United States · United States Congress · 7 January 1991
Allows payments under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services for certain health care expenses incurred by members and former members of the uniformed services (and their dependents) who are entitled to retired or retainer pay and who are otherwise ineligible for such payments by reason of their entitlement to benefits under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act because of a disability.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Truth in Savings Act - Requires each advertisement, announcement, or solicitation by a depository institution which refers to a specific interest rate, yield, or rate of earnings on amounts deposited in a demand or interest-bearing account to state the following information clearly and conspicuously: (1) the annual percentage yield and the period such yield is in effect; (2) all minimum initial deposit, minimum balance, and time requirements for earning such yield; (3) the annual rates of simple interest; (4) fees or other conditions that could reduce the yield; (5) any interest penalty for early withdrawal; and (6) the effective percentage yield on the maturity date of any account maturing in less than one year. Authorizes the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to exempt advertisements, announcements, or solicitations made by any broadcast or electronic medium or outdoor advertising displays not on the premises of a depository institution from the disclosure requirements relating to initial deposit requirements, rates of simple interest, or fees if such disclosure would be unnecessarily burdensome. Prohibits any depository institution from advertising an account as a free or no-cost account if: (1) there are minimum balance or limited transaction requirements to avoid fees; or (2) there is any service fee, transaction fee, or similar charge imposed for such account. Prohibits any institution from making any advertisement, announcement, or solicitation that is inaccurate or misleading or that misrepresents its deposit contracts. Requires each depository institution to maintain a schedule, written in clear and plain language, of fees, charges, interest rates, and terms and conditions such as minimum balance and time requirements applicable to each class of accounts offered. Requires that such schedule be disclosed to potential customers and requesting individuals and mailed to account holders. Requires that account holders receive 30 days' advance notice of any change to be made in any term or condition required to be disclosed in the schedule if the change might reduce the yield or adversely affect any account holder. Directs the Board to require modified disclosure requirements concerning the annual yield on variable rate accounts, multiple rate accounts, guaranteed-rate accounts that mature in less than one year, and accounts for which the interest rate is not guaranteed. Directs the Board to provide for public notice and comment on, and to publish, model forms and clauses for common disclosures required by this Act. Provides for the enforcement of this Act and the civil liability of a depository institution that fails to comply with requirements of this Act. Sets forth limitations on such liability and factors to be considered by the court in determining class action awards. Provides that an institution may not be held liable for a violation if the institution demonstrates that the violation was not intentional and resulted from a bona fide error. Establishes U.S. district court jurisdiction and a one-year statute of limitations for actions brought under this Act. Directs the National Credit Union Administration to provide for the similar regulation of credit unions.
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
Law Enforcement Scholarship Act of 1991 - Directs each State to pay from funds under this Act the Federal share (not more than 60 percent) of the cost of awarding scholarships to in-service law enforcement personnel for further education. Requires each State receiving such funds to designate a lead agency to conduct such scholarship program. Makes the Assistant Attorney General of the Office of Justice Programs responsible for administration of such program and for issuing regulations. Provides that such a scholarship shall be for one academic year and may be used at any accredited institution of higher education. Conditions eligibility on an individual's having been employed in law enforcement for two years immediately preceding the date on which scholarship assistance is sought. Requires each individual awarded a scholarship to work in a law enforcement position in the State which made the award for a period of one month for each credit hour of financial assistance (with a six-month minimum and two-year maximum). Requires annual reports to the Attorney General, the President, and the Congress. Authorizes appropriations.
