United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1993
Amends rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives to require the affirmative percentage of those voting that is required to adopt any rule or order reported by the Committee on Rules providing for the consideration of any legislation that waives any rule of the House to be the same as the affirmative percentage of those voting that is required by the rules of the House to waive that rule.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1993
Amends rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives to require the membership of the Committee on Rules (and of each of its subcommittees) to reflect the ratio of the majority to minority party Members of the House at the beginning of the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1993
Amends rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives to require a three-fifths vote to adopt any rule or order reported by the Committee on Rules providing for the consideration of legislation that limits the rights of Members to offer germane amendments if the legislation would otherwise be subject to amendment under House rules.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1993
Natural Disaster Protection Act of 1993 - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (the Act) to require the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to develop programs to carry out specified multihazard mitigation and emergency management initiatives, including the development of model building codes and other hazard mitigation measures for catastrophic natural disasters, training and research in such areas, hazard mitigation technology, and local emergency response operations. Allows local communities five years after the date of enactment of this Act to comply with multihazard building and safety codes outlined under this Act, after which public assistance funds will be withheld for noncompliance. Requires the Director to identify States which are prone to damages from hurricanes, windstorms, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and flooding (natural disasters), and to designate each State appropriately as hurricane-, windstorm-, earthquake-, volcanic eruption-, or flood-prone. Requires each State so designated to either: (1) adopt the relevant natural disaster hazard mitigation portions of the newest building codes for such State for all new or substantially modified building construction in such State; or (2) certify that the local communities have adopted building codes which meet or exceed such requirements. Requires each State designated as disaster-prone to either: (1) develop a hazard mitigation plan with accompanying schedules for improving the State's ability to reduce the hazards of future natural disasters; or (2) designate an existing plan which meets such requirements. Requires a completed plan to be submitted to the Director within two years after designation. Outlines State compliance procedures, and imposes penalties for hazard mitigation plan noncompliance. Establishes the Self-Sustaining Mitigation Fund for Federal and State support of hazard mitigation and emergency management activities, with amounts provided by the Director to each disaster-prone State for appropriate purposes. Establishes the Natural Disaster Mitigation and Planning Advisory Committee as an independent advisory committee to advise the Director on hazard mitigation and disaster planning, and to review hazard mitigation regulations issued by the Director. Requires the Director to establish and carry out a national multihazard insurance program (the Primary Insurance Program) to provide insurance against real or personal property loss in any State resulting from an earthquake or volcanic eruption. Requires the Director to evaluate the feasibility of including flood as a covered peril under the Primary Insurance Program. Outlines specified procedures for increased participation in the Federal flood insurance program under the National Flood Insurance Act, with a required report. Outlines further provisions with respect to the Primary Insurance Program, including program scope (initially limited to residential housing), terms and limitations, covered hazards, and insurance actuarial rates. Establishes in the Treasury the Primary Insurance Program Fund to carry out such Program. Provides for Fund uses, investments, and disbursements, authorizing the Director, when necessary, to borrow from the Treasury for Fund purposes. Requires the Director, in carrying out the Program, to provide certain insurance mitigation incentives, including the charging of lower premiums for residential property located in disaster-prone States. Requires the Director to make available to eligible entities excess reinsurance coverage for any direct and indirect losses that arise from a hurricane, earthquake, volcanic eruption, or tsunami (tidal wave). Outlines provisions concerning eligible entities and reinsurance coverage terms, limitations, and obligations, including the covered lines of insurance. Requires the establishment of actuarially sound rates for such coverage. Establishes in the Treasury the Reinsurance Fund for implementation of such reinsurance coverage. Requires the Director to develop a plan of operation to ensure the fair, reasonable, and equitable administration of the Primary Insurance Program Fund, the Reinsurance Fund, and other activities outlined in this Act. Establishes the Federal Insurance and Reinsurance Advisory Committee as an independent committee and requires the plan to be submitted to such Committee for review and recommendations. Requires a Committee report.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Protection of Neighborhoods, Families, and Children Subtitle A: Safe Schools Subtitle B: Secure Neighborhoods Subtitle C: Crimes Against Children Subtitle D: Punishment of Serious Juvenile Offenders Title II: Equal Protection for Victims Subtitle A: Victims' Rights Subtitle B: Admissibility of Evidence Subtitle C: Protecting the Integrity of the Judicial Process Title III: Protection of Women Subtitle A: Spouse Abuse and Stalking Subtitle B: Victims of Sexual Violence Subtitle C: Punishment of Sex Offenders Title IV: Prevention of Terrorism Subtitle A: Enhanced Controls on Entry into the United States Subtitle B: Deportation of Alien Terrorists Subtitle C: Penalties for Engaging in Terrorism Title V: Criminal Aliens and Alien Smuggling Subtitle A: Deportation of Criminal Aliens Subtitle B: Prevention and Punishment of Alien Smuggling Title VI: Taking Criminals Off the Street Subtitle A: Expanding Prison Capacity Subtitle B: Miscellaneous Title VII: Punishment and Deterrence Subtitle A: Capital Offenses Subtitle B: Violent Felonies and Drug Offenses Subtitle C: Enhanced Penalties for Criminal Use of Firearms and Explosives Subtitle D: Miscellaneous Title VIII: Elimination of Delays in Carrying Out Sentences Subtitle A: Post Conviction Petitions: General Habeas Corpus Reform Subtitle B: Special Procedures for Collateral Proceedings in Capital Cases Subtitle C: Funding for Litigation of Federal Habeas Corpus Petitions in Capital Cases Title IX: Public Corruption Title X: Funding Crime Control Act of 1993 - Title I: Protection of Neighborhoods, Families, and Children - Subtitle A: Safe Schools - Amends the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to increase penalties for drug trafficking in or near schools. (Sec. 102) Authorizes: (1) a school district to elect to qualify as a Federal safe school district by decision of a local educational agency or by referendum of the voters in a school district served by such an agency; and (2) the Attorney General to make grants to local educational agencies or local law enforcement agencies of Federal safe school districts to pay for enhanced school security measures. (Sec. 103) Increases penalties for violation of the Gun-Free School Zones Act. Subtitle B: Secure Neighborhoods - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (Omnibus Act) to authorize the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to make grants to local governments and to community groups for increasing the police presence in communities. Requires the Director to develop a written model that informs community members regarding how to identify the existence of a drug or gang house and what civil remedies and mediation techniques are available. