United States · United States Congress · 21 June 1990
RICO Amendments Act of 1990 - Amends the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) to provide that: (1) a pattern of racketeering activity requires at least two acts of racketeering activity which are related to one another or to a common external organizing principle and which constitute a threat of continuing activity; and (2) two or more acts which are part of a single episode constitute a single racketeering act. Provides that a specified civil remedy that allows persons injured by racketeering violations to recover treble damages and the cost of the suit shall be available only upon proof by clear and convincing evidence and when its use serves the public interest and provides appropriate deterrence against the repetition of egregious criminal conduct. Requires particularity in pleadings in RICO cases. Limits such recovery unless such requirement is met or the defendant with respect to whom the claim is made was convicted of a RICO violation or: (1) the remedy is appropriate because of the magnitude of the injury; (2) the defendant was a major participant in criminal conduct that was responsible for the injury; and (3) the remedy is needed to deter future egregious criminal conduct. Grants U.S. district courts exclusive jurisdiction of civil RICO proceedings. Excludes various forms of nonviolent public speech from the definition of "racketeering activity." Authorizes courts to limit recovery to actual damages and the costs of the suit for civil actions commencing before this Act's enactment (and for which final orders have not been issued) if: (1) the nature of the claim is such that it would have been dismissed under this Act; and (2) the limit on recovery is consistent with the interest of justice.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 1990
Flag Protection Act of 1990 - Amends the Federal criminal code to establish criminal penalties for: (1) destroying or damaging a U.S. flag with intent to provoke imminent violence; and (2) stealing or converting to personal use and intentionally destroying or damaging a U.S. flag belonging to the United States or belonging to another while on Federal land. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the States should enact similar prohibitions to provide maximum protection to the U.S. flag.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1990
Amtrak Reauthorization and Improvement Act of 1990 - Amends the Rail Passenger Service Act to authorize appropriations through FY 1992 for the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak). Limits the liability for certain rail accidents occurring in the District of Columbia to no more than the limits of coverage maintained by a publicly funded commuter transportation authority established under Virginia law to indemnify Amtrak or any railroad over which the authority conducts its operations. Authorizes the use of proceeds from the sale of railroad lines that were acquired and rehabilitated with funds under the Rail Safety and Service Improvement Act of 1982 for similar purposes with respect to railroad lines connected with such a line for the purpose of continued rail service on them. Requires Amtrak to cooperate with the efforts of the Washington State Department of Transportation in designing a study of the feasibility of reestablishing rail service between Seattle, Washington, and Vancouver, British Columbia. Directs Amtrak to study and report to the Congress on the revenue and cost implications of separating the California Zephyr-Desert Wind-Pioneer train into two service routes serving a southern and a control route through Iowa. Prohibits the compensation of any rail or motor carrier employee who works in more than one State from being subject to State income taxes in any State but the State in which the employee resides. Amends the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act to treat Amtrak as a publicly funded rail carrier with respect to its contribution toward employees' unemployment compensation benefits. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to study and report to the Congress on the potential need among Class II and Class III railroads for Federal guarantees of obligations for funding rehabilitation and improvement of facilities and equipment, acquisition of new railroad facilities, or refinancing of existing debt. Directs Amtrak to report to the Congress on its plan to eliminate its need for Federal operating support by the year 2000. Requires Amtrak to study the economic feasibility of providing new service to areas not served by it as of the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 1990
Korean War Veterans Memorial Thirty-Eighth Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act - Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should recognize the 38th anniversary of the Korean War by minting and issuing a silver dollar coin. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue one-dollar silver coins to commemorate the 38th anniversary of the ending of the Korean War. Terminates such authority after December 31, 1991. Mandates that surcharges from the sale of such coins be used for the Korean War Veterans Memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1990
Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 1990 - Title I: Amendments to Acts - Amends the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA) to set a 12-month deadline, subject to extension, on the issuance of any proposed consumer product safety rule after the date of publication of an advance notice of proposed rulemaking. Requires a feasibility study on requiring entities subject to the CPSA to pay amounts to the Consumer Product Safety Commission to defray the costs of Commission services to the entities. Amends the CPSA, the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA), and the Flammable Fabrics Act (FFA) (the Acts) to: (1) allow the Commission to terminate a rulemaking or regulation proceeding and rely on a voluntary standard only if such standard is in existence; (2) allow (in some circumstances require) the Commission to devise procedures to monitor voluntary standards compliance; and (3) require the Commission to grant or deny a petition to initiate a rulemaking within a reasonable time after the petition is filed, with the Commission prohibited from denying a petition on the basis of a voluntary standard unless the standard is in existence and other requirements are met. Amends the CPSA to direct the President, in making appointments to the Commission, to at least consider individuals with experience in the safety of consumer products or in related fields. Revises quorum requirements applicable to periods in which there are vacancies on the Commission. Creates the position of Director of Compliance, makes the Director an officer of the Commission, and requires the Director to be an attorney. Makes certain existing positions officers of the Commission and removes the pay cap on those positions. Allows the Chairman, with the approval of the Commission, to remove officers. Amends the FHSA and the FFA to empower an attorney general of a State who alleges a violation under those Acts to bring a civil action for enforcement. Amends the CPSA to add to the list of reasons a manufacturer is required to notify the Commission that of: (1) apparent failure to comply with a voluntary standard; and (2) the product being the subject of a civil action. Prohibits the Commission from disclosing information about a civil action. Amends the CPSA to increase, and the FHSA and the FFA to establish, basic and maximum civil monetary penalties for prohibited acts. Requires increases in the maximum penalties for inflation. Amends the CPSA to require the Commission to annually establish an agenda and priorities for Commission action under the Acts under its jurisdiction. Requires, subject to exception, a presiding hearing officer to transmit any settlement offer to the Commission. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Related Provisions - Directs the Commission to: (1) study and report to the Congress on whether a special flammability standard is needed for sleepwear (other than for children); and (2) pursue its pending proceedings to establish a safety standard for cigarette lighters. Revises the CPSA definition of "amusement ride." Includes amusement rides expressly within the framework of such Act, subjecting them to public disclosure and inspection requirements and to notification and remedy provisions applicable to substantial product hazards when serious injury occurs. Directs the Commission to issue rules in this regard by July 1, 1991. Directs the Commission to: (1) report to the Congress on its activities to reduce exposure of individuals to an enumerated list of indoor air pollutants; (2) issue a consumer product safety standard to require cautionary labeling in connection with certain toys intended for use by children at least three years old; (3) submit to the Congress a report including specified information about particular products that pose a major hazard to children; and (4) conduct a survey to determine compliance with voluntary industry manufacturing guidelines designed to reduce the entrapment of children in reclining chairs and report the results to the Congress. Requires the Commission to initiate proceedings to establish a safety standard for reclining chairs if a substantial lack of compliance is found.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1990
Designates June 25, 1990, as Korean War Remembrance Day. Authorizes and requests the President to urge that the American flag be flown at half staff on such day in honor of the Americans who died as a result of their service in the Korean War.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1990
Medigap Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act of 1990 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to penalize individuals who issue, sell, or renew Medicare supplemental policies which are in violation of this Act's standards or offer to sell a policy in a State that has not approved such policy. Requires that Medicare supplemental policy issuers: (1) cover a core group of basic benefits and, if they offer other benefits, issue a policy covering only such basic benefits; (2) provide prospective purchasers of a policy with a summary information sheet describing policy benefits and the amount of any premiums attributable to optional benefits; (3) guarantee the renewability of policies; (4) offer each group policyholder terminating their coverage or group membership the right to continued coverage under an individual policy (the policyholder ending his or her group membership may also opt for continued coverage under the group policy) or, if the old group policy is replaced by a new group policy, the right to coverage under a new group policy without exclusion for preexisting conditions; and (5) suspend policy benefits and premiums upon the policyholder's indication that he or she is entitled to Medicaid (title XIX of the Social Security Act) benefits. Requires the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) or, upon the NAIC's default, the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate simplification standards which set the core group of basic benefits policies must provide, limit the additional benefit packages that may be provided, and establish a uniform language and format to