United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1993
Merchant Mariners Fairness Act of 1993 - Provides that certain qualified service of a member of the U.S. merchant marine, including a vessel crewmember of the U.S. Army Transport Service, during World War II constituted active military service for purposes of eligibility for various veterans' benefits under the GI Bill Improvement Act of 1977. Requires the Secretary of Defense to issue an honorable discharge under such Act to each merchant marine member whose qualified service warrants such a discharge. Prohibits the payment of any retroactive benefits under this Act. Mandates a processing fee for any benefit application for such qualified service.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1993
Amends the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act to prohibit permanent replacement of strikers. Amends the National Labor Relations Act to make it an unfair labor practice for an employer to promise, threaten, or take other action to hire a permanent replacement for an employee who: (1) at the beginning of a labor dispute was in a bargaining unit in which a labor organization either was the certified or recognized exclusive representative or had filed, at least 30 days before such dispute began, a petition for a representational election on the basis of written authorizations by a majority of unit employees and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has not completed the representation proceeding; and (2) in connection with that dispute has engaged in concerted activities for collective bargaining or other mutual aid and protection through that labor organization. Makes it an unfair labor practice for an employer to withhold or deny any other employment right or privilege to such an employee as described above who is working for or has unconditionally offered to return to work for the employer, out of preference for any other individual based on that individual's performing, having performed, or having indicated a willingness to perform bargaining unit work for the employer during the dispute. Amends the Railway Labor Act to prohibit any carrier or its officer or agent from offering or granting: (1) permanent replacement employee status in a craft or class during a labor dispute; or (2) any employment preference to an individual who worked or indicated a willingness to work in a craft or class during a labor dispute over an employee who exercised specified rights during such dispute and who is working for, or has unconditionally offered to return to work for, the carrier.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1993
National Voter Registration Act of 1993 - Requires States to establish procedures with respect to presidential and congressional elections to permit voter registration by: (1) application in person simultaneously with application for a motor vehicle driver's license; (2) mail application; or (3) application in person at designated Federal, State, or nongovernmental office locations. Declares that this Act does not apply to any State that has no voter registration requirement with respect to elections for Federal office, or in which voters may register at the polling place at the time of a general election for Federal office. Amends Federal postal rate law to require the Postal Service to make certain lower postal rates available to State or local election officials who certify that a mailing is in furtherance of this Act. Directs the Federal Election Commission to develop a mail voter registration application form for Federal elections. Provides a private right of action for an individual aggrieved by a violation of this Act. Imposes criminal penalties for specified violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1993
Freedom of Choice Act of 1993 - Provides that a State may not restrict the right of a woman to choose to terminate a pregnancy: (1) before fetal viability; or (2) at any time, if such termination is necessary to protect the life or health of the woman. Allows a State to impose requirements medically necessary to protect the life or health of such women. Declares that this Act shall not be construed to prevent a State from: (1) requiring minors to involve responsible adults before terminating a pregnancy; and (2) protecting individuals from having to participate in abortions to which they are conscientiously opposed.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1993
Reproductive Health Equity Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act, the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, the Peace Corps Act, the District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act, and other Federal laws covering armed forces personnel and dependents, certain veterans, Federal employees' health benefits, and Federal penal and correctional institutions to provide that services related to abortion be made available to the same extent as are other pregnancy-related services under federally-funded programs. Repeals provisions of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act requiring submission of a resource allocation plan to the Congress by December 17, 1981.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1993
Systematic Application of Value Engineering Act of 1993 - Requires Federal agencies to apply value engineering, at a minimum, to identify and implement opportunities to reduce capital and operation costs and improve and maintain optimum quality of construction, administrative, program, acquisition, and grant projects. Requires Inspector General audits of reported agency savings attributable to such value engineering.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1993
Invest in America Act - Encourages the President to enter into an agreement with each European member nation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in which U.S. armed forces are stationed to provide for payment by such nation of at least one-half of the cost of maintaining U.S. troops there, including personnel compensation costs. Establishes in the Treasury the Invest in America Fund and requires deposits into the Fund in an amount equal to deposits received from NATO nations for the payment of such costs. Authorizes the appropriation of Fund amounts for various general purposes. Provides for the expedited consideration, in the granting of funds from such appropriations, to State, county, or local areas experiencing a high level of unemployment due to the realignment or closure of a military installation or facility or the cancellation or curtailment of a major defense contract.