United States · United States Congress · 2 October 1992
Native American Veterans' Home Loan Equity Act of 1992 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish and implement a pilot program under which the Secretary may make direct housing loans to aid Native American (Indian, Alaska or Hawaii native, or Pacific Islander) veterans in purchasing, constructing, or improving dwellings on trust land. Requires such loans to be made in a variety of geographic areas and in areas experiencing a variety of economic circumstances. Prohibits any such loans from being made after the end of FY 1997. Authorizes the Secretary to make such a direct housing loan to a Native American if: (1) the Secretary has entered into a memorandum of understanding with respect to such loans with the tribal organization having jurisdiction over such veteran; and (2) the memorandum is in effect when the loan is made. Outlines provisions to be included in each such memorandum. Prohibits entering into any such memorandum unless the Secretary determines that it provides standards and procedures necessary for the reasonable protection of the financial interests of the United States. Limits to $80,000 the principal amount of any such loan, but authorizes the Secretary to exceed such amount in a geographic area in which housing costs are significantly higher than average housing costs nationwide. Sets forth provisions concerning loan interest rates and credit underwriting standards. Directs the Secretary to determine the reasonable value of the interest in property that will serve as security for a loan made under this Act and to establish procedures for appraisals upon which to base such determinations. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish minimum requirements for planning, construction or improvement, and general acceptability relating to any direct loan; and (2) establish credit underwriting standards to be used in evaluating such loans. Requires loans to be repaid in monthly installments. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) make advances to provide for repairs, alterations, and improvements and to meet incidental expenses of the loan transaction; and (2) take any other actions and make any necessary determinations with respect to expenses, rules and regulations, and the use of persons, organizations, or departments or agencies to carry out his functions. Directs the Secretary to carry out an outreach program to inform tribal organizations and Native American veterans of the pilot program and the availability of direct housing loans for Native American veterans residing on trust lands. Establishes in the Treasury the Native American Veteran Housing Loan Program Account to carry out financial activities relating to the making of loans under this Act. Directs the Secretary, in carrying out the pilot program, to consider the views and recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Native-American Veterans established under the Veteran's Health-Care Amendments of 1986. Directs the Secretary to report annually in 1994 through 1998 to the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees on: (1) the pilot program and recommendations for legislation regarding the program; (2) the exercise of authority to exceed the maximum loan limit; and (3) the real property appraisals performed for the Secretary during such year. Allows new direct loan obligations for Native American veteran housing loans under this Act to be incurred only to the extent that appropriations to cover their anticipated cost are made in advance. Authorizes appropriations for such loans for FY 1993.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 1992
United States-Mexico Border Environmental Zone Protection Act - Establishes the United States-Mexico Border Environmental Zone Protection Fund to be used by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to investigate and respond to conditions which present a threat to the land, air, or water resources of the United States-Mexico border region (Border Environmental Zone). Authorizes the Administrator, whenever conditions exist which present a substantial threat to the land, air, or water resources in such region, to declare an environmental emergency. Permits the Governors of the States of Arizona, California, New Mexico, or Texas or the governing body of a federally recognized Indian tribe to petition for the declaration of an environmental emergency in such region. Prohibits the Administrator from declaring an emergency if the condition is within the sole jurisdiction of the International Boundary and Water Commission. Authorizes the Administrator to establish a system for information sharing and for early warning to the United States and affected States, political subdivisions, and Indian tribes of environmental problems affecting the Border Environmental Zone. Requires the Administrator to establish a United States-Mexico Border Environmental Zone Protection Advisory Committee to: (1) monitor and study environmental conditions within the Border Environmental Zone; and (2) make recommendations for ongoing environmental protection in such zone. Directs the Secretary of State, acting through the United States Commissioner, International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico, to conclude agreements with the Ministry of Foreign Relations of Mexico for: (1) the correction of border sanitation problems in international streams forming or crossing the boundary between the United States and Mexico; and (2) a joint response through the construction of works, repair of existing infrastructure, and other measures to correct border sanitation emergencies in such streams. Defines such emergencies as situations in which untreated or inadequately treated sewage is discharged into surface waters or streams that form or cross the U.S.--Mexican boundary. Authorizes the Secretary, acting through the Commissioner, to correct border sanitation emergencies in such streams in the United States. Permits the Secretary to enter into agreements with Mexico to establish a binational advisory committee to: (1) assist EPA and the Mexican environmental agency (SEDUE) in the monitoring and study of environmental conditions within the Zone; (2) make recommendations for ongoing environmental protection within the Zone; and (3) carry out other functions prescribed by EPA and SEDUE. Prohibits the expenditure of U.S. funds for emergency investigation or remediation in Mexico without a cost-sharing agreement unless the Secretary can demonstrate that the expenditure of such funds would be cost-effective and in the U.S. interest. Establishes the United States International Boundary and Water Commission Fund to carry out this Act. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 1992
Declares that it is U.S. policy to seek international agreements prohibiting the sale, transfer, or export, limiting the use, and terminating the production, possession, or deployment, of antipersonnel landmines. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should seek to negotiate an international agreement or a modification of the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or To Have Indiscriminate Effects to prohibit the sale, transfer, or export of antipersonnel landmines. Prohibits, for a period of one year from this Act's enactment date: (1) sales, financing, transfers, and the issuance of licenses under the Arms Export Control with respect to antipersonnel landmines; and (2) assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 with respect to the provision of such landmines.
