United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1995
Medical Procedures Innovation and Affordability Act - Prohibits the issuance of a patent for any invention or discovery of a technique, method, or process for performing a surgical or medical procedure, administering a surgical or medical therapy, or making a medical diagnosis. Provides that if a technique, method, or process is performed by or as a necessary component of a machine, manufacture, or composition of matter or improvement which is itself patentable subject matter, the patent on such machine, manufacture, or composition may claim the technique, method, or process.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Consolidation of Federal Employment Assistance Programs Subtitle A: Block Grants to States Subtitle B: Consolidation and Repeal of Certain Federal Employment Assistance Programs Subtitle C: Effective Dates Title II: Notice of Availability of Earned Income Credit Title III: Repeal of Temporary Futa Surtax Employment Enhancement Reform Act - Title I: Consolidation of Federal Employment Assistance Programs - Subtitle A: Block Grants to States - Establishes a block grant program to prepare individuals for employment by increasing their occupational and educational skills. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to make such grants, for up to five-year periods subject to annual approval and availability of appropriations, to States to provide employment assistance to eligible individuals. Reserves funds for grants to Indian tribes and migrant and seasonal farmworker organizations. (Sec. 103) Allocates such grants to States on the basis of relative numbers of: (1) unemployed in areas of substantial unemployment; (2) excess unemployed; and (3) economically disadvantaged adults. (Sec. 104) Sets forth requirements for applications, use of grants, and conduct of State programs. Requires State programs to provide employment assistance to the following types of eligible individuals: (1) economically disadvantaged and 14 years or older; (2) certain types of dislocated workers; (3) individuals with disabilities; (4) Armed Forces members being separated under other than adverse conditions; (5) unemployed veterans; and (6) displaced homemakers. Requires States to: (1) profile and evaluate individuals to determine the employment assistance services to be provided; (2) notify individuals of other sources of supportive services; (3) provide appropriate employment assistance, within specified limits; (4) monitor rates of individuals successfully obtaining employment after separation from the program, according to specified criteria; and (5) establish one-stop-shop centers throughout the State for program information and profiling and evaluation. Authorizes certain discretionary activities under State programs. (Sec. 107) Directs the Secretary to make biennial determinations of State success in placing individuals in employment. Authorizes reduction or termination of payments when a State has not been successful, and reinstatement or increase of payments when a State implements appropriate modifications of its program. (Sec. 110) Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle B: Consolidation and Repeal of Certain Federal Employment Assistance Programs - Chapter 1: Consolidation of Programs - Amends the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act to eliminate community mental health services demonstration projects for homeless individuals who are chronically mentally ill. (Sec. 112) Amends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to add requirements for State collaborative programs of supported employment services for individuals with the most severe disabilities, special recreation activities and services, and projects with industry. Repeals other provisions for special project grants for supported employment programs, special recreational programs, projects with industry, and supported employment services for individuals with severe disabilities. Chapter 2: Repeal of Programs - Repeals Higher Education Act of 1965 provisions for special programs for students whose families are engaged in migrant and seasonal farm work. (Sec. 122) Repeals: (1) the disabled veterans outreach program and the local veterans employment representative program under Federal law relating to veterans; and (2) the homeless veterans reintegration project under the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act. (Sec. 123) Repeals: (1) the Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion programs under the Domestic Volunteer Service Act; (2) employment and training program provisions under the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (but allowing college students who are parents responsible for care of a dependent child under age six to be eligible for the food stamp program); and (3) the older American community service employment program under the Older Americans Act of 1965. (Sec. 124) Repeals the Job Training Partnership Act, except those provisions relating to the Job Corps. Authorizes appropriations for the Job Corps. (Sec. 125) Repeals the Appalachian vocational and other educational facilities and operations program under the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965. (Sec. 126) Repeals certain provisions relating to rules for computing the targeted jobs credit under the Internal Revenue Code. (Sec. 127) Repeals the JOBS (Job Opportunities and Basic Skills training) program provisions for recipients of AFDC (Aid to Families With Dependent Children) under the Social Security Act. (Sec. 128) Repeals: (1) the Service Members Occupational Conversion and Training Act of 1992; (2) the Adult Education Act; (3) the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act; (4) the National Literacy Act of 1991; and (5) the Indian Employment, Training and Related Services Demonstration Act of 1992. (Sec. 133) Repeals special programs relating to adult education for Indians, under the Indian Education Act of 1988. (Sec. 134) Repeals special Social Security Act provisions relating to Indian tribes and JOBS training programs. (Sec. 135) Repeals provisions for the VISTA Literacy Corps under the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973. (Sec. 136) Repeals: (1) the Wagner-Peyser Act (employment agencies); (2) the