United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1989
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the income an individual who has attained retirement age earns in providing child care from being applied against such individual's OASDI benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1989
Calls upon the Government of Burma to: (1) remove house arrest orders imposed on Aung San Suu Kyi and U Tin Oo and release all those imprisoned for the peaceful expression of their views; (2) abandon martial law restrictions on the rights to a fair trial, to counsel, to adequate time to prepare defenses, and to have cases heard before an impartial tribunal; (3) order thorough investigations of reports of torture and prosecute those responsible for mistreatment of detainees; (4) permit opposition political parties to operate freely; and (5) maintain its commitment to hold free and fair elections by May 1990. Calls upon: (1) all nations to withhold foreign assistance from such Government until a democratically elected government assumes office; and (2) the President, the Secretary of State, the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, and the U.S. Ambassador to Burma to condemn publicly the repression in Burma and encourage free and fair elections and the provision of international observers for such elections.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1989
Benjamin Franklin National Memorial Commemorative Coin Act - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to issue a specified number of five-dollar gold coins, one-dollar silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins in commemoration of the bicentennial of the death of Benjamin Franklin. Provides that such coins shall be considered legal tender. Requires the Secretary to begin issuing such coins on October 1, 1989. Directs the Secretary to obtain silver for the minting of such coins from stocks of silver held by the Secretary or from any other federally owned stocks of silver and to obtain gold pursuant to authority under existing law. Provides that the design of such coins shall be selected by the Secretary after consultation with the Chairman of the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial at the Franklin Institute and the Chairman of the Commission of Fine Arts. Specifies the sales price of such coins as the face value plus costs. Requires that all sales of such coins include a surcharge of $35 per coin for five-dollar coins, $7 per coin for one-dollar coins, and $2 for half-dollar coins. Requires that all surcharges received by the Secretary from the sale of such coins shall be paid to the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial (The Franklin Institute): (1) to restore and renovate the Memorial; (2) to construct or renovate certain adjoining areas of the Franklin Institute; (3) to establish an endowment to ensure the continued upkeep and maintenance of the Memorial; (4) for exhibits in the Memorial or certain adjoining areas of the Institute; and (5) for funds for construction of certain facilities and for the acquisition and preservation of artifacts relating to Franklin. Authorizes the Comptroller General to audit such payments. Prohibits the minting of such coins under this Act after December 31, 1990. Requires the Secretary to ensure that the minting and issuance of such coins shall not result in any net costs to the Government.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 1989
Designates the Agricultural Research Service, Department of Agriculture, animal health research building located at the Roman L. Hruska United States Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska, as the Virginia D. Smith Animal Health Research Laboratory.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 1989
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the Exxon Company should dedicate whatever resources are necessary and pay all expenses required to compensate affected parties expeditiously, mitigate impacts, and complete cleanup of Prince William Sound and other Alaska lands and waters damaged by the Exxon Valdez oilspill; (2) the scope and thoroughness of the cleanup should not be determined by Exxon, but by the U.S. Coast Guard; (3) if the cleanup has not been completed to the Coast Guard's satisfaction by September 15, 1989, Exxon should renew the cleanup in the spring, until the Coast Guard has determined that the cleanup is complete; and (4) Exxon should maintain a contingency force in affected Alaskan communities from September 15, 1989, until full-scale cleanup efforts renew in the spring.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1989
Chemical and Biological Warfare Elimination Act - Title I: Measures to Prevent the Proliferation of Chemical and Biological Weapons - Declares it is U.S. policy to seek multilaterally coordinated efforts with other countries to control the proliferation of chemical and biological weapons. Requires the President to use the U.S. export control laws to control the export of defense articles, defense services, goods, and technologies that he determines would assist a country in acquiring the capability to produce or use such weapons. Amends the Export Administration Act of 1979 to require a validated export license for the export of any goods or technology that the President determines would assist a country in acquiring such weapons, unless the destination of such export is a country with which the United States has an arrangement for their control. Requires the President to impose certain sanctions against foreign persons if he determines that such persons knowingly contributed to the efforts of a country to acquire or use chemical or biological weapons in violation of international law. Declares such sanctions to include: (1) denial of U.S. procurement contracts for goods or services from such foreign persons; and (2) prohibition against importation of products from such persons. Authorizes the President to waive imposition of such sanctions if he determines that it is in the national security interests of the United States. Title II: Measures to Deter the Use of Chemical or Biological Weapons - Requires the President to determine whether a foreign country is using or developing chemical or biological weapons in violation of international law. Requires the President to impose certain sanctions against countries that do so. Declares such sanctions to include: (1) prohibition against arms sales and security-sensitive goods and technology; (2) prohibition of the export of U.S. goods and technology (except agricultural products); (3) import restrictions; (4) denial of foreign assistance; (5) U.S. opposition to loan or financial assistance from international and U.S. financial institutions; and (6) the suspension of diplomatic relations. Title III: Miscellaneous Provisions - Requires the President to transmit to the Congress a report regarding the use or development of chemical or biological weapons by countries in violation of international law.