United States · United States Congress · 8 February 1995
Firefighters Pay Fairness Act of 1995 - Amends Federal law to provide that, for Federal fire fighters, the annual rate of basic pay shall be calculated on the basis of 26 administrative biweekly work periods of up to 106 hours each. Prescribes a formula for computing the basic biweekly pay of Federal employees who are not fire fighters but perform fire fighting duties. Extends existing biweekly pay period and pay computation requirements to Federal fire fighters and employees in and under the judicial branch. Removes employees of the District of Columbia government from coverage by such requirements. Repeals the current exception from such requirements for employees on the Isthmus of Panama in the service of the Panama Canal Commission. Requires compensation at time-and-a-half per hour for any hours worked in excess of 106 during a biweekly pay period by fire fighters subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. Prescribes basic rates of pay for fire fighters: (1) promoted to a supervisory position; and (2) selected and assigned for training. Adds certain pay retention rights for Federal firefighters subject to a reduction or termination of a rate of pay established under this Act. Authorizes a Federal agency to pay cash awards of up to five percent of basic pay to fire fighters or other employees performing fire fighting duties who make substantial use of: (1) special skills, such as handling hazardous materials; or (2) a certification or license, such as certification as an emergency medical technician. Requires the Office of Personnel Management to report to the Congress with respect to transition and funding increase plans and regulatory or legislative modifications necessary to prevent diminution in retirement benefits under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 1995
Intrastate Tow Truck Transportation Technical Correction Act of 1995 - Amends Federal transportation law to declare that provisions relating to the prohibition against State regulation of price, route, or service of a motor carrier (other than a carrier affiliated with a direct air carrier) or a private motor carrier that provides for the transportation of property shall not apply to the transportation for hire of a motor vehicle by a tow truck, if it is performed: (1) at the request of a law enforcement officer; or (2) without the prior consent of the owner of the motor vehicle (nonconsent tows).
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 1995
American Farm Protection Act of 1995 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the gross estate tax the value of land subject to a qualified conservation easement (less the amount of any indebtedness secured by such land). Includes in the gross estate tax the value of each development right retained by the donor in the conveyance of the easement. Makes such tax due upon the disposition of the property. Provides that such land subject to the exclusion will have a carryover basis for purposes of determining gain or loss. Excludes from the gift tax transfers by gift of land subject to a conservation easement. Declares that for purposes of the alternative estate valuation method: (1) a qualified conservation contribution is not a disposition; and (2) land subject to a conservation easement is not disqualified.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 1995
Amends the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to add providers of assistance to families or individuals with annual incomes below the poverty line to the list of organizations eligible to receive surplus personal property allocated by the Administrator of the General Services Administration.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1995
Truth in Budgeting Act - Prohibits the receipts and disbursements of the Highway Trust Fund, the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, the Inland Waterways Trust Fund, and the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund from being included in either the Federal budget as submitted by the President or in the congressional budget. Exempts such trust funds from any general statutory budget limitation. (Sec. 3) Amends Federal transportation law to require the Secretary of Transportation to estimate annually what, but for this Act, would be at the close of the next fiscal year: (1) the amount of unfunded aviation authorizations; and (2) the net aviation receipts. Requires the Secretary to: (1) determine the amount by which unfunded aviation authorizations does or does not exceed net aviation receipts; and (2) make appropriate adjustments to amounts authorized to be appropriated and the amounts available for obligation from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund based on the difference. (Sec. 4) Sets forth similar provisions with respect to the Inland Waterways and the Harbor Maintenance Trust Funds.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1995
Superfund Recycling Equity Act of 1995 - Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to absolve persons (other than owners or operators) who arranged for the recycling of recyclable material from liability for environmental response actions. Deems transactions involving scrap paper, plastic, glass, textiles, or rubber (other than whole tires) to be arranging for recycling if the person who arranged the transaction demonstrates that the following criteria were met: (1) the recyclable material met a commercial specification grade and a market existed for the material; (2) a substantial portion of the material was made available for use as a feedstock for the manufacture of a new saleable product; (3) the material (or product to be made from the material) could have been a replacement for a virgin raw material; and (4) with respect to transactions occurring 90 days after this Act's enactment, the person exercised reasonable care to determine that the facility where the material would be managed by another was in compliance with Federal, State, or local environmental laws or regulations. Deems transactions involving scrap metal to be arranging for recycling if the person who arranged the transaction demonstrates that: (1) the criteria for scrap materials were met; (2) he or she complied with applicable standards regarding activities associated with the recycling of scrap metals; and (3) the scrap metal was not melted prior to the transaction. Deems transactions involving spent lead-acid, nickel-cadmium, or other batteries to be arranging for recycling if the person involved demonstrates that: (1) the criteria for scrap materials were met; and (2) he or she complied with applicable Federal environmental regulations or standards regarding such batteries. Makes the exemptions from liability under this Act inapplicable if the person: (1) had an objectively reasonable basis to believe at the time of the recycling transaction that the recyclable material would not be recycled or would be burned as fuel or for energy recovery or incineration or that the consuming facility was not in compliance with Federal, State, or local environmental laws or regulations; (2) added hazardous substances to the material for purposes other than processing for recycling; or (3) failed to exercise reasonable care with respect to the management of the material. Makes such exemptions inapplicable if the recyclable material contained polychlorinated biphenyls in excess of 50 parts per million or any new Federal standard.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1995
