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United States · Official source
2,579 records where Rep. Gunderson, Steve [R-WI-3] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 20 February 1992
Expansion of Processed and High-Value Agricultural Exports and Employment Opportunities Act of 1992 - Establishes: (1) export credit guarantee and enhancement program set-asides for processed and high-value agricultural products; and (2) related reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 19 February 1992
Emergency Medical Services Amendments of 1992 - Amends title XII (Trauma Care) of the Public Health Service Act to apply the title to emergency medical services (including trauma care) and to modify the duties of the Secretary of Health and Human Services under the title. Establishes the Office of Emergency Medical Services. Authorizes grants to States to improve the availability and quality of emergency medical services through the operation of State offices of emergency medical services. Requires projects under existing provisions to include demonstration projects to establish telecommunications between rural medical facilities and medical facilities that have expertise or equipment useful to the rural facilities through telecommunications. Authorizes appropriations for carrying out specified provisions of the title.
United States · United States Congress · 18 February 1992
Designates September 13 through 19, 1992, as National Rehabilitation Week.
United States · United States Congress · 18 February 1992
Declares that the Congress: (1) commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Midway on June 4, 1992; (2) salutes the vision and dedication of those Americans who planned and participated in this heroic battle; (3) reveres the memory, bravery, and spirit of those who fought and perished in it; and (4) honors the sacrifices and devotions of those gallant men who fought in such battle and who, in a single master stroke, reversed the tide of war in the Pacific.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 1992
Rural Communities Hazardous Waste Information Act of 1992 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to prohibit the issuance of permits for off-site hazardous waste treatment, storage, or disposal facilities to be located in a rural community unless a rural community impact statement has been prepared. Makes such statements available for public review. Sets forth requirements concerning the selection of independent contractors to prepare such statements. Provides for the imposition of fees on permit applicants. Requires such fees to be in an amount necessary to cover the cost of preparing impact statements. Requires impact statements to describe: (1) the economic and social impacts of the proposed facility on each rural community which is within a 20-mile radius of the facility site, including effects on employment, recreational amenities, tourism, public safety and emergency preparedness, and transportation systems; and (2) the costs of mitigating such impacts.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1992
Small Business Preservation and Jobs Act of 1992 - Amends the Small Business Act to authorize increases in Small Business Administration program levels for loan guarantees for FY 1992 through 1994.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1992
Repeals penalties for noncompliance by States with a program requiring the use of safety belts and motorcycle helmets.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1992
Cooperative Interjurisdictional Rivers Fisheries Resources Act of 1992 - Establishes the Council on Interjurisdictional Rivers Fisheries to develop recommendations for cooperative action strategies on the management of interjurisdictional rivers fisheries, including: (1) a listing of the ten highest priority interjurisdictional rivers in need of cooperative fisheries management; and (2) comprehensive fishery strategic plans for the five highest priority rivers. Mandates a pilot test and report to the Congress regarding the Mississippi Interstate Cooperative Resource Agreement, including: (1) the impacts of navigation, flood control, power generation, irrigation and municipal water supplies projects on Mississippi River drainage basin fishery resources; and (2) a comprehensive study of the management, research, and restoration needs of the fisheries of the river's drainage system. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1992
Designates January 16, 1993, as National Good Teen Day.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1992
Designates August 4, 1992, as National Neighborhood Crime Watch Day.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1992
Designates April 15, 1992, as National Recycling Day.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1992
Designates February 6, 1992, as National Women and Girls in Sports Day.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 1992
Health Care Savings Plan Act of 1992 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individuals a tax deduction for contributions made to a medical care savings account established for the benefit of an eligible individual. Defines an eligible individual as: (1) one who is not covered by an employer-provided group health plan; or (2) one who is covered by such a plan which is a qualified catastrophic coverage health plan and is not covered by any other health plan. Allows penalty-free withdrawals from such accounts to the extent that amounts in such accounts exceed $15,000. Allows such deduction in arriving at adjusted gross income. Establishes an excise tax for excess contributions to medical care savings accounts and makes such accounts subject to the tax on prohibited transactions. Allows the transfer of unused amounts in flexible spending accounts of cafeteria plans to medical savings accounts. Allows the full deduction for medical and dental expenses for amounts paid for qualified catastrophic coverage health plans.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 1992
Amends rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives to require a recorded vote upon final passage or adoption, as the case may be, of any bill or resolution making an appropriation or providing direct spending authority or new credit authority.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1992
Designates the week beginning August 16, 1992, as National Convenience Store Appreciation Week.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1992
Condemns the treatment of William F. Buckley, Colonel William Higgins, and Peter Kilburn by their captors in Lebanon and the disrespect shown to their remains. Urges the President to work with the nations of the Middle East to seek the extradition of the parties responsible for their torture and death and to bring such parties before an international tribunal for trial.
United States · United States Congress · 26 November 1991
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Agriculture to jointly report to the President and the Congress on the differences in program rules under the food stamp program, Aid to Families with Dependent Children program (part A of title IV of the Social Security Act), and Medicaid program (title XIX of the Social Security Act) and how such rules could be made uniform. Requires coordination of such report with the report of the Advisory Committee on Welfare Simplification and Coordination.
