United States · United States Congress · 25 November 1991
Small Business Health Care Reform Act of 1991 - Title I: Improvements in Health Insurance Affordability for Small Employers - Amends the Internal Revenue code to raise from 25 to 100 percent the deduction allowed to self-employed individuals for health insurance premiums and makes the deduction permanent. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) to make grants to up to 15 States for the establishment and operation of small employer health insurance purchasing programs. Permits grant funds to be used to finance administrative costs associated with developing and operating a group purchasing program for small employers. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Improvements in Health Insurance for Small Employers - Amends the Social Security Act to add a new title, Title XXI: Standards for Small Employer Health Insurance and Certification of Managed Care Plans. Directs the Secretary to develop standards concerning requirements for health insurance plans for small employers. Requires such plans to provide for: (1) guaranteed eligibility; (2) guaranteed availability; and (3) guaranteed renewability. Prohibits: (1) an insurer from refusing to renew or terminate a plan, except for nonpayment of premiums, fraud, or failure to maintain minimum participation rates; and (2) for certain services, discrimination based on health status. Sets limits controlling the variation of premium charges permitted among all small employers insured by an insurer. Requires the full disclosure of an insurer's rating practices. Requires a health insurance plan for small employers to offer: (1) both a standard benefit package and basic benefit package; and (2) a managed care option, if the insurer also offers such an option to other employers. Provides, under both the standard and basic package, for coverage of: (1) inpatient and outpatient hospital care; (2) inpatient and outpatient physician services; (3) diagnostic tests; and (4) preventive services. Provides, in addition, under the standard plan: (1) for the coverage of certain mental health care; (2) that, except as specified, there will be no limits on the amount, scope, or duration of benefits, and (3) for specified limits on deductibles, copayment, coinsurance, and out-of-pocket expenses. Provides under the basic plan that: (1) premiums, deductibles, copayments, or other cost-sharing may be imposed; and (2) there shall be an out-of-pocket limit. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an excise tax of 25 percent of gross premiums on the issuer of any health insurance plan to a small employer if the plan does not meet the requirements of title XXI. Sets forth study and reporting requirements. Title III: Improvements in Portability of Private Health Insurance - Imposes an excise tax of $100 per day, with respect to a covered individual, on a group health plan for its failure to provide coverage for a preexisting condition, subject to stated exceptions. Title IV: Health Care Cost Containment - Establishes a Health Care Cost Commission which shall report annually to the President and the Congress on national health care costs. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, under title XXI of the Social Security Act, to establish a process for the certification of managed care plans and of utilization review programs. Sets forth requirements for certification. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Administrator of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research to develop outcomes research and practice parameters for mental health services, including at least the diagnosis and treatment of childhood attention deficit syndrome disorders and manic depression. Amends Part A (General Provisions) of title XI of the Social Security Act to authorize appropriations for research outcomes of health care services and procedures. Mandates development of uniform claims forms for use by beneficiaries and health care providers in submitting claims under group health plans and titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act. Amends the Public Health Service Act to include entities receiving Federal funds under provisions relating to migrant health centers, community health centers, or health services for the homeless, 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 provisions relating to migrant or community health centers or health services for the homeless unless the applicant has: (1) implemented policies and procedures to assure against malpractice; (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. Title V: Medicare Prevention Benefits - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits for the Aged and Disabled) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish frequency and payment limits for screening for fecal-occult blood tests and screening flexible sigmoidoscopies. Amends part C (Miscellaneous Provisions) of title XVIII to provide coverage for tetanus-diphtheria booster and its administration. Provides Medicare coverage for well-child services which is to include routine office visits, immunizations, laboratory tests, and preventive dental care. Expands the coverage of a screening mammography to provide for one such screening annually for all covered women over age 49. Directs the Secretary to establish and provide for a series of ongoing demonstration projects which provide coverage for specified preventive services, including: (1) glaucoma screening; (2) cholesterol screening; (3) osteoporosis screening and treatment; (4) screening services for pregnant women; (5) assessments for individuals beginning at age 65 or 75; and (6) other appropriate services. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Director of the Office of Technology Assessment to study and report concerning the development of a process for the regular review for the consideration of coverage of preventive services under Medicare.
United States · United States Congress · 22 November 1991
Three-Time Loser Violence Reduction Act of 1991 - Mandates life imprisonment without release for a third conviction for a felony drug offense, crime of violence, or any combination thereof. (Current law provides such penalty for a third conviction for a felony drug offense.)
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 1991
Taxpayer Bill of Rights Act of 1991 - Title I: Additional Safeguards to Protect Taxpayers' Rights - Subtitle A: Taxpayers' Advocate - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish in the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) the Office of Taxpayers' Advocate, headed by the Taxpayers' Advocate, appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Requires the Office to: (1) assist taxpayers in resolving problems with the IRS; (2) identify areas in which taxpayers have problems in dealings with the IRS; (3) propose changes in the administrative practices of the IRS to mitigate such problems; and (4) identify potential legislative changes which may be appropriate to mitigate such problems. Requires the Taxpayers' Advocate to annually report to specified congressional committees on Office activities. Requires the Commissioner of Internal Revenue to establish procedures requiring a formal response to all recommendations submitted to the Commissioner by the Taxpayers' Advocate. Authorizes the terms of a Taxpayer Assistance Order to require the Secretary of the Treasury to take certain actions (currently, only to cease or refrain from taking such actions). Subtitle B: Modifications to Installment Agreement Provisions - Requires prior notification to taxpayers under an installment agreement to pay tax liability before altering, modifying, or terminating such an agreement. Provides for administrative review of denials of requests for installment agreements. Suspends the failure to pay penalty during any period an installment agreement is in effect. Subtitle C: Interest - Extends from ten days to 21 days the period for which interest will not be imposed after notice and demand for payment, if such payment is less than $100,000. Provides for the abatement of interest in the case of an assessment due to the error or delay of an IRS managerial act. Increases the interest rate for overpayment of tax from two percent to three percent (making such rate equal to the interest rate for underpayment of tax). Waives interest on all overpayments refunded within 45 days after a return is filed. Subtitle D: Joint Returns - Requires separate deficiency notices in the case of a joint income tax return if the most recent data available to the IRS shows that such spouses did not file a joint return with each other. Allows the disclosure of collection activities to an individual requesting such information in the case of a joint return where such individual is no longer married to or resides in the same household as the other joint filer. Removes limitations on filing a joint return after filing separate returns. Subtitle E: Collection Activities - Authorizes the Secretary, if it is determined to be in the best interest of the taxpayer and the United States, to: (1) withdraw a notice of a lien; (2) return property that has been levied upon; and (3) offer compromises in civil or criminal cases. Requires the Secretary, at the request of the taxpayer, to make reasonable efforts to notify credit reporting agencies and financial institutions of such withdrawal notice. Subtitle E (sic): Erroneous and Fraudulent Information Returns - Requires