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1989
Commends the citizens of the Sioux City, Iowa, tri-State area for their heroism and volunteerism in providing assistance to the passengers and crew of crashed United Airlines Flight 232.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1989
Veterans Agent Orange Exposure and Vietnam Service Benefits Act of 1989 - Provides that the disease of chloracne in Vietnam veterans shall be considered to have been service-connected if such disease became manifest to a ten percent or more degree of disability within one year after the last date on which the veteran performed such service in Vietnam. Presumes the following diseases to be service-connected for veterans who performed active service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era, notwithstanding that there is no record of evidence of such disease during the period of such service: (1) non-Hodgkins lymphoma; (2) soft-tissue sarcoma; and (3) melanoma and basal cell carcinoma. Provides a presumption of service-connection in the case of a Vietnam veteran suffering from a disease associated with effects of exposure to certain dioxins or other herbicide agents during such service in Vietnam. Directs the Secretary to prescribe regulations listing a positive association between any disease and the biological effects of exposure to an herbicide agent in Vietnam. Requires the Secretary to update such list continually. Requires the Secretary, in prescribing and revising such list, to obtain by contract the determinations and estimates of a contract scientific organization. Requires such organization to: (1) determine which diseases have any degree of association with the biological effects of exposure to an herbicide agent; and (2) estimate the extent of association between each such disease and each such biological effects. Requires the organization to determine such association specifically with respect to non-Hodgkins lymphoma, each soft-tissue sarcoma, lung cancer, and each other cancer. Outlines contract provisions required in such agreements between the Secretary and the scientific organization, including surveys, evaluations, and periodic determinations. Requires such scientific organization to provide reports to the Secretary and the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees regarding its determinations and evaluations. Requires such organization to determine, in the effect of a positive association, whether there is a reasonable basis for concluding that a Vietnam veteran with the highest level of exposure to that herbicide agent in Vietnam was exposed to such agent under the circumstances necessary for such biological effects. Requires a report from the organization to the Secretary and the veterans' committees when there is no such reasonable basis found. Requires the Secretary to make certain determinations and follow-up reports after receiving such reports from the contract scientific organization, including the issuance of a report to the veterans' committees and the promulgation of positive association regulations, if necessary. Requires benefits to be continued even though a disease is removed from the regulations listing diseases having positive associations. Terminates such contracting authority ten years after the first day of the fiscal year in which a scientific organization transmits its first report to the Secretary. Provides special effective dates. Directs the Secretary to compile and analyze all clinical data that: (1) is obtained by the Department in connection with examinations and treatment of veterans for disabilities related to exposure to certain herbicides or to service in Vietnam; and (2) is likely to be scientifically useful in determining the association, if any, between the disabilities of such veterans and their exposure to such herbicides and other toxic substances. Requires the Secretary to submit an annual report to the veterans' committees concerning such analysis and its results. Directs the Secretary to consult with the Director of the National Institutes of Health Research and Grants Division (NIH) before compiling and analyzing such information. Requires the Director of NIH to review each annual report submitted by the Secretary and transmit to the Secretary an evaluation of the contents of each report. Directs the Secretary to establish and maintain a system for the collection and storage of voluntarily contributed samples of blood and tissue of veterans who performed active service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era. Outlines provisions concerning the security and authorized uses of such specimens, as well as limitations on the acceptance of such samples. Requires the Secretary to consult with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to the extent that an agreement has been reached with the NAS serving as the contract scientific organization for the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to consult with the Director of the Medical Follow-up Agency in the event of no agreement with NAS. Directs the Secretary to establish a program to provide for the conduct of studies of the feasibility of conducting additional scientific research on health hazards resulting from: (1) exposure to dioxin; (2) exposure to