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United States · Official source
1,931 records where Rep. Hastert, J. Dennis [R-IL-14] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 1989
Amends Federal law to authorize and request the President to designate May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month annually, beginning in 1990. (Current law designates a seven-day period beginning on May 4, 1979).
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 1989
Professionals' Liability Reform Act of 1989 - Establishes certain limitations and procedures regarding professional liability actions. Preempts certain State laws. Provides that nothing in this Act shall prohibit any State from developing or implementing alternative procedures for: (1) expediting the adjudication of professional liability claims; (2) resolving professional liability disputes; or (3) compensating for harm caused by professional services. Requires professional liability actions to be brought within three years after the claimant discovered, or should have discovered, the harm. Requires the claimant, in any professional liability action, to establish: (1) that the professional negligently rendered professional services and that such negligence was the proximate cause of the harm; or (2) in a claim for economic injury, that the professional negligently rendered professional services to and for the direct and intended benefit of the claimant, and such services were the proximate cause of the harm. Requires the claimant to establish that, at the time such services were provided, knowledge of the circumstances that caused the harm and a practical means to eliminate such circumstances were reasonably available. States that a professional shall not be liable in a professional liability action in which: (1) the professional's services were rendered to an agency of the Federal or State government; (2) Federal or State contract specifications existed which were material to the claim; and (3) the services rendered conformed to such specifications. Permits future damage awards exceeding $100,000 to be made by periodic payments. Requires that damage awards be offset by any amount received as compensation for the same injury. Establishes a contingency fee schedule for plaintiffs' attorneys. States that the principles of comparative liability shall apply unless persons engaged in concerted action which proximately caused the harm. Permits the awarding of punitive damages only where the conduct of the defendant: (1) manifested a malicious and reckless disregard for safety; and (2) constituted an extreme departure from accepted standards of safety. States that punitive damages may not be awarded in the absence of a compensatory award, or for the negligent provision of professional services. Requires the trier of fact, at the request of the professional, to consider in a separate proceeding whether punitive damages are to be awarded. Limits the claimant's actual recovery of punitive damages to three times the amount of compensatory damages. States that excess punitive damages shall be paid to the State or Federal government. Makes any attorney who files a frivolous claim subject to pecuniary sanctions by the court. Requires each State to encourage professional organizations to form risk management programs.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 1989
Designates the week of June 10 through June 16, 1990, as State-Supported Homes for Veterans Week.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 1989
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for contributions by individual taxpayers to the Drug Rehabilitation and Treatment Trust Fund with their income tax returns. Establishes the Drug Rehabilitation and Treatment Trust Fund to carry out the war on drugs.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1989
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.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 1989
Designates April 1990 as National Prevent-A-Litter Month.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 1989
Drug Free Truck Stop Act of 1989 - Amends the Controlled Substances Act to impose mandatory minimum criminal penalties for the unlawful distribution or possession of controlled substances within 1,000 feet of a truck stop or safety rest area. Prohibits the suspension of a sentence, granting of probation, or eligibility for parole until the individual has served the minimum required sentence under the Federal criminal code for any person who violates this Act after a prior conviction under this Act has become final. Requires the U.S. Sentencing Commission to promulgate specified sentencing guidelines for violations of this Act. Bars multiple enhancements.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 1989
Amends the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to require the Council on Environmental Quality to promulgate regulations governing the implementation of such Act by Federal agencies, to include requirements for notification procedures for, and public review and cost-effective preparation and dissemination of, environmental impact statements.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 1989
Older Americans Long-Term Care Insurance Act of 1989 - Title I: Tax Provisions Related to Long-Term Care Insurance - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require that, for the purpose of determining the income tax liability of issuers of qualified long-term insurance, the contracts be treated as accident or health insurance. Applies this provision to policies covering at least 12 consecutive months of necessary diagnostic, preventive, therapeutic, rehabilitative, or personal care services that are provided in a setting other than an acute care unit of a hospital. Requires policies issued after 1989 to be reinsured by the Federal National Long-Term Care Reinsurance Corporation, if the Corporation is incorporated when the policy is issued. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) submit to the Congress before 1991 a study on long-term insurance policies; and (2) report annually to the Congress regarding the certification of qualified long-term care insurance. Treats qualified long-term care insurance as accident or health insurance and its benefits as benefits for personal injuries or sickness for purposes of determining appropriate tax exclusions for employer contributions or employee benefits. Excludes from gross income: (1) distributions or payments from individual retirement plans that are used during the year to pay the premiums for qualified long-term care coverage of individuals aged 59 1/2 or older; and (2) amounts received upon surrender, cancellation, or exchange of a life insurance contract and used during the year to pay the premiums for qualified long-term care insurance. Title II: Federal National Long-Term Care Reinsurance Corporation - Federal National Long-Term Care Reinsurance Corporation Act - Authorizes the Secretary to provide for the incorporation of the Federal National Long-Term Care Reinsurance Corporation (not an agency or establishment of the U.S. Government). Requires the Corporation to confine its activities to reinsuring insurance companies for extraordinary loss in the issuance or payment of qualified long-term care insurance benefits. Directs the Corporation to report annually to the President and to the Congress regarding its activities.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1989