United States · United States Congress · 12 August 1992
Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to direct the Bureau of Justice Assistance to pay the same benefit to public safety officers for permanent and total disability as that payable for death benefits (i.e., $100,000; currently, the Bureau is directed to pay up to that amount, to the extent appropriations are provided, subject to specified limitations). Makes this Act applicable with respect to injuries occurring on or after November 29, 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 12 August 1992
Defense Nuclear Workers' Health Insurance Act of 1992 - Mandates payment to certain former Department of Energy employees for health care services incurred (through insurance or out-of-pocket) above a specified dollar amount. Sets forth eligibility requirements, including that a former employee have had certain exposure to ionizing radiation or have worked in a facility in which radioactive materials were regularly stored, handled, or disposed of.
United States · United States Congress · 12 August 1992
Authorizes the President, on behalf of the Congress, to present a gold medal to John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie in recognition of his accomplishments as a musician. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to provide for the sale of bronze duplicates of the medal.
United States · United States Congress · 12 August 1992
Women in the Armed Forces Commemorative Coins Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) mint and issue coins to commemorate the women who have served in the armed forces of the United States; and (2) transfer the surcharges received from coin sales to the Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation and endow and dedicate the Women in the Armed Forces Memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 12 August 1992
Filipino Veterans' Equity Act of 1992 - Amends the Immigration Act of 1990 to extend the naturalization application deadline for certain Filipino veterans of World War II. States that military service records authenticated by the Government of the Philippines shall be accepted to certify qualifying military service. Permits the naturalization examination and oath to be given in the Philippines. Grants special immigrant status for spouses and sons and daughters of such veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 12 August 1992
Persian Gulf War Health Registry Act - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Secretary) to maintain a Persian Gulf War Health Registry for purposes of compiling information on Persian Gulf War veterans to assist in identifying possible disabilities which may result from service in the U.S. armed forces in southwest Asia during such war. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) information to be included in the Registry, including a description of activities in which the veteran participated during the war that may have long-term health effects, locations in which the veteran served, and any investigation drugs administered to such veterans by the Department of Defense (DOD); and (2) steps that the Secretary may (and Secretary of Defense, upon request, shall) take, including a comprehensive mental and physical examination and follow-up consultation, to determine the current health status of such veterans. Directs the Secretary and Secretary of Defense to: (1) inform Gulf War veterans who are no longer members of the armed forces of the provisions of this Act and encourage such veterans to participate in the Registry; and (2) annually furnish to such veterans updated information on health risks of service in southwest Asia during the war. Requires DOD to reimburse the Department of Veterans Affairs each fiscal year, from funds appropriated for health care, for the cost of administering the Registry for Gulf War veterans who are members of the armed forces. Specifies that: (1) nothing in this Act shall be construed as authorizing the Secretary to provide Gulf War veterans in the Registry with hospital care, nursing home care, or outpatient medical services for the treatment of diseases or disabilities identified in an examination authorized pursuant to this Act; and (2) application for an examination shall not be construed as an application for any other benefit. Directs the Secretary to conduct a longitudinal study, over a 50-year period, to assess the short- and long-term health consequences of service in southwest Asia during the Gulf War, including an ongoing examination of the health consequences of petrochemical exposure, investigation drugs administered during the Gulf War, the fumes of burning trash, and diseases indigenous to the Middle East. Requires the Secretary and Secretary of Defense to submit to the Congress a joint annual report on the Registry. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish the Registry (and have access to the registry established by the Secretary of Defense); and (2) submit to the Congress a research protocol for the 50-year study.
United States · United States Congress · 12 August 1992
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Secretaries of the military departments should: (1) collect data on the number and disposition of sexual harassment and assault cases involving members of the armed forces; (2) ensure that crisis intervention and long-term counseling are available to the victims; (3) develop ongoing programs to educate members of the armed forces regarding the unacceptability and illegality of sexual harassment and assault and the sanctions imposed on violators; (4) implement an educational program for all members dealing with the prevention and risk reduction of sexual harassment and assault; (5) publicize their commitment against sexual harassment and assault by posting appropriate signs with phone numbers for victims to report incidents and obtain assistance; (6) reevaluate their existing methods of investigating and processing sexual harassment and assault complaints and consider alternative methods to provide effective enforcement; (7) reevaluate their existing sanctions to determine whether the sanctions serve as an effective deterrent; (8) determine whether adequate protections exist to ensure that members who report sexual harassment or assault do not experience retaliation and, if not, develop effective protections; and (9) protect members who report sexual harassment or assault against retaliation once a complaint is made and ensure that a subsequent investigation into the complainant's sexual orientation is not performed.
United States · United States Congress · 11 August 1992
Amends the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act of 1991 (Public Law 102-164) to increase the number of weeks for which emergency unemployment compensation is payable.
United States · United States Congress · 11 August 1992
Commends all parties to the Middle East peace process. Expresses hope that the parties to the negotiations will advance proposals which provide for democratic elections as a foundation for common agreement on interim self-government, diplomatic recognition, territorial integrity, and a final status for the territories, and economic cooperation among all parties in the region.
