United States · United States Congress · 21 November 1989
Selma to Montgomery National Trail Study Act of 1989 - Amends the National Trails System Act to designate the route from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama (traveled by the march dramatizing the need for voting rights legislation), for study for potential addition to the national trails system.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 1989
Amends Federal law to authorize and request the President to designate May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month annually, beginning in 1990. (Current law designates a seven-day period beginning on May 4, 1979).
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 1989
Federal Fire Service Pay Schedule Act of 1989 - Establishes a pay schedule for Federal fire service personnel. Excludes employees of the District of Columbia from such schedule. Provides for periodic and additional step increases, minimum hours of work, the computation of overtime, educational incentive service step increases, retirement, pay comparability, and additional compensation for technicians.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 1989
Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Amendments Act of 1990 - Title I: General Provisions - Provides for budget compliance of this Act for FY 1991 through 1992. Title II: Interagency Council on the Homeless - Amends the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act (SBMHAA) to authorize appropriations through FY 1992. Extends the Interagency Council on the Homeless through FY 1992. Title III: Federal Emergency Management Food and Shelter Program - Amends SBMHAA to authorize appropriations for the Federal Emergency Management Food and Shelter Program through FY 1992. Title IV: Housing Assistance - Amends the SBMHAA to extend through FY 1992: (1) the emergency shelter grants program; (2) the supportive housing demonstration program; (3) supplemental assistance for facilities to assist the homeless; and (4) section 8 assistance for single room occupancy dwellings. Title V: Health Care for the Homeless - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize through FY 1992: (1) categorical grants for primary health services and substance abuse services; (2) block grants for community mental health services; and (3) alcohol and drug abuse treatment of homeless individuals. Amends SBMHAA to authorize appropriations for Community demonstration projects. Title VI: Education, Training, and Community Services Program - Amends SBMHAA to authorize appropriations for specified education, training, and community services programs through FY 1992. Title VII: Veterans Programs - Amends the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Amendments Act of 1988 to authorize appropriations for veterans medical programs through FY 1992.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 1989
Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from issuing any oil or gas exploration leases or licenses on submerged lands off the coastlines of the eastern seaboard, western seaboard, and Alaska (the Outer Continental Shelf). Retains the leases, licenses, and permits in effect on the date of enactment of this Act. Directs the Secretary to cancel (with compensation) specified leases or permits in effect on such date. Directs the Secretary to report to the Congress on alternative options for compensating leaseholders of specified land tracts.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 1989
Amends the Controlled Substances Act to impose a mandatory minimum sentence for the illegal manufacture, distribution, or dispensation of 50 grams or more of smokable crystal methamphetamine.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1989
Waste Materials Management Act of 1989 - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1993 to carry out the Solid Waste Disposal Act. Title I: Provisions Relating Primarily to Subtitles A and B of the Solid Waste Disposal Act - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to revise provisions concerning congressional findings and objectives. Declares it to be U.S. national policy that: (1) the creation of surplus and remnant material from production processes shall be reduced and residuals from post-consumer products shall be managed as material resources; (2) materials are to be managed at Federal, State, and local levels using specified waste reduction and management strategies; and (3) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the States shall not differentiate in the enforcement of this Act on the basis of whether an owner or person engaged in waste disposal activities is a public or private person, whether a facility is located on or off the premises where waste is generated, or whether an activity is carried out on or off the premises where the waste is generated. Requires the Inspector General of the EPA to report annually to the Congress on the implementation of, and compliance with, the Solid Waste Disposal Act. Adds specified annual reporting requirements. Directs the Administrator, for five years following the date of enactment of this Act, to identify five of the most toxic and common constituents of municipal waste. Requires the Administrator to consider, with respect to each of the constituents, imposing the following: (1) a ban on the use of such a constituent in production; (2) a ban on disposal in landfills or treatment in incinerators of any product containing such a constituent; (3) a requirement for special management standards for such products after discard; and (4) a requirement for the use of a substitute constituent. Permits the Administrator to impose such bans or requirements only by promulgating regulations. Requires the Administrator to publish annually in the Federal Register any information on such actions. Prohibits the disposal of used lead-acid batteries other than by recycling in accordance with this Act. Requires persons to dispose of such batteries only by delivery to: (1) battery retailers or wholesalers; or (2) secondary lead smelters or collection or recycling facilities permitted by a State or the Administrator. Sets forth battery disposal requirements for retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers. Makes violators of such requirements subject to fines under the Federal criminal code. Requires battery retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers to accept from customers used batteries of the same type as the batteries sold. Directs retailers to post a notice for customers containing information about the illegality of improperly disposed batteries, the requirements for accepting and disposing of batteries, and the merits of conservation. Permits the Administrator to inspect any establishment pursuant to this Act and to issue warnings and citations for noncompliance. Subjects persons who fail to post notices after receiving a warning to penalties of up to $1,000 per day. Requires battery wholesalers who sell batteries to retailers to provide for removal of batteries from the retailers' place of business. Prohibits the charging of fees for accepting batteries from customers. Considers violations of battery collection requirements to be misdemeanors. Requires the Administrator to study and report to the Congress on the disposal and potential recyclability of household dry-cell batteries and the need for legislation, regulation, or further study on the disposal and recyclability of such batteries. Title II: Provisions Relating Primarily to Subtitle C of the Solid Waste Disposal Act - Identifies as a hazardous waste a waste containing more than .1 percent of any constituent listed in appendix VIII to part 261 of title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations, unless the Administrator establishes another level for such constituent. Provides that: (1) the mixing of a hazardous waste with any other matter constitutes treatment requiring a permit; and (2) dilution of a hazardous waste through such mixing, such that the resulting mixture does not exceed the established concentration levels, does not alter the character of the material as a hazardous waste. Authorizes the granting of petitions to remove from the list a hazardous waste for periods of up to five years. Permits subsequent renewals of such petitions. Requires the Administrator to charge fees for the submission of such petitions. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations on the following characteristics of hazardous waste: (1) acute and aquatic toxicity; (2) persistence and bioaccumulation potential; (3) radioactivity; (4) carcinogenicity; (5) mutagenicity; and (6) phytotoxicity. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations requiring: (1) owners or operators of facilities which use materials containing hazardous constituents listed in the Code of Federal Regulations in a manufacturing process to test the waste generated for the presence of such constituents; and (2) owners or operators of facilities generating hazardous waste subject to land disposal prohibitions to test the waste to determine if it meets applicable treatment standards. Provides for routine testing at least every two years and additional testing when a significant change in generation or waste management processes occurs. Requires the Administrator to carry out hazardous waste programs directly in States unless a State is authorized to administer such requirements. Requires the Administrator, if a State's program is equivalent, to grant interim authorization to such State to administer such program in lieu of direct administration by the Administrator. Directs States with hazardous waste programs to report annually to the Administrator on such programs. Prohibits the Administrator from identifying used oil as a hazardous waste under the Solid Waste Disposal Act. Provides that any fuel derived from used oil that does not meet used oil specifications established by the Administrator and would otherwise be identified as a hazardous waste shall be deemed to be a hazardous waste. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations for persons who generate, transport, recycle, or dispose of used oil. Requires the Administrator, in developing such regulations, to conduct an analysis of the economic impact of such regulations on the used oil recycling industry. Provides that regulations for used oil generators shall: (1) prohibit the storage of used oil in an underground storage tank unless such tank meets requirements under this Act; (2) prohibit the storage of used oil for more than 12 months; (3) require generators to transfer such oil to specified permitted used oil recycling or disposal facilities or transporters; and (4) require generators to keep specified records on such oil. Requires used oil transporter regulations to provide that such transporters: (1) acquire identification numbers from EPA; (2) meet applicable financial responsibility requirements; and (3) keep specified records. Provides that used oil recycler regulations shall require recyclers to: (1) keep specified records; (2) test fuel produced from the recycling process before departure from the facility; and (3) obtain certain permits. Requires used oil disposal regulations to prohibit mixing used oil with any hazardous waste identified under the Solid Waste Disposal Act unless the resulting mixture does not exhibit hazardous waste characteristics or the mixture is burned to recover useful energy in a device designed such that protection of human health and the environment is assured. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations requiring owners or operators of new and existing recycling facilities to have class permits. Provides for annual inspections of such facilities to assure permit compliance. Sets forth requirements for interim class permits. Exempts from permit requirements: (1) facilities which refine at least 10,000 barrels daily of crude oil into petroleum products, are classified as S.I.C. number 2911 (pursuant to the Office of Management and Budget Standard Classification Manual) facilities, and whose volume of refined used oil is less than one percent of the total crude oil refined into lubricant base stock annually; and (2) facilities which compound or blend lubricating base oil into finished lubricant products as their principal activity, are classified as S.I.C. number 2899 or 2992 facilities, and whose volume of used oil compounded or blended into such products is no more than ten percent of the lubricating base oil compounded or blended annually. Exempts from used oil regulation requirements on-site activities at facilities classified as S.I.C. number 4911 facilities. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations governing such facilities. Requires the Administrator to promulgate regulations establishing specification standards for fuel derived from used oil to be burned in furnaces and boilers. Sets forth requirements to be effective if the Administrator fails to promulgate used oil regulations by the applicable deadline. Requires the Administrator to implement education programs to inform the public and small businesses about the environmental and safety hazards associated with improper handling and disposal of used oil and the benefits derived from used oil recycling. Authorizes appropriations. Requires producers or importers of lubricating oil to recycle for a period of ten years an amount of used oil equal to at least the amount determined by multiplying the amount of lubricating oil produced or imported that year by such persons by the recycling percentage established by the Administrator. Authorizes such individuals to comply with this Act by: (1) recycling (through re-refining) used oil or purchasing re-refined oil for purposes of producing lubricating oil; or (2) purchasing recycling credits under this Act. Requires producers and importers to report annually to the Administrator on the amount of oil produced or imported by such persons. Directs the Administrator to establish a recycling percentage that is two points higher than the existing recycling rate for lubricating oil. Provides for increases in such percentage of two points annually for ten years. Requires the Administrator to promulgate regulations allowing recyclers to create credits for used oil recycling and producers or importers of lubricating oil to purchase such credits. Provides that such regulations shall require: (1) owners or operators of used oil collection centers to keep receipts issued by transporters who take delivery of such oil and copies of agreements under which the transporter agrees to take such oil to a recycling facility; (2) such owners or operators to certify that oil taken by transporters is not mixed with hazardous wastes; (3) owners or operators of recycling facilities to be the only persons to create a recycling credit for the recycling credit system; (4) recyclers to certify that the substance being recycled is used oil that has not been mixed with hazardous wastes; (5) oil proposed to be recycled to have come from a used oil collection place or a transporter with an identification number; (6) specified records to be kept by recyclers and by importers or producers; and (7) recyclers to sell or distribute in commerce such oil as specification used oil, off-specification used oil, industrial specification used oil, or re-refined oil. 