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the nutritional programs under the Older Americans Act: (1) provide essential assistance to senior citizens; (2) would have their effectiveness severely compromised by removal from such Act; and (3) would have their viability threatened by the reduction of the total funds available and the combination of senior nutrition with means-tested public assistance programs.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1995
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the current link should be maintained between: (1) the levels of earnings allowed for blind individuals entitled to disability insurance benefits; and (2) the exempt amounts allowed for purposes of the social security earnings test for individuals who have attained retirement age.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1995
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in order to provide information for the detection of patterns of illnesses among military personnel and veterans, to maintain a database of the medical histories, service histories, and relevant personal information of military personnel deployed for any operational mission (beginning with the operation in Somalia in 1992-1993) and their spouses and children. Requires permission of the individual before inclusion in the database of information concerning such individual. Requires confidentiality of individual identities represented in the database. Directs the Secretary to maintain a toll-free telephone number to allow military personnel and veterans to report information for inclusion in the database. Allows the Secretary to make database information available to accredited institutions of higher education and other appropriate institutions for medical studies and related research. Directs the Secretary to report annually to appropriate congressional committees on the operation of the database and the toll-free telephone number.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1995
Directs the Comptroller General to conduct an annual fiscal year audit of: (1) the Federal Reserve Board; (2) the Federal Advisory Council; (3) the Federal Open Market Committee; and (4) all Federal Reserve banks and branches, including transactions of the system open market account conducted through recognized dealers. Requires the Comptroller General to report the audit results to the Congress and to submit copies to: (1) the President; (2) the Federal Reserve Board; and (3) the Federal Reserve banks.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1995
Higher Education Accumulation Program Act of 1995 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a deduction for amounts paid to a Higher Education Accumulation Program (HEAP) account established to accumulate funds to pay the educational expenses of a child of the taxpayer. Declares such accounts exempt from tax. Allows the deduction in arriving at adjusted gross income. Imposes an excise tax on excess contributions and prohibited transactions. Imposes a penalty for failure to meet reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 1995
Fire Safety Education Act - Authorizes the Administrator of the United States Fire Administration to enter into contracts, cooperative agreements, or grants with entities to obtain and distribute at the State and local level fire safety and prevention education programs and supporting educational resources. Authorizes funds provided to be used to educate the public in all aspects of fire safety and prevention. Requires funded programs to give priority to appropriate public education materials that have already been developed. Authorizes the Administrator to enter into contracts, cooperative agreements, or grants with States for the purpose of implementing the revised National Fire Incident Reporting System to improve the collection and analysis of fire data at the State and local levels. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1995
Commercial Aviation Fuel Tax Repeal Act of 1995 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the increase in tax on fuel used in commercial aviation scheduled to take effect after September 30, 1995.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1995
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Federal Open Market Committee and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System should defer any further increase in the Federal funds rate and the discount rate until at least September 1995 in order to assess the impact of past increases on the soundness of the American economy and the economic security of the American worker and his or her family.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1995
First-time Homebuyer Affordability Act of 1995 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make the tax on prohibited transactions inapplicable to a qualified home equity participation arrangement. Describes such arrangement as one in which the eligible participant in an individual retirement plan directs the plan trustee to acquire an ownership interest in all or part of any dwelling unit which within a reasonable period of time is to be used as the principal residence for a first-time homebuyer. Requires such ownership interest to be a fee interest which requires full repayment. Describes the first-time homebuyer as an eligible participant or a qualified family member (child, parent, grandparent, or spouse) who had no present ownership interest in a principal residence during the 36-month period before the date of the arrangement. Allows the use of amounts in an individual retirement plan to make loans to purchase a home for a first-time homebuyer on behalf of an eligible participant or a qualified family member. Requires the repayment of first-time homebuyer loans within 15 years.