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
Prevention, Identification, and Treatment of Elder Abuse Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish an office known as the National Center on Elder Abuse to: (1) compile an annual summary of recently conducted research on elder abuse; (2) develop and maintain an information clearinghouse on all programs for the prevention and treatment of such abuse; (3) compile training materials for personnel engaged in elder abuse prevention; (4) provide technical assistance for the planning and implementation of programs relating to the problems of elder abuse; and (5) investigate the causes and national incidence of elder abuse. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to or enter into contracts with public agencies or nonprofit organizations for demonstration projects designed to prevent and treat elder abuse. Sets forth the terms and conditions for such grants. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States for the development and implementation of elder abuse prevention and treatment programs. Requires such States to have in effect a State elder abuse law with mandatory reporting provisions. Sets forth other requirements for eligibility. Prohibits the use of assistance for construction of facilities. Directs the Secretary to establish criteria to achieve equitable distribution of assistance among the States. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Authorizes to be appropriated, in addition to sums already authorized, a certain amount to the National Cancer Institute for breast cancer research other than research which involves treatment or clinical trials.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to remove the limitation on the amount of outside income which a beneficiary may earn without incurring a reduction in benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Iraq Embargo Enforcement Act - Requires the President to prohibit the importation of products from a foreign person that exports to Iraq items whose export would not be permitted from the United States.
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
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
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
Airline Bankruptcy Passenger Protection Act of 1991 - Amends the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 to direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue an order authorizing a covered air carrier to develop an air transportation plan which protects airline ticket holders in the event it becomes a debtor in bankruptcy proceedings after the ticket purchase date. Provides that if satisfactory plans have not been submitted by a specified deadline, the Secretary must promulgate regulations requiring all covered air carriers to provide air transportation for such ticket holders.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to give priority consideration to the inclusion of the lower St. Johns River, Florida, in the National Estuary Program.
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
Decennial Census Accuracy Improvement Act of 1991 - Amends Federal census law to require the Secretary of Commerce to determine whether the tabulations of population of the respective States should be adjusted in order to correct for any under- or over-counting. Provides that the tabulation for a State shall not be complete unless: (1) the Secretary determines that no adjustment is required in the tabulation of population for any State; or (2) appropriate adjustments for each State have been made, if it is determined that adjustment would improve the accuracy of census counts. Requires that any incomplete tabulation reported to a State to be identified as preliminary and subject to adjustment. States that if the deadline cannot be met to complete and report such data to the respective States the Secretary shall: (1) provide advance written notice to the Congress (including a statement of reasons and the anticipated compliance date); and (2) have until the second July 15th after the decennial census date to complete and report the tabulation of population to the respective States. Applies this Act to data obtained from the 1990 decennial census or any to follow. Deems as a reference to such tabulation in its completed form as determined by this Act, any requirement under Federal law that a tabulation of population for a State (as obtained in the 1990 or a later decennial census) be used. Requires the Secretary to report on the data obtained from the 1990 decennial census to the appropriate congressional committees. Declares that the authority to use the "sampling" statistical method shall be governed by this Act.
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
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the exclusion from gross income of amounts received under qualified group legal services plans. (Under current law the exclusion expired as of September 30, 1990.)
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that payment under a life insurance contract to an insured who is terminally ill be treated as a death benefit, making such payment eligible for exclusion from gross income. Provides that any reference to life insurance shall be treated as referring to a qualified terminal illness rider. Provides for the tax treatment of such riders. Describes such a rider as one which provides for payments to an insured upon the insured's becoming terminally ill.
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
Establishes in the House of Representatives the Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control to conduct continuing oversight and review of the problems of narcotics, drug, and polydrug abuse and control.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 1990
Congratulates the Government and the people of New Zealand during the sesquicentennial of the Treaty of Waitangi (New Zealand's principal founding document), and pays tribute to the 151st anniversary of the United States-New Zealand relationship.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 1990
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and Protection Act - Designates a specified area in Florida as the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary under the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972. Prohibits, with specified exceptions, the operation of a tank vessel or a vessel greater than 50 meters in length in a certain Area to Be Avoided (ATBA). Provides that no leasing, exploration, development, or production of minerals or hydrocarbons shall be permitted within the Sanctuary. Requires the Secretary to develop a comprehensive management plan and implementing regulations. Terminates, upon the enactment of this Act, all congressionally mandated studies of existing areas in the Florida Keys for designation as National Marine Sanctuaries. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Governor of Florida to develop a comprehensive water quality protection program for the Sanctuary. Excludes such program from the comprehensive management plan if it does not meet the purpose for which the Sanctuary is designated or is otherwise inconsistent or incompatible with it. Requires the Secretary to establish an Advisory Council to assist with the comprehensive management plan. Amends the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 to authorize appropriations. Directs the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on the future requirements for funding the Sanctuary.
