United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1991
National Biological Diversity Conservation and Environmental Research Act - States that the conservation of biological diversity is a national priority. Requires Federal actions to be consistent with such goal. Directs the Council on Environmental Quality to: (1) issue regulations to require agencies to assess the impacts of Federal actions on biological diversity in preparing environmental impact statements under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969; and (2) identify those biotic communities, species, and populations that appear to be in decline, in imminent danger of loss of viability, or otherwise of special concern. Requires Federal agencies to review their programs for consistency with the conservation of biological diversity pursuant to this Act and to report the results of such reviews to the President, the Council, and the Congress. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, in reviewing environmental impact statements, to take into account the impacts of proposed actions on biological diversity. Establishes an Interagency Working Committee on Biological Diversity to be responsible for developing a coordinated Federal strategy for conservation of biological diversity. Dissolves the Committee after the submission to the Congress of the strategy. Sets forth the required contents of such strategy and reporting requirements. Establishes a National Center for Biological Diversity and Conservation Research within the Smithsonian Institution to: (1) set research priorities; and (2) coordinate the understanding and promotion of knowledge of the biota and make such knowledge accessible to the public. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Council to retain the National Academy of Sciences to: (1) provide scientific and technical advice and counsel in the preparation of the Federal strategy; and (2) provide a general reference and scientific and technical advisory source for the Nation in matters relating to the conservation of biological diversity.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1991
Amends Federal law to declare that the Tax Reform Act of 1986 shall be applied and administered as if the three-year basis recovery rule applicable to government employees' annuities had not been repealed.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the targeted jobs credit permanently. Increases the maximum age requirement for economically disadvantaged youth from 23 to 25.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 1991
Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act Amendments of 1991 - Amends the Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act of 1940 (the Act) to prohibit an eviction or distress from being made during a period of military service with respect to a premise for which the agreed rent does not exceed $1,200 (currently, $150) per month, when such premises is occupied chiefly by the dependents of the person in military service, except upon leave of the court granted upon application or in a proceeding affecting the rights of possession. Extends the power of attorney coverage under the Act to include a power of attorney that by its terms expires after July 31, 1990. Provides professional liability protection for persons ordered to active duty after July 31, 1990, who, prior to such date, were engaged in the furnishing of health care services or other services determined by the Secretary of Defense to be professional services and who had in effect a professional liability insurance policy that does not continue coverage during the period of active duty. Requires an insurance carrier to suspend and to reinstate coverage of such affected person upon receipt of a written request from such person. Requires such person to request reinstatement within 30 days after release from active duty. Provides a minimum period of required coverage by the carrier following reinstatement, without an increase in the insurance premiums charged. Provides for the stay of a civil or administrative action for damages on the basis of professional liability of a person whose insurance has been suspended under these provisions if: (1) the action is based on an act or omission that occurred before the suspension was effective; and (2) the suspended insurance would, on its face, cover the alleged professional misconduct. States that the period of such stay shall not be included in any statute-of-limitations period. Outlines provisions concerning the death of a person whose professional liability insurance has been suspended and the consequences with respect to the suspended insurance coverage on previous or suspended (stayed) claims. Provides that, in the case of employer-offered health insurance, an exclusion or waiting period may not be imposed in connection with coverage of a health or physical condition of a person employed and covered under such policy who goes to active military service or training and returns and is reemployed if: (1) the condition arose before or during a person's training or services in the armed forces; (2) such exclusion or waiting period would not be imposed for the condition during a normal period of coverage; and (3) the condition of such person has not been determined by the Secretary to be service-connected. Provides that any person who, by reason of being ordered to active duty after July 31, 1990, is entitled to the rights and benefits of such Act shall be entitled upon release from such service to reinstatement of any health insurance coverage which: (1) was in effect on the day before such service commenced; and (2) was terminated during the period of such service. Prohibits the imposition of an exclusion or waiting period upon such person under the same conditions previously stated for health insurance reinstatement upon reemployment. Requires a court, upon application, to stay a judicial action or proceeding involving any member of the armed forces serving on active duty outside the State in which the court is located until after June 30, 1991. Provides that an application by a person in military service for a stay, postponement, or suspension of the payment of any tax, fine, penalty, insurance premium, or other civil obligation shall not provide the basis for denial or revocation of, or a change in, credit by creditors, a presumption that such individual cannot pay his or her debts due and owing, or refusal of an insurer to insure such individual. Provides reemployment rights for all reservists (currently, only those serving on active duty for not more than 90 days) upon their return from any active duty other than for training.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 1991
Agent Orange Act of 1991 - Presumes the following diseases to be service-connected and resulting from exposure to dioxins and other herbicide agents during service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era unless there is affirmative evidence to the contrary: (1) non-Hodgkins lymphoma, each soft-tissue sarcoma (with certain exceptions), and chloracne or other consistent acneform diseases becoming manifest to a degree of disability of ten percent or more; and (2) those additional diseases that the Secretary determines warrant such a presumption by reason of having a positive association with a herbicide agent, if they become manifest within the appropriate period. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to prescribe regulations providing that a presumption of service connection is warranted whenever it is determined by the Secretary that a positive association exists between the exposure of humans to a herbicide agent and the occurrence of a disease in humans. Requires the Secretary to take into account reports received from the National Academy of Sciences, as well as other sound medical and scientific information. Outlines procedures to be followed by the Secretary in weighing evidence and report information and making conclusions for or against the positive association and, therefore, the service-connection presumption. Provides for the issuance of final regulations listing the diseases for which positive associations have been found or removing the presumption for a disease. Directs the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) under which NAS shall review and summarize the scientific evidence (and its strength) concerning the association between exposure to a herbicide agent during service in Vietnam and each disease suspected to be associated with such exposure. Provides for NAS: (1) scientific determinations concerning diseases; (2) recommendations for additional studies to resolve areas of uncertainty relating to herbicide exposure; (3) subsequent reviews; and (4) reports, at least biennially, to the Secretary and the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees (the veterans' committees). Terminates the agreement ten years after the fiscal year of the first report from NAS. Directs the Secretary to enter into an agreement with another body if the Secretary cannot reach an agreement with NAS within two months after enactment of this Act. Amends the Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 1988 to direct the Secretary to annually furnish updated information on health risks associated with exposure to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era. Extends through 1993 the eligibility for hospital, nursing home, or domiciliary care and medical treatment of individuals who served in Vietnam and who have been determined to have been exposed to dioxin or a toxic substance in a herbicide as the result of such service and of veterans exposed to ionizing radiation while serving between September 11, 1945 and July 1, 1946. Directs the Secretary to compile and analyze, on a continuing basis, all clinical data obtained by the Department of Veterans Affairs in connection with examinations and treatment furnished to veterans by the Department after November 3, 1981, for exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam and which is likely to be useful in determining the exposure to such agents and the disabilities suffered. Requires an annual report on such compilations and provides funding. Directs the Secretary, for facilitating research on the effects of exposure to herbicides used in Vietnam, to establish and maintain a system for the collection and storage of voluntarily contributed blood and tissue samples of veterans who served there. Provides for: (1) specimen security; (2) authorized uses; (3) limitations on acceptance of samples; and (4) authority based on specific funding. Directs the Secretary to establish a scientific research feasibility studies program for conducting research on health hazards resulting from: (1) exposure to dioxin; (2) exposure to other toxic agents in herbicides used in Vietnam; and (3) active military service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era. Outlines program and report requirements. Directs the Secretary to consult with NAS. Directs the Secretary, upon the request of a Vietnam veteran who has applied for Department medical care and filed a claim for, or is in receipt of, disability compensation, to obtain a blood sample to conduct a test for the presence of a specified dioxin. Provides for notification to the veteran of test results and requires such blood sample to be maintained as part of the collection of blood and tissue samples required under this Act. Makes conforming amendments and provides for alternative effective dates.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 1991