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 oil 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 version of such report to be submitted within ten years of this Act's enactment. Applies recycling requirements to persons who import or produce more than 100,000 gallons of lubricating oil annually. Sets the recycling percentage at 40 percent if the Administrator fails to promulgate such regulations. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations requiring owners or operators of existing and new hazardous waste facilities to have class permits. Requires such permits to include provisions for: (1) public notice and comment; (2) environmental monitoring; (3) closure and post closure requirements; (4) financial responsibility; (5) annual on-site inspections; and (6) penalties for noncompliance. Requires the Administrator to impose additional requirements, as necessary. Requires the following facilities, unless excluded from regulation, to have such permits: (1) recycling facilities; (2) facilities engaged in precious metal recovery; (3) facilities engaged in spent lead-acid battery reclamation; and (4) hazardous waste storage facilities. Title III: Provisions Relating Primarily to Subtitle D of the Solid Waste Disposal Act - Subtitle A: Provisions Relating to Solid Waste Management Plans - Revises requirements for State solid waste management plans. Requires such plans to include: (1) an estimate of the capacity of the State to manage such waste; (2) permit programs; (3) solid waste recycling, reduction, incineration, and land disposal elements; (4) an overall waste materials strategy to cover one of two specified planning periods; (5) waste inventories; (6) personnel training and public education; (7) requirements for the management of household hazardous waste, tires, yard waste, and large household appliances; and (8) annual reporting requirements. Sets forth submission, approval, and implementation procedures for State plans. Authorizes a State with an approved plan and certification of compliance to: (1) prohibit the transportation of solid waste generated from another State into such State for disposal, storage, or incineration purposes; (2) prohibit the incineration, disposal, or storage of such waste; and (3) levy fees on solid waste or solid waste transporters that differentiate rates or other aspects of payment on the basis of waste origin. Requires such State, prior to exercising such authority, to certify to the Administrator that it has: (1) completed construction on facilities that will provide at least 70 percent of the capacity for solid waste management needed to implement the State plan; and (2) completed siting approval on facilities that will provide 100 percent of such capacity. Prohibits the interstate transport of solid waste in any State: (1) that does not have an approved plan within a specified time period; (2) that cannot certify continuing compliance; or (3) for which that the Administrator has withdrawn approval of the State plan. Permits the Administrator to develop a plan for, and charge, any State that has not submitted a plan. Requires States to establish permit programs and issue permits to solid waste management facilities in compliance with this Act. Prohibits the incineration, storage, or disposal of such waste at, or the transportation of such waste to, facilities without permits. Sets forth transitional permit requirements and deadlines. Limits permit terms to ten years and provides for permit modifications, as appropriate. Authorizes States to grant variances from permit requirements if demonstrated that no adverse effects to human health or the environment will result from such variances. Subtitle B: Provisions Relating to Federal Requirements - Directs the Administrator to promulgate standards, guidelines, and regulations for: (1) municipal solid waste landfills; (2) municipal solid waste incinerators; (3) industrial waste; (4) above-ground storage tanks; and (5) other waste categories, as appropriate. Permits State Governors to petition the Administrator for the promulgation of additional standards, guidelines, and regulations. Sets forth requirements for municipal solid waste landfills, to include: (1) specified detection and monitoring controls; (2) daily cover; (3) closure and postclosure requirements; (4) financial responsibility and corrective action requirements; (5) groundwater monitoring; (6) liners and leachate collection and removal systems, as appropriate; (7) construction quality assurance plans; and (8) prohibitions on landfills being located within the 100-year flood plain, within specified distances of faults, or within seismic impact zones or other unstable areas, unless certain conditions have been met. Requires the Administrator to publish guidelines for identifying materials which should be removed from solid waste before its incineration in a municipal solid waste incinerator. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations applicable to the operation and management of municipal solid waste incinerators and to the disposal or recycling and reuse of municipal solid waste incinerator ash. Prohibits the disposal of ash in units that are created as a result of vertical expansion of an existing waste disposal facility unless it is demonstrated that there will be no settling of waste that would impair the integrity of the liners. Requires that landfills into which such ashes are disposed provide for groundwater monitoring and: (1) place such ashes in a monofill having a leachate collection system and a single liner designed and operated to prevent the migration of any constituent into such liner; or (2) have two or more liners and a leachate collection system above and between such liners. Provides that landfill design requirements shall not apply to alternatively-designed units if demonstrated that such designs prevent such migration. Directs the Administrator to prescribe criteria and testing procedures for identifying the hazardous properties of municipal incinerator ash so that ash which does not exhibit such properties may be placed in sanitary landfills meeting current criteria under specified conditions. Requires ash which is hazardous to human health or the environment to be treated prior to recycling or reuse. Prohibits, four years after this Act's enactment, the operation of incinerators and the receipt of ash for treatment, storage, disposal, reuse, or recycling without a permit or prior approval under a State program. Requires civil penalties imposed against local governments for violations of this Act to be deposited into a trust fund for programs that serve to enhance the protection of human health and the environment. Sets forth transitional provisions. Requires the Administrator to identify, classify, and report to the Congress and States on specified types of industrial waste. Directs generators or transporters of such waste and owners or operators of facilities handling such waste to file notifications with the State concerning facility