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 · 18 October 1990
Enterprise for the Americas Initiative Act of 1990 - Title I: Enterprise for the Americas Facility - Establishes in the Department of the Treasury the Enterprise for the Americas Facility to support improvement in the lives of the people of Latin America and the Caribbean through market-oriented reforms and economic growth with actions to promote debt reduction, investment reforms, and community based conservation and sustainable use of the environment. Makes eligible for Facility benefits Latin American or Caribbean countries that: (1) have in effect, received approval for, or are making progress toward, specified International Monetary Fund arrangements and structural or sectoral adjustment loans from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development or the International Development Association; (2) have put in place major investment reforms in conjunction with an Inter-American Development Bank loan or are implementing or making progress toward an open investment regime; and (3) have agreed with commercial bank lenders on a financing program for debt or debt service reduction. Title II: Debt Reduction - Authorizes the President to reduce the amount owed to the United States (as a result of concessional loans made pursuant to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 or predecessor foreign economic assistance legislation) by any country eligible for Facility benefits. Declares that this title supersedes specified provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the International Development and Food Assistance Act of 1975 concerning repayments of loans outstanding after September 19, 1966, and the settlement of debts owed to the United States. Sets forth requirements with respect to the exchange of obligations, repayment of principal, and interest on new obligations issued by beneficiary countries. Title III: Enterprise for the Americas Environmental Funds - Requires beneficiary countries that enter into Environmental Framework Agreements to establish Enterprise for the Americas Environmental Funds. Authorizes the Secretary of State to enter into Environmental Framework Agreements concerning the operation and use of Environmental Funds with countries eligible for Facility benefits. Directs administering bodies in each beneficiary country to administer the Environmental Funds and to make grants for environmental activities. Requires grants from the Funds to be used for activities that link the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources with local community development. Subjects grants of more than $100,000 to veto by the U.S. Government or the government of the beneficiary country. Establishes an Environment for the Americas Board to: (1) advise the Secretary on the negotiations of Environmental Framework Agreements; (2) ensure that a suitable administering body is identified for each Environmental Fund; and (3) review the programs, operations, and fiscal audits of administering bodies. Declares that the President should encourage other official creditors of beneficiary countries whose debt is reduced under this Act to provide debt reduction to such countries. Requires the President to ensure that Environmental Funds are able to receive donations from private and public entities and private creditors of beneficiary countries. Title IV: Reports - Directs the President to report annually to the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate on the Facility.