other toxic agents in herbicides used in support of U.S. and allied military operations in Vietnam during the Vietnam era; and (3) active military, naval, or air service there. Requires the Secretary to report to the veterans' committees on the results of such studies. Requires the Secretary to consult with the NAS before undertaking such studies and requires the NAS, to review such studies and report recommendations to the Secretary and the veterans' committees, to the extent provided under any agreement between the Secretary and NAS. Amends the Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 1988 to require the Secretary to annually furnish updated information to veterans listed in the Department of Veterans Affairs' Agent Orange Registry on health risks resulting from exposure to dioxin or other toxic agents in herbicides as a result of service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report to the veterans' committees on the research being conducted to develop treatments for psychological absorption of dioxin and other toxic agents used in herbicides by the United States in Vietnam, including research relating to exposure to dioxin and other toxic agents outside Vietnam. Extends through December 31, 2000, the eligibility for hospital and nursing home care for veterans exposed to toxic substances in Vietnam. Amends the Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 1988 to authorize direct consultation between the Ranch Hand Advisory Committee and Department of the Air Force scientists conducting the Ranch Hand Study (a study of the long-term health effects of exposure to phenoxy herbicides and contaminants). Requires the preparation and submission of annual reports and a final report in connection with such study.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1989
Major Export Market Trade Equity Act of 1989 - Extends to an otherwise ineligible nonmarket economy country nondiscriminatory treatment (most-favored-nation treatment) during any market year after 1989 if the President determines that: (1) the country either has the potential to become a major export market for U.S. products which nondiscriminatory treatment will enhance, or is already such a market; (2) during the corresponding calendar year that country will not receive nondiscriminatory treatment for its products under any other U.S. law; and (3) during the preceding calendar year that country had a negative trade balance with the United States. Requires the President to determine those nonmarket economy countries eligible for such treatment before the start of each market year after 1989 and to publish a list of such countries in the Federal Register. Requires the President to submit an annual report to specified congressional committees.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 1989
Drug War Bond Act of 1989 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue: (1) Drug War Bonds for a three-year period with a 12-year maturity date; and (2) Drug War Stamps to evidence payments for or on account of such bonds. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude the interest earned on such War Bonds from an individual's gross income. Authorizes a taxpayer to designate a specified portion of any tax overpayment or make cash contributions to the War on Drugs Trust Fund (established by this Act). Authorizes the Attorney General to make expenditures from the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund into the War on Drugs Trust Fund. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish the War on Drugs Trust Fund. Transfers to such Fund: (1) proceeds from the sale of Drug War Bonds and stamps; and (2) certain cash contributions and portions of tax overpayments. Prescribes expenditures from the War on Drugs Trust Fund, including the construction of Federal prison facilities and education and rehabilitation programs. Precludes the receipts and disbursements from the War on Drugs Trust Fund from being included in either the congressional budget totals or in the budget totals as submitted by the President. Exempts the receipts and expenditures from the War on Drugs Trust Fund from: (1) statutory expenditure and lending limitations; and (2) certain orders issued under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act). Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress on programs established by this Act. Directs the Attorney General to make recommendations to the Congress regarding the merits of privatizing Federal prisons.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 1989
Rural Drug Initiative Act - Requires the Director of National Drug Control Policy to designate a Rural Drug Policy Coordinator to examine the special needs of rural areas in drug interdiction and coordinate the drug interdiction efforts of Federal agencies in such areas. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to set aside specified sums for rural areas. Directs the Attorney General to create 30 additional drug enforcement agent positions within the Drug Enforcement Agency to be assigned to drug interdiction activities in special need rural areas (i.e., States with a population density of 40 or fewer per square mile which experienced a rise in drug-related crime over the preceding five years). Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance to establish a one-year highway drug interdiction program in which a grant of $500,000 shall be made to each of five special need rural areas. Specifies that such monies shall be used to: (1) establish a drug liaison office within the State police force to coordinate drug interdiction activities; (2) develop a plan for the most efficient use of State and local police forces responsible for highway patrol in drug interdiction; (3) provide financial support to implement such plan; and (4) evaluate and report to the Director on the effectiveness of the uses of such grant monies. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to develop a drug interdiction training program for law enforcement officers in rural areas.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 1989