United States · United States Congress · 26 November 1991
Family Living Wage Act - Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions governing the earned income tax credit to: (1) increase from $5,714 to $8,000 the amount of earned income subject to the credit; (2) establish the basic credit at 20 percent; and (3) permit an additional credit (to apply to not more than four children) of five percent for each dependent school age child between age six and age 16 and ten percent for each preschool age child. Reduces the amount of the credit for taxpayers with adjusted gross income over $50,000. Indexes amounts relating to the credit beginning in 1995. Disallows application of the nonrefundable dependent care income tax credit with respect to a taxpayer's dependents under age 13, unless the child is physically or mentally incapable of self-care. Permits the credit with respect to handicapped children under age 16 only if the taxpayer elects not to include the child within the framework of the earned income credit. Repeals provisions of the Family Support Act of 1988 that revise the way in which the earned income credit is treated in the context of needs analysis for purposes of State plans for aid and services to needy families with children under title IV of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 26 November 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow certain business entities to elect to use a fiscal year for tax purposes other than the required taxable year. Modifies provisions concerning required payments for such entities.
United States · United States Congress · 26 November 1991
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should continue to support the full protection of the African elephant through the unqualified listing of all populations of the African elephant on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna.
United States · United States Congress · 23 November 1991
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to report to specified congressional committees on measures necessary to improve the lamb price and supply reporting services of the Department of Agriculture. Requires the Secretary, based on the report, to: (1) develop a price discovery system formula for the lamb market, such as carcass equivalent pricing; and (2) establish a price rediscovery and reporting system for the lamb market to assist lamb producers to allocate resources better and make informed production and marketing decisions.
United States · United States Congress · 22 November 1991
Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, whenever data in support of a pesticide registration are requested by State or Federal agencies, to coordinate and synchronize such data requests to avoid unnecessary repetition and redundancy. Requires the Administrator to implement procedures for such coordination and synchronization to provide for identical and concurrent data requirements by all agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 1991
Medical Injury Compensation Fairness Act of 1991 - Deems any person accepting or providing health care which is to be paid for, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, with funds under the Social Security Act, the Public Health Service Act, or any other Federal Act to have agreed to participate in the dispute resolution program established under this Act. Makes such agreement binding and enforceable in court. Requires any claim against health care providers for personal injury arising from care rendered under such Acts that is not settled voluntarily by the parties to be resolved only through a resolution service certified under this Act. Requires liability to be determined under the standard of care prescribed by State law except that, in certain circumstances: (1) particular services must be rendered in accordance with medical practice guidelines certified under this Act; (2) expert witnesses must possess specified qualifications; or (3) an alternative method of compensation which has been certified under this Act is applicable. Limits noneconomic damages. Reduces awards for collateral source payments. Provides for periodic payment of certain amounts for future damages. Prohibits paying punitive damages to the claimant, requiring in certain circumstances that they be paid to the State. Requires, subject to exception, that charges by the resolution service be paid by the party against whom the claim is substantially resolved. Amends provisions of the Internal Revenue Code relating to trade or business expenses to prohibit deductions for employer health plan expenses unless the covered employees agree to mandatory and final dispute resolution through a service certified under this Act. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop: (1) a standard notice to persons regarding their option to enter into agreements with health care providers to resolve claims in a manner consistent with this Act; and (2) a standard contract for such purposes. Requires health care providers, as a condition of eligibility for reimbursement under titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act, to make a good faith effort to enter into agreements with persons not subject to certain provisions of this Act to provide for the resolution of medical injury claims in a manner consistent with provisions of this Act. Deems contracts entered into in accordance with this provision to be binding and valid contracts in all courts. Directs the Secretary to promulgate: (1) regulations that establish the criteria and procedures to determine whether to certify an alternative dispute resolution service, allowing waiver of the criteria and procedures in certifying services sponsored by the States; and (2) regulations that establish the criteria for certifying medical practice guidelines and that establish the criteria for certifying alternative methods of compensating personal injuries and other losses without regard to provider fault. Declares that the procedures required by this Act are exclusive and prohibits any action seeking recovery for any personal injury covered by this Act in any State or Federal court, except as expressly provided in this Act. Provides that specified provisions of this Act apply to health care plans approved as part of collective bargaining agreements.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 1991
Domestic Industry Safeguard Act - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to establish additional reporting requirements for foreign investors. Requires such investors to file statements: (1) specifying whether they intend to sell or close any facility, or terminate or alter any operation, during the two-year period following completion of the acquisition; (2) estimating the number of jobs that are likely to be lost during that two-year period; (3) specifying their aggregate amount of liabilities and equity (before and after such acquisition); and (4) describing the manner in which such assets will be treated and used. Subjects any person who makes false or misleading statements to civil liability. Prohibits such foreign investors from selling, leasing, or disposing of (with certain exceptions) any assets of an issuer during the two years following acquisition. Sets forth additional restrictions with respect to tender offers for securities made or consummated by or for a foreign investor. Directs the Securities and Exchange Commission to conduct a study to: (1) determine the amount of foreign investment in the United States; (2) gather information on corporate takeovers of U.S. companies by foreign investors; and (3) analyze the need for additional Federal regulations to protect local jobs and regional economies from adverse consequences of such foreign investment and takeovers. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to conduct a study of the loss of revenues occurring as a result of the deductibility of debt services expenses incurred by a foreign acquirer in the course of conducting a hostile takeover of U.S. company.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 1991