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 114) Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit: (1) committing specified "predicate gang crimes" (including murder, assault, kidnapping, arson, and retaliating against a witness, victim, or informant) with intent to promote or further the activities of a criminal street gang or for the purpose of gaining entrance to, or maintaining or increasing position in, a gang; (2) participating in, or inducing any individual to participate in, a gang; (3) employing or inducing any individual to commit a predicate gang crime with such intent; or (4) using any communication facility in causing or facilitating the commission of such a crime with such intent. Sets penalties for violations. Authorizes the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury to investigate such offenses. Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to amend the sentencing guidelines to increase the base offense level for any felony committed for the purpose of gaining entrance into, or maintaining or increasing position in, a gang. (Sec. 115) Amends: (1) the Federal criminal code to set penalties for drive-by shootings; (2) the Omnibus Act to include among drug control and system improvement grant funding objectives law enforcement and prevention programs relating to gangs or to youth who are involved or at risk of being involved in gangs; and (3) the CSA to increase penalties for drug trafficking in or near public housing. Subtitle C: Crimes Against Children - Provides for imposition of the death penalty for murder during the sexual exploitation of children. (Sec. 132) Increases penalties for sex offenses against victims below age 16. (Sec. 133) Sets penalties for international trafficking in child pornography. (Sec. 134) Directs the Attorney General to establish guidelines for State legislation prohibiting the production, distribution, receipt, or possession of materials depicting a person under age 18 engaging in sexually explicit conduct and providing for a maximum imprisonment of at least one year and for the forfeiture of assets used in, or gained from, such offenses. Requires each State to enact and maintain legislation complying with such guidelines in order to receive assistance under provisions of the Victims of Crime Act and the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act. (Sec. 135) Provides for national registration of convicted child abusers. Requires the Attorney General to establish guidelines for State registration programs. Authorizes a State to permit qualified entities to obtain from an authorized State agency a nationwide background check on a provider. (Sec. 136) Increases penalties for: (1) assaults against children; (2) using minors in drug trafficking; (3) drug distribution to minors; and (4) using a minor in the commission of a Federal offense. (Sec. 137) Amends the CSA to set penalties for physical trainers or advisers who attempt to persuade or induce a person to possess or use anabolic steroids. (Sec. 139) Provides for interstate enforcement of child support orders. (Sec. 140) Makes certain crimes involving the use of persons below age 18 predicates to an offense under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). (Sec. 143) Makes it a Federal offense to remove a child from, or to retain a child outside, the United States to obstruct the lawful exercise of parental rights. Authorizes appropriations to carry out State court programs regarding international parental child abduction. Subtitle D: Punishment of Serious Juvenile Offenders - Makes serious juvenile drug offenses Armed Career Criminal Act predicates. (Sec. 152) Provides for adult prosecution of serious juvenile offenders. (Sec. 153) Requires that juveniles found guilty of certain offenses be fingerprinted and photographed, with such fingerprints and photographs sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Identification Division. Directs the court to transmit to such division information concerning the adjudication. Title II: Equal Protection for Victims - Subtitle A: Victims' Rights - Enacts Rules of Professional Conduct for Lawyers in Federal Practice, including provisions regarding: (1) a prohibition on attorneys engaging in actions deemed abusive to clients or others; (2) a duty of enquiry (to elicit from the client a truthful account of the material facts concerning the matters in issue); (3) a duty to expedite litigation; and (4) a duty to disclose information necessary to prevent the commission of a crime. (Sec. 202) Revises Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure: (1) 24(b) to entitle each side to six peremptory challenges (currently, six for the Government and ten for the defendant or defendants jointly); and (2) 32 to provide for a victim's right of allocution in sentencing for a crime of violence or sexual abuse. (Sec. 204) Provides for the enforcement of restitution orders through the suspension of Federal benefits. (Sec. 205) Sets penalties for retaliatory killings of witnesses, victims, and informants. Subtitle B: Admissibility of Evidence - Amends the Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE) to allow evidence of similar offenses in criminal or civil sexual assault and child molestation cases. (Sec. 212) Revises FRE 412 (sex offense cases; relevance of victim's past behavior) to: (1) expand the scope of the rape shield law and to require that an order admitting evidence of a victim's past sexual behavior explain the reasoning leading to a finding of relevance and the basis of a finding that the probative value of the evidence outweighs the danger of unfair prejudice; and (2) make inadmissible evidence to show invitation or provocation by a victim in sexual abuse cases. (Sec. 214) Specifies that evidence obtained as a result of a search or seizure shall not be excluded on the ground that the search or seizure was in violation of the fourth amendment to the Constitution if carried out in circumstances justifying an objectively reasonable belief that it was in conformity with the fourth amendment. Subtitle C: Protecting the Integrity of the Judicial Process - Provides that in a criminal trial in any Federal or State court: (1) on motion of the defense attorney or prosecutor, the risk of racial prejudice or bias shall be examined on voir dire if there is a substantial likelihood that such prejudice will affect the jury; (2) on motion of the defense attorney or prosecutor, a change of venue shall be granted if an impartial jury cannot be obtained in the original venue because of such prejudice; and (3) neither the prosecutor nor the defense attorney shall make any appeal to such prejudice in statements before the jury. (Sec. 222) Amends the Federal criminal code to provide that a list of veniremen and witnesses need not be furnished in capital cases if the court finds by a preponderance of the evidence that providing the list may jeopardize the life or safety of any person. (Sec. 223) Increases penalties for attempting to influence or injure court officers or jurors. (Sec. 224) Provides for the imposition of the death penalty for the murder of a Federal witness. Title III: Protection of Women - Subtitle A: Spouse Abuse and Stalking - Amends the Federal criminal code to: (1) set penalties for interstate travel to commit spouse abuse or to violate a protective order; and (2) provide for full faith and credit of protective orders among the States. Subtitle B: Victims of Sexual Violence - Establishes a civil remedy for victims of sexual violence. (Sec. 312) Authorizes the restitution of victims of sex offenses. (Sec. 313) Provides for pretrial detention in sex offense cases. Subtitle C: Punishment of Sex Offenders - Provides for imposition of the death penalty for persons engaging in sexual abuse resulting in death. (Sec. 322) Increases penalties for recidivist sex offenses. (Sec. 323) Directs the Sentencing Commission to amend the sentencing guidelines to increase the base offense level for sex offenses. (Sec. 324) Provides for testing for human immunodeficiency virus for persons charged in sex offense cases and the disclosure of the test results to the victim. Directs the Sentencing Commission to amend existing guidelines for sentences for sex offenses where the offender knew or had reason to know that he was infected with such virus, except where the offender did not engage or attempt to engage in conduct creating a risk of transmission of the virus to the victim. Title IV: Prevention of Terrorism - Subtitle A: Enhanced Controls on Entry into the United States - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to require exclusion from admission to the United States of anyone who is a member of an organization that engages in terrorist activity or who actively supports or advocates terrorist activity. (Sec. 402) Provides for the exclusion of an alien for presenting fraudulent documents, or for failing to present documents used to board a common carrier, to an immigration officer upon arrival at a port of entry into the United States. Specifies that any alien who is