be used with respect to policy benefits. Prohibits the sale of policies which do not meet such standards, though permits approved waivers of such standards to test new or innovative benefits. Directs the Secretary to request the NAIC to educate Medicare beneficiaries on the simplification standards. Increases the civil monetary penalty for knowingly selling a policy which duplicates health benefits to which an individual is already entitled. Permits persons aggrieved by duplicative coverage to recover triple damages in a civil suit. Prohibits a policy issuer from selling a policy without: (1) obtaining a written statement of the buyer indicating any health policies of the same type or Medicaid coverage the buyer may have; and (2) notifying the buyer of the possibility and effect of their coverage under the Medicaid program and the address and telephone number of any State Medicare supplemental policy counseling program and the State Medicaid office. Prohibits the issuer from selling a policy to a person who indicates that he or she is covered by the Medicaid program or has duplicative health benefits. Penalizes individuals who sell a policy in violation of such requirements. Increases the percentage of premiums which must be returned to policyholders as benefits. Establishes a process whereby States must approve premium increases prior to their implementation. Requires public hearings for any premium increase request exceeding twice the percentage increase in the medical care component of the consumer price index. Limits Medicare supplemental policy sales commissions. Authorizes appropriations for a matching grant program to assist States in establishing counseling programs to aid Medicare-eligible individuals in choosing Medicare supplemental policies. Prohibits such policies from denying a claim for losses incurred more than six months from the effective date of coverage for a preexisting condition.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1990
Emergency Food and Drug Enforcement Act of 1990 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to debar an individual from submitting any application for approval of a new drug, or for a different or additional use of a previously approved drug, if the individual has been convicted of a Federal felony in connection with the development or approval of any drug. Prohibits the Secretary from taking any action on any application submitted by such an individual. Authorizes the Secretary to debar an individual and take no action on an application if the individual: (1) has been convicted of a Federal or State criminal offense in connection with the development or approval of a drug under such provisions, or involving bribery, fraud, or a similar crime, or obstruction of justice; (2) was named by a U.S. Attorney or a Federal grand jury as an unindicted coconspirator involving such an act; or (3) knowingly used the services of a debarred person. Provides for temporary denial of approval upon probable cause to believe that there has been an actual or attempted bribe or illegal gratuity, or that there has been a pattern of false statements, or a knowing and serious endangering of the public health or safety through multiple violations of the FDCA. Prohibits discrimination by an employer against any employee because the employee participated in the implementation of the debarment or temporary denial provisions of this Act. Requires drug approval applications to certify that the applicant did not and will not use the services of a debarred person in connection with the application. Sets forth civil monetary penalties for false statements, bribes, destruction, or alteration of evidence, obstruction, use of (or actions by) a debarred person, and other acts. Directs the Secretary to suspend for three years the distribution of drugs under any application of the person involved if the Secretary finds a pattern or practice of offenses or acts, for which this Act provides civil penalties, in connection with the development, approval, manufacturing, or distribution of two or more drugs. Prohibits such a finding if the person demonstrates that the offenses or acts did not influence the development, approval, manufacturing, or distribution. Allows the Secretary to waive the suspension if necessary to protect the public health. Directs the Secretary to withdraw approval if there are reasonable grounds to believe that the application was approved, expedited, or otherwise facilited, in whole or in part, through actual or attempted bribery, fraud, or false statement. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury: (1) to destroy any food, drugs, devices, or cosmetics being imported or offered for import if the article presents a threat to the public health; and (2) pending decision on the admission of an article, on request of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, refuse to authorize delivery of the article to the owner or consignee. Prohibits claims for payment for any samples collected, delivered, or examined. Requires manufacturers of low-acid foods for export to the United States, and importers of such foods, to register with the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Directs the Secretary to establish procedures for the registering of identifying marks used by food processing establishments producing such foods. Adds failure to register to the list of prohibited acts under the FDCA. Authorizes the Inspector General to investigate various matters involving the Food and Drug Administration, including allegations of employee misconduct; false or fraudulent materials or records; fraud, false claims, waste, or abuse; felony violations of the FDCA; and illegal sale under Federal law of a drug which is not a controlled substance. Includes agents of the Inspector General in the delineation of powers under the FDCA of enforcement personnel conducting examinations, investigations, or inspections. Removes the requirement that those examinations, investigations, or inspections relate to counterfeit drugs. Declares that provisions prohibiting the disclosure of trade secrets do not authorize the withholding of information from the Congress or its committees or subcommittees. Directs the Secretary to maintain for public inspection certain information concerning applications for drug approval, including the names of the persons conducting the chemistry and bioequivalence reviews.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 1990
