United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1991
World Cup USA 1994 Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue a specified number of five-dollar gold coins, one-dollar silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins in commemoration of the 1994 World Cup and the unique appeal of soccer. Sets forth certain features of such coins and provides for their design, issuance, and sale. Requires that all sales include a surcharge of $35 per coin for the five-dollar coins, $7 per coin for the one-dollar coins, and $1 per coin for the half-dollar coins. Requires that all surcharges be paid to the Organizing Committee to organize and stage the 1994 World Cup. Requires that ten percent of such funds shall be made available through the U.S. Soccer Federation Foundation, Inc., for distribution to institutions for scholastic scholarships to qualified students.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1991
Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to include the costs of securing and maintaining a hearing dog trained to assist a deaf or hard-of-hearing individual as allowable medical expenses for the purpose of income-related calculations to determine eligibility for the food stamp program. Amends Federal law to: (1) include as a benefit to certain veterans the provision of hearing dogs trained to assist deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals; (2) permit hearing dogs trained to assist a deaf or hard-of-hearing individual to be admitted to public buildings and other properties owned by the United States; and (3) permit certain common carriers to continue to establish a special rate for transportation of a hearing-impaired individual when accompanied by a dog trained to assist the individual. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a commission regarding measures that should be taken to provide rights regarding the use of guide dogs by deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1991
Nuclear Proliferation Prevention Act of 1991 - Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to restrict the export of nuclear weapon items to a non-nuclear weapon state, unless: (1) such state maintains International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards on all its peaceful nuclear activities; and (2) the the export, retransfer, or activity is under the terms of an agreement for cooperation. Prohibits the Nuclear Regulatory Commission from issuing any license for the export of highly enriched uranium. Directs the President to undertake negotiations with foreign nations which participate in the Nuclear Suppliers Group to establish specified multilateral nuclear non-proliferation controls. Sets forth sanctions for violations of this Act. Amends the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act of 1978 to require the United States to enter into negotiations with other nations and groups of nations to improve the effectiveness of the safeguards of the IAEA.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1991
Individuals With Disabilities Transportation Assistance Act of 1991 - Amends the Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964 to authorize the Secretary of Transportation (Secretary) to make grants to States, local public bodies and agencies, and private nonprofit corporations and associations to provide transportation to eligible individuals with disabilities between their homes and their places of employment or where they are seeking employment. Prohibits the Secretary from making such grants unless the grantee providing such transportation agrees to impose a charge on each individual using such transportation. Sets forth specified grant requirements. Sets at 90 percent for the first year, 80 percent the second year, and 75 percent the third year the Federal share of costs for such program. Requires the Secretary to make such grants on a competitive and formula basis. Requires specified reports. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1991
Office of Federal Management Act of 1991 - Establishes in the Executive Office of the President the Office of Federal Management to coordinate, audit, oversee, and improve management practices within the Government. Places the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs and the Office of Federal Procurement Policy within the Office of Federal Management. Establishes within the Office of Federal Management the Office of Federal Financial Management to oversee the financial management activities of the Government. Requires the Director of the Office of Federal Management, the principal advisor to the President on matters concerning the management of the Government, to: (1) submit an annual management report to the Congress along with appropriate recommendations at the same time the President submits his budget; and (2) develop all presidential directives except those relating to budgetary matters. Redesignates the Office of Management and Budget as the Office of Federal Budget with responsibility over the budget functions of the Government.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 1991
Ethnic and Minority Affairs Clearinghouse Act of 1991 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to establish, within the Federal Communications Commission, within 90 days, an ethnic and minority affairs section which shall: (1) establish a clearinghouse for complaints, grievances, and opinions relating to radio, television (TV), and cable TV broadcast programming and their depiction of ethnic and minority groups; (2) collect, analyze, and prepare information relating to the portrayal of those groups by such media and furnish such information, upon request and without charge, to public and private agencies serving the needs and interests of those groups; (3) conduct an annual conference designed to focus public attention upon the images of ethnic and minority groups depicted by such media, discuss the impact which these images have on those groups, and encourage the participation of such individuals and public and private organizations that serve the interests of those groups; and (4) prepare and transmit to the Congress an annual report which details the activities of such section, including a compilation of all complaints, grievances, and opinions filed. Directs the chairman of the Commission to establish an advisory committee to assist the section in implementing the annual conference. Specifies the composition of such committee.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 1991
