United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1991
Federal Facilities Compliance Act of 1991 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to waive the sovereign immunity of the United States for purposes of enforcing Federal, State, interstate, and local requirements with respect to solid and hazardous waste management. Absolves Federal employees from personal liability for civil penalties under any Federal or State solid or hazardous waste law if the act or omission was within the scope of official duties. Makes such employees subject to criminal sanctions under such laws. Prohibits Federal agencies from being subject to such sanctions. Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to commence an administrative enforcement action against any Federal agency pursuant to the authorities of the Solid Waste Disposal Act. Requires fines collected by States from the Federal Government for violations of hazardous and solid waste management requirements to be used only for projects to improve or protect the environment or to defray the costs of environmental protection or enforcement.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1991
Amends Federal law relating to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday Commission to: (1) increase its membership from 23 to 30 and its staff membership from five to eight; (2) increase the potential salary of a staff member from a GS-13 to a GS-15; and (3) authorize appropriations for FY 1992 through 1993.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1991
Breast Cancer Research Act of 1991 - Authorizes to be appropriated, in addition to sums already authorized, a certain amount to the National Cancer Institute for breast cancer research.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1991
Title I: Preconditions for the Receipt by China of Nondiscriminatory Treatment - Prohibits the President from recommending for a 12-month period in 1992 continuation of a waiver of human rights and emigration requirements for nondiscriminatory treatment (most-favored-nation treatment) for China under the Trade Act of 1974 unless a specified report is submitted to the Congress stating that China has accounted for and released prisoners who dissented in Tiananmen Square on June 3, 1989 and made progress in: (1) preventing gross violations of human rights (including in Tibet); (2) ending religious persecution and releasing members of religious groups who were detained for their religious beliefs; (3) removing restrictions there and in Tibet on freedom of the press and on broadcasts by Voice of America; (4) terminating harassment of Chinese citizens in the United States, including the return and renewal of passports confiscated for prodemocracy activities; (5) ensuring access of international human rights monitoring groups to prisoners; (6) ensuring freedom from torture and from inhumane prison conditions; (7) terminating prohibitions on peaceful assembly and demonstration imposed after June 3, 1989; and (8) adhering to the Joint Declaration on Hong Kong. Requires the President, if he recommends such extension, to include in a specified document to be submitted to the Congress a report on China's progress in implementing the above-mentioned measures.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 1991
Coach and Athlete's Bill of Rights - Prohibits the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) from taking any action against any coach or player for a team associated with the NCAA or against an institution of higher education associated with the NCAA without due process. Directs the NCAA to adopt rules to provide due process or else it shall be prohibited from imposing sanctions or penalties limiting interstate commerce telecommunications of such sporting events. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to report to the Congress on the impact of NCAA sanctions upon telecommunications and commercial activities of intercollegiate sporting events and the revenue loss caused by such sanctions.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1991
Amends the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act to direct the Secretary of Commerce to certify to the President each nation that is failing to comply with a specified United Nations General Assembly resolution on large-scale driftnet fishing.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1991
California Tribal Status Act of 1991 - Title I: Recognition of California Indian Tribal Groups - California Indian Recognition and Restoration Act of 1991 - Extends Federal recognition to six unidentified California Indian groups. Restores Federal recognition to specified California Indian tribal groups and their members whose relationship with the United States was terminated. Title II: Acknowledgment Procedures for California Indian Tribal Groups - California Indian Tribal Acknowledgment Procedures Act of 1991 - Authorizes any California Indian tribal group to apply for acknowledgment as an Indian tribe by submitting a petition containing specified information. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a review to determine whether the petitioner is entitled to be recognized as an Indian tribe. Grants petitioners the right to file a writ of mandamus in Federal court if the Secretary fails to take required actions concerning the petition. Requires petitions from parties to treaties to receive priority consideration. Authorizes the Commissioner of the Administration for Native Americans of the Department of Health and Human Services to make grants to enable California Indian groups seeking acknowledgement to: (1) conduct the research necessary to substantiate petitions under this Act; and (2) maintain essential tribal governmental functions while a petition is under consideration. Prohibits grants from being made to a group whose petition was submitted under a different name and denied acknowledgment. Title III: Commission on Policies and Programs Affecting California Indians - Establishes the Commission on Policies and Programs Affecting California Indians to: (1) study the social and economic status of California Indians and the effectiveness of U.S. and California policies and programs that affect California Indians; (2) conduct public hearings on the subjects of such study; and (3) recommend specific action to the Congress with respect to the needs of the Indians for economic self-sufficiency, improved education and health, and a reduction in social problems. Authorizes appropriations. Title IV: General Provisions - Authorizes the Secretary to accept real property for a California Indian tribal group recognized under this Act. Requires each California Indian tribal group recognized under this Act to submit current membership rolls to the Secretary. Directs each group to determine qualifications for inclusion on the membership roll. Requires the Secretary, upon request of a recognized California Indian tribal group, to develop and submit to the Congress an economic development plan for such group. Sets forth required provisions of the plan. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1991