Breast and Cervical Cancer Mortality Prevention Act of 1990 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control, to make grants to States, with regard to breast and cervical cancers, for screening, referrals and follow-up services, public information and education programs, education and training for health professionals, quality monitoring of screening, and evaluations of such activities. Sets forth preferences in making the grants and requires equitable geographical distribution. Requires matching non-Federal funds in a specified ratio. Requires that States agree to: (1) provide all of certain services by a specified date; (2) switch to any improved screening procedures which become available; and (3) assure the quality of any screening procedures used. Directs the Secretary to establish guidelines for assuring the quality of mammography and cytological screening conducted under these provisions. Requires that low-income women be given priority in the provision of services. Requires that a charge for services, if any: (1) be made according to a public schedule; (2) be adjusted for income of the women involved; and (3) not be imposed on women with an income below the poverty line. Requires services to be provided throughout a State, including to members of any Indian tribe or tribal organization. Prohibits using grant funds for inpatient services. Authorizes the Secretary to provide training and technical assistance. Directs the Secretary to provide for annual evaluations of programs carried out under this Act. Authorizes appropriations. Limits the number of grants made to seven in FY 1991.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1990
Satellite Viewers' Rights Act - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require providers of satellite-delivered television programming to: (1) make such programming available to home satellite users for private viewing; (2) establish reasonable and nondiscriminatory criteria for such programming when making it available through any other person for distribution so that non-cable distributors shall qualify to distribute such programming for private viewing by home satellite antenna users; and (3) establish prices, terms, and conditions for the wholesale distribution of satellite-delivered programming which do not discriminate in distribution to distributors for cable television subscribers and distributors to home satellite antenna users. Allows for the charging of different rates which are attributable to differences in cost, volume discounts, bona fide prior agreements, or to the transmission of network television programming by any person who encrypts such programming if such person is not engaged directly in retail distribution of programming to home satellite antenna users and is not affiliated with any cable television system operator. Allows persons affected by violations of this Act to bring an action in a U.S. district court or other appropriate court. Provides remedies and fines for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1990
Declares that the Congress acknowledges and appreciates the commitment, devotion, and sacrifices of present and former military families. Designates November 19, 1990, as National Military Families Recognition Day.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1990
Designates the Federal building at 340 North Pleasant Valley Road, Winchester, Virginia, known as the Winchester Post Office, as the J. Kenneth Robinson Postal Building.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1990
Special Program of Recreational Training Act of 1990 - Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make grants for youth sports programs in public housing projects with substantial drug problems to qualified: (1) States; (2) local governments; (3) public housing agencies; and (4) nonprofit organizations providing youth sports services programs. Amends the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 to allocate appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1990
Bone Marrow Registry Act of 1990 - Amends provisions of the Public Health Service Act providing for the establishment of a voluntary bone marrow donor registry to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to ensure that the types of marrow represented in the registry provide adequate representation of the U.S. population. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1990
Medicare Nursing Facility Access Improvement Act of 1990 - Amends part A (Hospital Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to eliminate the prior hospitalization prerequisite to eligibility for Medicare nursing facility services.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1990