Highway Tree Planting Initiative of 1991 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation: (1) to identify public rights-of-way along Federal-aid highways suitable for the planting of trees and publish a report listing those identified rights-of-way; (2) within 24 months, to require each State to develop a plan for tree planting along such highways which include identification of species, design standards, and specifications for tree plantings for States which do not have such standards and specifications, and development of a tree maintenance policy; and (3) within 30 months, to require each State to have in effect a program for the planting of trees in public rights-of-way along such highways where safety, topography, soil, and other natural conditions provide that trees may be grown satisfactorily and with minimal maintenance. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants of up to $500,000 in a fiscal year to States for identifying rights-of-way, developing a plan, and implementing a program pursuant to the Act. Limits the Federal share to 80 percent. Directs the Secretary to: (1) take action as necessary to encourage State highway departments to enter into cooperative agreements with State foresters in implementing the requirements of this Act; and (2) enter into a cooperative agreement with the Chief of the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture for technical and other assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 1991
Provides for the printing of a revised edition of the booklet entitled "Our American Government" as a House document. Requires additional printing of such document for the use of the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the Joint Committee on Printing.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1991
Older Women's Breast Cancer Prevention Act of 1991 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) repeal the limit on payment amounts for screening mammography under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of the Medicare program; and (2) permit payment under such part to the physician who supervises such procedure but does not interpret its results.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 1991
Postal Service Voter Registration Facilitation Act of 1991 - Directs the Postal Service to provide voter registration forms whenever change-of-address forms are provided to postal patrons. Declares that the Postal Service shall not be obligated to provide voter registration forms in any State whose voter registration authority has not provided voter registration forms to the Postal Service. Directs the Postal Service to notify State voter registration authorities of this Act's enactment and mail a copy of it to such authorities.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 1991
Postal Service Voter Registration Facilitation Act of 1991 - Directs the U.S. Postal Service to make space available in post offices for State voter registration authorities to place voter registration forms and materials. Directs the U.S. Postal Service to notify State voter registration authorities of this Act's enactment and mail a copy of it to such authorities.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 1991
James Madison-Bill of Rights Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury (the Secretary) to mint and issue five-dollar gold coins emblematic of the Bill of Rights, and one-dollar silver coins emblematic of James Madison. Sets forth guidelines for their sale and issuance, and for financial assurances. Mandates that the surcharges received by the Secretary shall be transmitted to the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Trust Fund. Authorizes audits by the Comptroller General. Provides a general waiver of procurement regulations when implementing this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 1991
Employee Benefits Simplification Act of 1991 - Title I: Nondiscrimination Provisions - Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to employee benefit plans. Redefines the term "highly compensated employee" for pension, profit sharing, stock bonus plans, etc. purposes. Makes such an employee one who is a five-percent owner or who has compensation from the employer in excess of $50,000. Provides a special rule where no employees are treated as highly compensated. Allows employers to use prior year compensation in determining highly compensated employees. Provides that the cost-of-living adjustment with respect to any calendar year is based on the increase in the applicable index as of the close of the calendar quarter ending September 30 of the preceding calendar year over such index as of the close of the calendar quarter starting October 1, 1986. Requires the rounding of such amounts to the nearest $1,000, except that elective deferrals and elective contributions to simplified employee pensions are rounded to the nearest $100. Provides that the minimum participation requirements rule applies only to defined benefit pension plans. Requires such plans to benefit not less than 25 employees, or the greater of 40 percent of all employees or two employees (or if there is only one employee, such employee). Provides that a plan satisfies participation requirements on each day of a plan year if it satisfies such requirements on a single plan day of such year, but only if such day is reasonably representative of the employer's workforce and the plan's coverage. Sets forth alternative methods of meeting nondiscrimination requirements for cash or deferred arrangements, including specified contribution and notice requirements. Sets forth alternative methods of satisfying the nondiscrimination test for matching contributions. Revises the method of distributing excess contributions to highly compensated employees. Provides for determining the actual deferral percentage of highly compensated employees by using the prior plan year of highly compensated employees. Title II: Distributions - Allows distributions from qualified pension plans to an employee's spouse, as well as to an employee, to be rolled over tax-free to a retirement plan. Repeals special rules for partial distribution rollovers, payments from certain pension plan termination trusts, and treatment of potential future vesting. Eliminates five-year averaging for lump-sum distributions from qualified plans after 1996. Allows distributions to be made from qualified plans by April 1 of the calendar year following calendar year in which the employee retires, if he or she retires after reaching age 70 1/2. (Present law restricts such distributions to April 1 of the calendar year following the calendar year in which the employee attains age 70 1/2.) Title III: Miscellaneous Provisions - Revises the definition of a leased employee to mean a service-providing non-employee if the recipient of services exercises primary control over the manner in which the services are performed. (Currently the standard is that the services in question are historically performed by employees.) Eliminates the special aggregation rules that apply to plans maintained by owner-employees that do not apply to other qualified plans. Revises the 150 percent current liability limitation on the deduction allowed for employer contributions to qualified pension plans to eliminate the fair market value of assets from the limitation formula for multiemployer plans. Repeals the present law annual valuation requirement for such plans and applies the prior law requirement that valuations be performed at least every three years. Sets forth affiliation requirements for employers jointly maintaining a voluntary