United States · United States Congress · 10 August 1992
Local Partnership Act of 1992 - Establishes a revenue sharing program of payments to local governments. Sets forth the general framework for the use and timing of payments and for adjustments. Establishes in the Treasury a Local Government Fiscal Assistance Trust Fund (trust fund), with the Secretary of the Treasury as the personal trustee, and authorizes appropriations to finance it. Describes qualifying criteria for and conditions to be met by local governments seeking payments under the program. Requires payments withheld in cases of noncompliance. Requires the Secretary, in accordance with specified formulae, to determine the amount from the trust fund to be allocated to each State for further allocation to county, municipal, and township local governments as well as to Indian tribes and Alaskan native villages. Sets forth special rules governing allocations to territorial governments. Permits State variation of certain local government allocations. Sets forth special rules governing adjustments in local government allocations, including a limit on allocations to local government units based on a specified formula. Specifies the information to be used in making allocations under the program. Requires public hearings on proposed uses of program payments in relation to the local government's budget. Requires public disclosure of information on proposed payment uses and proposed budgets of local governments both prior to the hearing and after adoption of the budget. Prohibits discrimination under a local government program or activity on the basis of race, color, national origin, or sex if such program or activity is paid for with funds provided under this Act. Lists additional prohibitions applicable to such programs or activities. Prescribes procedures for: (1) instituting administrative proceedings for violations of such prohibitions; (2) suspending and terminating payments; and (3) judicial review of such sanctions. Sets forth provisions providing for: (1) enforcement by the Attorney General of such prohibitions; (2) civil actions by persons adversely affected by prohibited practices; (3) independent audits of local government finances; (4) investigations by the Secretary of possible violations of this Act; (5) reviews by the Comptroller General of activities of the Secretary, State governments, and local government units to determine compliance with this Act; (6) annual reports by the Secretary to the Congress on both the trust fund and the administration of the payment program; and (7) annual reports by local govermental units to the Secretary on program payments.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1992
Native American Veterans' Home Loan Equity Act of 1992 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish and implement a pilot program under which the Secretary may make direct housing loans to aid Native American (Indian, Alaska or Hawaii native, or Pacific Islander) veterans in purchasing, constructing, or improving dwellings on trust land. Requires such loans to be made in a variety of geographic areas and in areas experiencing a variety of economic circumstances. Prohibits any such loans from being made after the end of FY 1997. Authorizes the Secretary to make such a direct housing loan to a Native American if: (1) the Secretary has entered into a memorandum of understanding with respect to such loans with the tribal organization having jurisdiction over such veteran; and (2) the memorandum is in effect when the loan is made. Outlines provisions to be included in each such memorandum. Prohibits entering into any such memorandum unless the Secretary determines that it provides standards and procedures necessary for the reasonable protection of the financial interests of the United States. Limits to $80,000 the principal amount of any such loan. Sets forth provisions governing loan interest rates. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish minimum requirements for planning, construction or improvement, and general acceptability relating to any direct loan; and (2) establish credit underwriting standards to be used in evaluating such loans. Requires loans to be repaid in monthly installments. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) make advances to provide for repairs, alterations, and improvements and to meet incidental expenses of the loan transaction; and (2) take any other actions and make any necessary determinations with respect to expenses, rules and regulations, and the use of persons, organizations, or departments or agencies to carry out his functions. Establishes in the Treasury a revolving fund to be known as the Native American Veterans Housing Loan Fund to carry out financial activities relating to the making of loans under this Act. Directs the Secretary, in carrying out the pilot program, to consider the views and recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Native-American Veterans established under the Veterans' Health-Care Amendments of 1986. Directs the Secretary to report annually in 1994 through 1998 to the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees on the pilot program and recommendations for legislation regarding the program. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1992
Commends: (1) the many heroic individuals who acted at great risk to save Jews from death during the Holocaust; and (2) the Jewish Foundation for Christian Rescuers for its work in recognizing, honoring, and encouraging the people of the world to show the altruism and moral courage of such heroic individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 1992
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, should posthumously advance Rear Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, U.S. Navy, to the grade of admiral on the retired list.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 1992
Regulatory Sunshine Act of 1992 - Amends open meeting provisions of the Government in the Sunshine Act to require public disclosure of oral and written communications between the agency and non-employees concerning a regulatory action. Amends Federal law to authorize appropriations for the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs of the Office of Management and Budget.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1992
Amends the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act of 1991 (Public Law 102-164) to increase the number of weeks for which emergency unemployment compensation is payable. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce a tax deduction for certain expenses for meals and entertainment.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 1992
Veterans' Health Care Financing Reform Demonstration Act of 1992 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a demonstration program to test the feasibility and desirability of requiring that, whenever the Department of Veteran Affairs provides hospital care or medical services for a non-service-connected disability to an individual who is also entitled to such care or services from another Federal department or agency, such department or agency shall reimburse the Department for the provision of such care or services. Requires the demonstration project to be conducted at three Department medical centers selected by the Secretary. Outlines health care programs of the Department of Defense, Department of Health and Human Services, and Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs as covered programs under which such reimbursement shall take place. Allows the Department to recover the cost of care or services provided to an individual for a non-service-connected disability, reduced by any appropriate unpaid deductible, to the extent that the individual would be eligible to receive such care or services from another department or agency. Directs the Secretary to establish a central electronic billing system for such amounts. Subrogates the Secretary to any right or claim that the veteran may have against another department or agency. Directs the Secretary to prescribe regulations to determine the amount to be recovered for such care or services, taking into account the geographic area involved. Directs the Secretary to establish mechanisms to evaluate the impact and cost-effectiveness of the demonstration project and the satisfaction of the patients served. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress after one year of the project, describing the findings of the evaluation.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 1992
Supports the planting of 500 redwood trees from California on the northwest coast of Spain in commemoration of the quincentenary of the voyage of Christopher Columbus to the New World. Designates such trees as a gift to the people of Spain made in the name of the people of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 1992
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should seek the consent of the Senate to the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted by the United Nations on November 20, 1989.
