United States · United States Congress · 4 May 1989
Establishes a joint committee of the Congress to be known as the Ad Hoc Joint Committee on Labor Relations for the Capitol Police. Directs the committee to formulate a labor relations program for the Capitol Police, which is: (1) based on progressive principles and practices of labor relations programs in the public and private sectors; (2) sensitive to the needs of the Congress; and (3) designed to promote the efficient operation of the Capitol Police. Directs the committee to report its proposed program to both Houses within 180 days after they have agreed to this resolution. Requires such report to present the program in the form of recommended amendments to the Rules of the House of Representatives and the Standing Rules of the Senate. Deems such recommended amendments to be agreed to by both Houses 30 legislative days after the committee reports, except to the extent that such amendments are rejected by either House. Terminates the committee 30 days after the submission of its report.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1989
Retirement Payment Delivery Assurance Act of 1989 - Amends the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974, the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, the Foreign Service Act of 1980, the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement Act of 1964 for Certain Employees, and other Federal law to provide that if the day designated for the delivery of benefit payments occurs on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal public holiday, then the following retirement benefit checks shall be mailed a day earlier than usual: (1) railroad retirement annuities; (2) military retired and retainer pay and annuities based on such pay; (3) Federal employee retirement annuities; (4) black lung benefits; (5) foreign service retirement benefits; and (6) benefits under the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1989
Idaho Wilderness Act - Designates the following lands in Idaho as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: (1) the Salmo-Priest Wilderness in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest; (2) the Long Canyon-Selkirk Crest Wilderness in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest; (3) the Scotchman's Peak Wilderness in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest; (4) the Grandmother Mountain Wilderness in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest; (5) the Mallard-Larkins Wilderness in the Idaho Panhandle and Clearwater National Forests; (6) the Great Burn Wilderness in the Clearwater National Forest; (7) the Moose Mountain Wilderness in the Clearwater National Forest; (8) the Elk Summit Wilderness in the Clearwater National Forest; (9) the North Fork Clearwater Wilderness in the Clearwater National Forest; (10) the Lewis and Clark Wilderness in the Clearwater National Forest; (11) the Rapid River Wilderness in the Payette National Forest; (12) the Pot Mountain Wilderness in the Clearwater National Forest; (13) the Snowbank Mountain Wilderness in the Payette and Boise National Forests; (14) Payette Crest and Salmon River Breaks of the South Fork of the Salmon River Wilderness in the Payette National Forest; (15) the French Creek/Patrick Butte Wilderness in the Payette National Forest; (16) the Peace Rock Wilderness in the Boise National Forest; (17) the Deadwood River Wilderness in the Boise National Forest; (18) the Breadwinner Wilderness in the Boise National Forest; (19) the Lime Creek Wilderness in the Boise National Forest; (20) the Red Mountain Wilderness in the Boise National Forest; (21) the Sawtooth Completion Wilderness in the Boise, Sawtooth, and Challis National Forests; (22) the Smoky Mountain Wilderness in the Boise and Sawtooth National Forests; (23) the Trinities Wilderness in the Boise National Forest; (24) the Danskin-South Fork Boise River Wilderness in the Boise National Forest; (25) the Pioneer Wilderness in the Sawtooth and Challis National Forests; (26) the Cache Peak Wilderness in the Sawtooth National Forest; (27) the Boulder-White Clouds Wilderness in the Sawtooth and Challis National Forests and the Salmon District; (28) Borah Peak, King Mountain, and the Pahsimeroi Mountains of the Lost River Wilderness in the Challis National Forest; (29) the North Lemhi's Wilderness in the Salmon and Challis National Forests; (30) the Diamond Peak Wilderness of the Targhee, Salmon, and Challis National Forests; (31) the Winegar Hole Wilderness of the Targhee National Forest; (32) Anderson Mountain and Garfield Mountain of the Continental Divide Wilderness in the Salmon and Targhee National Forests; (33) West Bigholes, Italian Peaks, Centennials, and Lionhead of the Great Divide Wilderness in Targhee, Salmon, and Challis National Forests; (34) Garns Mountain, Palisades, Bear Creek, Caribou, and Poker Peak of the Greater Palisades Wilderness of Targhee and Caribou National Forests; and (35) the Cache Crest Wilderness, Mt. Naomi Wilderness, and Stump Creek Wilderness of the Caribou National Forest. Permits livestock grazing in the North Lemhi's Wilderness. Provides that the RARE II (second roadless area review and evaluation final environmental statement (dated January 1979) with respect to national forest system lands in Idaho shall not be subject to judicial review. Releases national forest system lands in Idaho which were reviewed in the RARE II program from further review by the Department of Agriculture, pending the revision of initial national forest management plans. Releases lands in Idaho reviewed in the RARE II program and not designated as wilderness from management as wilderness areas. Prohibits the Department of Agriculture from conducting any further statewide roadless area review and evaluation of national forest system lands in Idaho without express congressional authorization.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1989
Radon Testing for Safe Schools Act - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a nationwide program to test a sample of schools in each State for purposes of identifying areas with elevated radon levels. Requires the Administrator to give priority to States containing high-risk areas identified under the Toxic Substances Control Act. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations requiring local educational agencies to test schools in areas having elevated radon levels. Authorizes the Administrator to provide financial assistance to such agencies to carry out such testing. Limits the Federal share of testing costs to 50 percent of the total cost. Requires the results of such tests to be made available to the public. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1989