Pension Protection in Bankruptcy Act of 1991 - Title I: Employer Liability, Lien, and Portability - Subtitle A: Amendments to Title IV of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 - Amends title IV (Plan Termination Insurance) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to revise limitations on employer liability liens and priority amounts. Provides that, in the case of plan terminations initiated on or after January 1, 1992, the lien of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) for employer liability shall be determined according to a specified formula. Makes similar revisions relating to the amount of liability to the PBGC which is entitled to priority treatment in insolvency and bankruptcy cases. Amends the Pension Protection Act with respect to bankruptcy and insolvency claims. Provides that specified amendments under this Act shall be effective as if included under the Single-Employer Pension Plan Amendments of 1986 and the Pension Protection Act. Amends ERISA to provide for liability upon liquidation of a contributing sponsor of a single-employer plan. Makes such sponsor liable as though the plan had terminated in a distress termination, even if the sponsor's controlled group remains a contributing sponsor of the plan or is liable for payment of specified contributions or installments. Directs the PBGC to transfer such liability payments to the ongoing plans. Subtitle B: Amendments to Title 11, United States Code - Amends the Federal bankruptcy code to permit the PBGC to be a member of an unsecured creditors' committee. Revises priority payment provisions with respect to unpaid contributions to pension plans under ERISA. (Classifies these priorities as expenses arising before, or administrative expenses arising after, the commencement of the case, depending on whether such unpaid contributions are attributable, or such plan termination occurs, before or after the filing of the petition for bankruptcy.) Amends one specified Bankruptcy Rules to require the bankruptcy court to give the PBGC notice of a bankruptcy petition filed (and all other notices required to be served on creditors and interested parties), in any case in which the debtor or an affiliate maintains a pension plan to which title IV of ERISA applies. Title II: Miscellaneous ERISA Title IV Amendments - Amends ERISA title IV to revise provisions relating to: (1) enforcement of minimum funding requirements; (2) definition of contributing sponsor; (3) recovery ratio payable under PBGC guaranty; (4) distress termination criteria for banking institutions; and (5) variable rate premium exemption. Eliminates a specified seventh revolving fund and transfers its assets and liabilities to the first revolving fund (i.e. the single-employer basic benefits guaranty fund).
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 1991
Federal-State Pesticide Regulation Partnership Act of 1991 - Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to remove the authority of political subdivisions to inspect records of persons selling or delivering pesticides for purposes of enforcing such Act. Prohibits local governments from imposing or continuing any requirement regarding pesticides or devices.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 1991
Real Estate Recovery Act of 1991 - Title I: Resolution Trust Corporation Refinancing - Resolution Trust Corporation Refinancing Act of 1991 - Amends the Federal Home Loan Bank Act to provide additional funding to the RTC to complete the resolution of failed thrifts. Increases the RTC working capital borrowing limit. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to extend until September 30, 1993, the period during which the Office of Thrift Supervision must appoint the RTC as conservator or receiver of failed thrifts. Title II: Restructuring of the Oversight Board and the Resolution Trust Corporation - Resolution Trust Corporation Restructuring Act of 1991 - Amends the Federal Home Loan Bank Act to limit the accountability of the Oversight Board to the performance of its duties under such Act. Revises the composition of the Board. Authorizes the RTC to develop and establish overall goals and policies and authorizes the Board to review and require modification of such goals and policies. Provides for the management of the RTC by its Board of Directors instead of the FDIC. Revises the composition of the RTC Board of Directors. Revises RTC personnel provisions with respect to the use of FDIC employees. Provides for the appointment of a chief executive officer to the RTC by the Oversight Board. Amends the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 to provide for the rights of FDIC employees assigned to the RTC at the time of its termination. Authorizes the Oversight Board to remove the RTC Board of Directors for cause and to appoint a new Board of Directors. Title III: Reduction in Capital Gains Tax for Individuals - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce the individual and corporate capital gains rate from 34 percent to 15 percent. Reduces such tax to 7.5 percent for low- and middle-income taxpayers. Requires indexing, based on the gross national product deflator, of the adjusted basis of certain assets (corporate stock and tangible property that is a capital asset of property used in a trade or business) that have been held for more than one year at the time of sale or other transfer, solely for the purpose of determining gain or loss. Provides for indexing the limitation on capital losses of noncorporate taxpayers. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate the age requirement (55 years or older) and years-of-residency requirement for eligibility with respect to the one-time income tax exclusion of gain from the sale of a residence. Title IV: Credit for Purchase of New Principal Residence - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for the purchase of a principal residence of five percent of the purchase price of such residence. Limits such credit to $2,000. Makes such credit applicable to new principal residences acquired after October 31, 1991, and before November 1, 1992. Title V: Enterprise Zones - Subtitle A: Designation -Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Secretary) to designate enterprise zones for purposes of providing tax and regulatory relief and improving local services. Limits choices to areas nominated by States and local governments. Limits the total number of areas that may be designated, and the time period of the designation. Authorizes the Secretary to designate a zone only if the area meets certain locational, demographic, unemployment, and poverty criteria. Requires nominating local governments, as a condition of the Secretary's designation, to agree in writing to follow a course of action that may include reducing tax rates, improving local services, simplifying or streamlining regulation of business, and providing job training to area residents. Describes areas to which the Secretary must give preference in selecting areas for designation. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress every two years on the effects of such enterprise zones' designation in accomplishing the purposes of this Act. Subtitle B: Federal Income Tax Incentives - Allows a nonrefundable income tax credit to enterprise zone employees for five percent of any wages earned as do not exceed a specified amount. Phases out such credit. Provides for the nonrecognition of capital gain on the sale of enterprise zone property. Allows a taxpayer a deduction on the aggregate amount paid for the purchase of enterprise stock on its original issue by a qualified issuer. Requires any gain from the disposition of the stock to be treated as ordinary income. Excludes enterprise zone capital gains from income computation of alternative minimum taxes. Subtitle C: Regulatory Flexibility - Amends Federal law to revise the definition of "small entity" for purposes of the analysis of regulatory functions to include qualified business, government, and nonprofit enterprises operating within enterprise zones. Authorizes Federal agencies, upon request by a designating government, to waive or modify rules and regulations pertaining to the implementation of projects or activities within an enterprise zone. Requires agencies to approve the request if the resulting benefits of job creation, community development, or economic revitalization outweigh the public interest in retaining the rule unchanged. Disallows waiver or modification of a rule that would directly violate a statutory requirement or present a danger to the public health and safety. Subtitle D: Establishment of Foreign-Trade Zones in Enterprise Zones - Requires the Foreign-Trade Zone Board to consider on a priority basis and to expedite the processing of applications for the establishment of foreign-trade zones within enterprise zones. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to give priority to, and expedite applications for, the establishment of ports of entry necessary to establish such zones. Subtitle E: Repeal of Title VII of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 - Repeals title VII (enterprise zone development) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987. Title VI: Appraisal Requirements and RTC and FDIC Inventory Property - Amends the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 to extend until July 1, 1992, the requirement for State certified or licensed appraisers in connection with federally-related appraisals. Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to annually study the real estate market conditions within local market areas to determine whether the sale of inventory property by the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is affecting or will affect the value of real estate within such areas. Directs the RTC and FDIC, upon a positive determination by the Secretary, to withhold from sale or other disposition any inventory properties within the affected market areas. Title VII: Tax-Free Withdrawals From Individual Retirement Accounts for First Home Purchases - Allows penalty-free distributions from individual retirement accounts of up to 25 percent of the account limit for first-time homebuyers. Title VIII: Treatment of Rental Property Operations Under Passive Loss Rules - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the treatment of rental and nonrental real estate activities under the limitations on losses from passive activities. Title IX: Investment Tax Credit - 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. Title X: Freeze on Banks' Total Capital Standard - Declares that the minimum amount of total capital which any insured depository institution may be required to maintain shall not exceed 7.25 percent of the total assets of such institution. Title XI: Clarification of Treatment of Certain FSLIC Financial Assistance - Requires that, except in specified instances, FSLIC assistance be taken into account when determining losses or bad debts of savings and loans institutions (thus denying income tax deductions for losses or bad debts to the extent such assistance has compensated for them). Describes FSLIC assistance as money or property provided to a domestic building and loan association by the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation, the FSLIC Resolution Fund, or the Resolution Trust Corporation.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 1991
Social Security Notch Fairness Investigatory Commission Act of 1991 - Establishes the Social Security Notch Fairness Investigatory Commission to study and report to the President and the Congress on ways to correct the benefit disparity between those born before 1916 and those born after 1916 caused by the 1977 changes in the Social Security benefit formula under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1991
Medicare Outpatient Diabetes Education Coverage Act of 1991 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide coverage of outpatient education services under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) for individuals with diabetes.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1991
Second National Blue Ribbon Commission to Eliminate Waste in Government Act - Establishes the Second National Blue Ribbon Commission to Eliminate Waste in Government to: (1) conduct a private sector survey on management and cost control in the Federal Government; (2) review executive agency operations and existing General Accounting Office, Congressional Budget Office, Inspector General Reports, and other existing governmental and nongovernmental recommendations for reducing waste; and (3) submit to the President and the Congress a list of those recommendations with estimated savings that the Commission determines are most significant and recommendations for improving the budget process, management, and reducing waste and costs in the Government. Requires the Commission to identify, address, and to report to the President and the Congress on: (1) opportunities for increased efficiency and reduced costs in the Government that can be realized by executive action or legislation; (2) areas in the Government where managerial accountability can be enhanced and administrative control can be improved; (3) specific Federal programs that have accomplished their objectives and ought to be terminated; (4) specific Federal program services that could be provided at a lower cost by the private sector; (5) specific reforms of the budget process that would yield savings, increase accountability and efficiency, and enhance public confidence in the budget process; (6) specific areas in the Government where further study can be justified by potential savings; and (7) specific recommendations for legislative and administrative actions. Requires the Commission to be funded, staffed, and equipped, to the extent practicable and permitted by law, by the private sector without cost to the Government.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 1991
Real Estate Recovery Act of 1991 - Title I: Reduction in Capital Gains Tax for Individuals - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce the individual and corporate capital gains rate from 34 percent to 15 percent. Reduces such tax to 7.5 percent for low- and middle-income taxpayers. Requires indexing, based on the gross national product deflator, of the adjusted basis of certain assets (corporate stock and tangible property that is a capital asset of property used in a trade or business) that have been held for more than one year at the time of sale or other transfer, solely for the purpose of determining gain or loss. Provides for indexing the limitation on capital losses of noncorporate taxpayers. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate the age requirement (55 years or older) and years-of-residency requirement for eligibility with respect to the one-time income tax exclusion of gain from the sale of a residence. Title II: Credit for Purchase of New Principal Residence - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for the purchase of a principal residence of five percent of the purchase price of such residence. Limits such credit to $2,000. Makes such credit applicable to new principal residences acquired after October 31, 1991, and before November 1, 1992. Title III: Enterprise Zones - Subtitle A: Designation -Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Secretary) to designate enterprise zones for purposes of providing tax and regulatory relief and improving local services. Limits choices to areas nominated by States and local governments. Limits the total number of areas that may be designated, and the time period of the designation. Authorizes the Secretary to designate a zone only if the area meets certain locational, demographic, unemployment, and poverty criteria. Requires nominating local governments, as a condition of the Secretary's designation, to agree in writing to follow a course of action that may include reducing tax rates, improving local services, simplifying or streamlining regulation of business, and providing job training to area residents. Describes areas to which the Secretary must give preference in selecting areas for designation. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress every two years on the effects of such enterprise zones' designation in accomplishing the purposes of this Act. Subtitle B: Federal Income Tax Incentives - Allows a nonrefundable income tax credit to enterprise zone employees for five percent of any wages earned as do not exceed a specified amount. Phases out such credit. Provides for the nonrecognition of capital gain on the sale of enterprise zone property. Allows a taxpayer a deduction on the aggregate amount paid for the purchase of enterprise stock on its original issue by a qualified issuer. Requires any gain from the disposition of the stock to be treated as ordinary income. Excludes enterprise zone capital gains from income computation of alternative minimum taxes. Subtitle C: Regulatory Flexibility - Amends Federal law to revise the definition of "small entity" for purposes of the analysis of regulatory functions to include qualified business, government, and nonprofit enterprises operating within enterprise zones. Authorizes Federal agencies, upon request by a designating government, to waive or modify rules and regulations pertaining to the implementation of projects or activities within an enterprise zone. Requires agencies to approve the request if the resulting benefits of job creation, community development, or economic revitalization outweigh the public interest in retaining the rule unchanged. Disallows waiver or modification of a rule that would directly violate a statutory requirement or present a danger to the public health and safety. Subtitle D: Establishment of Foreign-Trade Zones in Enterprise Zones - Requires the Foreign-Trade Zone Board to consider on a priority basis and to expedite the processing of applications for the establishment of foreign-trade zones within enterprise zones. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to give priority to, and expedite applications for, the establishment of ports of entry necessary to establish such zones. Subtitle E: Repeal of Title VII of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 - Repeals title VII (enterprise zone development) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987. Title IV: Appraisal Requirements and RTC and FDIC Inventory Property - Amends the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 to extend until July 1, 1992, the requirement for State certified or licensed appraisers in connection with federally-related appraisals. Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to annually study the real estate market conditions within local market areas to determine whether the sale of inventory property by the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is affecting or will affect the value of real estate within such areas. Directs the RTC and FDIC, upon a positive determination by the Secretary, to withhold from sale or other disposition any inventory properties within the affected market areas. Title V: Tax-Free Withdrawals From Individual Retirement Accounts for First Home Purchases - Allows penalty-free distributions from individual retirement accounts of up to 25 percent of the account limit for first-time homebuyers. Title VI: Treatment of Rental Property Operations Under Passive Loss Rules - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the treatment of rental and nonrental real estate activities under the limitations on losses from passive activities. Title VII: Production Investment Incentive - 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. Title VIII: Freeze on Banks' Total Capital Standard - Declares that the minimum amount of total capital which any insured depository institution may be required to maintain shall not exceed 7.25 percent of the total assets of such institutions. Title IX: Resolution Trust Corporation Refinancing - Resolution Trust Corporation Refinancing Act of 1991 - Amends the Federal Home Loan Bank Act to provide additional funding to the RTC to complete the resolution of failed thrifts. Increases the RTC working capital borrowing limit. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to extend until September 30, 1993, the period during which the Office of Thrift Supervision must appoint the RTC as conservator or receiver of failed thrifts. Title X: Restructuring of the Oversight Board and the Resolution Trust Corporation - Resolution Trust Corporation Restructuring Act of 1991 - Amends the Federal Home Loan Bank Act to limit the accountability of the Oversight Board to the performance of its duties under such Act. Revises the composition of the Board. Authorizes the RTC to develop and establish overall goals and policies and authorizes the Board to review and require modification of such goals and policies. Provides for the management of the RTC by its Board of Directors instead of the FDIC. Revises the composition of the RTC Board of Directors. Revises RTC personnel provisions with respect to the use of FDIC employees. Provides for the appointment of a chief executive officer to the RTC by the Oversight Board. Amends the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 provide for the rights of FDIC employees assigned to the RTC at the time of its termination. Authorizes the Oversight Board to remove the RTC Board of Directors for cause and to appoint a new Board of Directors. Title XI: Clarification of Treatment of Certain FSLIC Financial Assistance - Requires that, except in specified instances, FSLIC assistance be taken into account when determining losses or bad debts of savings and loans institutions (thus denying income tax deductions for losses or bad debts to the extent such assistance has compensated for them). Describes FSLIC assistance as money or property provided to a domestic building and loan association by the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation, the FSLIC Resolution Fund, or the Resolution Trust Corporation.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 1991
Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit candidates for the House of Representatives from accepting contributions from persons other than local individual residents totaling in excess of the total contributions accepted from local individual residents. Limits contributions to candidates for Federal office by nonparty multicandidate political committees to $1,000. Subjects to limitation and reporting requirements payments by a national committee of a political party or a State committee of a political party for a mixed political activity. Repeals the office facility exception (building fund) from the definition of contribution. Requires the deposit of excess funds of candidates for the House of Representatives into a separate account to be used for any lawful purpose other than for such candidate's election.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1991