excludable under such provisions may not apply for or be granted asylum, with exceptions. (Sec. 404) Limits court jurisdiction with respect to habeas corpus review, other judicial review and action, and collateral enforcement proceedings. Subtitle B: Deportation of Alien Terrorists - Establishes procedures to apply whenever the Attorney General certifies under seal to a special court (established pursuant to this subtitle) that: (1) the Attorney General or Deputy Attorney General has approved of the deportation proceeding; (2) an alien terrorist is physically present in the United States; and (3) removal of such terrorist by deportation proceedings would pose a risk to national security because such proceedings would disclose classified information. Directs the Chief Justice of the United States to publicly designate up to seven judges to hear and decide such cases. Sets forth procedures for a special removal hearing, including provisions for appointment of counsel and appeals. Subtitle C: Penalties for Engaging in Terrorism - Amends the Federal criminal code to: (1) prohibit providing material support to terrorists; and (2) extend the statute of limitations for certain terrorism offenses. (Sec. 422) Directs the Sentencing Commission to provide for an increase in the base offense level for any felony involving or intended to promote international terrorism, unless such involvement or intent is itself an element of the crime. (Sec. 424) Increases penalties under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act for violation of orders with respect to the declaration of a national emergency and the Federal criminal code for passport and visa-related violations. (Sec. 425) Sets penalties for: (1) specified acts of violence at international airports; (2) violence against maritime navigation; (3) violence against maritime fixed platforms; and (4) the use of weapons of mass destruction. (Sec. 429) Directs the President to establish a National Task Force on Counterterrorism. (Sec. 430) Provides for imposition of the death penalty for causing death through the use of a bomb or other destructive device. Title V: Criminal Aliens and Alien Smuggling - Subtitle A: Deportation of Criminal Aliens - Amends the INA to permit an alien sentenced to imprisonment to be deported prior to the termination of such imprisonment if the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) petitions the appropriate court or other authority to release the alien into INS custody for execution of a deportation order. Prohibits the deportation until all direct appeals of the conviction have been exhausted. (Sec. 502) Authorizes the registration of aliens on criminal probation or criminal parole within the United States. (Sec. 503) Expands the definition of "aggravated felony" to include illicit trafficking in explosive materials and a crime of violence for which the term of imprisonment imposed is at least five years. (Sec. 504) Amends the INA to authorize the Attorney General to issue a final order of deportation without an administrative hearing or administrative review for any alien who was not lawfully admitted for permanent residence, or who had permanent resident status on a conditional basis, and whom the Attorney General determines is deportable and has been convicted of an aggravated felony. Limits judicial review of such determinations. Provides that an alien convicted of an aggravated felony shall be conclusively presumed to be deportable. (Sec. 505) Grants a U.S. district court jurisdiction to enter a judicial order of deportation at the time of sentencing against an alien convicted of an aggravated felony, if such order has been requested prior to sentencing by the U.S. Attorney. (Sec. 506) Restricts defenses to exclusion and deportation for certain aliens convicted of aggravated felonies. (Sec. 507) Enhances penalties for failing to depart or reentering after a final order of deportation. Limits collateral attacks on deportation orders. (Sec. 509) Authorizes appropriations for a criminal alien information system. Subtitle B: Prevention and Punishment of Alien Smuggling - Authorizes appropriations for Border Patrol agents and investigators. (Sec. 513) Includes alien smuggling as a predicate to an offense under RICO. (Sec. 514) Increases penalties for: (1) employers who knowingly employ smuggled aliens; and (2) bringing in and harboring certain aliens. (Sec. 516) Expands forfeiture for smuggling or harboring illegal aliens. Title VI: Taking Criminals Off the Street - Subtitle A: Expanding Prison Capacity - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to include within the definition of "exempt facility bond" certain bonds issued to provide for correctional facilities. (Sec. 602) Directs the Attorney General to: (1) establish a Regional Prison Task Force; and (2) create a plan for the establishment of a nationwide regional prison system. Sets forth provisions regarding State and prisoner eligibility requirements. Establishes in the Treasury a Regional Prison Fund. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 603) Amends the Davis-Bacon Act to make provisions concerning the rate of wages for laborers and mechanics inapplicable to prison construction. Subtitle B: Miscellaneous - Amends the Federal judicial code to deny the district court, in any action challenging the constitutionality of conditions of confinement in any correctional institution housing persons accused or convicted of a crime or juveniles adjudicated delinquent, jurisdiction to: (1) impose a ceiling on the population of any correctional institution or to require any adjustment of the release dates of inmates; or (2) prohibit the use of tents or prefabricated structures for housing inmates. Prohibits any consent decree in any such action from providing relief greater than the minimum required to bring the conditions of confinement into substantial compliance with the Constitution. Provides for modification of orders or decrees. Title VII: Punishment and Deterrence - Subtitle A: Capital Offenses - Amends the Federal criminal code to establish criteria for the imposition of the death penalty for Federal crimes. Requires the attorney for the Government, whenever the Government intends to seek the death penalty for an offense punishable by death, to file with the court and serve on the defendant a notice of such intent and the aggravating factors the Government will seek to prove as the basis for such penalty. Requires the judge who presided at the trial or before whom the guilty plea was entered, or another judge if that judge is unavailable, to conduct a separate sentencing hearing when the attorney for the Government has filed such notice and the defendant is found guilty of an offense punishable by death. Permits information to be presented as to any matter relating to any mitigating factor and any aggravating factor for which notice has been provided, except that information may be excluded if its probative value is outweighed by the danger of creating unfair prejudice, confusing the issues, or misleading the jury (but permits the Government to present information concerning the effect of the offense on the victim and the victim's family). Specifies mitigating and aggravating factors. Sets forth special aggravating factors for: (1) treason, espionage, homicide, and the attempted murder of the President; and (2) drug offenses punishable by death (including previous serious drug felony convictions, use of a firearm in committing or furthering certain continuing criminal enterprises, use of minors in trafficking, and lethal adulteration of controlled substances). Requires the court to instruct the jury not to consider the race, color, religion, national origin, or sex of the defendant or victim in considering whether to recommend a sentence of death. Sets forth procedures for the imposition, appeal, and implementation of a sentence of death. Prohibits: (1) a death sentence from being carried out upon a pregnant woman or a person who lacks the mental capacity to understand the death penalty and why it was imposed; and (2) requiring any employee of, or any person providing services under contract to, any State department of corrections, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and the U.S. Marshals Service to be in attendance or to participate in any execution if such participation is contrary to such employee's moral or religious convictions. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) appointment of counsel; (2) collateral attacks on judgments imposing a death sentence; and (3) stays of execution. Limits the circumstances under which a person subject to the criminal jurisdiction of an Indian tribal government may be executed under this Act. Declares that the death penalty and all other penalties shall be administered by the United States and by every State without regard to the race or color of the defendant or victim, and that neither the United States nor any State shall prescribe any racial quota or statistical test for the imposition or execution of the death penalty or any other penalty. Specifies that, in a prosecution for an offense against the United States for which a death sentence is authorized, the fact that the killing was motivated by racial prejudice or bias shall be deemed an aggravating factor. Amends specified civil rights provisions to cover conspiracy against the rights, and deprivation of rights under color of law, of any person in (currently, inhabitant of) a State, territory, or district. Provides for the imposition of the death penalty for specified Federal crimes, including: (1) murders committed by prisoners in Federal correctional institutions; (2) murders of Federal, State, and local law enforcement officers; (3) civil rights murders; (4) gun murders; (5) murders by escaped prisoners; (6) torture under specified circumstances where death results; and (7) carjackings which result in death. Subtitle B: Violent Felonies and Drug Offenses - Amends the Federal criminal code to require: (1) the Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts to establish a program of drug testing of criminal defendants on post-conviction release; and (2) the chief probation officer in each district to arrange for the drug testing of such defendants. Requires, as an explicit condition of probation, parole, or supervised release for a felony or a specified violent or drug offense, that the defendant refrain from any unlawful use of a controlled substance and submit to periodic drug tests. (Sec. 712) Requires the court to sentence a defendant convicted of a Federal violent felony to life imprisonment or, if death results, subject such defendant to the death penalty, if the defendant had previously been convicted of two other violent felonies. (Sec. 713) Amends the Armed Career Criminal Act to include within the definition of "serious drug offense" an offense under State law which, if it had been prosecuted as a CSA violation at the time of the offense and because of the type and quantity of the controlled substance involved, would have been punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment of ten years or more. (Sec. 714) Provides an enhanced penalty for the use of a semiautomatic firearm during a crime of violence or drug trafficking crime. (Sec. 715) Sets mandatory penalties for firearms possession by persons previously convicted of a violent felony or a serious drug offense, and a mandatory minimum sentence for unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, fugitive from justice, or transferor or receiver of a stolen firearm. (Sec. 717) Increases: (1) the general penalty for violation of Federal firearms laws; and (2) enhanced penalties for possession of a firearm in connection with a crime of violence or a drug trafficking crime. (Sec. 719) Sets penalties for smuggling firearms in aid of drug trafficking or violent crime. (Sec. 723) Establishes: (1) a temporary prohibition against possession of a firearm by, or transfer of a firearm to, persons convicted of a drug crime; and (2) enhanced penalties for possession of a firearm during a drug crime. Subtitle C: Enhanced Penalties for Criminal Use of Firearms and Explosives - Chapter 1: Instant Check System for Handgun Purchases - Requires each State to establish and maintain an instant criminal check system for handgun purchases. Sets forth: (1) prohibitions on uses of such information; and (2) identification procedure requirements for licensed importers, manufacturers, and dealers once a State system becomes operational and specified notice requirements are met. Sets penalties for noncompliance. (Sec. 734) Requires each State to establish a system accessible by telephone that any licensee, law enforcement officer, or court may contact for criminal history information. (Sec. 735) Provides for the correction of erroneous system information as well as a private course of action after all administrative remedies are exhausted and records are not corrected. (Sec. 736) Directs the Attorney General to expedite: (1) the incorporation of the remaining State criminal history records into the Federal criminal records systems maintained by the FBI; and (2) the development of hardware and software systems to link State criminal history check systems into the National Crime Information Center. (Sec. 737) Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) access to State criminal records; and (2) funding for improvements in State records systems. Chapter 2: Other Firearms Provisions - Increases penalties for: (1) interstate gun trafficking; (2) making knowingly false, material statements in connection with the purchase of a firearm from a licensed dealer; and (3) a second offense of using an explosive to commit a felony. (Sec. 742) Prohibits: (1) transactions involving stolen firearms which have moved in interstate or foreign commerce; (2) the receipt of firearms by non-residents of the State in which the transferor resides, unless such receipt is for lawful sporting purposes; (3) the possession of explosives by felons and others; and (4) the possession of explosives during the commission of a felony. (Sec. 745) Provides for mandatory revocation of supervised release for possession of a firearm in violation of a condition of release. (Sec. 756) Authorizes the summary destruction of explosives subject to forfeiture under specified circumstances. Subtitle D: Miscellaneous - Increases penalties for Travel Act crimes involving racketeering and conspiracy to commit contract killings. (Sec. 762) Makes it a criminal offense to fail to obey an order to land an aircraft issued by an authorized Federal law enforcement officer under specified circumstances. (Sec. 764) Provides enhanced penalties for drug trafficking in prisons. (Sec. 765) Directs the Federal Communications Commission: (1) in its review of applications for renewal of television broadcast licenses, to consider the extent to which the licensee has participated in efforts to educate the public as to the dangers of drug abuse and appropriate methods for obtaining treatment; and (2) not to find that a renewal of such a licensee is consistent with the public interest unless the applicant demonstrates that the station has broadcast public service announcements concerning drug abuse and treatment. Title VIII: Elimination of Delays in Carrying Out Sentences - Subtitle A: Post Conviction Petitions: General Habeas Corpus Reform - Amends the Federal judicial code to establish a one-year statute of limitations for habeas corpus actions brought by State prisoners. (Sec. 802) Vests authority to issue certificates of probable cause for appeal of habeas corpus orders exclusively in the courts of appeals. (Sec. 804) Permits the denial of a habeas corpus petition on the merits notwithstanding the failure of the applicant to exhaust State court remedies. (Sec. 805) Imposes a two-year period of limitation for filing for collateral relief by Federal prisoners. Subtitle B: Special Procedures for Collateral Proceedings in Capital Cases - Amends the Federal judicial code to set forth special habeas corpus procedures in capital cases. Subtitle C: Funding for Litigation of Federal Habeas Corpus Petitions in Capital Cases - Amends the Omnibus Act to require the Director of BJA to provide grants to the States to support litigation pertaining to Federal habeas corpus petitions in capital cases. Title IX: Public Corruption - Amends the Federal criminal code to prescribe criminal penalties to be imposed upon: (1) anyone who uses any facility of, or affects, interstate or foreign commerce to deprive or defraud the inhabitants of a State of the honest services of a State official or of a fair and impartially conducted election process; and (2) any State or Federal official who, in order to carry out or conceal any scheme or artifice to defraud, discriminates, harasses, or takes adverse action against another official. Authorizes such adversely affected official to obtain relief through a civil action, provided such person did not participate in the scheme or artifice. (Sec. 902) Amends mail fraud provisions to prohibit the use of any facility of interstate or foreign commerce in the execution of a scheme or artifice to defraud. (Sec. 903) Sets forth prohibitions regarding narcotics-related public corruption. Title X: Funding - Requires each head of a Federal agency making a grant to, or entering into a contract with, an institution of higher education for research and development to reduce the overhead payment rate under the grant or contract to 90 percent of the current level and return the amount saved to the general fund of the Treasury. (Sec. 1002) Reduces the overhead expenses identified and reduced by the President in Executive Order 12837 by an additional five percent.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1993