Establishes the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, Idaho. Directs the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to continue implementation of the comprehensive land use plan for the management and rehabilitation of public lands and resources within the conservation area. Requires the Secretrary to review such plan for the compatibility of the military use of such area with the protection and conservation of the area's raptor (birds of prey) habitat and resources. Authorizes the Secretary to establish a visitors center designed to interpret the history, research, management, geology, ecology, and biology of the raptors and their relationship to man. Declares that the management plan shall provide for the continued use of the conservation area's Orchard Training Area by the Idaho National Guard. Authorizes the grazing of domestic livestock within such area. Provides that private lands acquired within the boundaries of the conservation area shall become a part of such area. Directs the Secretary to appoint a steering committee to review long-range plans and research and management of the conservation area. Releases lands of the Snake River Birds of Prey Natural Area not designated as wilderness for multiple use and management and requires such lands to be managed as part of the conservation area. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1991
Women and Minorities in Science and Mathematics Act of 1991 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to add provisions, under various HEA programs, for education programs for women and minorities who are currently underrepresented in the fields of science and mathematics to receive training for work in those fields. Adds such provisions to: (1) postsecondary programs for nontraditional students (including grants to expand such education programs, off-campus program faculty and staff training to develop such education programs, (adult and continuing education staff development and adult learning); (2) the TRIO programs of Talent Search and Upward Bound; (3) educator recruitment, retention, and development programs (including midcareer teacher training for nontraditional students, school, college, and university partnerships, professional development and leadership programs, and Congressional Teacher Scholarships); (4) cooperative education programs; (5) graduate programs (including general program requirements, Harris Fellowships, and areas of national need); and (6) postsecondary improvement programs (including adding references to minority women under minority science improvement programs and science and engineering access programs).
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1991
Redesignates the Maritime Act of 1981 as the Maritime Act of 1991 and adds a new title: the Port Improvement Act of 1991. Directs the Secretary of Transportation, through the Federal Maritime Administration and the Secretary of Commerce (the Secretaries), to jointly establish a program to make loans to port agencies for financing and refinancing improvements to facilities at deep-draft ports. Limits the aggregate amount of loans to: (1) a specified dollar amount in a five-fiscal-year period; and (2) 50 percent of the cost of the improvements. Requires the remaining percentage to come from non-Federal sources. Prohibits loans for any activity which is eligible for assistance as a water resource project carried out by the Secretary of the Army through the Chief of Engineers. Sets forth procedures and criteria for selection of loan recipients. Requires a set-aside of 20 percent of amounts appropriated from the Port Improvement Revolving Loan Fund each year for improvements at small deep-draft ports. Limits loans to a maximum of 20 years. Requires repayment at an interest rate which: (1) will ensure that the amount in the Fund will increase at approximately the rate of inflation; and (2) is less than market rates for such loans. Establishes in the Treasury the Port Improvement Revolving Loan Fund, to consist of amounts: (1) transferred to the Fund equal to specified percentages of customs duties collected during specified fiscal years; (2) deposited in the Fund as repayment of loans made under this Act; and (3) credited to the Fund from interest on and proceeds from the sale or redemption of investment of amounts in the Fund. Directs the Secretaries to establish a permanent advisory board to advise the Secretaries on matters related to this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1991
Morris K. Udall Wilderness Act of 1991 - Designates specified lands in Alaska as the Arctic Coastal Plain Wilderness and a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1991
District of Columbia Budgetary Efficiency Act of 1991 - Amends the District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act to increase the annual Federal payment to the District of Columbia for FY 1985 through 1992. Establishes a formula for determining the amount of such payment for each fiscal year from FY 1993 through 1995. Amends the District of Columbia Code to include in the annual independent audit of the District of Columbia's financial operations, a report on its revenues for the fiscal year, broken down by revenues derived from the Federal Government and those derived from other sources during such fiscal year. Requires the Comptroller General to submit an annual review to specified congressional committees of the annual report of such breakdown of the independently audited revenues of the District of Columbia for the preceding fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1991
Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Improvement Act of 1991 - Requires States to obligate not less than three percent of the funds apportioned for Federal-aid highway systems for bicycle transportation and pedestrian walkways. Increases the obligation ceilings from $4,500,000 to $10,000,000. Allows the Secretary of Transportation to require States to acquire rights-of-ways reasonably necessary for bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Prohibits the Secretary from approving Federal-aid system projects, including bridge projects, that will result in the severance, reduction, or destruction of an existing or potential route for nonmotorized transportation traffic and light motorcycles, unless such project provides a reasonable alternative route or such route exists. Requires the Secretary to cooperate with State and local officials in developing transportation plans that include development of nonmotorized modes of transportation. Requires States to survey all public roads to identify hazardous locations which may constitute a danger to bicyclists and to correct such locations. Permits the use of motorized wheelchairs and electric golf carts on trails and walkways, when State and local regulations allow. Requires appointed members of the National Highway Safety Advisory Committee of the Department of Transportation to be selected from, among others, organizations representative of bicyclists and pedestrians.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1991
Federal Recycling Incentive Act - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to direct the Administrator of General Services to: (1) establish, and periodically modify, a program requiring each Federal department, agency, or instrumentality to separate and collect solid waste (including high-grade paper, newspapers, aluminum, bottles, and containers) for recycling; (2) establish and implement a system for monitoring and enforcing the provisions of this Act; and (3) report periodically to the Congress as to the extent of compliance for the preceding 12-month period. Authorizes any such entity to retain any moneys received from the sale of such waste for use in carrying out its functions. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1991
Family Caregiver Support Act of 1991 - Amends the Social Security Act to add a new title XXI entitled "Grants to States for Family Caregiver Support Programs" to establish a program to enable States to furnish services to support informal caregivers of individuals with functional disabilities. Outlines State plan requirements for such caregiver support services, including requirements that: (1) States must support 50 percent of program administration costs; (2) services may not supplant Medicare or Medicaid (titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act) or private insurance otherwise available to eligible recipients of services; and (3) persons with incomes exceeding 200 percent of the Federal poverty level must pay on a sliding fee scale established by the State, up to a maximum annual income of $75,000. Caps total annual Federal expenditures at $2,400 per eligible recipient. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the new title.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1991
Circle of Poison Prevention Act of 1991 - Title I: Exported Pesticides - Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to require pesticide producers operating registered establishments to inform the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency of: (1) the types and quantities of pesticides and active ingredients used in producing pesticides for export to a foreign country; and (2) the date of export and quantity of such materials exported to each foreign country to which the producer has exported during the past 365-day period. Provides that specified information on exported pesticides shall not be entitled to confidential trade secret treatment. Makes it unlawful to export a pesticide or device in violation of FIFRA export requirements. Prohibits the exportation of a pesticide or device unless: (1) such materials are prepared and packaged according to the specifications of the foreign purchaser and the legal requirements of the country of use; and (2) the label of the pesticide is written in the official language of the country of use and contains all information required to be included in the labeling for such pesticide in the United States. Prohibits the exportation of a pesticide to a country of use if: (1) the registrations for pesticides containing an active ingredient that is included in such pesticide that account for nearly all of the uses of such ingredient have been canceled; (2) the tolerances for an active ingredient in such pesticide that account for nearly all the uses of such ingredient have been revoked; or (3) an active ingredient of the pesticide is ineligible for reregistration. Prohibits such exports (including pesticides used for agricultural production) unless: (1) the pesticide is registered; or (2) all of the active ingredients in the pesticide are the subject of a food tolerance. Requires exporters, prior to the shipment of certain pesticides, to provide specified information to the Administrator. Prohibits the exportation of any pesticide to a country of use that: (1) has refused consent; or (2) has given conditional consent unless the conditions on which the consent was given are met. Prohibits refusals to consent unless the country certifies that it is not producing or importing and will not produce or import the pesticide or a similar product with the same active ingredient. Waives certain requirements, upon the request of a country of use and subject to certain determinations by the Administrator, to permit the export of pesticides not meeting FIFRA requirements to: (1) prevent or arrest the spread of a communicable disease; or (2) stop or prevent the spread of a pest that is destroying or will destroy quantities of the country's food supply so as to result in widespread famine. Permits the export of pesticides for experimental use in foreign countries if specified conditions are met. Directs the Administrator to submit information to the Secretary of Health and Human Services concerning inspections for pesticide residues in imported foods conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services. Requires the Administrator to notify foreign countries and the International Register of