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: General Requirements for Leave Title II: Leave for Civil Service Employees Title III: Commission on Leave Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions Title V: Coverage of Congressional Employees Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 - Title I: General Requirements for Leave - Establishes certain requirements for family and medical leave for permanent employees. (Sec. 101) Makes employees eligible for such leave if they have been employed, by the employer from whom leave is sought, for at least: (1) 12 months; and (2) 1,250 hours of service during the previous 12-month period. (Excludes from such coverage: (1) employees at worksites at which the employer employs less than 50 persons, if the total number of employees of that employer within 75 miles of that worksite is less than 50; and (2) Federal officers and employees covered under title II of this Act.) (Sec. 102) Entitles employees to 12 workweeks of leave during any 12-month period because of: (1) the birth of their child; (2) the placement of a child for their adoption or foster care; (3) their care of a child, spouse, or parent who has a serious health condition; or (4) their own serious health condition which makes them unable to perform the functions of their position. Conditions such leave for the birth or placement of a child as follows: (1) the entitlement ends 12 months after the birth or placement; and (2) such leave may not be taken intermittently unless employee and employer agree otherwise. Allows intermittent leave for necessary medical treatment of an employee or family member. Allows the employer to require a temporary transfer to an equivalent alternative position that better accommodates such intermittent leave. Allows all leave under this title to: (1) be taken on a reduced leave schedule, upon agreement with the employer; and (2) consist of unpaid leave, except under specified conditions when substitution of certain types of paid leave may be elected or required. Does not require an employer to provide paid sick or medical leave in any situation in which the employer would not normally provide any such paid leave. Requires employees to: (1) give at least 30 days' notice of the need for leave to which they are entitled under this Act, when foreseeable; and (2) make a reasonable effort to schedule medical treatment or supervision so as not to disrupt unduly the employer's operations, subject to approval of the health care provider. Allows limitation of the dual aggregate leave entitlement to 12 weeks in any 12-month period, in the case of spouses employed by the same employer, if such leave is for the birth or placement of a child or for the care of a sick parent. (Sec. 103) Sets forth conditions of certification for leave entitlements under this Act. (Sec. 104) Requires restoration of the employee to his or her position or an equivalent position upon return from such leave. Allows an employer to deny such restoration to certain highly compensated employees, under specified conditions (the highest paid ten percent of the employer's employees within a 75-mile radius of a facility; the denial must be necessary to prevent substantial and grievous economic injury to the employer's operations). Requires maintenance of employee health benefits during such leave. (Sec. 105) Prohibits interference with or discrimination against employees exercising rights under this title. (Sec. 106) Sets forth the investigative authority of the Secretary of Labor under this title. (Sec. 107) Provides for enforcement of this Act. Provides for administrative and civil actions. Makes an employer who violates this title's prohibitions against interference or discrimination liable for damages in the amount of: (1) any wages, salary, employment benefits, or other compensation denied or lost; (2) (where such compensation has not been denied or lost) any actual monetary losses, such as the cost of providing care; (3) interest on such losses; and (4) liquidated damages under certain conditions. Makes such employers also liable for appropriate equitable relief, including, without limitation, employment, reinstatement, and promotion. Sets forth provisions for attorney's fees, limitation of actions, and injunctions. (Sec. 108) Sets forth special rules concerning employees of local educational agencies and of private elementary and secondary schools. (Sec. 109) Sets forth requirements for posting notice and for fines. (Sec. 110) Directs the Secretary of Labor to prescribe regulations to carry out this title. Title II: Leave for Civil Service Employees - (Sec. 201) Entitles eligible civil service employees to family and temporary medical leave for specified periods. Allows up to 12 administrative workweeks of leave without pay (or substituted paid leave) in any 12-month period for: (1) family leave (i.e., leave because of the birth or placement of a child or care of a sick spouse, child, or parent); or (2) temporary medical leave for a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the functions of their position. Sets forth: (1) requirements for employees to give prior notice; (2) certification provisions; (3) protections for job position and health insurance benefits; and (4) prohibitions against coercion. Requires the Office of Personnel Management to prescribe regulations for this title which are consistent with the regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Labor under title I of this Act. Title III: Commission on Leave - (Sec. 301) Establishes the Commission on Leave. (Sec. 302) Requires the Commission to conduct a comprehensive study of: (1) existing and proposed leave policies; (2) the potential costs, benefits, and impact on productivity of such policies on employers; and (3) alternative and equivalent State enforcement of this Act with respect to employees of local educational agencies and private schools. Requires the Commission to report on such study to the Congress within two years after the Commission first meets. (Sec. 306) Terminates the Commission within 30 days after its report to the Congress. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - (Sec. 401 and Sec. 402) Sets forth the effect of this Act on other laws and existing employment benefits. (Sec. 403) Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to discourage employers from adopting more generous leave policies. (Sec. 404) Directs the Secretary of Labor to prescribe regulations to carry out this title (except those provisions applicable to the Senate) within 60 days. Title V: Coverage of Congressional Employees - (Sec. 501) Applies the rights and protections established under specified provisions of title I of this Act to Senate employees. Makes specified provisions of the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991 applicable, with certain exceptions. Provides that allegations shall be considered by the Office of Senate Fair Employment Practices or another entity designated by the Senate. Requires such Office to ensure that Senate employees are informed of their rights under this Act. (Sec. 502) Applies the rights and protections under title I of this Act to employees of the House of Representatives, except for the exemption concerning highly compensated employees. Requires that the remedies and procedures under the Fair Employment Practices Resolution be applied in administering such coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1993
