Director of the Peace Corps to drape a flag over the casket of a deceased Peace Corps volunteer or former volunteer. Requires such flag to be given to such individual's next-of-kin or, if no claim is made by the next-of-kin, to a close friend or associate. Prohibits a flag from being given to any other person if a flag is given to a friend or associate.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 1989
Incarcerated Veterans Rehabilitation and Readjustment Act of 1989 - Title I: Incarcerated Veteran Assessment and Assistance - Directs the Attorney General to identify those individuals who may be veterans among those: (1) entering Federal prisons; and (2) who are incarcerated in such prisons and who are to remain incarcerated for more than 30 days. Requires the Attorney General to transmit to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs the names and locations of such prisoners. Directs the Secretary to inform such prisoners of their ability to have their veteran status determined and to inform those prisoners determined to be veterans of their rights to veterans' benefits and services as affected by their incarceration. Outlines other information to be provided. Requires the Secretary to suspend all debt collection activities being undertaken against any such prisoner for the entire period of incarceration and six months thereafter. Requires such debt collection suspension for both Federal and State or local inmates. Title II: Incarcerated Veteran Rehabilitation Counseling - Directs the Secretary to: (1) provide readjustment counseling services to those incarcerated veterans suffering from mental and psychological disorders stemming from their military service; (2) safeguard such veterans' possibility of being adjudicated as having service-connected disabilities to the same extent as non-incarcerated veterans; (3) designate an employee from a regional office of the Department of Veterans Affairs to act as a liaison between each Federal prison and the Department for such veterans; (4) review physical examinations of such veterans to determine whether they are eligible for benefits under the Veterans' Dioxin and Radiation Exposure Compensation Standards Act; and (5) ensure that the designated Department liaison provides liaison services between families of incarcerated veterans and Federal prisons. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) conduct physical examinations, with the incarcerated veterans' consent, for the purpose of aiding in the determination of eligibility for exposure benefits under such Act; (2) transmit such examination results to the Secretary; (3) inform the Secretary of an incarcerated veteran's impending release; and (4) encourage the organization of self-help groups and other similar programs that may contribute to the rehabilitation of incarcerated veterans. Title III: Readjustment Counseling Education - Directs the Secretary to develop a training curriculum, to be available to individuals, organizations, agencies, and health facilities, for assisting relevant professionals employed by the Bureau of Prisons in acquiring the expertise necessary to diagnose and treat psychiatric disabilities peculiar to veterans. Title IV: Post-Incarceration Readjustment Services - Requires the Secretary, upon receiving the names of those veterans about to be released from incarceration, to inform such veterans of readjustment benefits and services available to them. Requires the Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs to designate a disabled veterans' outreach program specialist in each State where a Federal prison is located to serve as liaison between such program and such prison. Directs the Chairman of the United States Parole Commission to: (1) integrate the services available from the readjustment counseling program of the Department into the Federal parole program for released veterans; and (2) encourage Federal parole officers to encourage paroled veterans to make use of vet centers and maintain contact with vet center personnel. Title V: State and Local Outreach Assistance - Directs the Secretary and Assistant Secretary, within six months after enactment of this Act, to implement a program to extend the benefits of this Act to State and local penal institutions with respect to veterans incarcerated in such institutions. Title VI: Miscellaneous - Directs the Attorney General, the Secretary, the Assistant Secretary, and the Chairman of the U.S. Parole Commission to report annually to the Congress on their activities in implementing this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 1989
Amends the Education of the Handicapped Act to provide that, in exceptional circumstances, the recovery of costs incurred in providing an appropriate education for a child may be included in any award of damages recovered against a State in certain actions, including Federal actions, brought as procedural safeguards for the free and appropriate education of handicapped children.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 1989
Requires each Federal instrumentality to: (1) implement a program for recycling glass bottles, aluminum cans, paper, and plastics that are disposed of in the operation of the Government; and (2) procure goods composed of recycled materials unless the price of such goods exceeds by more than ten percent the price of alternative products.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 1989
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) settlement of the civil war in El Salvador can only be achieved through negotiations to end hostilities and to incorporate the FMLN into the democratic process; (2) President Cristiani and the FMLN should be urged to continue the negotiating process until a successful conclusion; (3) the United States should encourage all parties, including the Salvadoran armed forces, to support the negotiations; and (4) the United States should stand ready to help implement a negotiated settlement by restructuring its assistance program to increase support for land reform and for the construction of health care and educational facilities to benefit the Salvadoran poor.