United States · United States Congress · 2 July 1992
Information Services Fair Competition Act of 1992 - Amends the Communication Act of 1934 to make it unlawful for any common carrier or its affiliate engaged in the provision of information services to include in its charges for telephone exchange service any operating expenses, costs, depreciation charges, or other expenses determined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to be properly associated with the provision of information services by such carrier or affiliate. Directs the FCC to adopt regulations to ensure that these provisions are not evaded by carriers subject to this Act. Directs a common carrier or its affiliate engaged in the provision of information services to meet requirements such as: (1) book maintenance in a specified manner; (2) interconnection to its network that is equal in price, quality, and type to the interconnection that the carrier provides to itself or to its affiliate; (3) information concerning the network interface specifications that allows such information service provider to connect to that carrier's network; (4) public disclosure of the specifications for any new or changed type of network interface for information services that the carrier or its affiliate provides or may provide; and (5) response, on a nondiscriminatory basis, to a bona fide request for a new type of basic service necessary to support an information service within 120 days after receipt of such request, and offer such service on an unbundled basis if it is technically feasible and if the marketing and economic demand forecast support such offering. Authorizes the FCC, upon application of a carrier which shows that it is technically unable to meet one or more of the requirements mentioned above, to grant a waiver to such carrier only if the public interest would be served thereby. Requires the FCC to adopt regulations that specify the form and manner in which the network disclosure information shall be made by common carriers. Requires common carriers, subject to this Act, to comply with any relevant regulations already in effect until such regulations are adopted and published in the Federal Register. Prescribes guidelines for the release of network disclosure information. Makes it unlawful for a common carrier or its affiliate to use, in connection with the provision of such carrier's information services, customer proprietary network information that the carrier has collected in the course of providing telephone exchange service unavailable to unaffiliated providers of information services unless prior consent of the customer has been obtained or in cases where the FCC has determined that the use of disclosure of such information serves the public interest. Prohibits: (1) any common carrier or affiliate from engaging in the provision of a burglar alarm service until ten years after the enactment of this Act unless such service was provided to a customer by the carrier or affiliate on July 1, 1992; and (2) a Federal agency or State from regulating the rates, terms, or conditions for the provision of information services. Authorizes the FCC to impose any remedy, without limitation, to ensure that the costs of providing information services are not borne by subscribers to telephone exchange service.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1992
Birth Defects Prevention Act of 1992 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish birth defects prevention and research programs. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), to award grants to, enter into cooperative agreements with, or provide direct technical assistance in lieu of cash to, States, State health authorities, or health agencies of political subdivisions of a State for collection, analysis, and reporting of birth defects statistics from birth certificates, infant death certificates, hospital records, or other sources and to collect and disaggregate such statistics by gender and racial and ethnic group. Directs the Secretary to establish at least five regional birth defects monitoring and research programs to collect and analyze information on the number, incidence, correlation, and causes of birth defects, to include information regarding gender and different racial and ethnic groups, including Hispanics, non-Hispanic whites, African Americans, Native Americans, and Asian Americans. Authorizes the Secretary, acting through the Director of the CDC, to award grants or enter into cooperative agreements with specified entities to serve as Centers of Excellence for Birth Defects Prevention Research. Requires one of the Centers to focus on birth defects among ethnic minorities. Requires the CDC to establish a clearinghouse for the collection and storage of data and generated from birth defects monitoring programs developed under this Act. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the CDC, to award grants to or enter into cooperative agreements with State departments of health, universities, or other private, or nonprofit entities to develop, evaluate, and implement prevention strategies designed to reduce the incidence and effects or (sic) birth defects. Directs the Secretary to establish an Advisory Committee for Birth Defects Prevention to provide advice and recommendations on prevention and amelioration of birth defects to the Secretary and the Director of the CDC. Requires the Secretary to report biennially to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources regarding the incidence of birth defects, the contribution of birth defects to infant mortality, the outcome of implementation of prevention strategies, and identified needs for research and policy development to include information regarding the various racial and ethnic groups, including Hispanic, non-Hispanic whites, African Americans, Native Americans, and Asian Americans. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1992
Designates the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Marlin, Texas, as the Thomas T. Connally Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1992