Military Retirement Equity Act of 1993 - 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 · 5 January 1993
Universal Student Nutrition Act of 1993 - Amends the National School Lunch Act to establish an optional universal school lunch and breakfast program. Requires that the Secretary of Agriculture's minimum nutritional requirements for the current school lunch and school breakfast programs be prescribed in accordance with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans developed by the Department of Agriculture. Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to require that grants to States for nutrition education and information be based on a rate of 50 cents for each child enrolled in schools or institutions in the State.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1993
Morris K. Udall Wilderness Act of 1993 - Designates specified lands in Alaska as the Arctic Coastal Plain Wilderness and a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1993
Employee Educational Assistance Act of 1993 - 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 · 5 January 1993
Constitutional Amendment - Declares that equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1993
Establishes in the House of Representatives the Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families to conduct a continuing comprehensive study and review of the problems of children, youth, and families.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 1992
Declares that it is U.S. policy to seek international agreements prohibiting the sale, transfer, or export, limiting the use, and terminating the production, possession, or deployment, of antipersonnel landmines. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should seek to negotiate an international agreement or a modification of the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or To Have Indiscriminate Effects to prohibit the sale, transfer, or export of antipersonnel landmines. Prohibits, for a period of one year from this Act's enactment date: (1) sales, financing, transfers, and the issuance of licenses under the Arms Export Control with respect to antipersonnel landmines; and (2) assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 with respect to the provision of such landmines.
United States · United States Congress · 12 August 1992
Authorizes the President, on behalf of the Congress, to present a gold medal to John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie in recognition of his accomplishments as a musician. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to provide for the sale of bronze duplicates of the medal.
United States · United States Congress · 10 August 1992
Firearm Theft Reporting Act of 1992 - Amends the Federal criminal code to make it unlawful for a Federal firearms licensee to fail to report the loss or theft of a firearm within 24 hours after discovery to the Secretary of the Treasury and the chief of police, sheriff, or an equivalent officer of the place where the premises covered by the license is located.
United States · United States Congress · 10 August 1992
Congratulates the citizens of Israel on concluding fair and open democratic elections. Welcomes Prime Minister Rabin to the United States. Applauds his statements and actions encouraging active participation in the search for peace. Calls upon all parties in the region to actively and seriously engage in the peace process.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1992
Expresses the sense of the Congress that effective follow-up to achieve the goals of the agreements reached at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) will depend on the following actions by the President and the U.S. Government: (1) adoption of a national strategy for environmentally sustainable development, based on an extensive process of nationwide consultations with all interested organizations and individuals; (2) the Government encouraging and facilitating means for adopting individual Agenda 21 plans of action, including the establishment of local, county, State, business, and other boards and commissions for achieving sustainable development; (3) the President establishing an effective mechanism to plan, initiate, and coordinate U.S. policy for implementing Agenda 21; and (4) policies being formulated for foreign policy and assistance to help developing countries, and for domestic actions to assure appropriate action to implement Agenda 21. Supports: (1) pursuing the research and policy initiatives urged in Agenda 21, including research on sustainable consumption and production patterns, creation of a policy framework for sustainable consumption patterns, identification of a strategy to eliminate or reduce subsidies for unsustainable natural resource exploitation, and improving pricing policies; (2) the Congress adopting a plan to reallocate an appropriate amount of savings from reduced defense spending to achieve its goals of global environmental protection and sustainable development over the next decade; and (3) the effective establishment of a high-level United Nations (UN) Commission on Sustainable Development. Urges the United States to call for periodic international meetings to continue the process toward developing and advancing international agreement to facilitate sustainable economic development. Calls on the President to: (1) urge and actively participate in multilateral efforts aimed at creating a more favorable international economic climate for developing countries to practice sustainable development; (2) affirm strong U.S. commitment to the Commission by appointing a high-level representative to the Commission and by encouraging the UN Secretary General to appoint an Under Secretary General for Sustainable Development; (3) submit and encourage all UN members to submit a national report to the Commission on activities the United States has undertaken to implement Agenda 21 both domestically and internationally, on progress made toward fulfilling other commitments undertaken at UNCED, and on other relevant environmental and developmental issues; and (4) submit an annual report to the Congress on the steps taken by the United States to implement Agenda 21 and the recommendations made by this Act and make information regarding such steps available to Members of the Congress upon request.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1992
Amends the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act of 1991 (Public Law 102-164) to increase the number of weeks for which emergency unemployment compensation is payable. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce a tax deduction for certain expenses for meals and entertainment.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 1992
