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United States · Official source
5,951 records where Rep. Fazio, Vic [D-CA-3] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1988
Designates November 8 through November 14, 1988, as National Community Care Week.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1988
Designates October 1988 as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1988
Resolves that the Congress should implement policies under which: (1) the Bell operating companies would be permitted to provide information services, conduct research, design and market software, and design, manufacture, and market telecommunications equipment and customer premises equipment; and (2) statutory safeguards would ensure that these Bell activities would not harm telephone service customers or competition in the information services or manufacturing industries and would prevent cross subsidies between regulated and unregulated service offerings.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1988
Business and Citizen School Volunteers of America Act of 1988 - Directs the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to make grants to eligible partnerships to assist such partnerships in preparing, expanding, and carrying out programs designed to use volunteers in elementary and secondary schools. (Defines eligible partnership as a volunteer program development agreement between: (1) an elementary or secondary school, State educational agency (SEA), and/or local educational agency (LEA); and (2) a government agency, nonprofit organization, institution of higher education, or business concern.) Sets forth priorities in the grant approval process. Sets forth types of programs for which such grants may be made. Directs the Secretary, when issuing rules for such grants program, to consult with nonprofit organizations that operate nationwide and that have as primary purposes assisting: (1) elementary and secondary schools in organizing, promoting, and using school volunteers; and (2) older Americans, employees of business concerns, educators, and students in becoming school volunteers. Sets forth grant eligibility and application requirements. Requires annual reports by: (1) grant recipients to the Secretary; and (2) the Secretary to specified congressional officers. Directs the Secretary to establish a National Center for Leadership in School Volunteer and Partnership Programs, through grants to or contracts with a nonprofit organization described in this Act. Requires the Center to: (1) train volunteers; (2) provide technical assistance to an eligible partnership in developing or improving a volunteer program; (3) conduct an annual survey of volunteer programs; and (4) evaluate volunteer programs. Requires that at least 20 percent of funds under this Act in any fiscal year be used for Center activities. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 through 1993 to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1988
Directs the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Veterans Administration (VA) to develop minimum standard criteria for the treatment and diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to be applied uniformly to all VA medical centers. Directs the CMD, no later than three years after the enactment of this Act, to prescribe and publish such criteria in a mental health program guide. Outlines factors to be considered by the CMD when developing such criteria. Directs the CMD to develop criteria for the education, training, and evaluation of personnel whose duties include the counseling and treatment of veterans suffering from PTSD to be applied uniformly at all VA medical centers. Directs the CMD, no later than three years from the enactment of this Act, to prescribe and publish such criteria in a mental health program guide. Requires the CMD, in establishing such criteria, to consult with the Special Committee on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, established under the Veterans' Health Care Act of 1984. Directs the CMD to establish, at each VA medical center, a PTSD treatment team which shall be responsible for the counseling and treatment of veterans suffering from such disorder. Directs the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to hire such additional personnel as necessary to establish such teams at each medical center. Authorizes appropriations to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 1988
Designates October 8, 1988, as National Day of Outreach to the Rural Disabled.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 1988
Prohibits the proposed sale of F/A-18C/D aircraft, Cluster bomb units, and Sidewinder, Sparrow, Harpoon, and Maverick missiles to Kuwait.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 1988
Directs the Federal Communications Commission to establish and implement a telecommunications relay system to increase access to Federal departments and agencies for users of Telecommunications Devices for the Deaf (TDDs). Requires the system and its associated plans to include: (1) expansion of the existing relay system to a prescribed minimum service level; (2) accessibility of TDDs in Federal agencies; (3) publication of a TDD directory of Government access numbers; (4) adoption and display of logos identifying TDD stations; and (5) support for the development of cost-reducing technologies. Directs the FCC to complete its existing inquiry concerning an interstate relay system for TDD users. Requires that the Congress install TDDs and assure their accessibility in congressional offices as soon as practicable. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 1988
Recyclable Materials Science and Technology Development Act of 1988 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to study and report to the Congress concerning: (1) means to increase the use of degradable materials in manufactured goods; (2) technologies for recycling nondurable consumer products; and (3) ways to expand the marketing of recycled products. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to study and report to the Congress concerning the feasibility of recycling nondegradable medical supplies and of substituting degradable for nondegradable materials in medical equipment and supplies. Directs the Secretary of Defense to study and report to the Congress on the national defense and security implications of requiring the use of degradable materials in defense items. Instructs the Secretary of Agriculture to initiate a pilot project to develop and demonstrate viable technology for composting municipal waste and sewage sludge. Prescribes required features of the project. Requires the Secretary to report project results to the Congress. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to appoint a Director of Recycling Research and Information to: (1) make grants to support research into innovative recycling technology; and (2) gather and disseminate information on recycling technology. Describes possible research grant activities. Authorizes appropriations. Prohibits, effective five years after this Act's enactment, the production, manufacture, distribution, sale, or delivery of nonrecycled consumer goods, fast food in nondegradable containers, and packaging for specified purposes that contains any material that is not naturally degradable. Establishes both civil and criminal penalties for violations. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Secretary of Commerce jointly to issue regulations to govern the designation of goods and materials for noncompliance purposes. Prescribes criteria with respect to these regulations, including exemptions. Directs the Secretary to publish and periodically update lists of items and materials affected by the prohibition on activities involving nonrecyclable items.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 1988
Makes the legal defense of discretionary function provided under specified Federal law and the legal doctrine of foreseeability of damages inapplicable to any legal or administrative proceeding for damages arising out of U.S. violation of occupational safety or health standards or U.S. negligence at any workplace owned or operated by or under contract with the United States. Prohibits the foreseeability doctrine from being used to limit the amount or kind of damages otherwise available to the plaintiff. Establishes a National Registry of Government Litigants, within the U.S. Claims Court, to collect and maintain data regarding claims against the United States predicated (in whole or in part) upon U.S. violation of safety and health standards. Allows any person seeking damages from the United States on the basis (in whole or part) of harm resulting from U.S. violation of safety and health standards to file a notice of such fact with the U.S. Claims Court, within 30 days after commencement of such action (whether administrative or judicial in character). Directs the chief judge of the U.S. Claims Court to report annually to the Congress on the number of, and relevant facts and common characteristics underlying, such notices filed within the Registry.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1988
Black Lung Benefits Check Delivery Assurance Act of 1988 - Amends the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 to provide that if the regularly scheduled delivery date for black lung benefit checks falls on a weekend or a legal public holiday, then such checks shall be mailed for delivery on the first day preceding the weekend or holiday, even if the delivery would be made before the end of the month for which such checks are issued. Provides that if, as a consequence of such modified delivery date, the payment is more than the correct authorized amount, no action shall be taken to recover the incorrect portion.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1988
Military Retirement Benefits Check Delivery Assurance Act of 1988 - Requires the early mailing of benefit checks for military retired and retainer pay, Retired Serviceman's Family Protection Plan annuities, and military Survivor Benefit Plan annuities if the day regularly designated for the delivery of such checks falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1988
Civil Service and Federal Employee Retirement Check Delivery Assurance Act of 1988 - Provides that if the usual delivery date for civil service retirement checks falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal public holiday, then such checks shall be mailed a day earlier than usual.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1988