Drug Paraphernalia Act of 1989 - Amends the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 to prohibit any sale or offer for sale of drug paraphernalia. (Current law prohibits the offer for sale and transportation of drug paraphernalia in interstate or foreign commerce.) Directs the Attorney General to use the authority granted under the Controlled Substance Act to enforce the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 through the use of task forces consisting of appropriate Federal, State, and local personnel. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1994.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 1989
Amends the State Justice Institute Act of 1984 to authorize the use of Institute funds to conduct up to five projects to: (1) investigate and carry out research regarding State judicial decisions relating to child custody litigation involving domestic violence; (2) develop training curricula to assist State courts to develop an understanding of, and appropriate responses to, child custody litigation involving domestic violence; and (3) disseminate the results of such investigation and research and the curricula to State courts. Authorizes appropriations through FY 1992.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 1989
Expresses the sense of the Congress that, for purposes of determining child custody, evidence of spousal abuse should create a statutory presumption that it is detrimental to the child to be placed in the custody of the abusive parent.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 1989
Dolphin Protection Consumer Information Act of 1989 - Provides for the labeling of all tuna products as "DOLPHIN SAFE" if the products are, in their entirety: (1) not caught with specified nets or technologies; and (2) regardless of the country of origin, sold or consumed in the United States. Requires tuna products sold or consumed in the United States and not so labeled to bear the statement: "The tuna in this product has been captured with technologies that are known to kill dolphins." Deems a can, box, or package containing any tuna product mislabeled if it is not labeled as required by these provisions, or if its label contains any false or misleading information pertaining to dolphins, whales, or other cetaceans. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Food and Drug Administration, to conduct inspections to determine if tuna products are being labeled in accordance with provisions of this Act. Authorizes any person to commence a civil action against the Secretary where there is alleged a failure of the Secretary to perform the inspection. Provides for injunction proceedings, jurisdiction, burden of proof, trial by jury, and awarding of costs. Authorizes any U.S. citizen to seek an injunction or restraining order. Provides for criminal penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 1989
Authorizes the use of the official expenses allowance of each Member of the House of Representatives for production of newsletters containing directories of State, local, and nonprofit private drug counseling, treatment, and information programs.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 1989
Claude Pepper Act for Amputees - Amends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to authorize the Director of the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation to conduct a research program to finance development of advanced technology prosthetic and orthotic devices by Federal, State, and local government agencies and qualified private organizations. Requires such program to include research on: (1) the development of lower and upper limb devices; (2) useful applications of modern materials; and (3) new methods of utilizing body power. Directs the Secretary of Education to prescribe regulations for such program within 90 days. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 and 1991 for such research program. Requires that at least ten percent of such funds be used to make grants to providers of prosthetic and orthotic services who are approved under agreement with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 1989
Amends the Internal Revenue Code regarding accounting methods to extend from one year to three years the deferment of income from the sale of livestock on account of drought.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 1989
Amends the International Air Transportation Competition Act of 1979 to repeal a provision relating to the regulation of air carrier flights from Love Field, Texas, to destinations outside the State of Texas.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 1989
Consolidated Maternal and Child Health Services Act of 1989 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, for each fiscal year, to make an allotment for, and payments to, each State for maternal and child health care and related services, including: (1) for women, providing health services related to pregnancy; (2) for infants and children, providing preventive health services; (3) for infants not exceeding one year of age, providing comprehensive health services; (4) training individuals in administering such services for women, infants, and children; (5) conducting evaluations of such services; and (6) conducting surveys or studies required by the Secretary under this Act. Requires that the services for women, except for inpatient services, be provided at a single facility in the community. Imposes the same requirement on the services for infants and children. Authorizes States to expend the payments to make grants to public and nonprofit entities and to enter into contracts with public and private entities. Declares that, notwithstanding any other law, if an individual is eligible for any service or item under these provisions, the individual may not receive the service or item under specified provisions of: (1) titles V (Maternal and Child Health Services), XIX (Medicaid), and XX (Grants to States for Social Services) of the Social Security Act; (2) the Public Health Service Act; (3) the Child Nutrition Act of 1966; (4) the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973; and (5) any other Federal