Health Care for Every American Act of 1992 - Title I: Establishment of A State-Based National Health Insurance Program; Universal Eligibility; Enrollment - Establishes the State-Based National Health Insurance Program. Entitles every U.S. resident who is a citizen, national, or lawful resident alien to services. Provides for the eligibility of certain nonimmigrants and other individuals. Requires each State program to provide for: (1) an enrollment mechanism, including a process for automatic enrollment at birth or immigration; and (2) issuance of a universal health insurance card to be used for identification and claims processing. Provides for portability of benefits. Ends, after a specified date, benefits and payments under: (1) titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act; (2) provisions of Federal law relating to Federal employees' health benefits; (3) provisions of Federal law relating to the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS); and (4) certain veterans' medical benefits. Title II: Comprehensive Benefits, Including Preventive Benefits and Benefits for Long Term Care - Entitles enrolled individuals to payment, subject to certain limitations and requirements, for comprehensive acute, preventive, mental health, drug and alcohol abuse treatment, long term care, and plan of care services (major service categories). Prohibits: (1) deductibles, coinsurance, or copayments for comprehensive acute and preventive services; (2) imposing a charge, except as provided under this Act, for covered services; and (3) insurance which duplicates payment for covered items or services. Permits State programs and employers to provide additional benefits. Lists covered services in each major service category, specifying matters such as limits, cost-sharing requirements, and exclusions. Mandates a report to the Congress on the effects of the cost-sharing under specified provisions of this Act and the optional State charge for non-enrollment with comprehensive health service organizations required under title V of this Act. Title III: Provider Participation - Mandates a participation agreement between a State health insurance program and a provider addressing specified elements, including prohibitions on discrimination and charging for covered services other than as authorized under this Act. Specifies requirements in order to be considered a qualified provider, including for health care practitioners, institutional and facility-based providers, community-based primary services providers, independent pathology laboratories, independent radiology services, providers of outpatient drugs and devices, and providers of covered transportation (including ambulance) services, in most cases requiring that they be licensed, meet State law requirements, and meet the requirements of this Act. Requires national and authorizes State minimum standards to assure service quality. Defines a comprehensive health service organization (CHSO) as an organization that, in return for a capitated amount, furnishes, arranges for, or pays for a full range of health services to a population in a specified service area. Makes all eligible persons in that area eligible to enroll in the organization, subject to the organization's capacity. Sets forth CHSO requirements. Title IV: Administration - Establishes the National Health Insurance Standards Board to develop policies, procedures, guidelines, and requirements to carry out this Act. Authorizes the Board to waive provisions of this Act to accommodate demonstration projects. Mandates uniform reporting requirements and standards and certain studies. Requires the Board to recommend to the Congress one or more proposals for the treatment of Federal health care facilities. Mandates advisory committees on: (1) benefits; (2) payments and cost containment; (3) quality and utilization review; and (4) primary care and the medically underserved. Requires the Board to provide for a National Health Advisory Council. Mandates submission by each State (or, for neighboring States which so choose, by each region) of a plan for a State (or regional) health insurance program providing services under this Act. Sets forth plan requirements. Provides for sanctions for failure to meet the requirements, including placing the State program in receivership under the jurisdiction of the Board. Prohibits a State, by intention or as an unstated consequence of budget allocations, from restricting timely access to medically necessary services or permitting potentially life threatening queues. Mandates appointment in each State of: (1) a State Health Advisory Council; and (2) a quality control mechanism. Allows States to use fiscal agents. Requires each State program to establish district health advisory councils covering distinct geographic areas to: (1) advise the State; (2) receive and investigate complaints by eligible persons and by providers; and (3) carry out district management and planning. Requires each district health advisory council to provide assistance and technical support to community organizations and nonprofit agencies submitting funding applications under specified provisions of the Public Health Service Act. Requires all Department of Health and Human Services activities to be complementary to this Act. Title V: National Health Insurance Budget; Payments; Cost Containment Measures - Subtitle A: Budgeting and Payments to States - Requires the Board to annually establish a national health insurance budget specifying the total Federal and State expenditures for covered services, set as the sum of the capitation amounts under this title plus Federal administrative expenses. Sets a national health insurance spending ceiling according to a specified formula involving: (1) the increase in the gross national product; (2) the Board's estimate of the increase in health care expenditures due solely to changes in the age or other risk characteristics of the U.S. population; and (3) percentage points set, for the first four years, by this Act and thereafter set by the Board. Requires each State program to annually establish a State health insurance budget, with a separate account for graduate medical education expenses. Provides for the computation of individual and state capitation amounts. Entitles each State with an approved program to receive specified Federal payments involving the State capitation amount and the Federal contribution percentage. Requires the Board to establish a formula for the Federal percentage for each State, considering the State's per capita income and revenue capacity and other relevant economic indicators as appropriate. Requires each State program to provide for a process and standards regarding the approval of capital purchases or leases for new or renovated facilities and for equipment valued over an amount specified by this Act or by the Board. Allows a State program, where a CHSO is available, to impose a charge for individuals who are enrolled with the CHSO for the receipt of covered services under this Act. Requires that the charge be assessed relative to income and specifies miniumum and maximum charges. Subtitle B: Payments by States to Providers - Requires direct payment by a State program to institutions and facilities for operating expenses under an approved negotiated annual prospective global budget. Allows institutions and facilities to raise private funds for new facilities, major renovations, and equipment, declaring that the expenditure of the private funds does not obligate the State program to provide for continued support for the expenditures. Entitles every independent health care practitioner to payment for the provision of covered services either, at the practitioner's election, by a fee-for-service method or a capitation method. Allows a State program, through an agreement with an organization representative of independent practitioners or otherwise, to pay individual practitioners through an annual salary, hourly payments, or other method under which aggregate payments do not exceed the amounts that would otherwise be