Federal Retirement Applications Processing Act of 1988 - Requires Federal agencies to ensure that employee personnel files include information of all Federal employment for retirement purposes within 180 days after an employee begins service with an agency. Requires an agency, if an employee gives at least four months to one year's notice of intent to retire, to: (1) inform such employee of the agency retirement counselor and applicable seminars; and (2) begin processing disability retirement applications not later than 30 days after the date of the application. Requires the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to compile quarterly information on the number of retirement applications submitted by agencies and their timeliness and accuracy. Requires agencies that are less than 90 percent timely or more than ten percent inaccurate to prepare corrective action plans to achieve compliance. Directs OPM to report to the Congress annually on such compliance. Requires the agency retirement counselor to conduct seminars at least twice a year.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1988
Railroad Retirement Benefits Check Delivery Assurance Act of 1988 - Amends the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 to provide that if the regularly scheduled delivery date for certain railroad benefits checks falls on a weekend or a legal public holiday, then such checks shall be mailed for delivery on the first day preceding the weekend or holiday, even if the delivery would be made before the end of the month for which such checks are issued. Provides that if, as a consequence of such modified delivery date, the payment is more than the correct authorized amount, no action shall be taken to recover the incorrect portion.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1988
Requires a certain percentage of Federal fleets of passenger automobiles and light-duty trucks to be alternative fuel vehicles by specified deadlines if such vehicles are being operated in an area designated under the Clean Air Act as an area of serious health endangerment for ozone and/or carbon monoxide. Requires the Administrator of the General Services Administration and the Secretary of Defense, with concurrence of the Secretary of Energy, to issue regulations ensuring that such vehicles shall: (1) be supplied with alcohol, natural gas, or electricity in the primary area of operation; and (2) be operated exclusively on such fuel (except when it is impracticable to obtain it). Mandates that funds appropriated to implement this Act be expended first in those areas determined by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (the Administrator) to have the most severe air pollution problems. Requires alcohol or natural gas fuels to be offered for sale to the public at Federal facilities except in certain circumstances. Mandates that the funds appropriated for alternative fuel vehicle acquisition apply only to the portion of costs which exceeds the cost for comparable conventional fuel vehicles. Directs the Secretary of Energy to ensure that the cost to any Federal agency receiving an alternative fuel vehicle under this Act shall not exceed the cost to such agency of a comparable conventional fueled vehicle. Mandates that gasoline powered Federal vehicles, with specified exceptions, which are operated in an area designated as seriously endangering health because of carbon monoxide, and which are not dual energy (or natural gas dual energy), be operated exclusively with fuel which blends oxygenates with gasoline at their primary fueling facility. Requires the Administrator to report to the Congress the results of a comprehensive analysis of the public health risk associated with the use of significant amounts of alcohol or natural gas transportation fuels as compared to diesel and gasoline fuels. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990. Sets forth criteria for alternative fuel vehicles. Authorizes appropriatons for FY 1993 through 1996.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1988
Revises conflict-of-interest provisions concerning Department of Defense procurement to prohibit former Department officers and employees and former or retired members of the armed services who participated in decisionmaking responsibilities concerning defense contractors from accepting compensation from such contractors for a two-year period following separation from the Department. (Present law imposes such prohibitions only on those officials who performed procurement functions for a majority of working days or who participated in negotiations of contracts or claims in excess of $10,000,000.) Imposes criminal penalties for violations of such prohibition. (Present law provides only civil penalties.) Imposes criminal penalties upon any person who knowingly offers or provides such compensation to a former defense procurement official. (Present law imposes only civil penalties.) Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to exempt from such requirements certain persons appointed to sensitive civilian procurement executive positions. Specifies that such an exemption shall be made with the concurrence of the Director of the Office of Government Ethics. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress concerning any such exemptions. Requires the Secretary to provide each defense procurement official separated from service a written notice containing: (1) an explanation of the provisions of this Act; and (2) the name of each contractor from whom such person is prohibited from accepting compensation. Specifies that the provisions of this Act shall not apply to contracts for less than $100,000 or to contractors who did less than $100,000 worth of business with the Department in the preceding fiscal year. Allows any person who is considering the propriety of accepting compensation from a defense contractor to apply to the Director of the Office of Government Ethics for advice on the applicability of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1988
Department of Environmental Protection Act - Redesignates the Environmental Protection Agency as the Department of Environmental Protection, an executive department to be administered by a Secretary of Environmental Protection appointed by the President.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1988
Designates the week of February 5 through February 11, 1989, as National Burn Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1988
Declares that all parties seeking a settlement of the conflict in Cambodia, including the United States, should have among their highest priorities the restoration of an independent Cambodia and the protection of the Cambodian people from a return to power by the Khmer Rouge. Calls on Vietnam to withdraw its forces from Cambodia and deny haven to the Khmer Rouge. Declares that the United States and the international community should use all means available to prevent a return to power of Pol Pot. Calls on the President to seek inclusion, in United Nations resolutions relating to Cambodia, the principle that those responsible for acts of genocide and human rights violations shall not return to power in Cambodia upon the withdrawal of foreign occupation forces. Encourages support of non-Communist Cambodian forces. Declares that the United States, in consultation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, should consider whether a Cambodian settlement could be facilitated by an international conference on Cambodia and international peacekeeping forces.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1988
Designates September 14, 1988, as National Medical Research Day.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1988
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Government of Nicaragua should: (1) fulfill its pledge in the Esquipulas II agreement to grant a general amnesty to all political prisoners; (2) cease inhumane torture and holding prisoners incommunicado; (3) end random arrests for purposes of political intimidation; (4) allow human rights observers in all parts of prison facilities; (5) compensate former political prisoners; and (6) cease human rights violations.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1988
Disadvantaged Minority Health Improvement Act of 1988 - Amends title VII (Health Research and Teaching Facilities and Training of Professional Health Personnel) of the Public Health Service Act to require that, for schools in which not less than 25 percent of the students are minorities from disadvantaged backgrounds, the Federal capital contribution and the school contribution to a student loan fund under existing provisions be used only for making loans to such students. Authorizes appropriations for Federal capital contributions to such schools for FY 1989 through 1991. Creates a new subpart relating to assistance for disadvantaged minority students. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to certain schools of health, in which not less than 25 percent of the students are minorities from disadvantaged backgrounds, for scholarships covering tuition and fees. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 through 1991. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements with such students in their final year of degree programs at such schools to assist in paying Government and commercial loans for educational and living expenses. Conditions the agreement on the student and school agreeing that the student will hold a full-time faculty appointment at the school for at least two years. Authorizes loan payments of $20,000 for each year of service, to a maximum of $80,000. Authorizes the Secretary to reimburse the individual for any increase in their Federal, State, or local income taxes which results from the loan payments. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 through 1991. Amends title XVII (Health Information and Health Promotion) of the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary to establish in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health an Office of Minority Health and to appoint a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Minority Health to serve as Director of the Office. Authorizes the Secretary, through the Director, to make grants and enter into contracts to conduct programs of research, training, education, epidemiological studies, and data collection with respect to the prevention and control of diseases prevalent among minority groups. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 through 1991.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 1988
Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 - Title I: Clinical Laboratories Under the Public Health Service Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit soliciting or accepting specimens for laboratory procedures without a license or an accreditation. Requires certain criteria to be met for issuance or renewal of a license, including that the laboratory agrees: (1) not to provide services under referrals from physicians or any entity which has a financial interest in or receives compensation from the laboratory; and (2) to bill patients directly. Makes licenses valid for a maximum of two years. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue standards to assure consistent performance, including standards regarding: (1) quality assurance and quality control; (2) maintenance of records, equipment, and facilities; (3) qualifications of certain personnel; and (4) participation in a proficiency testing program. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) national standards for quality assurance in cytology services; and (2) an external proficiency evaluation system for cytological services. Amends provisions authorizing the Secretary to require payment of fees for the issuance and renewal of licenses to remove the limit on the amount of the fees. Directs the Secretary to annually compile information which is useful in evaluating the performance of a laboratory, including information relating to: (1) convictions for fraud and abuse, false billings, or kickbacks; (2) license revocations; (3) intermediate sanctions; (4) injunctions; (5) performance characteristics; (6) the results of the proficiency testing; (7) inspection deficiencies; and (8) exclusions from participation under title XVIII (Medicare) or XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act. Declares that a laboratory which is accredited by an accreditation body approved by the Secretary is not required to be licensed. Allows the Secretary to approve an accreditation body if certain criteria are met, including that the body's standards must be at least as stringent as those for licensing. Sets forth procedures relating to: (1) withdrawal of an accreditation body's approval; and (2) accreditation of a laboratory. Authorizes the Secretary, on an announced or unannounced basis, to inspect a laboratory and all equipment, containers, records, and other materials. Allows the Secretary, after notice and opportunity for hearing, to revoke, suspend, or limit a license or accreditation for specified causes. Allows suspension before a hearing in certain circumstances. Requires a revocation to stay in effect for at least three years. Requires the suspension of the license of a laboratory which has been excluded from participation under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act because of actions relating to quality. Allows temporary and permanent injunctions under suit by the Secretary. Provides for judicial review of license or accreditation revocation, suspension, or limitation. Provides for intermediate sanctions, including civil monetary penalties, and sanctions, including criminal fines and imprisonment. Permits the Secretary, by agreement, to use and pay for the services or facilities of any Federal, State, or local public agency or nonprofit private organization. Allows the Secretary to exempt laboratories from compliance where State laws are at least as stringent. Repeals provisions exempting from licensing requirements laboratories operated: (1) by certain health professionals solely as an adjunct to the treatment of their own patients; and (2) for any person engaged in the business of insurance solely for the purpose of making insurance decisions. Title II: Studies - Directs the Secretary, through the Public Health Service, to conduct studies on various aspects of validity, reliability, and accuracy of tests performed by clinical laboratories and to report the results to the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 1988
Medicare and Medicaid Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 - Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require that clinical diagnostic laboratories be licensed under the Public Health Service Act. Limits Medicare payments for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests to no more than the lowest amount which the laboratory charged others for such tests. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report to the Congress within 18 months of this Act's enactment on the changes and Medicare and Medicaid savings wrought by such payment policy. Requires that health maintenance organizations' quality assurance programs assure that outpatient clinical diagnostic laboratory tests are provided only in laboratories which meet this Act's licensing requirements. Allows direct Medicare payments to a laboratory which refers a test to another laboratory only if such other laboratory has no ownership or management relationship with the referring laboratory. Prohibits an entity from providing clinical diagnostic laboratory tests at a physician's direction if such physician has a financial interest in the entity that poses a substantial risk of program abuse. Imposes a civil money penalty and assessment against a person who improperly bills for laboratory services. Requires a physician who orders an unnecessary clinical diagnostic laboratory test to reimburse the laboratory for the performance of such test, unless such physician: (1) did not or could not reasonably be expected to know that such test was unnecessary; or (2) informed the individual to be tested that Medicare will not pay for such test and such individual agreed to pay for it.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1988
Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals With Disabilities Act of 1988 - Title I: Grants to States - Directs the Secretary of Education to make grants to States for consumer-responsive comprehensive statewide programs of technology-related assistance for individuals of all ages with disabilities. Lists functions and activities which may be included in the programs. Directs the Secretary to award to States three-year grants for statewide programs of technology-related assistance for individuals with disabilities. Provides for the number and amounts of the grants. Gives States receiving grants in one fiscal year priority in the availability of amounts appropriated in the next fiscal year. Directs the Secretary to award grants in a manner that is geographically equitable and that distributes them among States that have differing levels of development of programs of technology-related assistance. Sets forth information and assurances which must accompany an application. Authorizes the Secretary to award a two-year extension grant to any State that demonstrates significant progress of a statewide program of technology-related assistance under a grant provided for in this Act. Provides for the amounts of the extension grants and for priority for previously participating States. Specifies elements which must be included in an extension grant application. Requires each State that receives a grant under this title to submit an annual report to the Secretary. Sets forth specific requirements for reports with respect to extension grants. Directs the Secretary to establish a system to assess the extent to which States which receive grants under this title are making significant progress. Subjects any State which fails to comply with the requirements of this title to a corrective action plan. Declares that nothing in this title shall be construed to permit the State or any Federal agency to reduce medical or other assistance available or to alter eligibility under: (1) title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance), title V (Maternal and Child Health), title XVI (Supplemental Security Income), title XVIII (Medicare), title XIX (Medicaid), or title XX (Block Grants for States for Social Services) of the Social Security Act; (2) the Education of the Handicapped Act; (3) the Rehabilitation Act; or (4) laws relating to veterans' benefits. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 through 1993. Directs the Secretary to reserve from amounts appropriated one percent for provision to States of information and technical assistance. Authorizes the Secretary to reserve sums as necessary to cover the cost of on-site visits. Directs the Secretary, directly or by contract, to: (1) conduct a national evaluation of the grant program authorized by this title; and (2) report to the Congress not later than October 1, 1992. Authorizes the Secretary to work with the States to consider and develop a uniform information system designed to report and compile a qualitative and quantitative description of the impact of the grant program. Title II: Programs of National Significance - Part A: Study on Financing of Assistive Technology Devices and Assistive Technology Services for Individuals with Disabilities - Requires the National Council on the Handicapped to: (1) conduct a study and make recommendations to the Congress and the President concerning financing and other aspects of technology-related assistance, devices, and services; and (2) appoint an advisory committee in accordance with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to assist the Council in carrying out the Council's duties under this part. Directs the heads of all Federal agencies, to the extent not prohibited by law, to cooperate with the Council. Authorizes the Council, with the consent of the agency involved, to use the resources of Federal, State, local, and private agencies, with or without reimbursement. Sets forth reporting requirements. Part B: National Information and Program Referral Network - Directs the Secretary to enter into any contract or cooperative agreement necessary in order to establish a national information and program referral network to assist States regarding such technology-related assistance, if the Secretary determines it appropriate to establish the network. Requires the contracts or agreements, if any, to be entered into before the end of 30 months after appropriations are enacted. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study of the feasibility and desirability of creating such a network. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into a contract or cooperative agreement necessary to conduct the study. Provides for the content and timetable of the study. Part C: Training and Public Awareness Projects - Directs the Secretary to enter into contracts or cooperative agreements concerning training with regard to the provision of technology-related assistance. Specifies eligible activities. Directs the Secretary to make grants to assist institutions of higher education to prepare personnel for careers relating to the provision of technology-related assistance. Sets forth priorities and specifies allowed uses of funds. Directs the Secretary to make grants or enter into contracts to carry out national projects that build awareness of the importance and efficacy of assistive technology devices and services for individuals of all ages with disabilities functioning in various settings of daily life. Sets forth allowed uses of the funds. Directs the Secretary to establish priorities for the grants and to publish the priorities, along with an explanation of how the priorities were determined, in the Federal Register. Part D: Demonstration and Innovation Projects - Directs the Secretary to make grants or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements to pay all or part of the cost of demonstration and innovation projects concerning technology-related assistance for individuals with disabilities. Sets forth allowed uses of the funds. Part E: Authorization of Appropriations - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 through 1993. Sets forth priorities depending on specified levels of appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1988