Directs the heads of Federal departments or agencies which hold or receive records and information which have or could possibly have been correlated to U.S. personnel listed as prisoners of war or missing in action in World War II and the Korean and Vietnam conflicts to publicly disclose such records and information, except where such disclosure would compromise national security. Requires the Department of Defense to publicly disclose a complete list of such personnel including those killed in action (body not returned) in such hostilities with each service member's current classification as well as any changes in such classification occurring during or after such hostilities.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 1989
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 - Provides for the sale of Benjamin Franklin commemorative coins at a surcharge of which 25 percent shall be paid to the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial and the remainder be distributed in specified percentages to the National Fire Center and Museum Account, the National Hero Scholarship Account, the Firefighter's Tuition Assistance Account, the Hazardous Materials Response Computer Account, the In Search of Excellence Research and Education Account, and the Burn Research Grant Account of the Firefighter Assistance Trust Fund (Fund). Prohibits the issuance of such coins from resulting in any net cost to the Federal government. Title II: Fire Service Bill of Rights - Fire Service Bill of Rights Act - Amends the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to establish a fire service bill of rights. Establishes the National Fire Center and Museum in the District of Columbia to provide information about the fire service and safety to the public and fire services. Funds such museum exclusively through the Fund. Establishes a National Hero Scholarship to fund the higher education of the children or spouse of a deceased firefighter. Establishes a scholarship providing tuition assistance to firefighters for higher education in fire safety or protection. Authorizes the Administrator of the United States Fire Administration to use amounts in the In Search of Excellence Research and Education Account of the Fund to fund other specified programs under the Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974. Establishes the Firefighters Assistance Trust Fund. Places the National Academy for Fire Prevention and Control within the United States Fire Administration. Directs the Administrator to use funds from the Hazardous Materials Response Computer Account of the fund to procure computer equipment for fire services that want such equipment. Directs the Administrator to make a grant from the Burn Research Grant Account of the Fund to one national firefighter's burn foundation dedicated to reducing burn injuries. Requires the Administrator to prepare and make available to State fire marshals, upon request, a manual describing Federal procedures for disposing of surplus property and highlighting how fire services could obtain such property. Directs the Administrator to distribute to such marshals information on the infectious diseases to which firefighters are particularly vulnerable.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 1989
Comprehensive Urban Transportation Act of 1989 - Establishes a strategic urbanized program for providing assistance for the Federal-aid highway systems in urbanized areas with populations of 50,000 or more for projects designed to help reduce traffic congestion and traffic flow problems. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) apportion funds authorized for expenditure under the program according to specified guidelines based on population; and (2) require that projects be selected by the State highway department of each State. Allows up to 25 percent of the amount apportioned in a fiscal year to a State under the program to be transferred for other specified uses if requested by the State highway department and approved by the Governor of such State and the Secretary as being in the public interest. Directs the Secretary to set aside $300,000,000 for discretionary projects. Sets forth criteria which must be met before a State may obtain funding. Specifies factors which the Secretary shall consider in selecting projects, including: (1) project cost; (2) traffic congestion levels; (3) importance of a project to a congestion relief planning effort; and (4) impact of a project on economic development. Specifies that the Federal share shall not exceed 50 percent of the cost of any project. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the use of such funds for public transportation, railway-highway crossings, carpool and vanpool projects, bicycle transportation and pedestrian walkways, and research and planning.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 1989
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to provide a duty on certain brooms that are wholly or in part made of broom corn.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 1989
Amends the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 to prohibit the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration from refusing to issue or renew an airman's certificate, or terminate the employment of an airman, solely by reason of the airman's age if such person is under the age of 65.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 1989
Small Business Access Improvement Act of 1989 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for small businesses for the expense of providing public accommodations access to the disabled. Reduces the tax deduction for expenditures to remove architectural and transportation barriers to the handicapped and elderly.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 1989
Declares it is in the interests of the United States to support efforts to protect South Pacific marine resources (including albacore tuna, porpoises, whales, seals and other marine mammals, birds, sea turtles, and fish) from the slaughter of driftnet fishing. Supports the Tarawa Declaration and the South Pacific Commission resolution calling for an immediate ban on driftnet fishing in the South Pacific. Urges the Secretary of State to work toward an international convention banning driftnet fishing in the South Pacific. Urges Japan and Taiwan to immediately cease the use of driftnets in international South Pacific waters.