program providing services or items with respect to maternal or child health. Excludes from the consolidation those programs: (1) involving nutrition services through school facilities or child-care facilities; or (2) providing cash assistance to beneficiaries, including under titles IV (Child Welfare Programs) and XVI (Supplemental Security Income) of the Social Security Act. Repeals titles X (Population Research and Voluntary Family Planning Programs) and XX (Adolescent Family Life Demonstration Projects) of the Public Health Service Act. Requires the head of the agency that administers each program consolidated by this Act to make a determination regarding any amendments which should be made to any Act affecting that program and report to the appropriate committees of the Congress. Prohibits payments to a State unless the State agrees that the payments will not be expended to pay for any abortion, or for any counseling on or referral for obtaining any abortion, except where the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term. Limits administrative expenditures to ten percent of the payments. Sets forth reporting and auditing requirements. Prohibits payments to a State unless the State agrees that the State will: (1) provide services without regard to the ability of an individual to pay; (2) make charges, if any, pursuant to a public schedule of charges; (3) conduct surveys and studies as required by the Secretary and submit findings to the Secretary; (4) establish criteria to evaluate the performance of entities that receive funds from payments made to the State; (5) establish procedures for procedural and substantive independent State review of the failure by the State to provide funds for any such entity; (6) permit and cooperate with Federal investigations under provisions of this Act; and (7) maintain State expenditures for services or items provided for in this Act at a level not less than that maintained in the previous fiscal year. Sets forth a formula for determining the amount of the allotments to States. Directs the Secretary, for FY 1991, to make a supplemental allotment for each State that has made satisfactory progress toward: (1) providing all State-assisted maternal and child health services and items without regard to whether the services and items are provided with Federal financial assistance; and (2) providing the services and items pursuant to a single, standardized application form through which all desired services and items can be simultaneously requested. Sets forth: (1) a formula for determining the amount of the supplemental allotments; and (2) special provisions applicable to Indian tribes or tribal organizations. Authorizes appropriations. Requires any amounts paid to a State to remain available to the State for one year after the State receives the amounts.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1989
Directs the American Battle Monuments Commission to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia or its immediate area to honor World War II veterans and to commemorate U.S. participation in that conflict. Directs the Commission to plan, design, construct, and oversee the operation of the memorial. Specifies that such design shall provide for accessibility by, and accommodations for, the physically handicapped. Establishes the World War II Memorial Advisory Board to: (1) promote the establishment of the memorial and encourage the donation of private funds for construction maintenance; (2) assist and cooperate with the Commission in the selection of the site and design for the memorial; and (3) transmit annual reports on its activities to the Congress. Authorizes the Commission to solicit private contributions for such memorial. Establishes a fund in the Treasury which shall be made available to the Commission to carry out this Act. Authorizes Federal funding, in addition to such private funds, for site preparation, design, planning, establishment, construction, maintenance, and operation of the memorial. Authorizes assistance from specified Federal departments and agencies, including the Library of Congress. Authorizes Federal property to be transferred to the Commission. Authorizes the Commission to purchase suitable property within the District of Columbia for the establishment of such memorial. Urges the Government to encourage 50th anniversary commemorations of the U.S. role in World War II. Urges the Smithsonian Institution and other Federal museums to develop commemorative exhibitions to be shared with academic institutions.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1989
Provides for the awarding of the Purple Heart to former prisoners of war held captive before April 25, 1962, on the same basis at it may be awarded former prisoners of war captured on or after such date.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 1989
Amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 and the National Housing Act to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program and the Federal Crime Insurance Program, respectively, through September 30, 1991. Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 to extend through such date the limitation on rate increases for such insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 1989
Requires the Director of the National Center for Health Statistics to collect information and prepare a report on the age, race, marital status, education, and number of dependents of home health care aides and nursing home aides. Requires the Director of the Bureau of Labor Statistics to collect information and prepare a report on home health care aides and nursing home aides containing specified types of information relating to conditions of employment and to employment benefits. Requires that individuals not be identified by name and that, in both reports, information be presented in the aggregate. Requires both reports to be completed not later than 12 months after enactment of this Act and to be transmitted to the Congress. Requires the Director of the Bureau of Labor Statistics to include an occupational code for both nursing home aides and home health care aides in each wage survey conducted by the Bureau that begins after enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 1989