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: General Provisions Title II: Revenue from Mining Claims Title III: Helium Title IV: Use of Disposal of Federal Natural Resources Title V: National Park Concessions Public Resources Deficit Reduction Act of 1995 - Title I: General Provisions - Prohibits any timber, minerals, forage, or other natural resources owned by the United States, any federally owned water, or hydroelectric energy of a Federal facility from being sold, leased, or otherwise disposed of by any Federal entity for less than fair market value. (Sec. 102) Authorizes the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to establish and collect user fees as necessary to reimburse the United States for expenses incurred in administering programs. (Sec. 103) Requires the revenues from the sale, lease, and transfer of Federal assets to be included in the President's budget submission to Congress. Title II: Revenue from Mining Claims - Requires the holders of mining claims to pay an annual claim maintenance fee of $100 per claim per calendar year. Allows the waiver of such fee for holders of more than ten claims. (Sec. 203) Requires claimholders to pay a royalty of eight percent of gross income for production of locatable minerals on Federal lands. (Sec. 204) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an excise tax on gross income resulting from the severance of any locatable mineral, or mineral concentrates or products, from a mine or other natural deposit. Makes such tax inapplicable to gross income to which a royalty is imposed. (Sec. 205) Establishes the Abandoned Locatable Minerals Mine Reclamation Fund for the reclamation and restoration of land and water resources adversely affected by past mineral activities on Federal lands. Credits the royalties and excise tax under this title to such Fund. (Sec. 206) Prohibits the issuance of a patent for any mining claim unless the Secretary of the Interior determines that, for the claim concerned: (1) a patent application was filed before January 27, 1995; and (2) all requirements are met under the Revised Statutes for vein or lode claims and for placer claims. (Sec. 207) Requires the Secretary to adjust all dollar amounts under this title for changes in purchasing power every ten years, employing the Consumer Price Index as the basis for adjustment. Title III: Helium - Amends the Helium Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) enter into agreements with private parties for the recovery and disposal of helium on Federal lands; (2) grant leasehold rights to such helium; (3) store and transport crude helium; and (4) maintain and operate existing crude helium storage at the Bureau of Mines Cliffside Field. Directs the Secretary to: (1) cease producing, refining, and marketing refined helium; and (2) dispose of all facilities, equipment, and Federal property interests relating to refined helium activities. Requires the Secretary to impose fees for helium storage, withdrawal, or transportation services. Prescribes guidelines for: (1) the purchase of helium by Federal agencies from certain private persons; and (2) the sale of crude helium by the Secretary. Prohibits the Secretary from making crude helium sales in amounts that will disrupt the crude helium market price. Mandates that proceeds from helium sales be paid to the Treasury. Instructs the Secretary to eliminate helium stockpiles by a prescribed deadline. Repeals the Secretary's authority to borrow under the Helium Act. Title IV: Use or Disposal of Federal Natural Resources - Amends the Federal Land Policy Management Act of 1976 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture, with respect to National Forest lands in the 16 contiguous Western States, and the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to public domain lands, where domestic livestock grazing is permitted under applicable law, to establish and implement an annual domestic livestock grazing fee equal to fair market value, based on a specified formula. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) abolition of grazing advisory boards; and (2) the U.S. share of receipts. (Sec. 402) Amends the National Forest Management Act of 1976 to prohibit below-cost timber sales from National Forest System Lands. (Sec. 403) Amends the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 to require the Secretary of Agriculture in revising land management plans to take into account the economic suitability of lands for timber production. (Sec. 404) Amends the Reclamation Project Act of 1939 to require that irrigation water from the Bureau of Reclamation used to grow surplus crops be paid for at the full cost for delivery. (Sec. 405) Amends the Food Security Act of 1995 and the Federal Crop Insurance Act to provide for the reduction of payment limitations for persons who receive Federal irrigation water for agricultural purposes. (Sec. 408) Amends the Emergency Livestock Feed Assistance Act of 1988 to repeal the livestock feed assistance program. (Sec. 409) Requires that permits for the use of communications sites on public lands be established at fair market value. (Sec. 410) Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to require that oil and gas rental prices for leases on public lands be established at fair market value. Title V: National Park Concessions - Repeals the Concessions Policy Act of 1965. (Sec. 504) Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to award concession contracts that authorize private persons, corporations, or other entities to provide services to park visitors and to utilize facilities if it is determined that such award is appropriate. (Sec. 505) Requires a concession contract to be awarded to the person submitting the best proposal through a competitive selection process to be established by the Secretary. Allows waiver of such procedures and award of a temporary contract to avoid interruption of services. Requires the Secretary to publish a notice of availability for a prospectus soliciting proposals for contracts for concessions at a Park specifying minimum contract requirements and contract terms and conditions. Requires congressional notification of any proposed contract with anticipated gross receipts exceeding $1 million or of a duration of ten or more years. Prohibits the Secretary from granting a preferential right to a concessioner to renew concession contracts under this Act, with exceptions. Allows such preferential rights to be granted for certain outfitting and guide contracts and certain contracts with annual gross receipts of under $500,000. (Sec. 506) Sets forth criteria for determining franchise fees, including fees for multiple franchise contracts within a park. (Sec. 507) Requires all fees to be: (1) covered into a special Treasury account established for reallocation to NPS units for resource management and protection, maintenance activities, interpretation, and research; or (2) deposited into a Park Improvement Fund established by the concessioner (as directed by the Secretary) from which expenditures shall be made for park activities and projects. Requires: (1) an annual statement from the concessioner to the Secretary reflecting total activity in the Fund for the preceding fiscal year; and (2) an annual report from the Secretary to specified congressional committees concerning Fund expenditures. (Sec. 508) Establishes a maximum: (1) ten-year duration for a concessions contract, provided that the Secretary may award a contract for up to 20 years if determined necessary; and (2) two-year duration for a temporary contract. (Sec. 509) Requires the approval of the Secretary and congressional notification before a concession contract can be transferred, assigned, sold, or conveyed and sets forth conditions that preclude such conveyance. (Sec. 510) Grants possessory interest to: (1) concessioners who have commenced acquisition or construction