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 · 10 October 1990
Urban Schools of America (USA) Act of 1990 - Title I: Urban School Improvement - Directs the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to reserve specified funds for: (1) national activities to evaluate urban school improvement programs; and (2) competitive grant awards to exemplary school programs. Directs the Secretary to allot, from remaining amounts, to each eligible local educational agency (LEA) with an approved application an amount based on relative numbers of students enrolled in the LEA's jurisdiction. Makes an LEA eligible if it: (1) serves the largest city in a State; or (2) enrolls 30,000 or more students as of October 1, 1987, and serves a city with a population of at least 200,000 in a metropolitan statistical area. Requires LEAs to use such funds to: (1) increase the academic achievement of urban school children to at least the national average; (2) prepare all urban children for school; (3) increase the graduation rates of urban students to at least the national average; (4) prepare urban school graduates to enter higher education, pursue careers, and exercise their responsibilities as citizens; (5) recruit and retain qualified teachers; and (6) decrease the use of drugs and alcohol by urban students, enhancing their physical and emotional health. Sets forth program requirements: (1) in general, for initial grants, renewal grants, and renewal of school participation; (2) for achievement, including demonstration of improvement; and (3) data collection. Authorizes the Secretary to reserve funds for competitive awards to schools participating in projects assisted under this title that demonstrate exemplary progress in meeting program requirements. Directs the Secretary, by January 1, 1991, to report on the effects of Federal and State education regulations on urban public schools. Requires LEAs desiring to receive a grant under this Act to establish a local advisory group to: (1) design and conduct a needs assessment for participating schools; (2) assist in planning for community-wide collaboration in service delivery for youths in participating schools; (3) advise the LEA and the community on how they can work together to use multiple service providers; and (4) monitor program implementation and oversee program evaluation. Allows use of a comparable existing local advisory group to comply with such requirement. Sets forth special rules relating to ranking of schools to determine relative needs, in general, on the basis of achievement, poverty, and number of minority students. Requires each LEA receiving a grant to serve between ten and 20 percent of its schools. Requires eligible LEAs to have flexibility to serve homeless children, desegrating students, immigrants, migrants, or other highly mobile populations, even if they do not attend a project school. Deems certain approved programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 for education of disadvantaged children to be sufficient to meet plan and criteria requirements of this Act. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Repair and Renovation of Urban School Buildings - Authorizes the Secretary to make three-year grants to eligible LEAs for: (1) repair and renovation of school buildings; and (2) improvements related to environmental concerns and safety. Directs the Secretary to allocate funds for both such types of grants on the basis of the number of: (1) children from families below the poverty line; (2) school buildings used for instructional purposes; and (3) school buildings more than 25 years old used for instructional purposes. Requires annual grant review by the Secretary. Authorizes appropriations. Title III: Urban School Research - Directs the Secretary to reserve specified funds for the National Urban Research Center established under this title. Allows programs and projects assisted under this title to include: (1) collaborative and coordinated research and evaluation of educational techniques or approaches in multiple cities served by eligible LEAs; (2) evaluation of projects assisted under title I; (3) dissemination of information on successful projects and approaches under title I; (4) design and implementation of programs for LEA provision of technical assistance to individual schools and teachers involved in title I projects; (5) data and information management services for schools participating in a title I program; (6) staff training in such schools; and (7) evaluation of progress in meeting national educational goals by LEAs receiving assistance under this Act. Directs the Secretary to establish and operate a National Urban Research Center to: (1) evaluate, monitor, and disseminate activities assisted under this title; (2) conduct independent research in urban education; and (3) serve as a clearinghouse on urban education research fundings, policies, and practices. Authorizes appropriations. Title IV: Equalization of State Spending for Public Education - Requires any State, after January 1, 1996, in order to receive Federal assistance to support its public schools under any program administered by the Secretary: (1) to certify that the Secretary has reviewed and determined that the State's method of financing its public elementary and secondary schools is equitable; or, in the alternative, (2) to have in operation a State equalization plan that meets specified requirements. Requires such State equalization plans to: (1) be submitted within one year after the State receives notice that its public school financing method is inequitable; (2) describe how the State will equalize such method within five years; and (3) be approved by the Secretary. Directs the Secretary annually to: (1) review each State's public school financing method; and (2) certify each State determined to have an equitable method. Sets forth review standards, requiring consideration of: (1) relative numbers of children from families dependent on public assistance or with below poverty level income, with limited English proficiency, and with disabilities; (2) the municipal overburden of the residents of the eligible city in relation to the statewide average burden; and (3) the amount of taxes paid by residents within the LEA to support schools relative to their capacity to pay such taxes, as compared to the statewide average. Mandates that Federal funds prohibited to a noncomplying State be distributed to LEAs within that State on a basis determined to carry out the purposes for which they were made available and to meet the equalized spending standards. Title V: General Provisions - Establishes the Interagency Council on Urban Schools to: (1) review Federal programs to determine effects on urban schools' ability to meet national education goals; (2) track school progress toward such goals; (3) solicit advice and information for urban education experts and urban school representatives on improvement of Federal programs; (4) review Federal regulations for duplication or contradiction; (5) report annually to the Congress and the President on urban school progress; (6) review and recommend improvement or streamlining of Federal data collection in urban schools; and (7) conduct research to help urban school practitioners improve school performance. Directs the President to conduct a White House Conference on Urban Education before October 30, 1992. Requires the Conference to advise on development of: (1) recommendations and strategies for improving urban education; (2) methods for combining forces of the private sector, governmental agencies at all levels, parents, teachers, communities, and education officials to assist urban schools in meeting national goals; and (3) a permanent national advisory commission on urban education. Requires a report to the President. Authorizes appropriations. Establishes a National Commission on Urban Education as an independent agency within the executive branch. Directs the Commission to: (1) study specified issues relating to urban schools; and (2) report, and recommend changes in Federal legislation, to the President and appropriate congressional committees. Terminates the Commission three years after its first meeting. Authorizes appropriations. Requires eligible LEAs to use Federal funds received under this Act only to supplement but not supplant non-Federal funds.