International Banking Environmental Protection Act of 1989 - Amends the International Financial Institutions Act to preclude the U.S. Executive Director of a multilateral development bank from voting in favor of any proposed action which would have a significant environmental impact unless a comprehensive environmental impact assessment has been furnished. Requires that: (1) an environmental impact assessment accompany loan proposals through the agency review process; (2) such banks develop and make available to member governments and borrowers a systematic environmental assessment procedure for development projects; and (3) appropriate U.S. Government personnel be made available to train and assist bank staff in making environmental impact assessments. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to report to certain congressional committees on the efficacy of U.S. efforts to encourage consistent and timely environmental impact assessments of proposed multilateral development bank actions.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1989
Dial-a-Porn Prevention and Corrections Act - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit: (1) making an indecent communication by telephone to any person under 18 years old or to any other person without that person's consent; or (2) permitting a telephone facility under one's control to be used for such activity. Allows as a defense to such a prosecution that the defendant restricted access to the prohibited communication to persons 18 years of age or older in accordance with procedures prescribed by regulation by the Federal Communications Commission. Establishes an additional $50,000 fine for each intentional violation of the prohibition on obscene or indecent communications. Establishes an additional civil fine of $50,000 for each such violation. Authorizes a fine to be assessed by: (1) a court, pursuant to a civil action by the Commission or its designee; or (2) the Commission after appropriate administrative proceedings. Authorizes the Attorney General to bring suit to enjoin any such violation. Prohibits common carriers, to the extent technically feasible, from providing access to such a communication from the telephone of any subscriber who has not previously requested access if the carrier collects from subscribers an identifiable charge for such communication that it remits to the provider of the communication. Prohibits the bringing of a cause of action against a common carrier or its affiliates where such carrier acted in good faith to restrict access to such communication or permitted access after relying on representations by the communication provider. Permits a provider of communications services to which subscribers are denied access to bring an action for a declaratory judgment or similar action in a court or before the Commission, subject to certain limitations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1989
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 that act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1989
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that individuals throughout the United States should observe Independence Day, July 4, 1989, as Take Pride in the Flag Day to celebrate the 213th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the 201st anniversary of the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1989
Constitutional Amendment - Declares that: (1) the misuse or desecration of the symbol, emblem, seal, or flag of the United States or of the several States is not protected speech under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution; and (2) the Congress and the legislatures of the several States shall have power to enforce the Article proposed by this Joint Resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1989
Declares that the Congress: (1) is prepared to support a presidential waiver of the Jackson-Vanik amendment of the Trade Act of 1974 (relating to most favored nation treatment) with respect to the Soviet Union at such time as the President has received appropriate assurances that the Soviet Government is firmly on course toward sustained high levels of emigration and the removal of unreasonable impediments to persons wishing to emigrate; and (2) will continue to monitor Soviet efforts to institutionalize its liberalized emigration policy.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 1989
Requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission to promulgate a safety standard under the Consumer Product Safety Act to require manufacturers of liquid consumer products to include denatonium benzoate in the products if the products present a hazard if ingested by children.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1989
Food Contamination Prevention Act - Amends the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act to direct the Secretary of Transportation 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.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1989
Broadcast License Renewal Act of 1987 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to declare it to be the policy of the United States that, with respect to the grant or renewal of a broadcast license, the licensee has the responsibility to: (1) broadcast material responsive to matters of concern to residents of its service area; and (2) operate in compliance with provisions of such Act and Federal Communications Commission regulations. Directs the Commission to: (1) grant an application for license renewal if the applicant has met such responsibilities in the preceding license term; or (2) deny renewal or grant limited renewal if the applicant failed to meet such responsibilities. Prohibits the Commission, in evaluating a licensee's performance in broadcasting material responsive to matters of public concern, from establishing or applying any requirement with respect to the broadcast of any specific subject or material. Directs the Commission to accept the licensee's judgment if found to be reasonable