employees' beneficiary association. Provides that compensation, in the case of a governmental plan, includes any amount which is contributed by the employer pursuant to a salary reduction agreement and which is not includible in the gross income of an employee under cafeteria plans, cash or deferred arrangements, tax-exempt organization or public school annuities, State or local government plans, or deferred compensation plans of State and local governments and tax-exempt organizations. Makes the following limitations inapplicable to plans maintained by State and local governments and certain tax-exempt organizations: (1) excess benefit limitations; (2) certain compensation limitations on benefits; and (3) limitations on disability and survivor benefits. Allows government plan employers to revoke the grandfather election on the limitation to equal accrued benefits. Modifies provisions relating to simplified employee pensions. Increases the number of allowable participants for salary reduction arrangements from 25 to 100. Allows participation after one year of service (currently, three years of service is required). Repeals the requirement that at least 50 percent of eligible employees participate in a salary reduction arrangement. Eliminates certain requirements regarding contributions on behalf of disabled employees. Allows rural cooperative plans which include cash or deferred arrangements to make distributions to participants after attainment of age 59 1/2. Includes reports of pension and annuity payments in information returns and payee statements. Provides a $10 reporting threshold for designated distributions. Provides for the disaggregation of union benefit plans by allowing for consideration in reckoning the average benefit percentage test of a plan a unit of employees who benefit under the plan on the same terms even though they would otherwise be disregarded for specified reasons. Requires social security supplements to be considered a retirement-type subsidy in determining whether a plan is discriminatory in favor of highly compensated employees. Disregards such supplements in determining permitted disparity in plan contributions or benefits. Provides for treating the social security retirement age, in lieu of age 65, as the uniform retirement age for pension plans. Includes the use of an employee's basic or regular rate of compensation as an alternative method of determining compensation. Provides that a plan shall not be considered discriminatory in favor of highly compensated employees merely because it provides that the benefit of employees who transfer between members of the controlled group of employers which includes the plan sponsor, or between different employee groups within the employer, is based on all years of service and is offset by the benefit accrued under any other plans of the employer. Establishes a special grandfather rule for integrated plans. Revises the method of determining interest on employee contributions. Limits the accrued benefit to be derived from such contributions. Declares a plan to be nondiscriminatory if the average rate of accrual for highly compensated employees is not greater than the average rate of accrual for all other employees. Repeals the requirement that a plan be nondiscriminatory to qualify for line of business exception to minimum coverage requirements. Provides for the treatment of headquarters personnel as a separate line of business for employers with other separate lines of business. Declares that rules governing deferred compensation plans of State and local governments and tax-exempt organizations do not apply to nonelective deferred compensation.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 1991
Thomas Jefferson Commemoration Act - Establishes the Thomas Jefferson Commemoration Commission to promote and coordinate activities in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Thomas Jefferson. Requires the Commission to make interim and final reports to the President and the Congress on its activities. Terminates the Commission within 60 days after its final report. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through December 31, 1993.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 1991
Productive Investment Incentive Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a business expense deduction for up to $250,000 (currently, $10,000) of depreciable business assets if property is used as an integral part of manufacturing, production, or extraction. Reduces such allowance by the amount by which the cost of such property exceeds $1,000,000 (currently, $200,000) for a taxable year. Excludes such depreciation deduction from the alternative minimum tax.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 1991
Authorizes the Go for Broke National Veterans Association to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia or its environs to honor Japanese American Veterans. Prohibits any Federal funds from being used to pay any expense of the establishment of the memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 1991
Medicare Preventive Benefits Act of 1991 - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of fecal-occult blood tests (FOBTs) and screening flexible sigmoidoscopies for the early detection of colorectal cancer. Covers FOBTs on an annual basis for individuals aged 50 or over. Covers screening sigmoidoscopies provided every five years for individuals aged 50 or over. Provides payment for FOBTs under the laboratory fee schedule, subject to a five dollar limit in 1992. Provides payment for screening sigmoidoscopies under the relative value scale in 1992. Permits the Secretary to modify the frequency criteria after 1994. Provides for Medicare coverage of annual influenza vaccinations and for tetanus-diptheria vaccinations administered every ten years. Provides for Medicare coverage up to age seven according to a frequency schedule to be established by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) in consultation with appropriate entities. Provides for Medicare coverage of annual screening mammography for the early detection of breast cancer for women over age 64. (Currently, such women are covered for such screening performed every other year.) Requires HHS demonstration projects for the coverage of additional specified preventive care services and reports to specified congressional committees on such projects. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes an Office of Technology Assessment study and report to the Congress on the development of a process evaluating possible Medicare coverage of other preventive care services.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to special rules for determining capital gains and losses to specify that C corporations are not eligible for the rules applicable to real property subdivided for sale by a taxpayer, thus making S corporations (small business corporations) eligible for such rules.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 1991