Firearms Law Enforcement Assistance Act of 1992 - Amends the Federal criminal code to require Federal firearms licensees to: (1) prepare a report of multiple sales or other disposition whenever such a licensee sells or otherwise disposes of two or more pistols or revolvers to an unlicensed person at one time or during any 30 (currently, five) consecutive business days; and (2) forward a copy of such report to the chief law enforcement officer of the place of residence of the unlicensed person on the date that the multiple sale or disposition occurs. Requires applicants for a Federal firearms license to comply with State and local firearms licensing laws and meet specified requirements before issuance of the Federal license.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 1992
Stop Rearming Felons Act of 1992 - Amends the Federal criminal code to provide that any State conviction which has been expunged or set aside, or for which a person has been pardoned or has had civil rights restored, shall not be considered a conviction for purposes of Federal provisions prohibiting convicted felons from possessing or dealing in firearms only if: (1) the expungement, set aside, pardon, or restoration of civil rights (expungement) applies to a named person and expressly authorizes the person to ship, transport, receive, and possess firearms and the State authority granting the expungement has expressly determined that the circumstances regarding the conviction, and the person's record and reputation, are such that the applicant will not be likely to act in a manner dangerous to public safety and the granting of the relief would not be contrary to the public interest; and (2) the conviction was for a crime other than a violent felony or serious drug offense.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 1992
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Secretary of the Treasury should release to Leona Benten the dosage of the drug RU-486 that was seized from her on July 1, 1992, for her personal use under the supervision of a physician of her choice.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 1992
Children's Initiative - Family Preservation Act of 1992 - States that titles I through V of this Act may be cited as the Family Preservation Act of 1992 - Title I: Child Welfare Services - Amends part B (Child Welfare Services) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to create a capped entitlement program to provide child welfare services designed to strengthen and preserve families. Provides for allotments, reallotments, and payments to States of entitlement funds. Requires use of part of such funds to develop or expand specialized child welfare service programs for families in crisis due to substance abuse. Requires uses of remaining funds to develop or expand certain family and child service programs. Repeals provisions for incentive payments to States which maintain a foster care inventory, information system, and case review system; but requires States to provide such protections and other services designed to keep families together or reunify them, or to place children for adoption, with a legal guardian, or in some other planned, permanent living arrangement. Requires States to submit the following types of reports on child welfare services and expenditures: (1) pre-expenditure reports; (2) post-expenditure reports; and (3) comparative financial contributions reports. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to transmit to specified congressional committees annual summaries of the information in such comparative financial contributions reports. Requires such information to be made available to the public. Reserves entitlement funds for grants to State court systems to assess and improve procedures in child welfare cases in carrying out parts B and E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of SSA title IV. Sets forth application requirements and formulas for determining the amount of such grants for FY 1994 through 1998. Directs the HHS Secretary to submit interim and final reports to the Congress on the information obtained from assessments conducted with such grants and the impact of such grant program on State court procedures and functions. Requires each State to compile periodically a detailed directory of programs designed to keep families together or reunify them or place children permanently, identifying which of such programs provides specialized child welfare services to families in crisis due to substance abuse. Requires States to report on measures taken to comply with the Indian Child Welfare Act. Title II: Foster Care And Adoption Assistance - Amends SSA title IV to add a new part C, Comprehensive Service Projects to grant States flexibility and resources to develop comprehensive and coordinated services designed to: (1) preserve and strengthen families with children at risk of placement outside their homes; (2) reunite children with their families expeditiously if an out-of-home placement is found to be necessary; and (3) place children in adoptive homes or other permanent arrangements in a timely fashion if reunification with their families is not appropriate. Permits any State to apply to the HHS Secretary for permission to: (1) conduct a comprehensive service project in a selected area or areas; and (2) suspend certain child welfare services and foster care and adoption assistance requirements with respect to State activities in such area or areas during the project. Sets forth application requirements and administrative provisions for such projects. Prohibits the HHS Secretary from requiring as a condition of approval of a project application: (1) the State to select any area or areas in which to conduct the project; or (2) the project to comply with any requirements not specified in the project authorization. Sets forth those requirements with which such a project must comply. Provides for determining the expenses for which a State might properly seek reimbursement, for purposes of calculating such grant amount. Authorizes the HHS Secretary to increase such grant amount, to the extent appropriate, by taking specified factors into account. Sets forth requirements for notification to States of grant amounts, and for grant payments in equal quarterly installments. Prohibits a State from carrying out such a project in a manner that impairs the entitlement of any child to: (1) the foster care benefits he or she would have receive if the HHS Secretary had approved the State plan and had not authorized the State to conduct such a project; or (2) any other benefit to which the child is legally entitled. Deems a State to have in effect an approved foster care and adoption assistance plan during the period in which it conducts such a project for purposes of State plan requirements under part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) (AFDC) of SSA title IV. Requires States to report annually on project funds expended to the HHS Secretary and the Advisory Commission on Children and Families. Provides for administrative remedies for unsuccessful projects. Provides for project termination. Makes abandoned children entering foster care eligible for foster care maintenance payments. Makes the adoptive parents of any such child with respect to whom foster care maintenance payments may be made eligible for adoption assistance payments. Makes technical revisions to the foster care