Economic Growth and Family Tax Freedom Act of 1991 - Title I: Nonrefundable Tax Credit for Children - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit of $1,000 for each child under the age of six and $300 for each child between the age of six and 18. Makes the dependent care credit inapplicable to children under the age of six. Title II: Reducing the Cost of Capital by Reducing Capital Gains Tax Rates, Indexing the Basis of Certain Assets, and Excluding Gain From Sales of Principal Residences - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce the individual and corporate capital gains rate from 34 percent to 15 percent. Reduces such tax to 7.5 percent for low- and middle-income taxpayers. Provides for the phaseout of personal exemptions and the overall limitation on itemized deductions to take into account adjusted gross income which has been reduced by net capital gain. Requires indexing, based on the gross national product deflator, of the adjusted basis of certain assets (corporate stock and tangible property that is a capital asset of property used in a trade or business) that have been held for more than one year at the time of sale or other transfer, solely for the purpose of determining gain or loss. Provides for indexing the limitation on capital losses of noncorporate taxpayers. Excludes from gross income the sale or exchange of property that has been owned and used by the taxpayer as the taxpayer's principal residence. Terminates provisions relating to the rollover or gain on the sale of a principal residence. Title III: Adjusting Depreciation Rates to Reflect Inflation - Provides a depreciation deduction adjustment for tangible property (other than residential rental property and nonresidential real property) placed in service after 1991. Allows phase-in deductions for such property placed in service after 1996. Title IV: Savings Incentives - Allows individuals to establish individual retirement plus accounts with tax treatment similar to that for individual retirement plans. Makes contributions to such accounts nondeductible. Provides for qualified distributions from such accounts, other than for general retirement purposes, including special purpose distributions made for the purchase of a first home and for medical or educational purposes. Prohibits special purpose distributions from being made during the first five years of the account. Title V: Treatment of Passive Losses - Provides for the treatment of rental and nonrental real estate activities under the limitations on losses from passive activities. Title VI: Enterprise Zones - Subtitle A: Designation of Enterprises Zones - Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Secretary) to designate enterprise zones for purposes of providing tax and regulatory relief and improving local services. Limits choices to areas nominated by States and local governments. Limits the total number of areas that may be designated, and the time period of the designation. Authorizes the Secretary to designate a zone only if the area meets certain locational, demographic, unemployment, and poverty criteria. Requires nominating local governments, as a condition of the Secretary's designation, to agree in writing to follow a course of action that may include reducing tax rates, improving local services, simplifying or streamlining regulation of business, and providing job training to area residents. Describes areas to which the Secretary must give preference in selecting areas for designation. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress every two years on the effects of such enterprise zones' designation in accomplishing the purposes of this Act. Subtitle B: Federal Income Tax Incentives - Allows a nonrefundable income tax credit to enterprise zone employees for five percent of any wages earned as do not exceed a specified amount. Phases out such credit. Provides for the nonrecognition of capital gain on the sale of enterprise zone property. Allows a taxpayer a deduction on the aggregate amount paid for the purchase of enterprise stock on its original issue by a qualified issuer. Requires any gain from the disposition of the stock to be treated as ordinary income. Excludes enterprise zone capital gains from income computation of alternative minimum taxes. Subtitle C: Regulatory Flexibility - Amends Federal law to revise the definition of "small entity" for purposes of the analysis of regulatory functions to include qualified business, government, and nonprofit enterprises operating within enterprise zones. Authorizes Federal agencies, upon request by a designating government, to waive or modify rules and regulations pertaining to the implementation of projects or activities within an enterprise zone. Requires agencies to approve the request if the resulting benefits of job creation, community development, or economic revitalization outweigh the public interest in retaining the rule unchanged. Disallows waiver or modification of a rule that would directly violate a statutory requirement or present a danger to the public health and safety. Subtitle D: Establishment of Foreign-Trade Zones in Enterprise Zones - Requires the Foreign-Trade Zone Board to consider on a priority basis, and to expedite the processing of, applications for the establishment of foreign-trade zones within enterprise zones. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to give priority to, and expedite applications for, the establishment of ports of entry necessary to establish such zones. Subtitle E: Repeals of Title VII of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 - Repeals title VII (enterprise zone development) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1991
Designates May 31, 1992, through June 6, 1992, as a Week for the National Observance of the 50th Anniversary of World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1991
Designates December 21, 1991, as Basketball Centennial Day.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1991
Commends the film industry for its commitment to making films more accessible to the hearing-impaired. Urges such industry to continue to make the development of open-captioning and other technology to aid the hearing-impaired an integral part of the film production and distribution process. Encourages: (1) filmmakers to produce and distribute versions of some films that are open-captioned or have advanced amplification systems; and (2) movie theatres to have at least some preannounced screenings of versions of featured films that are open-captioned.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 1991
1996 Atlanta Centennial Olympic Games Commemorative Coin Act - Provides for the minting and sale of commemorative gold and silver coins to support the 1996 Atlanta Centennial Olympic Games and the programs of the United States Olympic Committee.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 1991
Designates November 24 through 30, 1991, and November 22 through 28, 1992, as National Adoption Week.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 1991
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the United States Trade Representative should take action under the Trade Act of 1974 to compensate for any trade losses caused by the European Community's (EC) failure to adopt by October 31, 1991, a new oilseeds regime that conforms with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) panel oilseed ruling; and (2) such actions should remain in effect until the EC's oilseed regime conforms with its GATT obligations.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 1991
Designates 1992 as the Year of Reconciliation Between American Indians and Non-Indians.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 1991
Designates December 1991 as Bicentennial of the District of Columbia Month.