Prohibits the intentional creation of legislative districts based on race, color, or language minority status of voters within such districts. Provides a private right of action for a violation of such prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1993
Instructs the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct to investigate allegations that the House Post Office provided cash to any Member in exchange for official vouchers, stamps purchased with official vouchers, campaign account checks, or in any other way inconsistent with the Rules of the House. Requires the Committee to: (1) determine which Members are alleged by the former Postmaster to have engaged in improper conduct in connection with the House Post Office and whether these Members are the subjects of any current investigation by the Department of Justice; and (2) defer further inquiry into a Member's conduct if that be the case, pending conclusion of the investigation. Requires the Committee to report to the House on its investigations and makes such report available to the public.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1993
Amends rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives to allow meetings of standing committees and subcommittees to be closed to the public only if approved by a majority of the committee or subcommittee's total membership because disclosure of matters to be considered would endanger national security, tend to defame, degrade, or incriminate any person, jeopardize an ongoing criminal investigation, or compromise a confidential source of any criminal investigation. Repeals provisions making the coverage of committee hearings and meetings by television broadcast, radio broadcast, or still photography a privilege made available by the House. Requires proceedings of open committee hearings or meetings to be open to television broadcast, radio broadcast, and still photography, or by any of such method of coverage. Prohibits a committee or subcommittee chairman from limiting the number of television or still cameras below two representatives from each medium.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 1993
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) obstetrician-gynecologists should be designated as primary care providers for women in Federal laws relating to the provision of health care; and (2) legislative proposals that define primary care should include services performed by obstetrician-gynecologists in such definition.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 1993
Condemns the Sudanese Government for its human rights abuses and calls upon such government to improve human rights conditions. Calls on the Sudanese People's Liberation Army to cease hostilities and resolve differences through peaceful means. Encourages the military government of Sudan to hand over political power to an elected civilian government as soon as possible. Recognizes the right of the people of southern Sudan to self-determination. Calls upon the President to: (1) appoint a special representative for mediation, reconciliation, peace, and humanitarian affairs in Sudan; (2) increase the levels of humanitarian assistance provided through nongovernmental organizations; (3) place Sudan on the list of states that support international terrorism; (4) oppose specified international financial institution assistance for Sudan; (5) explore other means necessary to force the Sudanese Government to halt its war should humanitarian conditions further deteriorate and such government continues to impede relief efforts; and (6) urge the United Nations to take certain steps to end the conflict in Sudan and to protect war and famine victims.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Tax Treatment of Long-Term Care Insurance Title II: Protection of Assets Under Medicaid Through Use of Qualified Long-Term Care Insurance Title III: Studies Long-Term Care Security Act of 1993 - Title I: Tax Treatment of Long-Term Care Insurance - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the treatment of qualified long-term care insurance as accident and health insurance for purposes of insurance company taxation. Excludes from gross income benefits provided under a long-term care insurance contract. Includes in gross income employer-provided coverage for long-term care services. Includes amounts paid for qualified long-term care services as medical expenses for individual itemized deductions. Includes any parent or grandparent as a dependent for purposes of such expenses. Provides for the nonrecognition of gain or loss on the exchange of any life insurance contract or an endowment or annuity contract for a long-term care insurance contract. Excludes from gross income certain amounts withdrawn from individual retirement accounts and certain employer cash or deferred arrangements to pay long-term care premiums. Provides for the exclusion as a death benefit of any amount paid or advanced to an individual under a life insurance contract because such individual is terminally ill or chronically ill and confined to a qualified facility. Allows insurance companies to issue accelerated death benefit riders on life insurance contracts. Title II: Protection of Assets Under Medicaid Through Use of Qualified Long-Term Care Insurance - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to disregard assets which are attributable to coverage under a qualified long-term care insurance contract for purposes of eligibility. Title III: Studies - Directs the Comptroller General to study the feasibility of: (1) encouraging health care providers to donate their services to homebound patients; and (2) providing heads of households who care for elderly family members in their homes with a tax credit.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 1993
Constitutional Amendment - Requires a three-fifths majority of the whole number of each House of the Congress before a bill increasing any revenue may pass. Provides that total revenue of the United States Government for each fiscal year shall not exceed 20 percent of the gross domestic product and that any revenue in excess of this limit shall be used to reduce the public debt. Authorizes a specific amount of additional revenue above such limit for the current or next fiscal year when a bill for this sole purpose is passed by a three-fifths majority of the whole number of each House of the Congress and becomes law. Authorizes the Congress, upon the President's request, to waive the provisions of this joint resolution by a roll call vote for any fiscal year in which a declaration of war is in effect. Requires any law that has the effect of increasing any revenue, if adopted when a waiver is in effect, to expire within two years after the law is adopted.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 1993
Rental-Purchase Reform Act of 1993 - Amends the Consumer Credit Protection Act to set forth information required to be disclosed by merchants to consumers under rental-purchase agreements. Regulates the collection and advertising practices of such merchants. Authorizes consumers to bring civil charges in any U.S. district court for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1993
Free and Independent Cuba Assistance Act of 1993 - Requires the President, at such time as a transition government is in power in Cuba, to develop a plan for providing economic assistance to the Cuban people while such government and a democratic government are in power. Limits such assistance to humanitarian assistance while a transition government is in power. Expands such assistance to include development and agricultural assistance and export financing (as well as other specified assistance) when a democratic government is in power. Requires the President to take steps to obtain the agreement of other countries and international financial institutions to provide comparable assistance to Cuba. Directs the President to determine whether to designate Cuba as a beneficiary country pursuant to the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act. Requires the President, upon enactment of legislation implementing a free trade agreement between the United States and another country in the Western Hemisphere, to: (1) take steps to enter into a framework agreement with the transition government in Cuba providing for trade and investment in Cuba; and (2) enter into negotiations with a democratic government in Cuba to conclude a free trade agreement. Directs the President to communicate the plan for assistance to the Cuban people. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the President to terminate the trade embargo on Cuba upon submitting a determination that a democratic government is in power in Cuba to the Congress. Sets forth conditions under which a government in Cuba will be considered transitional or democratic.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1993