Title I: Municipal Incinerator Emissions - Amends the Clean Air Act to direct the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate performance standards to control emissions of particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, lead, cadmium, dioxins, dibenzofurans, hydrogen chloride, and mercury from municipal waste incineration units. Requires that such standards reflect the greatest degree of emission limitation achievable through application of the best available control technologies and practices. Deems specified practices and control technologies to be available. Requires that such standards be promulgated within one year of this Act's enactment, take effect within 18 months of enactment, and be reviewed and, if necessary, revised within three years of promulgation and every five years thereafter. Sets forth emission control standards which will be applicable should the EPA fail to promulgate standards. Requires the EPA to promulgate a timetable, within one year of this Act's enactment, for existing municipal waste incineration units to comply with emission control standards, taking into account the remaining useful life of the unit and the threat the unit poses to human health and the environment. Sets forth the maximum number of years which such timetable may allow for the compliance, providing more time as a unit's additional pollution control equipment costs represent a larger proportion of its capital costs. Requires owners or operators of municipal waste incineration units to monitor emissions at the point such emissions move into ambient air and at such other points as necessary to protect human health and the environment and to report the results of such monitoring. Sets monitoring standards, including ones for continuous and periodic monitoring. Sets a 20-year limit on unit permits. Provides for the termination of such a permit if: (1) the unit is not in compliance with permit terms and conditions; (2) compliance with additional conditions is necessary to protect human health and the environment, or will impose minimal costs on the unit owner or operator and reduce air emissions below levels specified in the permit; or (3) enforceable contracts for the treatment or disposal of the unit's ash for the succeeding five years do not exist. Requires that a permit be reviewed at least once every five years. Authorizes concurrent State enforcement of unit emission standards, provided such enforcement is equivalent to Federal enforcement under this Act. Requires that civil penalties imposed against municipalities pursuant to this Act be applied in support of public programs and activities that enhance the protection of the health and environment of their residents. Directs the EPA to establish a model State program, within 18 months of this Act's enactment, for the training and certification of municipal waste incinerator personnel. Requires that incinerator personnel be certified pursuant to a State or EPA training and certification program which is consistent with such program. Subjects any person engaged in the manufacture or sale of municipal waste incineration units or components who misrepresents the performance characteristics of incinerator technology or equipment to a civil monetary penalty plus costs and damages caused by such misrepresentation. Includes as major emitting facilities under the Clean Air Act municipal incinerators capable of charging more than 50 tons of refuse per day. (Currently, only incinerators charging more than 250 tons per day are included.) Title II: Solid Waste Disposal Act Amendment - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to direct the EPA to promulgate regulations, within one year of this Act's enactment, for the safe management of municipal incinerator ash. Requires that landfills into which such ashes are disposed be monofills with groundwater monitoring, two synthetic liners, an additional lower liner, a leachate collection system above all liners, and a leak detection system between the two synthetic liners. Authorizes the disposal of ash in a landfill other than a monofill if requirements more stringent than those imposed on monofills apply. Authorizes the EPA to waive the applicability of this Act's landfill design requirements to solid waste management units receiving incinerator ash if an alternative design will provide at least as effective protection of human health and the environment as such requirements. Prohibits a State from issuing a permit to any new or modified municipal waste incineration unit after 18 months after this Act's enactment unless the State prepares a solid waste management plan which provides cost-effective maximization of resource conservation and the protection of human health and the environment through solid waste reduction, source separation or control, recycling, and other measures. Prohibits the issuance of a permit to a unit unless an ash management plan demonstrating compliance with this Act's requirements has been submitted for the ash from such unit. Requires that before a new or modified unit begins operations it have sufficient capacity to treat or dispose of its ash for the succeeding five years. Directs the EPA, in developing regulations for the management of municipal incinerator ash, to issue criteria and testing procedures for identifying the characteristics of such ash which may pose a hazard to human health or the environment. Authorizes the EPA to require the owner or operator of a municipal incinerator or any facility involved in ash management to test the ash in accordance with such criteria and testing procedures. Requires that any ash which is identified as posing a hazard to human health or the environment be: (1) disposed of pursuant to this Act's requirements; or (2) treated, in accordance with regulations to be promulgated by the EPA, so as to remove the hazards associated with such ash, including the migration of hazardous constituents. Subjects facilities receiving municipal incinerator ash to a permit or other prior approval program and conditions in accordance with a State's solid waste management program. Provides public notice and the opportunity or an informal public hearing prior to the issuance of a permit to an ash management facility. Authorizes the EPA to issue a corrective action order or commence a civil action against the offending facility when there has been a release of a hazardous ash constituent. Directs the EPA to publish guidelines, within one year of this Act's enactment, identifying items or materials that should be removed from municipal waste prior to incineration in order to reduce air emissions.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1988
Palau Compact of Free Association Implementation Act - Authorizes the entry into force of the Compact of Free Association between the United States and Palau (the Compact), subject to specified determinations of approval by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Palau or by referendum. Directs the President to negotiate: (1) an agreement with the Government of Palau to establish an office of public auditor; (2) an agreement regarding responses to an audit by the Comptroller General of the United States or the Secretary of the Interior; (3) agreements for the establishment of an independent office of special prosecutor and for the provision of law enforcement assistance and U.S.-Palau law enforcement cooperation; (5) an agreement providing for the submission by the Palau Government of a national development plan; and (6) agreements for the provision of medical, capital improvement, and further referendum cost assistance. Directs the Secretary to: (1) provide assistance for the development and promulgation of regulations regarding expenditures; and (2) negotiate an agreement guaranteeing purchase by the Federal Financing Bank of Palau Government obligations issued to refinance indebtedness related to the Palau electric power generating and distribution system. Provides funds for construction of medical facilities in Palau and debt assistance to Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands for use of medical facilities prior to implementation of the territories' compacts. Directs the Comptroller General to conduct annual audits of assistance provided to the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands. Extends Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, and College Work-Study assistance to students who are or will be citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, or the Marshall Islands. Authorizes the Presidents of the United States and Palau to make agreements regarding compensation for and the transfer of land for defense uses. Directs the United States to provide funds for capital improvements. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish field offices in Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands; and (2) provide sums as may be necessary for a further referendum or other costs of Compact implementation. Authorizes appropriations. Provides for continuing availability of unobligated balances of funds provided to Palau. Directs the Secretary to assist the President of Palau in implementing the requirements of the fiscal procedures and law enforcement assistance agreements and to report annually to the House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Provides a 180-day transitional rule for granting of U.S. nonimmigrant status. Amends the Act approving the Compact to provide that the authorizations for transition purposes shall decline over the first through third fiscal years after the Compact's effective date (under current law, FY 1987 through 1989).