made. Requires the Board to establish models and encourage State programs to implement alternative methodologies incorporating global fees for related services or for a basic group of services furnished to an individual over a period of time. Requires the State program to establish, after negotiations, a prospective payment schedule based on a relative value scale and conversion factors established by each State and providing for the application of expenditure targets. Allows State Programs to have practitioner-specific adjustments reflecting practitioner use patterns and to publicly disclose the use patterns. Requires payment to: (1) CHSOs to be determined by the State based on a global budget or on the basic capitation amount determined by the State program on the basis of the average estimated expenditures for an enrollee with the same actuarial characteristics as the enrollee; (2) community based primary health services to be based on a global budget or be made on an individual patient basis; and (3) care managers to be made directly by each State program pursuant to payment schedules, based on negotiations, capitation, or other methods, under an annual prospective budgeting system. Requires the Board to establish a list of approved prescription drugs and biologicals the board determines necessary for health, employability, or self-management and eligible for coverage. Allows the Board to exclude ineffective, unsafe, or over-priced products where better alternatives are available. Requires the Board to determine product prices. Authorizes the Board to conduct price negotiations, on behalf of State health programs, with drug manufacturers and distributors. Requires each State program to provide for payment for a drug furnished by an independent pharmacy based on the drug's cost to the pharmacy plus a dispensing fee according to a schedule set by the State program. Requires the Board to establish a list of approved durable medical equipment and therapeutic devices and equipment (including eyeglasses, hearing aids, and prosthetic appliances) the Board determines necessary for health, employability, or self-management and eligible for coverage. Requires the Board to determine product prices. Authorizes the Board to conduct price negotiations, on behalf of State health programs, with equipment and device manufacturers and distributors. Allows the Board to exclude ineffective, unsafe, or over-priced products where better alternatives are available. Mandates determination by the State program of the amount of payment for other covered services in accordance with payment methodologies specified by the Board. Requires the Board to establish, in addition to payment otherwise provided in this title, model payment methodologies and other incentives that promote the provision of services in medically underserved areas. Authorizes the Board to waive required payment methodologies as necessary to allow alternative payment schemes or conduct experiments and demonstration projects. Subtitle C: Malpractice Reform - Authorizes the Board to award grants to State programs for the development and implementation of programs for medical malpractice reforms. Authorizes appropriations. Mandates a study of medical malpractice, including regarding: (1) ineffective or unnecessary medical testing and practices; (2) the occurrence of malpractice and malpractice awards; (3) the adequacy of existing licensing and discipling procedures in preventing malpractice; and (4) the reasonableness of malpractice insurance premiums and rate-setting practices. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle D: Mandatory Assignment and Administrative Provisions - Declares that payments for benefits under this Act constitutes payment in full, requires the furnishing entity to accept the payment as such, and prohibits the entity from accepting any payment other than from the State program, except for authorizd cost-sharing. Provides for sanctions in the same manner as under specified provisions of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act. Requires a State program to establish: (1) a timely and administratively simple procedure for reimbursement to all providers under this Act; and (2) an appeals process regarding provider payments. Title VI: Financing - Creates the National Health Insurance Trust Fund. Appropriates to the Fund all: (1) tax increases from this Act; and (2) amounts that would otherwise have been appropriated to carry out titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act, the Federal employees health benefit program, and the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS). Transfers to the Fund any amounts remaining in the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund or the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund. Directs the Secretary of the Tresury to: (1) develop a formula for determining and collecting National Health Insurance premiums from individuals and employers to finance covered services; (2) determine the aggregate premiums for each taxable year; and (3) collect premiums from individuals using a formula with specified characteristics, including that it be income-based and progressive. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to collect the premiums from employers by: (1) increasing the highest marginal corporate income tax rate; (2) increasing the employer and self-employment hospital insurance tax; and (3) imposing a surtax on regular and minimum taxes. Declares that such taxes shall be increased as specified by the Secretary. Mandates a method for employers to pay premiums otherwise payable by employees. Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions relating to exclusions from gross income to define "accident or health insurance" to mean an approved State program under this Act. Removes provisions relating to amounts paid to highly compensated individuals under a discriminatory self-insured medical expense reimbursement plan. Disallows deductions for employer expenses for health care services, whether or not covered under this Act. Declares that this does not disallow a deduction for National Health Care premiums. Allows health insurance costs (currently, 25 percent of health insurance costs) of self-employed individuals to be deducted. Removes provisions ending the deductibility on a specified date. Defines "medical care," for provisions relating to individual deductions for medical and dental expenses, to mean National Health Insurance premiums, cost-sharing, and other premiums for coverage under a State program. Ends, after a specified date, the health insurance credit for coverage which includes at least one child. Makes each State responsible for establishing a financing program for the implementation of the State program. Entitles each State with a State program approved by the Board to funding from the Board in the amounts provided under specified provisions of this Act. Title VII: Promotion of Primary Health Care; Development of Health Service Capacity; Programs to Assist the Medically Underserved - Subtitle A: Promotion and Expansion of Primary Care Practitioners - Makes the Board responsible for certain activities toward a national goal of having, ten years after enactment of this Act, 50 percent of the physicians in medical residency programs being trained as primary care physicians, including coordinating graduate medical education policies and overseeing State program residency expenditures. Requires the Board to establish a method of applying the national goal to program goals for each medical residency program. Provides for enforcement, against State programs that fail to meet the goal, through reducing: (1) medical residency payments; and (2) the indirect portion of extramural biomedical and behavioral research grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Requires the Board to provide for an Advisory Committee on Graduate Medical Education. Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish in NIH the Office of Primary Care and Prevention Research. Establishes in that Office: (1) the Coordinating Committee on Research on Primary Care and Prevention Research; and (2) the Advisory Committee on Research on Primary Care and Prevention Research. Requires the NIH Director to: (1) establish a data system for the collection, storage, analysis, retrieval, and dissemination of information regarding primary care and prevention research conducted or supported by the national research institutes; and (2) establish and operate a program to provide information on research and prevention activities of the institutes relating to such research. Authorizes appropriations for the Office. Mandates priority, in providing financial assistance under certain provisions relating to health research and teaching facilities and training of professional health personnel, to applicants, a substantial percentage of whose graduates are (or are expected to be) providing primary care to a substantial number of medically underserved individuals. Places an additional requirement on residency programs that they provide significant experience in providing: (1) primary care to such individuals; or (2) such services in ambulatory health facilities. Subtitle B: Grants for Expansion of Availability of Primary Care Services through Health Centers - Part 1: Primary Care Service Expansion Grants - Amends the Public Health Service Act to mandate grants to expand the availability of comprehensive primary health services in medically underserved areas. Authorizes appropriations. Part 2: Reduction in Medical Malpractice Liability for Community Health Centers - Includes entities receiving Federal funds under provisions relating to migrant health centers, community health centers, health services for the homeless, or (as added by this Act) grants for expansion of the availability of primary care services (and officers, employees, or contractors of such entities who are licensed health care practitioners) in the coverage of provisions regulating civil actions for injury resulting from medical or related functions against commissioned officers or employees of the Public Health Service. Subrogates to the United States any insurance claim such an entity or person has. Prohibits grants under such provisions unless the applicant has: (1) implemented policies and procedures to assure against malpractice; and (2) reviewed the professional credentials, claims history, and other information regarding its licensed health care practitioners; and (3) no history of claims against it under such provisions relating to officers and employees of the Public Health Service, or has cooperated with the Attorney General in defending against such claims and has taken corrective action. Empowers the Attorney General, if certain conditions are met, to determine that an individual practitioner shall not be deemed a Public Health Service employee for purposes of these provisions. Prohibits hospitals from denying admitting privileges to an otherwise qualified health care provider who is an officer, employee, or contractor of such an entity. Mandates withholding from the amounts appropriated for such entities an annual estimate of the amount of all claims under provisions relating to such civil actions. Subtitle C: Expansions in the National Health Service Corps - Authorizes appropriations for: (1) the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program for physician and midlevel practitioner placements at entities receiving grants for expansion of the availability of primary care services; and (2) a number of contracts (for such repayments and scholarships under the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program) sufficient to ensure the placement of a specified number of additional primary care physicians and a specified percentage increase in midlevel practitioners in health professional shortage areas. Defines "midlevel practitioner" to include certified nurse midwives, certified nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and similar nonphysician health care practitioners.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 1992
Urges the President to take prompt diplomatic action to ensure that joint efforts by the United States and Mexico to combat illegal drug trafficking continue at the high level of cooperation that exists currently.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1992
Designates August 1, 1992, as Helsinki Human Rights Day. Authorizes and requests the President to: (1) reassert American commitment to the Helsinki Accords; (2) raise the issue of noncompliance with such Accords with any signatory nation which may be in violation; (3) convey to all signatories of such Accords that respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is vital to progress in the ongoing Helsinki process; and (4) develop new proposals to advance the human rights objectives of the Helsinki process.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 1992
Cash Management Improvement Act Amendments of 1992 - Amends the Cash Management Improvement Act of 1990 (the Act) to remove the two-year deadline for the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe regulations for the timely disbursement of Federal funds. Extends the deadline for the Secretary to enter into agreements with States for intergovernmental financing and to prescribe regulations for such financing from October 24, 1992, until July 1, 1993, or by the first day of a fiscal year of the State which begins in 1993, whichever is later. Makes the Act effective on such date. Extends for one year the report to the Congress by the Comptroller General on the implementation of such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1992
Provides for all Federal civilian and military retirees to receive the full cost-of-living adjustment in annuities payable under Federal retirement systems for 1993. (Includes benefits payable under the Civil Service Retirement and Disability System, military retirement and survivor benefit programs, the Foreign Service Retirement and Disability System, the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System, and railroad retirement programs.)