payee statements to provide the phone number of the person providing payment. Establishes civil damages for the fraudulent filing of information returns. Requires the Secretary to take reasonable steps to corroborate the accuracy of an information return when making a determination of a deficiency by a third party, when such return is disputed by the taxpayer. Subtitle F: Modifications to Penalty for Failure to Collect and Pay Over Tax - Declares that a person shall not be liable for any penalty for failure to collect and pay over tax if such person: (1) is not a significant owner, or highly compensated employee of the trade or business; (2) notifies the Secretary within ten days after such failure; and (3) such notification was before any notice by the Secretary with respect to such failure. Requires the Secretary to disclose certain information where more than one person is liable for a penalty. Subtitle G: Awarding of Costs and Certain Fees - Repeals the "substantially justified" test for determining whether a taxpayer may recover costs and fees incurred as part of an administrative or court proceeding. Provides for the awarding of reasonable litigation or administrative costs to a prevailing party who represents himself in an administrative or court proceeding. Makes IRS employees personally liable in certain cases. Provides that any failure to agree to an extension of time for the assessment of any tax shall not be taken into account in determining whether a prevailing party has exhausted all administrative remedies. Subtitle H: Other Provisions - Revises provisions on the required content of tax due, deficiency, and other notices. Provides for the treatment of returns prepared for or executed by the Secretary for purposes of certain tax penalties. Provides protection for taxpayers who rely on certain guidance published by the IRS. Title II: Form Modifications, Studies - Subtitle A: Form Modifications - Directs the Secretary to: (1) ensure that taxpayers are aware of permission to pay tax in installments, extensions of time for payment of tax, and compromises of tax liability; (2) improve procedures for taxpayers to notify the Secretary of changes in names and addresses; (3) include in a specified publication a section on the rights and responsibilities of divorced individuals; (4) ensure that employees are aware of their responsibilities under the Federal tax system and that the public is aware of penalties for failure to collect and pay over tax; and (5) notify taxpayers any payments that cannot be associated with any outstanding tax liability. Subtitle B: Studies - Requires the Secretary to report to the tax-writing committees on: (1) a pilot program for appeals of certain enforcement actions (including lien, levy, and seizure actions; (2) a study on ways to assist the elderly, physically impaired, foreign-language speaking, and other taxpayers with special needs to comply with IRS laws; (3) the scope and content of the IRS taxpayer-rights education program for its officers and employees; and (4) cases involving complaints about misconduct of IRS employees and the disposition of such complaints. Requires the Comptroller General to report to the tax-writing committees on: (1) a study of notices of deficiency; (2) the accuracy and clarity of 25 of the most commonly used IRS forms, notices, and publications; and (3) a study of IRS employee-suggestion programs.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 1991
Federal-State Pesticide Regulation Partnership Act of 1991 - Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to remove the authority of political subdivisions to inspect records of persons selling or delivering pesticides for purposes of enforcing such Act. Prohibits local governments from imposing or continuing any requirement regarding pesticides or devices.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 1991
Real Estate Recovery Act of 1991 - Title I: Resolution Trust Corporation Refinancing - Resolution Trust Corporation Refinancing Act of 1991 - Amends the Federal Home Loan Bank Act to provide additional funding to the RTC to complete the resolution of failed thrifts. Increases the RTC working capital borrowing limit. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to extend until September 30, 1993, the period during which the Office of Thrift Supervision must appoint the RTC as conservator or receiver of failed thrifts. Title II: Restructuring of the Oversight Board and the Resolution Trust Corporation - Resolution Trust Corporation Restructuring Act of 1991 - Amends the Federal Home Loan Bank Act to limit the accountability of the Oversight Board to the performance of its duties under such Act. Revises the composition of the Board. Authorizes the RTC to develop and establish overall goals and policies and authorizes the Board to review and require modification of such goals and policies. Provides for the management of the RTC by its Board of Directors instead of the FDIC. Revises the composition of the RTC Board of Directors. Revises RTC personnel provisions with respect to the use of FDIC employees. Provides for the appointment of a chief executive officer to the RTC by the Oversight Board. Amends the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 to provide for the rights of FDIC employees assigned to the RTC at the time of its termination. Authorizes the Oversight Board to remove the RTC Board of Directors for cause and to appoint a new Board of Directors. Title III: Reduction in Capital Gains Tax for Individuals - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce 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. 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. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate the age requirement (55 years or older) and years-of-residency requirement for eligibility with respect to the one-time income tax exclusion of gain from the sale of a residence. Title IV: Credit for Purchase of New Principal Residence - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for the purchase of a principal residence of five percent of the purchase price of such residence. Limits such credit to $2,000. Makes such credit applicable to new principal residences acquired after October 31, 1991, and before November 1, 1992. Title V: Enterprise Zones - Subtitle A: Designation -Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Secretary) to designate enterprise zones for purposes of providing tax and regulatory relief and improving local services. Limits choices to areas nominated by States and local governments. Limits the total number of areas that may be designated, and the time period of the designation. Authorizes the Secretary to designate a zone only if the area meets certain locational, demographic, unemployment, and poverty criteria. Requires nominating local governments, as a condition of the Secretary's designation, to agree in writing to follow a course of action that may include reducing tax rates, improving local services, simplifying or streamlining regulation of business, and providing job training to area residents. Describes areas to which the Secretary must give preference in selecting areas for designation. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress every two years on the effects of such enterprise zones' designation in accomplishing the purposes of this Act. Subtitle B: Federal Income Tax Incentives - Allows a nonrefundable income tax credit to enterprise zone employees for five percent of any wages earned as do not exceed a specified amount. Phases out such credit. Provides for the nonrecognition of capital gain on the sale of enterprise zone property. Allows a taxpayer a deduction on the aggregate amount paid for the purchase of enterprise stock on its original issue by a qualified issuer. Requires any gain from the disposition of the stock to be treated as ordinary income. Excludes enterprise zone capital gains from income computation of alternative minimum taxes. Subtitle C: Regulatory Flexibility - Amends Federal law to revise the definition of "small entity" for purposes of the analysis of regulatory functions to include qualified business, government, and nonprofit enterprises operating within enterprise zones. Authorizes Federal agencies, upon request by a designating government, to waive or modify rules and regulations pertaining to the implementation of projects or activities within an enterprise zone. Requires agencies to approve the request if the resulting benefits of job creation, community development, or economic revitalization outweigh the public interest in retaining the rule unchanged. Disallows waiver or modification of a rule that would directly violate a statutory requirement or present a danger to the public health and safety. Subtitle D: Establishment of Foreign-Trade Zones in Enterprise Zones - Requires the Foreign-Trade Zone Board to consider on a priority basis and to expedite the processing of applications for the establishment of foreign-trade zones within enterprise zones. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to give priority to, and expedite applications for, the establishment of ports of entry necessary to establish such zones. Subtitle E: Repeal of Title VII of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 - Repeals title VII (enterprise zone development) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987. Title VI: Appraisal Requirements and RTC and FDIC Inventory Property - Amends the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 to extend until July 1, 1992, the requirement for State certified or licensed appraisers in connection with federally-related appraisals. Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to annually study the real estate market conditions within local market areas to determine whether the sale of inventory property by the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is affecting or will affect the value of real estate within such areas. Directs the RTC and FDIC, upon a positive determination by the Secretary, to withhold from sale or other disposition any inventory properties within the affected market areas. Title VII: Tax-Free Withdrawals From Individual Retirement Accounts for First Home Purchases - Allows penalty-free distributions from individual retirement accounts of up to 25 percent of the account limit for first-time homebuyers. Title VIII: Treatment of Rental Property Operations Under Passive Loss Rules - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the treatment of rental and nonrental real estate activities under the limitations on losses from passive activities. Title IX: Investment Tax Credit - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a business expense deduction for up to $250,000 (currently, $10,000) of depreciable business assets if property is used as an integral part of manufacturing, production, or extraction. Reduces such allowance by the amount by which the cost of such property exceeds $1,000,000 (currently, $200,000) for a taxable year. Excludes such depreciation deduction from the alternative minimum tax. Title X: Freeze on Banks' Total Capital Standard - Declares that the minimum amount of total capital which any insured depository institution may be required to maintain shall not exceed 7.25 percent of the total assets of such institution. Title XI: Clarification of Treatment of Certain FSLIC Financial Assistance - Requires that, except in specified instances, FSLIC assistance be taken into account when determining losses or bad debts of savings and loans institutions (thus denying income tax deductions for losses or bad debts to the extent such assistance has compensated for them). Describes FSLIC assistance as money or property provided to a domestic building and loan association by the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation, the FSLIC Resolution Fund, or the Resolution Trust Corporation.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1991
Congressional Accountability Act - Makes applicable to the Congress the following Federal laws, to the extent that they relate to the terms and conditions of employment, the health and safety of employees, and the rights and responsibilities of employers and employees: (1) Social Security Act; (2) National Labor Relations Act; (3) Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938; (4) Civil Rights Act of 1964; (5) Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; (6) Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970; (7) title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; (8) Rehabilitation Act of 1973; (9) Privacy Act of 1974; (10) Age Discrimination Act of 1975; (11) Ethics in Government Act of 1978; and (12) Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Makes applicable also to the Congress specified provisions of Federal law: (1) commonly referred to as the Freedom of Information Act; and (2) relating to independent counsel.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1991
Calls upon the President not to proceed toward the normalization of diplomatic and economic relations with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam until the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs has reported its findings on the accounting of missing American servicemen in Southeast Asia.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 1991
Repeals the Assault Weapon Manufacturing Strict Liability Act of 1990, signed by the Mayor of the District of Columbia. Restores or revives any provisions of law amended or repealed by it.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 1991
Urges and requests the President to require the Secretary of the appropriate military department to award the Bronze Star to each member of the Navy or Marine Corps who served under General Wainwright during the defense of Corregidor Island, the Philippines, during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 1991
Federal Prison Industries Competition in Contracting Act - Amends the Federal criminal code to require that: (1) a decision by Federal Prison Industries (FPI) to produce a new prison-made product or to expand the production of an existing product be made by the Board of Directors of FPI (the Board) in conformance with the public notice and comment requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act; and (2) the corporation prepare and furnish to the Board a detailed analysis of the probable impact on industry and free labor of any proposal to authorize the production and sale of a new prison-made product or to expand production of a currently authorized product (such proposal). Requires such analysis to identify and consider factors including: (1) the number of vendors that currently meet Federal requirements for the specific product; (2) the proportion of the Federal market for the product currently furnished by small and disadvantaged businesses and businesses in labor surplus areas during the previous three fiscal years; (3) the share of the Federal market for the product projected for FPI for the fiscal year in which production will commence (or expand) and the subsequent three fiscal years; (4) whether the industry producing the product in the private sector has an unemployment rate higher than the national average, a rate of employment for production workers that has consistently shown an increase during the previous five years, or an import to domestic production ratio of 25 percent or greater; (5) whether the specific product is an import-sensitive product; (6) the projected growth in the Government for the specific product and the capability of such demand to sustain both FPI and private vendors; and (7) whether authorizing the production of the new product will provide inmates with the maximum opportunity to acquire knowledge and skill in trades and occupations that will provide them with a means of earning a livelihood upon release. Bars the Board from approving such proposal if the product is: (1) produced in the private sector by an industry which has reflected during the previous year an unemployment rate above the national average; or (2) an import-sensitive product. Directs the Board to: (1) give additional notice of such proposal in a publication designed to most effectively provide notice to private vendors and labor unions representing private sector workers who could reasonably be expected to be affected by approval of such proposal; (2) solicit comments on the analysis required under this Act from trade associations representing private sector workers who could reasonably be expected to be affected by its approval; (3) afford an opportunity, upon request, for a representative of private industry to present comments on such proposal directly to the Board. Requires the corporation to provide the Board with its recommendations regarding action on the proposal, taking into consideration the comments received. Requires: (1) the various Federal departments and agencies (agencies) to offer to purchase from FPI any product authorized to be offered for sale and listed in the UNICOR Schedule of Products (whenever it has a requirement for an FPI product); and (2) FPI to publish and periodically revise such Schedule. Sets forth provisions with respect to the solicitation of offers from FPI and contract awards to FPI on either a competitive or sole source basis. Prohibits the cancellation or withdrawal of a solicitation solely for the purpose of affording an agency buying activity the opportunity to enter into noncompetitive negotiation with FPI unless the Attorney General determines that FPI cannot reasonably expect to receive the contract award on a competitive basis and that such award is necessary to: (1) maintain work opportunities otherwise unavailable at the penal facility at which the contract is to be performed to prevent circumstances that could reasonably be expected to significantly endanger the safe and effective administration of such facility; or (2) permit diversification into the labor-intensive manufacture of a specific product that has been approved by the Board. Specifies that: (1) a timely offer received from FPI shall be considered eligible for award (even if the competition is restricted); and (2) FPI shall be required to perform its contractual obligations to the same extent as any other contractor. Repeals a provisions under which any dispute relating to the price, quality, character, or suitability of FPI products shall be arbitrated by a board consisting of the Comptroller General of the United States, the Administrator of General Services, and the President, or their representatives. Specifies that: (1) a decision by a contracting officer regarding the award of a contract to FPI or relating to the performance of such contract shall be final, unless reversed on appeal (but authorizes the Director of FPI to appeal to the head of a Federal agency an adverse determination made by a contracting officer, in which case the decision of such agency head shall be final); and (2) a dispute