adult education for the homeless grants program and the job training for the homeless demonstration grants program under the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act; (3) the trade adjustment assistance for workers program under the Trade Act of 1974; (4) FY 1993 and 1994 authorizations of appropriations for certain grants, as well as certain technical assistance conditions, under the Homeownership and Opportunity through HOPE Act; and (5) the State legalization impact-assistance grants program under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Subtitle C: Effective Dates - Sets forth effective dates. Title II: Notice of Availability of Earned Income Credit - Amends the Social Security Act and the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to require that notice of availability of the earned income tax credit be provided to applicants for and former recipients of AFDC, Medicaid, or food stamps. (Sec. 202) Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 to require printing of a notice of the availability of the earned income tax credit and the dependent care tax credit on W-4 forms for employee withholding exemptions. Title III: Repeal of Temporary FUTA Surtax - Repeals the temporary FUTA (Federal Unemployment Tax Act) surtax under the Internal Revenue Code.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1995
Securities Litigation Reform Act - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, with respect to class actions, to require a court-appointed class action steering committee, composed of class members, to direct counsel for the plaintiff class (plaintiff steering committee). (Sec. 2) Prohibits the use of disgorgement funds resulting from actions brought by the Securities Exchange Commission (the Commission) to pay legal expenses incurred by private parties seeking distribution of such funds. (Sec. 3) Declares that the portion of any final judgment or settlement awarded to class plaintiffs serving as the representative parties shall be equal (on a per share basis) to the portion of the final judgment awarded to all other members of the class. Revises the guidelines for private class action suits to: (1) restrict to five the number of class actions filed by a named plaintiff during any three-year period; (2) subject a losing party litigant, if certain conditions apply, to liability for the prevailing party's legal fees; and (3) require the court to make a conflict of interest determination with respect to a plaintiff's counsel who directly owns or has a beneficial interest in the securities that are the subject of the litigation. Requires a court to require just and equitable security for the payment of awardable fees and expenses from the attorney for the plaintiff class, the plaintiff class, or both. Sets forth disclosure guidelines for any proposed settlement agreement that is disseminated to the plaintiff class, including: (1) a statement about agreement or disagreement on the amount of recoverable damages per share and the likelihood of the plaintiff's prevailing; (2) the amount of legal costs and fees sought as part of the settlement; and (3) the identification of lawyers' representatives who will be available to answer questions from class members. Revises the guidelines for private class action suits to: (1) mandate discharge of a defendant who settles before verdict or judgment from all claims for contribution by nonsettling persons; (2) provide for recovery of contribution by a person who becomes liable for damages from certain non-parties who would have been liable for the same damages, if joined in the original suit; and (3) grant defendants the right to submit to the jury written interrogatories on the issue of each defendant's state of mind (scienter) at the time the alleged violation occurred. Prohibits brokers or dealers from soliciting or accepting referral fees for assisting an attorney in obtaining the representation of a customer in any private action. (Sec. 4) Delineates the requirements for securities fraud actions, including: (1) explicit pleading and proof of scienter; (2) plaintiff's reliance on a material misstatement or omission that proximately caused the plaintiff's loss; and (3) limitations on damages. (Sec. 5) Defines the circumstances ("safe harbor") in which a person shall not be held liable for the publication of predictive statements in any action based on a fraudulent statement under this Act. Permits the defendant in such action to move for an automatic protective order to restrict all discovery to the specific issue of the applicability of the "safe harbor." Directs the Commission to adopt a regulatory framework to implement the "safe harbor" requirements of this Act with respect to predictive statements concerning the future economic performance of an issuer of securities.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1995
Semiconductor Investment Act of 1995 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make the depreciable life of semiconductor manufacturing equipment three years for purposes of application of the accelerated cost recovery system.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1995
Voluntary Environmental Self-Evaluation Act - Provides that a report, finding, or other communication of a person or entity relating to, and constituting part of, a voluntary environmental self-evaluation shall not be admissible evidence in a legal action or administrative procedure under Federal law and shall not be subject to discovery procedure unless: (1) the person or entity that initiated the self-evaluation waives his or her right to exclude from the evidence or procedure material subject to this Act; or (2) the Federal court, after an in camera hearing, determines that such communication indicates noncompliance with a Federal law and the person or entity failed to initiate efforts to achieve compliance, compelling circumstances necessitate that such communication be brought into evidence or made subject to discovery, the person or entity is asserting the exclusion for a fraudulent purpose, or such communication was prepared for purposes of avoiding disclosure of information required for an investigative, administrative, or judicial proceeding that was imminent or in progress. Makes such exclusion inapplicable to information: (1) required