locations and descriptions of activities and wastes handled. Sets forth requirements for industrial waste management, to include: (1) authorizations to operate; (2) monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements; (3) performance standards; (4) financial responsibility assurances; (5) design, operating, closure, and postclosure criteria; and (6) corrective action requirements. Applies such requirements to the following facilities: (1) industrial waste facilities that produce such waste and are not implementing closure or postclosure plans; and (2) inactive or abandoned facilities that are reactivated. Requires the Administrator to study the adverse effects on human health and the environment of the disposal of other nonhazardous waste. Directs the Administrator to promulgate solid waste storage regulations. Excludes from such regulations storage at transportation-related facilities. Requires State plans and permits to include requirements for municipal solid waste landfills and incinerators and for industrial wastes. Subtitle C: Other Provisions - Directs the Administrator to compile and periodically update a non-hazardous solid waste inventory to determine, by State or region: (1) an estimate of the amount of such waste to be generated annually and likely to be generated in each of the next 20 years; and (2) the capacity of existing and proposed waste management facilities. Sets forth Federal enforcement provisions. Prescribes civil and criminal penalties for violations of solid waste management requirements. Title IV: Provisions Relating Primarily to Subtitle H of the Solid Waste Disposal Act - Requires the Administrator to: (1) develop model recycling programs for States and localities; and (2) carry out a continuing program to evaluate demonstrated waste management technologies that could be used by municipalities and report periodically on such program. Prohibits the Administrator from funding the development or demonstration of such technologies. Title V: Provisions Relating Primarily to Subtitle I of the Solid Waste Disposal Act - Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations applicable to above-ground storage tanks. Applies such requirements to all tanks except those subject to the requirements of subtitle C of the Solid Waste Disposal Act. Exempts from this Act's requirements releases of small quantities of regulated substances which will not endanger human health and the environment and particular tanks, as appropriate. Requires such regulations to include requirements for field-erected tanks. Directs owners and operators of such tanks to implement release prevention plans which provide for release prevention systems capable of: (1) catching and holding 110 percent of the full capacity of the tank and preventing releases beyond tank boundaries; and (2) restraining drainage and preventing contamination of soil and water. Requires the plan and system to be inspected by a registered engineer who is not employed by the owner or operator. Directs the engineer, if the system does not reflect good engineering practices or the tank does not comply with the regulations, to notify the Administrator or the State. Provides for amendments of release prevention plans whenever there is a major modification in the tank which affects the tank's potential to release substances. Sets forth recordkeeping and reporting requirements for field-operated tanks. Prohibits the operation of such tanks after a release unless the Administrator determines that such prohibition is not necessary. Requires the regulations to include requirements for shop-fabricated tanks. Directs the Administrator to: (1) establish an inspection program for such tanks in the factory when construction is complete and before the tanks enter interstate commerce; and (2) require such tanks to bear labels with specified manufacturing, capacity, and use information. Provides for requirements relating to the installation of such tanks. Directs the Administrator, as necessary, to promulgate financial responsibility requirements for taking corrective action and compensating third parties for bodily injury and property damage caused by accidental releases from above-ground storage tanks. Permits the establishment of financial responsibility for a spill by any means the Administrator deems appropriate. Authorizes the assertion of claims against guarantors providing evidence of financial responsibility for claims against insolvent owners or operators of tanks. Limits guarantor liability to the aggregate amount which the guarantor has provided as evidence of financial responsibility to the owner or operator. Authorizes the Administrator to establish coverage requirements which may vary among particular classes or categories of above-ground storage tanks. Permits the Administrator to make grants to States for carrying out enforcement requirements. Authorizes a State to submit for the Administrator's review and approval a program under which such State would assume primary responsibility for the enforcement of regulations pertaining to above-ground storage tanks. Requires that State regulation and enforcement procedures be at least as stringent as those used by the Administrator. Requires the Administrator to: (1) monitor State programs for compliance with this Act's requirements; and (2) provide technical assistance to assist States, local governments, and owners and operators in complying with this title. Authorizes the Administrator to issue compliance orders or commence civil actions against violators of this Act's requirements, but requires that prior notification be given to States operating their own programs. Imposes criminal and civil monetary penalties for violations of this Act's requirements. Makes tank owners and operators liable for the Administrator's corrective action costs and damages. Authorizes the Administrator to require a tank owner or operator to undertake corrective action in response to any release of a regulated substance from the tank when such action will be done properly and promptly. Permits the Administrator, upon notification of a release, to prohibit operations in a facility until such action has been taken. Authorizes the Administrator to take corrective action where the owner or operator fails to take prompt and effective action and human health and the environment are endangered. Prohibits indemnification agreements from transferring liability under this title. Prohibits States or political subdivisions from enforcing requirements for shop-fabricated tanks that are more stringent than those imposed under this title. Authorizes appropriations. Prohibits the Administrator from enforcing financial responsibility regulations with respect to an owner or operator of an underground storage tank if such owner or operator has applied for insurance. Revises provisions concerning financial responsibility for such tanks. Requires the Administrator to evaluate and report to the Congress on the effects of financial responsibility regulations on the cost and availability of insurance used to demonstrate financial responsibility. Title VI: Waste Materials Reduction - Authorizes any person to petition a Federal agency to undertake a waste reduction action if such action would bring about at least a ten percent increase in recycling of the petitioned item, reduce by at least ten percent the total volume or toxic constituents of a waste described in the petition, or would bring about a net savings