Railroad Retirement Medicare Equity Act of 1989 - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to set the same limitation on annual increases in Medicare part B premium deductions from monthly annuities under the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 as currently applies to such premium deductions from monthly benefits under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Act, so that such increases cannot exceed cost of living increases in the annuities.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1989
Designates the Labor Day weekend beginning on September 2, 1989, as National Drive for Life Weekend. Calls on people to observe that weekend with a pledge to not drink and drive.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1989
Commission on the Mississippi River National Heritage Corridor Act of 1989 - Establishes the Commission on the Mississippi River National Heritage Corridor to investigate and make recommendations regarding: (1) the creation of a Mississippi River National Heritage Corridor, to run through Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, and Wisconsin; and (2) other issues affecting the growth and development of the Corridor. Terminates such Commission 90 days after submission of a specified report. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1989
Privacy for Consumers and Workers Act - Requires employers who engage in electronic monitoring to provide each affected employee with prior written notice describing specified aspects of the electronic monitoring directly affecting the employee. Requires employers to notify prospective employees at personal interviews or meetings of existing forms of electronic monitoring which may directly affect them and, upon request, provide them with the written notice provided to employees. Requires employers to provide affected employees with some form of visual or aural notice that indicates that electronic monitoring is taking place, at periodic intervals unless the monitoring is continuous during each of the employee's shifts. Requires employers to provide affected customers with some form of visual or aural notice, at periodic intervals, indicating that telephone service observation is taking place. Requires employers to permit employees or their authorized agents to have access to all personal data obtained by electronic monitoring of their work. Prohibits employers from collecting personal data on an employee which is not relevant to the employee's work performance. Prohibits employers from disclosing personal data obtained by electronic monitoring to any person or business except to the individual employee to whom that data pertains or without the employee's prior written consent, unless disclosure would be: (1) to the employer's officers and employees who need it to perform their duties; (2) to a law enforcement agency for a criminal investigation or prosecution; or (3) pursuant to a proper court order. Prohibits employers from using personal data obtained by electronic monitoring as the exclusive basis for individual employee performance evaluation or disciplinary action, unless the employee is given an opportunity to review the data within a reasonable time after it is obtained. Prohibits employers from using personal data or collective data obtained by electronic monitoring as the sole basis for setting production quotas or work performance expectations. Prohibits employers from maintaining, collecting, using, or disseminating personal data obtained by electronic monitoring which describes how an employee exercises First Amendment rights, unless such use is: (1) expressly authorized by statute or by the employee; or (2) pertinent to and within the scope of an authorized law enforcement activity. Sets forth the following enforcement provisions: (1) civil penalties; (2) injunctive actions by the Secretary of Labor; and (3) private civil actions. Prohibits waiver of rights and procedures provided by this Act, unless such waiver is part of a written settlement by the parties to a pending action or complaint. Directs the Secretary of Labor to issue rules and regulations to carry out this Act within six months. Makes this Act inapplicable to otherwise permissible electronic monitoring by law enforcement agencies in criminal investigations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1989
Elephant Protection Act - Requires the United States Trade Representative (USTR), before January 1, 1990, to identify each foreign country that has enacted sanctions against trading in ivory. Requires the USTR to: (1) determine, for each year after 1989, if each identified country has effectively enforced such sanctions; (2) determine, for each year after 1990, if each foreign country not so identified has enacted such sanctions; and (3) determine, for each year after 1990, if such countries that have implemented sanctions against trading in ivory have enforced them. Directs the USTR to: (1) make such determinations for each year; (2) notify the President of each negative determination; and (3) publish each negative determination in the Federal Register. Requires the President, after receiving a negative determination with respect to any foreign country, to revoke nondiscriminatory treatment (most-favored-nation treatment) for all products of such country that are imported into the United States. Makes it unlawful for any person to import or export ivory products. Sets forth civil and criminal penalties. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny foreign tax credit benefits with respect to income derived from trading in ivory. Provides that ivory-related income shall not be treated as foreign base company income.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1989
Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Amendments of 1989 - Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act to prohibit persons from having a financial interest in both the contractor who prepares a school asbestos plan and the contractor who implements such plan. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate regulations concerning air monitoring for asbestos to require that: (1) such monitoring be based on electron microscopy with a certain analytical sensitivity; (2) such monitoring be conducted in a manner most likely to detect asbestos; and (3) no person may have a financial interest in both the monitoring contractor and the contractor performing the response action. Requires the model school asbestos contractor accreditation plan for States to include a State-approved contractor training course and require that those who have passed the accreditation exam engage in supervised work experience before achieving accreditation. Directs the Administrator and the States to establish procedures for terminating accreditation. Requires the Administrator to review and report to the Congress on procedures in effect in some States to expedite accreditation reciprocity and the need and feasibility of developing a model procedure. Authorizes the Administrator to distribute an advisory model to States. Directs the Administrator to: (1) develop and implement a plan for conducting random, on-site school inspections to ensure that asbestos response actions are carried out in a manner that protects human health and the environment; (2) promulgate regulations to require school asbestos contractors to provide assurances of financial responsibility for all liabilities resulting from their work; and (3) promulgate regulations to delineate the division of responsibility between the EPA and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for worker safety under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response program. Authorizes school employees who are directed to conduct emergency repairs or operations and maintenance activities which may involve asbestos to refuse to conduct such activities unless they are provided with proper equipment and training and allowed to follow safe work practices. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations requiring owners of Federal, State, and commercial buildings to conduct asbestos inspections and, if asbestos is present, develop and implement asbestos management plans for such buildings. Sets deadlines for the implementation and completion of such activities. Provides for notification of the building occupants and the State Governor or Administrator, as appropriate, prior to undertaking such activities. Imposes civil monetary penalties against building owners who violate such regulations. Directs the Administrator to develop and report to the Congress on a system for monitoring asbestos-containing material removed from schools to assure that it is transported and disposed of in a manner protective of human health and the environment. Establishes an Asbestos Abatement Scientific Commission to assess available asbestos response actions for their effectiveness and appropriateness in protecting human health and the environment. Sets forth reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1989
Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions governing the income tax deduction for the health insurance costs of self-employed individuals to: (1) make the deduction permanent (under current law it will expire after tax year 1989); and (2) phase in an increase in the allowable deduction, reaching 100 percent for taxable years beginning in 1994 and thereafter.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1989
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the targeted jobs income tax credit through 1992 (under current law the credit will expire after December 31, 1989). Amends the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 to authorize appropriations through FY 1992 in connection with the targeted jobs credit. Raises from 23 to 25 years the age limitation with respect to economically disadvantaged youth targeted for credit purposes. Adds as a targeted group under the credit economically disadvantaged individuals who have completed a qualified drug rehabilitation program.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1989
Department of Veterans' Affairs Minority Affairs Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to designate the Assistant Secretary in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), whose functions include equal opportunity functions as the Chief Minority Affairs Officer. Outlines the duties of the Chief Minority Affairs Officer (the Chief), including the following: (1) investigating and examining VA activities affecting minority group members who are veterans or who receive benefits from the VA; (2) assessing the needs of minority veterans within the VA; (3) advising the Secretary regarding the effect on minority veterans of policies, regulations, and programs of the VA and of methods to ensure that minority veterans are afforded an opportunity to participate fully in the activities and benefits of the VA; and (4) carrying out any other additional functions as the Secretary may prescribe. Establishes within the VA five Deputy Officers of Minority Affairs, each of whom shall be appointed by the Secretary. Requires each officer to be responsible for one of the following areas: (1) Asian American affairs; (2) Black American affairs; (3) Hispanic American affairs; (4) Native American affairs; and (5) women's affairs. Requires the Secretary, no less than annually, to report to the Congress a detailed description of any activities and policies of the VA relating to minority group members who are veterans or who receive benefits from the VA and the duties of the Chief and the Deputy Officers of Minority Affairs.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1989
Directs the Administrator of General Services to convey specified lands in the District of Columbia to the Columbia Hospital for Women. Requires that such lands be used for medical purposes, unless use for such other purpose is approved by the Administrator or by Act of Congress. Retains to the United States the right to use the building and parking lot on such lands until the Hospital provides one-year notice of its need for such facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1989
Provides for the establishment of categories of aliens who are subject to persecution in the Soviet Union or in Indochina (Vietnam, Cambodia, or Laos) and therefore admissible as refugees into the United States. Deems Jews and Evangelical Christians in the Soviet Union as such a category. Provides for the adjustment of status to refugee status for certain Soviet and Indochinese parolees residing in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1989
Employee Educational Assistance Act of 1989 - Repeals provisions of the Internal Revenue Code that: (1) terminated the income tax exclusion of amounts paid under employee educational assistance programs as of tax year 1989; and (2) deny benefits in connection with graduate work.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1989