to be developed, maintained, or reported pursuant to a Federal environmental law; (2) required to be available to a Federal or State agency designated to carry out a regulatory activity pursuant to such laws; or (3) obtained by such an agency through observation, sampling, or monitoring or through an independent source. States that a person or entity that performs a voluntary environmental self-evaluation may not be required to give testimony in a Federal court or an administrative proceeding of a Federal agency without his or her consent. Sets forth conditions under which disclosures of information relating to a Federal environmental law to an appropriate Federal or State agency are considered voluntary. Considers such disclosures involuntary if the person or government entity making the disclosure has committed a pattern of violations of Federal or State laws relating to environmental quality due to separate events giving rise to the violations during the three-year period prior to disclosure. Presumes disclosures to be voluntary if the person or entity provides information supporting a claim that the information is a voluntary disclosure and makes such persons or entities immune from administrative, civil, or criminal penalties for violations until such presumption is rebutted. Places the burden of rebuttal on State or Federal agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1995
Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act of 1995 - Establishes in the U.S. Treasury the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund. Authorizes appropriations. Specifies that any individual who submits to the Attorney General written medical documentation that the individual has a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection shall receive $125,000 from amounts available in the Fund if the individual: (1) has a blood-clotting disorder and was treated with blood-clotting agents between January 1, 1980, and December 31, 1987; (2) is the lawful spouse of such individual or the former lawful spouse and was the lawful spouse of the individual at any time after a date within such period on which the individual was treated; or (3) acquired the HIV infection through perinatal transmission from a parent who is such an individual. Requires that a claim for payment be filed with the Attorney General by or on behalf of such individual and that the Attorney General determine that the claim meets the requirements of this Act. Specifies that a claim under this Act shall not be assignable or transferable. Sets limits regarding the number of claims per victim. Prohibits the Attorney General from paying claims filed under this Act unless filed within three years after this Act's enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Interdiction Title II: Alien Smuggling Title III: Employment Title IV: Government Benefits Title V: Criminal Aliens Title VI: Terrorist Aliens Title VII: Inspections Title VIII: Asylum Illegal Immigration Control Act of 1995 - Title I: Interdiction - Directs the Attorney General to install additional physicial barriers in high illegal-entry border areas. (Sec. 102) Authorizes appropriations for additional Border Patrol personnel. (Sec. 103) Directs the Attorney General and the Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) to implement an interior repatriation program for illegal aliens who have been deported at least three times. (Sec. 104) Directs the Attorney General and the Commissioner of INS to increase border detention facilites. Authorizes the transfer of closed military bases to be used as Federal incarceration facilities for illegal aliens. (Sec. 105) Authorizes the Attorney General to require vessels to provide INS with port of entry notification. Title II: Alien Smuggling - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (the Act) to expand INS forfeiture authority for smuggling or harboring illegal aliens. (Sec. 202) Brings alien smuggling operations under the purview of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) provisions. (Sec. 203) Amends the Act to increase penalties for certain alien smuggling offenses. (Sec. 204) Amends Federal law to authorize INS wiretaps for alien smuggling investigations. Title III: Employment - Amends the Act to revise alien employment documentation and employer verification provisions, including social security card enhancements. (Sec. 302) Authorizes appropriations for additional INS investigators. Title IV: Government Benefits - Prohibits direct Federal benefits (except for emergency medical care) or housing assistance to an alien who is not a permanent resident, a refugee, an asylee, or a parolee. (Sec. 402) Prohibits unemployment benefits to an alien who has not been granted INS work authorization. (Sec. 404) Authorizes appropriations for the Save System. (Sec. 405) Reduces Federal assistance by 20 percent to any locality that refuses to cooperate in the arrest and deportation of illegal aliens. (Sec. 406) Establishes a uniform vital statistics pilot program for three States with high numbers of undocumented aliens. Authorizes appropriations. Title V: Criminal Aliens - Amends the Act to include aliens on criminal probation or criminal parole among the categories of aliens subject to special registration. (Sec. 502) Restricts specified deportation defenses. (Sec. 503) Authorizes electronic or telephonic deportation proceedings. (Sec. 504) Directs the Commissioner to operate a criminal alien tracking center. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 505) Directs the Secretary of State and the Attorney General to study the use and effectiveness of the Prisoner Transfer Treaty with Mexico to remove convicted aliens from the United States. (Sec. 506) Expedites deportation proceedings for specified criminal aliens. Title VI: Terrorist Aliens - Amends the Act to establish procedures for the removal of alien terrorists, including a special court to hear such cases. (Sec. 602) Makes membership in a terrorist organization a basis for U.S. exclusion. Title VII: 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 (2) an air carrier consultant program. (Sec. 702) Provides for the training of airline personnel in fraudulent document detection. Title VIII: Asylum - Amends the Act to revise asylum procedures. (Sec. 802) Sets forth mandatory and discretionary conditions for granting provisional asylum.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1995