in true cost to the Federal Government or be neutral in effect or cost. Requires each Federal agency to designate a waste reduction officer to oversee compliance with Federal agency waste reduction requirements, prepare agency waste reduction plans, and report annually to the Administrator on the implementation of such plans. Directs the Administrator to establish a clearinghouse within EPA to collect and disseminate information on waste reduction and recycling. Makes such information available to the public. Requires the Administrator to establish a commission to study and report to the President and the Congress on waste reduction with respect to consumer products and packaging. Provides for the submission of periodic reports by the commission on the status of waste reduction efforts by the Federal Government and industry. Terminates the commission five years after the date of its establishment. Title VII: Procurement and Marketing of Recycled Materials - Applies Federal procurement requirements concerning recycled goods to States or other entities if such entities use funds appropriated to a Federal agency to which such procurement requirements apply. Directs the Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy to report to the Congress on the effect of a certain price preference concerning the procurement of recycled paper products. Requires affirmative procurement programs to include: (1) programs for monitoring compliance by States, political subdivisions, and contractors with recovered materials procurement requirements; and (2) a requirement that paper procured for uses which have enduring value be permanent paper. Requires such agencies to report annually to the Administrator on such programs and on the amount and value of recovered materials procured. Makes such report available to the public. Directs the EPA Administrator to: (1) report biennially to the Congress on the progress made by Federal agencies in implementing recovered materials procurement programs; and (2) review and revise, if necessary, guidelines concerning such programs which were prepared before this Act's enactment. Prohibits Federal agencies from entering into procurement contracts with any persons convicted of specified offenses of the Solid Waste Disposal Act if such a contract is to be performed at the facility at which the violation occurred. Authorizes the President to make exemptions to such prohibition. Requires the President to report annually to the Congress on the implementation of such prohibition. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to conduct a biennial survey that: (1) identifies the major domestic uses for, and users of, recovered and recycled materials; (2) documents or estimates the amounts of such materials used, exported, and imported annually; and (3) identifies the markets for such materials and the products made from such materials. Requires the Secretary and the Administrator to establish an interagency working group to: (1) promote markets in recovered and recycled materials and link sources of such materials with potential markets; (2) work cooperatively with generators, collectors, transporters, users, and regulators of such materials and with manufacturers of products containing such materials; (3) link businesses dealing in such materials with potential sources of capital; (4) educate government and business officials about potential commerce in such materials; (5) coordinate efforts to promote lawful commerce in such materials; (6) encourage reuse and recycling of solid waste; and (7) identify the institutional, economic, and technical barriers to the use of such materials. Directs the Secretary to take such actions as may be necessary to stimulate the development of new domestic markets for such materials. Requires the Secretary and the U.S. Trade Representative to: (1) identify foreign markets for recovered materials and products containing a high content of recycled materials; and (2) assist exporters in selling such materials and products in foreign markets. Title VIII: Financial Assistance - Authorizes the Administrator to provide financial assistance to States with approved solid waste management plans to develop programs to encourage and facilitate recycling. Permits the Administrator to: (1) provide financial assistance to States and local authorities for solid waste management planning; (2) make bonus grants to municipalities or other agencies that demonstrate achievement of a recycling rate greater than 25 percent; (3) make loans to States for waste reduction activities and programs in rural areas to collect household hazardous waste and waste from small quantity generators. Title IX: Other Provisions - Permits Government agencies to retain any amounts received from sales of materials or energy recovered from solid waste. Requires the Administrator to promulgate regulations for the use and composition of compost made from yard waste. Revises oil labeling requirements to direct the Administrator to promulgate regulations requiring packages of lubricating oil (of less than five gallons) sold in commerce to bear a label stating that used oil should be taken to collection centers. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations requiring rigid and semi-rigid plastic packaging and products sold in commerce to bear a label identifying the plastic resin used in such packaging and products. Authorizes the Administrator, subject to certain conditions, to: (1) treat Indian tribes as States under the Solid Waste Disposal Act; (2) delegate to such tribes primary enforcement responsibility for programs under such Act; and (3) provide such tribes grant and contract assistance to carry out such functions. Permits States and Indian tribes, subject to the Administrator's approval, to enter into cooperative agreements to administer such Act. Requires the Administrator to report to the Congress on measures for addressing hazardous and solid wastes and underground storage tanks in Indian country. Directs the Administrator to undertake a continuing program to establish an inventory of hazardous waste sites and solid waste open dumps in Indian country. Requires the Administrator to assist Indian tribes that operate such dumps in upgrading such facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1989
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an excise tax on the use of virgin materials in the manufacture or production of taxable products. Establishes the Recycling Assistance and Solid Waste Management Planning Trust Fund to support certain programs under the Solid Waste Disposal Act. Provides for financing the trust fund with the excise tax on the use of virgin materials.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1989