Potentially Toxic Chemicals whenever regulatory action is taken with respect to a pesticide. Directs the Administrator to: (1) convene meetings with foreign governments and other interested parties to promote the implementation of improved research and regulatory programs for pest management and strategies for sustainable agriculture and to encourage the adoption of a multilateral convention requiring standard notice and pesticide export control measures; and (2) provide foreign countries with technical assistance to develop pesticide regulatory programs. Permits persons to bring civil actions to secure the imposition of penalties on persons who violate pesticide export requirements. Prohibits civil actions from being initiated on the basis of the same unlawful acts that form the basis of existing proceedings for criminal violations. Requires the Comptroller General to report to the Congress every four years on: (1) the operation and effect of this Act; and (2) how exported pesticides and their containers are used and disposed of and on their impact on the public health and the environment of countries of use. Title II: Pesticide Residue Monitoring - Amends the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 to direct the Food and Drug Administration to summarize the volume of each food product subject to the requirements of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act imported into the United States in quantities determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to be commercial quantities (currently, products having an entry value exceeding an amount established by the Secretary). Requires the summary to: (1) be made by food product, country of origin, port of entry, pesticides monitored by the Secretary, pesticide residues detected, and the quantity of each pesticide exported from the United States for agricultural use; and (2) indicate the volume of each type of food tested for pesticide residues, arranged by pesticide, food, and country of origin. Title III: Pesticide Tolerances - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Administrator, if a registration under FIFRA for a pesticide to be used on food is canceled or modified to prohibit its use in connection with food, to revoke any tolerance or exemption that permits the presence of the pesticide on the food. Suspends tolerances or exemptions for pesticides used on food if such use is suspended under FIFRA. Authorizes the Administrator, if a residue of a canceled or suspended pesticide will persist in the environment and be present on a food, to establish a tolerance for the pesticide at a level that permits the residue to remain and will protect public health. Requires the Administrator to reduce the tolerance for any suspended or canceled pesticide annually if any decrease in the pesticide's residual environmental contamination or residues on food has occurred. Prohibits the Administrator from establishing or continuing a tolerance for a pesticide chemical residue unless the best available, practical method for detecting and measuring the levels of the residue on a food exists. Title IV: Pesticide Information - Prohibits the importation of a raw agricultural commodity into U.S. customs territory unless the commodity importer files with the Secretary and the Secretary of the Treasury a document identifying each pesticide chemical used in connection with the commodity. Requires such importers, if unreported pesticides are detected in such commodities, to submit residue analyses for such pesticides. Waives reporting requirements for unreported pesticides if the presence of such pesticides is attributable to long-term environmental persistence and does not pose a health risk. Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act, and the Egg Products Inspection Act to apply such requirements to importers of meat, poultry, and eggs. Amends the Agricultural Act of 1954 to add to the list of annual reporting requirements of agricultural attaches a report on the customary use of pesticides in the production of agricultural commodities in foreign countries. Title V: Effective Dates - Sets forth the effective dates for provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1991
Shipbuilding Trade Reform Act of 1991 - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to require a foreign passenger or cargo vessel in order to enter a U.S. port to have and present to U.S. customs a certification showing that it was: (1) constructed without subsidy benefit; or (2) if a subsidy was provided after a specified date, that the amount has been repaid. Makes it an unlawful act to: (1) present an altered subsidy certification; or (2) enter or fail to leave the United States without such certification. Subjects foreign-made vessels to countervailing duty and antidumping provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1991
Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991 - Imposes civil liability on anyone who, under actual or apparent authority or under color of law of any foreign nation, subjects any individual to torture or extrajudicial killing. Directs a court to decline to hear a claim under this Act if the alleged offender establishes by clear and convincing evidence that the plaintiff has not exhausted adequate and available remedies in the place where the conduct giving rise to the claim occurred. Specifies that no statute of limitations shall apply to a claim under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1991