Rescinds any Federal implementation plan promulgated by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under the Clean Air Act pursuant to a court order or settlement agreement for the South Coast, Ventura, or Sacramento areas of California.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1995
Marina Relief Act of 1995 - Amends the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to exempt marinas from financial responsibility requirements applicable to offshore facilities with respect to liability for oil pollution.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 1995
Repeals, effective January 1, 1994, provisions of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 requiring establishment of the Medicare and Medicaid Coverage Data Bank. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to study and report to the Congress on how to achieve the former objectives of such entity in the most cost-effective manner.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 1995
Humanitarian Aid Corridor Act - Prohibits funds for foreign assistance from being made available for any country whose government prohibits or restricts the transport or delivery of U.S. humanitarian assistance. Waives such prohibition if the President notifies the Congress that providing such assistance is in the national security interest. Provides for a resumption of assistance when the President certifies to the Speaker of the House and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that such country is no longer prohibiting or restricting such transports or deliveries.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 1995
Amends the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to implement a basinwide salinity control program. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out such program directly or through contracts, memorandums of agreement, grants, commitments for grants, or advances of funds to non-Federal entities. Specifies that such program shall: (1) consist of cost-effective measures and associated works to reduce salinity from saline springs, leaking wells, irrigation sources, industrial sources, erosion of public and private land, or other appropriate sources; and (2) provide for the mitigation of incidental fish and wildlife values that are lost as a result of such measures. Directs the Secretary to submit planning reports concerning the program to the appropriate congressional committees. Prohibits the Secretary from expending funds for any such implementation program before the expiration of 30 days after the Secretary submits such report. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 1995
Volunteer Protection Act of 1995 - Prescribes circumstances under which volunteers working for nonprofit organizations or government entities shall be immune from personal financial liability for acts on behalf of the organization or entity. Sets forth exceptions and conditions that a State may impose on the granting of such immunity. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to increase by one percent the fiscal year allotment which would otherwise be made to a State to carry out the Social Services Block Grant Program under title XX of the Social Security Act if such State has, within two years, certified to the Secretary that it has enacted a State law which provides such immunity. Provides for the continuation of such increase based on an annual recertification.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 1995
Helium Privatization Act of 1995 - Amends the Helium Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) enter into agreements with private parties for the recovery and disposal of helium on Federal lands; (2) grant leasehold rights to such helium; (3) store and transport crude helium; and (4) maintain and operate existing crude helium storage at the Bureau of Mines Cliffside Field. Directs the Secretary to: (1) cease producing, refining, and marketing refined helium; and (2) dispose of all facilities, equipment, and Federal property interests relating to refined helium activities. Requires the Secretary to impose fees for helium storage, withdrawal, or transportation services. Prescribes guidelines for: (1) the purchase of helium by Federal agencies from certain private persons; and (2) the sale of crude helium by the Secretary. Prohibits the Secretary from making crude helium sales in amounts that will disrupt the crude helium market price. Mandates that proceeds from helium sales be paid to the Treasury. Instructs the Secretary to eliminate helium stockpiles by a prescribed deadline. Repeals the Secretary's authority to borrow under the Helium Act. Directs the Inspector General of the Department of the Interior to prepare certain annual financial statements for the Helium Operations of the Bureau of Mines.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 1995
Office of Surgeon General Termination Act - Transfers all authorities and personnel of the Office of the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service to the Assistant Secretary for Health of the Department of Health and Human Services. Rescinds all unobligated portions of budget authority allocated for the Office. Terminates the Office and the position of such Surgeon General.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1995
Spending Reduction Enforcement Act of 1995 - Establishes the Spending Reduction Commission to propose cost savings and changes in law to achieve at least $45 billion of budget outlay reductions for the budget year and each outyear until a balanced budget is reached. Subjects such reductions to the following guidelines: (1) elimination of redundant and outdated programs, including those whose missions can be accomplished by the private sector; (2) reduction of programs with excessive administrative costs or that can be consolidated with other programs; (3) elimination of programs that provide subsidies that benefit narrow special interest groups at the expense of the national interest; and (4) reduction or elimination of programs that have low priority in meeting a national interest criterion. Sets forth the procedure for implementation of the Commission's recommendations by the Office of Management and Budget, the President, and the Congress. Makes budget outlay reductions permanent. Establishes sequester provisions if the full amount of savings required by this Act have not been achieved in a session of the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1995