Establishes the Manzanar National Historic Site in California to protect historical and cultural resources associated with the relocation of Japanese-Americans during World War II. Establishes the Manzanar National Historic Site Advisory Commission to consult with the Secretary of the Interior on matters relating to the development, management, and interpretation of the site. Terminates the Commission within ten years after the enactment of this Act. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1991
Emerging Telecommunications Technologies Act of 1991 - Requires the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to conduct, at least biannually, joint spectrum planning with respect to: (1) future spectrum requirements for public and private uses and the allocation actions to accommodate those uses; and (2) actions to promote the efficient use of the spectrum. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to submit to the President and the Congress a report identifying bands of frequencies that: (1) are allocated on a primary basis for Federal Government use and eligible for licensing pursuant to the Communications Act of 1934 (the Act); (2) are not required for the present or identifiable future needs of the Government; (3) can be made available for use under the Act (other than for Government stations); (4) are most likely to have the greatest potential for productive uses; and (5) will not result in excessive costs to the Federal Government. Sets forth criteria for identifying, and recommending for reassignment, such frequencies. Requires the Secretary to submit to the Congress a report which makes a preliminary identification of reallocable bands of frequencies. Directs the Secretary to convene an advisory committee to: (1) review the bands of frequencies identified in the preliminary report; (2) advise the Secretary with respect to the bands of frequencies which should be included in the final report; (3) receive public comment on the reports; and (4) prepare and submit to the Secretary and specified congressional committees a report on recommendations for the reform of the process of allocating the electromagnetic spectrum between Federal and non-Federal use. Directs the President, after receiving the final report, to: (1) withdraw the assignment to a Government station of any frequency which such report recommends for reallocation; (2) withdraw or limit the assignment to a Government station of any frequency which such report recommends be reallocated or made available for mixed use; (3) assign or reassign other frequencies to Government stations as necessary to adjust to such withdrawal or limitation of assignments; and (4) notify the FCC and each House of Congress of the actions taken. Authorizes the President to substitute alternative frequencies in the interest of national defense, important governmental needs, public health or safety, or Federal financial considerations. Directs the FCC to submit to the President and the Congress a plan for the distribution of the reallocated frequency bands. Authorizes the President to reclaim reassigned frequencies for reassignment to Government stations. Sets forth procedures for reclaiming frequencies. Authorizes appropriations to cover the costs of reclaiming frequencies.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to change from mandatory to discretionary the authority to deny unemployment benefits between academic terms to employees serving educational institutions in nonprofessional positions.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Motor Vehicle Fuel Efficiency Act of 1991 - Amends the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act to establish average fuel economy standards for passenger automobiles and automobiles other than passenger automobiles (light trucks) for model years 1996 and thereafter. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to provide for a review by the National Academy of Sciences of the current state of research and development in light truck fuel economy and passenger automobile fuel economy and an assessment of the potential for improving the fuel efficiency and reducing the energy consumption of passenger automobiles and light trucks. Directs the Secretary, using such review, to establish a schedule for increasing average fuel economy standards for passenger and nonpassenger cars for model years 2002 through 2006. Revises criteria with respect to the testing of fuel economy for passenger automobiles. Requires automobile manufacturers to affix to each automobile a label that contains fuel economy values specific to such automobile's particular vehicle configuration where that vehicle configuration is less than the fuel economy standard applicable to the vehicle's manufacturer. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to report annually to specified congressional committees on a study of the accuracy of fuel economy testing of passenger automobiles. Directs the Secretary of Energy to distribute at least 100 explanatory booklets each year to every dealer and additional numbers if requested. Doubles the civil penalty for repeated violations of the fuel economy standard.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Prohibits certain practices regarding enclosure space and diet in the raising of calves for veal. Subjects violators to specified civil and criminal remedies. Authorizes inspections by the Secretary of Agriculture or any designated representative.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Wetlands No Net Loss Act of 1991 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to designate a nonprofit organization as a Wetlands Preservation Trust if such organization: (1) is established for the purpose of acquiring ownership interests in wetlands, former wetlands, and related property and for restoring, creating, or preserving wetlands; and (2) meets, and submits an application in accordance with, the Secretary's requirements. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to create special rules for contributions of land to such Trusts. Applies the 50 percent limitation on charitable contribution deductions to contributions of wetlands to such Trusts. Permits a ten-year carryover for excess contributions. Extends the deadline for the exchange of property held for productive use or investment if such contributions are made as part of such exchanges. Permits the carryover of unused deductions on a taxpayer's last return if such taxpayer dies before the close of the last taxable year for which such deductions could have been allowed. Authorizes the Secretary, acting through the Office of Wetlands Identification and Preservation, to make grants to States from the Wetlands Preservation Account for the improvement, development, or implementation of State Wetlands Conservation Plans. Outlines requirements of such Plans. Prohibits the Secretary from approving any Plan that does not include all wetlands in the State. Amends the Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986 to include former wetlands in the national wetlands priority conservation plan. Amends the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 to require the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to establish the Office of Wetlands Identification and Preservation within the Service by consolidating the Service's programs of Federal Aid, Acquisition, National Wetland Inventory, and Enhancement (restoration). Requires the Director, acting through the Office, to: (1) provide National Wetland Inventory maps to all Federal agencies that own or manage wetlands and make such maps available to the public; (2) conduct a Wetlands Restoration Initiative; (3) carry out title III of the Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986 (State and Federal wetland acquisition); and (4) report to the Congress every five years on trends of the nation's wetland resources, the rate at which they are being lost or gained, and the types and causes of alterations. Authorizes the Director to enter into agreements with private persons to carry out wetlands preservation. Directs heads of Federal agencies that own or manage wetlands to enter into agreements with the Director regarding the completion of mapping of lands not covered by the National Wetland Inventory map. Establishes the Wetlands Preservation Account. Requires at least 60 percent of Account funds to be available for grants to States. Sets forth uses for the remainder of such funds. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit into such Account amounts received in the form of: (1) criminal penalties for certain permit violations of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act; and (2) civil and administrative penalties under such Act. Directs the Secretary to transfer annually to the Account $300,000,000 from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the head of each executive agency to: (1) complete an inventory of all wetlands and associated uplands owned or managed by the agency; and (2) implement a plan for the protection of wetlands and uplands included in the inventory. Requires such agencies to submit such plans to the head of the Office and the Secretary of the Interior. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to authorize the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to issue permits for activities in wetlands or other navigable waters that result in specified changes, or impair the flow, reach, or circulation of surface waters, in such wetlands or waters. Requires permit guidelines to be designed to achieve no overall net loss of wetlands. Applies provisions concerning the denial or restriction of use of specified disposal sites to alterations of wetlands or navigable waters. Authorizes the Secretary to issue general permits within a State for categories of wetlands or other waters if the State has an approved State Wetlands Conservation Plan. Requires the Secretary to monitor the achievement of no overall net loss of wetlands in each general permit and base issuances or renewals of permits on such monitoring. Authorizes the Governors of States desiring to administer their own permit programs for the discharge of dredged or fill material and other alterations of navigable waters to submit State Wetlands Conservation Plans to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Provides for permit processing fees. Provides that permits shall require State water quality certifications. Prohibits the issuance of any permit unless measures are taken to avoid and minimize adverse effects of activities on wetlands and other navigable waters. Requires mitigation measures to be included in permits. Amends the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act to transfer specified authorities of the Secretary of the Interior to the Secretary of Commerce. Revises reporting requirements to require Federal agency reports under such Act to include measures to achieve no net loss of wetlands. Requires the Director of the Office of Technology Assessment to study and report to the Congress on: (1) incentives under Federal and State laws for the protection and management of wetlands; (2) potential modifications to existing Federal laws to improve their effectiveness in creating such incentives and to increase the permanence of such protection; and (3) ways in which the Federal Government may encourage State and local governments to create additional incentives for the protection and management of wetlands by private individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to modify the ban on honoraria to allow Federal officers and employees, other than Representatives in, or Delegates or Resident Commissioners to, the Congress, presidential appointees, and commissioned officers of the Uniformed Services whose pay grade equals or exceeds grade 0-7, to receive an honorarium for an article in a bona fide publication, a speech, or an appearance if: (1) the subject of the article, speech, or appearance and the reason for which the honorarium is paid is unrelated to the recipient's official duties or status; and (2) the party offering the honorarium has no interests that may be substantially affected by the performance or nonperformance of the recipient's official duties. Prohibits the amount of such honorarium accepted from exceeding the usual and customary fee for the services for which the honorarium is paid, up to $2,000. Subjects the acceptance of any honorarium to financial disclosure under the Ethics in Government Act of 1978.