of any structure on Federal land within a park before the enactment of this Act; and (2) concessioners who construct or acquire an improvement on U.S. land within a Park after enactment of this Act. (Sec. 511) Places limitations on a concessioner's rates and charges to the public. (Sec. 512) Directs the Secretary to: (1) periodically evaluate the performance of each concessioner under contract; (2) terminate a contract if a concessioner fails, within the prescribed time, to meet minimum requirements identified in a notice of unsatisfactory performance; and (3) notify specified congressional committees of each unsatisfactory rating and each contract terminated. (Sec. 513) Provides that the Comptroller General of the United States shall, until the expiration of five calendar years after the close of the business year for each concessioner, have access to and the right to examine any pertinent books, documents, papers, and records of the concessioner related to the contracts. (Sec. 514) Exempts contracts awarded by the Secretary under this Act from certain provisions of Federal law with respect to the leasing of U.S. buildings and properties. (Sec. 516) Requires the Inspector General of the Department of the Interior to submit biannual reports to specified congressional committees on the implementation of this Act and its effect on facilities operated pursuant to concession contracts and on visitor services. (Sec. 517) Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 1995
Amends the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to authorize Federal agency heads to donate surplus law enforcement canines to their handlers.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1995
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the $15 million limitation on the amount of private activity tax-exempt bonds that may be issued with respect to an output facility.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 1995
Women's Right To Know Act of 1995 - Amends title XI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit a governmental authority, in or through any program or activity that provides health care services or information, from limiting the right of any person to provide or to receive nonfraudulent information about the availability of reproductive health care services, including family planning, prenatal care, adoption, and abortion services.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 1995
Amends title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) of the Social Security Act to require provision of supplemental security income benefits in the form of vouchers in the case of a disabled child who is not institutionalized and whose disability is determined solely on the basis of an individualized functional assessment.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 1995
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act and other Federal law to make any managed health care plan established by the Secretary of Defense in the Military Health Services System eligible for payments by the Secretary of Health and Human Services on behalf of any plan enrollees entitled to Medicare benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 1995
Social Security Notch Act of 1995 - Amends title II (Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act with respect to the benefit computation formula for individuals who reached age 65 in or after 1982 and to whom applies the 15-year period of transition to the changes in benefit computation rules enacted in the Social Security Amendments of 1977. Sets forth a schedule of additional benefit increases for such beneficiaries (and related beneficiaries), with percentages declining from 70 percent to ten percent keyed to the year an individual became eligible for such benefits between 1979 and 1993.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 1995
Requires the House of Representatives, when the legislatures of an additional three States ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, to take any legislative action necessary to verify the ratification of the Amendment as a part of the Constitution.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 1995
United States One Dollar Coin Act of 1995 - Amends Federal currency law to prescribe the color and content of one-dollar coins. Prohibits a Federal reserve bank from placing into circulation any one-dollar Federal Reserve note after the date that the one-dollar coins are first placed in circulation. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to cease regular production of one-dollar Federal Reserve notes (except for such quantities as are required to meet collectors' needs).
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 1995
Amends Federal bankruptcy law to provide that a discharge in bankruptcy does not discharge a debt for a Federal, State, or local governmental claim against the debtor for remedial action under: (1) the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980; or (2) the Solid Waste Disposal Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 1995
Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 to: (1) make permanent the Medicare select policy program; and (2) allow access to Medicare select policies in all States. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise the Medicare select policy program and provide for a civil penalty for misrepresentations made in connection with a Medicare select policy.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 1995
Social Security Trust Funds Integrity Act of 1995 - Amends titles II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) and XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to restructure the Board of Trustees of the trust funds supporting the OASDI and Medicare programs, with each Board composed of members appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, on a bipartisan basis at the recommendation of House and Senate leadership and the five largest organizations representing senior citizens. Makes it the duty of the Managing Trustee chairing the Board to invest trust fund amounts according to an annual investment plan the Board is required to formulate and submit to the President and the Congress. Removes restrictions on investment and disinvestment of amounts in such trust funds.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 1995
Cop-Killer Bullet Ban Act of 1995 - Amends the Federal criminal code to expand the definition of "armor piercing ammunition" to include a projectile that may be used in a handgun and that the Secretary of the Treasury determines to be capable of penetrating body armor. Directs the Secretary to make such determination in accordance with regulations that provide for the uniform testing of projectiles against body armor that meets minimum standards for protection of law enforcement officers (which standards have been developed in cooperation with the U.S. Attorney General and which take into account variations in performance related to the length of the barrel of the handgun and the amount and kind of powder used).