Amends the Federal criminal code to include peonage and slavery offenses as predicates to a violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 1993
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow taxpayers primarily engaged in a farming-related business an investment tax credit for a percentage of: (1) the costs of agricultural environmental property; and (2) the amount allowed as a deduction for soil and water conservation expenditures.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 1993
Prohibits: (1) appropriated funds from being used to purchase U.S. Capitol Historical Society calendars for the House of Representatives; or (2) such calendars from being mailed under the frank of any Member, officer, or employee of the House.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 1993
Federal Benefit Integrity Act - Amends part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) (AFDC) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) reduce the amount of AFDC currently being paid to families which do not include a U.S. citizen or national; and (2) prohibit AFDC from being paid to any family applying for AFDC which does not include such an individual. Amends SSA title XVI (Supplementary Security Income), the Housing and Community Development Act of 1980, and the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to make similar amendments with respect to the receipt of Federal benefits by illegal aliens, and, in certain cases, phase-out such benefits entirely.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1993
Armed Career Criminal Clarification Act - Establishes as a predicate offense under the armed career criminal statute any offense under State law which would have been punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment of ten years or more because of the type and quantity of the controlled substance involved if the offense had been prosecuted as a violation of the Controlled Substances Act.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Smuggling and Fraud Title II: Asylum Title III: Inspections Title IV: Authorization of Appropriations for the Immigration and Naturalization Service Immigration Enforcement and Asylum Reform Act of 1993 - Title I: Smuggling and Fraud - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide expedited exclusion procedures for aliens who arrive without proper documentation or who are determined by a special asylum officer not to have a proper claim of asylum (based upon a credible fear of persecution). Limits judicial review to habeas corpus. Increases penalties for certain alien smuggling offenses. Extends penalties to persons who contract to bring in illegal labor. Treats smuggling as an aggravated felony. Title II: Asylum - Revises asylum procedures. Sets forth mandatory and discretionary conditions for granting provisional asylum. Establishes new application deadlines. States that asylum applications shall be determined by specially trained asylum officers. Terminates an alien's claim for failure to appear at the application hearing. Title III: Inspections - Directs the Attorney General to establish: (1) specified numbers of preinspection stations at foreign airports identified as last departure points for the greatest numbers of U.S.-arriving passengers and at those with the greatest numbers of U.S.-arriving undocumented aliens (and to assign additional immigration officers at such airports without preinspection stations); and (2) an expedited inspection process for U.S. citizens returning by air from abroad. Revises the pilot visa waiver program to: (1) make it permanent; (2) repeal certain paperwork requirements; (3) subject participants to exclusion or deportation without appeal (except for an asylum claim); and (4) require carriers to distribute program information to passengers. Provides for the training of airline personnel in detection of fraudulent documents. Title IV: Authorization of Appropriations for the Immigration and Naturalization Service - Authorizes appropriations for the Border Patrol.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1993
Urges the President to ensure that the current North American free trade area labor negotiations address the issue of improved bilateral Mexico-United States cooperation in controlling illegal immigration.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1993
Requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives to take necessary actions to transfer the House Restaurant System, the House Post Office, the House Barbershop, the House Beauty Shop, and their activities to the private sector in order to achieve specified annual cost savings and staff reductions.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 1993
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide hospital care, and authorizes the Secretary to provide nursing home care, to a veteran exposed to an environmental hazard. Makes a veteran who the Secretary finds may have been exposed to a toxic substance or an environmental hazard during the Persian Gulf War eligible for hospital and nursing home care for any disability which becomes manifest before October 1, 1996, notwithstanding whether it is medically evident that such disability is associated with such exposure. Extends through FY 1998 the provision of such care. Makes such veterans eligible for outpatient care for any disability through such period, if the disability becomes manifest before October 1, 1996.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1993
Amends the Federal criminal code to: (1) authorize the death penalty for carjacking if death results; and (2) include as carjacking intentionally making physical contact with a motor vehicle, while in possession of a firearm or other dangerous device, with the intent or result of injuring an occupant or of taking or damaging the motor vehicle or its contents.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1993
Prohibits funds appropriated or otherwise made available for military functions of the Department of Defense from being made available to any other Federal department or agency unless the Secretary certifies to the Congress at least 30 days in advance that such transfer is in the national security interest. Authorizes the Secretary to waive such prohibition during a period of national emergency.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1993
Persian Gulf War Radiation Research Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to make a specified grant annually for FY 1994 through 1998 to an institution selected through established acquisition procedures to study the possible health effects of battlefield exposure to depleted uranium, including exposure through ingestion, inhalation, or bodily injury. Provides grant funding through Department of Defense research, development, test, and evaluation appropriations. Directs the Secretary to report to the Congress on such research activities.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 1993
Refugee Impact Assistance Supplemental Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 1993 - Makes emergency supplemental appropriations for FY 1993 to the Department of Health and Human Services for refugee and entrant assistance in Florida, Massachusetts, and New York for expenses resulting from the entry of HIV-infected Haitian refugees.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 1993
Refugee Impact Assistance Supplemental Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 1993 - Makes emergency supplemental appropriations for FY 1993 to the Department of Health and Human Services for refugee and entrant assistance to: (1) Florida, New York, and Massachusetts for expenses related to the entry of HIV-infected Haitian refugees; and (2) Florida for expenses resulting from entry of Cuban refugees during the Mariel boatlift.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 1993
Equitable Escheatment Act of 1993 - Amends specified Federal law to prescribe guidelines under which unclaimed distributions of security interests shall be subject to the custodial taking (escheatment) by the State which contains the principal executive offices of either the issuer or the holder of those securities.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1993