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1988
Designates the week beginning November 6, 1988, as National Filipino American History Week.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1988
Declares that the House of Representatives honors the 24th Infantry Regiment of the U.S. Army for its service to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1988
Designates the period of November 28 through December 5, 1988, as National Book Week.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1988
Designates November 18, 1988, as National Philanthropy Day.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 1988
Authorizes the Vietnam Women's Memorial Project, Inc., to construct a commemorative statue within the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to recognize and honor the women of the U.S. armed forces who served in the Vietnam war. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to select a site for the statue within the Memorial. Makes the design proposal subject to the approval of the Secretary, the National Planning Commission, and the Commission of Fine Arts. Prohibits the United States and the District of Columbia from paying any expense of constructing the statue. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) it is fitting and appropriate that such a statue be constructed at the site of the Vietnam Memorial; (2) the Secretary and each of the Commissions should give consideration to the sense of Congress that such a statue should be constructed at that site; and (3) after the addition of such statue no further commemorative works should be added to the Memorial. Requires the Secretary and Administrator of General Services to prepare, transmit to the Congress, and update periodically a list and a description of those commemorative works which have been completed and are located in the District of Columbia and its environs. Prohibits any significant modification to any commemorative work located in the District of Columbia and its environs unless specifically authorized by the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 1988
Designates October 20, 1988, as Leyte Landing Day (relating to the allied forces landing in the Philippines in World War II).
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 1988
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Secretary of the Treasury should not regulate the donation of articles intended to relieve human suffering in Nicaragua, except as authorized for the President under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 1988
Drug Free Mothers and Babies Act of 1988 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) carry out a program to research drug and alcohol abuse among pregnant women and its effects on their infants; and (2) establish demonstration projects for prevention, education, and treatment regarding drug and alcohol abuse relating to pregnant and postpartum women and their infants. Authorizes the Secretary, through the Directors of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, to make grants to health research facilities for such research, giving priority to projects researching widely available drugs about which exist insufficient information, including cocaine and crack. Authorizes the Secretary, through the Director of the Office of Substance Abuse Prevention, to make grants to medical facilities for such demonstration projects, giving priority to projects for low-income women and their infants and projects designed to develop innovative approaches. Requires grants to be distributed among projects that provide inpatient, outpatient, and residential treatment. Sets forth reporting requirements. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 through 1991.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 1988
Mental Health and Aging Act of 1988 - Title I: Public Health Service Act Amendments - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for FY 1989 through 1991 for alcohol and drug abuse and mental health services block grants to States. Requires that specified portions of grants for community mental health services be allotted for programs serving severely disturbed children and adolescents, and individuals at or over 65 years who are not in mental institutions. Directs States to implement programs for assuring the quality and effectiveness of such services. Sets forth a community mental health services consumer's bill of rights which includes provisions addressing the right to: (1) receive appropriate treatment in a safe and humane setting pursuant to an individualized, written, treatment plan; (2) exercise personal liberties; (3) make or participate in informed decisions regarding the course of treatment; (4) be notified regarding changes in treatment eligibility status and, upon discharge, referred as appropriate to other mental health service providers; and (5) be informed regarding charges and coverage for such services. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to States, localities, and nonprofit private agencies for mental health services demonstration projects for the planning, coordination, and improvement of community services (including outreach and self-help services) for elderly individuals and for rural residents, and for the conduct of research concerning such services. Authorizes appropriations for such projects for FY 1989 and 1990. Reserves specified amounts of appropriations to the National Institute of Mental Health and to the National Institute on Aging for FY 1989 through 1991, which are in excess of FY 1988 appropriations, for programs of clinical training, research training, and career development regarding the mental health of the elderly. Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to authorize appropriations for FY 1989 through 1991 for the education and training of personnel concerned with the mental health of the elderly. Amends the Public Health Service Act to reserve specified amounts of appropriations to the National Institute of Mental Health and to the National Institute on Aging for FY 1989 through 1991, which are in excess of FY 1988 appropriations, for research on the mental health and psycho-social well-being of elderly individuals. Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to authorize appropriations for FY 1989 through 1991 for research, development, and demonstration projects regarding the mental health of elderly individuals. Directs the Secretary to establish a National Mental Health Education Program to encourage research, training, and education and collect and disseminate information regarding mental health problems. Authorizes appropriations for such Program for FY 1989 through 1991. Requires the Secretary to enter into a contract with the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences for the conduct of a study to determine methods for measuring and assuring the quality and effectiveness of mental health services and alcohol and drug abuse treatment services. Requires that the Institute complete such study and report to the Congress. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989. Directs the Secretary to provide for and report to the Congress by January 1, 1990, on additional studies: (1) comparing mental health services under Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) and non-Medicare prepaid health plans, and in settings other than prepaid health plans; (2) examining mechanisms for ensuring the quality of, and access to, mental health services delivered by State, local, and independent mental health facilities; (3) examining minority access to community mental health centers; (4) examining the adequacy and optimal utilization of mental health manpower; and (5) examining the adequacy of minority mental health manpower and training. Authorizes the Secretary to conduct demonstration projects to determine methods of increasing minority access to community mental health centers. Authorizes appropriations for such studies and projects. Title II: Medicare and Medicaid Program Changes - Amends part A (Hospital Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover inpatient psychiatric hospital services furnished to an individual for up to 60 days in a calendar year, with extensions of such limit permissible upon a review and determination of the necessity of such services. (Currently, such coverage is provided for up to 190 days in an individual's lifetime.) Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of the Medicare program to cover up to 20 physician visits per year to an outpatient suffering from mental disorders if the main purpose of such visits is to assess the individual's status and drug plan, and to perform necessary lab tests. Permits the extension of such limit upon a determination of the necessity of such visits. Covers, under the Medicare and Medicaid (title XIX of the Act) programs, outpatient mental health services furnished in a community mental health center or by a physician, clinical psychologist, clinical social worker, or psychiatric nurse specialist, provided such services would otherwise be covered if furnished by a physician. Provides Medicare coverage of in-home care for up to 120 hours per year for a chronically dependent individual. (Currently, up to 80 hours of such coverage is provided after an individual has incurred catastrophic expenses.) Amends the Medicaid program to define an institution for mental diseases as an institution that has more than 16 beds and: (1) is under the jurisdiction of the State mental health authority; (2) advertises itself as primarily specializing in treating individuals with mental disease; or (3) is made up, for the most part, of patients who do not have a physical condition which in itself requires the level of services provided in a skilled nursing facility. Amends the Medicare and Medicaid programs to require nursing facilities to provide access to medically necessary mental health services. Directs the Secretary to ensure the reasonableness of levels of reimbursement of nursing facilities under the Medicare and Medicaid programs for their provision of mental health services. Requires that Medicare payments for outpatient mental health services be made on an assignment-related basis. Requires Medicare carriers and fiscal intermediaries to provide for reviews to assure appropriate utilization of services covered by this Act. Prohibits charges for covered outpatient mental health services from increasing by more than the average percentage increase of the Consumer Price Index and the Medicare Economic Index. Directs the Secretary to develop a prospective payment system for Medicare outpatient mental health services and report to the Congress regarding such system by January 1, 1990. Amends part A (General Provisions) of title XI of the Act to impose additional conditions on mental health providers' participation in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Includes among such conditions the requirements that each provider: (1) comply with the consumer bill of rights; (2) provide each consumer with written grievance procedures and written notice of the services to be provided; (3) have the capacity to identify potential clients, provide mental health services, and coordinate their services with those provided by others; and (4) engage in consumer needs assessment and care and discharge planning activities. Requires health maintenance organizations to ensure access to, and the quality of, the outpatient mental health services they provide. Requires peer review organization review of the mental health services for which payment is made under the Medicare or Medicaid program.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1988
Construction Safety and Health Improvement Act of 1988 - Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (the Act) to provide for construction industry accident reporting, recordkeeping, investigation, and work-suspension procedures, for a permit system for hazardous construction operations, and for health and safety planning and supervision of all construction projects. Involves professional engineer-architects in such procedures. Increases civil and criminal violations and penalties under the Act. Defines a Professional Engineer-Architect (E-A) as an individual who: (1) has attained, through engineering education and science, a thorough knowledge of mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences and principles and methods of engineering analysis and design; and (2) is registered, where permitted, as a professional engineer in the State where such work is to be performed. Defines serious injury as one requiring professional medical treatment. Defines hazard analysis as a report: (1) detailing the potential safety hazards (including structural collapses, cave-ins, fires, flooding or other water hazards, explosions, and lightning) that could occur on a construction site throughout the construction process; and (2) containing instructions and provisions for the prevention or handling of potential safety hazards. Sets forth incident reporting, recordkeeping, and investigation procedures relating to construction site accidents. Requires the E-A responsible for the worksite to: (1) immediately investigate any incident upon its occurrence; and (2) report all reportable incidents on the construction worksite to the appropriate regional office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) by telephone or telegraph immediately after their occurrence. Defines the term "reportable incident" as one that: (1) causes serious injury or death; (2) could have caused serious injury or death, as determined by the E-A; (3) involves a structural failure that leads to a collapse of a building; or (4) involves a near-collapse of a building. Excludes from such term an incident that causes serious injury or death, if an E-A determines that the incident was not a violation of: (1) the project construction process and hazard analysis or the Project Safety and Health Program and Procedures; or (2) the Act or a standard promulgated pursuant to the Act. Sets forth the types of information which such report must specify. Requires the employer, appropriate contractor, or the owner to bar ingress to and egress from, or other interference with, an incident site until OSHA completed its investigation, on the occurrence of a reportable incident involving: (1) three or more serious injuries; (2) a fatality; (3) a life-threatening injury; (4) a structural failure that leads to the collapse of a building; or (5) the near-collapse of a building. Allows necessary medical treatment or medical transportation and rescue and recovery work to take place at such site. Prohibits any work from being done at such site until OSHA completes its investigation and certifies that it is safe for work to continue. Requires the employer, appropriate contractor, or owner to take appropriate measures, as defined by regulations promulgated by the Secretary of Labor (the Secretary), to prevent the destruction of relevant evidence. Directs OSHA to conduct an investigation of such an incident (including site inspection) as soon as practicable after it is reported. Requires the employer, appropriate contractor, or owner to grant OSHA immediate access to the incident site. Requires OSHA to ensure a full investigation. Requires such investigation to take place within 24 hours following receipt of the report unless rescue and recovery operations are in progress or OSHA determines that conditions at the site would make investigation dangerous. Directs OSHA to determine during the investigation whether the incident site is an imminent danger or to certify that work may resume at the site. Directs OSHA, following such investigation, to prepare a description of the incident (including all items specified for E-A reports) and submit it to the area office as soon as possible, but no later than one week following commencement of the investigation. Requires each employer engaged in construction work to file a report with OSHA upon completion of such work at a construction project. Requires such reports to include information on work incidents, injuries, and deaths. Requires that such information be used to: (1) determine the national incident rate average for each type of construction work; and (2) target for inspections high hazard construction operations, and employers that have a higher than average incident rate. Revises provisions for civil and criminal penalties under the Act. Raises to $25,000 the maximum civil penalty for each: (1) willful or repeated violation (currently $10,000); (2) citation for a serious violation (currently $1,000); (3) citation for a violation determined not serious (currently $1,000); and (4) failure (per day) to correct a violation (currently $1,000). Makes mandatory (currently discretionary) the assessment of a civil penalty against employers who fail to correct a violation against which a citation has been issued. Adds criminal penalties for repeated violations of specified standards, rules, or orders under the Act and for failure to correct a violation for which a citation has been issued (as well as for willful violations), if that violation or failure caused death, serious injury, or illness to any employee, or was a serious violation under new provisions covering directors, officers, or agents of a corporate employer who knowingly authorize, order, or carry out violations, failures, or refusals to comply with orders under the Act. Increases the maximum criminal penalties for such violations (after having increased their scope beyond willful violations resulting in an employee death) to $250,000 in fines and/or 20 years' imprisonment (currently $10,000 and/or six months), and, for violations committed after a first conviction, to $500,000 and/or ten years (currently $20,000 and/or one year). Increases the maximum criminal penalties for giving advance notice of an inspection (without the authority of the Secretary or a designee under the Act) to $50,000 in fines and/or one year's imprisonment (currently, $1,000 and/or six months). Increases the maximum criminal penalties for false statements, representations, or certifications under the Act to $100,000 in fines and/or one year's imprisonment (currently $10,000 and/or six months). Increases the maximum civil penalty for a violation of posting requirements to $25,000 (currently $1,000). Revises procedures for the payment of civil penalties to require that interest be charged against a person on any final order