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 1990
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the crisis created by Iraq's invasion and occupation of Kuwait must be addressed and resolved separately from other conflicts in the region; and (2) the President should continue to thwart any effort to link such crisis with the Arab-Israeli conflict.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1990
Amends the Export Administration Act of 1979 to extend its authority through October 20, 1990. Authorizes obligation of FY 1991 funds appropriated to carry out such Act (including export promotion programs) during the period beginning October 1, 1990, through October 20, 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1990
Aviation Security Improvement Act of 1990 - Title I: Aviation Security - Amends Federal law to establish an Assistant Secretary for Transportation Security and Intelligence for the development of transportation security. Requires the Secretary of Transportation (Secretary) to report annually to the Congress on transportation security. Amends the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 to require the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) (Administrator) to report annually (currently, semiannually) to the Congress on the effectiveness of screening procedures for passengers boarding aircraft. Establishes in the FAA an Assistant Administrator for Civil Aviation Security. Requires the Assistant Administrator to review and develop measures to strengthen air transportation security, including: (1) controls over checked baggage in air transportation; (2) control over individuals with access to aircraft; (3) testing of security systems; (4) use of modern x-ray equipment; and (5) preflight screening of passengers. Directs the Administrator to establish the position of: (1) Federal Security Manager for each U.S. airport that needs one; and (2) Foreign Security Liaison officer for each such airport outside of the United States. Directs the Administrator to issue regulations that subject to employment investigation, including criminal history record checks, all air carrier personnel, and individuals applying for air carrier positions, with unescorted access to domestic and foreign aircraft or to secured areas of domestic airports serving U.S. or foreign air carriers. Directs the Administrator to prescribe standards for the hiring, continued employment, and contracting of air carrier and airport security personnel. Requires foreign air carriers to adopt and use a security program approved by the Administrator. Requires the Administrator and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to conduct an assessment of current and potential threats to the domestic air transportation system, including the security of individual airports. Directs the Administrator to establish a program to accelerate and expand the research, development, and implementation of technologies and procedures to counteract terrorist acts against civil aviation. Requires the Administrator to: (1) complete a review of threats to civil aviation; and (2) establish a scientific advisory panel, as a subcommittee of the Research, Engineering and Development Advisory Committee, to review and advise on the progress of such program, including the need for long-range research programs to detect and prevent catastrophic damage to commercial aircraft by the next generation of terrorist weapons. Authorizes appropriations. Prohibits the deployment or purchase of explosive detection equipment unless the Administrator certifies that it can reliably detect explosive material which can cause catastrophic damage to commercial aircraft with 60 or more passenger seats. Requires air carriers, airport operators, travel agents, and employees who receive information of a threat to civil aviation to provide such information to: (1) an official of the FAA; (2) the Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Transportation Security and Intelligence; or (3) other appropriate officials. Requires the Administrator to cancel flights in the event that passenger safety from such a threat cannot be ensured. Requires the Administrator to develop guidelines to ensure notification to the public and to the flight and cabin crews of an air carrier flight of any threats to its security. Directs the Administrator to develop guidelines for airport design and construction to allow for maximum security enhancement. Directs the heads of the agencies of the intelligence community to promulgate policies and procedures to ensure that intelligence reports concerning international terrorism are made available to other members of the intelligence community, the Department of Transportation, and the FAA. Directs the Director of Central Intelligence to designate at least one intelligence officer of the Central Intelligence Agency to serve in a senior staff position in the Office of the Secretary of the Department of Transportation. Requires the