Contraception and Infertility Research Centers Act of 1990 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the Institute of Child Health and Human Development to make grants and enter into contracts for centers for improving methods of contraception and centers for diagnosing and treating infertility. Requires the Director, subject to appropriations, to provide for three centers with respect to contraception and two centers with respect to infertility. Requires each center to: (1) conduct clinical and other applied research; (2) develop training protocols for and conduct training of physicians, scientists, nurses, and other health and allied health professionals; (3) develop model continuing education programs; and (4) disseminate information to such professionals. Allows a center to use the funds to provide: (1) stipends for health and allied health professionals enrolled in the training programs; and (2) fees to individuals serving as subjects in the clinical trials. Requires each center to use the facilities of a single institution, or be formed from a consortium of cooperating institutions, meeting requirements as prescribed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Allows support for a center to be for a period of up to five years, with extensions of one or more periods of up to five years if the center's operations have been reviewed by a peer review group and the group has so recommended. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary to establish a program of entering into agreements with health professionals, including graduate students, under which the professionals agree to conduct research with respect to contraception or infertility in consideration of the Government agreeing to repay, for each year of such service, not more than a specified amount of the principal and interest of their educational loans. Applies provisions of the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program to this program, except as inconsistent. Authorizes appropriations. Requires amounts appropriated to remain available until the end of the second fiscal year after they are appropriated.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 1990
National Health Service Corps Revitalization Amendments of 1990 - Title I: Revisions in General Program for National Health Service Corps - Amends the Public Health Service Act provisions relating to the purpose of the National Health Service Corps to require that the Secretary of Health and Human Services use the Corps to provide primary health services in health manpower shortage areas. Removes a limitation on the dollar amount of pay increases which may be granted to a Corps member during the first 36 months of service. Removes provisions directing the Secretary, in assigning Corps members, to: (1) give priority to meeting Indian Health Service and other indian tribe or tribal organization needs; and (2) provide special consideration to homeless populations who do not have access to primary health care services. Applies certain definitions to provisions relating to Corps scholarship and loan programs as well as to provisions relating directly to the Corps. Requires that a complete descriptive list of health manpower shortage areas be published in the Federal Register by specified deadlines. Includes in the definition of "medical facility": (1) health programs or facilities operated by a tribe or tribal organization; and (2) facilities used in connection with provisions relating to health services for homeless individuals. Allows the Secretary to assign members of the Corps to an entity to provide health services in a health manpower shortage area only if there has been (currently, will be) appropriate and efficient use of Corps members assigned to that entity for the area. Removes certain provisions relating to priorities and considerations in assigning Corps personnel, replacing some such provisions with similarly worded provisions. Sets forth the exclusive factors the Secretary may consider in determining the areas with the greatest shortages. Requires annual publication in the Federal Register of a list of areas that are to be given priority in the assignment of Corps members and, for FY 1991, a list of entities authorized to receive assignments of Corps members. Replaces provisions relating to grants and contracts for programs respecting preparation for practice of individuals subject to a service obligation with provisions: (1) concerning consideration of characteristics of Corps members in making assignments; (2) requiring certain types of counseling of Corps members; (3) requiring assistance to Corps members in establishing local professional relationships; (4) directing the Secretary to provide assistance regarding temporary relief from Corps duties in order to pursue continuing education or other interests, including vacations; and (5) directing the Secretary to carry out activities to determine the characteristics of health professionals who are more likely to remain in shortage areas after completion of Corps service, and to determine the appropriate conditions for the assignment of certified nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and physician assistants. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Scholarship and Loan Repayment Programs of National Health Service Corps - Replaces measures providing for the establishment of the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program with similar provisions directing the Secretary to establish such a Scholarship Program to assure, with respect to primary health services, an adequate supply of health professionals. (Current law makes no reference to primary health services.) Requires that an agreement to work as a provider of primary health services in a shortage area (currently, an agreement to work in a shortage area) be a part of the scholarship contract. Alters the priorities in providing contracts under the Scholarship Program to include an individual with characteristics that increase the probability that the individual will continue to serve in a shortage area after completion of obligated service. Changes the required contents of an annual report mandated by current law regarding the Scholarship Program. Replaces measures providing for the establishment of the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program with similar provisions directing the Secretary to establish such a Loan Repayment Program to assure, with respect to the provision of primary health services, an adequate supply of health professionals. (Current law makes no reference to primary health services.) Requires that an agreement to work as a provider of primary health services in a shortage area (currently, an agreement to work in a shortage area) be a part of the loan repayment contract. Changes eligibility procedures for the Loan Repayment Program. Replaces provisions governing priorities in providing loan repayment contracts with provisions directing the Secretary to give priority to an individual who has characteristics that increase the probability that the individual will continue to serve in a shortage area after completion of obligated service. Increases the limit on the amount the Secretary may pay for each year of obligated service. Removes provisions allowing fulfillment of a service obligation in the Indian Health Service or in a program or facility operated by a tribe or a tribal organization. Requires (currently, allows) the Secretary to pay all (currently, part or all) of any increase in Federal income tax liability of an individual which arises as a result of the loan repayments. Changes the required contents of an annual report mandated by current law regarding the Loan Repayment Program. Requires that an annual report concerning the Scholarship Program and the Loan Repayment Program cover the next five years rather than the next three years. Authorizes appropriations, requiring set-asides in certain percentages for new applicants and for applicants in specified fields. Title III: State Offices of Rural Health - Authorizes the Secretary, through the Director of the Office of Rural Health Policy, to make grants to States for improving health care in rural areas through the operation of State offices of rural health. Requires recipient States to agree that such office will be provided with a minimum annual budget. Authorizes appropriations. Prohibits making grants under this program after the aggregate amounts appropriated reach a specified level. Title IV: General Provisions - Specifies the effective dates of provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 1990
Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to provide that the definition of "owner or operator" (for purposes of liability) does not include: (1) a designated lending institution which acquires control of a facility pursuant to the terms of a security interest held by the person in such facility or in connection with a lease subject to Federal or State banking authorities; (2) a corporate fiduciary which operates or has legal title to a facility pursuant to the terms of an estate or trust; (3) an individual or institution that serves as an indenture trustee and acquires control of a facility as the result of default on a financing document between the trustee and the issuing entity; and (4) an individual fiduciary who has legal title to a facility for purposes of administering an estate or trust.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 1990
Rural Nursing Incentive Act of 1990 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide direct coverage under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of the Medicare program of nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist services furnished in rural areas. Sets the Medicare payment for such services at 80 percent of the lesser of the actual charge or the prevailing charge that would have been recognized had the services been performed by a physician. Requires that such payments be made on an assignment-related basis.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 1990
Medicaid Home Respiratory Care Act of 1990 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require States to cover home respiratory care services for ventilator-dependent individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 1990
Medicare Physician Regulation Relief Amendments of 1990 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require carriers and peer review organizations to release the medical review screen or the associated screening parameter to a physician before notifying such physician that payment for his or her service has been denied. Permits Medicare reimbursement of a patient's regular physician for services provided to such patient by another physician who occasionally covers for the regular physician. Requires Medicare carriers to provide physicians, upon request and without charge, with carrier-generated information which physicians need to submit a payment claim or respond to a carrier inquiry. Allows a medical society or other professional organization representing physicians to represent a group or class of physicians in Medicare payment determinations, reconsiderations, or appeals. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to appoint, based on nominations submitted by national medical organizations representing physicians, a Practicing Physicians Advisory Council with which the Secretary must consult concerning changes in the Medicare program and proposed changes in regulations and carrier operation policies.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 1990