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 1989
Expresses concern over the repeated human rights violations by the Government of the Republic of Korea. Requests the President and the Secretary of State to: (1) continue to monitor closely human rights conditions in South Korea; and (2) call upon such Government to respect the human rights of its citizens, resume its course toward democracy, release all persons being held for their nonviolent political activities or expression of beliefs, and permit opposition parties to operate freely and without harassment.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 1989
Requires the Secretary of Transportation to revise Federal motor vehicle safety standards with respect to light trucks and multi-purpose passenger vehicles under the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966. Amends the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act to require the Secretary to promulgate regulations to require manufacturers of motor vehicles to affix a label disclosing a bumper impact speed which meets specified damage criteria. Directs the Secretary to revise a certain bumper standard to conform with an earlier standard. Requires the Secretary to establish a program requiring all passenger automobiles used by the Federal Government to be equipped with driver-side and front seat passenger side airbags by September 30, 1990, and September 30, 1993, respectively.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 1989
National Historic Preservation Policy Act of 1989 - Amends the National Historic Preservation Act to revise its findings and policy statement. Title I: Federal Historic Preservation Programs - Amends the National Historic Preservation Act with respect to: (1) Federal Government-wide historic preservation responsibilities; (2) Federal agency preservation compliance requirements; (3) avoidable destruction or disruption of historic properties by a Federal undertaking; (4) payment of preservation costs; (5) confidentiality of certain information about historic resources; (6) Federal leasing of historic property; (7) the international historic preservation responsibilities of Federal agencies; (8) expansion and maintenance of the National Register of Historic Places; and (9) archaeological resources of critical importance. Makes conforming amendments to the Historic Sites Act. Amends the Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 to: (1) revise procedures for granting permits for archaeology on Federal and Indian lands; (2) prohibit certain unauthorized archaeological activities and transactions involving such lands; (3) establish criminal penalties for violations of such prohibitions; (4) require the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation to establish national priorities for archaeological research; (5) direct the Advisory Council to call for and organize U.S. participation in an international conference on the international antiquities trade; (6) require the Advisory Council to establish professional qualifications and performance standards for archaeologists under contracts with the United States or beneficiaries of Federal assistance; (7) require each State historic preservation program to have a plan dealing with archaeology on private land; (8) direct each Federal agency and every federally-assisted State, local, and tribal historic preservation program to adopt Advisory Council policies and procedures regarding human remains and associated grave goods that may be disturbed by land development, natural causes, archaeological excavations, and so forth; (9) direct the Advisory Council to establish a program for the registration of artifacts removed from archaeological sites domestic and foreign; and (10) require the Advisory Council to establish an Archaeology Advisory Board. Title II: State Historic Preservation Programs - Amends the National Historic Preservation Act to revise requirements for State historic preservation programs. Title III: Tribal Historic Preservation Programs - Amends the National Historic Preservation Act to establish requirements for tribal historic preservation programs. Title IV: Local Historic Preservation Programs - Amends the National Historic Preservation Act to revise requirements for local historic preservation programs. Title V: Education and Training - Amends the National Historic Preservation Act to revise requirements for a comprehensive preservation education and training program. Title VI: Advisory Committees and National Preservation Center - Establishes the: (1) Preservation Advisory Committee; and (2) Archeology Advisory Board. Establishes a National Center for Preservation Technology in the Historic Preservation Agency. Transfers functions of the Cultural Property Advisory Committee of the U.S. Information Agency to the Preservation Agency.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 1989
AIDS Opportunity Housing Act - Title I: Grants for AIDS Housing Information and Coordination Services - Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make grants to eligible organizations and agencies for AIDS housing information and for expanding housing assistance for persons with AIDS. Provides for recipient confidentiality. Authorizes FY 1990 and 1991 appropriations. Title II: AIDS Short-Term Supported Housing and Services Demonstration - Amends the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act to authorize the Secretary to make grants for programs to prevent homelessness among persons with AIDS and to provide them with short-term supported housing and related services. Provides for minority outreach. Authorizes FY 1990 and 1991 appropriations. Title III: Permanent and Transitional Housing and Services - Increases FY 1990 and 1991 budget authority for housing assistance to persons with AIDS under the United States Housing Act of 1937 section eight certificate (including shared housing) and moderate rehabilitation for single room occupancy programs. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States and metropolitan areas for community residences and services for persons with AIDS. Authorizes FY 1990 and 1991 appropriations. States that a person with AIDS or its related conditions shall be considered handicapped for purposes of Department of Housing and Urban Development assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 1989