Administrator to study whether additional requirements should be imposed to enhance the security requirements for the transportation of mail and cargo by passenger aircraft. Title II: United States Response to Terrorism Affecting Americans Abroad - Declares that the Department of State (the Department) shall be responsible for negotiating aviation security agreements with foreign countries concerning implementation of U.S. rules and regulations which affect the foreign operations of U.S. air carriers, foreign air carriers, and foreign international airports. Directs the Secretary of State to enter into negotiations for bilateral and multilateral agreements: (1) to enhance aviation security; (2) to implement the Foreign Airport Security Act and the foreign airport assessment program; and (3) to achieve improved availability of passenger manifest information. Makes the Coordinator for Counterterrorism responsible for the coordination of international aviation security for the Department. Requires the Administrator to require all U.S. air carriers to provide a passenger manifest of any flight to appropriate representatives of the Department within three hours after the carrier is notified of an aviation disaster outside the United States involving such flight. Authorizes the use of passport fees collected by the Department for the acquisition and production of machine-readable U.S. passports and visas and compatible reading equipment. Declares it to be the policy of the Department to notify promptly the families of victims of aviation disasters abroad, including timely written notice. Directs the Secretary of State to issue guidelines to provide that in the event of a disaster, particularly an aviation tragedy, involving U.S. citizens abroad, the Department will assign a specific individual, and an alternate, as the Department liaison for the family of each such citizen. Requires the Secretary to ensure that a toll-free telephone number is reserved for the use of the families of citizens who have been involved in such disasters. Requires the Secretary to institute a supplemental program of training in disaster management for all consular officers. Directs the Secretary to issue guidelines to provide in the event of an international aviation disaster involving U.S. citizens that at least: (1) one senior officer from the Bureau of Consular Affairs of the Department shall be dispatched to the disaster site; and (2) one Department employee shall be dispatched to such site to provide assistance and to act as an ombudsman with foreign local authorities for the victims' families. Requires the Secretary to promulgate: (1) criteria for Department staffing of disaster sites abroad; and (2) procedures for the deployment of a crisis team. Declares it to be the policy of the Department to provide arrangements for the preparation and transport to the United States of the remains of citizens who die abroad, as well as for disposition of personal effects. Requires the Secretary to compile an assessment of the Department response to the Pan American Airways Flight 103 disaster over Lockerbie, Scotland, together with guidelines for future response to such disasters, for distribution to Embassy and consular posts abroad. Requires the Secretary to promulgate guidelines with respect to recognition for the families of U.S. citizens who are killed through acts of terrorism abroad. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should take appropriate action to increase limits on carrier liability established by the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules Relating to International Transportation by Air (Warsaw Convention). Directs the President to submit to the Congress a legislative proposal to authorize the United States to provide monetary and tax relief as compensation to U.S. citizens who are victims of terrorism. Exempts the victims of the Lockerbie air disaster from income tax liability for any taxable year including December 21, 1988, and the prior year. Requires the Secretary to issue regulations to establish, under the Bureau of Consular Affairs, an electronic bulletin board accessible to the general public. Authorizes appropriations for antiterrorism assistance. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize training services, including short term refresher training, with respect to antiterrorism, to be conducted, under specified circumstances, outside of the United States. Directs the Secretary of State to develop and publish guidelines for thwarting efforts by international terrorists to enlist unwitting assistance of international aviation travelers in terrorist activities. Requires the Secretary of State to publish U.S. rewards for information on international terrorist-related activities. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Secretary should take measures to utilize and train U.S. employees at U.S. airports and abroad in the detection of explosives and firearms which could threaten international civil aviation. Requires the Secretary of State to propose to the International Civil Aviation Organization the establishment of a security program which includes: (1) training for airport security personnel; (2) grants for security equipment acquisition for certain nations; and (3) expansion of canine teams in the detection of explosive devices in all airports, including passenger screening areas and nonpublic baggage assembly and processing areas.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1990