of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (the Commission) or the U.S. district court. Specifies such interest rate and requires accrual to begin 30 days after issuance of such order. Subjects any director, officer, or agent of a corporate employer, who knowingly authorized, ordered, or carried out the employer's violation of a safety or health standard or knowing violation or failure or refusal to comply with an order issued under the Act, to the same civil penalties, criminal fines, and imprisonment that may be imposed on a person under applicable provisions of the Act. Prohibits the use of the assets of any business entity to pay, directly or indirectly, a penalty or fine imposed on a director, officer, or agent. Establishes criminal penalties for any director, officer, or agent of any employer who discovers an occupational hazard at the workplace that could cause serious injury or illness to any employee and who fails, during the 15 day-period after such discovery (or immediately, if there is an imminent risk of bodily injury or death), to: (1) inform the Assistant Secretary in writing, unless such person has actual knowledge that the Assistant Secretary has been so informed; and (2) warn affected employees in writing, unless such person has actual knowledge that such employees have been so warned. Sets the maximum penalty for such violation at $250,000 in fines and/or ten years' imprisonment. Prohibits fines from being paid, directly or indirectly, out of the assets of any business entity on behalf of such individual. Establishes criminal penalties for any person who knowingly discriminates against any person in the terms or conditions of employment or in retention in employment or in hiring because of such person's having informed the Assistant Secretary or warned employees of a serious concealed occupational hazard at the workplace. Sets the maximum penalty for such a violation at $250,000 in fines and/or ten years' imprisonment. Prohibits such fines from being paid, directly or indirectly, out of the assets of any business entity on behalf of such an individual. Prohibits compromise, mitigation, or settlement of any proposed civil penalty that has been: (1) issued under provisions for enforcement procedures under the Act, unless the affected employees or their representative have been given a full opportunity to participate in the process resulting in such an outcome; or (2) contested before the Commission under the Act, except with the Commission's approval. Prohibits compromise, mitigation, or settlement of any penalty assessment that has become a final order of the Commission, except with court approval. Makes each instance a separate violation, for purposes of assessing civil penalties and fines, where there are multiple instances of a violation of a standard under the Act. Considers a serious violation to exist in a place of employment if there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a condition that exists there, or from one or more practices, means, methods, operations, or processes that have been adopted or in use there, unless the employer did not, and could not with the exercise of reasonable diligence, know of the presence of the violation. Subjects to criminal penalties, upon conviction, any person who knowingly distributes, offers for sale, introduces, or delivers in commerce any equipment (or components or accessories) for use at a construction site, if such equipment: (1) is represented as complying with the provisions of the Act or any applicable specification or regulation of the Secretary; but (2) does not so comply. Provides that no State or local law shall be superseded by any provision, order, or standard under the Act, unless such law is in conflict with it. Provides that State or local safety and health laws are not in conflict with the Act if they provide standards which are either more stringent than or not provided by the Act. Provides that nothing in the Act shall preclude State and local law enforcement agencies from engaging in criminal prosecutions in accordance with State or local laws. Establishes a permit system for certain construction operations under the Act. Requires the issuance of a permit by an E-A for an employment or place of employment prior to the commencement of any of the following covered operations: (1) the construction of trenches and excavations that are five feet or deeper and into which a person is required to descend; (2) the erection of scaffolding that is more than three stories high; (3) the demolition of any building, structure, or the dismantling of scaffolding, that is more than three stories high; (4) operations involving exposure to asbestos; (5) any other operation that OSHA determines involves an exposure of employees to death or serious bodily harm; and (6) any other operation on a specific project which involves an exposure to death or serious bodily harm. Requires a construction industry employer to obtain such a permit by submitting an application demonstrating that the employer knows, complies with, and intends to comply with, all statutes, regulations, standards, and agency directives applicable to construction work generally and to the covered operation or operations specifically, including all requirements set forth in the Act. Requires such an application to include a copy of: (1) the Project Safety and Health Program Procedures; and (2) the Construction Process Plan and Hazard Analysis. Requires only one application and one permit for two or more operations to be performed concurrently by the same employer. Allows an employer who complies with the general application demonstration requirements to obtain an annual permit in lieu of an application and permit for each covered operation of that employer. Requires the employer, before commencement of work on each new covered operation within the year covered by the annual permit, to: (1) notify the project E-A of the nature, location, and intended date of commencement of such operation; and (2) certify that the demonstration made to obtain such annual permit continues to apply to such new operation. Requires such notification to include copies of that portion of the Project Safety and Health Program and Procedures and the Construction Process Plan and Hazard Analysis that are applicable to such new operation or that have been revised since submission of the permit application. Requires permit applications to be submitted to an E-A for certification (or to OSHA in the absence of a permit certified by an E-A). Directs OSHA to establish a schedule of fees to cover the costs involved in investigating and issuing permits. Requires employers to pay such fees to the E-A or OSHA prior to permit issuance. Requires every employer issued a permit to post a copy or copies at or near each place of employment involving a covered operation (or at the nearest practicable location of such employer if the posting is impracticable at the site of an excavation). Makes specified Federal criminal law penalties applicable to false statements made with respect to permit applications and information. Requires that all construction projects be under the supervision of a professional E-A who is registered in the State where the project is located. Makes the owner of the project responsible for designating the E-A. (Considers the owner to have joint responsibility where the project contract specifically assigns such responsibility to a project or construction manager or a prime or general contractor.) Makes the E-A responsible for: (1) determining whether a project's size or complexity requires the designation of qualified representatives of the E-A to ensure that the work is performed in compliance with all provisions, orders, and standards under the Act; (2) assuring that an adequate number of qualified designated representatives (meeting requirements for being competent persons) are assigned to the project; and (3) the actions, and compliance with the Act, of the designated representatives. Makes the E-A liable to the same extent that the supervisor is liable for violations of the Act. Requires posting at each construction project, near the OSHA poster, of the name and registration number of the E-A and the names of all designated representatives. Allows, in such instances, work on the project to be performed only when the E-A's designated representative or representatives will be present on the work site. Allows work on a construction project to be performed only when the E-A is present on the site, unless the E-A determines and certifies that a designated representative will be present on the site and will be sufficient to assure that the work will be performed in compliance with all provisions, orders, and standards under this Act. Makes the owner responsible for the development and implementation on the project of Project Safety and Health Program and Procedures (project procedures). (Considers the owner to have joint responsibility where the project contract assigns such responsibility to a project or construction manager, contractor, or other person.) Requires project procedures to be job-site specific, with benchmarks for monitoring compliance with the program. Requires that specific duties and responsibilities for monitoring compliance with such