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 1991
American Trails Improvement Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish the American Trails Trust Fund (Fund) in the U.S. Treasury. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to transfer annually from the Highway Trust Fund into the Fund a certain percentage of total revenue received from non-highway recreational fuel taxes. Requires the Secretary to use such Fund to administer a program that allocates moneys to the States to provide and maintain recreational trails. Establishes the American Trails Advisory Committee. Requires the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on the implementation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 1991
Designates January 4 through 10, 1992, as Braille Literacy Week.
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 1991
Support for Emerging Democracies Act of 1991 - Amends the Food for Progress Act of 1985 with regard to the food for progress program to: (1) exempt FY 1992 from current commodity and Commodity Credit Corporation fund limits; and (2) require that the agreement not to resell commodities include assurances of commodity and funds accountability and conditions of how program policies will be carried out by the recipient country. Amends the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 with regard to the program of sharing U.S. agricultural expertise with emerging democracies to: (1) establish an Emerging Democracies Fellowship Program; (2) provide subsistence and transportation assistance to U.S. farmers and other private persons in the agricultural field to participate in such program abroad; (3) provide for program information dissemination in the agricultural sector; and (4) increase the annual assistance cap. Amends the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 with regard to the export credit guarantee program to permit the granting of FY 1992 agricultural guarantees to the Soviet Union (or successor entity) without regard to its debt service ability.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 1991
Designates the week beginning February 23, 1992, as National Manufacturing Week.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 1991
Medical Care Injury Compensation Reform Act of 1991 - Title I: Grants to States for Alternative Dispute Resolution Systems - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to States for the implementation and evaluation of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) systems. Sets forth eligibility requirements for States seeking such grants. Directs the Secretary to award not less than ten such grants each fiscal year, with exceptions. Requires the Secretary to: (1) designate each State receiving such a grant as a model ADR State (making such State eligible for a two-year extension); and (2) disseminate information on the ADR systems implemented by such States to other States, health care professionals and providers, and other interested parties. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop and promulgate standards and regulations necessary to carry out the grant program, including qualification standards that States must meet to receive grants and regulations establishing State data gathering requirements; (2) take into account, in developing qualification standards, specified factors such as the effectiveness of such systems in supporting access to health care, encouraging improvements in the quality of care, resolving claims promptly, and providing predictable outcomes; (3) provide States with technical assistance; and (4) report to the Congress, within four years of the first grant, describing and evaluating the ADR systems implemented. Title II: Uniform Standards for Malpractice Claims - Specifies that, with respect to any health care liability action brought in a Federal or State court and any medical malpractice claim or medical product liability claim subject to an ADR system: (1) no person may be required to pay more than $100,000 in a single payment in damages (whether for economic or non-economic losses) for expenses to be incurred in the future, but shall be permitted to make periodic payments (as determined by the court); (2) the total amount of damages that may be awarded to an individual and the family members of such individual for non-economic losses may not exceed $250,000; (3) the total amount of damages received by an individual shall be reduced by any other payment that has been or will be made to the individual to compensate such individual for the injury that was the subject of the action or claim; (4) a claimant's attorney's fees may not exceed 25 percent of the first $150,000 of any award or settlement, or 15 percent of any additional amounts, paid to the claimant; (5) the total amount of punitive damages that may be assessed may not exceed twice the total amount of the damages awarded to compensate the claimant for losses resulting from the injury; and (6) the liability of each defendant for non-economic losses shall be several only and not joint, and each defendant shall be liable only for the amount of non-economic losses allocated to the defendant in direct proportion to the defendant's percentage of responsibility. Establishes a two-year statute of limitations for medical malpractice and product liability claims, beginning on the earlier of the date on which the injury that is the subject of the action was discovered or the date it should reasonably have been discovered. Specifies that, in the case of a medical malpractice or product liability claim relating to services provided during labor or the delivery of a baby, if the claimant was not previously treated for the pregnancy by the defendant health care professional or provider a court may not find that the defendant committed malpractice and assess damages against the defendant unless the malpractice is proven by clear and convincing evidence. Bars a defendant from being found to have committed malpractice unless the defendant's conduct at the time of providing the health care services was not reasonable, except where the claimant asserts that the defendant is liable under a strict liability theory. Bars the award of punitive damages with respect to any medical product liability claim alleged against a medical product producer if the drug or device that is the subject of the claim: (1) was subject to approval or premarket approval under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with respect to the safety or performance of the drug or device or the adequacy of the packaging or labeling; (2) was approved by