National Biological Diversity Conservation Act - Declares that the conservation of biological diversity is a national goal. Establishes the Interagency Working Committee on Biological Diversity to: (1) prepare a coordinated Federal strategy for the conservation of biological diversity; and (2) issue guidance to Federal agencies regarding biodiversity impact assessment. Dissolves the Committee upon its submission of the strategy to the Congress. Sets forth required elements of the strategy. Requires the Council on Environmental Quality to identify the Federal agencies that conduct programs having a significant impact on biological diversity. Directs such agencies to: (1) review its actions and programs biennially for consistency with the Federal strategy; and (2) report the results of such reviews to the Council. Requires the Council to review such reports biennially and report to the Congress on the consistency of Federal programs with the strategy. Directs the President to establish a National Center for Biological Diversity and Conservation Research. Requires the Center to: (1) identify gaps in the understanding of biological diversity and develop a plan for filling such gaps; (2) issue grants to private institutions for projects to contribute to implementation of the plan; (3) provide information to the Interagency Committee in preparation of the Federal strategy; (4) develop a plan for the establishment of a clearinghouse; and (5) identify species and natural communities of special concern. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a biological diversity grant program for purposes of monitoring the status of plants, invertebrate organisms, terrestrial communities, and freshwater aquatic communities and species. Limits the Federal share of grant activities to 75 percent of the total cost. Requires the Secretary to identify: (1) the types of natural communities native to the United States; (2) the types of communities that do not occur in at least three protected areas of sufficient size to maintain populations of the species of plants and animals associated with such communities; (3) the types of communities that are especially rich in terms of the number of native species they contain; and (4) the location on Federal lands of communities identified under (2) and (3). Directs the Secretary to issue regulations establishing requirements for considering areas of lands to be protected areas for purposes of this Act. Prohibits lands from being considered as protected areas unless the lands are: (1) managed primarily for the purpose of maintaining viable populations of native plants and animals and self-sustaining natural communities; and (2) subject to permanent land use restrictions to ensure the protection of such plants, animals, and communities. Requires Federal agency heads to consult with the Secretary regarding the management actions necessary to maintain natural communities on Federal lands identified under this Act and to ensure the long-term sustainability of such communities. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1991
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services from approving or renewing a waiver under a State Medicaid program of Medicaid's home health care exclusion if such program requires a patient to be or have been an inpatient of a hospital or a resident of a nursing facility in order to be eligible for home health care services.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1991
Hearing Loss Testing Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) require that every child born in the United States be tested for hearing loss at the time of birth; and (2) establish uniform standards for such testing. Requires each health insurance policy, including contracts for coverage by health maintenance organizations, which provides for any benefits with respect to a newborn to include coverage for newborn hearing loss testing. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to add newborn hearing loss testing to the definition of screening services. Directs the Secretary to provide for such a grant or other program as necessary to assure that all newborns in the United States are tested for hearing loss at the time of birth. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1991
Requires water quality criteria for dioxin published pursuant to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to ensure that the application of such criteria to a State's waters will limit the probability to not more than 1 in 1,000,000 that an individual with high exposure to dioxins in such waters will be diagnosed with cancer as a result of lifetime exposure. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to revise such criteria if they do not meet such requirement. Requires States to submit to the Administrator for approval a chemical-specific numeric water quality standard for dioxin that is at least as stringent as the criteria established by this Act. Sets forth standard approval and modification procedures. Provides that the criteria established for dioxin by this Act shall take effect for any State without an approved standard. Requires the Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct a study to: (1) assess the impact of discharges of dioxin on wildlife and the aquatic environment; (2) evaluate the potential effects of uptake and accumulation of dioxin in wildlife and aquatic life on the food chain and public health; and (3) evaluate the effectiveness of public health-oriented criteria to protect wildlife and aquatic life from the effects of dioxin discharges.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1991
Designates May 15, 1991, as Joe DiMaggio Day, in honor of the 50th anniversary of his remarkable and lasting major league feat of hitting in 56 consecutive games.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1991
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) Japan has not fully complied with the 1986 U.S. - Japan Semiconductor Trade Agreement and that such failure has had an adverse effect on the national security and economic future of the United States; (2) the United States and Japan should enter into a new agreement that will open the Japanese semiconductor market and will address the threat of future dumping of semiconductors by Japan; and (3) the President, the United States Trade Representative, and the Secretary of Commerce should take all steps necessary to negotiate a strong, effective semiconductor trade agreement with Japan.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1991