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Defense Economic Adjustment Act - Title I: Defense Economic Adjustment Council - Establishes in the Executive Office of the President the Defense Economic Adjustment Council to be co-chaired by the Secretaries of Commerce and Labor. Establishes in the Executive Office an Office of Economic Adjustment, headed by a Director, to provide staff support to the Council. Directs the Council to disseminate information from the Secretary of Defense to Federal, State, and local agencies concerning proposed or pending changes in defense spending which would affect employment in the defense industry. Requires the Council to perform other duties, including: (1) encouraging the preparation of plans for non-defense-related public projects; (2) coordinating and developing information on priority, federally-funded projects and programs pertaining to defense economic adjustment; (3) monitoring job services information banks; and (4) determining criteria for eligibility for assistance under this Act. Directs the Secretary of Defense to provide the pertinent information to the Council a year in advance of any change and to furnish the Council with projected future defense spending levels. Directs the Council to prepare and distribute a Conversion Guidelines Handbook to outline requirements of programs for professional retraining of personnel. Title II: Community Economic Adjustment Planning - Makes eligible for Federal assistance for economic adjustment planning any community which is substantially affected by reduction or elimination of Government defense facilities or curtailment or conclusion of defense contracts. Directs the Council to make available to alternative use committees information on economic development programs of any Federal instrumentality which provides funds that may be used for planning. Requires the Council to report to the Congress at least annually on any such economic development program. Directs the Council to use data from other departments to develop criteria which ensures that assistance is directed to those communities that are most vulnerable economically to reductions in defense expenditures. Requires the Council to publish a semiannual list of eligible communities. Requires excess property resulting from a closing or reduction in a Government-owned facility to be appraised for purposes of resale to the community. Title III: Alternative Use Committees - Requires the establishment of alternative use committees at defense facilities to plan for economic conversion in the event of closure or reduction. Directs such committees to: (1) evaluate the assets of the facilities and the resources and requirements of the local community; (2) develop at least biennially a detailed plan for conversion of the facility to non-defense-related productive activity; and (3) provide retraining and reemployment counseling services. Requires conversion plans to maximize the pool of skills of available personnel and specify in detail the composition of the work force and plant, material, and financing requirements. Penalizes any contractor who fails to submit an alternative use plan or carry out one approved by the Council by making such contractor ineligible for future defense contracts for three years. Title IV: Economic Adjustment Assistance for Workers - Makes displaced workers certified by the local alternative use committees to the Council eligible for benefits for two years under this Act. Includes among such benefits: weekly compensation, vested pension credit, maintenance of health insurance, retraining for civilian work, job search allowance, and reimbursement for relocation expenses. Requires completion of a program of professional retraining before certain employees are eligible for assistance. Directs the Council to enter into agreements with a State or agency in the State administering the unemployment compensation law to disburse benefits under this Act. Requires displaced workers to accept any employment determined by the State agency or Secretary of Labor to be comparable to the former job, or benefits will terminate. Excludes these benefits from other determinations of eligibility for unemployment compensation under any Federal or State law. Title V: Economic Adjustment Fund - Establishes in the Treasury a Workers Economic Adjustment Reserve Trust Fund. Requires defense contractors to pay a specified percentage into the Fund. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit a percentage of the projected savings resulting from a cancellation or cutback in defense spending. Title VI: Use of Certain Research Funds - Requires the Council to define urgent national requirements for nondefense sectors of the economy in any determination of the Secretary of Defense as to how certain research and development funds are to be spent. Title VII: Authorization of Appropriations - Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to provide that, after FY 1990, the limitation on the number of homes purchased by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for which loan guaranty defaults occurred which may be financed by a loan made by the Secretary shall cease to have effect. Provides that, as of October 1, 1990, the Secretary may sell any note evidencing such a loan with or without recourse if the amount received is not less than the unpaid balance of such loan. Prohibits the Secretary from selling any note evidencing a loan for which the Guaranty and Indemnity Fund is available before October 1, 1993. Repeals the current December 31, 1990, termination date of such property management provisions. Extends through December 31, 1991, current provisions relating to default procedures and the procedure for real estate appraisals to be followed by the Secretary. Directs the Secretary, at the request of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), to certify whether an applicant for assistance under laws administered by HUD is a veteran. Provides that an applicant for a loan made, guaranteed, or insured by the Department of Veterans Affairs shall not be subject to reporting requirements applicable to requests for, or receipts of, Federal contracts, grants, loans, or cooperative agreements, except to the extent that those requirements are provided for in, or by the Secretary pursuant to, the veterans' housing loan guaranty program. Revises procedures concerning the application made by a veteran to the Secretary for waiver of repayment of any overpayment of benefits made by the Department to a veteran when it is determined that such recovery would be against equity and good conscience. Strikes a $144,000 limit on the amount of a housing loan automatically guaranteed by the United States for an eligible veteran's housing loan. Authorizes the Secretary, during FY 1991 through 1994, to carry out a compensated work therapy and therapeutic transitional housing demonstration program (program). Makes eligible for the program veterans who are furnishing therapeutic and rehabilitative activities through the Department or who are furnished therapeutic work pursuant to activities provided through the Department for such purpose. Authorizes the Secretary, under such program, to operate residences as therapeutic transitional housing solely for such eligible veterans. Limits to 50 the number of such residences authorized to be operated. Authorizes the Secretary to contract with non-profit corporations to conduct compensated work therapy programs under the program. Outlines contracting conditions. Authorizes the contract to allow for the Secretary to furnish the corporation with in-kind services. Allows the Secretary to use procurement procedures to purchase or lease residential housing for the purposes of the program. Outlines conditions for such transitional housing, including the payment of rent for resident veterans. Requires a house manager for each residence used for such housing. Authorizes the Secretary to use any suitable residential property for such housing, including property acquired through default of loans under the veterans' home loan guaranty program. Requires the Secretary to prescribe: (1) a procedure for establishing reasonable rental rates for veterans residing in such housing; and (2) appropriate limits on the period such veterans may reside in such housing. Authorizes the Secretary to dispose of property after use as such housing and to deposit the proceeds into the General Post Fund of the Department. Requires the Secretary to report on the operation of such program after two years of its existence. Authorizes the Secretary to make loans to assist nonprofit organizations in providing transitional housing for veterans who are or recently have been in a program for the treatment of substance abuse. Outlines terms, conditions, and limitations of such loan program. Requires the Secretary to report on the Department's experience with the program 15 months after the first loan under the program is granted. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements with nonprofit organizations and States or political subdivisions to sell real property acquired as the result of a default on a loan made, insured, or guaranteed by the Secretary under the veterans' home loan guaranty program. Sets the following conditions for such agreements: (1) that the Secretary determines that such action will not adversely affect the ability of the Department to fulfill its statutory mission with respect to the veterans' home loan guaranty program; (2) that the entity to which the property is sold agrees to utilize such property solely as a shelter primarily for homeless veterans and their families, to comply with all zoning laws, and to make no use of the property that is incompatible with the area; and (3) that the Secretary determines that there is no significant likelihood of the property being sold for a price sufficient to reduce the liability of the Department or the veteran who defaulted on the loan. Authorizes the Secretary to contract for the provision of rehabilitative and therapeutic services to veterans with any appropriate source, whether or not such source is an element of the Department or any other Federal entity. (Current law allows such contractual arrangements with private industry or other sources outside the Department.) Authorizes the Secretary to provide for flat grave markers in the section of the Florida National Cemetery in which preplaced grave liners were installed before July 30, 1988. Provides for credits to the Guaranty and Indemnity Fund in specified amounts depending on the fiscal year made in the case of a guaranteed or insured loan for a home purchase or for construction with respect to which a veteran has made a down payment of ten percent or more of the total purchase price. Ratifies certain actions and inactions taken by the Secretary or the Secretary of the Treasury with respect to such loans and their fees when taken between October 1, 1990, and the date of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Title X Pregnancy Counseling Act of 1990 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services from making a grant for the provision of family planning methods or services unless the applicant agrees to provide complete information and counseling regarding pregnancy, and for a pregnant woman who requests information on options for an unintended pregnancy, to provide: (1) nondirective counseling on prenatal care and delivery, infant care, foster care and adoption, and termination of pregnancy; and (2) referrals for the services that are appropriate to the decision of the woman.