United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1991
Privacy for Consumers and Workers Act - Requires employers who engage in electronic monitoring to provide each affected employee with prior written notice describing specified aspects of the electronic monitoring directly affecting the employee. Requires employers to notify prospective employees at personal interviews or meetings of existing forms of electronic monitoring which may directly affect them and, upon request, provide them with the written notice provided to employees. Requires employers to provide affected employees with some form of visual or aural notice that indicates that electronic monitoring is taking place, at periodic intervals unless the monitoring is continuous during each of the employee's shifts. Requires employers to provide affected customers with some form of visual or aural notice, at periodic intervals, indicating that telephone service observation is taking place. Requires employers to permit employees or their authorized agents to have access to all personal data obtained by electronic monitoring of their work. Prohibits employers from collecting personal data on an employee which is not relevant to the employee's work performance. Prohibits employers from disclosing personal data obtained by electronic monitoring to any person or business except to the individual employee to whom that data pertains or without the employee's prior written consent, unless disclosure would be: (1) to the employer's officers and employees who need it to perform their duties; (2) to a law enforcement agency for a criminal investigation or prosecution; or (3) pursuant to a proper court order. Prohibits employers from using personal data obtained by electronic monitoring as the exclusive basis for individual employee performance evaluation or disciplinary action, unless the employee is given an opportunity to review the data within a reasonable time after it is obtained. Prohibits employers from using personal data or collective data obtained by electronic monitoring as the sole basis for setting production quotas or work performance expectations. Prohibits employers from maintaining, collecting, using, or disseminating personal data obtained by electronic monitoring which describes how an employee exercises First Amendment rights, unless such use is: (1) expressly authorized by statute or by the employee; or (2) pertinent to and within the scope of an authorized law enforcement activity. Sets forth the following enforcement provisions: (1) civil penalties; (2) injunctive actions by the Secretary of Labor; and (3) private civil actions. Prohibits waiver of rights and procedures provided by this Act, unless such waiver is part of a written settlement by the parties to a pending action or complaint. Directs the Secretary of Labor to issue rules and regulations to carry out this Act within six months. Makes this Act inapplicable to otherwise permissible electronic monitoring by law enforcement agencies in criminal investigations.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1991
Mickey Leland Childhood Hunger Relief Act - Title I: Ensuring Adequate Food Assistance - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to remove the excess shelter deduction cap for purposes of food stamp program (program) eligibility. (Sets forth transitional caps through FY 1995.) Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to adjust the basic benefit level upwards by specified increments at the beginning of each fiscal year until it reaches 105 percent of the cost of the thrifty food plan. Eliminates food stamp reductions for households reapplying for program reinstatement within 30 days. Excludes third party payments for transitional housing for the homeless from consideration as program income. Increases funding for the nutrition assistance program in Puerto Rico. Excludes general assistance vendor payments from consideration as program income. Title II: Promoting Self-Sufficiency - Excludes from consideration as program income: (1) the first $50 a month received as child support; and (2) child support payments to non-household members. Increases annually the fair market value limit of vehicles that program recipients may own. Excludes from financial resources the value of a vehicle a household depends upon to carry heating fuel or water for home use where it has no other access to fuel or water. Increases dependent care deductions and participant and State agency reimbursements in connection with employment and training activities. Title III: Simplifying the Provision of Food Assistance - Permits related adults living in the same household to apply for separate program benefits under specified conditions. Permits a participating family made up of, or including, an elderly or disabled member to own $3,000 in allowable financial resources. (Current law refers to a family member 60 years of age or older.) Makes program authorization of appropriations permanent. Title IV: Implementation and Effective Dates - Sets forth the effective dates for provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the tax exemption for qualified small issue industrial bonds (bonds issued to finance manufacturing facilities and farm property) through 1996.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1991
Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility and Home Health Benefit Act of 1991 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) eliminate the requirement that extended care services be provided within a certain period following hospitalization in order to be covered under the Hospital Insurance Program; and (2) cover nursing care and home health aide services provided or needed on an intermittent basis.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1991