Amends the Davis-Bacon Act (the Act) to apply it to any contract (relating to public buildings or public works of the United States or the District of Columbia or buildings or works financed in whole or part by Federal loans, grants, or loan guarantees, with specified exceptions) in excess of $100,000 for new construction (including painting and decorating) or in excess of $15,000 for alteration, repair, renovation, rehabilitation, or reconstruction (including painting and decorating). Provides that State, local, or tribal government requirements for wages or fringe benefits applied to such contracts for federally-assisted construction or repair of buildings or works shall not be preempted by the Act unless there is a conflict in compliance with both. Provides that an individual shall be considered a laborer or mechanic if the contractor or subcontractor paid the individual, directly or through a subcontract, for such services performed to carry out the contract. Prohibits the use of multiple contracts to avoid application of the Act. Requires that any two or more contracts shall be treated as a single contract if they: (1) individually do not exceed the minimum amount necessary for the Act to apply; (2) in the aggregate do exceed such amount; and (3) all relate to the same work or related work at the same site. Permits any interested person to seek relief from violations of such provision in U.S. district court. Applies the Act also to contracts for the lease of a facility if construction, alteration, repair, renovation, rehabilitation, or reconstruction is required for a contract's fulfillment. Defines the terms "apprentice," "trainee," and "helper." Prescribes circumstances under which such persons may be paid less than the required wage rate under the Act. Directs the Secretary of Labor (the Secretary) to promulgate regulations defining such persons and prescribing the conditions under which they will not be subject to the required rate, the rate at which they will be employed, and other appropriate conditions. Requires the contractor or subcontractor to post the scale of wages required to be paid under such contract in a prominent and easily accessible place at the contract worksite. Provides that the wages required to be paid under the Act shall be the wages determined by the Secretary to be prevailing within three years of the date the contract was entered into. Provides that, if the Secretary has not made a prevailing wage determination within such three-year limitation, the prevailing wage shall be the highest wage prevailing in a comparable area in the State in which the contract is performed. Directs the Secretary, in making a prevailing wage determination, to consider the wages paid for all projects of the same character in the area under contracts for amounts not less than the minimum amounts necessary for the Act to apply. Provides that a contractor or subcontractor may only include contributions and costs relating to employee fringe benefits, as part of their prevailing wage payment, in an amount not exceeding the aggregate of such contributions and costs prevailing in the area. Authorizes the Secretary to investigate and secure compliance with requirements of the Act. Allows any interested person to petition the Secretary to review the determination of a Secretary of a department or an agency head that a contract entered into is not subject to the Act. Provides for judicial review of such coverage determinations. Permits any laborer, mechanic, or any interested person to petition the Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor to review the wage payments received to determine if they have been made in accordance with the Secretary's prevailing wage determination. Sets forth procedures for such wage review. Provides that the determination of the Administrator, an administrative law judge, or the Secretary on a petition for review of the wage payments may include the award of damages to the petitioner in the amount of twice the amount of wages not paid in accordance with the prevailing wage determination, if it is found that the petitioner was willfully not paid the required wages. Requires the defendant in such cases to pay a reasonable attorney's fee and the cost of the action. Makes any employer who violates the required wage rate provisions of the Act liable to each affected employee in the amount of unpaid wages and, if the violation was willful, in an additional equal amount as liquidated damages. Allows an action to recover such liability to be maintained against any employer in any Federal or State court of competent jurisdiction by any interested party, or by any employee on behalf of affected employees and other employees similarly situated. Prohibits any employee from being a party plaintiff to such an action unless the employee gives consent in writing to become a party and the consent is filed in the court in which the action is brought. Prohibits employees from bringing such a civil action with respect to their wages if they file a petition for review. Directs the court, in addition to any judgment awarded to the plaintiff or plaintiffs, to allow a reasonable attorney's fee and the cost of the action to be paid by the defendant. Requires the Comptroller General to pay directly to laborers and mechanics from any accrued payments withheld under the contract any wages found by the Secretary to be due. Directs the Secretary to distribute to all departments of the Government a list of the names of persons or firms who: (1) are found to have disregarded their obligations to employees and subcontractors; and (2) are debarred from Federal contracts for a specified time. (Removes the Comptroller General from such debarment process.) Declares that employees may bring an action against contractors and their sureties for the payment of unpaid wages. Specifies that the Secretary or the contracting officer may order accrued payments in amounts necessary to cover unpaid wages to be withheld from contractors found to have violated the Act. Requires that contracts subject to the Act contain a provision allowing the Government to terminate the contract if less than the required wage rate has been or is being paid. Makes the contractor and its sureties liable for any excess costs incurred by the Government because of such termination. Directs the Secretary to: (1) enforce the Act; and (2) promulgate standards and procedures to be observed by contracting officers. Amends the Copeland Anti-Kickback Act (which provides for the Secretary of Labor to make reasonable regulations for contractors and subcontractors in the construction or repair of public buildings or public works or buildings or works financed in whole or part by Federal loans or grants) to require such employers to report certain payroll information on a monthly (rather than a weekly) basis. Requires such information to include specified items (including rates of contributions or costs anticipated for bona fide fringe benefits). Requires such employers to maintain payroll and other related basic records for three years after completion of such work. Permits any interested person to obtain from any Federal department or agency a copy of any such payroll statement which has been filed by the contractor or subcontractor with the department or agency under such Act. Directs the Secretary of Labor to: (1) study the feasibility of employers using electronic methods to comply with reporting requirements under such Act; and (2) report to the Congress within one year on actions taken by the Secretary and employers to facilitate electronic reporting of payroll information.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1991