and made in good faith. Prohibits the Commission, in determining whether to renew a license, from considering whether the public interest, convenience, and necessity might be served by granting a license to a competing applicant. Directs the Commission to conduct an inquiry and prescribe any necessary regulations concerning any additional information that licensees should be required to maintain and make available to the public regarding the licensee's responsibility to broadcast material responsive to matters of public concern. Makes it unlawful for a license applicant and any other person, while a license application is pending, to effectuate an agreement whereby the other person withdraws or withholds an informal objection or a petition to deny in exchange for the payment of any thing of value by, or on behalf of, the applicant. Directs the Commission to establish a procedure by which informal complaints received by the Commission may be reviewed during the license term of a radio licensee. Authorizes the Commission to consider a complaint or its resolution in its determination of whether to grant license renewal. Applies the prohibition on financial settlements to the formal complaint process.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 1989
Condemns the brutal treatment of, and blatant discrimination against, the Turkish minority by the Government of Bulgaria. Calls upon the Bulgarian authorities to cease all such discriminatory practices, release all those imprisoned because of their participation in nonviolent political acts, and honor its obligations concerning the right of all Bulgarians to emigrate. Urges the President and Secretary of State to make strong diplomatic representations to Bulgaria protesting its treatment of its Turkish minority and to raise this issue in all appropriate international fora.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 1989
Declares that the Congress: (1) is prepared to support a presidential waiver of the Jackson-Vanik amendment of the Trade Act of 1974 (relating to most favored nation treatment) with respect to the Soviet Union at such time as the President has received appropriate assurances that the Soviet Government is firmly on course toward sustained high levels of emigration and the removal of unreasonable impediments to persons wishing to emigrate; and (2) will continue to monitor Soviet efforts to institutionalize its liberalized emigration policy.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 1989
Designates August 1, 1989, as Helsinki Human Rights Day. Authorizes and requests the President to: (1) reassert American commitment to the Helsinki Accords; (2) raise the issue of noncompliance with such Accords with any signatory nation which may be in violation, in particular, the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Romania; (3) convey to all signatories of such Accords that respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is vital to progress in the ongoing Helsinki process; and (4) convey to U.S. allies the necessity of unity regarding such Accords.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 1989
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Committees on Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means should review the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act of 1988 and hold hearings in the process of such review.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 1989
Workers' Political Rights Act of 1989 - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to include political committees among those entities to which contributions by national banks, corporations, or labor organizations are restricted. Provides that communications to its members and their families and the establishment of, and solicitation of contributions for, a separate segregated political fund by a labor organization shall not be considered to be prohibited political contributions or expenditures only if such organization provides to employees it represents written notification of the following information: (1) that no employee is required to join the labor organization, and if the collective bargaining agreement purports to require membership in, or the payment of any amounts to, such organization, the employee instead may pay an agency fee to such organization; (2) the amount of the agency fee for the current year and the amount of union membership dues, initiation fees, and assessments for the current year; (3) that employees who choose to join the union will be subject to the labor organization's reasonable internal rules, regulations, and discipline; (4) that employees who resign from such organization may do so without being subject to internal union discipline for any post-resignation conduct; (5) that the amount of the agency fee for the current year is limited to the employee's pro rata cost of the labor organization's exclusive representation services to the collective bargaining unit; (6) that a procedure is in place to determine those costs which are chargeable to agency fee payors and such procedures are fully explained; and (7) that due regard is given to the fact that the labor organization holds a fiduciary position of trust with respect to the employees it represents and that the rights of employees to associate freely are not infringed any more than necessary for such organization to defray its reasonable costs of providing exclusive representation services. Requires a labor organization which does not provide employees with such notification to finance those political activities which are not considered contributions or expenditures with funds collected for its separate, segregated political fund.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 1989