between FPI and a buying activity regarding contract performance shall be subject to final resolution by the board of contract appeals having jurisdiction over the buying activity's contract performance disputes under the Contract Disputes Act of 1978. Requires that the amendments made by this Act be implemented through modifications to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) within 180 days. Makes the FAR subject to provisions of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (which assure publication in the Federal Register and the opportunity for public comment before the promulgation of a final regulation). Requires each Federal agency reporting to the Federal Procurement Data System through the General Services Administration to report all acquisitions from FPI. Amends the Federal criminal code to require the Board, in its annual report to the Congress, to include: (1) an analysis of the corporation's total sales for each specific product sold to Federal agencies, the total purchases by each agency of each specific product, the corporation's share of such total Government purchases by specific product, and the number and disposition of disputes submitted to agency heads; (2) an analysis of the inmate workforce, including the number of inmates employed, the number and percentage of employed inmates by the term of their incarceration, and the various hourly wages paid to inmates employed with respect to the production of the various specific products authorized for production and sale; and (3) data concerning employment obtained by former inmates upon release to determine whether the employment provided by FPI during incarceration provided such inmates with knowledge and skill in a trade or occupation that enabled such former inmate to earn a livelihood upon release. Directs that copies of such annual report be made available to the public at a price not to exceed the cost of printing. Authorizes the Department of Defense (DOD) to count toward the attainment of the goal set out in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1987 for participation by small disadvantaged businesses, historically Black colleges and universities, and minority institutions in DOD contracting opportunities, the value of any purchase of supplies or services made by FPI from an entity described in such Act for the performance of a contract with DOD.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 1991
Directs the Sergeant at Arms of the House of Representatives, after consultation with the Speaker of the House and the Comptroller General, to establish procedures to assure that check cashing at the Sergeant at Arms Bank is conducted in a manner consistent with standard banking practices. Requires such procedures to: (1) provide for overdraft protection, suspension or termination of check privileges, or other means of protection against returned checks; and (2) be strictly and uniformly applied to all users with public disclosure. Requires a report to the Speaker by January 3, 1992, on carrying out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 1991
1992 White House Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue one dollar silver coins emblematic of the White House. Mandates that the total surcharges received from the sale of such coins shall be promptly paid to the White House Endowment Fund to assist its efforts to raise an endowment as a permanent source of support for the White House Collection of fine art and historic furnishings, and for the maintenance of the historic public rooms of the White House.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 1991
Disaster Victim Assistance Act of 1991 - Amends the Small Business Act to make disaster loan repayment collections credited to a liquidating account available to assist disaster victims beyond October 1, 1991.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 1991
Area Health Education Centers Reauthorization Act of 1991 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to specify a term of six years for agreements establishing area health education centers (AHECs). Modifies the purposes of AHECs, including serving high-impact areas and States as well as border areas close to Mexico. Mandates, if available in the area, participation of a school of public health. Authorizes agreements for the planning, development, and operation of State-supported AHECs. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1991
Foreign Capital and Securities Markets Study Act of 1991 -Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to study and report to the Congress on the capital and securities markets of Japan and their implications for and economic effects on the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1991
Food Quality Protection Act of 1991 - Title I: Cancellation and Suspension - Amends provisions of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) relating to cancellation and changes in classification or other terms or conditions of registration with respect to the authority of the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Requires that a rulemaking under such provisions be based on a validated test or other significant evidence raising prudent concerns of unreasonable adverse effects to man or to the environment. Sets forth procedural requirements for such a rulemaking. Provides for amendment of a rule and for judicial review. Allows the Administrator, in the case of a suspension, to waive certain requirements. Allows the Administrator to elect to proceed with a special review proceeding or a public interim administrative review proceeding, if published before a specified date, under the law in effect before enactment of this Act. Requires the Administrator to reassess each tolerance and exemption from the requirement for a tolerance at certain times in connection with reregistration of pesticides. Establishes the Science Review Board to assist the Scientific Advisory Panel in reviews conducted by the Panel. Revises procedures applicable after denial of an application for registration. Allows the Administrator to deny an application for registration because it does not comply with the requirements of a rule issued under provisions of this Act. Repeals provisions regulating the authority of the Administrator to initiate a public interim administrative review process. Declares a decision made after a hearing in certain circumstances during phase three of reregistration to be final. Amends provisions regulating: (1) review by district courts of suspension of registrations; and (2) public hearings. Title II: Data Collection - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to collect pesticide use data of Statewide or regional significance for all the major crops and crops of dietary significance. Mandates research, development, and dissemination of integrated pest management techniques and other pest control methods that enable producers to reduce or eliminate application of pesticides which pose a greater than negligible dietary risk to humans. Title III: Amendments to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) to define, subject to exception, "pesticide chemical" as it is defined in the FIFRA. Adds to the list of prohibited acts under the FDCA violation of provisions relating to confidentiality of data, as amended by this Act. Deems a food adulterated if it bears or contains: (1) a pesticide chemical residue that is unsafe; or (2) a new animal drug, or conversion product thereof, that is unsafe. Sets forth requirements relating to tolerances and exemptions from the requirement of a tolerance for pesticide chemical residues in food, including residues of degradation products. Prohibits establishment of a tolerance higher than a level the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency determines is adequate to protect the public health. Sets forth the factors the Administrator must consider. Allows a greater than negligible dietary risk if: (1) use protects from greater adverse health effects to humans or the environment; (2) use avoids greater risks from another pesticide; or (3) the unavailability of the pesticide would reduce the availability of an adequate, wholesome, and economical domestic supply of the food, and the adverse effects from the reduction would outweigh the risk posed by the residue. Allows the Administrator to issue an exemption from the requirement for a tolerance only if the Administrator determines that a tolerance is not needed to protect the public health, in view of the levels of dietary exposure that could reasonably be expected to occur. Sets forth the factors the Administrator must consider. Sets forth procedures and requirements in connection with: (1) petitions for tolerances or exemptions; (2) certain actions authorized on the Administrator's own initiative; (3) the required submission of additional data to support the continuation of a tolerance or exemption; and (4) confidentiality of data submitted to the Administrator. Provides for continuation of previously issued regulations. Sets forth transitional provisions. Prohibits a final rule that revokes, modifies, or suspends a tolerance or exemption until the Administrator has taken any necessary action under the FIFRA with respect to the registration of the pesticide involved. Requires the Administrator, if the Administrator takes certain actions with respect to the registration of a pesticide, to revoke any tolerance or exemption that allows the presence of the chemical or chemical residue. Requires the suspension of any tolerance or exemption upon the suspension of the use of an associated registered pesticide. Provides for: (1) tolerances for unavoidable residues in the case of a residue of a canceled or suspended pesticide chemical that will unavoidably persist in the environment and thereby be present in or on a food; and (2) residues resulting from an application which was lawful at the time of the application. Directs the Administrator to require the payment of fees sufficient for the Administrator's functions under these provisions. Prohibits, subject to exception, a State from establishing or enforcing any limit on a qualifying pesticide chemical residue in or on any food which is not identical to Federal requirements. Prohibits a State from enforcing a residue limit which was lawful at the time of application. Authorizes appropriations for increased monitoring by the Secretary of Health and Human Services of pesticide residues in imported and domestic food.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1991