maintenance payments program and the adoption assistance program to expand the removal from home requirement to include removal from legal custody. Provides for retroactive application of such new requirement under the adoption assistance program. Makes children whose adoption has been set aside by a court eligible for foster care maintenance payments. Makes the adoptive parents of any such child with respect to whom foster care maintenance payments may be made eligible for adoption assistance payments. Establishes a respite care program for foster parents with children who have special needs. Limits the expenses eligible for reimbursement under such program. Expands the definition of children with special needs, for purposes of the adoption assistance program, to include: (1) those children for whom information is known and available about their genetic or social history indicating a high risk of medical conditions or physical, mental, or emotional handicaps which makes it reasonable to conclude that they cannot be placed for adoption without providing part E adoption assistance or Medicaid (SSA title XIX) medical assistance; and (2) those children that have been adopted, that were under the care and responsibility of the State agency responsible for administering the State's part E programs immediately before adoption, and that have a mental, physical, or emotional handicap that either existed before the adoption but was not diagnosed until afterwards, or first manifests itself after the adoption but is congenital or was caused beforehand. Extends to relatives (as well as foster parents) who are prospective adoptive parents, and with whom the child has significant emotional ties while in their care, the exception to the requirement that an effort be made to place special needs children with appropriate adoptive parents without providing adoption or Medicaid assistance. Requires each State to submit to the HHS Secretary the factors and conditions it uses to identify children with special needs for purposes of the adoption assistance program, and any modifications to such factors and conditions. Directs the HHS Secretary to establish an Advisory Committee on Foster Care Placement to study and report to the Secretary and the Congress on the implementation of specified requirements, under State plans for foster care and adoption assistance, that reasonable efforts be made: (1) before placement of a child in a foster home, to prevent or eliminate the need for removal of the child from the child's home; and (2) to make it possible for the child to return to the child's home. Provides Federal coverage of 90 percent of State costs in developing and installing certain statewide mechanized data collection and information retrieval systems. Covers 50 percent of State costs for operation of such systems. Provides that all State expenditures for development, installation, and operation of such systems shall be treated as necessary for proper and efficient administration of the State plan, without regard to whether the systems may be used with respect to foster or adoptive children other than those on behalf of whom payments may be made for foster care maintenance or adoption assistance. Reduces, after three years, from 90 to 50 percent the Federal matching payment for development and installation of such systems. Defers a deadline for implementation of automated systems until one year after certain regulations are promulgated. Directs the Secretary to establish a work group to advise on planning and implementation of the system to be used for collection of data relating to adoption and foster care in the United States. Requires the State plan to provide for: (1) a triennial review of the amounts paid as foster care maintenance payments and adoption assistance to assure their continuing appropriateness; and (2) a report to the HHS Secretary on the results. Sets forth requirements concerning dispositional hearings to determine the final status of a foster child. Revises the time frame for judicial determinations on voluntary placements. Sets forth case plan requirements for placement of children in out-of-State foster care. Requires annual review, with the child present, of the status of children in out-of-State foster care placements. Requires States to collect data on the numbers of children in out-of-State foster care placements. Requires a State, in order to receive payments for expenditures after FY 1994 for foster care maintenance payments made with respect to children placed in foster care outside the State, to conduct and submit a study to the HHS Secretary, by the end of such fiscal year, identifying the number and common characteristics of such children and the reasons why they were not placed in foster care in the State. Provides for the treatment of assets of youth participating in the independent living program. Eliminates the ceilings on Federal foster care payments to States and the State's authority to transfer unused foster care funds to child welfare services programs. Directs the HHS Secretary to: (1) establish an advisory committee; and (2) issue final regulations for training of staff of agencies responsible for administering foster care and adoption assistance programs, and for training of foster care and adoptive parents. Directs the Secretary annually to publish information, on a State-by-State basis, on expenditures for, and the operation of, the Child Welfare Services program, the Foster Care and Adoption Assistance program, and Comprehensive Service Projects. Amends SSA title IV to add a new part G, Child Welfare Review System. Directs the HHS Secretary to establish such system to: (1) review each State child welfare program to assess whether the requirements of the Act are being carried out; (2) impose financial penalties in cases of substantial failure to comply; and (3) provide technical assistance to any such program. Sets forth provisions relating to effects of noncompliance, suspension and rescission of financial penalties, and administrative and judicial review. Requires that all State child welfare programs be reviewed at least once by the end of FY 1997. Prohibits the Secretary from reducing or withholding any payment, or seeking any repayment from any State under part B or E, by reason of a determination made in connection with specified reviews or audits for certain periods. Prohibits suspension of payments with respect to any claim for reimbursement 30 days after the HHS Secretary receives the quarterly statement of expenditures that contains the report of the claim. Provides that within ten months after the Secretary takes any action to suspend payment with respect to such a claim, the Secretary shall: (1) determine the allowability of the claim; or (2) if unable to make such a determination, make payment with respect to the claim, subject to a later determination of allowability. Title III: Social Services Block Grant - Amends SSA title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) to authorize increased appropriations for title XX programs. Provides