Superfund Recycling Equity Act of 1995 - Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to absolve persons (other than owners or operators) who arranged for the recycling of recyclable material from liability for environmental response actions. Deems transactions involving scrap paper, plastic, glass, textiles, or rubber (other than whole tires) to be arranging for recycling if the person who arranged the transaction demonstrates that the following criteria were met: (1) the recyclable material met a commercial specification grade and a market existed for the material; (2) a substantial portion of the material was made available for use as a feedstock for the manufacture of a new saleable product; (3) the material (or product to be made from the material) could have been a replacement for a virgin raw material; and (4) with respect to transactions occurring 90 days after this Act's enactment, the person exercised reasonable care to determine that the facility where the material would be managed by another was in compliance with Federal, State, or local environmental laws or regulations. Deems transactions involving scrap metal to be arranging for recycling if the person who arranged the transaction demonstrates that: (1) the criteria for scrap materials were met; (2) he or she complied with applicable standards regarding activities associated with the recycling of scrap metals; and (3) the scrap metal was not melted prior to the transaction. Deems transactions involving spent lead-acid, nickel-cadmium, or other batteries to be arranging for recycling if the person involved demonstrates that: (1) the criteria for scrap materials were met; and (2) he or she complied with applicable Federal environmental regulations or standards regarding such batteries. Makes the exemptions from liability under this Act inapplicable if the person: (1) had an objectively reasonable basis to believe at the time of the recycling transaction that the recyclable material would not be recycled or would be burned as fuel or for energy recovery or incineration or that the consuming facility was not in compliance with Federal, State, or local environmental laws or regulations; (2) added hazardous substances to the material for purposes other than processing for recycling; or (3) failed to exercise reasonable care with respect to the management of the material. Makes such exemptions inapplicable if the recyclable material contained polychlorinated biphenyls in excess of 50 parts per million or any new Federal standard.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1995
Amends title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act to deny SSI benefits for a disability if alcoholism or drug addiction would be a contributing factor material to the determination that the individual is disabled.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 1995
Fairness in Musical Licensing Act of 1995 - Revises Federal copyright law to provide that communication by electronic device of a transmission embodying a performance or display of a work by the reception of a broadcast, cable, satellite, or other transmission shall not be a copyright infringement unless an admission fee is charged to see or hear the transmission or the transmission is not properly licensed. Provides that a performance or display in a commercial establishment shall not be considered infringement if incidental to the main purpose of the establishment. Specifies that, if a general music user and a performing rights society are unable to agree on the appropriate fee to be paid for the user's past or future performance of musical works in the society's repertoire, the user shall be entitled to binding arbitration of such disagreement pursuant to the rules of the American Arbitration Association in lieu of any other dispute-resolution mechanism established by any judgment or decree governing the operation of such society. Requires the arbitrator to determine a fair and reasonable fee for the user's past and future performance of works in such society's repertoire and to impose a penalty for infringement if the user's past performance infringed the copyright of such works. Makes an arbitrator's determination binding on both parties. Sets forth provisions regarding civil actions for infringement that may be submitted to arbitration if the license fee for a performance is contested. Requires a performing rights society, at the request of any radio broadcaster, to offer the broadcaster a per programming license to perform nondramatic musical works in its repertoire. Directs that such license be offered on terms and conditions that provide an economically and administratively viable alternative to blanket licenses. Sets forth provisions regarding prices of such licenses. Requires, beginning January 1, 1998, the performance of nondramatic musical works by broadcasters under any per programming period license to be determined on the basis of statistically reliable sampling or monitoring by the society and prohibits the society from requiring the broadcaster to report such performance to the society. Authorizes such broadcasters to bring actions to require compliance with such requirements. Directs each performing rights society to make available free online computer access to copyright and licensing information for each work in its repertoire as well as a semiannual printed directory of each title in its repertoire. Requires such society, upon request, to provide to any person who may perform musical works in its repertoire, copies of documentation establishing the society's right to license the public performance of such works. Bars a society from instituting or being a party to any action alleging infringement in, or charging a fee under any per programming period license for, any work in the repertoire that is not identified or documented as described above, with exceptions. Requires the Attorney General to report annually to the Congress on the activities of the Department of Justice relating to the continuing supervision and enforcement of specified consent decrees of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers and Broadcast Music, Inc. Sets forth conditions under which landlords, organizers of conventions, or others making space available to another party are exempt from liability under any theory of vicarious or contributory infringement with respect to an infringing public performance of a copyrighted work by a tenant, lessee, or other user of such space. Provides that the transmission of religious services or the recording of copies or phonorecords of a transmission program embodying such services shall not be a copyright infringement.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 1995