Allied Health Professionals Promotion Act of 1990 - Amends provisions of the Public Health Service Act relating to grants and contracts concerning training of allied health personnel to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to allocate 75 percent of the funds authorized to those allied health fields the Secretary determines to have: (1) the most significant shortages of practitioners; and (2) a significant role in the care and rehabilitation of patients who are elderly or disabled. Makes payments of tuition under these provisions to, or on behalf of, a participating student notwithstanding other law, exempt from taxation. Authorizes appropriations. Changes the amount of currently authorized appropriations for traineeships for advanced training of allied health personnel. Establishes the Division of Allied Health Professions within the Health Resources and Services Administration's Bureau of Health Professions in order to consolidate and focus the efforts of the Federal Government in support of allied health education, training, and research. Establishes within the Division the Advisory Council on Allied Health. Directs the Secretary to establish a two-year pilot program to make grants to support innovative allied health research projects. Requires the program to be administered through the Division. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 1990
State Offices of Rural Health Act of 1990 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Director of the Office of Rural Health Policy, to make grants to States to improve the availability, quality, and cost-effectiveness of rural health care. Requires State grant recipients to expend the grant for operation of an office of rural health. Directs the Secretary to: (1) annually convene a conference of representatives of the Office of Rural Health Policy and of the offices operated under this Act to discuss such improvements; and (2) request the attendance of representatives of such State offices without regard to whether a State is a grantee. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 1990
Rural Hospital Payment Equity Act of 1990 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to equalize average standardized Medicare payments for urban and rural hospitals. Requires the Security of Health and Human Services to collect data on compensation and paid hours of employment for hospital employees in various occupational categories and use such data to establish a professional and non-professional occupational component for each area wage index used in reimbursing hospitals for wage-related costs. Directs the Secretary to develop a legislative proposal allowing for the adjustment of a rural hospital's wage index by substituting the professional occupational component of the wage index used in the nearest metropolitan area for the professional occupational component that would otherwise apply to such rural hospital's area wage index.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 1990
Textile, Apparel, and Footwear Trade Act of 1990 - Limits the 1990 imports of textiles and textile products classified under a category to an amount equal to 101 percent of the total 1989 imports classified under such category. Limits the 1990 imports of nonrubber footwear classified under a nonrubber footwear category to an amount equal to: (1) the total 1989 imports of nonrubber footwear classified under such category; and (2) in the case of high priced nonrubber footwear, the total 1989 imports of high priced nonrubber footwear classified under such category. Provides for a one-percent annual growth in the amount of permitted imports of textiles and textile products after 1990. Exempts from the limitations imposed under this Act imports of textiles and textile products from U.S. possessions if such articles are exempt from duty under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States and are manufactured by U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents of such a possession. Limits the imports of certain sweaters made in Guam to a specified amount during FY 1990 and to such amount increased by one percent per year in subsequent years. Declares such limitations shall not apply to Canada or Israel. Sets forth limitations on the amount of textile and textile products, classified under certain import categories, which may be imported from beneficiary countries under the Caribbean Basin Initiative. Authorizes the President to: (1) enter into trade agreements to grant new concessions as compensation to the extent required under U.S. trade agreements for the import limits imposed by this Act; and (2) proclaim such modification or continuance of any existing duty on textiles and textile products and on nonrubber footwear as necessary to carry out such agreements. Prohibits the President from reducing any rate of duty by more than ten percent. Requires the President, before entering into such trade agreements, to consider whether a country has violated trade concessions of benefit to the United States and the violation has not been adequately offset. Sets forth requirements governing staged rate reductions in the tariffs of articles affected by this Act. Prohibits the President, except as authorized by this Act, from entering into trade negotiations with any country with respect to duties on textiles, textile products, and nonrubber footwear. Prohibits the President, except as provided in this Act, from decreasing or proposing a decrease in any such duty by any means, including an implementing bill or a proclamation. Requires the President to report annually to the Congress on the administration of this Act. Requires the Secretary of Commerce, ten years after enactment of this Act, to study and report to the Congress on its operation. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a pilot program for the issuance and sale to U.S. companies at public auction of import licenses applicable to categories of textiles. Terminates such licensing program on December 31, 1991, and requires a report to the Congress on its administration.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 1990