for the allocation to tribal organizations of program funds otherwise allotted to the State in which the Indians represented by such an organization reside. Title IV: Research, Demonstration, and Evaluation Activities - Amends part A (General Provisions) of SSA title XI to require the Director of the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) to establish an Advisory Commission on Children and Families. Requires the Commission to collect and assess specified types of information in order to identify cost-effective approaches to protect and enhance the physical, mental, emotional, and financial well-being of children and their families. Directs OTA to report annually to the Congress on the Commission and its assessment. Requires the Commission to conduct, through contracts with independent research organizations, the following research and evaluation projects: (1) the evaluation of child welfare service programs, including intensive family preservation programs; (2) foster care evaluations; (3) longitudinal child welfare data bases, and studies of child welfare population dynamics; and (4) comprehensive service projects evaluations. Requires the Commission to study child separation guidelines. Directs the HHS Secretary to conduct the following research and evaluations: (1) a study (under contract with an independent research organization) to assess the prevalence and nature of risks to the safety of employees of child welfare systems; and (2) a three-year study (under contract with an organization with demonstrated appropriate experience) to examine methodologies for measuring the workloads of providers of child welfare services and community mental health services. Directs the HHS Secretary to make grants to States or localities for child welfare demonstration projects concerning abandoned child permanent placement. Directs the HHS Secretary to authorize eligible institutions to conduct demonstration projects to train eligible individuals to deliver culturally sensitive and bilingual child welfare services in U.S. areas that border on Mexico. Directs the HHS Secretary to make grants to eligible institutions to conduct projects to train eligible institutions to deliver culturally sensitive and bilingual welfare services in urban centers which have a high proportion of historically unserved or underserved populations. Authorizes the HHS Secretary to make grants to State or local government agencies to conduct demonstration projects designed to: (1) develop and implement innovative recruitment or retention strategies for trained staff in public and private nonprofit agencies working with children and adolescents at risk of being placed in foster care; and (2) test the effect of joint training programs for the staff of child welfare, mental health, and juvenile justice agencies, and for judicial personnel and judges. Authorizes the HHS Secretary to conduct demonstration projects designed to test the feasibility of eliminating income and resource requirements respecting foster care and adoption assistance payments. Directs the HHS Secretary to provide technical assistance to States for: (1) interpreting and implementing parts B, C, and E; (2) disseminating information on innovative child welfare agencies; (3) correcting problems identified through Federal audits and reviews and carrying out corrective action plans under part E; (4) implementing the foster care and adoption data collection system; and (5) addressing other matters identified by the HHS Secretary. Title V: Miscellaneous Human Resources Amendments - Amends the AFDC program to give States the option of using retrospective budgeting without monthly reporting under AFDC. Increases the amount of stepparent income disregarded under AFDC. Amends the Family Support Act of 1988 to extend demonstration projects for evaluating model procedures for reviewing child support awards. Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989 and the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 to make technical corrections relating to human resource and income security provisions. Title VI: Childhood Hunger Relief - Mickey Leland Childhood Hunger Relief Act - Subtitle A: Ensuring Adequate Food Assistance - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to remove the excess shelter deduction cap for purposes of food stamp program eligibility. (Sets forth transitional caps through 1996.) Eliminates food stamp reductions for households reapplying for program reinstatement within 30 days. Excludes 100 percent (currently only a specified portion) of third party payments for transitional housing for the homeless from consideration as program income. Increases funding for the nutrition assistance program in Puerto Rico. Excludes general assistance vendor payments from consideration as program income. Excludes the income of high school students from consideration as program income. (Current law excludes income until a student's eighteenth birthday.) Subtitle B: Promoting Self-Sufficiency - Excludes from consideration as program income: (1) the first $50 a month received as child support; and (2) child support payments to non-household members. Increases annually the fair market value limit of vehicles that program recipients may own. Subtitle C: Simplifying the Provision of Food Assistance - Permits related adults living in the same household to apply for separate program benefits under specified conditions. Repeals provisions authorizing benefit reductions due to insufficient funding. Subtitle D: Commodity Distribution to Needy Families - Amends the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to provide for increased allotments in FY 1993 for commodity purchases under the emergency food assistance program. Subtitle E: Implementation and Effective Dates - Sets forth the effective dates for provisions of this title. Title VII: Funding - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a surtax on individuals with incomes over $1,000,000.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 1992
Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to deem a malt beverage, wine, or distilled spirit mislabeled unless it bears a label disclosing: (1) the alcoholic content; (2) the number of drinks (defining "drink" as .6 ounces of alcohol); (3) its ingredients and calories; (4) the common name of each ingredient, including additives; and (5) a toll-free number for help with a drinking problem. Authorizes appropriations for the toll-free number.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 1992
Supports the planting of 500 redwood trees from California on the northwest coast of Spain in commemoration of the quincentenary of the voyage of Christopher Columbus to the New World. Designates such trees as a gift to the people of Spain made in the name of the people of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 1992
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should seek the consent of the Senate to the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted by the United Nations on November 20, 1989.