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) U.S. businesses engaged in the rebuilding of Kuwait should, to the maximum extent possible, use U.S. subcontractors and U.S. goods and services; and (2) the Department of Commerce should monitor and encourage the implementation of this policy.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1991
Designates August 1, 1991, as Helsinki Human Rights Day. Authorizes and requests the President to: (1) reassert American commitment to the Helsinki Accords; (2) raise the issue of noncompliance with such Accords with any signatory nation which may be in violation; (3) convey to all signatories of such Accords that respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is vital to progress in the ongoing Helsinki process; and (4) develop new proposals to advance the human rights objectives of the Helsinki process, including the self-determination of peoples.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 1991
Amends Federal highway provisions to allow longer combination vehicles (LCVs) to continue to operate only if the Secretary of Transportation determines that such vehicles were authorized by State statute or regulation conforming to Federal law and were in actual, continuing lawful operation on June 1, 1991. Specifies that: (1) all such operations shall continue to be subject to, at the minimum, all State statutes, regulations, limitations, and conditions, including routing-specific and configuration-specific designations and all other restrictions (statutes and restrictions), in force on June 1, 1991; and (2) nothing in this Act shall prevent any State from further restricting or prohibiting the operation of LCVs whose continued operation is authorized under such provisions, with exceptions. Directs the Secretary, within 60 days, to publish in the Federal Register a complete list of such State statutes and restrictions, which shall become final 60 days after publication. Bars LCVs from operating except as provided in such list. Sets forth analogous restrictions with respect to cargo carrying unit limitations under Federal transportation provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 1991
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the American public should observe the 100th anniversary of filmmaking; and (2) the American Film Institute has a leadership role in preserving the art of film.
United States · United States Congress · 30 May 1991
Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from engaging in any oil or gas leasing or preleasing activity (including the approval of exploration, development, or production plans) for a ten-year moratorium period for specified areas off the New Jersey coast.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that home equity indebtedness does not include any indebtedness which is also secured by property other than a qualified residence for purposes of determining the deductibility of personal interest.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1991
Benjamin Franklin Memorial Fire Service Bill of Rights Act - Title I: Minting of Benjamin Franklin National Memorial Commemorative Coin - Benjamin Franklin National Memorial Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue: (1) five dollar gold coins emblematic of Benjamin Franklin's contributions to the advancement of science; (2) one dollar silver coins emblematic of Benjamin Franklin's contributions to the American Fire Service. Sets forth sale and issuance guidelines, including a general waiver of procurement regulations and surcharge distributions. Title II: Fire Service Bill of Rights - Fire Service Bill of Rights Act - Amends the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to set forth a fire service bill of rights, including the right of responding fire services to: (1) know the kind of danger presented by hazardous materials they face in emergency responses; and (2) be fully informed of infectious diseases their members face during the course of life safety activities. Declares that the bill of rights does not create any private right of action.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1991
Independent Older Blind Individuals Amendments of 1991 - Amends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to revise the program for independent living services for older blind individuals. Provides, under such program, for formula grants to States regarding services for older blind individuals. Requires ten percent non-Federal contributions for program costs. Revises provisions relating to such services. Extends through FY 1995 the authorization of appropriations for such program.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require individuals claiming deductions for interest on seller-provided financing on a residence to include on their return the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of the person to whom the interest is paid.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 1991
Urges the Government of Iran to extend to the Baha'i community the rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international agreements to which Iran is a party. Calls upon the President to continue to: (1) urge the Government of Iran to emancipate the Baha'i community by granting such rights; (2) emphasize that the United States regards the human rights practices of such Government, particularly its treatment of the Baha'is and other religious minorities, as a significant element in the development of U.S.-Iranian relations; and (3) cooperate with other governments and international organizations in efforts to protect the religious rights of the Baha'is and other minorities in Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1991
Farm Animal and Research Facilities Protection Act of 1991 - Amends title XIV of the Food Security Act of 1985 to add a new subtitle prohibiting (and establishing criminal penalties for) specified acts of destruction, theft, or damage to farm animal, research, and educational facilities. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture and the Attorney General to jointly conduct a study of the extent and effect of terrorism on animal research, production, and processing facilities. Grants jurisdiction for cases arising under these provisions to U.S. district courts. Establishes a private right of action.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1991
Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to create a private cause of action for economic loss to an eligible party by reason of the importation and sale of dumped merchandise (i.e., goods sold at less than foreign market value) against any manufacturer, exporter, or, if the importer is an affiliate or subsidiary of such manufacturer or exporter, importer of such merchandise. Sets forth provisions with respect to jurisdiction over foreign persons, service of process, presumptions of loss, and limitations on awards. Directs the court, in evaluating the economic loss sustained by the eligible party, to consider certain information submitted, including potential lost sales, worker layoffs, plant closures, and financial losses. Allows the court to consider an econometric analysis or other scientific study estimating the actual effects of the dumped merchandise on the eligible party. Specifies that the eligible party, upon a finding of liability on the part of the defendant, is entitled to recover actual damages for economic loss and costs, including reasonable attorney's fees. Sets forth further provisions with respect to the calculation of damages and the time allowed for bringing an action under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1991