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to disallow an income tax deduction for business expenses incurred as removal or liability costs resulting from a spill or other discharge of oil being transported by or for the taxpayer from a vessel onto waters subject to the Clean Water Act. Excludes discharges caused by an act of God, an act of war, negligence on the part of the U.S. Government, or an act or omission of a third party. Applies this deduction denial retroactively with respect to amounts incurred in taxable years 1989 and thereafter.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1989
Childless Veterans Assistance Act of 1989 - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide procreative services and reimbursement for adoption expenses to veterans (or their spouses) with a service-connected inability to procreate. Prohibits the Secretary from reimbursing a veteran for adoption expenses: (1) until after the adoption is final; (2) that are paid to or for the veteran under any other program administered by the Federal Government or by a State or local government; or (3) in an amount greater than $2,000 per child or $4,000 total per veteran.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1989
Prohibits U.S. military or security assistance to Zaire under the Arms Export Control Act or the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. Limits U.S. economic assistance to Zaire under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 to assistance that benefits the majority, is for humanitarian purposes, and is channeled through private and voluntary organizations. Authorizes the President to suspend or modify any prohibition or limitation under this Act 30 days after the President determines, and notifies specified congressional committees, that the Government of Zaire has made progress towards fulfilling certain human and political rights. Requires the U.S. representatives to international financial institutions to raise the issues of human rights violations and misuse of funds in Zaire.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1989
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 · 13 April 1989
World War I Veterans' Service Pension Act - Directs the Administrator (effective March 1989, Secretary) of Veterans Affairs to pay a monthly pension of $150 to each veteran of World War I who meets specified service requirements. Requires such veteran, if receiving another pension administered by the Veterans Administration (effective March 1989, Department of Veterans Affairs) (VA), to elect which pension he will receive. Provides for the payment of a monthly pension of $100 to surviving spouses of World War I veterans who meet certain marriage requirements. Requires such surviving spouses to choose between pensions if they are currently receiving another pension through the VA.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1989
Authorizes the Raoul Wallenberg Tribute Committee to establish a work to honor Raoul Wallenberg on Federal land in the District of Columbia or its environs. Prohibits the United States from paying any expense of the establishment of the work.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1989
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that efforts to combat drug trafficking and abuse should be funded for FY 1990 at the levels authorized in the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1989
Directs the Secretary of Energy to provide for participation by businesses and other organizations controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals in the development of the Superconducting Super Collider project.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1989
Municipal Solid Waste Reduction Act of 1989 - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a waste reduction information clearinghouse in the EPA Office of Solid Waste. Makes such information available to the public. Directs the Administrator to implement a public education program about municipal solid waste reduction and the ways in which reduction can alleviate waste management and disposal problems. Requires the Administrator to publish lists of: (1) the 50 most toxic constituents of the municipal waste stream arising during the recycling, treatment, disposal, or other management of such waste stream; and (2) the 50 categories of waste that are the largest contributors by volume to such stream. Directs the Administrator, acting through the Assistant Administrator for the Office of Solid Waste, to initiate studies of five of the elements on each list. Outlines the requirements of such studies, including: (1) a determination of the risks to human health and the environment involved in managing such constituents or waste categories in the waste stream; (2) a determination of strategies for reducing the quantity or toxicity of such constituents or waste categories; and (3) an examination of the economic costs and benefits associated with such reduction. Requires the President to establish a commission to study methods for labeling products and packaging to help reduce waste. Requires such study to be submitted to the President and the Congress and to be made available to the public. Terminates the Commission after submission of the study. Directs the Administrator to implement a grant program for research and development on redesigning consumer products for the purpose of reducing the volume or toxicity of waste. Requires grant recipients to report to the Administrator on the use of such grants and the success in redesigning products. Limits the amount of each grant to $50,000. Prohibits the Administrator from obligating or spending more than $5,000,000 in a fiscal year for such program. Requires the head of each executive department to: (1) review purchases of goods to determine where substitute goods could be purchased to achieve waste reduction; (2) encourage waste reduction in the practices of the department; and (3) report annually to the Administrator on waste reduction activities. Directs the Administrator to report annually to the Congress on waste reduction activities in such departments.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1989
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to prescribe annual adjustments to the formula for determining the primary insurance amount in order to ensure that the replacement rate for the primary insurance amount for January of the following year does not fall below a specified percentage.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1989