Criminal Aliens Incarceration Act of 1993 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (Act) to permit the deportation of an alien in Federal or State detention prior to sentence completion. Amends Federal law to require a court to issue a deportation order as part of the sentencing order for an alien convicted of an aggravated felony. Amends the Act to provide for such deportations. Provides for Federal incarceration, upon State request, of undocumented criminal aliens.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Family Tax Credit Title II: Reducing the Cost of Capital by Reducing Capital Gains Tax Rates and Indexing the Basis of Certain Assets Title III: Neutral Cost Recovery Title IV: Increasing National Savings Through Individual Retirement Plus Accounts, Indexing for Inflation the Income Thresholds for Taxing Social Security Benefits, Etc. Title V: Cap on Federal Spending and Establishment of Commission to Reduce Federal Spending Putting Jobs and the American Family First Act of 1993 - Title I: Family Tax Credit - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individuals a tax credit of $500 multiplied by the number of qualifying children who have not attained age 18. Places limitations on such credit and adjusts it for inflation. Title II: Reducing the Cost of Capital by Reducing Capital Gains Tax Rates and Indexing the Basis of Certain Assets - Reduces the individual and corporate capital gains rate from 34 percent to 15 percent. Reduces such tax to 7.5 percent for low- and middle-income taxpayers. Provides for the phaseout of personal exemptions and the overall limitation on itemized deductions to take into account adjusted gross income which has been reduced by net capital gain. Requires indexing, based on the gross national product deflator, of the adjusted basis of certain assets (corporate stock and tangible property that is a capital asset of property used in a trade or business) that have been held for more than one year at the time of sale or other transfer, solely for the purpose of determining gain or loss. Provides for indexing the limitation on capital losses of noncorporate taxpayers. Title III: Neutral Cost Recoverry - Allows the depreciation deduction to be computed based on a neutral recovery basis for property placed in service after December 31, 1993. Repeals the special depreciation rules applicable under the adjusted current earnings provisions of the minimum tax. Title IV: Increasing National Savings Through Individual Retirement Plus Accounts, Indexing for Inflation the Income Thresholds for Taxing Social Security Benefits, etc. - Allows individuals to establish individual retirement plus accounts with tax treatment similar to that for individual retirement plans. Makes contributions to such account nondeductible. Provides for qualified distributions from such accounts. other than for general retirement purposes, including special purpose distributions made for the purchase of a first home and for medical or educational purposes. Prohibits special purpose distributions from being made during the first five years of the account. Provides an inflation adjustment after 1996 for income thresholds in determining the taxation of social security benefits. Excludes income from individual retirement plans when determining modified adjusted gross income. Provides an inflation adjustment after 1996 for the maximum amount allowable as a deduction for retirement savings. Title V: Cap on Federal Spending and Establishment of Commission to Reduce Federal Spending - Establishes the Commission on Reduction of Federal Spending to: (1) recommend specific reductions in Federal activities to assure that spending does not grow at a rate in excess of two percent per year through FY 1998; and (2) report a bill to the Congress with changes necessary to achieve such reductions. Establishes an advisory council to assist the Commission. Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollidngs Act) to set forth sequestration procedures when the increase in annual Federal spending exceeds the amount resulting from an annual rate of inflation of two percent.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 1993
Diesel Fuel Tax Enforcement Act of 1993 - Expresses the sense of the Congress that outlays for Internal Revenue Service criminal investigation and other enforcement activities should be increased and such increase shall be funded with offsetting spending reductions in other program areas. Makes permanent the authority for the Internal Revenue Service to conduct undercover operations. Requires additional information in reports to the Congress concerning such operations. Requires the Attorney General to report to the Congress on: (1) the feasibility of additional Federal task forces dealing with organized crime's involvement in diesel fuel tax evasion; and (2) other steps that could be taken to reduce criminal evasion of such taxes.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1993
Repeals the Davis-Bacon Act (an Act which requires that the locally prevailing wage rate be paid to various classes of laborers and mechanics working under federally-financed or federally-assisted contracts for construction, alteration, and repair of public buildings or public works).
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1993
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the proposed increase in tax on social security benefits should not be enacted and if enacted should be repealed.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1993
Urges the President to recognize the influential role rail, bus, air passenger service, highway, and byway investments and other transportation initiatives have in the development of tourism opportunities in the United States by convening a White House Conference on Tourism to address critical issues which highlight the interdependence of transportation and tourism. Declares that transportation infrastructure and the Scenic Byways Program are key components of economic development and should be addressed by the Conference.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1993
Prison Litigation Relief Act of 1993 - Amends the Federal judicial code to require a district court, in any action challenging the constitutionality of conditions of confinement in any correctional instituion, that finds that a condition of confinement violates the Constitution, to narrowly tailor any relief to fit the nature and extent of the violation and to make an order no more intrusive than necessary to remedy the violation. Denies the court jurisdiction to: (1) impose a ceiling on the population of any institution or to require any adjustment of the release dates of inmates; or (2) prohibit the use of tents or prefabricated structures for housing inmates. Specifies that: (1) no consent decree in any such action shall provide relief greater than the minimum required to bring conditions of confinement into substantial compliance with the Constitution; and (2) in entering a consent decree, the court shall make a written finding to that effect (permits the court to recommend changes if it appears that the relief provided is greater than the minimum required). Permits the court, upon motion of a defendant at any time, to conduct a hearing on whether such an order or decree should be modified in light of: (1) changed factual circumstances; (2) a change or clarification of the governing law; (3) a succession in office of an official responsible for having consented to a decree; (4) the Government's financial constraints or any other matter affecting public safety or the public interest; or (5) specified grounds under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Directs the court: (1) to conduct such a hearing if the motion was filed more than one year after the date of the order or decree or the date on which the last previous modification hearing was conducted, whichever is later; and (2) if the court denies a motion to modify such an order or consent decree, to make a written finding that the relief provided is no greater than the minimum required.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1993
Child Support Enforcement Act - Declares that nothing in this Act should be construed to affect the right of an individual or State to receive child support payments or the obligation of an individual to pay child support. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require any taxable unpaid child support payments of a taxpayer to be treated as amounts includible in gross income by reason of the discharge of indebtedness of the taxpayer. Allows a deduction for subsequently made payments. Allows a nonbusiness bad debt deduction for unpaid child support payments. Limits such deduction to $5,000 per child. Allows such deduction to taxpayers whose gross income does not exceed $5,000 and who are owed payments of at least $500. Requires payments to be delinquent during the entire taxable year. Provides a cost-of-living adjustment for amounts under this Act. Requires subsequent payments to be included in the gross income of the recipient. Requires net revenues from this Act to be applied to the retirement of outstanding public debt obligations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 1993