Global Environmental Standards Reporting Act - Directs the Environmental Protection Agency to report annually to the Congress on: (1) environmental laws in major trading countries, including members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea, and Taiwan; (2) progress in compliance with such laws in such countries and the United States; and (3) governmental financial assistance, including tax incentives, grants, and low interest loans to industry to achieve compliance with such laws.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 1989
Requires the Director of the Peace Corps to establish a Peace Corps Professional Consultant Program for Poland and Hungary to recruit individuals with certain professional or specialized technical skills to serve as Peace Corps volunteers in such countries. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1994.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 1989
Expresses the sense of the Congress that in determining the allocation of foreign assistance the Department of State should: (1) weigh heavily the persecution, torture, and execution of innocent Somalis by the armed forces of Siad Barre; and (2) insist upon significant improvements in human rights as a precondition to the resumption of foreign assistance to Somalia.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 1989
Federal Housing Administration Safety and Soundness Act of 1989 - Amends the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act to establish within the Department of Housing and Urban Development: (1) a division of Mortgage Supervision within the Federal Housing Administration; and (2) a Director of Mortgagee Supervision. Amends the National Housing Act with regard to: (1) minimum mortgagor payments; and (2) limitations on principal mortgage obligations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 1989
Billboard Control Act of 1989 - Revises Federal provisions with respect to restrictions on outdoor advertising adjacent to interstate and Federal-aid primary highways. Specifies that a State shall be treated as failing to provide effective control of the erection and maintenance of outdoor advertising signs, displays, and devices (signs): (1) unless the State submits to the Secretary of Transportation by December 1st of each year an inventory of conforming and non-conforming signs in such State; and (2) if the State allows vegetation located on any land on which the State owns a right-of-way for a highway to be cut to improve the visibility of such signs. Requires the Secretary to submit to the Congress a detailed annual report on the extent to which each State has complied with the requirements of this Act, including a compilation of inventories and a description of the Secretary's efforts to assure that necessary directional information about facilities providing goods and services of interest to the traveling public is available to motorists. Makes exceptions to restrictions under this Act for signs which are lawfully in existence on September 1, 1989, and those located in industrial or commercial areas.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 1989
Safe Transportation of Food Act - Prohibits any person from: (1) using a refrigerated motor vehicle in the transportation of solid waste; or (2) using a cargo tank that has been used in the transport of hazardous materials for the transportation of food. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to waive such prohibition if such waiver is not contrary to the public interest. Requires the Secretary to study measures that will provide for the safe transportation of food and hazardous materials. Directs the Secretary to submit to the Congress a report containing results of such study. Sets forth both civil and criminal penalties. Empowers the Attorney General, at the Secretary's request, to bring action in U.S. district court for equitable relief to redress any violation of this Act or any regulations issued under it.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1989
Employee Health and Safety Whistleblower Protection Act - Sets forth uniform Federal procedures to protect employees, former employees, and applicants for employment who engage in whistleblowing with respect to employer activities which endanger employee or public health and safety. Prohibits employers from discharging or discriminating against any employee who: (1) discloses (or demonstrates an intent to disclose) an activity, policy, or practice that the employee believes is a violation of Federal health or safety law; (2) initiates, assists, or participates (or demonstrates an intent to do so in a proceeding with respect to an activity, policy, or practice that the employee believes is a violation of Federal health or safety law, or with respect to consideration of enactment, adoption, promulgation, issuance, or amendment of such a law, or with respect to administration or enforcement of such a law or of this Act; or (3) refuses to participate in an activity, policy, or practice that violates Federal health or