Semiconductor Investment Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to classify the depreciable life for semiconductor manufacturing equipment as three-year property.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1991
Veterans Dignity in Health Care Act of 1991 - Grants veterans who are patients or residents in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers, nursing homes, and domiciliaries the right to purchase and use tobacco products. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ensure that: (1) each VA facility that maintains a commissary or canteen makes tobacco products available through, and provides patients or residents access to, the commissary or canteen; and (2) each VA facility maintains and provides patients or residents access to an indoor patient smoking area.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1991
Military Retirement Equity Act of 1991 - Permits retired members of the armed forces to be paid retirement pay concurrently with compensation for any service-connected disability if the person's entitlement to such retirement pay is based solely on: (1) age; (2) length of service; or (3) both. Reduces the amount of retirement pay, in the case of individuals receiving both types of pay, by a specified percentage of the disability compensation which decreases as the disability rating increases. Prohibits any reduction in the retirement pay of a disabled person when the disability rating is total. Expresses the sense of the Congress that, once the Federal budget deficit has been reduced, the Congress should reexamine and eliminate any offset of retired pay by a veteran's disability compensation.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1991
Economic Growth Act of 1991 - Title I: Investment and Job Creation Incentives - Subtitle A: Reduction in Capital Gains Tax for Individuals - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a capital gains deduction for individuals for assets held from one to three years. Provides special rules for the gain or loss from the sale or exchange of collectibles and sales of interest in partnerships. Disallows such deduction in computing the alternative minimum tax. Revises the formula for determining gain from the dispositions of certain depreciable realty to take into account depreciation adjustments (adjustments allowed or allowable for exhaustion, wear and tear, obsolescence, or certain amortization). Subtitle B: Inflation Adjustment for Investments - Requires indexing, based on the consumer price index, 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 after April 15, 1991) 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 the inflation adjustment treatment of: (1) short sales; (2) regulated investment companies and real estate investment trusts; and (3) partnerships, S corporations, and common trust funds. Prohibits gain from the sale or other disposition of an indexed asset from being taken into account under the limitation on investment interest. Subtitle C: Enterprise Zones - Part I: Designation - Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Secretary) to designate enterprise zones for purposes of providing tax and regulatory relief and improving local services. Limits choices to areas nominated by States and local governments. Limits the total number of areas that may be designated, and the time period of the designation. Authorizes the Secretary to designate a zone only if the area meets certain locational, demographic, unemployment, and poverty criteria. Requires nominating local governments, as a condition of the Secretary's designation, to agree in writing to follow a course of action that may include reducing tax rates, improving local services, simplifying or streamlining regulation of business, and providing job training to area residents. Describes areas to which the Secretary must give preference in selecting areas for designation. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress every two years on the effects of such enterprise zones' designation in accomplishing the purposes of this Act. Part II: Federal Income Tax Incentives - Allows a nonrefundable income tax credit to enterprise zone employees for five percent of any wages earned as do not exceed a specified amount. Phases out such credit. Provides for the nonrecognition of capital gain on the sale of enterprise zone property. Allows a taxpayer a deduction on the aggregate amount paid for the purchase of enterprise stock on its original issue by a qualified issuer. Requires any gain from the disposition of the stock to be treated as ordinary income. Excludes enterprise zone capital gains from income computation of alternative minimum taxes. Part III: Regulatory Flexibility - Amends Federal law to revise the definition of "small entity" for purposes of the analysis of regulatory functions to include qualified business, government, and nonprofit enterprises operating within enterprise zones. Authorizes Federal agencies, upon request by a designating government, to waive or modify rules and regulations pertaining to the implementation of projects or activities within an enterprise zone. Requires agencies to approve the request if the resulting benefits of job creation, community development, or economic revitalization outweigh the public interest in retaining the rule unchanged. Disallows waiver or modification of a rule that would directly violate a statutory requirement or present a danger to the public health and safety. Part IV: Establishment of Foreign-Trade Zones in Enterprise Zones - Requires the Foreign-Trade Zone Board to consider on a priority basis and to expedite the processing of applications for the establishment of foreign-trade zones within enterprise zones. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to give priority to, and expedite applications for, the establishment of ports of entry necessary to establish such zones. Part V: Repeal of Title VII of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 - Repeals title VII (enterprise zone development) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987. Subtitle D: Research and Experimentation Credit Made Permanent - Makes permanent the tax credit for increasing research activities and the tax credit for clinical testing expenses. Title II: Savings Incentives - Allows individuals to establish individual retirement plus accounts with tax treatment similar to that for individual retirement plans. Makes contributions to such accounts nondeductible. Allows existing individual retirement accounts (IRA) to be rolled over into individual retirement plus accounts with payment of tax on the amount rolled over for which a deduction was once allowable, but no tax when withdrawn. Title III: Homeownership Incentives - Subtitle A: First-Time Homebuyers - Allows a tax credit for the first-time purchase of a principal residence by individuals with incomes of $31,000 or less (phased-out to incomes of up to $41,000). Limits such credit to $1,000. Subtitle B: Penalty-Free IRA Plus Withdrawal for Home Purchase, Higher Education, and Health Costs - Allows penalty-free distributions from IRA Plus accounts of up to 25 percent of the account limit for: (1) first-time homebuyers; (2) medical expenses; and (3) higher education expenses. Title IV: Work Incentives - Subtitle A: Reduction in Social Security Penalty on Working Elderly - Amends title II of the Social Security Act (Federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance Benefits) to raise the earnings limit for retirees. Appropriates to each payor fund amounts equivalent to the aggregate increase in social security benefits payable from such fund which is attributable to such amendment. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to study during 1997 whether further amendments relating to deductions on account of work and the exempt amount under the earnings limit are necessary or appropriate. Subtitle B: Economic Growth Dividend - Requires any economic growth dividend (as determined by the Secretary of the Treasury) to be used to increase the personal exemption amount. Requires, after 1995, all revenues resulting from real growth in the gross national product greater than three percent to fund an increased personal exemption. Requires, for fiscal years beginning on or after October 1, 1992, and before October 1, 1995, that 50 percent of such dividend be used to increase the personal exemption amount and the other 50 percent be used to make a downward adjustment in the maximum deficit amount.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1991