Children's and Communities' Mental Health Systems Improvement Act of 1991 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to replace a subpart relating to State comprehensive mental health services plans with a subpart relating to comprehensive mental health services for children with serious emotional disturbance. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, to make grants to States for comprehensive community mental health services to children with serious emotional disturbance. Prohibits the Secretary from making a grant to a State unless the State is receiving payments under alcohol and drug abuse and mental health services block grant provisions. Requires non-Federal contributions in a specified ratio. Requires State grantees to: (1) establish and operate one or more systems, through grants or contracts, to provide specified types of mental health services to children under 22 years of age; (2) enter into a memorandum of understanding with providers of medical, educational, vocational counseling and vocational rehabilitation, and protection and advocacy services to facilitate the provision of such services without use of grant funds or non-Federal contributions made with respect to the grant; (3) provide case management services; (4) provide services in the language and cultural context that is most appropriate for the child involved; and (5) develop and implement an individualized plan of services for each child admitted to the system. Describes additional services for which a State system may provide. Prohibits the Secretary from making a grant to a State unless the State has a plan, approved by the Secretary, for the development of a State-wide system of care for community-based services for children with serious emotional disturbance. Requires that parents of children with serious emotional disturbances be included as members of the mental health planning council established under existing provisions. Requires that, if a charge is imposed for services under a grant, the charge be made according to a public schedule, adjusted to reflect the income of the family of the child, and not imposed on any child whose family has income and resources at or below the poverty line. Limits grants to States to five years. Allows a State system established under a grant to receive grant funds for three years. Directs the Secretary to provide to a State, on request: (1) technical assistance regarding grant applications; and (2) training and technical assistance on the planning, development, and operation of the systems under this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to provide the technical assistance directly or through grants or contracts. Authorizes appropriations, earmarking a specified sum for the technical assistance and training. Limits the number of grants to ten in FY 1992.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1991
Medicaid Substance Abuse Treatment Act of 1991 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to provide federally reimbursed Medicaid coverage of alcoholism and drug dependency residential treatment services for pregnant women whose family income is below 185 percent of the Federal poverty level and for their Medicaid-eligible children and spouses. Lists the required services included in such coverage as: (1) individual, group, and family counseling and addiction education and treatment provided pursuant to individualized treatment plans; (2) room and board in a structured environment with on-site supervision 24 hours a day; (3) therapeutic child care or counseling for children of individuals in treatment; (4) parental assistance in obtaining developmental assistance for their preschool children and public education for themselves and their school-age children; (5) easier access to prenatal, postpartum, pediatric, and other appropriate health, social, and child care services; (6) planning and assistance in reentering society; and (7) continuing specialized training of residential treatment facility staff members in the most recent and effective treatment techniques. Requires that such coverage continue for at least 12 months, except that the coverage of pregnant women must continue for one year following the end of pregnancy. Limits the size of a residential treatment facility to no more than 40 beds unless the Secretary of Health and Human Services, at the request of a State, waives such limitation under prescribed conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1991
Urges the President, in planning and negotiating Iraq's post-war settlements with the United States and its allies, to insist that an appropriate portion of Iraq's oil wealth be used to: (1) indemnify the United States and its allies for the costs of the military conflict; (2) indemnify noncombatant nations and individuals for losses suffered as a result of the acts of war committed by Iraq or as a result of necessary actions taken by allied forces in defeating Iraqi aggression; and (3) provide an ongoing fund to pay for the cleanup of environmental degradation in the Arabian Gulf caused by the conflict.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1991
Extends coverage under the National Labor Relations Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to certain foreign flagships and other vessels. Establishes the Commission on Compliance and Enforcement to study and report to the Congress on specified effects of this Act and problems with compliance and enforcement. Terminates the Commission 30 days after its report.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1991
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to transmit to the Congress a National Historic Landmark Theme Study on American Labor History which identifies key sites in American labor history for nomination as National Historic Landmarks. Requires the Secretary to prepare a list discussing the feasibility of including such sites in the National Park System. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1991
Global Education Opportunities Act of 1991 - Title I: Foreign Language Instruction - Authorizes the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to make demonstration grants to eligible consortia to: (1) operate critical languages and area studies programs; (2) develop and acquire educational equipment and materials; and (3) develop teacher training programs, texts, curriculum, and other activities to improve and expand foreign language instruction at elementary and secondary schools. (Defines critical language as one designated on the Secretary's list under the Education for Economic Security Act.) Requires each grant recipient to include a study abroad or cultural exchange program among the assisted activities. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to make demonstration grants to State education agencies, institutions of higher education, and nonprofit education and professional associations to provide technology for distance learning, in cooperation with foreign language teachers and specialists, to serve small and rural school districts, small colleges, community colleges, and adult business education classes, through video tapes, cassettes, satellite linkages, cable programs, teleclasses, and computer-assisted instruction. Limits grant amounts. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants for innovative and model programs for elementary and secondary teacher education which integrate foreign language and culture, democracy and civic education, geography, and international studies into practicing and preservice teacher training. Provides that such programs must meet the needs of elementary school teachers before they address those of secondary school teachers. Requires an institute of higher education, to receive such a grant on behalf of its school or department of education and in cooperation with its liberal arts department, to submit a proposal to the Secretary and the appropriate State educational agency. (Allows nonprofit institutions of demonstrated effectiveness to also receive such grants.) Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to make competitive grants to various educational entities or consortia to act as a resource center for: (1) coordinating development and dissemination of foreign language and culture instructional materials (including children's literature, teacher's kits, videotapes, and computer software); and (2) encouraging expanded use of technology in teaching foreign languages and culture in elementary schools (and when these needs are met, in secondary schools), especially at schools with proportionally fewer resources. Requires coordination of such materials and technologies development with that under the Star Schools Program Assistance Act. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to make matching grants, within specified limits, to: (1) States and major metropolitan areas to establish foreign language foundations; and (2) world trade council units to provide language training, translation services, and information about other cultures and markets for small- and medium-sized businesses seeking to enter export markets. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Higher Education Amendments - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to revise student assistance for those engaged in study abroad. Specifies that programs of study abroad approved for credit by an institution of higher education (approved programs of study abroad) are among those for which eligible students may receive student assistance under the programs of Pell grants, supplemental educational opportunity grants, grants to States for State student incentives, guaranteed student loans, and Perkins loans. Includes such approved programs of study abroad under cost of attendance provisions for HEA Student Assistance. Revises student eligibility for assistance to declare that nothing in HEA shall be construed to limit or otherwise prohibit access to approved programs of study abroad. Declares that: (1) otherwise eligible students engaged in an approved program of study abroad are also eligible for assistance under title IV (Student Assistance) of HEA; and (2) such a study abroad program need not be a required part of the student's degree program to qualify for such assistance. Requires eligible institutions to: (1) disseminate to prospective and enrolled students accurate information that enrollment in an approved program of study abroad may be considered enrollment in the home institution for purposes of applying for Federal student financial assistance; and (2) agree, for purposes of student assistance program participation, not to deny any form of Federal aid to any student who meets HEA eligibility requirements on the grounds that such student is taking part in an approved program of study abroad. Applies existing requirements for loan check endorsement and multiple disbursement of federally-insured and guaranteed student loans to students engaged in a approved program of study abroad. Allows students participating in approved programs of study abroad to receive, according to specified formulas, increased aid under the programs of Pell grants, supplemental educational opportunity grants, State student incentive grants, federally insured loans, and Perkins loans. Establishes a program of incentive grants for enrollment in special programs abroad. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) make grants to institutions of higher education or certain other organizations to pay partial incentive stipends to individuals enrolled in certain programs of study abroad; and (2) award, through a national competition, incentive stipends to students who enroll in study abroad programs to learn languages and develop international skills not available in countries in which large numbers of U.S. students study. Requires such grants to be awarded on the basis of merit but with preference given to students who are underrepresented in study abroad, including those from minority groups and professional and preprofessional studies. Intends such stipends to meet extraordinary travel and other associated costs for a one-year maximum. Authorizes appropriations. Requires work study program participation agreements to permit: (1) an institution to devise suitable work opportunities for students studying abroad, including work for foreign colleges, universities, and nonprofit or service organizations; (2) establishment of internship programs involving work for foreign or multinational organizations relevant to the student's course of study; and (3) work-study compensation to eligible students for such work or internships. Declares that student financial aid administrators have discretionary authority to make certain necessary cost of attendance and asset adjustments and special arrangements for student notification, verification, disbursement, and refunds, for students participating in approved programs of study abroad. Allows requests for deferment of Stafford or Perkins student loan repayment by students engaged in graduate or postgraduate fellowship study abroad to be approved until the completion of the fellowship period. Revises HEA title VI (International Education Programs) requirements for undergraduate international studies and foreign language programs to add to the list of authorized grant activities development of: (1) undergraduate study abroad programs providing courses closely related to on-campus foreign language and international studies curricula; and (2) new study abroad opportunities for undergraduates in specific degree programs' curricula. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to higher education institutions, nonprofit organizations, and consortia for: (1) study abroad in the form of either programs in locations otherwise unavailable for such study or opportunities for students who would not otherwise engage in such study; and (2) enrichment of study abroad programs, including development of model predeparture and post-return activities, program selection material and advising services, and academic advising. Requires that centers for international business education assisted under HEA include in their programs opportunities for business students to study abroad in locations which are important to the current and future economic well-being of the United States. Provides that intensive summer language institutes receiving HEA grants may be either in the United States or in appropriate countries abroad. Includes among authorized providers of such training institutes designed to integrate intensive foreign language training with culture experiences abroad for undergraduate students in a wide range of disciplines. Covers the costs of travel to and from institutes in foreign countries in stipends for students and faculty attending such institutes.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1991
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 after 1940, including from 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) 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 · 26 February 1991
Anti-Apartheid Act Amendments of 1991 - Title I: Sanctions Against Investment in, and Exports to, South Africa and Other Measures (Except Import Restrictions) to End Apartheid - Part A: Amendments to the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 and Other Laws - Amends the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 to prohibit any investments in South Africa by U.S. persons. Makes exceptions to such prohibition for: (1) investments in a business enterprise 90 percent owned and controlled by South Africans economically and politically disadvantaged by apartheid; and (2) investments made by certain individuals during any period and to the extent that such investments are considered South African emigrant non-resident assets and subject to transfer or disposition restrictions. Authorizes a person to apply for, and the President to grant for good cause, a waiver of such prohibition for up to 180 days. Requires U.S. controlled South African entities that are subject to the investment prohibition and that employ more than 24 South Africans economically and politically disadvantaged by apartheid to: (1) notify employees and employee organizations not less than 90 days prior to termination of the U.S. investment in such entity; and (2) enter into good faith negotiations with representative trade unions regarding the terms of such termination. Prohibits the exportation or reexportation to South Africa of any goods or technology subject to U.S. jurisdiction. Prohibits any such exportation or reexportation by any person subject to U.S. jurisdiction. Exempts from such prohibition publications, donations of food, clothing, and medical supplies, commercial sales of agricultural commodities and products, and goods and technology for use in the gathering or dissemination of information by news media organizations subject to U.S. jurisdiction. Makes such prohibitions inapplicable to: (1) any goods that are the direct product of technology of U.S. origin under a written agreement entered into on or before April 20, 1988, and that are exported within one year of the enactment of this Act; (2) economic assistance or human rights programs for disadvantaged South Africans, South African blacks or other nonwhite South Africans, or victims of apartheid in South Africa; and (3) contributions to charitable organizations engaged in social welfare, public health, religious, educational, or emergency relief activities in South Africa. Repeals specified provisions of the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 that: (1) prohibit certain exports to, imports from, and investments in South Africa; (2) set forth U.S. policy toward the recruitment and training of black South Africans; and (3) prohibit U.S. intercession with any foreign government regarding export activities of certain U.S. nationals in South Africa who are not implementing the Code of Conduct. Revises the definition of "loans" for purposes of such Act to prohibit short-term trade financing, sales on open account, and rescheduling of existing loans. Adds other definitions for purposes of such Act. Prohibits any U.S. agency or entity involved in intelligence activities from engaging in any form of cooperation with the Government of South Africa (specifically including the authorities administering Namibia so long as Namibia is illegally occupied). Prohibits any U.S. agency or entity from engaging in any form of cooperation with the armed forces of South Africa. Prohibits funds made available by the Congress from being obligated or expended for any expense related to any prohibited cooperation. States that the President should not: (1) assign or detail any member of the U.S. armed forces to serve as a defense or military attache in South Africa; or (2) accredit any individual to serve as a defense or military attache at a South African diplomatic mission in the United States. Repeals provisions of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1987 concerning restrictions on intelligence agency cooperation with South Africa. Prohibits the Secretary of Energy from authorizing any person to engage, directly or indirectly, in the production of special nuclear materials in South Africa. Revises penalty provisions of the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986. Establishes within the Department of State a Coordinator of South Africa Sanctions who shall be responsible to the Secretary of State for matters pertaining to the implementation of sanctions against South Africa. Directs the Coordinator to place emphasis on activities related to strategically important trade in oil, coal, computers, specialized machinery and arms, and to financial credits. Sets forth the responsibilities of the Secretary of State in leading and coordinating the activities of other agencies in implementing and enforcing the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 and in monitoring other nations' economic relations with South Africa. Requires the Secretary to report annually to the Congress on actions to monitor and enforce such Act and on economic relations between South Africa and each of its trading partners. Establishes an Interagency Coordinating Committee on South Africa to coordinate and monitor the implementation of such Act. Revises provisions of such Act regarding the Code of Conduct and expanded participation in the South African economy. Requires Federal agencies to make efforts to assist businesses more than 90 percent (currently, 50 percent) owned by black or nonwhite South Africans. Amends the Export Import Bank Act of 1945 to require the Bank to insure or participate in the extension of credit to businesses more than 90 percent owned (currently, majority owned) and controlled by black or nonwhite South Africans. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to permit the use of a specified amount of funds authorized for economic development assistance for assistance to disadvantaged South Africans. Specifies that such assistance may include scholarships, the promotion of the participation of disadvantaged South Africans in trade unions and private enterprise, alternative education and community development programs, and training and other assistance (including legal aid) for South African journalists. Lists major trade union federations in South Africa as examples of recipients of U.S. assistance to the labor movement. Earmarks a specified amount of such funds for refugee education and assistance for South Africans. Prohibits any U.S. person from providing transport to South Africa of a commercial quantity of crude oil or refined petroleum products. Includes in such prohibition transport on a vessel of U.S. registry or on a vessel owned by a U.S. person. Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from issuing any mineral lease to any national of the United States which is controlled by any foreign person who purchases, acquires, owns, or holds any investment in South Africa or who exports crude oil or refined petroleum products to South Africa. Authorizes the President to waive such prohibitions under specified conditions. Part B: Policy Statements; Reports; Studies; and Other Miscellaneous Provisions - Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should: (1) direct the Attorney General to conduct an antitrust investigation of the South African controlled international diamond cartel; (2) direct the Secretary of Commerce and the Commissioner of Customs to study the feasibility of identifying at the port of entry the national origin of diamonds entering the United States; and (3) ensure effective and rigorous enforcement of a prohibition on the importation into the United States of uncut South African diamonds by taking specified measures. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the President should eliminate all honorary consuls of South Africa in the United States and forbid expansion of South Africa's embassy staff; and (2) approval of temporary U.S. visas should be granted on a case-by-case basis after considering South Africa's record of allowing its citizens, including apartheid opponents, to travel to the United States. Requires the President to study and report to the Congress on measures to reduce South Africa's foreign exchange earnings from gold. Directs the Secretary of State to report to the Congress on South Africa's involvement in international terrorism. Title II: Sanctions Against South African Imports Into the United States - Prohibits the importation into the United States of any article from South Africa, except: (1) strategic minerals which the President certifies to the Congress are essential for military or economic purposes and are not available from alternative reliable suppliers or through improved manufacturing processes, conservation, recycling, and economical substitution; and (2) publications. Specifies that such prohibition includes: (1) krugerrands or any gold coin minted in South Africa or offered for sale by the Government of South Africa; (2) uranium hexafluoride that has been manufactured from South African uranium or uranium oxide; and (3) fish or seafood which are products of South Africa. Exempts from such prohibition any imports from business enterprises in South Africa that are wholly-owned by persons economically or politically disadvantaged by apartheid. Requires the President to confer with other industrialized democracies in order to reach cooperative agreements to impose sanctions against South Africa to bring about the dismantling of apartheid. Requires the President to report to the Congress concerning such efforts. Requires (currently, encourages) the President to seek United Nations Security Council adoption of the same sanctions against South Africa as are imposed by the United States. Requires (currently, authorizes) the President to impose penalties against foreign persons taking significant commercial advantage of U.S. sanctions against South Africa or comparable sanctions of other industrialized democracies. Includes as such a penalty the restriction of such a person from contracting with U.S. Government entities. Allows the President to waive such penalties for foreign persons of an industrialized democracy that is a party to a cooperative agreement to impose sanctions against South Africa. Requires the President to revoke such waiver if the industrialized democracy is not adequately enforcing the measures provided for under the agreement. Requires that information concerning the extent to which import restrictions are being enforced by other industrialized democracies be included in the Secretary of State's annual report to the Congress. Sets forth provisions pertaining to committee referral in the House of Representatives of joint resolutions pertaining to import restrictions. Requires the President, through the Secretary of Commerce, to submit periodic reports to the Congress setting forth the average amounts of imports of coal or any strategic and critical material entering the United States from each member and observer country of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance. Requires the President to report annually to the Congress on the program to reduce U.S. dependence on strategic minerals from South Africa. Requires the President to confer with the governments of the African "frontline" states on measures to prevent the circumvention of the import restrictions on South African products imposed under the authority of this Act. Title III: General Provisions - Makes conforming amendments and sets forth the effective date of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1991