safety law or that the employee reasonably believes poses a bona fide danger to the health or safety of the employee, other employees, or the public (and the employee promptly reported such danger to a representative of the employer). Voids as contrary to public policy any waiver or modification of employee rights under this Act, except under certain settlements or dispute resolutions. Makes this Act inapplicable to employees who, acting without consent from the employer, deliberately cause a violation of Federal laws. Sets forth procedures for remedy of violations under this Act. Provides that the statute of limitations for filing a complaint pursuant to this Act or an existing Federal whistleblower protection law shall be 180 days after the later of the date: (1) an alleged violation occurs; (2) the discharge or other discrimination has taken effect; or (3) the employee first learns or reasonably should have learned of the violation. Provides for filing complaints with the Secretary of Labor (the Secretary). Directs the Secretary to create or designate an identifiable office or unit within the Department of Labor to investigate such complaints and to issue orders providing relief where appropriate. Provides for administrative law hearings upon request when such orders are not issued, or are questioned. Allows the Secretary or complainant to petition any U.S. district court to enforce an order. Requires the investigation office, if it determines that there is reasonable cause to believe that a violation of this Act has occurred, to intervene on behalf of the complainant in proceedings under this Act. Provides for an administrative appeal procedure. Makes the decision of the administrative law judge the final order of the Secretary (subject to specified judicial review), unless there is a petition or order for review by the Secretary within a specified period. Directs the Secretary to issue a final order after such review within a specified period. Sets forth provisions for remedies. Provides for orders of abatement, reinstatement (with compensation and restoration of lost pay, benefits, and privileges), consequential damages, double damages for willful and wanton violations, equitable relief, and legal cost payments. Provides for judicial review of orders. Provides for settlements or alternative dispute resolutions. Requires employers to post specified information about this Act. Sets forth provisions for enforcement of orders under this Act by the parties in U.S. district court. Provides for complaint referral by directing the Secretary to send copies of final orders (including settlement orders) to each Federal agency with jurisdiction over the activity, policy, or practice alleged in the complaint. Directs such agency to take appropriate action and report on such action to the Secretary, the parties, and the relevant congressional committees. Provides that such provisions do not limit any Federal agency authority under any other law. Declares that rights and remedies under this Act: (1) are in addition to any other rights and remedies provided under a contract or State law; and (2) supersede existing Federal whistleblower protection laws with respect to any discharge or discrimination based on employee conduct protected by this Act. Provides that the enforcement and administration procedures of this Act supersede those of any existing Federal whistleblower protection laws in such respects.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1989
Global Forest Emergency Act - Establishes a national policy of no net loss of forests within the United States and its territories. Makes forest conservation and the sustainable use of forests, domestically and internationally, a national priority. Requires: (1) the President to declare a national forest emergency and work with other nations and international organizations for similar declarations; (2) all U.S. agencies to take all actions within their authority to conserve forests and support forest regeneration and restoration as appropriate to their mission; and (3) the Council on Environmental Quality to establish national objectives to implement and promote such policy. Directs specified U.S. officials to work with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and other international bodies toward a global survey of the world's forests and forest resources to assess the extent, status, and projected trends of the world's forests. Requires such survey to use the best available technology, including satellite imagery. Directs the Agency for International Development and the Forest Service to work together to support and provide technical assistance for national-level forest inventories around the world. Requires the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, through the Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology (FCCSET), to prepare a comprehensive research program in forest ecology to be known as the Endangered Forest Research Initiative. Specifies that such Initiative shall include: (1) research roles for specified agencies; (2) cooperative scientific programs with other nations; (3) research toward understanding the role of forests in ameliorating climate change, in preserving biological diversity, in preventing erosion, and in protecting watersheds; and (4) development of technologies and methodology for sustained yield forestry and forest restoration and development of indigenous crops in sustained yield agroforestry. Requires the FCCSET: (1) in preparing the Initiative, to pay particular attention to the recommendations of specified National Academy of Sciences reports; (2) to coordinate with the International Union of Forest Research Associations and other