Urges the President to address basic human needs as a priority of foreign assistance to Central America. Urges the Administrator of the Agency for International Development to: (1) strengthen programs to address the needs of victims of war, including amputees; (2) increase the number of immunizations provided to Central Americans; (3) strengthen programs to reduce child mortality from diarrheal disease; (4) develop strategies to provide universal literacy for primary school age children; and (5) develop a program to provide safe water supplies to rural areas. Urges the President to increase funding for targeted assistance under the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954, and structure food assistance consistent with the recommendations of the International Commission for Central American Recovery and Development. Urges the President to request full funding for payment of the United States assessed contribution to the Pan American Health Organization, including payment of all arrearages.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1989
Authorizes the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to present a bronze medal to individuals: (1) who were members of the armed forces and were present in Hawaii on December 7, 1941; and (2) who participated in combat operations that day against Japanese military forces attacking Hawaii. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike such medals. Authorizes the Secretary to provide for the sale of bronze duplicates of the medal. Authorizes appropriations which are to be reimbursed out of the proceeds from sales of the medals.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 1989
Designates June 21, 1989, as Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner Day. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 has helped to fulfill the promise of democracy in this Nation. Reaffirms the goal of removing remaining barriers to full voter participation in this Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 1989
Amends the Federal criminal code to require a minimum sentence of five years' imprisonment, without an opportunity for parole, for the unlawful possession of a firearm by any person: (1) who has been convicted of a crime punishable by more than a year imprisonment; (2) who is a fugitive from justice; (3) who is an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance; (4) who has transported in interstate commerce any stolen firearm; or (5) who has received any stolen firearm. Increases from $5,000 to $10,000 and from five years to ten years the fine and term of imprisonment, respectively, for violation of Federal firearm laws. Increases the penalties for possession of a firearm in connection with a crime of violence or drug trafficking.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1989
Authorizes a named individual to file a claim for credit or refund of an individual income tax overpayment for a certain tax year, notwithstanding certain time limitations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1989
Amends Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 provisions relating to correctional facility use of surplus property to allow the Administrator of General Services to transfer or convey to any State or nonprofit institution property determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to be required for substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation under an appropriate program approved by the Secretary. Declares that transfers and conveyances under this Act shall be made by the Administrator without monetary consideration to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1989
Older Americans' Freedom to Work Act of 1989 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to remove the limitation on the amount of outside income which beneficiaries who have attained retirement age may earn without incurring a reduction in benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1989
Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Act - Sets forth U.S. policy concerning chemical and biological weapons. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to issue such regulations, licenses, and orders as may be required to control the export of materials, equipment, and technology having significance for the manufacture or use of chemical and biological weapons. Makes subject to the penalties imposed by the Export Administration Act of 1979 any person who violates any regulation, license, or order issued by the Secretary. Requires the Secretary of State to assess the risk of the proliferation of chemical and biological weapons. Specifies particular matters to be considered by such assessment and requires such assessment to give particular attention to the materials, equipment, and technology that have direct significance for the production and use of chemical and biological weapons. Requires the Secretary of State to submit to the Congress a biannual report describing the status of: (1) control of the proliferation of chemical and biological weapons; (2) efforts to prevent the spread of such weapons; and (3) programs to control the export of materials, equipment, and technology having direct significance for the production of chemical and biological weapons. Requires the Secretary of State to establish a Chemical Industry Advisory Group to provide advice to the Secretary concerning such assessment and such biannual report. Requires the Secretary of State to inform the appropriate committees of the Congress of developments of significance to the proliferation and control of chemical and biological weapons.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1989
Amends the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act to require the Administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy to provide leadership and coordination with respect to policies affecting procurement programs for rural areas. Directs the Administrator to: (1) coordinate with and advise State and local officials with regard to Federal efforts to encourage procurement in rural areas with the aim of fostering economic development in such areas; (2) establish specific rural area procurement targets for executive agencies consistent with awards or contracts for small business concerns; and (3) encourage the use of set asides or other appropriate methods for meeting procurement targets for rural areas. Requires executive agencies to provide assistance in carrying out the Administrator's responsibilities for rural area programs.