United States · United States Congress · 2 July 1992
Denounces the sexual misconduct that occurred at the annual Navy Tailhook Association symposium in September 1991. Calls on the Secretary of Defense to ensure that the ongoing Department of Defense investigation of such misconduct is full and uncompromising. Urges the Secretary of the Navy to recommend and initiate full disciplinary procedures against any culpable individuals. Recognizes the importance of equality of opportunity for women and men in the armed forces to achieving mutual respect between the sexes. Urges the Secretary of Defense to make available to female military personnel the same opportunities available to male personnel, to the extent consistent with the protection and security of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1992
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the General Accounting Office should study and report to the Congress on the economic impacts Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Order No. 636 on the various classes and regions of natural gas end-users; and (2) FERC should refrain from processing restructuring proceedings pursuant to such Order until a certain period after such report is due.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 1992
Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor Act of 1992 - Establishes: (1) the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor in Connecticut; and (2) the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission to assist appropriate Federal, State, regional planning organizations, and local authorities in the development and implementation of an integrated resource management plan for the Corridor's lands and water to be submitted to the Secretary of the Interior and the Governor of Connecticut for review and approval. Terminates the Commission after the enactment of this Act. Provides for a five-year extension of the Commission beginning on the date of such termination if: (1) the Commission determines it is necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act and submits such proposed extension to specified congressional committees; and (2) and the Secretary, in consultation with the Governor, approves the extension. Sets forth the duties of: (1) the Secretary, in consultation with the Governor, with respect to approval or disapproval of the plan; and (2) other Federal entities conducting or supporting activities directly affecting the Corridor. Authorizes: (1) appropriations for FY 1993 to carry out this Act; and (2) annual appropriations to the Commission and the Secretary to carry out their duties under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1992
Free Trade in Ideas Act of 1992 - Amends the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the Export Administration Act of 1979, the Trading With the Enemy Act, the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, and the United Nations Participation Act of 1945 to declare that the authority granted the President under such Acts does not include the authority to regulate or prohibit: (1) the importation from or exportation to any country, or the communication or telecommunication or other form of transmission to any country, of publications, films, posters, phonograph records, photographs, microfilms, microfiche, audiotapes and video tapes, artworks, telephone conversations, other voice or data communications, telecasts, and news wire feeds; (2) other forms of telecommunications; (3) other materials which in the United States would be protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution; (4) information that is not otherwise controlled under the Export Administration Act of 1979; (5) travel related to importation, exportation, communication, telecommunication, or transmission; (6) transactions for the creation or circulation concerning such information, or rights to such information, whether commercial or otherwise; (7) other transactions incidental to the above-mentioned activities or transactions; (8) any transactions ordinarily incident to travel to and from any country; (9) any transactions ordinarily incident to travel and maintenance within any country; (10) any transactions incident to the arrangement, promotion, or facilitation of travel to, from, or within a country; (11) any transactions incident to nonscheduled flights or voyages to and from any country; (12) normal banking transactions incident to travel to and from any country; (13) the importation or exportation of publications or other informational materials from any country; (14) financial or other transactions, or travel, incident to activities of scholars, other educational or academic activities, cultural activities and exchanges, or public exhibitions by nationals of one country in another country; or (15) financial or other transactions related to the establishment of U.S. news bureaus in foreign countries, or the establishment of foreign news bureaus in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 1992
National Biological Resources Research and Development Act - Establishes within the Smithsonian Institution a National Center for Biological Resources (Research and Development) to facilitate the collection, synthesis, and dissemination of information relating to the sustainable use, research, development, and conservation of biological resources. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1992
International Refugee Protection Act of 1992 - States that: (1) the Congress affirms that U.S. obligations under certain international refugee agreements have applied to U.S. actions with respect to persons outside U.S. territorial boundaries; and (2) the United States shall refrain from the involuntary return of refugees to their home country from boundaries outside the United States or from the territorial waters of such home country, with specified exceptions.