Nursing Home Access to Respiratory Therapy Act of 1991 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to include respiratory therapy within covered extended care services.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1991
Construction Safety, Health, and Education Improvement Act of 1991 - Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (the Act) to establish in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) an Office of Construction Safety, Health, and Education (the Office) to ensure safe and healthy working conditions in the performance of construction work. Directs the Secretary of Labor (the Secretary) to: (1) develop mandatory standards for construction safety and health plans and programs established under this Act; (2) assume control of a construction site to both prevent the destruction of any evidence that would assist in the investigation of a fatality, serious injury, or incident, (unless it must be moved or destroyed as a part of rescue operations) and monitor the rescue operations conducted in response to the incident; (3) assist the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health in developing training courses and curriculum for the training of OSHA inspectors and other OSHA employees with duties related to construction safety; (4) advise and consult with construction employer associations, construction employers, construction employees, and labor organizations as to effective means of preventing fatalities and serious injuries in construction work; (5) increase awareness of construction site safety through education, training, and outreach programs; (6) identify construction employers who have high frequency rates of fatalities or serious injuries or patterns of noncompliance with health and safety standards; and (7) carry out specified duties for construction worksite inspections, investigations, reporting, and recordkeeping and for construction safety and health plans and programs. Establishes within OSHA the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Construction who is to: (1) be appointed by the Secretary; (2) coordinate Office activities with those of other offices and directorates within OSHA as they relate to safety, health, and education in the construction industry; and (3) coordinate the activities and advice of the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health with all OSHA activities relating to such matters, ensuring that the Advisory Committee performs its functions under the Act and the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act. Directs the Secretary, with the advice of the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health, to determine the necessary qualifications and training for OSHA inspectors, including: (1) full understanding of the Act and the Secretary's standards and regulations for the construction industry; and (2) at least five years' experience working in the construction industry. Establishes requirements for construction safety and health plans and programs. Requires designation of a project constructor (the constructor) in construction project documents by the construction owner for every construction project covered by the Act. Gives the constructor: (1) responsibility for supervising and controlling all construction work on the worksite; and (2) overall responsibility for the safety and health of all construction employees at the construction worksite, and for performing constructor duties set out in the Act and regulations issued under it. Considers the construction owner as the project constructor if such owner does not designate a constructor. Directs the constructor for a worksite to establish and implement: (1) written safety and health plans by constructors, including the project safety and health programs of construction employers involved in the project; (2) hazard analyses that identify the potential for and provide instructions to prevent hazards in the construction process; and (3) construction process plans that include means to ensure worksite structural stability and worksite inspections. Requires that: (1) constructors designate project safety coordinators (coordinators) for construction projects and notify construction employers of their identity (although such coordinators may not be assigned overall responsibility for project safety); and (2) coordinators, on behalf of constructors, adequately monitor safety at construction sites, prepare project safety and health plans before construction commencement, and ensure construction employers' compliance with reporting requirements. Requires safety and health plans to provide for permit systems under which constructors authorize employers to engage in operations determined to pose a risk of death or serious injury (covered operations). Requires covered operations to include: (1) construction of trenches and excavations; (2) erection and dismantling of scaffolding; (3) demolition of any building or structure; (4) operation of cranes and derricks; (5) operations requiring employees to enter confined or enclosed spaces; (6) operations involving exposure to asbestos and other toxic materials; and (7) other operations designated by the Secretary. Requires constructors, in issuing such permits, to ensure that employers: (1) know of and show intent to comply with requirements of the Act and standards and regulations issued by the Secretary; and (2) have developed safety and health programs that adequately address the hazards of the covered operation. Requires construction employers (employers) involved in construction project worksites to develop and implement project safety programs commensurate with the scope of the work. Requires such programs to require: (1) employers to appoint one competent person for each project to be responsible for general program administration; (2) a competent person to be at each worksite at all times that employers are engaged in construction work; (3) competent persons to inspect worksites frequently and take all necessary actions to eliminate hazards, including work stoppage or removal of affected employees if necessary; (4) provision of prescribed general health and safety training for construction employees; (5) adequate worksite instruction in the recognition of unsafe and unhealthy conditions, applicable standards