Federal Sunshine in Litigation Act of 1990 - Prohibits the issuance of protective orders under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure that have the purpose or effect of concealing information about a public hazard. Makes void and unenforceable any portion of an agreement in settlement of a case in Federal court that has such purpose or effect. Authorizes any person who is substantially affected by such an order or agreement, by motion or in a civil action, to obtain the disclosure of the information about a public hazard. Specifies that, for purposes of this Act, the new media are "substantially affected" by any order or agreement prohibited by this Act. Requires the court, in any proceeding to enforce prohibitions of this Act, to examine the disputed information in camera. Specifies that the copyrighting of information does not prevent the disclosure or use of information about a public hazard.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1991
Substance Abuse Treatment Corps Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish within the Public Health Service the Substance Abuse Treatment Corps to increase the availability of treatment for alcohol and drug abuse in geographic areas with a significant incidence of abuse and an inadequate availability of services. Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out such purpose only through assigning Corps members to provide services for such areas. Allows the Secretary to assign a Corps member to an entity only if the entity, among other requirements, enters into an agreement with the Secretary regarding the allocation, between the Secretary and the entity, of costs relating to the assignment. Directs the Secretary to establish a program of entering into contracts with students in specified fields under which the students agree to serve in the Corps upon obtaining their degree in consideration of the Federal Government agreeing to pay tuition, other expenses, and a stipend. Applies, except as inconsistent, provisions relating to the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program to this program. Directs the Secretary to establish a program of entering into contracts with individuals who have been licensed or certified in certain fields, or who are students in such fields, under which the individuals agree to serve in the Corps in consideration of the Federal Government agreeing to repay up to a specified sum of educational loans of the individuals. Applies, except as inconsistent, provisions relating to the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program to this program. Authorizes appropriations for the scholarship and loan repayment programs established by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an excise tax on amounts received in connection with certain acquisitions or combinations of partnerships or real estate investment trusts where dissenting equity holders do not have dissenters' rights.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1991
Nuclear Decommissioning Reserve Fund Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) decrease the rate of the tax imposed on the income of any Nuclear Decommissioning Reserve Fund; and (2) remove restrictions on permitted investments of Fund monies.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1991
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that it should be U.S. policy to reduce national emissions of carbon dioxide in the next ten years by 20 percent from the 1988 baseline level and to assume a leadership position in negotiating an international climate protection treaty that includes establishing: (1) agreements by industrialized nations to reduce their current carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent over 1988 levels in the next ten years, by developing nations to reduce their growth in carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion, and by all countries to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases; (2) an international fund and other financial mechanisms to help developing countries achieve such objectives; (3) mechanisms for continuing international cooperation for the development of policies for future emissions reductions; and (4) commitments to cease the destruction of primary forests.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1991
Forest Biodiversity and Clearcutting Prohibition Act of 1991 - Amends the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, the National Indian Forest Resources Management Act, and Federal law to provide for the conservation of native biodiversity in each national forest community. Revises land management guidelines for such forests to prohibit any even-age logging or even-age management after one year of enactment of this Act. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture, on each site already under such management, to: (1) prescribe a shift to selection management within one year; or (2) cease managing for timber purposes and actively restore the native biodiversity, or permit each site to regain its native biodiversity.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1991
Defense Environmental Activities Act - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 for the armed forces and other agencies and activities of the Department of Defense (DOD) for environmental restoration, defense. Earmarks a specified amount of FY 1992 DOD appropriations for other environmental activities. Requires information pertaining to amounts obligated in the past fiscal year and estimated to be allocated for the current fiscal year for DOD compliance with applicable environmental law and for certain DOD waste minimization programs to be included in an annual report of the Secretary of Defense on DOD environmental restoration.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1991