United States · United States Congress · 28 May 1992
Animal Medicinal Drug Use Clarification Act of 1992 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to allow, on order of a veterinarian: (1) a new animal drug approved for one use to be used for a different purpose, provided the use does not result in residues in food in violation of established safe levels for the drug; and (2) a new drug approved for human use to be used in non-food producing animals.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 1992
Defense Diversification Act of 1992 - Title I: Guarantees for Defense-Dependent Small Businesses - Amends the Small Business Act to authorize the Small Business Administration to guarantee loans to assist small business concerns that are defense-dependent contractors in the financing of projects to: (1) convert defense-related productive facilities or equipment of such concerns to nondefense-related use; (2) diversify the operations of such concerns toward greater emphasis upon the civilian sector of the economy; or (3) retrain employees as part of the conversion and diversification process. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a loan guarantee program to assist defense facilities holding major defense contracts or subcontracts in financing the same type of projects. Sets forth requirements for loan guarantees and limitations on guarantee authority. Title II: Tax Incentives to Assist in Defense Industry Diversification - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a special depreciation deduction for nondefense-related equipment placed in service after December 31, 1992, and before January 1, 1996, by defense contractors. Allows such deduction, with limitations, against the alternative minimum tax. Allows the investment tax credit to rehabilitate buildings used for defense-related purposes, including post-1936 buildings, into buildings to be used for non-defense related purposes during the period after December 31, 1992, and before January 1, 1996. Extends the exclusion from gross income for employer-provided educational assistance from June 30, 1992, until December 31, 1995. Allows defense contractors that diversify into nondefense-related businesses an itemized deduction for each eligible individual who begins work for the contractor after June 30, 1992, and before January 1, 1996. Sets forth the amounts of such deduction for a three-year period and other special rules. Allows such deduction, with limitations, against the alternative minimum tax. Allows an alternative five-percent research credit for expenses of defense contractors that increase nondefense related research. Title III: Grants to States to Provide Technical and Financial Assistance to Defense-Dependent Contractors - Authorizes appropriations to carry out this title. Sets forth requirements for the allocation of grants to States under this title and State application requirements. Directs a State to certify to the Secretary of Defense that it will: (1) provide an amount equal to one dollar for every ten dollars of Federal funds to provide technical and financial assistance to defense-dependent contractors; (2) maintain its aggregate expenditures from all other sources for programs which provide such assistance at or above the average level of such expenditures in the two fiscal years preceding the enactment of this Act; (3) require contractors receiving assistance to provide funds in an amount equal to one dollar for every dollar of funds provided under the program; and (4) report to the Secretary on the use of the grant. Provides that States will allocate grant funds for assistance to defense-dependent contractors as follows: (1) 40 percent for making quality and productivity improvements and expanding markets; and (2) 60 percent for undertaking human resource development initiatives essential for defense diversification, industrial modernization, and the fulfillment of improved competitiveness strategies.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 1992
Tax Extension Act of 1992 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend from August 1, 1992, until August 1, 1993, the provisions governing the allocation of research and experimental expenditures for purposes of determining sources of income. Extends the following provisions from June 30, 1992, until December 31, 1993: (1) the tax credit for increasing research activities; (2) the targeted jobs credit; (3) the authority to issue qualified mortgage bonds and qualified mortgage credit certificates; (4) the authority to issue qualified small issue bonds to finance manufacturing facilities and farm property; (5) employer-provided educational assistance; (6) the tax exclusion for employer-provided group legal services plans; (7) the energy investment credit for solar and geothermal property; (8) the credit for clinical testing expenses for certain drugs for rare diseases or conditions; and (9) health insurance costs of self-employed individuals. Extends the low-income housing credit until December 31, 1993 with modifications. Expands the ten-year anti-churning rule waiver to certain projects substantially assisted, financed, or operated under the National Housing Act. Allows units occupied by certain full-time students to qualify for such credit. Authorizes the Treasury Department to waive penalties for certain de minimis errors and recertifications. Provides that certain community service facilities in projects in qualified census tracts are included in eligible basis as functionally related and subordinate facilities. Allows certain building owners to elect to use apartment size or family size in determining the credit's gross rent limitation. Provides for the tax treatment of resale price control and subsidy lien programs under mortgage revenue bond provisions. Repeals the tax preference for the appreciated property charitable deduction during 1992 and 1993. Requires a report by the Secretary of the Treasury to certain congressional committees on an advance valuation procedure.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 1992
Designates February 21 through 27, 1993, as American Wine Appreciation Week. Commends the winegrape and fruit growers and vintners of the United States for the production of high quality agricultural products.
![Official portrait of Rep. Gejdenson, Sam [D-CT-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/g000120_200.jpg)