Tax Fairness and Accountability Act of 1991 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require any legislation that increases the tax rate, the tax base, or the amount of income subject to tax, or decreases a deduction, exclusion, or credit to be approved in the House of Representatives and the Senate by an affirmative vote of three-fifths of its Members.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1991
All-Americans Savings and Investment Incentive Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide individuals a deduction for capital gains based on the period the asset is held (up to three years). Excludes collectibles from such assets. Makes such deduction an item of tax preferences. Excludes from gross income interest received during a taxable year up to $350 ($700 in the case of a joint return). Provides a phaseout of such exclusion for incomes over $50,000. Makes such exclusion applicable to distributions from regulated investment companies and real estate investment trusts. Makes certain nonresident aliens ineligible for such exclusion.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 1991
Medicare Physician Payment Reform Amendments of 1991 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise the transition rules for phasing in the resource-based relative value scale (RB RVS) method of payment for physician services to prohibit adjustments for asymmetry in the transition and for behavioral responses. Declares spending under this Act to be an emergency requirement under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) and exempt from sequestration.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1991
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the people of the United States should recognize: (1) the tenth anniversary of "An Artistic Discovery" (the Congressional High School Art Competition); and (2) its success in encouraging the creative endeavors of our Nation's young artists and forging strong working relationships among the Congress, businesses, and the arts community towards the ultimate goal of providing opportunities for high school students to express their artistic talents.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 1991
Workers' Political Rights Act of 1991 - 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 · 11 July 1991
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should establish a bipartisan commission to investigate the operation of and complaints regarding, the U.S. Postal Service.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1991
World Cup USA 1994 Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue a specified number of five-dollar gold coins, one-dollar silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins in commemoration of the 1994 World Cup and the unique appeal of soccer. Sets forth certain features of such coins and provides for their design, issuance, and sale. Requires that all sales include a surcharge of $35 per coin for the five-dollar coins, $7 per coin for the one-dollar coins, and $1 per coin for the half-dollar coins. Requires that all surcharges be paid to the Organizing Committee to organize and stage the 1994 World Cup. Requires that ten percent of such funds shall be made available through the U.S. Soccer Federation Foundation, Inc., for distribution to institutions for scholastic scholarships to qualified students.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1991
Constitutional Amendment - Requires the Congress and the President, prior to each fiscal year, to agree on an estimate of total receipts (except those derived from borrowing) for that fiscal year by enactment of a law devoted solely to that subject. Prohibits outlays for that year (except those for repayment of debt principal) from exceeding this amount unless the Congress, by a three-fifths roll call vote of each House, authorizes a specific excess of outlays over receipts. Requires a three-fifths roll call vote of each House to increase the public debt. Directs the President to submit a balanced budget to the Congress. Requires the approval of a majority of the total membership of each House by roll call vote before any bill to increase revenue may become law. Waives these provisions when a declaration of war is in effect. Makes this article effective beginning with FY 1995 or with the second fiscal year after its ratification, whichever is later.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1991
Medicare Physician Regulatory Relief Amendments of 1991 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) prohibit the denial of physician claims because of patient failure to complete Medicare secondary payer questionnaires; (2) prohibit carriers from using extrapolation to recover the amounts they reimbursed physicians for claims for which Medicare disallows payment, if the physician requests that each such claim be individually identified; (3) prohibit the imposition of specified user fees on physicians; (4) require consideration of physician comments in annual carrier performance reviews; (5) allow individuals (including physicians) to file administrative appeals when they have suffered damages as a result of the failure of a carrier to carry out Medicare policies; and (6) require review of medical necessity denials by physicians in the same medical specialty as the physician providing the service. Amends the Medicare and Medicaid (title XIX of the Social Security Act) programs to permit the reimbursement of a patient's regular physician for services provided by another physician who covers for the regular physician under contractual arrangements. Amends title XI of the Social Security Act to repeal the peer review requirement for certain surgical procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 1991
Authorizes the President, on behalf of the Congress, to present to the Secretary of Defense, Richard B. Cheney, a gold medal in recognition of his exemplary performance as a leader in coordinating the planning, strategy, and execution of combat action by U.S. armed forces which led to the liberation of Kuwait. 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 June 1991
Paperwork Reduction in Health Care Act of 1991 - Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to: (1) identify, inventory, and assess the Federal paperwork burden associated with health care services; and (2) establish a goal for reducing such burden in each of FY 1992 through 1997 by at least five percent of the preceding fiscal year's paperwork burden.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 1991
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that in light of current economic conditions the Federal excise taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel shall not be increased.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 1991
Communications Competitiveness and Infrastructure Modernization Act of 1991 - Title I: Communications Infrastructure Modernization Policy - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 (the Act) to establish a new national goal that by 2015 the United States will have established an advanced, interactive, interoperable broadband communications system nationwide. Requires local telephone companies to submit a plan to achieve such goal for approval by the appropriate agency in each State in which they operate. Requires disapproval only when the plan is not in the public interest. Requires such plan to give priority consideration to accelerated deployment of such a system for educational institutions, health care facilities, and small businesses. Requires such plan to provide for deployment to less densely populated and economically disadvantaged areas at a rate reasonably related to the rate of deployment in more populous and affluent areas. Requires the FCC, after final State action, to review the plan to certify compliance with the goals and objectives of this Act. Requires FCC procedures for local telephone companies to ensure coordinated communications network planning in the development of a nationwide communications infrastructure and to assure broad availability of information services. Title II: Regulatory Changes to Promote Efficient Multiple Uses of Communications Technologies - Amends the Act to establish a policy to permit multiple uses of communications technologies and to eliminate restrictions on communications technologies to single lines of services in order to promote communications technology deployment in a manner which secures communication services for the public at reasonable costs. Title III: Modification of Impediments to Convergence of Telephone and Video Technologies - Amends the Act to modify ownership restrictions to permit local telephone companies to provide video programming subject to specified regulatory safeguards to prevent anti-competitive activities only after the FCC makes the certification described under title I and certifies that the company has filed a plan pledging it to comply with such safeguards. Outlines safeguards against telephone company monopolization of the cable service industry, including those: (1) requiring separate video programming subsidiaries for telephone companies; (2) allowing competitors attachment rights to telephone poles and conduits and rights-of-way within telephone company service areas; (3) prohibiting cross-subsidization between local telephone companies and