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1995
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) obstetrician-gynecologists should be designated as primary care providers for women in Federal laws relating to the provision of health care; and (2) legislative proposals that define primary care should include services performed by obstetrician-gynecologists in such definition.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1995
Condemns the violence committed at two separate clinics in Brookline, Massachusetts, on December 30, 1994, and all other acts of violence, including threats and harassment, which are intended to intimidate law abiding citizens from engaging in lawful acts. Calls upon Federal law enforcement officials to act swiftly and decisively to protect clinics from such acts of terror by fully cooperating with local law enforcement officials, by thoroughly investigating threats and acts of violence, and by prosecuting those who commit such acts to the full extent of the law.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1995
Amends Federal law to prohibit any State from imposing an income tax on the retirement income of any individual who is not a resident or domiciliary of that State.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1995
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit the issuance of tax-exempt bonds by volunteer fire departments to acquire ambulances or other emergency response vehicles. Treats a volunteer emergency medical service organization as if it were a volunteer fire department and such services were firefighting services for purposes of the tax-exempt bond rules.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1995
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that the burden of proof with respect to all issues, in the case of any court proceeding, is on the Secretary of the Treasury. Requires the Secretary to identify in writing the specific kind or type of tax, and its specific implementing regulations, within 14 days upon the written request from any person made liable for such tax. Increases the limitation on the amount of recovery for civil damages for unauthorized collection actions by the Internal Revenue Service. Excludes such damages from gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1995
Alien Smuggling Prosecution Act of 1995 - Amends the Federal criminal code to include peonage and slavery offenses as predicates to a violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1995
Flow Control Act of 1995 - Authorizes a State or qualified political subdivision to exercise flow control authority for municipal solid waste, incinerator ash, and construction or demolition debris generated within its boundaries if, before May 15, 1994, such entity: (1) adopted a law, regulation, or legally binding provision that contains such authority and directs the waste, ash, or debris to a waste management facility designated before such date or identifies the use of waste management methods; and (2) committed to the designation of a facility for such methods. Authorizes such an entity to exercise such authority for its voluntarily relinquished recyclable materials generated within its boundaries. Establishes similar authority for States and subdivisions that meet such requirements after this Act's enactment. Provides that laws, regulations, or legally binding provisions that implement flow control authority shall be considered to be a reasonable regulation of commerce. Permits such authority with respect to recyclable materials only if: (1) the generator or owner of the materials voluntarily made the materials available to the State or subdivision and relinquished any rights to, or ownership of, such materials; and (2) the State or subdivision assumes such rights or ownership. Allows such authority with respect to solid waste or recyclable materials only if the State or subdivision establishes a program to separate or divert recyclable materials for purposes of recycling, reclamation, or reuse. Makes such condition inapplicable in certain cases. Establishes additional conditions on the exercise of flow control authority, including requirements that: (1) such authority is necessary to meet current or anticipated waste management needs; (2) revenues derived from the exercise of such authority are devoted primarily to solid waste management services; and (3) States and subdivisions implement a competitive designation process with respect to waste management facilities or facilities for recyclable materials. Retains the applicability of certain existing laws and contracts and considers such laws and contracts to be a reasonable regulation of commerce.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1995
Code Grabber Prohibition Act of 1994 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit the use of a coded signal sent by a motor vehicle alarm system unless the interception, access, disclosure, or other conduct otherwise prohibited is for a noncriminal and nontortious purpose.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1995
Prohibits the commercial harvesting of Atlantic striped bass in the coastal waters or Exclusive Economic Zone. Imposes penalties and allows civil forfeiture of vessels for violations. Requires the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director to take actions reflecting the prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1995
Amends Federal civil service law to provide that an individual serving in a position in the competitive or excepted service, under an indefinite or temporary appointment, who performs at least two years of service in such a position within a five-year period and passes a suitable noncompetitive examination, acquires competitive status for purposes of appointment to a position in the competitive service.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1995
Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out projects to reduce the incidence of traumatic brain injury through grants or contracts to public or nonprofit entities. Authorizes the following activities: (1) the conduct of research into identifying effective strategies for the prevention of traumatic brain injury; and (2) the implementation of public information and education programs for the prevention of such injury and for broadening the awareness of the public concerning the public health consequences of such injury. (Sec. 2) Requires the National Institutes of Health research program on trauma to include the authority to award grants or contracts to public or nonprofit entities for the conduct of basic and applied research regarding traumatic brain injury. (Sec. 3) Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States for the purpose of carrying out demonstration projects to improve access to health and other services regarding traumatic brain injury. Permits the Secretary to make a grant only if the State agrees to establish an advisory board within the appropriate health department or another department of the State. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary to conduct: (1) a study concerning traumatic brain injuries; and (2) a national consensus conference on managing traumatic brain injury and related rehabilitation concerns. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Locate and Case Tracking Title II: Establishment Title III: Parentage Title IV: Enforcement Title V: Collection and Distribution Title VI: Federal Role Title VII: State Role Title VIII: Jobs for Unemployed Noncustodial Parents Title IX: Effective Date Interstate Child Support Act of 1995 - Title I: Locate and Case Tracking - Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to allow the Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS) to be used along with appropriate disclosure safeguards for parentage establishment and child support and visitation enforcement. (Sec. 101) Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) denial of visitation rights under a child support order should be treated as irrelevant in any action to enforce its support provisions; and (2) failure to pay child support pursuant to such an order should be treated likewise in any action to enforce visitation rights. (Sec. 102) Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to enter into an agreement to provide the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) (Secretary) with access to quarterly estimated Federal income tax returns filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Requires that: (1) State agencies charged with child support enforcement maintain child support order registries and be allowed access to medical, financial, employment, and other specified data base information on absent parents; (2) registry information from each State be sent to the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) (designated under title VI of this Act) within HHS for a national registry of all State child support orders. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Secretary should investigate accessing certain Federal data banks not linked with FPLS. (Sec. 103) Requires the Secretary to expand FPLS to provide State agencies and courts with a national locate and case tracking network. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the network should be used to access State records only through the agency administering the State's part D plan. (Sec. 104) Requires that private attorneys and pro se obligees be given access, in accordance with appropriate safeguards, to State locate resources and through enforcement techniques with respect to child support, visitation, and parentage orders. (Sec. 105) Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to require employers to withhold from employee wages amounts owed for child support. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to modify the W-4 form completed by new employees in order to enable employers to obtain employee child support and other information for the appropriate State employment security agency. (Sec. 106) Requires the heads of national and regional individual tracking systems to allow child support enforcement agencies access to their information for paternity or child support purposes. (Sec. 107) Requires that States: (1) broadcast warrants issued in child support proceedings over their crime information systems; (2) remit, in a criminal case, to any individual owed child support any security posted by or on behalf of the individual owing the support and then forfeited, to the extent of any arrearage in support owed; and (3) have procedures to obtain access to financial records for purposes of child support establishment and enforcement. Title II: Establishment - Amends SSA title IV part D to provide for service of process on Federal employees and members of the armed forces in connection with parentage and child support proceedings. (Sec. 202) Requires that: (1) parents' identification and locate information be filed with the appropriate adjudicating entity in parentage and child support actions; (2) there be appropriate safeguards on such information where a court has ordered that the custodial parent or child receive physical protection from the noncustodial parent; (3) appropriate administrative agencies make reasonable attempts to timely notify any individual owed child support of any proceeding to establish, modify, or enforce the support obligation; (4) States allow parties seeking both parentage and child support establishment in a judicial proceeding to bring a joint action in a single cause of action; (5) States provide for uniform procedures regarding jurisdiction and venue in parentage and child support cases; (6) States provide for continuation of parental child support obligations until they terminate as described; (7) States allow parties to participate in interstate parentage and child support proceedings by telephonic means; (8) marriage licenses, birth certificates, and divorce and parentage decrees contain social security numbers; and (9) appropriate State agencies be allowed subpoena power in connection with child support hearings. (Sec. 205) Amends the Consumer Credit Protection Act (CCPA) to allow appropriate State agencies to obtain from credit reporting agencies information for establishing and modifying child support awards. (Sec. 206) Creates a National Child Support Guidelines Commission to study and report to the President and the Congress on national child support guidelines, and to develop such guidelines for congressional consideration should it be advisable. (Sec. 207) Specifies certain principles to be used in accordance with the application of State child support guidelines. (Sec. 208) Expresses the sense of the Congress that, if children receive child support while obtaining postsecondary education, they will attain higher levels of education affording them a greater chance to break the welfare cycle. (Sec. 209) Requires the new OCSE Assistant Secretary to develop a: (1) national subpoena duces tecum for distribution to child support agencies and others to use to reach income information; and (2) uniform abstract of a child support order for State court use. (Sec. 214) Requires the Legal Services Corporation to ensure the use of a specified amount of funding for child support cases. (Sec. 215) Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) children on Indian reservations be accorded the same right of support currently afforded to off-reservation children; (2) State and tribal governments should, to the greatest extent possible, ensure that jurisdictional issues do not prevent any Indian child from receiving the support to which the child is entitled; and (3) States should work with community-based organizations with ties to underserved populations to develop better methods to reach and work with such populations to encourage the filing of more support orders. Amends the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 to require Indian tribes to give full faith and credit to child support orders of other Indian tribes, to the extent such entities already give full faith and credit to the acts, records, and proceedings of the other entity. (Sec. 216) Amends SSA title IV part D to provide grants for certain demonstration projects designed to secure child support services in underserved areas and combat domestic violence. Title III: Parentage - Amends SSA title IV part D to: (1) require States to adopt various specified procedures for voluntary