United States Policy on Iraqi Aggression Resolution - Sets forth objectives with respect to U.S. policy in the Persian Gulf. Declares that the United States and the international community must continue to oppose Iraq's armed aggression against Kuwait. States that the United States and the international community should: (1) continue to condemn Iraq for aggression and specified human rights and terrorist offenses; and (2) hold Iraq and its leaders accountable for such actions. Supports the deployment of U.S. armed forces to the Persian Gulf region and expresses appreciation to such forces. Commends the President for his efforts to promote international consensus and cooperation in response to the Persian Gulf crisis. Declares that the United States should continue to: (1) strengthen the international consensus against Iraq's aggression; (2) obtain additional military forces and increased financial assistance from other nations in support of multinational forces deployed in the Persian Gulf; and (3) obtain international assistance for nations that have suffered financial losses as a result of support for the United Nations trade embargo against Iraq and international humanitarian assistance for foreign nationals who have fled Iraq and Kuwait. States that the United States should continue to: (1) seek international consensus to contain Iraq's conventional, chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs and stop the export to Iraq of dual use technology and military components; (2) seek international consensus to address regional problems of arms proliferation and ensure that conventional weapons transfers to the region reflect legitimate security needs of the recipient nation; (3) maintain Israel's economic well-being and military advantage in the Middle East and achieve an Arab-Israeli peace settlement; and (4) promote respect for human rights and support the development of democratic institutions throughout such region. Commends the United Nations and the United Nations Security Council for their response to Iraq's aggression against Kuwait. Affirms support for specified United Nations Security Council resolutions and calls on all nations to comply with such resolutions and strengthen sanctions against Iraq. Declares that the United States and other members of the international community should continue efforts to achieve a diplomatic solution to the Persian Gulf crisis. Supports the President's emphasis on diplomatic efforts, international sanctions, and negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations to achieve U.S. objectives. Sets forth findings with respect to the War Powers Resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 1990
Emergency Oil Market Stability Act of 1990 - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to direct the President to promulgate and transmit to the Congress a standby regulation providing for mandatory allocation of petroleum products and, if deemed necessary, price limits on any petroleum product. Specifies emergency circumstances in which the President may implement such regulation. Mandates that the regulation include an optional standby program for crude oil sharing among refiners. Declares the President shall have no authority to: (1) impose any tax, tariff, or user fee; (2) prescribe minimum petroleum prices; (3) establish a program for the assignment of rights for end-user purchases of gasoline or diesel fuel; or (4) restrict or allocate consumer petroleum inventories. Preempts State and local law about petroleum product pricing or allocation, except where exempted by the President. Permits a Governor to implement a State set aside program for residual fuel oil or any refined petroleum and, if the President approves it, also win exemption. Establishes a civil penalty for violation of the standby regulation. Directs the President to collect information on a State-by-State basis regarding petroleum products pricing, supply, and distribution. Terminates all authority under this Act on a specified date.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 1990
Declares that it is the sense of the House of Representatives that the full realization of the rights of women is vital and the President should seek the advice and consent of the Senate to ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women adopted by the United Nations.
![Official portrait of Rep. Fascell, Dante B. [D-FL-19]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/f000041_200.jpg)