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1992
Declares that the Congress acknowledges and appreciates the commitment, devotion, and sacrifices of present and former military families. Designates November 23, 1992, as National Military Families Recognition Day.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1992
Cuban Democracy Act of 1992 - Sets forth U.S. policy with respect to Cuba. Declares that the President should encourage countries that conduct trade with Cuba to restrict their trade and credit regulations with Cuba in a manner consistent with this Act. Authorizes the President to impose the following sanctions against countries that provide assistance to Cuba: (1) ineligibility for assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 or the Arms Export Control Act; (2) a prohibition on agreements with the United States for the establishment of free trade areas; and (3) ineligibility for forgiveness or reduction of debt owed to the U.S. Government. Terminates such sanctions if the President reports to the Congress that Cuba has met conditions established under this Act concerning democracy, human rights, and a free market economy. Prohibits restrictions on the export to Cuba of medicines, subject to specified conditions and inspection requirements. Permits telecommunications services between the United States and Cuba. Requires the U.S. Postal Service to provide direct mail service to and from Cuba. Authorizes the President to provide assistance to promote nonviolent democratic change in Cuba. Prohibits the issuance of licenses for certain transactions between U.S.-controlled firms in third countries and Cuba. Bars domestic concerns from receiving a tax deduction for the portion of the deductible expenses of such concerns which are allocated or apportioned to income derived from Cuba. Prohibits vessels which enter Cuba to engage in trade from loading or unloading any freight in the United States within 180 days after departure from Cuba. Prohibits: (1) vessels carrying goods or passengers to or from Cuba or carrying goods in which a Cuban national has an interest from entering a U.S. port, except as authorized by the Secretary of the Treasury; and (2) specified commodities authorized to be exported under a general license from being exported under such a license to any such vessels. Directs the President to establish strict limits on remittances to Cuba by U.S. persons for purposes of financing the travel of Cubans to the United States to assure that such remittances are not used by the Cuban Government as a means of gaining access to U.S. currency. Declares that food, medicine, and medical supplies for humanitarian purposes should be made available to Cuba under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 if the President certifies to the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the Government of Cuba: (1) has made a commitment to hold free and fair elections for a new government within six months and is proceeding to implement that decision; (2) has made a commitment to respect and is respecting human rights and basic democratic freedoms; and (3) is not providing weapons or funds to any group in any other country that seeks the violent overthrow of the government of such country. Waives sanctions against Cuba under this Act if the President reports to the Congress that Cuba: (1) has held free and fair elections conducted under internationally recognized observers; (2) has permitted opposition parties ample time to campaign for such elections and has permitted full access to the media to all candidates; (3) is showing respect for basic civil liberties and human rights; (4) is moving toward establishing a free market economic system; and (5) has committed itself to constitutional change that would ensure regular free and fair elections. Requires the President, if he makes such report, to take the following actions with respect to a freely-elected Cuban Government: (1) encourage the admission of such government to international organizations and financial institutions; (2) provide emergency relief during Cuba's transition to a viable economic system; (3) take steps to end the U.S. trade embargo of Cuba; and (4) enter into negotiations for a trade agreement with Cuba. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to exercise the authorities of the Trading With the Enemy Act in enforcing this Act. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the Trading With the Enemy Act to authorize the Secretary to impose a civil penalty on violators of such Act. Provides for forfeiture of any property or vessel that is the subject of a violation. Requires the Department of the Treasury to establish a branch of the Office of Foreign Assets Control in Miami, Florida.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 1992
Rural Community Environmental Assistance Act of 1992 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to extend the authorization of appropriations for State water pollution control revolving funds through FY 2000. Requires each State to establish a rural community environmental assistance account in such fund and to deposit at least 25 percent of the amount of the grant received for the establishment of the fund into such account. Permits monies in such accounts to be used only for the construction of wastewater treatment works and public water systems in economically distressed rural communities, subject to certain loan and grant conditions. Requires States to determine the amount of interest to be charged on loans and to establish grant eligibility criteria. Permits assistance to be provided only if: (1) the wastewater treatment works is consistent with planning requirements under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act; and (2) the public water system is approved by the State agency with primary enforcement authority under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Requires States, in providing such assistance, to give priority to an economically distressed rural community in which: (1) there is a need for collector sewers and interceptors to improve access to wastewater treatment facilities; (2) residents rely on inadequate wastewater treatment facilities or drinking water systems that are determined by public health officials to be a hazard; or (3) residents rely on public water systems which do not meet requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act. Authorizes States to provide such assistance for eligible innovative projects only after conducting a cost-benefit analysis. Requires States to submit plans for the intended uses of amounts in rural community environmental assistance accounts to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Requires the Administrator to approve or disapprove such plans. Reserves one percent of funds in such accounts per fiscal year for planning activities. Permits the submission of a plan only if it has been approved by a State Rural Environmental Infrastructure Advisory Panel. Requires such panels to assist in plan preparation, review, and approval. Sets forth accounting and auditing requirements. Withholds payments from States that fail to comply with requirements for rural community environmental assistance accounts. Directs the Administrator to: (1) make grants to regional, State, and local agencies and not-for-profit organizations to assist economically distressed rural communities by providing technical assistance for the financing, operation, and maintenance of wastewater treatment works and public water systems; and (2) set aside a specified percentage of appropriations for such grants.
United States · United States Congress · 28 May 1992
Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to exclude construction and fire equipment from the definition of "excess defense articles" for purposes of restricting the transfer of such equipment to foreign countries.
![Official portrait of Rep. Bustamante, Albert G. [D-TX-23]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b001172_200.jpg)