domestic and international organizations as appropriate in developing the Initiative; and (3) to submit the Initiative to the Congress within one year after enactment of this Act. Requires that the recommendations contained in the Initiative be represented in the annual budget requests of the participating agencies and departments. Directs the President to extend an invitation to the Government of Japan to participate in a joint United States-Japan Commission on Global Forest Restoration which shall provide financial and technical assistance to nations, international organizations, local and national nongovernmental organizations, and industry to: (1) develop, initiate, and support a global forest restoration program; (2) seek to implement a global policy of no net loss of forest through conservation of existing forests, natural regeneration, and planting of additional trees; and (3) include training and education activities in forest conservation and restoration techniques. Specifies the U.S. members of the Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1989
Amends the Rail Passenger Service Act to repeal an exemption from specified communicable disease control requirements of the Public Health Service Act for waste disposal from railroads operating in intercity rail passenger service.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1989
Amends the Federal Trade Commission Act to make it unlawful for any person to advertise any product unless the advertisement discloses: (1) the country in which the product is finally assembled; and (2) if parts constituting 50 percent or more of the cost to the assembler were manufactured in one or more foreign countries, then the name of the country or the disclosure that the parts are from a foreign country.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1989
Designates November 11, 1989, as Washington Centennial Day in recognition of the economic, social, and historic contributions of the State of Washington to the United States over the past century.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1989
Expresses the sense of the Congress that in recognition of several significant steps that Angola has taken toward peace, national reconciliation, and economic reform it is in the interest of the United States to take steps to normalize relations with the Government of Angola, including: (1) establishing a U.S. liaison office in Luanda; (2) supporting Angola's full participation in multilateral development institutions; and (3) providing humanitarian assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 1989
Health Facilities Protection and Primate Center Rehabilitation Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish certain protections for health facilities receiving financial assistance under such Act. Prohibits anyone from releasing from a facility any animal held for research and from destroying records of the facility. Imposes criminal penalties for violations and allows private civil actions to redress violations. Authorizes the Director of the National Institutes of Health, with respect to activities to support regional centers for research on primates, to reserve, for FY 1990 and 1991, certain amounts for the purpose of making grants to improve such regional centers.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 1989
Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in any case in which there has been either a disallowance of a veterans benefits claim or a partially awarded claim, to provide to the claimant a written statement setting forth notice of procedural rights of the claimant and the rationale for the disallowance. Requires that such statement: (1) be provided at each procedural stage relating to the disposition of a claim; (2) include a summary of the evidence supporting the disallowance or the partial award; (3) be in such forms as the Secretary prescribes by regulation; (4) include a description of each subsequent procedural stage before the Department of Veterans Affairs; (5) include a description of all rights of the claimant expressly provided for in the veterans' benefits code, the claimant's right to a hearing, to reconsideration, to appeal, and to representation, and any specific procedures necessary to obtain the various forms of review available for consideration of the claim; and (6) include such other information as the Secretary determines would be useful and practical to assist the claimant in obtaining full consideration of the claim. Adds parallel requirements with respect to the Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 1989
Requires the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to report to the Congress on a plan to subject General Schedule employees to a locality pay system by October 1, 1990, to ensure that employees working in high-cost areas are compensated at basic pay rates commensurate with the costs of living in such areas. Requires such report to include: (1) the number of employees likely to receive locality pay and the implementation costs during the first three years of such plan; (2) any benefits resulting from such plan; (3) a description of which aspects of the plan may be implemented under existing law; and (4) proposals for any legal action which may be necessary.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 1989
Assault Weapon Crime Act of 1989 - Provides for enhanced penalties for the possession or use of certain semiautomatic center fire firearms with ammunition clip capacity of eight or more rounds or pump action or semiautomatic short-barrelled shotguns during a crime of violence or a drug trafficking crime.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 1989