Waste Export Control Act - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to incorporate requirements for the export of solid waste. Exempts from this Act's requirements waste paper, glass cullet, metal, or plastic that: (1) has been separated from solid waste before export; (2) is exported for incorporation into new products with recycled content; and (3) is not a hazardous waste under the Solid Waste Disposal Act. Authorizes persons to apply to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency for the exemption of other recovered materials. Requires persons exporting exempted materials to notify the Administrator prior to such exporting. Prohibits the export of solid waste from the United States unless there is an agreement between the United States and the receiving country which provides for: (1) the exchange of information regarding such export and its management; (2) cooperation on compliance with, and enforcement of, such agreement; (3) biennial review and revision or suspension of such agreement under certain circumstances; and (4) a prohibition on further transport of such waste from the country of destination without the written consent of parties to the agreement. Deems any agreement concerning shipments of hazardous waste entered into by the United States and in force on this Act's enactment date to meet this Act's requirements for two years following such enactment date. Prohibits the export of solid waste from the United States unless the exporter has obtained a permit from the Administrator. Outlines information to be included in the permit application. Requires the Director of the National Enforcement Investigations Center to submit an investigative report on each applicant to the Administrator. Provides that permittees shall have the continuing duty to provide assistance or information requested by the Administrator or the Center and to cooperate in any inquiry conducted by the Center. Directs the Administrator, before issuing a permit under this Act, to determine that the solid waste will be managed in a manner protective of human health and the environment and which is no less strict than that which would be required if the waste were managed in the United States. Provides that such determination shall assure that certain facility operation and transportation requirements are met. Limits permit terms to a period of five years. Directs the Administrator to report annually to the Congress on all solid waste exports. Prohibits the issuance of any permit unless the Administrator determines that: (1) the waste generator has used reasonable efforts to eliminate or minimize waste generation prior to export; (2) the receiving facility is capable of treating, storing, and disposing of such waste in a manner protective of human health and the environment and no less strict than that which would be required if the waste were managed in the United States; and (3) the application meets the requirements of this Act. Directs the Administrator to make inspections of any permittee and of any facility handling waste subject to a permit, as necessary. Authorizes the Administrator to revoke a permit under specified circumstances. Directs the Administrator to establish a user fee to defray the cost of administering this Act. Requires such fee system to consist of a one-time permit application fee and a waste export permit fee to be paid over the life of the permit. Prescribes civil and criminal penalties for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1989
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the treatment of rental and nonrental real estate activities under the limitations on losses from passive activities.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1989
Deplores the continuing violence in El Salvador and calls for a disengagement of military forces to allow international humanitarian organizations to provide medical attention and supplies to the civilian casualties. Condemns the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) for initiating a military offensive on November 11, 1989. Urges the Government of El Salvador and the FMLN to resume a peaceful dialogue leading to settlement of the conflict. Deplores the murder of six Jesuit priests and two women. Demands that those responsible be brought to justice. Declares that satisfactory resolution of this case will be instrumental in determining continued U.S. support for the Government of El Salvador.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 1989
Screening Mammography Medicare Coverage Act of 1989 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover screening mammographies for women over age 34 under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of the Medicare program.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 1989
Directs the Agency for International Development to use certain unobligated funds to provide medical care and other relief for noncombatant victims of civil strife in Central America. Requires such assistance to be provided only through nonpolitical private and voluntary organizations and international relief organizations. Permits up to half of such assistance to be provided through nonpolitical private and voluntary organizations and international relief organizations operating in Nicaragua. Prohibits such assistance from being provided to or through the Government of Nicaragua.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 1989
National Environmental Education Act - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish an Office of Environmental Education within the Office of External Affairs to carry out this Act. Establishes an Environmental Education and Training Program to train educational professionals in the development and delivery of environmental education and training programs and studies. Directs the Administrator to make an annual grant to an institution of higher education or nonprofit research institution to establish and operate such program. Sets forth application and eligibility requirements and criteria to be considered in awarding such grants. Authorizes the Administrator to enter into cooperative agreements or provide grants to support projects to design, demonstrate, and disseminate practices related to environmental education and training. Outlines activities eligible for grant support and priorities in awarding such grants. Requires the Administrator to publish an annual solicitation for environmental education grants. Authorizes local education agencies, colleges or universities, State education or environmental agencies, or nonprofit agencies to apply for such grants. Limits Federal funds for demonstration projects to 75 percent of the total cost, except in specified instances. Limits such grants to $100,000 and requires 25 percent of all funds obligated under this section to be for grants of no more than $5,000. Requires the Administrator to provide for internships by postsecondary students with Federal agencies involved in environmental issues. Directs the Administrator, to the extent practicable, to support at least 150 internships annually. Makes eligible for participation in such program students enrolled at accredited colleges or universities who have successfully completed at least four courses or the equivalent in environmental sciences. Requires the Administrator to provide for a series of national awards recognizing outstanding contributions to environmental education to include: (1) the Theodore Roosevelt Award for environmental teaching or administration; (2) the Henry David Thoreau Award for literature on the environment and pollution problems; and (3) the Rachel Carson Award for film or print media for public education and information on environmental issues or problems. Provides that recipients of such awards shall be nominated by the Environmental Education Advisory Council. Requires the regional administrator of each EPA office to present an "Outstanding Environmental Educator Award" annually to a teacher or faculty member from a local education agency, college or university, or nonprofit organization in recognition of an outstanding contribution to environmental education. Establishes a National Environmental Education Advisory Council. Requires the Council to report biennially to the Congress on: (1) the extent and quality of environmental education in the Nation's schools; (2) activities conducted pursuant to this Act; (3) obstacles to improving environmental education; and (4) training and skills needed to respond to environmental problems. Establishes the Environmental Education Trust Fund to carry out this Act. Allocates funding for this Act's activities and authorizes 50 percent of penalties received under specified environmental Acts to be appropriated to the Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 1989