Private Property Owners Bill of Rights - Requires Federal agency heads to: (1) comply with applicable State and tribal government laws in implementing and enforcing the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) and the permitting program for dredged or filled material under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA); (2) administer and implement the Acts in a manner that least affects the private property owners' constitutional and other legal rights; (3) develop and implement rules and regulations for ensuring that such rights are protected when making any final decision that restricts the use of private property; (4) obtain the consent of the property owner and provide appropriate notice before entering privately-owned property in order to collect information on it; and (5) give the property owner an opportunity to review and dispute the data collected before using it to implement or enforce any of the Acts. Amends ESA and FWPCA to provide for administrative appeals of certain actions, including those related to the denial of permits and the imposition of administrative penalties. Entitles a private property owner deprived of 50 percent or more of the fair market value or the economically viable use of a portion of property as a consequence of a final qualified agency action to receive compensation upon request in accordance with specified guidelines. Amends ESA to require the Secretary of the Interior to notify all private property owners or lessees of property subject to a management agreement and provide an appropriate opportunity for their participation in such an agreement when the Secretary enters into it with any non-Federal person establishing restrictions on property use.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1995
Biomaterials Access Assurance Act of 1995 - Provides that, in any civil action, a biomaterials supplier (one who supplies components or raw materials used to manufacture implants) may raise any defense provided under this Act. Exempts a biomaterials supplier (supplier) from liability for harm to a claimant caused by an implant, with exceptions in the case of a supplier who: (1) is a registered manufacturer of the implant; (2) is a seller of the implant and who held title to the implant at the time of sale; or (3) furnishes raw materials or components that fail to meet applicable contractual requirements or specifications. Provides grounds for liability with respect to each exception. Outlines procedural guidelines for the dismissal of civil actions against suppliers, including the submission of appropriate affidavits in support of, or in defense to, a claim. States that a supplier may be considered a manufacturer of an implant, for purposes of such civil actions, only if the supplier has registered with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and included the implant on a list of devices filed pursuant to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Requires claimant payment of attorney's fees if the court finds the claim to be without merit and frivolous.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1995
Commercial Aviation Fuel Tax Repeal Act of 1995 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the increase in tax on fuel used in commercial aviation scheduled to take effect after September 30, 1995.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1995
Teamwork for Employees and Managers Act of 1995 - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to allow employers to establish, assist, maintain, or participate in an organization or entity in which employees participate to address matters of mutual interest (including issues of quality, productivity, and efficiency) if such organizations or entities cannot negotiate, enter into, or amend collective bargaining agreements.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1995
Declaration of Official Language Act of 1995 - Declares English to be the official language of the U.S. Government. States that English is the preferred language of communication among U.S. citizens. Requires the U.S. Government to promote and support the use of English for communications among U.S. citizens. Requires communications by officers and employees of the U.S. Government with U.S. citizens to be in English. Directs the Immigration and Naturalization Service to : (1) enforce the established English language proficiency standard for all applicants for U.S. citizenship; and (2) conduct all naturalization ceremonies entirely in English. Allows anyone injured by a violation of such provisions to obtain appropriate relief in a civil action. Authorizes the court in any such action to allow a prevailing party, other than the U.S. Government, a reasonable attorney's fee as part of costs. Repeals the Bilingual Education Act (title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965). Amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to repeal bilingual election ballot requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 1995
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to restore the 25-percent deduction for health insurance costs of self-employed individuals for the taxable year 1994.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 1995
A to Z Spending Cuts Plan - Reduces discretionary spending limits for FY 1995 in amounts equal to rescissions under this Act. Declares that reductions in outlays shall not be taken into account for sequestration purposes of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act). Reduces discretionary spending limits for FY 1995 through 1998 by the amount of rescissions and additional savings under this Act. Expresses the sense of the Congress that each reduction in the discretionary spending caps caused by the spending cuts of this Act shall result in reduction in future spending for that particular program only.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1995