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 1989
Consumer Awareness and Trademark Protection Act of 1989 - Amends the Trademark Act of 1946 to prohibit the importation, selling, or distribution in the United States of foreign-made items (and their wrappings) which bear a trademark that is identical (or substantially similar) to one owned by a U.S. citizen who has registered it with the Patent and Trademark Office, unless such person consents to the importation or sale. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to exclude such items from entry into Federal customs territory if the trademark owner files a copy of the trademark registration certificate with the Secretary. Authorizes such trademark owner to bring an action to enjoin such importation or sale.
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 1989
Grants a Federal charter to the National Association of Women Veterans, Incorporated.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 1989
Requires the U.S. Government to exhaust all reasonable possibilities to obtain proof of the death of a missing person in order to establish a reasonable presumption that a member of the armed forces in a missing status is dead. Requires the head of the Federal agency concerned to provide certain procedural rights to the primary next of kin of a missing person when an action is to be undertaken by such agency to review the status of such missing person, including the right to review all information obtained by such agency with regard to the missing person's status. Directs the Secretary of Defense to study and report to the Senate and House Armed Services Committees on current provisions of the Missing Persons Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1989
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to restrict the partial exclusion from income of interest on loans used to acquire employer securities to cases where the employee stock ownership plan owns at least 20 percent of: (1) each class of outstanding stock of the issuing corporation; or (2) the total value of all outstanding stock of the corporation. Limits securities acquisition loans to terms of 15 years. Limits the partial exclusion to loans of $100,000,000 or less except for employee stock ownership plans that own at least 50 percent the corporation's stock. Imposes an excise tax on: (1) the disposition of employer securities within three years of acquisition; and (2) any disposition of such securities before allocation to participant accounts, where the proceeds of disposition are not allocated to such accounts either.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 1989
Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to prohibit Federal assistance to any State that has not implemented a drug testing program for targeted classes of arrestees, prisoners, and persons on conditional or supervised release before or after conviction. Directs the Attorney General to promulgate regulations for such programs based in part on scientific and technical standards determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to ensure the reliability and accuracy of test results. Specifies that such regulations may include guidelines or specifications concerning: (1) the classes of persons to be targeted for testing; (2) the drugs to be tested for; (3) the frequency and duration of testing; and (4) the effect of test results in decisions concerning the sentence, conditions to be imposed on release before or after conviction, and the granting, continuation, or termination of such release. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require a State, in order to receive the drug abuse portion of its allotment under such Act for a fiscal year, to develop, implement, and submit an approved Statewide Drug Treatment Plan. Requires such Plan to include a single, designated State agency for formulating and implementing the Plan and a description of: (1) the mechanisms used to assess the needs and make funding allocations for drug treatment throughout the State; (2) a statewide plan to expand treatment capacity; (3) performance-based criteria to be used to allocate funds; (4) drug-free patient and workplace programs (which must include drug testing) to be utilized in drug treatment facilities and programs; (5) actions to be taken to improve the referral of drug users to appropriate treatment facilities; (6) the program of in-service training to be implemented for employees of treatment facilities receiving Federal funds; (7) the plan to be implemented to coordinate drug treatment facilities with other social, health, correctional, and vocational services; and (8) the plan to be implemented to expand and improve efforts to contact and treat expectant women who use drugs and provide appropriate followup care to their affected newborns. Requires such Plan to be submitted to the Secretary annually for review and approval. Authorizes the Secretary to review, approve, disapprove, and propose changes to State plans. Requires each State to submit such reports as the Secretary may require and to comply with such additional provisions as the Secretary may find necessary to verify the accuracy of such reports. Authorizes the Secretary to waive any or all requirements of this Act with respect to the Plan upon the written request of a State, provided that the State implements an alternative treatment plan that fulfills the objectives of this Act. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make ineligible for Federal funds or assistance any institution of higher education which fails to certify to the Secretary that it has adopted and implemented a program to prevent illicit drug use and alcohol abuse by students and employees that includes the annual distribution to each student and employee of: (1) standards of conduct that clearly prohibit the unlawful possession, use, or distribution of illicit drugs and alcohol by students and employees on its property or as part of its activities; (2) a description of applicable sanctions under local, State, or Federal law for unlawful possession or distribution of such drugs; (3) health risks associated with such use; (4) any drug or alcohol counseling, treatment, or rehabilitation programs available to employees or students; and (5) a clear statement that the institution will impose sanctions, and a description of such sanctions, up to and including expulsion or termination of employment and referral for prosecution. Requires such program to provide for a biennial review by the institution to determine the program's effectiveness, to implement changes as needed, and to ensure that sanctions are consistently enforced. Requires: (1) each institution that provides such certification to make a copy and the results of such biennial review available, upon request, to the Secretary and to the public; and (2) the Secretary to publish regulations to implement and enforce this Act, including regulations providing for periodic review of programs and sanctions, up to and including the termination of financial assistance, for institutions of higher education that fail to implement their programs or to consistently enforce their sanctions. Allows sanctions to include the completion of an appropriate rehabilitation program. Amends the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1986 to make ineligible for Federal funds or assistance any local educational agency which fails to certify to the State educational agency that has adopted and implemented an analogous program to prevent the use of illicit drugs and alcohol by students or employees. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1993 for the Special Forfeiture Fund. Waives provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Appropriations Act, 1989 to make certain appropriated funds available for narcotics-related activities in Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 1989
Bounty Hunter Act of 1989 - Amends the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984 to increase the maximum reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction under Federal law of any individual for the unlawful sale, or possession for sale, of a controlled substance or a controlled substance analogue. Provides for the payment of incentive rewards to States to encourage the establishment of programs to pay similar rewards for violations of State laws.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 1989
Railroad Reorganization Public Interest Protection Act - Amends the Federal bankruptcy code to mandate that in any railroad reorganization scheme (except with respect to rolling stock equipment) the public interest in continued rail service must be considered by the court and the trustee in addition to the interests of debtors, creditors, and equity security holders.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 1989
Amends the Education Amendments of 1980 to extend through FY 1993 the authorization of appropriations for the Robert A. Taft Institute of Government in New York, New York.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 1989
Designates January 31, 1990, as National Payroll Practitioner Appreciation Day.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 1989
Applauds the actions of the Government of the Hungarian People's Republic and the Hungarian people that have allowed thousands of citizens of the German Democratic Republic to seek freedom in the West.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 1989
Expresses the sense of the Congress that illegal aliens should not be counted in the 1990 decennial census for purposes of congressional reapportionment.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 1989
Farm Animal and Research Facilities Protection Act of 1989 - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to make it unlawful to disrupt or damage a farm animal facility, its animals, or property. Sets forth penalties for violations of this Act. Allows the Secretary of Agriculture to investigate such offenses. Grants U.S. district courts jurisdiction in such cases. Provides for a private right of action.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 1989
Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require that Medicare coverage denial notices provided to nonparticipating physicians and their patients include an explanation of such denial.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 1989
Amends Federal transportation law to authorize a person to assert that it would be an unreasonable practice for a motor common carrier or a nonhousehold goods freight forwarder to seek to collect tariff rates or charges in addition to those originally billed and collected, or to impose rules, classifications, or practices permitting such a collection. Declares that the Interstate Commerce Commission shall determine whether or not such a collection or imposition is an unreasonable practice violating Federal law. Shortens the statute of limitations for the filing of claims: (1) by a motor common carrier for recovery of transportation or service charges; and (2) by a person to recover overcharges by a motor carrier. Decreases the limitation period for both kinds of claims from 36 months to: (1) 24 months for claim accruals during the year following enactment of this Act; and (2) 18 months for claim accruals on or after one year following enactment. Permits motor carriers and shippers to resolve by mutual consent, subject to Commission review, any overcharge and undercharge claims resulting from billing errors or incorrect tariff provisions arising from the inadvertent failure to properly and timely file and maintain agreed upon rates, rules, or classifications, or under circumstances where application of the filed tariff would be an unreasonable practice.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 1989