Newspaper Incentive Recycling Conservation Act of 1989 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny the use of the accelerated cost recovery system for determining the depreciation deduction for major newspapers that are not using the required percentage of recycled newsprint. Reduces the deduction for trade or business expenses for major newspapers that do not use such required percentage. Establishes an investment tax credit for recycling equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 1989
Authorizes the President, on behalf of the Congress, to present a gold medal to Laurance Spelman Rockefeller in recognition of his leadership on behalf of natural resource conservation and historic preservation. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to provide for the sale of bronze duplicates of the medal.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 1989
Benjamin Franklin Memorial Fire Service Bill of Rights Act - Title I: Minting of Benjamin Franklin National Memorial Commemorative Coin - Benjamin Franklin National Memorial Commemorative Coin Act - Provides for the sale of Benjamin Franklin commemorative coins at a surcharge of which 25 percent shall be paid to the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial and the remainder be distributed in specified percentages to the National Fire Center and Museum Account, the National Hero Scholarship Account, the Firefighter's Tuition Assistance Account, the Hazardous Materials Response Computer Account, the In Search of Excellence Research and Education Account, and the Burn Research Grant Account of the Firefighter Assistance Trust Fund (Fund). Prohibits the issuance of such coins from resulting in any net cost to the Federal government. Title II: Fire Service Bill of Rights - Fire Service Bill of Rights Act - Amends the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to establish a fire service bill of rights. Establishes the National Fire Center and Museum in the District of Columbia to provide information about the fire service and safety to the public and fire services. Funds such museum exclusively through the Fund. Establishes a National Hero Scholarship to fund the higher education of the children or spouse of a deceased firefighter. Establishes a scholarship providing tuition assistance to firefighters for higher education in fire safety or protection. Authorizes the Administrator of the United States Fire Administration to use amounts in the In Search of Excellence Research and Education Account of the Fund to fund other specified programs under the Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974. Establishes the Firefighters Assistance Trust Fund. Places the National Academy for Fire Prevention and Control within the United States Fire Administration. Directs the Administrator to use funds from the Hazardous Materials Response Computer Account of the fund to procure computer equipment for fire services that want such equipment. Directs the Administrator to make a grant from the Burn Research Grant Account of the Fund to one national firefighter's burn foundation dedicated to reducing burn injuries. Requires the Administrator to prepare and make available to State fire marshals, upon request, a manual describing Federal procedures for disposing of surplus property and highlighting how fire services could obtain such property. Directs the Administrator to distribute to such marshals information on the infectious diseases to which firefighters are particularly vulnerable.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 1989
Declares that it is the policy of the United States to recognize Brazil's sovereign authority in the Amazon and that the United States should adopt a policy to encourage and support conservation efforts initiated by Brazil to protect the Amazon forest. Declares that the United States should redouble its efforts to address development within its own borders in an environmentally sound and sustainable manner.
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
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 · 6 October 1989
Food Contamination Prevention Act - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate regulations: (1) prohibiting the transportation in commerce of hazardous, medical, recyclable, and terminal waste in any refrigerated or other vehicle designed for transporting perishable food or in any vehicle that is also used to transport any food, food additive, drug, cosmetic, or device, or any package containing such items; (2) establishing health and safety standards for the transportation in commerce of recyclable and reusable waste in vehicles that are also used to transport any food, food additive, drug, cosmetic, or device, or any package containing such items; (3) requiring any vehicle used to transport solid waste to be labeled in a manner that identifies the vehicle as a dedicated or nondedicated waste vehicle and that identifies the class of waste transported by such vehicle; (4) requiring each solid waste management facility to institute a program to ensure that all nondedicated waste vehicles that are used to transport solid waste are kept free from contaminants through the use of reasonably available current technology; and (5) establishing criteria for three classes of nonhazardous solid waste (reusable, recyclable, and terminal as defined in this Act). Prescribes criminal penalties for violation of such regulations.
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
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 · 5 October 1989
Declares that: (1) Antarctica is a global ecological commons and should be managed under a new agreement among the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties or a protocol to the Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities which should for an indefinite period establish Antarctica as a region closed to commercial minerals development and related activities; (2) under such new agreement, information about minerals or other resources in Antarctica should be obtained under strictly controlled arrangements and should be openly shared in the international scientific community; (3) the Convention is not adequate to protect the environment of Antarctica and could stimulate commercial exploitation; (4) pending the negotiations and entry into force of a new agreement or protocol ensuring the full protection of Antarctica as a global ecological commons, the President should not present the Convention to the Senate for advice and consent to ratification; (5) the United States should support the interim measures presently in force among nations signatory to the Convention; and (6) the negotiation of such a new agreement or protocol should be a major item on the agenda of the pending XV Antarctic Treaty Consultative meeting opening on October 9, 1989.