Pledge of Allegiance Commemorative Coin Act - Establishes the Pledge of Allegiance Commemorative Coin Advisory Board to: (1) consult with the Secretary of the Treasury (the Secretary) regarding coin design; (2) oversee the expenditure of funds provided to the U.S. Capitol Historical Society for assisting its educational programs and providing non-operating improvements to the Capitol; and (3) establish rules and operating procedures to implement this Act. Directs the Secretary to issue five-dollar gold coins, one-dollar silver coins, and half dollar clad coins emblematic of the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. Declares a general waiver of public contract procurement regulations governing coin mintage under this Act. Mandates that surcharges be distributed equally between the Treasury and the U.S. Capitol Historical Society. Provides for audits by the Comptroller General. Requires that: (1) all amounts received from the sale of coins be deposited in the coinage profit fund; and (2) the Secretary take actions to ensure that coin mintage and issuance under this Act will not result in any net cost to the Federal Government.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1991
Campus Sexual Assault Victims' Bill of Rights Act of 1991 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to require each eligible institution participating in any program under HEA title IV (Student Assistance) to include a statement of policy regarding the rights of victims of sexual assault, that complies with specified requirements, in its disclosure of campus security policy and campus crime statistics. Requires each institution of higher education to establish and implement a written policy establishing a campus sexual assault victims' bill of rights which provides that specified rights shall be accorded to such victims by all campus officers, administrators, and employees of such institution.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1991
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to repeal provisions providing for the termination of a child's insurance benefit upon the marriage of the child.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1991
Designates the week beginning July 21, 1991, as Korean War Veterans Remembrance Week. Requires the President to urge that the American flag be flown at half staff on July 27, 1991, in honor of those Americans who died as a result of their service in Korea.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1991
Expresses the sense of the Congress that Germany and Austria should take steps to halt the distribution of specified neo-Nazi video games and prosecute anyone found in possession of such games to the full extent of the law.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1991
Insurance Subpart F Reform and Improved Foreign Competitiveness Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that countries comprising the European Community and in which a controlled foreign corporation is subject to a maximum tax rate greater than 90 percent of the U.S. tax on corporations shall constitute a single country for purposes of determining insurance income of foreign corporations. Excludes from foreign personal holding company income dividends, interest, and gains from the sale or exchange of stock or securities derived from investment by an insurance company of its unearned premiums or reserves, to the extent such premiums or reserves are attributable to the issuance of an insurance contract. Allows corporations subject to this Act to use the accounting rules of the foreign country in which they are incorporated in qualifying for the exception for certain income subject to high foreign taxes.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1991
Freedom from Want Act - Title I: Domestic Assistance Programs - Part A: Nutrition, Education, and Health Care - Expresses the sense of the Congress that it should make a commitment to increasing participation in the special supplemental food program for women, infants, and children (the WIC program) by 20 percent in each of FY 1992 through 1996, so that the goal of full participation may be reached by the end of FY 1996. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Head Start Act should be fully funded so that the goal of participation of all eligible three- and four-year-old children in Head Start programs can be achieved by FY 1994. Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to increase the reimbursement provided by the Department of Agriculture for congregate and home-delivered meals for older Americans to 65.66 cents in FY 1992, with adjustments for inflation in FY 1993 and 1994. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to undertake a Children's Vaccine Initiative, for research, development, testing, and evaluation of children's vaccines, and for assisting in delivery of such vaccines in the United States and throughout the world. Directs the Secretary of HHS to consult with the World Health Organization and the United Nation's Children's Fund in organizing such Initiative. Requires the Director of the National Vaccine Program to plan and coordinate such Initiative, and ensure that the Public Health Service conducts activities under the Initiative in collaboration with nongovernment institutions and other Federal agencies. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to ensure that rules issued under the Federal Meat Inspection Act that impose labeling standards for any meat or meat food product sold or offered for sale in commerce also impose equivalent labeling standards for meat or meat food products distributed by the Department of Agriculture through domestic commodity food assistance programs. Part B: Individual Development Account Demonstration - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a deduction for payments (other than certain assistance from an organization of a demonstration project under this part) made by or on behalf of eligible individuals to an individual development account (IDA) to accumulate funds to pay the following qualified expenses: (1) postsecondary education expenses; (2) first-home purchase; (3) business capitalization; (4) retirement expenses; and (5) transfers to an IDA of the individual's spouse or dependent. Sets forth requirements relating to such IDAs. Establishes five-year IDA demonstration projects to determine: (1) the social, psychological, and economic effects of providing to individuals with limited means an opportunity to accumulate assets; and (2) the extent to which an asset-based welfare policy may be used to enable individuals with low income to