Designates October 1989 as Country Music Month.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 1989
Designates October 27, 1989, as National Hostage Awareness Day in recognition of the 42d birthday of Terry Anderson and his fifth year in captivity. States that efforts should be made to have such date declared International Hostage Day by the United Nations. States that all Federal and international agencies should increase efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages in Lebanon. Calls for prayer on such date for the release of all U.S. and foreign hostages in Lebanon.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 1989
Recognizes and commemorates the centennial of Yosemite National Park, created by Congress in 1890.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1989
Amends Federal copyright law to permit the unlicensed viewing of videos in a hospital, hospice, nursing home, or other group home providing health care if the institution: (1) provides long-term health care services to individuals on a regular basis; and (2) serves as a temporary or permanent home for such individuals. Prohibits such institutions from levying a direct charge for the video viewing, and from transmitting such video viewing via closed-circuit television or other means.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1989
Yosemite National Park Centennial Medal Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell not more than 750,000 gold, silver, and bronze medals in commemoration of the centennial of Yosemite National Park, California, in 1990. Requires that all sales of such medals include a surcharge of $35 per medal for the gold medals, $7 per medal for the silver medals, and $2 per medal for the bronze medals. Requires that all surcharges be paid to an endowment fund for the benefit of the Park to be administered by the National Park Foundation. Requires that the interest from the fund be paid to the Secretary of the Interior to fund special supplemental projects relating to back country trail development and rehabilitation and the preservation of Sequoia groves within the boundaries of the Park. Requires the Secretaries to enter into a memorandum agreement to allow: (1) the Secretary of the Treasury to deliver medals to the Secretary of the Interior; and (2) the Secretary of the Interior to provide for the sale of the medals in National Park facilities. Grants the Comptroller General the right to examine all records of the National Park Foundation which are related to such medals. Provides that no medals may be struck after December 31, 1991.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1989
Designates October 1989 as Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1989
Sets forth the rule for the consideration of H.R. 2770 (Medicare catastrophic coverage).
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1989
Calls on all countries that produce high explosives to: (1) cooperate in global efforts to develop suitable chemical taggants for preblast detection of high explosives; (2) refrain from selling high explosives to known supporters of terrorism; (3) develop controls to ensure that high explosives purchased by customers are not transferred to terrorist groups; and (4) formally agree to require that any high explosive produced in that country include a preblast detection taggant, as soon as one suitable for that form of explosive is developed.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1989
Designates the Calamus Dam and Reservoir in the North Loup division of the Missouri River Basin project as the Virginia Smith Dam and Reservoir.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1989
Oil Pipeline Regulatory Reform Act of 1989 - Amends the Department of Energy Organization Act to terminate Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) jurisdiction over oil and other pipelines except the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Authorizes the Attorney General and any interested person to petition the Secretary of Energy (the Secretary) for an adjudication of whether Commission rate regulation of an existing pipeline in any market is in the public interest. Prescribes adjudication guidelines. Provides that pipeline rates for service to markets which are not identified in a mandatory published adjudications list will no longer be subject to FERC regulatory jurisdiction. Prescribes adjudication guidelines under which the Secretary shall find that regulation of a pipeline is in the public interest only if it is demonstrated that such regulation is necessary to constrain the exercise of substantial market power in the supply and demand of products transported by the pipeline in that market. States that new pipelines shall not be subject to existing Commission regulatory jurisdiction or rate regulation, but shall be subject to common carrier regulation under such Act. States that Commission rate regulation shall be prospective only. Prohibits terminated Commission regulatory jurisdiction from reverting to any other Federal agency. Confers exclusive, original jurisdiction over any petition for judicial review upon the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Precludes from such judicial review any action of the Attorney General under this Act, including adjudication petitions. Outlines the parameters within which pipelines are required to operate as common carriers. Requires pipelines to file terms of carriage schedules (except carriage rates) with the Commission. Mandates that pipeline rates be regulated only in markets in which the Secretary has found Commission rate regulation to be in the public interest. Sets forth guidelines for maximum rates, on a market by market basis, subject to price cap regulation based on base rates and cumulative changes in a Competitive Pipeline Price Index. Precludes a pipeline from conditioning its services upon entering into other transactions or on taking or refraining from any action. Retains the applicability of all antitrust laws to pipeline transportation of crude oil or refined oil products. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress regarding the results of this Act five years after the conclusion of all adjudications.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1989
Amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to exclude, beginning with FY 1991, receipts and outlays for the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund from Federal deficit determinations for purposes of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act). Directs the Board of Trustees of these trust funds to make a thorough study with respect to redirecting amounts that would ordinarily be paid as employment taxes into individual retirement accounts or other retirement income arrangements. Enumerates items to be included in the study. Requires the Board to report its findings to specified congressional leadership within one year of this Act's enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1989
Truth in Government Efficiency Reform Act of 1989 - Title I: General Provisions - Sets forth the findings and purposes of this Act with respect to inadequacies in financial management systems of the Federal Government. Title II: Improving Federal Financial Management - Part A: Establishment of Office of Federal Financial Management - Establishes in the Department of the Treasury the Office of Federal Financial Management. Provides that such Office shall be headed by the Under Secretary of the Treasury for Federal Financial Management, who shall be the chief financial officer of the Federal Government. Requires the Under Secretary to be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, without regard to political affiliation and based solely on integrity and demonstrated ability. Sets forth the duties of the Under Secretary with respect to financial management systems and operations. Provides for the Comptroller General to review the activities of the Under Secretary. Part B: Development of an Integrated Financial Management System - Revises current provisions of Federal law on accounting principles, standards, and requirements. Requires the Comptroller General to establish an Accounting and Financial Management Advisory Board. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish and oversee the implementation by each Federal agency of the Standard General Ledger and the Core Financial System Requirements. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to develop and maintain a Government-wide five-year financial management plan to improve the financial management of the Federal Government. Part C: Financial Reporting and Audits - Requires the President to include in the budget any statement on accounting systems made by agencies in their appropriation requests on whether and to what extent amounts represented were derived from such accounting systems. Directs the Secretary to report to the Congress regarding: (1) the form and composition of financial statements which would reflect the unique nature of the Government; (2) the usefulness of annually preparing and auditing such statements; and (3) methods by which the Secretary may perform financial analysis of assets and liabilities of executive agencies in evaluating their programs. Requires the Comptroller General to audit the financial statements of Government corporations annually (currently, every three years). Requires such corporations to submit financial reports to the Congress no later than 180 days after the end of the corporation's fiscal year. (Replaces provisions of law requiring the Comptroller General to report the the Congress after each audit.) Part D: Establishment of Agency Chief Financial Officers - Specifies the Federal agencies in which there shall be appointed an agency chief financial officer to be responsible for financial management activities. Establishes the Federal Financial Management Council in the executive branch consisting of the Under Secretary and the agency chief financial officers. Directs the Council to: (1) assist the Secretary in financial management objectives and information requirements; (2) assist in the development of financial management plans; (3) comment on proposed major changes in financial management operations; and (4) prepare option papers and recommendations on selected issues which directly affect financial management operating activities.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1989
Commends the citizens of the Sioux City, Iowa, tri-State area for their heroism and volunteerism in providing assistance to the passengers and crew of crashed United Airlines Flight 232.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1989
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) human rights violations in Cuba should be condemned; and (2) the President should award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Armando Valladares.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 1989