Community Housing Partnership Act - Title I: Housing Education and Organizational Support Grants for Community Based Housing Projects - Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to provide housing education and organizational support grants directly to nonprofit organizations or indirectly to States and cities to assist such organizations. Authorizes permanent appropriations beginning with FY 1989. Title II: Community Housing and Partnership Grants - Authorizes the Secretary to provide community partnership grants directly to nonprofit organizations or indirectly to States and cities to assist such organizations. Divides appropriations among: (1) urban community housing partnership grants; (2) State community housing partnership grants; and (3) direct community housing partnership grants. Sets forth the following eligible activities: (1) technical assistance and site control loans; (2) seed-money loans; (3) matching grants or loans; and (4) technical and management assistance for nonprofit sponsors. Sets forth rental project and home ownership eligibility provisions, including: (1) occupancy by lower income families; (2) profit limitations; (3) funding coordination; (4) tax treatment; and (5) affirmative action requirements. Authorizes permanent appropriations beginning with FY 1989. Title III: General Provisions - Defines specified terms for purposes of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1989
Free Trade in Ideas Act of 1989 - Amends the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Trading With the Enemy Act to declare that the authority granted the President under such Acts does not include the authority to regulate or prohibit: (1) any transactions ordinarily incident to travel to and from any country; (2) any transactions ordinarily incident to travel and maintenance within any country; (3) any transactions incident to the arrangement, promotion, or facilitation of travel to, from, or within a country; (4) any transactions incident to nonscheduled flights or voyages to and from any country; (5) normal banking transactions incident to travel to and from any country; or (6) the importation or exportation of publications or other informational materials from any country. Authorizes the President to regulate or prohibit such transactions incident to travel whenever a U.S. citizen's passport has been duly restricted for travel. Prohibits denying, revoking, or limiting a passport because of any speech, activity, belief, affiliation, or membership which, if held or conducted within the United States, would be protected by the first amendment. Provides that Federal agencies, in carrying out a specified agreement on educational, scientific, and cultural exchanges (the Beirut Agreement of 1948), may not consider visual or auditory material as failing to qualify as international educational material simply because: (1) it advocates a particular viewpoint; (2) it might lend itself to misrepresentation; (3) it is not representative, authentic, and accurate, unless the material contains widespread and gross misstatements of fact; or (4) it does not augment international understanding and goodwill.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 1989
Food Safety Amendments of 1989 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) to revise the definition of "pesticide chemical" by including pesticide chemical residues in processed foods, inert ingredients of pesticide chemicals, and substances resulting from the metabolism or degradation of a pesticide chemical. Specifies that pesticide chemical residues in or on a raw agricultural commodity or processed food (defined as any food other than a raw agricultural commodity that has been subject to processing) and pesticide chemicals used in the production, storage, or transportation of processed food (current law does not cover residues or apply to processed foods) are not food additives. Specifies that pesticide chemical residues in processed food, if within the tolerances set under this Act, do not make the food "adulterated" within the meaning of the FDCA. Establishes the general rule that any pesticide chemical or its residue in or on food, and any pesticide chemical added to food, requires either a tolerance or an exemption and that the residue remaining on food must be within the tolerance limit or consistent with the exemption. Provides for inclusion of inert ingredients in a pesticide chemical or its residue. Specifies that: (1) pesticide chemical residues in or on processed food which do not have a separate tolerance are lawful if those residues have been removed to the extent possible in good manufacturing practice and are within the tolerance for the raw agricultural commodity from which the processed food was made; and (2) raw agricultural commodities and processed food that contain pesticide chemicals or their residues pursuant to such a tolerance or exemption shall not be considered adulterated. Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to: (1) promulgate regulations that establish, modify, or revoke tolerances either in response to a petition or on the Administrator's initiative; and (2) establish expiration dates for such tolerances. Provides that a tolerance may be established for a pesticide chemical or pesticide chemical residue only if the risk to human health, including the health of identifiable population groups with special food consumption patterns, from dietary exposure to the chemical or residue is negligible. Revokes or modifies such tolerance if such risk is greater than negligible. Creates exceptions to such rule under certain circumstances. Sets forth the following criteria for determining negligible risk: (1) for pesticide chemical residues which are not likely to have any adverse human health effect below an identifiable level, the level at which the chemical will not cause or contribute to any known or anticipated adverse human health effects (including an ample margin of safety); and (2) for pesticide chemical residues which are likely to have an adverse human health effect at any level, the level at which the residue is not likely to cause or contribute to any additional adverse human health effects in the exposed population and will not cause or contribute to a risk of adverse human health effects, using conservative models, which exceeds a rate of one in a million. Sets forth guidelines for determining dietary exposure to pesticide chemical residues. Directs the Administrator to: (1) take into account all dietary exposure to the chemical, including exposure under the proposed tolerance (or the tolerance in effect in the case of a petition to modify and revoke an existing tolerance), all other sources of dietary exposure (including drinking water) to the same chemical; and (2) consider the level of exposure based on the assumption that residues are on all authorized raw agricultural commodities and processed food at tolerance levels and exposure occurs for a lifetime, with