Bankruptcy Amendments of 1993 - Amends Federal bankruptcy law to raise to $1 million the ceiling on debts for eligibility to file as a chapter 13 debtor (bankrupt consumer repayment of debt under court supervision). (Currently the ceiling is $100,000 for unsecured debts, or $350,000 for certain secured debts.) Modifies the guidelines for: (1) chapter 13 bankruptcies; (2) automatic stays; (3) exemptions; (4) discharges; and (5) preferences. Directs the Administrative Office of the United States Courts to compile and make available to the public statistical information regarding bankruptcy cases.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 1993
Workers' Political Rights Act - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to permit a labor organization to make political communications and establish and solicit contributions for a separate segregated political fund if it provides the employees it represents with written notification of specified information.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1993
Foreign Aid Impact Assessment Act - Requires the President to submit triennially to the Congress a report (on a country-by-country basis) analyzing the impact and effectiveness of U.S. economic assistance provided during the preceding three fiscal years. Requires that each report: (1) be submitted to the Congress as a separate document; and (2) identify those countries in which economic assistance has been most and least successful, explain why the assistance was not more successful, and specify what the United States has done as a result.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1993
Biennial Budgeting Act of 1993 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to revise the Federal and congressional budget processes by establishing a two-year budgeting and appropriations cycle and timetable. Defines the budget biennium as the two consecutive fiscal years beginning on October 1 of any odd-numbered year. Devotes the first session of any Congress to the budget resolution and to appropriations decisions, retaining current deadlines in most cases. Changes certain deadlines to conform to the biennial scheme. Devotes each second session to authorization activity, subject to specified deadlines. Requires the Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to issue four-year projections of congressional budget action. (Current projections are on a five-year basis.) Amends provisions relating to the reconciliation process to: (1) increase from 20 to 100 hours the time of debate permitted in the Senate with respect to reconciliation measures; and (2) make it out of order in both the House and the Senate to consider any reconciliation legislation changing any provision of law other than one relating to new budget or spending authority, revenues, or the public debt limit. Conforms provisions governing the President's budget to the biennial framework. Amends the Rules of the House of Representatives to conform to the biennial framework.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1993
Commends radio amateurs for their contributions to technical progress in electronics and for their emergency radio communications in times of disaster. Urges the Federal Communications Commission to continue and enhance the development of the amateur radio service as a public benefit by adopting rules and regulations which encourage the use of new technologies within the amateur radio service. Declares that reasonable accommodation should be made for effective operation of amateur radio from residences, private vehicles, and public areas and that regulation at all levels of government should facilitate and encourage amateur radio operation as a public benefit.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1993
Impeaches Robert F. Collins, a judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, for bribery and high crimes and misdemeanors.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1993
Amends rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives to allow meetings of the standing committees and subcommittees to be closed to the public only if disclosure of matters to be considered would endanger national security or would tend to defame, degrade, or incriminate any person. Repeals provisions making the coverage of committee hearings and meetings by television broadcast, radio broadcast, or still photography a privilege made available by the House. Requires proceedings of open committee hearings or meetings to be open to television broadcast, radio broadcast, and still photography, or by any of such method of coverage. Prohibits a committee or subcommittee chairman from limiting the number of television or still cameras below two representatives from each medium.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1993
National Senior Citizens Pet Ownership Protection Act - Amends the Housing and Urban-Rural Recovery Act of 1983 to prohibit owners and managers of federally assisted rental housing from preventing elderly and disabled tenants from owning or having household pets.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 1993
Negotiated Rates Act of 1993 - Amends Federal transportation law to authorize persons against whom a claim is made by a motor carrier of property (other than a household goods carrier), or by a nonhousehold goods freight forwarder for the collection of rates or charges in addition to the rates originally collected by such carrier or freight forwarder, to elect to satisfy such claim pursuant to a specified formula upon showing that the carrier or forwarder is no longer transporting property or is transporting property for the purpose of avoiding application of this Act. Requires that the claimant have been offered a rate other than the one legally on file with the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), have tendered freight in reasonable reliance upon the offered rate, the carrier or forwarder did not properly or timely file a tariff for the rate or failed to execute a valid contract for transportation services, such rate was collected by the carrier or forwarder, and the carrier or forwarder demands additional payment of a higher rate filed in a tariff. Shortens the statute of limitations for the filing of claims: (1) by a motor common carrier or freight forwarder for recovery of transportation or service charges; and (2) by any person to recover overcharges by a motor carrier. Permits motor carriers and shippers to resolve by mutual consent, subject to ICC review and approval, any overcharge and undercharge claims resulting from billing errors or incorrect tariff provisions arising from the inadvertent failure to properly and timely file and maintain agreed upon rates, rules, or classifications. Prohibits a tariff filed with the ICC from being held invalid solely on the basis that it uses a numerical or alpha account code to designate customers or describe the applicability of rates. Requires a motor contract carrier to enter into a written agreement (separate from a bill of lading or receipt) for the provision of transportation services. Sets forth both civil and criminal penalties for violations of this requirement. Requires the ICC to issue regulations prohibiting any motor carrier from reducing a rate set forth in its tariff or contract for any person but the one paying for the transportation service. Sets forth civil penalties. Grants the ICC jurisdiction to resolve disputes arising with respect to certain motor carriers as to whether transportation is provided as a motor common carrier or as a motor contract carrier. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to arrange with the Transportation Research Board to study and report to specified congressional committees on: (1) the public benefits of tariff rate filings by motor carriers of property with the ICC; (2) the extent to which such filing system is used by shippers; (3) the difficulty and cost of determining rates for transportation services under such system; and (4) the number of actions brought before the ICC with respect to such rates.
![Official portrait of Rep. Canady, Charles T. [R-FL-12]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c000107_200.jpg)