FDA; or (3) is generally recognized as safe and effective pursuant to conditions established by FDA and applicable regulations. Makes an exception in the case of withheld information, misrepresentation, or illegal payment to an FDA official for purposes of securing approval of the drug or device. Provides for a separate proceeding to determine punitive damages. Sets forth provisions with respect to: (1) the admissibility of evidence; and (2) criteria for determining the amount of punitive damages. Provides that the U.S. district courts shall not have jurisdiction over health care liability actions based on Federal questions or based on specified provisions concerning commerce and antitrust regulations. Specifies that this title preempts State law only to the extent that State law: (1) permits the recovery by a claimant or the assessent against a defendant of a greater amount of damages; (2) permits the awarding of a greater amount of attorneys' fees; (3) establishes a longer period during which medical malpractice or product liability claims may be initiated; or (4) establishes a less strict standard of proof for determining whether a defendant has committed malpractice. Title III: Encouraging Establishment of Community and Migrant Health Center Risk Retention Group - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary to encourage the establishment of a nationwide risk retention group (RRG) for community and migrant health centers receiving assistance under such Act. Defines an RRG for purposes of this title as an entity defined in the Liability Risk Retention Act of 1986 that: (1) provides professional liability insurance and other types of profitable insurance approved for issuance by the Secretary to community and migrant health centers; (2) provides insurance that applies to all claims filed against a community or migrant health center after the entity initiates insurance coverage and to claims arising from acts that occurred prior to the initiation of coverage if the claims are not covered by other insurance; and (3) meets such other requirements as the Secretary may establish.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 1991
Designates the week of October 19 through 27, 1991, as National Red Ribbon Week for a Drug Free America.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 1991
Declares it is U.S. policy that the European Community's Third Country Meat Directive is an unfair nontariff trade barrier and that it is in the public interest to remove barriers to exports of U.S. meat products. Directs the President to prohibit the importation of all European Community meat products.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 1991
Cancer Screening Incentive Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a refundable tax credit for expenditures (not paid by insurance or otherwise) incurred by the taxpayer for qualified cancer screening tests.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 1991
Postsecondary Opportunities for Students with Disabilities - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to improve access to postsecondary education for students with disabilities. Requires that student literacy corps tutoring services be located in public community agencies which serve individuals with disabilities (as well as in those which serve educationally or economically disadvantaged individuals). Requires college work-study program grant agreements to provide assurances that employment made available from such program funds may be used to support programs for supportive services for students with disabilities. Authorizes the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to award a three-year grant or contract on a competitive basis to establish a National Clearinghouse for Postsecondary Education Materials (the Clearinghouse) in an accessible form, including audio and digital for students with disabilities. Sets forth required uses of such funds and Federal share limitations. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1993 through 1995. Revises terminology under priority provisions for student support services to refer to individuals with disabilities (rather than physically handicapped individuals). Revises HEA title I (Postsecondary Programs for Nontraditional Students) to add a new part E, Partnerships, to encourage partnerships between institutions of higher education and secondary and vocational students with disabilities to improve their academic and vocational skills and to increase their opportunities for continued education, independent living, and employment after secondary school. Directs the Secretary to provide funds to ten demonstration grant programs in ten States between local education agencies (LEAs) and higher education institutions or consortia that submit joint applications to develop, implement, and improve systems to provide postsecondary educational opportunities to students with disabilities from age 12 until they exit secondary school. Sets forth required uses of such funds. Allows students with disabilities who participate in such projects to be paid stipends. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1993 through 1997. Directs the Secretary to use a portion of such funds to: (1) provide for independent evaluation of such programs, with specified criteria for such evaluations; (2) report to the Congress by June 30, 1994, on such evaluations; and (3) disseminate such evaluations. Defines "auxiliary aid" and "disability," for HEA purposes, the same as under the American with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). Provides that nothing under HEA shall be construed to limit the rights or responsibilities of any individual under the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, or any other law. Revises need analysis provisions to include an allowance for expenses required for attendance of students with disabilities, including costs of: (1) special services, personal assistance, equipment, assistive technology services and devices (for both the Pell Grant program and other student assistance programs generally under HEA title IV); and (2) transportation and supplies (for such other student assistance programs). Requires that students with disabilities who are taking six or more credit hours at a postsecondary institution be considered as full-time students for purposes of receiving Pell Grants. Requires that the Federal student aid information toll-free telephone number refer students with disabilities and their families to the postsecondary clearinghouse authorized under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.