Industrial Design Anti-Piracy Act of 1989 - Amends the copyright law to provide for the protection of industrial designs of useful articles (including typefonts), except designs that are: (1) not original; (2) staple or commonplace; (3) different from commonplace or staple designs in insignificant ways; (4) determined solely by a utilitarian function; (5) composed of three-dimensional features of shape and surface in wearing apparel; (6) a semiconductor chip product already protected under another provision; or (7) embodying a process or idea or system. States that protection for a design shall be available for subject matter usually excluded if the design is a substantial revision, adaptation, or rearrangement of such subject matter. Sets the term of protection at ten years. Requires the design to be marked with a design notice when it is made public. States that omission of such notice shall not cause loss of protection or prevent recovery for infringement against any person who receives written notice of the protection. Specifies the criteria for determination of infringement of a protected design. Provides that protection of a design shall be lost if application for registration is not made within one year after the date on which the design is first made public. Provides procedures for application for the protection of a design through a certificate of registration. Sets a fee schedule for such process. Specifies the ownership and transfer rights of designs subject to protection. Provides remedies for infringement of a registered design, including injunctive relief and damages. Allows judicial review of a final refusal of the Register of the Copyright Office to register a design. Prescribes penalties for fraudulent registration, false marking, and false representation of any design. Provides that this Act shall take effect one year after the date of enactment. States that no design made public prior to the effective date shall be protected.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1989
Veterans Agent Orange Exposure and Vietnam Service Benefits Act of 1989 - Provides that the disease of chloracne in Vietnam veterans shall be considered to have been service-connected if such disease became manifest to a ten percent or more degree of disability within one year after the last date on which the veteran performed such service in Vietnam. Presumes the following diseases to be service-connected for veterans who performed active service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era, notwithstanding that there is no record of evidence of such disease during the period of such service: (1) non-Hodgkins lymphoma; (2) soft-tissue sarcoma; and (3) melanoma and basal cell carcinoma. Provides a presumption of service-connection in the case of a Vietnam veteran suffering from a disease associated with effects of exposure to certain dioxins or other herbicide agents during such service in Vietnam. Directs the Secretary to prescribe regulations listing a positive association between any disease and the biological effects of exposure to an herbicide agent in Vietnam. Requires the Secretary to update such list continually. Requires the Secretary, in prescribing and revising such list, to obtain by contract the determinations and estimates of a contract scientific organization. Requires such organization to: (1) determine which diseases have any degree of association with the biological effects of exposure to an herbicide agent; and (2) estimate the extent of association between each such disease and each such biological effects. Requires the organization to determine such association specifically with respect to non-Hodgkins lymphoma, each soft-tissue sarcoma, lung cancer, and each other cancer. Outlines contract provisions required in such agreements between the Secretary and the scientific organization, including surveys, evaluations, and periodic determinations. Requires such scientific organization to provide reports to the Secretary and the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees regarding its determinations and evaluations. Requires such organization to determine, in the effect of a positive association, whether there is a reasonable basis for concluding that a Vietnam veteran with the highest level of exposure to that herbicide agent in Vietnam was exposed to such agent under the circumstances necessary for such biological effects. Requires a report from the organization to the Secretary and the veterans' committees when there is no such reasonable basis found. Requires the Secretary to make certain determinations and follow-up reports after receiving such reports from the contract scientific organization, including the issuance of a report to the veterans' committees and the promulgation of positive association regulations, if necessary. Requires benefits to be continued even though a disease is removed from the regulations listing diseases having positive associations. Terminates such contracting authority ten years after the first day of the fiscal year in which a scientific organization transmits its first report to the Secretary. Provides special effective dates. Directs the Secretary to compile and analyze all clinical data that: (1) is obtained by the Department in connection with examinations and treatment of veterans for disabilities related to exposure to certain herbicides or to service in Vietnam; and (2) is likely to be scientifically useful in determining the association, if any, between the disabilities of such veterans and their exposure to such herbicides and other toxic substances. Requires the Secretary to submit an annual report to the veterans' committees concerning such analysis and its results. Directs the Secretary to consult with the Director of the National Institutes of Health Research and Grants Division (NIH) before compiling and analyzing such information. Requires the Director of NIH to review each annual report submitted by the Secretary and transmit to the Secretary an evaluation of the contents of each report. Directs the Secretary to establish and maintain a system for the collection and storage of voluntarily contributed samples of blood and tissue of veterans who performed active service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era. Outlines provisions concerning the security and authorized uses of such specimens, as well as limitations on the acceptance of such samples. Requires the Secretary to consult with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to the extent that an agreement has been reached with the NAS serving as the contract scientific