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Pay Equity Technical Assistance Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor to develop and implement a continuing program of information dissemination, research, and technical assistance to public and private entities with respect to correction of wage-setting practices, and reduction or elimination of wage disparities, to the extent that they are based on the sex, race, or national origin of the employee, rather than on the work performed and other appropriate factors.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Refuge Wildlife Protection Act of 1991 - 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 · 3 January 1991
Dolphin Protection and Fair Fishing Act of 1991 - Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to prohibit, with regard to fishing for yellowfin tuna, promulgation of regulations or issuance of permits allowing the intentional setting of purse seine nets on marine mammals. Revokes previously issued permits. Mandates observers on tuna fishing vessels in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean to ensure that the taking of any marine mammal is reported to the Secretary of the department in which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrtion is operating. Modifies requirements regarding: (1) the level of incidental taking of marine mammals by countries exporting to the United States and by U.S. vessels; and (2) the total take of dolphins in specified years. Authorizes appropriations for research and development of alternative tuna fishing methods and technologies that do not involve intentional encirclement of dolphins or other intentional takings of marine mammals.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Veterans' Compensation Amendments of 1991 - Title I: Compensation Rate Increases - Increases the rates of: (1) veterans' disability compensation; (2) additional compensation for veterans' dependents; (3) the clothing allowance for certain disabled veterans; (4) dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children; and (5) supplemental dependency and indemnity compensation for disabled adult children. Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to adjust administratively the rates of disability compensation payable to persons who are not in receipt of compensation for service-connected disability or death. Title II: Miscellaneous Program Amendments - Authorizes the Secretary to accept gifts, devises, and bequests which enhance the Secretary's ability to provide services and benefits. Allows the payment of parents dependency and indemnity compensation less frequently than monthly if the amount of the annual benefit is less than four percent of the maximum annual rate payable. Prohibits a readjustment in the rating schedule from causing a veteran's compensation amount to be reduced unless an improvement in the veteran's disability is shown to have occurred. Makes the presumptive period (the period after service in a radiation-risk activity during which a disease must become manifest in order to be considered service-connected and, therefore, compensable as disability compensation) for leukemia 40 years (currently, 30). Creates a 40-year presumptive period for members of the reserves who were exposed to atmospheric detonation of a nuclear device during active duty or inactive duty for training and who contract specified diseases or illnesses within such period. States as an exception the disease of leukemia, which is given a 30-year manifestation period in such reserve members. Increases the amount of Veterans' Mortgage Life Insurance available to a veteran owning a home to the lesser of $90,000 or the amount of the loan outstanding on the home. (Currently, the amount is the lesser of $40,000 or such amount.) Increases from one to two years the required time after discharge or release permitted to qualify for National Service Life Insurance (for service-disabled veterans). Title III: Agent Orange - Veterans Agent Orange Exposure and Vietnam Service Benefits Act of 1991 - Provides that the disease of chloracne in Vietnam veterans shall be considered to have been service-connected if such disease became manifest to a ten percent or more degree of disability within one year after the last date on which the veteran performed such service in Vietnam. Presumes the following diseases to be service-connected for veterans who performed active service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era, notwithstanding that there is no record of evidence of such disease during the period of such service: (1) non-Hodgkins lymphoma; (2) soft-tissue sarcoma; and (3) melanoma and basal cell carcinoma. Provides a presumption of service-connection in the case of a Vietnam veteran suffering from a disease associated with effects of exposure to certain dioxins or other herbicide agents during such service in Vietnam. Directs the Secretary to prescribe regulations listing a positive association between any disease and the biological effects of exposure to an herbicide agent in Vietnam. Requires the Secretary to update such list continually. Requires the Secretary, in prescribing and revising such list, to obtain by contract the determinations and estimates of a contract scientific organization. Requires such organization to: (1) determine which diseases have any degree of association with the biological effects of exposure to an herbicide agent; and (2) estimate the extent of association between each such disease and each such biological effect. Requires the organization to determine such association specifically with respect to non-Hodgkins lymphoma, each soft-tissue sarcoma, lung cancer, and each other cancer. Outlines contract provisions required in such agreements between the Secretary and the scientific organization, including surveys, evaluations, and periodic determinations. Requires such scientific organization to provide reports to the Secretary and the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees regarding its determinations and evaluations. Requires such organization to determine, in the case of a positive association, whether there is a reasonable basis for concluding that a Vietnam veteran with the highest level of exposure to that herbicide agent in Vietnam was exposed to such agent under the circumstances necessary for such biological effects. Requires a report from the organization to the Secretary and the veterans' committees when there is no such reasonable basis found. Requires the Secretary to make certain determinations and follow-up reports after receiving such reports from the contract scientific organization, including the issuance of a report to the veterans' committees and the promulgation of positive association regulations if necessary. Requires benefits to be continued even though a disease is removed from the regulations listing diseases having positive associations. Terminates such provisions ten years after the first day of the fiscal year in which a scientific organization transmits its first report to the Secretary. Provides special effective dates. Directs the Secretary to compile and analyze all clinical data that: (1) is obtained by the Department in connection with examinations and treatment of veterans for disabilities related to exposure to certain herbicides or to service in Vietnam; and (2) is likely to be scientifically useful in determining the association, if any, between the disabilities of such veterans and their exposure to such herbicides and other toxic substances. Requires the Secretary to submit an annual report to the veterans' committees concerning such analysis and its results. Directs the Secretary to consult with the Director of the National Institutes of Health Research and Grants Division (NIH) before compiling and analyzing such information. Requires the Director of NIH to review each annual report submitted by the Secretary and transmit to the Secretary an evaluation of the contents of each report. Directs the Secretary to establish and maintain a system for the collection and storage of voluntarily contributed samples of blood and tissue of veterans who performed active service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era. Outlines provisions concerning the security and authorized uses of such specimens, as well as limitations on the acceptance of such samples. Requires the Secretary to consult with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to the extent that an agreement has been reached with the NAS serving as the contract scientific organization for the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to consult with the Director of the Medical Follow-up Agency in the event of no agreement with NAS. Directs the Secretary to establish a program to provide for the conduct of studies of the feasibility of conducting additional scientific research on health hazards resulting from: (1) exposure to dioxin; (2) exposure to other toxic agents in herbicides used in support of U.S. and allied military operations in Vietnam during the Vietnam era; and (3) active military, naval, or air service there. Requires the Secretary to report to the veterans' committees on the results of such studies. Requires the Secretary to consult with the NAS before undertaking such studies and requires the NAS to review such studies and report recommendations to the Secretary and the veterans' committees to the extent provided under any agreement between the Secretary and NAS. Amends the Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 1988 to require the Secretary to annually furnish updated information to veterans listed in the Department of Veterans Affairs' Agent Orange Registry on health risks resulting from exposure to dioxin or other toxic agents in herbicide as a result of service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report to the veterans' committees on the research being conducted to develop treatments for psychological absorption of dioxin and other toxic agents used in herbicides by the United States in Vietnam, including research relating to exposure to dioxin and other toxic agents outside Vietnam. Extends through December 31, 2000, the eligibility for hospital and nursing home care for veterans exposed to toxic substances in Vietnam. Amends the Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 1988 to authorize direct consultation between the Ranch Hand Advisory Committee and Department of the Air Force scientists conducting the Ranch Hand Study (a study of the long-term health effects of exposure to phenoxy herbicides and contaminants). Requires the preparation and submission of annual reports and a final report in connection with such study.