specified exceptions. Specifies that: (1) the tolerance level for a pesticide chemical residue in or on food shall be no higher than the Administrator determines is necessary for such chemical to have its intended effect; and (2) where tolerances or an exemption are revoked and the residue will unavoidably persist in the environment and contaminate food, the Administrator must establish a new tolerance not greater than that which permits the unavoidable levels to remain in the food. Precludes, subject to exception, the establishment or continuation of a tolerance unless the Administrator determines that there is a practical method for detecting and measuring residues. Specifies that such method must be the best available practical method and that it shall be considered practical only if it can be performed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services on a routine basis with the personnel, equipment, and other resources available to the Secretary. Sets forth factors to be considered by the Administrator in determining whether to establish, modify, or revoke a tolerance for a pesticide chemical residue, including: (1) the probable consumption of treated food by the population group which consumes the greatest amounts of the food or which is most sensitive to the chemical; (2) the cumulative effect of the residue, taking into account related chemicals and non-dietary routes of exposure; and (3) safety factors that are appropriate for animal experiments. Authorizes the Administrator to establish, modify, or revoke an exemption from the requirement for a tolerance in response to a petition or on the Administrator's own initiative. Specifies that an exemption may have an expiration date. Authorizes an exemption to be established, or left in effect, only if the pesticide chemical residue presents no risk to human health, including the health of identifiable population groups with special food consumption patterns, from dietary exposure at any level of residue that could result from use of the chemical on food. Directs the Administrator, in determining dietary exposure, to take into account: (1) all dietary exposure to the pesticide chemical, including exposure under the proposed exemption, all other tolerances or exemptions in effect for the same chemical, and all other sources of dietary exposure (including drinking water) to the same chemical; and (2) the maximum amount of residue that could reasonably be expected to occur if the instructions for use of the pesticide were not followed. Prohibits, subject to exception, the Administrator from establishing or continuing in effect an exemption unless the Administrator determines that there is a method for detecting and measuring the levels of such chemical or residue and that such method is the best available practical method. Allows any person to file a petition for the issuance of a regulation that establishes, modifies, or revokes a tolerance, or establishes or revokes an exemption. Specifies the information and data that must be contained in a petition to establish a new tolerance or new exemption for an active or an inert ingredient, or both, including: (1) a summary of the scientific reports respecting the safety of, and exposure to, the pesticide chemical; and (2) a statement that the petitioner authorizes the publication of such summary by the Administrator. Authorizes the Administrator to establish requirements for petitions to modify or revoke tolerances or exemptions. Directs the Administrator to publish a notice of the filing of a complete petition within 30 days of such filing, announcing the availability of a complete description of the analytical methods for the detection and measurement of the pesticide chemical in food and including the summary required in the petition to establish a tolerance or exemption. Specifies the Administrator's options after considering the petition and other available information, including publication of a final regulation approving or disapproving the petition, or proposing a regulation that is different from that requested in the petition. Makes a final regulation issued under this section effective upon the date of publication, subject to exception. Sets forth procedures for filing and considering objections to the final regulation. Provides for judicial review for any person adversely affected (including a person without an economic interest) by the Administrator's decision. Specifies that such review would not operate to stay the Administrator's decision unless specifically ordered by the court. Authorizes the Administrator to establish, modify, or revoke a tolerance or to establish or revoke an exemption on his own initiative. Requires the Administrator to issue a notice of any proposed rule and provide for at least a 30 day period for public comment on the proposed regulation (unless the public interest requires a shorter period). Authorizes the Administrator to revoke an exemption, or to revoke or modify a tolerance, without following the required procedure if such action is necessary to prevent an imminent hazard. Directs the Administrator, in such case, to provide notice of the action and to hold a public hearing within five days of a request (which request was made within five days of the Administrator's action) for a hearing. Specifies that the effective date of the action shall not be delayed because of the hearing and the order may not be judicially reviewed until after the hearing or set aside while the order is being judicially reviewed. Requires the Administrator to request additional data, or initiate an action to modify or revoke the exemption, if the data contained in a petition (including a petition submitted before the date of enactment) to establish a tolerance or exemption is inadequate to support the continuation of such tolerance or exemption. Specifies that: (1) when the Administrator requires the submission of data, the Administrator shall publish an order in the Federal Register that establishes deadlines for the identification of the persons who will submit the data and the submission of necessary data and reports; (2) if such deadlines are not met, the tolerance or exemption shall be considered revoked, subject to exception; and (3) an order issued under this section shall be subject to administrative and judicial review. Provides for the confidentiality of data contained in a petition (upon request of the petitioner) until publication of a regulation or order unless disclosure has been made previously, or is allowed under this Act or otherwise required by law. Specifies the persons to whom confidential data may be disclosed. Authorizes the Administrator to publish the informative summary required in the petition and other summaries of the data relating to the proposed or final regulation or order. Sets forth procedures by which the public may obtain access to the health and safety data submitted or cited in support of a petition. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct surveillance and compliance sampling of raw agricultural commodities and processed foods for pesticide chemical residues. Directs the Administrator to require fees sufficient to provide, equip, and maintain an adequate service for the performance of the Administrator's functions under these provisions. Directs the Administrator to evaluate each pesticide chemical residue which is required to have a tolerance or an exemption to determine whether it exceeds the negligible risk standard, requiring the submission of data if necessary in order to make the determination. Lists actions the Administrator must take if the standard is exceeded, including: (1) requiring the submission of data supporting continuation of the tolerance or exemption; and (2) lowering one or more tolerances or revoking tolerances or exemptions. Allows the Administrator, if the risk is not significantly greater than the negligible risk standard, to issue a notice with specified contents in the Federal Register. Requires, within two years of the notice: (1) submission of data regarding the lowest residue level required to accomplish the intended effect; (2) a method for measuring levels of residue which meets certain requirements; (3) lowering of the risk under each tolerance to meet the standard; and (4) revocation of an exemption and establishment of one or more tolerances so as to meet the standard. Requires that, within four years of the notice, the risk meet the standard. Sets forth the consequences of failing to meet these deadlines. Provides for administrative and judicial review. Revises the negligible risk standard, effective six years after enactment of this Act, to consider the risk of the residue in question combined with the risk of all other pesticide chemical residues usually used on the same raw agricultural commodity or processed food. Directs the Administrator, within one year of the revision, to revoke or modify all tolerances which do not meet the new standard. Directs the Administrator to review tolerances and exemptions in effect on the date of enactment of this Act and to take actions as required by this Act. Provides for administrative and judicial review. Directs the Administrator to publish: (1) a list of inert ingredients which are safe, which are required to have a tolerance, or which are required to be included in the tolerance for an active ingredient; and (2) an order requiring, by deadlines specified in the order, the submission of necessary data, concerning inert ingredients which are not on the safe list, to establish a tolerance. Requires that, if deadlines in the order are not met, the ingredient be considered unsafe, subject to exception. Provides for administrative and judicial review. Declares that pesticide chemicals or chemical residues which do not have tolerances or exemptions before the date of enactment of this Act because they are generally recognized as safe shall not be considered unsafe solely because they do not have a tolerance or exemption. Requires the Administrator, within one year of enactment, to establish deadlines for the submission of necessary data to establish tolerances or exemptions for any pesticide chemicals which, on the date of enactment, do not have tolerances or exemptions because they are generally recognized as safe. Authorizes the Administrator to issue an order declaring such chemicals to be unsafe if such deadlines are not met. Provides for administrative and judicial review of such order. Directs the Administrator to: (1) determine, for each method of measuring levels of certain residues, whether the requirements of this Act relating to practical methods of analysis have been met; and (2) publish a notice identifying methods which do not meet the requirements. Declares that, if any method does not meet the requirements within three years of the publication, any tolerance or exemption for the residue subject to the method shall be considered revoked.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 1989
Urges the President to: (1) sign and submit to the Senate for ratification the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal; and (2) submit to the Congress proposed legislation to reform U.S. hazardous waste export laws and regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 1989
Consumer Products Safe Testing Act - Prohibits Federal department or agency heads from considering LD50 test results when determining product safety, labeling, or transportation requirements for purposes of Federal regulation. (LD50 is a procedure whereby toxicity is measured in terms of the median dose that will kill 50 percent of the test animals within a specified time.) Requires Federal department and agency heads to: (1) review and evaluate directives that call for the use of an animal toxicity test; and (2) promulgate regulations specifying the use of nonanimal alternatives. Requires that animal toxicity testing regulations be subject to periodic agency review and to public comment in certain cases.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 1989
Refuge Wildlife Protection Act of 1989 - Amends the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act to require that any wildlife management or other activity which affects wildlife in any area of the System be conducted in the most humane manner possible. Permits the Secretary of the Interior to authorize any killing of a member of a wildlife species within any area of the System, based upon evidence that such killing is necessary for the health and habitat of wildlife species within the area, to protect public health and safety, and that non-lethal management alternatives are not available. Requires the Secretary to provide the scientific information upon which the authorization is based as well as details such as the numbers to be killed. Authorizes public hearings on such decisions unless an emergency exists. Authorizes the Secretary to contract out such killing. Authorizes the Secretary to donate the carcass to a charitable organization for a charitable purpose.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 1989