affiliated video programming subsidiaries and marketing by a local telephone company of its subsidiary's video programming; and (4) subjecting local telephone companies to local cable franchise requirements. Requires local telephone companies which distribute affiliated video programming over a broadband communications system to provide video gateway services to facilitate user access to video programming. Exempts from the safeguards outlined above a carrier which provides video programming in rural areas with a population of 10,000 or below in which it also provides local exchange service. Requires periodic FCC evaluation of the effect of the provision of video programming by telephone companies on the video marketplace and recommendations to the Congress concerning any modifications needed as a result of such evaluation. Requires FCC and State rules and regulations to prevent consumers from paying more for telephone services as a result of their local telephone company's provision of video programming. Revises multiple cable franchise provisions. Requires an FCC report to the Congress regarding competition and consumer choice in the delivery of video programming and telephone services. Requires an FCC review of the rural exemption described above to determine how to expedite access to broadband multichannel video programming for all parts of the United States. Sets forth penalties for violations of the safeguards outlined above to prevent telephone company monopolization of the cable service industry.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1991
Disaster Assistance Act of 1991 - Title I: Emergency Livestock Assistance - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to prohibit a person from receiving emergency feed assistance under this title and disaster assistance for the same 1991 weather damaged crops. Subjects eligible recipients to specified combined payments and benefits limitations. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to implement an emergency forage program to reseed 1991 weather damaged forage crops. Limits: (1) Federal cost-sharing to 50 percent; and (2) individual payments to $3,500. Funds such program through the Commodity Credit Corporation (with a $50,000,000 limit). Title II: Emergency Crop Loss Assistance - Subtitle A: Annual Crops - Directs the Secretary to make 1991 disaster payments to producers of wheat, feed grains, upland cotton, extra long staple cotton, rice, peanuts, sugar, tobacco, oilseeds, and other nonprogram crops. Extends crop quality reduction disaster assistance through the 1991 crop year. Reduces disaster assistance payments in relation to Federal crop insurance payments. Requires producers to obtain Federal crop insurance for 1992 in order to be eligible for disaster payments and other specified assistance for 1991 crop losses. Sets forth exempted circumstances. Requires the Secretary to announce within a specified time the conditions for establishing a 1990 farm yield for forage-use-crops. Limits assistance under this subtitle to $100,000. Prohibits double payments on replanted acreage. Authorizes: (1) the substitution of crop insurance program yields for 1991 disaster assistance eligibility purposes; and (2) the Secretary to determine a de minimis yield for each crop eligible for reduced yield disaster payments. Subtitle B: Administrative Provisions - Makes a person with qualifying annual gross income (as defined by this Act) in excess of $2,000,000 ineligible for assistance under this title. Places a specified pro rata cap on 1991 wheat, feed grain, upland cotton, extra long staple cotton, and rice deficiency payments if corn planted in 1991 exceeds a specified acreage. Subtitle C: Sense of Congress - Expresses the sense of the Congress regarding disaster payments' purposes of preserving farm livelihoods and the financial health of rural communities. Title III: Other Emergency Provisions - Directs the Secretary to provide loan guarantees through the Rural Development Insurance Fund to rural businesses (including Indian tribes) who have suffered 1991 disaster damage. Limits: (1) individual guarantees to 90 percent of $500,000; and (2) aggregate guarantees to $200,000,000.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that certain revenue received by tax-exempt organizations that conduct amateur athletic events shall not be treated as taxable unrelated business income.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1991
Benjamin Franklin Memorial Fire Service Bill of Rights Act - Title I: Minting of Benjamin Franklin National Memorial Commemorative Coin - Benjamin Franklin National Memorial Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue: (1) five dollar gold coins emblematic of Benjamin Franklin's contributions to the advancement of science; (2) one dollar silver coins emblematic of Benjamin Franklin's contributions to the American Fire Service. Sets forth sale and issuance guidelines, including a general waiver of procurement regulations and surcharge distributions. Title II: Fire Service Bill of Rights - Fire Service Bill of Rights Act - Amends the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to set forth a fire service bill of rights, including the right of responding fire services to: (1) know the kind of danger presented by hazardous materials they face in emergency responses; and (2) be fully informed of infectious diseases their members face during the course of life safety activities. Declares that the bill of rights does not create any private right of action.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1991
Farm Animal and Research Facilities Protection Act of 1991 - Amends title XIV of the Food Security Act of 1985 to add a new subtitle prohibiting (and establishing criminal penalties for) specified acts of destruction, theft, or damage to farm animal, research, and educational facilities. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture and the Attorney General to jointly conduct a study of the extent and effect of terrorism on animal research, production, and processing facilities. Grants jurisdiction for cases arising under these provisions to U.S. district courts. Establishes a private right of action.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1991
Rural Clinical Laboratory Personnel Shortage Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish a program of contracts under which allied health professionals agree to serve in technical positions as employees in clinical laboratories that serve rural areas with shortages of employees in such positions in consideration of the Federal Government paying a limited amount of the principal and interest of the educational loans of the professionals. Authorizes appropriations. Mandates grants and contracts for the education and training of clinical laboratory personnel. Authorizes appropriations. Requires a program for the accreditation of entities engaged in the certification of clinical laboratory personnel. Provides, until establishment of accreditation standards, for a competency-based examination to determine the proficiency of individuals who do not meet formal educational qualifications.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1991
Hospital Antitrust Fairness Act - Exempts from the antitrust laws combinations of, or contracts to allocate hospital services by, two or more hospitals if: (1) each such hospital is located outside of a city or in a city of less than 125,000 inhabitants; (2) in the most recently concluded calendar year, each such hospital received more than 40 percent of its gross revenue from payments made under Federal programs; and (3) there is in effect with respect to each such hospital a certificate issued by the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) specifying that HCFA has determined that Federal expenditures would be reduced, and consumer costs would not increase, if such hospitals merge or allocate the services specified in the request.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1991
Campus Sexual Assault Victims' Bill of Rights Act of 1991 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to require each eligible institution participating in any program under HEA title IV (Student Assistance) to include a statement of policy regarding the rights of victims of sexual assault, that complies with specified requirements, in its disclosure of campus security policy and campus crime statistics. Requires each institution of higher education to establish and implement a written policy establishing a campus sexual assault victims' bill of rights which provides that specified rights shall be accorded to such victims by all campus officers, administrators, and employees of such institution.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow farmers' cooperatives to elect to treat as ordinary income or loss certain capital gains and losses from the disposition of assets used in conducting business with or for patrons.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1991