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Insurance Competitive Pricing Act of 1991 - Amends the McCarran-Ferguson Act to eliminate the antitrust exemption applicable to the business of insurance where the conduct of an individual engaged in such business involves: (1) price fixing; (2) allocating with a competitor a geographical area in which, or persons to whom, insurance will be offered for sale; (3) unlawfully tying the sale or purchase of one type of insurance to that of another type, or of any other service or product; or (4) monopolizing, or attempting to monopolize, any part of such business. Retains such exemption for conduct involving the making of a contract, or engaging in a combination or conspiracy, to: (1) collect or disseminate historical loss data; (2) determine a loss development factor applicable to such data; or (3) perform actuarial services if such contract, combination, or conspiracy does not involve restraint of trade.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Freedom of Choice Act of 1991 - Provides that a State may not restrict the right of a woman to choose to terminate a pregnancy: (1) before fetal viability; or (2) at any time, if such termination is necessary to protect the life or health of the woman. Allows a State to impose requirements medically necessary to protect the life or health of such women.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Authorizes the Secretaries of Veterans Affairs and Defense to make joint grants to qualifying medical schools to assist in the establishment of new medical research centers. Outlines qualifications for medical schools eligible for such grants, including: (1) being primarily State-supported; (2) having no established research center in the field for which application is made; (3) being located in proximity to a Department of Veterans Affairs medical facility which has an affiliation with a medical facility of the Department of Defense; and (4) having demonstrable potential for successful development of such a new research center. Requires the Secretaries to ensure that centers for which grants are made are geographically dispersed within the United States. Requires the Secretaries to establish an advisory committee to advise a medical school with respect to activities of the center for which a grant is made. Prohibits the Secretaries from entering into an agreement to make a grant unless the Secretaries find that the school will maintain arrangements with the Department medical facility with which it is affiliated as to be mutually beneficial in carrying out the mission of the respective medical facilities and the school. Requires facilities of such research centers to be made available on a competitive basis. Requires the Secretaries to ensure that Federal funding for such centers be acknowledged in the activities and publications of the center. Requires one-half of the grant amounts to be provided by each Secretary. Specifies fund sources which may be used for such grants. Requires an agreement for such grants to include certain assurances with respect to the sufficiency of non-Federal funding for such research centers. Authorizes the Secretaries to increase grant amounts due to cost increases, within specified limits. Sets forth application requirements for medical schools desiring to receive such grants. Requires the Secretaries, in considering such applications, to give priority to applications which emphasize research in one or more of the following areas: (1) diabetes and metabolic diseases; (2) prosthetics and rehabilitation medicine; (3) mental health, behavioral medicine, and neurological disease; (4) acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and related diseases; (5) Alzheimer and dementia; (6) degenerative cardiopulmonary disease; (7) cancer; (8) technology assessment; and (9) toxicology. Requires the Secretaries to use a merit review process in considering applications and awarding grants under this Act. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 1995. Entitles the Secretaries to recover from grant recipients any amount not used for appropriate grant purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Civil Rights Act of 1991 - Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to provide for the burdens of proof which must be met by the various parties when an allegation of an unlawful employment practice is based on disparate impact. ( Wards Cove Packing Co. Inc. v. Atonio, 1989, held that, in cases brought under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the burden is on the plaintiff to prove an employer had no business necessity for a practice with discriminatory effects.) Allows a rule barring employment based on illegal discriminatory intent. Declares that, when an employment practice is alleged to have mixed motives, an unlawful employment practice is established when it is shown that a discriminatory basis was a contributing factor, even though other factors also contributed. Bars certain types of relief and limits damages to the injury that is attributable to the unlawful practice. Provides for the finality of litigated or consent judgments or orders resolving an employment discrimination claim, barring actions (challenging an employment practice that implements and is within the scope of a judgment or order) by persons who had certain types of notice and opportunity. Modifies the time limitations within which certain actions must be taken in alleged employment discrimination cases. (In Lorance v. AT&T Technologies, the Supreme Court held that seniority plans cannot be challenged as discriminatory unless complaints are filed soon after the plans are adopted.) Declares the application of a seniority system, if the system was included in a collective bargaining agreement with discriminatory intent, an unlawful employment practice. Allows punitive damages, certain types of compensatory damages, and jury trials only in connection with certain claims of intentional discrimination under the Act or under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Allows any party, if compensatory or punitive damages are sought, to demand a jury trial. Includes expert fees and other litigation expenses in attorney's fees which may be awarded in certain circumstances. Prohibits consent orders or judgments settling a claim, or stipulations of dismissal, unless the parties or their counsel attest that a waiver of all or substantially all attorney's fees was not compelled as a condition of the settlement.( Independent Federation of Flight Attendants v. Zipes held that attorneys' fees can be recovered under Title VII against losing intervenors only if the intervenor's action is frivolous, unreasonable, or without foundation.) Allows the court, in its discretion to promote fairness, in a proceeding in which a judgment or order granting relief under employment discrimination provisions is challenged, to allow the prevailing party in the original action to recover attorney's fees and costs incurred in defending the judgment or order. Extends the time limit for filing against the Government a civil action involving employment discrimination. Requires, except for prejudgment interest on compensatory damages, the same interest payment by the Government as in cases involving non-public parties. Requires all Federal civil rights laws to be interpreted broadly to provide equal opportunity and provide effective remedies. Prohibits, except as expressly provided, interpreting any Federal civil rights law to repeal or amend by implication any other such law. Prohibits using this Act as a basis for limiting civil rights laws not expressly amended by this Act. Amends Federal law to declare that: (1) for purposes of provisions relating to equal rights under the law, the right to make and enforce contracts includes the making, performance, modification, and termination of contracts, and the enjoyment of all benefits, privileges, terms, and conditions of the contract; and (2) the rights protected by the amended provisions are protected against impairment by non-governmental discrimination as well as against impairment under color of State law. (In 1989, the Supreme Court ruled, in Patterson v. McLean Credit Union, that an 1866 law forbidding discrimination in contracts applies only to hiring agreements, not on-the-job bias.) Prohibits construing the amendments made by this Act to: (1) require or encourage an employer to adopt hiring or promotion quotas; or (2) affect court-ordered remedies, affirmative action, or conciliation agreements that are otherwise in accordance with the law. Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to apply equal employment opportunities provisions to the Congress, with enforcement as determined by each House of the Congress. Amends the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 to modify requirements, including time limitations, regarding filing of a civil action. Requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to notify the person aggrieved if an age discrimination charge is dismissed by the Commission. Allows a civil suit to be brought within a specified time limit after the dismissal. Encourages the use of alternative means of dispute resolution to resolve disputes arising under the Acts amended by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Family and Medical Leave Act of 1991 - Title I: General Requirements for Leave - Establishes certain requirements for family and medical leave for permanent employees. (Excludes from such coverage: (1) employees at worksites at which the employer employs less than 50 persons, if the total number of employees of that employer within 75 miles of that worksite is less than 50; and (2) Federal officers and employees covered under title II of this Act.) Entitles employees to 12 workweeks of leave during any 12-month period because of: (1) the birth of their child; (2) the placement of a child for their adoption or foster care; (3) their care of a child, spouse, or parent who has a serious health condition; or (4) their own serious health condition which makes them unable to perform the functions of their position. Conditions such leave for the birth or placement of a child as follows: (1) the entitlement ends 12 months after the birth or placement; (2) both parents may not take such leave at the same time; and (3) such leave may not be taken intermittently unless employee and employer agree otherwise. Allows all leave to which an employee is entitled under this title: (1) to be taken on a reduced leave schedule, upon agreement with the employer; and (2) to consist of unpaid leave, except under specified conditions when substitution of certain types of paid leave may be elected or required. Declares that nothing in this Act shall require an employer to provide paid sick or medical leave in any situation in which the employer would not normally provide any such paid leave. Requires employees to: (1) give reasonable notice of the need for leave to which they are entitled under this Act, when foreseeable; and (2) make a reasonable effort to schedule medical treatment or supervision so as not to disrupt unduly the employer's operations, subject to approval of the health care provider. Allows limitation of the dual aggregate leave entitlement to 12 weeks in any 12-month period, in the case