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the 50 percent limitation on the amount of business meal and entertainment expenses which are tax deductible.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 1995
States Rights Empowerment Act of 1995 - Repeals provisions requiring the withholding of certain Federal aid highway funds for noncompliance by States with: (1) a program requiring the use of safety belts and motorcycle helmets; (2) national maximum speed limit provisions; and (3) a minimum drinking age of 21 requirement.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 1995
Pharmacy Compounding Preservation Act of 1994 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to make such Act inapplicable to: (1) licensed retail pharmacies that compound drugs in conformance with applicable local laws regulating the practice of pharmacy and medicine; and (2) bulk drug products intended to be used by pharmacies for compounding, except to the extent that such provisions relate directly to the purity and quality of such bulk drug products.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 1995
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act and other Federal law to make any managed health care plan established by the Secretary of Defense in the Military Health Services System eligible for payments by the Secretary of Health and Human Services on behalf of any plan enrollees entitled to Medicare benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 1995
United States One Dollar Coin Act of 1995 - Amends Federal currency law to prescribe the color and content of one-dollar coins. Prohibits a Federal reserve bank from placing into circulation any one-dollar Federal Reserve note after the date that the one-dollar coins are first placed in circulation. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to cease regular production of one-dollar Federal Reserve notes (except for such quantities as are required to meet collectors' needs).
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 1995
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a cost-of-living adjustment for the limitation on the aggregate reduction in the fair market value of qualified real property under the special estate tax valuation rules for certain farm property.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 1995
Freedom and Self-Determination for the Former Soviet Union Act - Prohibits foreign assistance from being obligated or expended for Russia for any fiscal year unless the President certifies to the Congress for such fiscal year that: (1) the President has received satisfactory assurances from the Government of Russia, which have been confirmed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, that Russia's intelligence activities in the United States are confined to routine, non-adversarial information gathering; (2) Russia is making progress toward the unconditional implementation of the Russian-Moldovan troop withdrawal agreement and that the Russian Government is not providing military assistance to any military forces in the Transdniestra region of Moldova; (3) Russian troops in the Kaliningrad region of Russia are respecting the sovereign territory of Lithuania and neighboring countries and are not offensively postured against any other countries; (4) the activities of Russia in the independent states of the former Soviet Union do not represent an attempt by Russia to diminish the sovereignty and independence of such states; (5) Russia is not providing military assistance to any Bosnian Serb military units or to the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia; (6) the Russian Government has ceased the unilateral demarcation of the border between Russia and Estonia, is engaged in dialogue with Estonia to resolve the border dispute, and has demonstrated a willingness to submit this issue to international arbitration; (7) Russia is not providing any intelligence information to Cuba or assistance to Cuba with respect to the signal intelligence facility at Lourdes; (8) Russia is not providing goods or technology which could contribute to the acquisition of chemical, biological, nuclear, or advanced conventional weapons to Iran, Iraq, Syria, or other countries whose governments have provided support for international terrorism; (9) Russia is in compliance with a specified convention regarding biological weapons and the Wyoming Memorandum of Understanding on chemical weapons; and (10) Russia is committed to reforming the Russian economy along free-market lines. Prohibits, with respect to FY 1995 and 1996, obligating or expending foreign assistance for Russia unless the President certifies to the Congress that the Russian Government has: (1) ceased its military offensive in Chechnya and is committed to resolving the status of Chechnya through negotiations; and (2) provided a full accounting of the espionage activities of Aldrich Ames and has reimbursed the United States for amounts paid to Rosario Ames since her arrest. Requires the President and the Comptroller General to report to the Congress for each fiscal year: (1) the amount of foreign assistance provided to Russia for the preceding fiscal year; (2) a detailed accounting of the amount of foreign assistance appropriated which has not been expended and its status; and (3) an estimate of the total amount of capital exported from Russia during the previous fiscal year and an analysis of reasons for such export. Directs the President to instruct the U.S. executive directors of the international financial institutions to oppose assistance to Russia unless Russia is in compliance with this Act's requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 1995
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). Repeals the Copeland Act (an Act which requires the Secretary of Labor to regulate contractors and subcontractors engaged in the construction or repair of public buildings, public works, or federally financed or assisted buildings or works).