achieve economic self-sufficiency. Allows any organization to apply to the Secretary of the Treasury for grants to conduct such a project. Requires each organization authorized to conduct such a project to establish a Reserve Fund drawn from investments, public and private funds, and IDA penalty amounts. Requires the organization to use Reserve Fund amounts to: (1) assist project participants in obtaining skills and information to achieve economic self-sufficiency through activities requiring IDA qualified expenses; (2) provide financial assistance to the IDAs of individuals selected by the organization to participate in the project; (3) administer the project; and (4) provide the organization evaluating the project with necessary information. Directs the organization to invest Reserve Fund amounts that are not immediately needed to carry out such project fund uses. Limits the administrative expenses. Requires that unused Federal grant funds be transferred to the Secretary when the project terminates. Makes eligible for IDA demonstration project assistance any individual who is a member of a household with: (1) a household income for the immediately preceding calendar year of not more th an 200 percent of the poverty threshold; and (2) a household net worth, as of the close of such year, of not more than $20,000. Directs the project organization to select individuals whom the organization deems suited to receive such assistance. Sets forth a table for organization contributions to an individual's IDA, based on: (1) the individual income for the applicable period, as a percentage of the poverty threshold; and (2) matched with the lesser of either a specified percentage of the qualified savings of the individual for the period, or a specified dollar amount. Provides for a greater organization contribution for individuals with lower incomes. Requires local control over demonstration projects by giving the organization sole authority over project administration, and allowing the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe only regulations that are necessary to ensure compliance with approved applications and this Act. Requires each project organization to prepare ten semiannual progress reports for an oversight panel, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Treasurer (or equivalent official) of the State in which the project is conducted. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish an oversight panel for such demonstration projects. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to revoke the original authorization for a demonstration project upon receipt of a notice that the project has failed to implement the oversight panel's recommendations. Sets forth required revocation actions and procedures. Requires the oversight panel to enter into a contract with an independent research organization to evaluate the IDA demonstration projects, individually and as a group, addressing specified questions. Authorizes appropriations for IDA demonstration projects. Requires that funds in the IDAs of demonstration project participants to be disregarded for purposes of all means-tested Federal programs. Part C: Microenterprise Programs - Amends the Social Security Act to include microenterprise training programs under the JOBS program under provisions for aid to families with dependent children (AFDC). Requires adjustment of performance standards for microenterprises to take account of the time required for their establishment. Provides for limited exclusions of microenterprise resources and income under the AFDC program. Defines a microenterprise as a commercial enterprise which has five or fewer employees, one or more of whom owns the enterprise; and (2) none of the owners of which has income exceeding 200 percent of the poverty threshold. Authorizes States to waive Federal AFDC requirements with respect to participants in State-approved microenterpise programs. Provides that participation in such State-approved microenterprise programs shall not affect the participants' means-tested Federal benefits. Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to make microenterprises eligible for rural development loans and grants. Expresses the sense of the Congress that one percent of funds for specified types of rural development assistance should be reserved for certain purposes relating to microenterprises. Amends the Housing and Community Development Act to make microenterprises eligible for assistance under community development block grants. Provides that certain assisted activities relating to microenterprises shall be considered to benefit persons of low and moderate income. Expresses the sense of the Congress that each grantee under the community development block grant program should reserve one percent of any grant received to provide assistance to facilitate commercial economic development through microenterprises. Amends the Small Business Act to express the sense of the Congress that: (1) one percent of specified funds for small business loans should be reserved for specified purposes relating to microenterprises; and (2) the Small Business Administrator should take such other necessary actions to maximize participation by microenterprises in programs under such Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958. Provides for small business loans for microenterprises. Amends the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) to authorize the use of funds for training activities with respect to microenterprises. Directs the State Governor to adjust performance standards relating to microenterprises to reflect the time required to establish and develop a stable income from such an enterprise as participants seek to achieve economic self-sufficiency. Provides for JTPA microenterprise grants. Directs the Secretary of Labor, from specified funds for FY 1992 through 1996, to make grants in limited amounts to not more than ten States per year to implement and enhance community-based microenterprise activities. Requires State matching funds and annual reports. Authorizes appropriations for such microenterprise grants. Part D: Increasing the Food Purchasing Power of Low-Income Households - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to make grants to up to 20 nonprofit community-based organizations to carry out food retailing development projects to: (1) increase the access of individuals residing in communities underserved by supermarkets to more affordable and quality food; and (2) strengthen the operation of existing food retail stores in underserved communities by providing such stores with services that lower costs, improve management, and increase the quality and nutritional value of food inventories. Sets forth priorities in selecting grantees. Sets forth requirements for grant expenditures. Authorizes appropriations for such food retailing development program. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to make grants to up to ten eligible entities to carry out a food stamp and producer direct marketing demonstration project to: (1) increase retail marketing opportunities for local agricultural producers through farmers markets, roadside stands, and other means; (2) increase the access to and consumption of fresh, perishable agricultural commodities by low-income individuals; (3) identify and implement successful strategies to increase the number of agricultural producers certified to redeem food stamp coupons in exchange for commodities sold directly to coupon recipients; and (4) increase the number of food stamp recipients who use such coupons to purchase such commodities from agricultural producers. Sets forth requirements for grant expenditures. Defines an eligible entity as a community-based organization with strong ties to both the farming community and to an anti-hunger organization. Authorizes appropriations for such food stamp and producer direct marketing demonstration program. Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to revise WIC farmers' market demonstration programs. Increases from ten to 20 the number of States allowed to provide WIC participants with coupons to purchase fresh fruit and vegetables from farmers markets. Sets forth requirements for program reports and review. Authorizes appropriations. Part E: Assessing Food Security within Communities - Amends the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to provide for regional centers for community food security. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture, through the Federal Extension Service, to make competitive grants to seven land grant colleges and universities to establish seven regional centers for community food security, with one of them designated to serve as a coordinating center. Sets forth requirements for selection of recipients, use of grants, prohibited uses, term of grants, performance evaluations, and annual reports. Defines food security as the ability of all people at all times to purchase or receive from usual food sources enough nutritionally adequate food for an active and healthy life. Part F: Findings Regarding Communities Making the Transition to Hunger-Free Status - Expresses the sense of the Congress regarding criteria for communities making the transition to food secure status. Part G: Infant Mortality Reduction - Subpart 1: Low Birthweight and Infant Mortality - Establishes within the Department of Health and Human Services a program to make grants to States, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations to establish demonstration projects to reduce infant mortality by reducing the incidence of low birthweight births in high-risk communities. Sets forth grant application requirements and preferences in awards. Directs the Secretary of HHS to: (1) establish an Infant Mortality Advisory Panel; and (2) evaluate such projects and provide technical assistance to grantees. Requires annual reports from grantees. Limits project duration to three years. Authorizes appropriations. Subpart 2: Breast Feeding and Infant Morbidity and Mortality Study - Directs the Secretary of HHS to establish a program to award grants to conduct studies of the impact of breastfeeding on infant mortality and morbidity in certain high-risk populations. Authorizes appropriations for each fiscal year for conducting such study. Part H: Amendments to the Food Stamp Act of 1977 - Mickey Leland Childhood Hunger Relief Act - Subpart 1: General Provisions - Sets forth general provisions. Subpart 2: Ensuring Adequate Food Assistance - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to remove the excess shelter deduction cap for purposes of food stamp program (program) eligibility. (Sets forth transitional caps through FY 1995.) Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to adjust the basic benefit level upwards by specified increments at the beginning of each fiscal year until it reaches 105 percent of the cost of the thrifty food plan. Eliminates food stamp reductions for households reapplying for program reinstatement within 30 days. Excludes 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. Subpart 3: 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. Excludes from financial resources the value of a vehicle a household depends upon to carry heating fuel or water for home use where it has no other access to fuel or water. Increases dependent care deductions and participant and State agency reimbursements in connection with employment and training activities. Subpart 4: Simplifying the Provision of Food Assistance - Permits related adults living in the same household to apply for separate program benefits under specified conditions. Permits a participating family made up of, or including, an elderly or disabled member to own $300 in allowable financial resources. (Current law refers to a family member 60 years of age or older.) Makes program authorization of appropriations permanent. Subpart 5: Implementation and Effective Dates - Sets forth the effective dates for provisions of this Act. Title II: International Programs - Part A: Food as a Human Right - Declares that the United States should: (1) make a major effort toward strengthening the right to food in international law; and (2) propose to the United Nations General Assembly that a Declaration and Convention on the Right to Food be adopted and submitted to countries for ratification. Prohibits the provision of development assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the provision or financing of agricultural commodities under the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 for countries that engage in a consistent pattern of violations of internationally recognized rights to food and medical care. Requires the United States to: (1) make a major effort toward reforming and restructuring the United Nations mechanism for responding to international disasters and humanitarian emergencies; and (2) evaluate the role of the United Nations Disaster Relief Organization and develop a proposal for strengthening the United Nations response to such emergencies. Part B: Democratic Empowerment - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President, acting through the administrator of the agency responsible for administering development assistance (administering agency), to provide assistance for eligible emerging democracies. Defines an "eligible emerging democracy" as a least developed country that is making a transition from an undemocratic to a democratic system of government. Lists authorized assistance as development and relief and rehabilitation assistance and assistance for child survival, maternal health, basic nutrition, and basic education. Waives provisions of law that prohibit or restrict assistance to countries in arrears or default on loan or credit payments owed to the United States with respect to assistance for eligible emerging democracies. Establishes a Fund for Democratic Empowerment to carry out such assistance program. Authorizes appropriations. Part C: Children - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 and 1993 for U.S. contributions to the United Nations Children's Fund. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize appropriations for the Child Survival Fund for FY 1992 and 1993. Earmarks amounts of foreign assistance for activities that deal directly with the special health needs of children and mothers. Requires the President, with respect to the provision of development assistance, to promote and undertake activities relating to research on, and the treatment and control of, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in developing countries. Designates such assistance as the International AIDS Prevention and Control Program. Earmarks amounts of development assistance for FY 1992 and 1993 for the Vitamin A Deficiency Program and programs to eliminate iodine deficiency. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should join in a comprehensive initiative to reduce micronutrient deficiencies from iron, as well as leading in the elimination of vitamin A and iodine deficiency. Earmarks foreign assistance for basic education programs. Directs the President to report annually to the Congress on U.S. contributions to the goals and strategies of the World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children; the Plan of Action for Implementing the Declaration; the World Declaration on Education for All; and the Framework for Action to Meet Basic Learning Needs. Part D: Women in Development - Removes a limitation on, and earmarks an amount of, assistance to promote the participation and integration of women in the development process in developing countries. Requires specified amounts of such assistance to be used to support the integration of women into programs of the administering agency and to support needs of such agency in administering the women in development policy. Part E: Refugees - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 and 1993 for migration and refugee assistance, with earmarked funds for programs of refugee assistance overseas. Expresses the sense of the Congress that other international donors should join with the United States in ensuring that refugee relief and rehabilitation efforts are adequately funded and supported. Part F: Agriculture and the Environment - Requires agricultural development programs supported by the United States under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and in the multilateral development banks and International Monetary Fund (IMF) to incorporate principles of environmental sustainability. Directs the Administrator of the Agency for International Development (AID) to establish specified environmental sustainability guidelines and standards to be applied to all agricultural development programs supported under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, bilateral agricultural projects, and, where appropriate, environmental projects supported under such Act. Requires the U.S. executive directors of the multilateral development banks and the IMF to seek the adoption of requirements comparable to such standards by their respective institutions. Declares that AID should make a long-term commitment to research the ecological and socioeconomic components of sustainable agricultural development. Provides that research topics should include: (1) how traditional systems of agriculture respond to local ecological conditions and how such responses can be incorporated in agricultural development that aims to increase yields without degrading long-term productive potential or the ability to withstand ecological pressures; (2) the role of subsistence agriculture in meeting the nutritional needs of rural populations and the improvement of subsistence food production; and (3) the improvement of crops which comprise a substantial part of the diet of the poorest part of the population. Declares that the United States should encourage the Consultative Group on International Agriculture to incorporate such topics into its research priorities and to promote the application of research findings into project design and implementation. States that AID should increase its support for agricultural research institutions that have demonstrated a capacity to contribute to sustainable agricultural development. Directs the AID Administrator to report to the Congress on AID programs directed toward sustainability as a basis for agricultural assistance efforts. Part G: World Bank and International Monetary Fund - Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Secretary of the Treasury should instruct the U.S. executive directors of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank), the International Development Association (Association), and the IMF to seek the establishment by their institutions of programs and policies to assist in the realization of the right to food. Amends the International Financial Institutions Act to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct: (1) the U.S. executive director of the Association to advocate, in the context of the Association's tenth replenishment, that at least 50 percent of the Association's loans go to countries that have developed a national development and poverty alleviation strategy; and (2) the U.S. executive directors of the World Bank and the IMF to urge such institutions to develop Policy Framework Papers (including sections on environmental goals) for borrowing countries. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the World Bank and the Association should: (1) give greater programmatic and budgetary priority to child survival and development; and (2) commit to devoting at least five percent of the annual lending programs to primary health and five percent to basic education. Directs the Secretary to instruct the U.S. executive directors of the World Bank and the Association to urge such institutions to: (1) promote environmental sustainability as a guiding principle in agricultural development projects; (2) emphasize food-based policies in agriculture by increasing funding for research focusing on improving foods which comprise a substantial portion of the diet of poor people; and (3) ensure that such projects target and integrate women. Amends the Bretton Woods Agreements Act to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the U.S. executive director of the IMF to urge the IMF to ensure that IMF programs are designed to avoid any deterioration in the provision of social services for basic human needs and to maintain sustainable use of the environment. Part H: Debt Relief - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to make certain debt relief authorities concerning relatively least developed countries with respect to which an IMF standby agreement or a World Bank or Association structural adjustment program or similar IMF program is in effect applicable to least developed countries pursuing specified national economic policy reforms, even if such an arrangement is not in effect. Part I: Private and Voluntary Organizations - Increases the amount of funding for private and voluntary organizations under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.
![Official portrait of Rep. Guarini, Frank J. [D-NJ-14]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/g000511_200.jpg)