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a three percent excise tax on wholesale sales of paper and paper products that do not contain the minimum amount of recycled materials in accordance with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines. Increases the tax rate by one percent each year to reach a maximum 12 percent rate for sales during 2000 and thereafter. Directs the EPA Administrator to issue guidelines for products not already designated by relevant guidelines.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 1989
Urges the Government of Iran to uphold the human rights of all its nationals, including members of the Baha'i faith, and to extend the rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Calls upon the President to continue to: (1) emphasize human rights improvements as an important factor in the development of relations between the U.S. and Iranian Governments; (2) cooperate with other governments to initiate and support actions by the United Nations and its agencies to promote the protection of the religious rights of the Baha'is; and (3) provide, and urge others to provide, for refugee and humanitarian assistance for those Baha'is fleeing their homelands to escape religious repression.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 1989
Employee Pension Protection Act of 1989 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to revise fiduciary standards applicable to pension plan assets to account for duties with respect to assets of terminated plans. Establishes fiduciary standards to apply to employer reversions upon plan termination, requiring an employer to establish and maintain a complete replacement plan or a substantial replacement plan in connection with the termination. Prescribes requirements to govern both types of plans. Links the establishment of either of these new plans to the amount of any employer reversion, requiring the new plans to have assets sufficient to pay all liabilities to participants and their beneficiaries. Considers any plan fiduciary or sponsor to be jointly and severally liable for violation of ERISA if requirements regarding complete replacement or substantial replacement plans upon plan termination are not met at any time during the five-year period beginning on the date of final distribution of assets from the terminated plan. Describes fiduciary duties to govern the distribution of plan assets to participants and beneficiaries upon plan termination in cases when the employer does not set up a replacement or substantial replacement plan. Institutes fiduciary duties with respect to distributions of plan assets upon termination in direct trustee-to-trustee transfers to individual retirement plans. Directs the Secretary of Labor to prescribe reporting requirements in connection with these transfers.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1989
Native American Grave and Burial Protection Act - Prohibits the sale, use for profit, or interstate transport of Native American Indian skeletal remains without the written consent of the heirs of the deceased or the governing body of the Indian tribe culturally affiliated with such remains. Prescribes penalties for violations. Provides that any remains which have not been excavated or discovered by the date of this Act's enactment shall be disposed of according to the wishes of the heirs or the culturally affiliated tribe. Deems grave goods or sacred ceremonial objects found on public or tribal land to be owned by the tribe: (1) on whose reservation such items were discovered; (2) who aboriginally occupied the land on which the items were discovered; or (3) who can show a cultural affiliation with the items. Requires Federal agencies which possess or control any Native American skeletal remains or sacred objects to: (1) inventory such items and, to the extent possible, identify such items as to tribal origin; and (2) notify each tribe of the possession of such items. Directs tribes to decide which remains or objects they agree to accept and to notify the appropriate Federal agency. Requires Federal agencies and museums receiving Federal funds to return items to the tribe unless such items: (1) were acquired with the consent of the tribe or the legitimate Native American owners; or (2) are indispensable for the completion of a specific scientific study. Makes ineligible for further Federal funding museums not in compliance with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1989
Provides that provisions of the Endangered Species Act which require Federal agencies to insure that their activities are not likely to jeopardize the existence or habitat of an endangered species shall not apply with respect to the spotted owl and timber sales on National Forest System lands for five years. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to report to Federal agencies making decisions on the status of the owl and to the House Committee on Agriculture and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on: (1) the range and requirements of habitats occupied by such owls, including the extent of their use of non-old-growth timber stands in California, Oregon, and Washington; and (2) the extent of habitat suitable for the owl.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1989
Amends the Federal criminal code to require applications for a license to deal in firearms or ammunition to include a statement from certain law enforcement authorities that the applicant is eligible under State law to obtain such a license.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1989
Fair Election Act - Prohibits States from using any device to abridge or deny the right of an individual to be placed on, or to have such individual's political affiliation placed on, a ballot or similar voting materials in a Federal election. Allows States to impose specified prerequisites regarding petitions for placement on ballots. Allows States to waive such requirements for candidates or political affiliates which receive certain amounts of votes in the most recent election for President or the Senate.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1989
National African-American Heritage Memorial Museum Act - Establishes within the Smithsonian Institution the National African-American Heritage Memorial Museum to be operated as a center and location for education, research, events, and collection and display of items and materials relating to the historical, cultural, economic, political, and other aspects of the scope of experiences of African-Americans. Requires the Board of Trustees of the National African-American Heritage Memorial Museum to report to the Congress and the President annually on its activities and operations. Authorizes appropriations.
![Official portrait of Rep. Dellums, Ronald V. [D-CA-9]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000222_200.jpg)