procedures be assigned to the E-A or designated representatives. Prohibits certain liability claims against labor-management committee members or labor unions if such a committee participates in monitoring project procedures. Directs the E-A to review project procedures, and to certify approval after determining that they: (1) will adequately address safety and health-related conditions anticipated on the project; and (2) contain appropriate provisions for education and training of employers, supervisors, and employees in the recognition, avoidance, and prevention of unsafe and unhealthy conditions. Requires an E-A to perform or supervise, and the project E-A to verify, any required design (or alterations or modifications in the design) of equipment, structures, temporary structures, drawings, or processes. Requires the E-A to notify in writing the appropriate contractors and subcontractors performing work on the project of the existence of hazardous conditions or work practices that violate any Federal, State, or local safety and health laws or regulations, and of noncompliance with any project procedures. Directs the E-A to notify the owner and to require that work be stopped or affected employees be removed from areas where an imminent danger exists. Requires certification of designated representatives in the appropriate State. Directs the Secretary to review and approve such State certification programs and to provide such certification where such State programs are not provided. Requires every owner to prepare a construction process plan and hazard analysis for every construction project prior to commencement of work on that project. (Considers the owner to have joint responsibility where the project contract assigns such responsibility to a project or construction manager or a project or general contractor.) Requires E-A review and approval of such plan and analysis prior to commencement of work on the project. Requires such plan and analysis to include specified components. Requires the prime or general contractor to provide every other contractor and subcontractor, prior to their commencement of work on the project, with a copy of such plan and analysis. Requires every contractor and subcontractor to maintain the plan and analysis throughout its presence on the project and to make such available for review by its employees and employee representatives. Requires all contractors and subcontractors on the project to observe the construction process plan, unless the E-A certifies an exception from one or more aspects of the plan. Requires the project E-A, prior to the commencement of work on a construction project, to certify to OSHA project compliance with all requirements relating to the permit system for certain hazardous construction operations, and with the health and safety supervisory rules for all construction projects under the Act. Authorizes the Secretary, with the approval of the Advisory Committee on Construction, Safety and Health, to exempt from such requirements for all construction projects: (1) certain sizes or types of construction operations, as determined appropriate by the Secretary; and (2) other construction operations, if they are being performed according to a specific plan that includes adequate safety and health procedures approved by an E-A.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1988
Requires commercial lessors of automobiles to disclose to their rental customers the nature of the collision damage waivers offered under the automobile rental agreement. Mandates that such information be included in advertisements posted by such lessors. Makes violators of such disclosure requirements liable to: (1) an aggrieved lessee in an amount equal to the total amount paid by the lessee under the rental agreement; and (2) the United States for a maximum civil penalty of $10,000. Sets forth enforcement provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1988
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a taxpayer a nonrefundable 50 percent income tax credit, to a limit of $250, for costs of television subtitle equipment for use by a hearing-impaired dependent.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1988
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the income tax deduction allowed for 25 percent of the health insurance costs of self-employed persons.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1988
Designates the Labor Day Weekend beginning on September 3, 1988, as National Drive for Life Weekend. Calls on people to observe that weekend with a pledge to not drink and drive.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 1988
Amends Federal law to authorize Federal employees who are separated from service (for other than gross misconduct) and individuals who cease to meet unmarried dependent child requirements to continue Federal health benefits coverage. Authorizes coverage for former employees up to 18 months and for unmarried dependents up to 36 months at their own cost. Authorizes the Office of Personnel Management to prescribe regulations for continued coverage for certain former spouses, legally separated individuals, and members of employee organization plans.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 1988
Condemns the use of chemical weapons by Iraq and calls upon Iraq to halt the use of such weapons. Commends the President for his prompt condemnation of Iraq's recent chemical weapons attack on civilians. Urges the President to: (1) seek allied cooperation to tighten controls on the export of chemical compounds to countries seeking to develop a chemical weapons capability; (2) make appropriate diplomatic efforts to prevent Iran from developing or using chemical weapons; and (3) intensify American efforts at the Geneva Conference on Disarmament and in bilateral discussions with the Soviet Union to achieve an arms control agreement banning the production, use, and transfer of chemical weapons.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 1988
Requires the President to provide the House of Representatives with specified documents (with respect to the assistance for Central America provided for in Public Law 100-276) concerning: (1) interpretations of such Act by the Legal Advisor of the Department of State or the Office of the General Counsel of the Agency for International Development (AID); (2) standards, procedures, and controls for the accountability of funds which have been adopted by AID pursuant to such Act; (3) the procurement outside of the United States, the receipt, and the end-use of any equipment, supplies, or other goods for the Nicaraguan democratic resistance using the funds made available by such Act; (4) funds made available by such Act for the Verification Commission established by the Sapoa Agreement of March 23, 1988; (5) the selection of, and agreements with, organizations to distribute assistance under such Act for children who are victims of the Nicaraguan civil strife; and (6) compliance with the requirements for the distribution to and use of such assistance by children.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 1988
American Flag Fidelity Act - Prohibits the importation of U.S. flags that are manufactured in a foreign country.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1988
Solano Project Indebtedness Prepayment Act - Provides for the water users of the Solano Project, in Solano County, California, to purchase the indebtedness of such project and for the Secretary of the Interior to transfer all right, title, and interest in and to the land and improvements forming the project facilities to the water users. Declares that the Secretary is responsible for, and retains full jurisdiction and control over, Lake Berryessa and retains full title to all recreational facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1988
Designates August 1988 as Cajun Music Month.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1988
Declares that the last voyage of the Pride of Baltimore and the christening of the Pride of Baltimore II should be commemorated.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1988
Designates August 1, 1988, as Helsinki Human Rights Day. Requests the President to: (1) reassert American commitment to the Helsinki Accords; (2) raise the issue of noncompliance with such Accords with the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Romania; (3) convey to all signatories of such Accords that respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is vital to progress in the ongoing Helsinki process; (4) convey to U.S. allies the importance of unity regarding such Accords; (5) continue his efforts to achieve, before the end of the Vienna meeting, the release of all political prisoners of the Soviet Union, an increase in Soviet emigration, resolution of all family reunification cases, cessation of all radio transmission jamming, and the repeal of laws and practices which undermine human rights; (6) seek the inclusion, in any concluding document agreed to in Vienna, of a mechanism to sustain human rights progress after the Vienna meeting; and (7) convey to signatory states the insistence of the United States for a result at Vienna that will not favor military security at the expense of human rights.