Income-Dependent Education Assistance Act of 1991 - Establishes the income-dependent education assistance (IDEA) program of supplemental direct higher education student loans in which a borrower's annual repayment obligation is dependent upon both postschool income level and borrowing history. Title I: System for Making Income-Dependent Education Assistance Loans - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) make IDEA loans to eligible students in accordance with this title; and (2) establish an account for each IDEA loan borrower and collect repayments on such loans using the income tax collection system under specified Internal Revenue Code provisions added by title II of this Act. Sets forth provisions for the terms and enforcement of IDEA program agreements between the Secretary of Education and eligible institutions. Sets forth provisions for the amounts and terms of IDEA loans. Sets annual limits on the amounts of such loans to various categories of students. Sets a limitation on individual borrowing capacity, with adjustments for inflation and with consideration of any outstanding student loan obligations. Limits the duration of individual eligibility for such loans. Sets forth requirements for: (1) agreements to the terms of such loans; and (2) disbursement of the proceeds of such loans. Sets forth the responsibilities of eligible institutions and of the Secretary of the Treasury for certain information requirements relating to the IDEA loan program. Sets forth provisions for interest charges on such loans. Requires such charges to be added to the recipient's obligation account at the end of each calendar year. Bases such charges on an interest rate equal to the lesser of: (1) ten percent; or (2) the sum of the average bond equivalent rates of 91-day Treasury bills auctioned for the previous year, plus two percentage points, rounded to the next higher one-eighth of one percent. Provides for conversion and consolidation of certain other types of student loans as IDEA loans. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury, upon request of borrowers who have received federally insured or guaranteed loans under specified provisions of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) (Stafford loans) or of the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) (HEAL loans), to make new IDEA loans to such borrowers which are equal to the sum of the unpaid principal of those other loans and which discharge the liability on those other loans. Provides for mandatory conversion of certain defaulted student loans to IDEA loans. Requires IDEA collection treatment of any loan made, insured, or guaranteed under specified provisions of HEA or PHSA after enactment of this Act which is assigned after default for collection by the Secretary of Education or the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Directs such Secretaries to notify: (1) the Secretary of the Treasury of the need to establish or adjust an IDEA account for such loan's borrower; and (2) the borrower of the conversion of the defaulted loan to an IDEA loan and the procedures for collection under the income tax system. Terminates the authority to make additional loans under the HEA programs of supplemental loans for students (SLS) and direct loans to students in institutions of higher education, for any academic year beginning after the date regulations are prescribed by the Secretaries of Education and the Treasury to carry out this title. Authorizes appropriations to: (1) make distributions of IDEA loan funds to eligible institutions; and (2) administer and carry out this title. Bases student eligibility for IDEA loans on their eligibility for student assistance under specified HEA provisions and their carrying at least one-half the normal full-time academic workload. Title II: Collection of Income-Dependent Education Assistance Loans - Amends the Internal Code to add provisions for the collection of IDEA loans. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to notify each IDEA loan borrower of their yearly repayment obligation. Sets forth formulas for computation of the annual IDEA loan repayment amount. Makes such amount equal to the lesser of: (1) 20 percent of the excess of the modified adjusted income of the taxpayer for such taxable year over the standard deduction and exemption (twice for joint returns); or (2) the product of a base amortization amount and a progressivity factor based on the taxpayer's modified adjusted gross income. Defines "base amortization amount" as the amount which, if paid at the close of each year for 12 consecutive years, would fully repay (with an eight-percent annual interest rate) the maximum account balance of the borrower. Sets forth progressivity factor tables for various types of taxpayers. Provides that, in general, the repayment obligation of an IDEA loan borrower shall terminate only if there is repaid: (1) in the case of any repayment during the first 12 years for which the borrower is in repayment status, the principal plus interest at an annual rate equal to the otherwise applicable rate plus two and one-half percent; and (2) in the case of any repayment during any subsequent year (or in the case of loans under $3,000 repaid during the first 12 years), the principal plus interest at applicable rates. Requires no repayment after 25 years in repayment status. Sets forth provisions for the determination of years in repayment status. Sets forth the requirements for payment of the amount owing. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to assess and collect any unpaid amount in the same manner as for any delay in the payment of income tax. Provides for discharge, by the Secretary of Education, of the IDEA loan liability of any borrower who dies or becomes permanently and totally disabled. Provides for crediting of amounts paid on a joint return. Sets forth formulas for computation of an alternative annual payment for individuals who have attained age 55. Provides for inflation adjustment in the computation of the progressivity factor. Provides that, in general, an IDEA loan shall not be dischargeable in a case of bankruptcy, but authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to postpone certain portions of the loan liability in such cases. Makes specified provisions relating to finality of assessment and collection applicable to such loans. Includes the amount required to be repaid for IDEA loan uner amounts listed under requirements relating to failure by an individual to pay estimated income tax. Requires individuals who are obligated to make IDEA loan repayments to file income tax returns for the applicable years.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1991
PRIME Retirement Account Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a simplified retirement plan for small business to be known as PRIME accounts (private retirement incentives matched by employers). Allows an income tax deduction to employees who make pre-tax contributions of up to $3,000 annually to a PRIME account and requires an employer to match such contributions up to three percent of the employee's compensation. Declares that such accounts are not to be treated as pension plans. Excludes such accounts from limitation on the maximum amount allowed for retirement savings deductions. Specifies the pension plan rules that are applicable to PRIME accounts. Establishes a 25-percent penalty on withdrawals made from such accounts during the first three years. Sets forth penalties to be imposed upon: (1) account trustees for failure to provide requirement information to employers; and (2) employers for failure to make required notifications to employees.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1991
Constitutional Amendment - Requires the Congress, prior to each fiscal year, to adopt a statement in which total Federal outlays (except those for repayment of debt principal) do not exceed total receipts (except those derived from borrowing), unless a three-fifths vote of both Houses authorizes a specific excess. Limits the rate of increase in receipts in the statement to that of the increase in national income in the previous calendar year, unless law is enacted solely to approve specific additional receipts. Directs the President to submit a balanced budget. Authorizes waiver of these provisions in time of war. Sets a permanent limit on the amount of Federal public debt, prohibiting any increase unless legislation enacted by a three-fifths majority of both Houses becomes law.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1991
Rural Physicians' Incentives Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a deduction on medical education loan interest of a physician which accrues while the physician is living in and providing primary care to residents of a medically underserved rural area. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to exempt services furnished in a rural area from a special fee schedule applicable to new physicians. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to extend beyond the normal two-year limit, for borrowers serving an internship or residency program in preparation for practice in an area of primary care, the deferral of payments on: (1) insured student loans (Stafford Loans), including those eligible for interest subsidies; and (2) low-interest student loans (Perkins Loans). Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to modify provisions setting forth requirements concerning billing by one physician for services rendered by another physician in specified circumstances.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1991
Rural Health Leadership Education Act of 1991 - Amends the Rural Development Act of 1972, as amended by the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990, to authorize grants for rural health leadership development education programs.
![Official portrait of Rep. Combest, Larry [R-TX-19]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c000653_200.jpg)