and regulations, use of construction worksite equipment, and the handling of toxic and harmful substances; (6) emergency evacuation plans, inspection procedures, reporting of incidents, regular safety meetings, and monitoring procedures; (7) a procedure for employees and employee representatives to obtain an immediate inspection or a written evaluation, or both, of a perceived hazardous condition or harmful substance by a qualified person at any time in the construction process; (8) upon determination that such condition or substance presents an imminent danger, for the project constructor to stop work at, or remove affected employees from, the area in which such danger exists; and (9) other requirements, including procedures for monitoring, notification, and safety meetings. Sets forth procedures for emergency waivers of such requirements under specified conditions. Exempts any construction worksite with only one employer and ten or fewer employees from requirements for construction safety and health plans and programs, unless the construction worksite is one at which one of the specified covered operations (under the permit system) occurs. Provides for inspections, investigations, reporting, and recordkeeping. Requires project constructors to submit, before construction work commences, specified types of information necessary for the Secretary to develop and conduct a system of prioritized inspections. Directs the Secretary to establish an effective system for construction worksite inspections. Requires such system to give priority to concentration of enforcement resources on construction worksites and operations with a high potential for fatalities or serious injuries, giving due weight to: (1) employers' and owners' worksite compliance records; and (2) frequency and severity rates of fatalities, serious injuries, and incidents attributable to particular owners and employers and particular types of construction projects, worksites, and operations. Prohibits such priority system from limiting: (1) inspections based on complaints by construction employees on their representatives or complaints of imminent dangers; or (2) inspections following up prior enforcement actions or proceedings. Prohibits the Secretary from excluding from construction worksite inspections any construction owner or employer. Requires project constructors to make and maintain accurate records concerning fatalities, serious injuries, and incidents at a worksite. Requires project constructors to report to the Secretary by telephone or telegraph, within four hours after its occurrence, any incident involving construction work that results in: (1) a serious injury; (2) a fatality; or (3) a structural failure. Requires such reports to specify certain information. Directs the Secretary to conduct site inspections to investigate all such reports of incidents, as the Secretary prescribes. Requires such inspections as soon as practicable or at least within 24 hours after receipt of the telephone or telegraph report, unless site conditions would make inspection dangerous. Requires the project constructor to prevent destruction of evidence. Directs the Secretary to make public a narrative description of the occurrence. Requires the project constructor, at project completion or at one-year intervals during the project, to report to the Secretary all fatalities and serious injuries and all structural failures. Requires such report to provide specified information. Grants the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health specified powers to carry out its functions under the Act and under the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act. Limits the terms of members of such Committee. Directs the Secretary to respond in writing within 60 days to any recommendation made by a majority of members of such Committee. Requires any State construction safety and health plan to comply with specified requirements for State plans under the Act and to provide for development and enforcement of requirements at least as effective as those imposed by the Act and the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States for administering and enforcing this Act. Sets forth formulas for determining the Federal share of such grants. Directs the Secretary to report to the President and the Congress: (1) annually on certain general subjects as these relate to the construction industry, including the operation of the Office; and (2) within 120 days after three years of Office operation, on whether specified relevant information supports the continued existence of the Office within OSHA or supports enactment of legislation to establish in the Department of Labor a Construction Industry Safety and Health Administration to be headed by an Assistant Secretary of Labor for Construction Safety and Health.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1991
Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 with regard to surplus commodity food assistance for older persons to require that assistance be provided for two meals served daily per person if such meals have a specified nutritional content.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1991
Radio Free Asia Act of 1991 - Amends the Board for International Broadcasting Act of 1973 to grant authority to the Board for International Broadcasting to operate a Radio Free Asia broadcasting service for the peoples of Asia. Revises the composition of the Board to add two additional members to be selected by the President. Allows funds made available to Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty to be used by Radio Free Asia. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Board to report to the Congress on the desirability of the geographic expansion of funded broadcasts, particularly to Africa, the Middle East, and North Korea.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1991
Individual Retirement Options Improvement Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from the ten percent penalty tax on early distributions from qualified retirement plans: (1) first-time homebuyer distributions; (2) qualified higher education expenses; and (3) qualified catastrophic illness expenses. Allows an additional deduction for 50 percent of the contributions made to individual retirement plans.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permanently extend the period during which qualified mortgage bonds and mortgage credit certificates may be issued.