Commends the efforts of the Arab League and the Tripartite Supreme Arab Committee to resolve the Lebanese conflict. Urges: (1) the Bush administration to put its full weight behind the efforts of the Committee; and (2) all parties to Lebanon's conflict to support, and take immediate steps to implement, the Committee's proposals.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 1989
Pension Reform Act of 1989 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) with respect to pension integration, participation, and vesting requirements. Sets forth a special rule for coverage of collectively bargained plans. Provides for studies relating to cost-of-living adjustments and pension portability. Provides for the continued availability of remedies relating to rights of spouses to accrued benefits under pension plans under divorce case domestic relations orders entered before 1985.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 1989
Support for East European Democracy (SEED) Act of 1989 - Title I: United States Policy in Eastern Europe - Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should implement, beginning in FY 1989, a program to support East European democracies by providing assistance to Eastern European countries which have taken substantive steps toward institutionalizing political democracy and economic pluralism. Designates support for East European democracy activities as SEED. Title II: Enterprise Funds in Poland and Hungary - Authorizes the President to designate two private, nonprofit organizations as the Polish-American Enterprise Fund and the Hungarian-American Enterprise Fund to promote development of the Polish and Hungarian private sectors. Requires the President to contribute to such Funds a specified amount of unobligated Department of Defense (DOD) funds. Allocates such funds and earmarks a specified amount for private agricultural development in Poland. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize appropriations for FY 1991 and 1992 for the Funds. Requires the President to designate an executive agency to contribute such monies to the Funds. Permits the agency to use a specified amount of such monies for carrying out functions under this title. Makes certain commodities eligible for assistance programs under the Agricultural Act of 1949 and the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 available to the Funds to generate local currencies. Authorizes grants to be made to the Funds only if the Funds are in compliance with this title. Provides for annual audits of the Funds. Requires the Funds to ensure that: (1) each recipient of Fund assistance keeps separate accounts and financial records; and (2) the funds have access to such records for audit purposes. Directs each Fund to publish annual reports. Title III: Labor Market Transition - Requires the Secretary of Labor to provide technical assistance to Poland and Hungary for the implementation of labor market reform and to facilitate adjustment during the period of economic transition and reform. Authorizes the Secretary to transfer a specified amount from Department of Labor funds to provide such assistance. Title IV: Environmental Initiatives - Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to: (1) undertake environmental protection activities in Poland and Hungary; and (2) use specified amounts of funds made available for FY 1990 through 1992 under the Clean Water Act and other authorizing statutes to carry out such activities. Requires the Administrator to cooperate with Polish officials and experts to: (1) establish an air quality monitoring network in the Krakow metropolitan area; and (2) improve water quality and the availability of drinking water in such area. Directs the Administrator to work with U.S. and Hungarian officials and private parties to establish and support a center in Budapest, Hungary, for facilitating cooperative environmental activities between government experts and U.S. and Eastern and Western European organizations. Title V: Diminishing the Burden of Bilateral and Multilateral Debt - Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the debt payments owed by Poland to the United States which are payable during FY 1993 and 1994 should be rescheduled and made a part of the principal payment due in FY 1995; and (2) the President should urge all members of the Paris Club creditor governments to adopt a similar debt rescheduling program for Poland. Requires the President to take all appropriate actions to explore and encourage innovative approaches to the reduction of debt of Eastern European countries which have taken substantive steps toward political democracy and economic pluralism. Urges the President to exercise all available authorities to undertake the discounted sale of U.S. debt obligations to private purchasers to facilitate debt-for-equity swaps under which such privatized debt is exchanged for an equity interest in an Eastern European enterprise which is involved in SEED activities. Title VI: "Take-Off" Telecommunications Grant to Poland - Makes available a specified amount of unobligated FY 1990 DOD funds for a grant to the Polish Government for modernizing Poland's telephone and telecommunications infrastructure by means of competitively bid contracts to U.S. corporations. Title VII: Facilitating Voluntary Action - Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should encourage monetary and food contributions from U.S. civic, religious, school, and youth organizations. Declares that the President should draw upon all available authorities, use resources of the National Guard and DOD, and request additional authorities, as necessary, to transport nonfinancial contributions to Poland. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should encourage the establishment of sister institution programs between U.S. and East European schools, universities, cities, and specified organizations. Title VIII: Policy Coordination and "SEED" Information System - Requires the President to designate a Coordinator of SEED activities within the Department of State. Directs the President to take steps to establish a SEED information center to serve as a clearinghouse for information relating to business needs and opportunities in, and voluntary assistance to, Eastern Europe. Requires such center to encourage economically sound proposals to the Funds and other finance sources for the development of private enterprise in Eastern Europe. Provides that such center shall be based in Washington, Warsaw, and Budapest. Title IX: Trade and Assistance Benefits and Investment Treaties - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to remove Poland from the list of countries ineligible for designations as beneficiary developing countries. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should immediately take steps to designate Poland and Hungary as beneficiary countries for purposes of the Generalized System of Preferences provided for in such Act. Requires the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) to support projects in Poland and Hungary to enhance the nongovernmental sector and reduce state involvement in the economy. Provides that OPIC's authorities with respect to Poland and Hungary shall remain in effect until September 30, 1992. Makes Poland and Hungary eligible for U.S. Export-Import Bank programs until such date. Expresses the sense of the Congress that upon enactment by the Hungarian Government of an emigration statute fulfilling criteria of the Jackson-Vanik amendment to the Trade Act of 1974, the President should take steps to certify Hungary as eligible for permanent most-favored-nation trade status. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should explore the feasibility of negotiating bilateral investment treaties with Poland and Hungary. Title X: Scientific, Educational, and Cultural Exchanges - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 and 1991 to implement the 1987 U.S.-Polish science and technology agreement. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should expand its participation in educational and cultural exchanges with Poland and Hungary. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should take actions to establish binational Fulbright commissions in Poland and Hungary. Title XI: Medical Assistance - Authorizes additional appropriations for FY 1990 and 1991 to carry out the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and to be available only for the provision of medical supplies and hospital equipment to Poland and the training of Polish medical personnel. Title XII: Support for Democratic Institutions - Directs the National Endowment for Democracy to implement a program of seminars on local governmental processes and administration if such seminars are requested by the Polish Government. Authorizes additional appropriations for FY 1990 and 1991 under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for the support of democratic institutions in Poland and Hungary. Title XIII: Peace Corps - Transfers specified FY 1990 DOD funds to the Peace Corps for establishing programs in Hungary and Poland. Title XIV: Food Aid - Sets forth the strategy of the food assistance program. Requires the President to promote a comprehensive multilateral food assistance program for Poland. Allocates specified amounts for such assistance in FY 1989 and 1990. Declares the readiness of the Congress to act promptly on authority and appropriations requests so that the United States may call on the European Community to increase food assistance to Poland on a matching basis. Makes Poland and Hungary eligible for programs under the Agricultural Act of 1949 and the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954. Makes such eligibility effective until September 30, 1992. Title XV: Multilateral Action - Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should consult with the European Community, Japan, and other members of the Paris Club to establish a comprehensive, multiyear program for Poland and Hungary to facilitate enduring economic recoveries and to institutionalize political democracy and economic pluralism. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States, if Poland initiates steps to dismantle state controls and subsidies and inaugurates a plan of economic stabilization, should advocate action on the following goals in multilateral negotiations with regard to Poland: (1) a Paris Club agreement on a two year deferral of all government-to-government debt repayments; (2) a multilateral currency stabilization loan; (3) an International Monetary Fund loan; and (4) a World Bank loan to assist in the relocation of workers from state firms to the private sector. Title XVI: Program Action and Reporting - Requires the President to report to the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate on SEED activities.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 1989
Requires the Director of the United States Information Agency to make available to the Archivist of the United States a copy of the film entitled A Tribute to Mickey Leland . Archivist to deposit the film in the National Archives and to make copies of it available for domestic purchase and viewing upon the securing of, and payment for, U.S. rights and licenses by the person seeking its release.
![Official portrait of Rep. Atkins, Chester G. [D-MA-5]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/a000226_200.jpg)