organization for the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to consult with the Director of the Medical Follow-up Agency in the event of no agreement with NAS. Directs the Secretary to establish a program to provide for the conduct of studies of the feasibility of conducting additional scientific research on health hazards resulting from: (1) exposure to dioxin; (2) exposure to other toxic agents in herbicides used in support of U.S. and allied military operations in Vietnam during the Vietnam era; and (3) active military, naval, or air service there. Requires the Secretary to report to the veterans' committees on the results of such studies. Requires the Secretary to consult with the NAS before undertaking such studies and requires the NAS, to review such studies and report recommendations to the Secretary and the veterans' committees, to the extent provided under any agreement between the Secretary and NAS. Amends the Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 1988 to require the Secretary to annually furnish updated information to veterans listed in the Department of Veterans Affairs' Agent Orange Registry on health risks resulting from exposure to dioxin or other toxic agents in herbicides as a result of service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report to the veterans' committees on the research being conducted to develop treatments for psychological absorption of dioxin and other toxic agents used in herbicides by the United States in Vietnam, including research relating to exposure to dioxin and other toxic agents outside Vietnam. Extends through December 31, 2000, the eligibility for hospital and nursing home care for veterans exposed to toxic substances in Vietnam. Amends the Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 1988 to authorize direct consultation between the Ranch Hand Advisory Committee and Department of the Air Force scientists conducting the Ranch Hand Study (a study of the long-term health effects of exposure to phenoxy herbicides and contaminants). Requires the preparation and submission of annual reports and a final report in connection with such study.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 1989
Designates the week of October 22 through October 29, 1989, as National Red Ribbon Week. Recognizes and commends the hard work and dedication of certain individuals and organizations and urges activities that support community and alcohol education during such week. Encourages Americans to wear or display red ribbons during such Week to present and symbolize their commitment to a healthy, drug-free lifestyle, and to develop an attitude of intolerance to the use of drugs.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 1989
Drug War Bond Act of 1989 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue: (1) Drug War Bonds for a three-year period with a 12-year maturity date; and (2) Drug War Stamps to evidence payments for or on account of such bonds. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude the interest earned on such War Bonds from an individual's gross income. Authorizes a taxpayer to designate a specified portion of any tax overpayment or make cash contributions to the War on Drugs Trust Fund (established by this Act). Authorizes the Attorney General to make expenditures from the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund into the War on Drugs Trust Fund. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish the War on Drugs Trust Fund. Transfers to such Fund: (1) proceeds from the sale of Drug War Bonds and stamps; and (2) certain cash contributions and portions of tax overpayments. Prescribes expenditures from the War on Drugs Trust Fund, including the construction of Federal prison facilities and education and rehabilitation programs. Precludes the receipts and disbursements from the War on Drugs Trust Fund from being included in either the congressional budget totals or in the budget totals as submitted by the President. Exempts the receipts and expenditures from the War on Drugs Trust Fund from: (1) statutory expenditure and lending limitations; and (2) certain orders issued under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act). Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress on programs established by this Act. Directs the Attorney General to make recommendations to the Congress regarding the merits of privatizing Federal prisons.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 1989
Dolphin Protection Consumer Information Act of 1989 - Provides for the labeling of all tuna products as "DOLPHIN SAFE" if the products are, in their entirety: (1) not caught with specified nets or technologies; and (2) regardless of the country of origin, sold or consumed in the United States. Requires tuna products sold or consumed in the United States and not so labeled to bear the statement: "The tuna in this product has been captured with technologies that are known to kill dolphins." Deems a can, box, or package containing any tuna product mislabeled if it is not labeled as required by these provisions, or if its label contains any false or misleading information pertaining to dolphins, whales, or other cetaceans. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Food and Drug Administration, to conduct inspections to determine if tuna products are being labeled in accordance with provisions of this Act. Authorizes any person to commence a civil action against the Secretary where there is alleged a failure of the Secretary to perform the inspection. Provides for injunction proceedings, jurisdiction, burden of proof, trial by jury, and awarding of costs. Authorizes any U.S. citizen to seek an injunction or restraining order. Provides for criminal penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 1989
Designates 1992 as the Year of Clean Water and October 1992 as Clean Water Month.