paternity acknowledgment; and (2) provide for 90 percent Federal matching for such programs. (Sec. 301) Expresses the sense of the Congress that, in a proceeding to establish paternity, once paternity is alleged, the burden of proof should shift to the alleged father. Title IV: Enforcement - Amends SSA title IV part D to: (1) require States to mandate that an employer comply with wage withholding orders issued by any State court or administrative agency; (2) specify the priority for applying amounts withheld from income for child support and child health insurance; (3) subject to withholding for child support income from workers' compensation and other specified Federal sources; (4) prohibit State court application of the election of remedies doctrine to prevent collection of child support; (5) deny State occupational, professional, and business licenses, and driver's licenses and vehicle registrations to delinquent noncustodial parents; (6) authorize liens on vehicle titles, seizure of bank accounts, and holds on lottery winnings, settlements, payouts, bequests, and proceeds from the sale of forfeited property to satisfy child support arrearages; (7) require States to make a rebuttable presumption that any transfer of property by an individual who owes a child support arrearage is made with the intent to avoid payment of the arrearage; (8) revise the mechanism for collection of past-due child support from Federal tax refunds to cover post-minor children who do not receive Aid to Families With Dependent Children (AFDC); (9) authorize attachment of retirement plan interests without a separate court order to satisfy child support arrearages; (10) permit enforcement of any child support order until the child is at least 30; (11) require interest on all child support judgments; (12) require States to adopt the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act adopted by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform Laws in August 1992; (13) allow State courts to order the assignment of life insurance benefits and interests in jointly held property to satisfy child support arrearages; and (14) require States to treat international child support cases in the same manner as interstate child support cases. (Sec. 404) Amends CCPA with respect to State laws and garnishments for securing child support. Gives Federal debts a lower priority than child support debts when the obligor's disposable income cannot satisfy both debts through withholding. Prohibits employers from discharging any employee whose earnings are subject to garnishment for additional indebtedness arising from a child support order. (Sec. 406) Denies Federal occupational, professional, and business licenses for delinquent individuals until the license hold is released. (Sec. 412) Expresses the sense of the Congress that the IRS Commissioner should instruct IRS field officers and agents to give a high priority to requests for the use of full collection in delinquent child support cases. Requires the Secretary of Treasury to simplify the full collection process and reduce the amount of child support arrearage needed before an individual may apply for full collection. (Sec. 417) Sets forth requirements pertaining to parentage establishment and child support payments in the armed forces. (Sec. 419) Directs the Comptroller General and Secretary of the Treasury to study the feasibility of an annual reconciliation process for paying child support arrearages as part of the Federal income tax process. (Sec. 420) Authorizes the Secretary of State to refuse, revoke, or restrict passports in cases where the applicant or holder is a noncustodial parent subject to a State arrest warrant for nonpayment of a substantial child support arrearage. (Sec. 421) Prohibits Federal benefits, loans, guarantees, and employment for individuals owing certain child support arrearages. (Sec. 424) Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should ratify the United Nations Convention of 1956. Title V: Collection and Distribution - Amends SSA title IV part D to: (1) set priorities for State distribution of child support collections; (2) require States to limit claims against noncustodial parents for reimbursement of a child's portion of AFDC to the amount in the child support order; (3) revise part D plan provisions concerning fees; and (4) require States to provide for collection and disbursement points for child support cases. (Sec. 501) Requires Comptroller General to conduct studies and pilot projects with respect to requiring State systems to pay the child support collected under a State plan to the individuals to whom the support is owed before making any payment to reimburse any State for AFDC provided with respect to the child in question. Amends IRC to revise the Federal income tax refund offset mechanism. (Sec. 505) Expresses the sense of the Congress that States should encourage parents to use the State child support agency to process and distribute child support payments. Title VI: Federal Role - Amends SSA title IV part D to: (1) designate the separate organizational unit currently charged with various parentage and child support responsibilities as the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE); and (2) change OCSE's organizational structure. (Sec. 602) Requires: (1) the new OCSE Assistant Secretary to provide training assistance to the States; (2) States to provide for training of child support personnel; and (3) the Secretary to study staffing at State child support enforcement programs and reduce payments to States that have not implemented recommended staffing levels. (Sec. 604) Requires the Secretary to: (1) authorize demonstration projects to test alternative approaches to incentive funding for State child support programs; and (2) reduce payments to States which have not reinvested incentive payments in their child support programs. Provides that "support" under SSA title IV part D with respect to incentive payments to States includes premiums paid for health insurance coverage pursuant to a support order. Expresses the sense of the Congress that States should not use amounts paid to them pursuant to SSA title IV part D, which are reinvested in child support activities, to supplant State funding of such activities. (Sec. 606) Requires the Secretary to: (1) contract for a study of OCSE's audit process to develop criteria and methodology for auditing activities of State child support enforcement agencies; and (2) provide for State demonstration projects for the purpose of ensuring that custodial parents owed child support have a consistent source of income for the support of their children. (Sec. 607) Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) children should have a consistent source of income to meet their education and medical needs; (2) the provision of public assistance to a custodial parent for the support of a child with respect to whom the noncustodial parent owes child support does not absolve the latter of the obligation to provide such support; (3) the States must continue to vigorously pursue efforts to establish parentage, and establish and enforce child support obligations; and (4) OCSE should develop a mechanism to publicize the best State practices in child