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 1995
Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 to: (1) make permanent the Medicare select policy program; and (2) allow access to Medicare select policies in all States. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise the Medicare select policy program and provide for a civil penalty for misrepresentations made in connection with a Medicare select policy.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 1995
Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in administering a specified provision of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, to make a determination, based on either of two specified notices concerning the approval of a medical device for marketing or investigational use in the European Community or by the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Japan, that the exportation of such medical device is not contrary to public health and safety, and has the approval of the importing country.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 1995
Requires the head of any Federal agency to differentiate between fats, oils, and greases of animal, marine, or vegetable origin, and other oils and greases in issuing certain regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 1995
Regulatory Transition Act of 1995 - Establishes a moratorium on Federal regulatory rulemaking actions from November 9, 1994, through June 30, 1995, with certain emergency exceptions for presidentially designated imminent threats to health or safety, or actions necessary for enforcement of criminal laws. Suspends until July 1, 1995, starting 30 days after enactment of this Act, the effectiveness of any such action taken or made effective after November 9, 1994, but before enactment of this Act. Extends for five months or until July 1, 1995, whichever is later, any statutory, regulatory, or judicial deadline for, relating to, or involving any action dependent upon, any regulatory rulemaking actions authorized or required to be taken before the end of the moratorium period. Requires the President to inventory and publish in the Federal Register a list of all covered regulatory rulemaking actions taken or made effective during the moratorium period but before the date of enactment of this Act. Excludes from the meaning of rule: (1) the approval or prescription, on a case-by-case or consolidated basis, for the future of rates, wages, corporation, or financial structures or reorganizations thereof, prices, facilities, appliances, services or allowances therefor, or of valuations costs, or accounting, or practices bearing on any of the foregoing; and (2) the granting of an application for a license, registration, or similar authority, the granting or recognition of an exception, the granting of a variance or petition for relief from a regulatory requirement, or other action relieving a restriction, or any action necessary to permit new or improved applications of technology. Authorizes civil actions by anyone adversely affected by any conduct of a Federal agency in violation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 1995
Illegal Alien Credit Denial Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make illegal aliens ineligible for the earned income credit. Requires the verification of taxpayer identification numbers of the taxpayer and qualifying children on returns claiming such credit.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1995
Amends provisions of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act that revise Federal patent law to provide that a patent term shall be the later of 17 years from the date the patent is granted or 20 years from the date the application was filed in the United States. Provides that if the application contains a reference to an earlier application, the term shall be 20 years from the date the earliest application was filed. Removes provisions that provide for extensions of patent terms under certain conditions. Provides for public disclosure and inspection of original and continuing patent applications in cases where a continuing patent application is filed that claims the benefit of the filing date of a prior application that was filed more than 60 months earlier. Requires the term of a patent that is in force or results from an application filed within six months after the Uruguay Round Agreements Act enactment date to be the term provided in this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1995
Amends Federal law to prohibit any State from imposing an income tax on the retirement income of any individual who is not a resident or domiciliary of that State.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1995
Amends the Clean Air Act to authorize a State in which all or part of a Severe ozone nonattainment area is located to submit a plan revision requiring employers in such area to implement programs to reduce work-related vehicle trips and miles by employees. (Current law requires such States to submit such revision within two years of the enactment of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.) Authorizes such revision to require employers in such areas to increase average passenger occupancy per vehicle in commuting trips between home and workplace during peak travel periods. (Current law requires specified increases in average passenger occupancy.) Authorizes (currently, requires) the revision to require employers subject to a vehicle occupancy requirement to submit a compliance plan.
![Official portrait of Rep. Cox, Christopher [R-CA-48]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c000830_200.jpg)