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
Polish and Hungarian Democracy Initiative of 1989 - Title I: Structural Adjustment - Requires the U.S. Government, to the extent that Poland and Hungary continue to evolve toward pluralism and democracy and develop and implement comprehensive economic reform programs, to: (1) take the leadership in mobilizing international financial institutions to provide timely and appropriate resources to help Poland and Hungary; (2) use the Exchange Stabilization Fund to support the implementation of a plan of the Polish Government to attack hyperinflation and other structural economic problems, address pressing social problems, and carry out comprehensive economic reform; (3) urge all members of the Paris Club of creditor governments and other creditor governments to adopt a generous and early rescheduling program for debts owed by the Polish Government, and reschedule payments due on the debt owed by such Government to the U.S. Government that is payable during FY 1990 through 1994; and (4) make available to Poland U.S. agricultural assistance and encourage parallel efforts by the European Community and other agricultural surplus nations. Sets a minimum level of agricultural assistance to Poland for FY 1990. Requires the President to submit a report to the Congress: (1) describing the steps taken by the U.S. Government under this Act; (2) assessing Poland's requirements for additional agricultural assistance during FY 1990 and for assistance during FY 1991 through 1992; and (3) specifying how much agricultural assistance the President proposes be provided by the United States to meet those requirements. Directs the President to provide to the Congress revised assessments of Poland's requirements for agricultural assistance during FY 1991 through 1992, as additional information becomes available. Title II: Private Sector Development - Authorizes appropriations for the three-year period beginning October 1, 1989, to support the Polish-American Enterprise Fund and the Hungarian-American Enterprise Funds (Enterprise Funds). Authorizes the President to designate two private, nonprofit organizations as eligible to receive funds and support (the Enterprise Funds). Sets forth provisions with respect to the management and administration of such funds, audits, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements. Requires each Enterprise Fund to take into account such considerations as internationally recognized worker and human rights, environmental factors, U.S. economic and employment effects, and the likelihood of commercial viability of the activity receiving assistance from the Enterprise Fund. Requires the Secretary of Labor to provide technical assistance to Poland and Hungary for the implementation of labor market reforms and to facilitate adjustment during the period of economic transition and reform. Specifies types of technical assistance authorized, including assistance pertaining to job training and retraining, labor-management relations, and worker rights. Requires the President to develop and implement a program for extending basic agribusiness, commercial, entrepreneurial, financial, scientific, and technical skills to the people of Poland and Hungary to enable them to better meet their needs and develop a market economy, including management training and agricultural extension activities. Specifies agencies, programs, and organizations participating in such program. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes appropriations to carry out programs in Poland and Hungary under the Peace Corps Act. Directs that a portion of specified agricultural commodities be made available and sold or bartered to generate local currencies to be used to complement the assistance for Poland authorized by this Act. Title III: Trade and Investment - Amends: (1) the Trade Act of 1974 to make Poland eligible for the Generalized System of Preferences; and (2) the Foreign Assistance Act to make Poland and Hungary eligible for Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) programs. Directs the OPIC to support projects in Poland and Hungary which will result in enhancement of the nongovernmental sector and reduction of State involvement in the economy. Amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to remove Poland and Hungary from a list of Marxist-Leninist countries. Directs the Export-Import Bank and the Agency for International Development (AID) to work with certain international financial intermediaries which will facilitate trade between the United States and Poland which is eligible for financing from such Bank. Authorizes the President to provide guarantees to the Bank for liabilities incurred in connection with guarantees or insurance provided under the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 for financing for transactions involving the export of goods and services for the use of the private sector in Poland and Hungary. Limits such guarantees to short-term guarantees and insurance extended by the Banks which shall be repayable within one year from the date of arrival at the port of importation of the goods and services covered by such guarantees or insurance. Provides that such guarantees or insurance shall: (1) be by the Administrator of AID and the Bank; and (2) provide for the establishment of a reserve fund by the administering agency. Sets forth provisions with respect to funding, the discharge of liabilities, reporting requirements, administrative and technical assistance, fees and premiums charged by the Bank, and congressional reporting requirements in connection with guarantees of insurance guaranteed by the administering agency. Authorizes appropriations. Urges the President to seek bilateral investment treaties with Poland and Hungary to establish a more stable legal framework for U.S. investment in those countries. Title IV: Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Activities - Urges the United States to: (1) expand its participation in educational and cultural exchange activities with Poland and Hungary; and (2) establish binational Fulbright commissions with Poland and Hungary to facilitate and enhance academic and scholarly exchanges with those countries. Encourages the establishment of "sister institution" programs between American and Polish, and American and Hungarian, organizations. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Administrator to establish and administer a program to provide scholarships to enable students from Poland and Hungary to study in the United States. Authorizes the Administrator to make grants to States to provide scholarship assistance for undergraduate or graduate degree programs, and training programs of one year or longer, in study areas related to the critical development needs of Poland and Hungary. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of State to continue to implement the 1987 U.S.-Polish science and technology agreement for FY 1990 through 1992. Title V: Other Assistance - Authorizes appropriations to support democratic institutions and activities in Poland and Hungary. Authorizes appropriations to undertake such action (including educational, research, and technical and financial assistance) as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) deems appropriate in protecting the environment in Poland and Hungary. Authorizes the Administrator to cooperate with Polish officials and experts to: (1) establish an air quality monitoring network in the Krakow metropolitan area as part of Poland's national air monitoring network; and (2) improve both water quality and the availability of drinking water in such area. Requires the Administrator to work with the United States and Hungarian officials and private parties to establish a regional center in Budapest for facilitating cooperative environmental activities between governmental experts and public and private organizations from the United States and Europe. Authorizes appropriations for EPA activities for FY 1990 through 1992. Directs the Secretary of Energy to cooperate with Polish officials and experts to: (1) retrofit a coal-fired commercial powerplant in Krakow, Poland, with advanced clean coal technology; and (2) assess and develop the capability within Poland to manufacture boilers or other equipment that will enable industrial facilities within Poland to burn fossil fuels cleanly. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes appropriations for medical supplies, hospital equipment, and training of Polish medical personnel. Title VI: Other Provisions - Requires: (1) the President to submit a report to the Congress on actions taken pursuant to this Act; and (2) the Secretary of State to coordinate the assistance for Poland and Hungary provided for in this Act.
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 · 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
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
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
Prohibits the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from enforcing, during the 12-month period following the enactment of this Act, its underground petroleum storage tank financial responsibility regulations promulgated pursuant to the Solid Waste Disposal Act with respect to certain underground tank owners. Permits enforcement after such period if the Administrator of the EPA determines that such enforcement would not impose an unjust economic burden on the owners. Requires the Administrator to conduct a study for the purpose of identifying the principal economic difficulties associated with compliance by underground tank owners with EPA technical standards for such tanks. Directs the Administrator to report the results of such study to specified congressional committees. Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to: (1) delete the requirement that regulations under such Act include provisions for compensation of third parties for injury and property damage caused by accidental releases from underground storage tanks; and (2) reduce financial responsibility requirements for specified underground petroleum storage tanks.
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 · 18 September 1989
Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover an annual screening mammography for women over age 64.