support. (Sec. 608) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish in the Treasury a Children's Trust Fund to hold the contributions designated by individuals on their tax returns for funding child support programs. (Sec. 609) Requires: (1) the Comptroller General to study and report to the Congress on delinquent child support payments and the effectiveness of administrative vs. judicial adjudication of parentage and child support cases; and (2) OCSE to produce and update a certain compendium of State child support laws published by the National Conference of State Legislatures, and establish a permanent child support advisory committee. Title VII: State Role - Amends SSA title IV part D to require States to: (1) promote the greatest economic security possible for children, within the obligor's ability to pay; (2) provide custodial parents with certain information on child support cases and the services available under their part D plans; and (3) require any changes in child support payees to be made only through administrative procedures. (Sec. 703) Expresses the sense of the Congress that States should: (1) work closely with parents to improve the quality of child support services; (2) have offices in areas accessible to public transportation with convenient hours that allow parents to meet privately with attorneys and caseworkers; and (3) establish administrative procedures to process child support cases and a child support council to recommend improvements in State paternity and child support programs. Title VIII: Jobs for Unemployed Noncustodial Parents - Expresses the sense of the Congress that any Federal program to provide jobs for noncustodial parents should be administered so as not to adversely affect any Federal program for custodial parents. (Sec. 801) Requires the Secretary to transmit evaluations of certain projects under the JOBS program under SSA title IV part F (Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program) to the Secretary of Labor for study and possible action, including authorizing States to provide services of greater scope and duration to unemployed noncustodial parents under such program. Title IX: Effective Date - Sets forth the effective date of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1995
Rapid Deployment Strike Force Act - Directs the Attorney General to establish in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) a Rapid Deployment Force (RDF) to assist units of local government in combating crime. Provides that: (1) the RDF shall be headed by a Deputy Assistant Director of the FBI and comprised of approximately 2,500 Federal law enforcement officers with training and experience in the investigation of violent and drug-related crime, criminal gangs, and juvenile delinquency and community action to prevent crime; and (2) to the extent that the RDF is staffed through the transfer of personnel from other entities in the Department of Justice or any other Federal agency, such personnel shall be replaced through the hiring of additional law enforcement officers. Authorizes the Deputy Assistant Director, on application of the Governor of a State and the chief executive officer of the affected local government (or, in the case of the District of Columbia, the mayor), and upon finding that the occurrence of criminal activity in a particular jurisdiction is being exacerbated by the interstate flow of drugs, guns, and criminals, to deploy on a temporary basis an RDF unit to the jurisdiction to assist State and local law enforcement agencies in the investigation of criminal activity. Sets forth requirements regarding: (1) applications for assistance; (2) conditions of deployment; and (3) deputization of RDF members. Directs the Attorney General to establish and administer an annual leave system applicable to the Federal law enforcement officers serving in the RDF. Requires that: (1) RDF units be based in the Nation's major regions at locations and in facilities determined by the Attorney General; (2) RDF members receive training and education in the regional crime problems of the region where they are based; and (3) the Deputy Assistant Director, whenever possible, deploy units in the region where they are based. Provides for the use of the RDF, when not deployed, to provide training and education to local law enforcement agencies and to support Federal law enforcement efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1995
Equal Remedies Act of 1995 - Amends Federal law relating to damages in cases of intentional employment discrimination to remove the limits on the dollar amount of damages awardable for pecuniary and nonpecuniary losses and punitive damages.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1995
COLA Equity Act - Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 to: (1) provide that the initial month for which a cost of living increase in military retired pay that becomes effective on December 1 of 1993, 1994, or 1995 is payable shall be March (currently, September) of the following year for persons who first became a member of a uniformed service before August 1, 1986; and (2) provide that such special rule shall apply only through FY 1996 (currently, FY 1998).
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1995
Military Retirement Equity Act of 1995 - Permits retired members of the armed forces to be paid retirement pay concurrently with compensation for any service-connected disability if the person's entitlement to such retirement pay is based solely on age, length of service, or both. Reduces the retirement pay of individuals receiving both types of pay by a specified percentage of the disability compensation which decreases as the disability rating increases. Prohibits any reduction in the retirement pay of a disabled person when the disability rating is total. Declares that, once the Federal budget deficit has been reduced, the Congress should reexamine and eliminate any offset of retired pay by a veteran's disability compensation.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1995
Social Security Decedent's Family Relief Act of 1995 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to continue an individual's entitlement to benefits through the month of his or her death, without affecting any other person's entitlement to benefits for that month. Provides that such individual's benefit shall be payable for such month only in proportion to the number of days in such month preceding the date of such individual's death. Provides for disregard of such benefits for the individual for the month of death under provisions for determining maximum family benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1995
Employee Educational Assistance Act of 1995 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the income tax exclusion of amounts paid under employee educational assistance programs.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1995
Treats heart disease and hypertension as personal injuries or sickness for purposes of excluding from gross income the disability benefits received by former police officers or fire fighters.
![Official portrait of Rep. Gejdenson, Sam [D-CT-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/g000120_200.jpg)