of spouses employed by the same employer, if such leave is for the birth or placement of a child or for the care of a sick parent. Sets forth conditions of certification for leave entitlements under this Act, including provisions relating to: (1) sufficient certification; (2) explanation of inability to perform job functions; (3) second opinion; (4) resolution of conflicting opinions; and (5) subsequent recertification. Sets forth employment and benefits protections relating to leave entitlements under this Act, including provisions relating to: (1) restoration to position; (2) denial of such restoration in the case of certain highly compensated employees; (3) maintenance of health benefits; and (4) no bar to agreement concerning alternative employment. Prohibits employers or other persons from interfering with employee rights under this Act or from discriminating against any individual because of participation in proceedings or inquiries under this Act. Provides for administrative enforcement of this title by the Secretary of Labor, as well as enforcement by civil action. Sets forth provisions for investigative authority, injunctive and monetary relief, attorneys' fees, and limitation of actions. Sets forth special rules concerning employees of local educational agencies, including provisions relating to intermittent leave for instructional employees, periods near the completion of an academic term, and reduction of liability. Requires employers to post notice of the pertinent provisions of this title. Requires fines for willful violations of such requirement. Directs the Secretary of Labor to prescribe regulations to carry out this title. Title II: Family Leave and Temporary Medical Leave for Civil Service Employees - Amends specified Federal law to entitle civil service employees to family and temporary medical leave for specified periods. Allows such employees up to: (1) 18 administrative workweeks in any 24-month period for family leave (i.e., leave because of the birth or placement of a child or care of a sick child or parent), but such leave may not be used at a time more than 12 months after such birth or placement; and (2) 26 administrative workweeks during any 12-month period for temporary medical leave. Provides that such leave will be without pay. Allows employees to substitute other types of paid leave for part of such leave. Provides for protection for job position and health insurance benefits of employees using such leave. Sets forth certification provisions and prohibitions against coercion. Directs the Office of Personnel Management to prescribe regulations for administration of this title which are consistent with the regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Labor under title I of this Act. Title III: Commission on Leave - Establishes the Commission on Leave. Requires the Commission to report on its study of family and medical leave (which may include legislative recommendations concerning coverage of small businesses and alternative and equivalent State enforcement of this Act with respect to employees of local educational agencies) to the Congress within two years after the Commission first meets. Terminates the Commission within 30 days after its report to the Congress. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Sets forth the effect of this Act on existing laws and existing employment benefits. Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to discourage employers from adopting more generous leave policies. Directs the Secretary of Labor to prescribe regulations to carry out this title within 60 days. Title V: Coverage of Congressional Employees - Applies the rights and protections under title I of this Act to employees of the House of Representatives, except for the exemption concerning highly compensated employees. Requires that the remedies and procedures under the Fair Employment Practices Resolution be applied in administering such coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Amends the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act to make it an unfair labor practice for an employer to offer or grant: (1) permanent replacement employee status during a labor dispute; or (2) any employment preference to an individual who worked or indicated a willingness to work during a labor dispute over an employee who exercised specified rights during such dispute and who is working for, or has unconditionally offered to return to work for, the employer.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act of 1991 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from diminishing existing allocations of spectrum (available radio frequencies) to the amateur radio service after January 1, 1991. Requires the FCC to provide replacement spectrum to the service for any frequency reallocation after such date.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act - Makes it unlawful for any licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer to sell, deliver, or transfer a handgun to an unlicensed individual unless: (1) after the most recent proposal of such transfer by the individual, the transferor has received a statement of eligibility from the individual, has notified the chief law enforcement officer for such individual's place of residence about the proposed transfer, and either has received a response indicating that such transfer is not prohibited by law or has not received a response indicating otherwise within seven days; (2) the individual has presented to the transferor a statement from the officer, issued in the past ten days, that the individual requires a handgun because of a threat to him or his family; (3) the individual has presented to the transferor a permit to possess a handgun that has been issued in the past five years by the State in which the transfer is to take place under a State law which requires law enforcement verification of the individual's legal qualification to possess a handgun; (4) State law either requires a waiting period of at least seven days or requires that an authorized government official verifies that the information available to such official does not indicate that possession of a handgun by the purchaser would be unlawful; or (5) the transferor has received a report from any system of felon identification established by the Attorney General under the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 that the individual's possession or receipt of the handgun would not violate Federal, State, or local law. Requires the statement of eligibility to include a statement that the individual: (1) is not under indictment for and has not been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year; (2) is not a fugitive; (3) is not an unlawful user of, or addicted to, a controlled substance; (4) has not been adjudicated as a mental defective or committed to a mental institution; (5) is not an alien who is illegally in the United States; (6) has not been dishonorably discharged from the armed forces; and (7) is not a person who has renounced U.S. citizenship. Requires any transferor who, after a transfer, receives a report from such officer that receipt or possession of the handgun by the individual violates the law, to: (1) furnish information about the transfer and the individual to the chief law enforcement officer of the transferor's place of business and the individual's place of residence; and (2) keep confidential any information received which is not otherwise available to the public, with exceptions. Requires a transferor to retain a copy of the individual's statement. Requires the law enforcement officer to destroy any copy of the individual's sworn statement and any record containing information derived from such statement within 30 days, unless such officer determines that the transaction would violate Federal, State, or local law.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Federal Bureau of Investigation First Amendment Protection Act of 1991 - Prohibits the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from initiating or conducting any investigation that may involve the collection of information about the exercise by a U.S. person of first amendment rights, except as specified. Requires the Attorney General to issue guidelines for investigations covered by this Act. Sets forth standards to be followed by the FBI in the conduct of an investigation, the disposition of any records obtained, and the periodic review of open investigations. Provides a civil remedy for any person aggrieved by a violation of this Act. Waives the provisions of this Act with respect to background investigations conducted with the consent of the subject regarding: (1) nominees to judicial and executive branch positions requiring the advice and consent of the Senate; (2) employees of the Department of Justice; or (3) the granting or retention of security clearances.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Extends through 1994 (currently 1991) the provision of employment and training assistance for disabled and Vietnam veterans under Federal veterans' benefits provisions. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide educational and vocational counseling and related services to: (1) individuals eligible for educational assistance under the armed forces educational assistance program; (2) individuals discharged or released from active duty under conditions other than dishonorable within the past year; and (3) individuals serving on active duty and within 180 days of being released or discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. Requires the Secretary to make available information concerning the need for general education and for trained personnel in the various crafts, trades, and professions. Requires the Secretary to acquaint all eligible individuals with the availability of counseling services offered under this Act. Provides entitlement for a veterans' rehabilitation program for persons receiving outpatient medical care or treatment for a service-connected disability pending discharge from active military service when the Secretary has determined the hospital providing such care or treatment is under contract with or under the jurisdiction of the Secretary or the Secretary of the military department concerned. Includes the payment of handling fees by the Secretary as part of the scope and services authorized to be provided to a veterans' rehabilitation program. Authorizes the payment of a subsistence allowance to veterans pursuing a vocational rehabilitation program in a Federal, State, or local governmental agency. (Currently, such allowance is offered only to veterans pursuing a program at the Federal level.) Repeals certain reporting requirements concerning post-Vietnam era veterans' educational assistance and education loan defaults. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements with individuals whereby the individual agrees to perform work-study services in return for the elimination of overpayments made by the Department to such individuals during such individual's participation in a Department-sponsored benefits program. Authorizes the Secretary to waive certain hours and length of service limitations, the payment of interest and administrative costs, or deductions from future benefit payments for such individuals. Prohibits any such work-study services agreement from continuing after such indebtedness has been repaid. Requires the Secretary to compensate an individual at an appropriate hourly wage if such individual performs work in excess of his or her indebtedness. Amends the Post-Vietnam Veterans' Educational Assistance Program to authorize the Secretary to approve the pursuit of flight training as a benefit under such Program if: (1) such training is generally accepted as necessary for attaining a recognized vocational objective in aviation; (2) the individual possesses a valid pilot's license and meets medical requirements necessary for a commercial pilot's license; and (3) the flight courses meet Federal Aviation Administration standards and are approved by the FAA and the State approving agency. Provides benefit amounts and charges to be made against an individual's basic educational assistance allotment for the payment of such flight training assistance. Redesignates the Secretary of Labor's Committee on Veterans' Employment as the Advisory Committee on Veterans Employment and Training within the Department of Labor. Requires the Committee to: (1) assess the employment and training needs of veterans; (2) determine the extent to which the programs and activities of the Department of Labor are meeting such needs; and (3) carry out activities necessary to make specified reports and recommendations in connection with the future provision of such employment and training needs to eligible veterans. Requires the Committee to make annual reports and recommendations to the Secretary of Labor, to be forwarded to the Congress together with the Secretary's comments. Extends the provision of veterans' readjustment appointments to disabled veterans and certain veterans of the Vietnam era and of the post-Vietnam era who are qualified for such employment and advancement. (Currently, such appointments are limited to certain veterans of the Vietnam era and post-Vietnam era only.) Allows such appointments to extend through the GS-11 level (currently, GS-9 only with a limited exception). States that veterans shall be eligible for such appointments without regard to the number of years of education completed. Provides that veterans entitled to veterans' disability compensation or whose discharge or release from active duty was for a disability incurred or aggravated in line of duty shall be given a preference over other veterans for such appointments. Provides time limitations for the receiving of such appointments and exempts from such limitations veterans having a service-connected disability rated at 30 percent or more.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Ovarian Cancer Research Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Director of the National Institutes of Health and the Director of the National Cancer Institute, to conduct or support basic research on certain aspects of ovarian cancer. Prohibits the Secretary from conducting or supporting clinical research on the same matters. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Veterans' Compensation Amendments of 1991 - Increases the rates of: (1) veterans' disability compensation; (2) additional compensation for veterans' dependents; (3) the clothing allowance for certain disabled veterans; (4) dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children; and (5) supplemental dependency and indemnity compensation for disabled adult children. Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to adjust administratively the rates of disability compensation payable to persons who are not in receipt of compensation for service-connected disability or death.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Federal Employees' Political Activities Act of 1991 - Prohibits an employee from using or attempting to use official authority or influence to interfere with or affect the result of any election. Prohibits an employee from using or attempting to use official authority to intimidate, threaten, coerce, command, or influence: (1) any individual for the purpose of interfering with the right of any individual to vote as the individual may choose, or of causing any individual to vote, or not to vote, for any candidate or measure in any election; (2) any person to give or withhold any political contribution; or (3) any person to engage, or not to engage, in any form of political activity. Prohibits an employee from using, attempting to use, or permitting the use of any official information, unless such information is available to the general public. Prohibits an employee from: (1) giving or offering to give a political contribution to any individual either to vote or to refrain from voting, or to vote for or against any candidate or measure, in any election; (2) soliciting, accepting, or receiving a political contribution to vote or refrain from voting, or to vote for or against any candidate or measure, in any election; or (3) giving or handing over a political contribution to a superior of the employee. Prohibits an employee from soliciting, accepting, or receiving, or from being in any manner concerned with soliciting, accepting, or receiving, a political contribution: (1) from another employee (or a member of another employee's immediate family) with respect to whom the employee is a superior; or (2) in any room or building occupied in the discharge of official duties by a Federal employee or official or an individual receiving salary or compensation from the Treasury. Prohibits an employee from soliciting, accepting, or receiving a political contribution from, or giving a political contribution to, any person who: (1) has, or is seeking to obtain, contractual or other business or financial relations with the employing agency; (2) conducts operations or activities which are regulated by that agency; or (3) has interests which may be substantially affected by the performance of the employee's official duties. Directs the Special Counsel of the Merit Systems Protection Board to prescribe regulations which exempt employees from such prohibitions. Prohibits an employee from engaging in political activity: (1) while on duty; (2) in any room or building occupied in the discharge of official duties by a Federal employee or official; (3) while wearing a uniform or official insignia identifying the office or position of the employee; or (4) while using any vehicle owned or leased by the Government. Exempts certain high level political appointees from such prohibitions if the costs associated with the political activity are not paid for by money derived from the Treasury. Authorizes leave without pay or accrued annual leave to an employee who is a candidate, upon request, to allow such employee to engage in activities relating to that candidacy. Declares that such request may be denied if the exigencies of the public business so require. Declares that such employee may be required to take leave without pay or accrued annual leave in order to be a candidate if activities relating to the candidacy interfere with the employee's performance of duties. Applies this Act to postal employees and employees of the Postal Rate Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Constitutional Amendment - Declares that equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should fundamentally reassess the necessity of underground nuclear explosions and instruct his representatives to the Limited Test Ban Treaty Amendment Conference to support a comprehensive test ban amendment.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 1990
Designates the room numbered H-235 in the House of Representatives wing of the Capitol as the Lindy Claiborne Boggs Congressional Women's Reading Room.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 1990
Community Relations Act - States that the purposes of this Act are to: (1) provide resources to foster and maintain multicultural coalitions in communities experiencing cross-group conflict on a long-term basis; (2) fund model projects to address community based tension by bringing people from different groups together to work on specific projects of concern to the local population; (3) provide Federal resources to local communities to enable them to develop approaches to reduce community based tensions; (4) establish a mechanism through which representatives of communities can share experiences and innovative ideas across projects and disseminate successful approaches to other communities; and (5) provide technical support to programs after Federal funding has ended in order to foster ongoing coalitions which could address new community problems when they occur. Designates the Community Relations Service of the Department of Justice as responsible for carrying out this Act. Requires the Service to: (1) seek technical assistance from individuals, agencies, and organizations experienced in creating, maintaining, and supporting coalitions; (2) contract with such individuals, agencies, or organizations as necessary to assure that the purposes of the Act are carried out; (3) make such technical assistance available to local offices of the Service; and (4) provide technical assistance and training to projects funded under this Act. Directs the Service to make grants to coalitions for the establishment of Service projects in accordance with this Act. Requires the national office of the Service to consider the recommendations of a national board before approving a project. Sets forth the responsibilities of the Service, including: (1) disseminating information on the availability of project grants to communities which have experienced community based tension in the recent past; (2) providing technical assistance to local agencies, organizations, and individuals to develop coalitions; (3) providing assistance to coalitions in developing proposals to address such tensions; and (4) making grants for projects. Establishes criteria for eligibility for grants. Requires: (1) a coalition established under this Act to develop a plan for a community relations service project which addresses a need defined by the community and which fits within specified priorities (such as projects to deal with drugs, youth recreation, community recreation on the arts, citizenship participation, and community safety or development); and (2) coalition members to agree on project goals and define issues to be addressed. Sets forth additional requirements. Sets forth provisions with respect to: (1) Federal and local matching funds; (2) program administration; and (3) funding for a study of the root causes of other kinds of conflict among groups and proposed model solutions. Requires the national office of the Service to establish a national advisory board to assist in setting program goals and in evaluating proposals and the program. Requires the Service to: (1) evaluate projects funded and make recommendations on replication of successful projects; and (2) submit to the Congress and the President an evaluation of the program, including a proposal for its expansion, continuation, or termination. Authorizes appropriations. Limits the number and amounts of grants for any fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 1990
Prohibits the proposed sales to Saudi Arabia of armored vehicles (including M1A2 tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles), AH-64 APACHE attack helicopters, PATRIOT guided missile units, and related defense articles and services, that were reported to the Congress pursuant to the Arms Export Control Act on September 27, 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 1990
Salutes and congratulates the people of Poland as they commemorate the 200th anniversary of the adoption of the Polish Constitution on May 3, 1991. Directs the Library of Congress to commemorate the anniversary with appropriate ceremonies.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 1990
Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act Amendments of 1990 - Amends the Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act of 1940 (the Act) to provide that an application for a stay of proceedings in a court action involving the military service of an individual shall not constitute an appearance for any purpose. Prohibits an eviction or distress from being made during a period of military service with respect to premises for which the agreed rent does not exceed $1,200 (currently, $150) per month, when such premises are occupied chiefly by the dependents of the person in military service, except upon leave of the court granted upon application or in a proceeding affecting the rights of possession. Extends the power of attorney coverage under the Act to include a power of attorney that by its terms expires after August 2, 1990. Amends the Act to provide professional liability protection for persons ordered to active duty after August 2, 1990, who, prior to such date, were engaged in furnishing health care or other services determined by the Secretary of Defense to be professional services, and who had in effect a professional liability insurance policy that does not continue coverage during the period of active duty. Requires an insurance carrier to suspend and to reinstate coverage of such affected person upon receipt of a written request from such person. Requires such person to request reinstatement within 30 days after release from active duty. Provides a minimum period of required coverage by the carrier following reinstatement, without an increase in the insurance premiums charged. Provides for the stay of a civil or administrative action for damages on the basis of professional liability of a person whose insurance has been suspended under these provisions if: (1) the action is based on an act or omission that occurred before the suspension was effective; and (2) the suspended insurance would, on its face, cover the alleged professional misconduct. States that the period of such stay shall not be included in any statute-of-limitations period. Outlines provisions concerning the death of a person whose professional liability insurance has been suspended and the consequences with respect to the suspended insurance coverage on previous or suspended (stayed) claims. Provides that any person employed and covered under a health insurance policy who goes to active military service or training and upon return is reemployed may not be subject to a waiting period or exclusion of coverage upon such return for a preexisting health or physical condition that occurred before or during the period of service or training. Provides that any person who, by reason of entry into military service, is entitled to the rights and benefits of the Act shall be entitled upon release from such service to reimbursement of any health insurance coverage which: (1) was in effect on the day before such service commenced; and (2) was terminated during the period of such service. Prohibits any health or physical condition occurring before or during the period of such service from being subject to a waiting period or exclusion of coverage upon return from such service. Provides reemployment rights for all reservists (currently, only those serving on active duty for not more than 90 days) upon their return from any active duty other than for training.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1990
Veterans' Health-Care Amendments of 1990 - Title I: Health-Care Benefits - Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to authorize the provision of dental care for a dental condition: (1) from which a veteran of World War I is suffering; and (2) when medically necessary in preparation for hospital admission or for a veteran otherwise receiving medical care and services. Increases from $500 to $1,000 the annual per-person limitation on the provision of such dental care. Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to periodically review and adjust such yearly limit. Authorizes the Secretary to contract with non-Department of Veterans Affairs facilities for the treatment of any veteran who has a total and permanent service-connected disability. Amends the Veterans' Health Care Amendments of 1986 to extend through FY 1992 an annual report requirement under such Act concerning the furnishing of non-service-connected health care to veterans. Extends through FY 1991 the authority for the operation of the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in the Philippines. Title II: Health-Care Personnel - Provides the qualifications required for social workers employed by the Veterans Health Services and Research Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Requires a minimum two-year service requirement in the Department for graduates of the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Professional Scholarship Program. Authorizes the Secretary to purchase promotional items of nominal value for recruitment purposes. Authorizes a person appointed as a part-time employee of the Administration to receive and retain amounts paid for appearances, speeches, and articles that do not create a conflict of interest. Title III: Health-Care Management - Requires a 60-day congressional notification period before the Secretary may undertake an administrative reorganization within the Department. Revises the definition of "administrative reorganization" for purposes of such provision to include a reduction in force during any fiscal year at a covered field office or facility of 15 percent or more, or of a percentage which, when added to other reductions at such field office or facility, is 25 percent or more of the total number of employees at such office or facility. Revises reporting requirements and definitions with respect to such administrative reorganizations. Prohibits funds from being appropriated for any fiscal year, and prohibits the Secretary from obligating or expending funds, for any major medical project or major medical facility lease unless funds have been specifically authorized by law. Defines a "major medical facility lease" as a lease having an average annual rental amount of more than $300,000 (currently, $500,000). Requires the Geriatrics and Gerontology Advisory Committee to submit to the Secretary such reports as considered appropriate (currently, only one report is required) on all appropriate matters of geriatrics and gerontology. Adds certain assessments to such report requirements. Title IV: Miscellaneous - Requires the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the Secretary of the Navy to facilitate the transfer of all medical follow-up data in possession of the Secretary of the Navy regarding Vietnam-era prisoners of war which has been collected by the Center for Prisoner of War Studies and the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute. Requires a report from the Secretary on such data. Provides funding. Requires the Secretary to report on the implementation of certain benefits notice requirements with respect to health benefits claims decisions. Authorizes the Secretary to use general operating funds to pay for leases for the collocation of at least three regional offices of the Department with Department medical centers.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1990
Designates the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center located at 113 Holland Avenue in Albany, New York, as the Samuel S. Stratton Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 1990
Primary Pediatric Outreach and Care for Disadvantaged Children Act of 1990 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants and contracts for the establishment of programs providing high quality primary pediatric care to economically disadvantaged children under the age of 19 who lack access to such care. Includes as required grant activities: child outpatient facilities, substance abuse detection, and data collection. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 1990
Veterans' Judicial Review Amendments of 1990 - Repeals certain provisions relating to decisions made by the Court of Veterans Appeals in veterans' benefits determinations. Authorizes the Chief Judge of the Court to annually summon the judges of such Court to a judicial conference in order to consider business of the Court and to improve the administration of justice within the Court's jurisdiction. Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to release veterans' medical records to the U.S. Court of Veterans Appeals and any other Federal court for use in connection with veterans' appeals under the jurisdiction of such courts.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 1990
Motor Vehicle Fuel Efficiency Act of 1990 - Amends the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act to establish average fuel economy standards for passenger automobiles for model years 1995 and thereafter and automobiles other than passenger automobiles (light trucks) for model years 1995 and thereafter. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (Secretary), after FY 1995, to modify such standards for model year 2001 and thereafter. Directs the Secretary, in response to petitions filed at least 12 months in advance of the model year, to conduct a rulemaking proceeding to determine whether to increase or decrease such standard to a level that is the maximum feasible average fuel economy for that model year, except that such standard shall not be reduced below a 30 percent increase over the average fuel economy achieved by the manufacturer of such vehicle for model year 1988. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to report annually to specified congressional committees on a study which: (1) examines the accuracy of fuel economy testing of passenger automobiles and light trucks; and (2) assesses the extent to which fuel economy deteriorates during the lifetime of such vehicles. Directs the Secretary of Energy to distribute at least 100 explanatory booklets each year to every dealer and additional numbers if requested. Requires the Secretary to provide for a review and report to the Congress by the National Academy of Sciences of the current state of research and development in light truck fuel economy and passenger automobile fuel economy and an assessment of the potential for improving the fuel efficiency and reducing the energy consumption of passenger automobiles and light trucks. Requires the Secretary of Energy to study and report to the Congress on the future options for regulating the fuel efficiency of such vehicles beyond 2001. Doubles the civil penalty for repeated violations of the fuel economy standard. Sets forth criteria with respect to the testing of fuel economy for small passenger automobiles that contain airbags.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 1990
Transfers custody and control of Pershing Hall, a memorial in Paris, France, owned by the United States, to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to administer, develop, and improve Pershing Hall and its site, as appropriate. Establishes the Pershing Hall Revolving Fund. Provides for the transfer of monies to the Fund for the construction of major projects. Abolishes the Pershing Hall Memorial Fund and transfers the corpus of the Memorial Fund to the Revolving Fund.
![Official portrait of Rep. Edwards, Don [D-CA-10]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/e000064_200.jpg)