National Training Center for Afro-American Museum Professionals Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the National Park Service, to: (1) provide for the operation and maintenance of, and technical assistance for, the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center (the Museum), in Wilberforce, Ohio; and (2) construct a National Training Center at the Museum to prepare professionals for our Nation's museums. Authorizes appropriations for such purposes. Directs the Secretary of Education, acting through the Museum, to: (1) contract with a consortium of institutions of higher education to implement a program of Afro-American professional museum studies at such National Training Center of the Museum; and (2) provide scholarships and loans for students in those studies. Authorizes appropriations. Terminates the National Afro-American History and Culture Commission (established by the National Center for the Study of Afro-American History and Culture Act) 30 days after the enactment of this Act. Provides that ultimate governance of the Museum shall rest with a Board of Governors established by the Congress in consultation with the State of Ohio.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1991
District of Columbia Budgetary Efficiency Act of 1991 - Amends the District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act to increase the annual Federal payment to the District of Columbia for FY 1985 through 1992. Establishes a formula for determining the amount of such payment for each fiscal year. Requires the Comptroller General to report to specified congressional committees on the revenues of the District of Columbia for each preceding fiscal year, broken down by revenues derived from the Federal Government and from other sources during that fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1991
Declares that the Congress: (1) supports humanitarian, refugee, and emergency assistance for Iraqi refugees and displaced persons; and (2) recommends that the United States provide additional assistance for a sustained international humanitarian relief effort.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1991
World War I Veterans' Service Pension Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay a monthly pension of $100 to each veteran of World War I who meets specified service requirements. Requires such a veteran, if entitled to another pension administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, to elect which pension to receive.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1991
United States Peace Tax Fund Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish in the Treasury the United States Peace Tax Fund (Fund) to receive payments designated on the tax returns of qualified individuals to be used for nonmilitary purposes. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to report annually to the Congress on amounts transferred into the Fund. Requires the information to be printed in the Congressional Record. Permits conscientious objectors to designate on their income tax returns that any tax liability be paid into the Fund. Makes this designation procedure available to any individual who has demonstrated himself or herself, by reason of religious training and belief, to be opposed to participation in war in any form. Requires that each publication of general instructions accompanying income tax returns include specified information about the Fund, including the purposes of the Fund and the criteria governing one's eligibility to designate tax payments for it. Requires every taxpayer who makes such a designation for any taxable year to file a questionnaire return for the purpose of determining whether the taxpayer is an eligible individual. Permits the setting aside of criminal or civil penalties imposed upon a taxpayer for nonpayment of tax prior to 1990 if the taxpayer pays the tax due (with interest) and establishes to the satisfaction of the Secretary of the Treasury that the nonpayment was due to religious beliefs. Authorizes corresponding procedures in connection with estate and gift tax payments, under conditions prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury. Directs the Comptroller General to determine the percentage of actual appropriations made by the United States from the Federal budget during the preceding year for military purposes. Requires publication of this information in the Congressional Record. Establishes a United States Peace Tax Fund Board of Trustees to distribute funds for eligible nonmilitary activities and research. Directs the Board to publish regulations to govern applications for funds. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1991
Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to repeal provisions enacted under the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 which reduced Medicare reimbursement for new physicians and other new health care practitioners.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1991
National Traffic Fatality and Injury Reduction Act of 1991 - Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to make grants for traffic safety programs to States which require any person riding a motorcycle to wear a helmet and any driver or front seat passenger of a passenger car to have seat belts properly fastened. Authorizes appropriations. Requires States receiving grants to agree to maintain at least their average levels of expenditures for traffic safety programs over the preceding two fiscal years. Prohibits a State from receiving such a grant in more than three fiscal years. Specifies the Federal share of grants and the aggregate amount of such grants to each State. Sets forth requirements with respect to: (1) States' eligibility for grants; and (2) measurement of compliance with State safety laws. Eliminates a provision prohibiting a highway safety program approved by the Secretary from requiring that motorcycle operators or passengers 18 years or older wear a safety helmet. Requires any State where it is lawful to operate or ride a motorcycle without wearing a motorcycle helmet or to occupy a front seating position in a passenger car without using a safety belt or child restraint system to expend a specified percentage of its apportioned Federal aid highway funds for highway safety programs.
![Official portrait of Rep. Dellums, Ronald V. [D-CA-9]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000222_200.jpg)