Amends the Clean Air Act to add, as a new title, the Relief for Terminated Workers Act. Requires the Secretary of Labor to establish the following benefits for employees terminated as a result of revisions of the Clean Air Act: (1) readjustment allowances similar to trade readjustment allowances under the Trade Act of 1974; and (2) programs for employment services, job search, and relocation allowances similar to programs under such Act. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 1990
Investment Advisors Disclosure and Enforcement Act of 1990 - Amends the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 to subject registered investment advisers (and persons controlling such advisers) to liability to persons injured by such advisers' violations of such Act. Prescribes prohibited practices regarding securities recommendations and sets forth disclosure requirements regarding conflicts of interests for investment advisers. Expands the definition of investment planners and related businesses. Authorizes the Securities and Exchange Commission to assess civil penalties and to seek court actions to enforce them.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 1990
Expresses the sense of the Congress that foreign language instruction should begin at the elementary school level. Urges State and local educational agencies to initiate programs of foreign language instruction in elementary schools. Supports the statements of: (1) the National Governors' Association calling for such programs; and (2) the Follow-Up Committee to the Wingspread Consultation on Elementary School Foreign Languages, calling for establishment of a Blue Ribbon Commission to address the national agenda for foreign language instruction in elementary schools.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 1990
Superconducting Super Collider Project Authorization Act of 1990 - Amends the Department of Energy Organization Act to establish the position of Under Secretary for the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) to facilitate the management and decisionmaking of the Federal Government regarding the SSC and to ensure responsibility and accountability. Requires the establishment of an SSC Project Office at the site of the SSC. Abolishes the Under Secretary position two years after completion of the construction of the SSC. Authorizes the Secretary of Energy to enter into arrangements with persons or consortia for participation in the research and development, design, construction, or operation of the SSC. Establishes in the Treasury the Superconducting Super Collider Fund to contain unexpended balances of appropriations made for the SSC before enactment of this Act as well as State, international, and other non-Federal cash contributions received under this Act, plus appropriations under this Act. Authorizes appropriations to the Fund. Authorizes appropriations from the Fund to the Secretary for expenditures in accordance with this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to make expenditures from the Fund, as provided in appropriations Acts, for construction and associated activities, including equipment procurement and research and development. Directs the Secretary to negotiate with the State selected as the SSC site (Texas) to mutually agree on a schedule for making cash and in-kind contributions to the SSC and on the composition of the contributions. Requires, if Federal support is withdrawn before October 1, 1995, a refund of cash payments and in-kind contributions made by the State from amounts available to the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to secure commitments for international contributions covering between 20 and 33 percent of the SSC cost. Authorizes the Secretary to accept contributions from other non-Federal sources. Directs the Secretary to try to devise creative funding mechanisms that minimize SSC construction costs. Sets forth SSC contract eligibility requirements for domestic and foreign firms. Prohibits use of funds authorized under this Act for any activity not directly related to the construction of the SSC.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1990
Tourism Policy and Export Promotion Act of 1990 - Declares it to be the national goal to increase U.S. export earnings from U.S. tourism and transportation services with an eye toward: (1) the elimination of the travel and tourism export deficit of the United States and the U.S trade deficit; and (2) the achievement of a travel and tourism export surplus. Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to require the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to identify foreign trade barriers to U.S. travel and tourism. Requires the USTR to submit the National Trade Estimate to the President and the Senate Committees on Finance and Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Amends the International Trade Act of 1961 to require each annual tourism trade development plan to focus on those countries in which tourism trade development has the greatest potential for increasing travel and tourism export revenues. Declares that the Congress finds that increased efforts directed at the promotion of rural tourism will contribute to the economic development of rural America. Establishes the Rural Tourism Foundation. Authorizes appropriations.
![Official portrait of Rep. Boucher, Rick [D-VA-9]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b000657_200.jpg)