United States · United States Congress · 20 February 1991
Pipeline Safety Act of 1991 - Amends the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1968 to direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations requiring, under specified conditions, the installation of excess flow valves in all natural gas distribution systems. Authorizes the Secretary to exempt a system from such requirement if special circumstances exist which prevent the use of such valves.
United States · United States Congress · 20 February 1991
Federal Employee Family-Building Act of 1991 - Requires any contract for health benefits for Federal employees that provides obstetrical benefits to also provide benefits for family-building procedures. Provides that payment terms or conditions under such contracts shall be no more restrictive for family-building benefits than for obstetrical benefits. Defines "family-building procedure" as a medical procedure to overcome infertility (including procedures to achieve pregnancy and procedures to carry pregnancy to term) and procedures relating to child adoption. Requires such contracts to provide that: (1) benefits shall consist of reimbursement for reasonable and necessary medical expenses and counseling fees directly relating to the adoption of a child; and (2) benefits shall be available in connection with obstetrical care for the biological mother and medical care for the child if, or to the extent that, the pre-adoptive or adoptive parent or parents are legally responsible for the cost of such care. Directs the Office of Personnel Management to authorize the use of sick leave for purposes relating to family-building procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 20 February 1991
National Recycling Resource Act - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to prohibit the sale of beer, mineral water, soda water, wine coolers, or carbonated soft drinks in beverage containers by retailers and distributors unless such containers carry a refund value of ten cents. Requires distributors to collect from retailers the refund value for each beverage sold to such retailers. Directs retailers to collect from consumers the refund value for each beverage sold to such consumers. Requires retailers and distributors to pay the refund on returned containers of brands (in the same kind and size of container) sold by such retailers or distributors. Directs distributors to pay annually to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency unclaimed refund amounts (the amount by which the total refund value of all containers sold by such distributors exceeds the amount paid by distributors to retailers). Makes unclaimed refunds available to the Administrator for administration of this Act and to carry out pollution prevention and recycling programs. Prohibits distributors and retailers from selling beverages in metal beverage containers with detachable openings. Makes this Act inapplicable (except for the prohibition on the sale of metal containers with detachable openings) to Michigan, Massachusetts, Oregon, Iowa, New York, Delaware, Connecticut, Vermont, Maine, and any State that: (1) has established a program to expend amounts equal to total unclaimed refunds for solid waste management plans; and (2) has adopted requirements identical to those under this Act for beverage containers, or has demonstrated to the Administrator that the State has achieved a 70 percent return rate for such containers. Prohibits States or political subdivisions from imposing any tax on the sale of beverage containers. Requires the Administrator to promulgate regulations to provide for the adjustment for inflation of the ten cent refund amount at ten-year intervals. Prescribes civil penalties for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 20 February 1991
Social Security Benefits Improvement Act of 1991 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to alter the formula for computing the primary insurance amount of individuals who attain age 65 in or after 1982 and are subject to the benefit computation rules of the Social Security Amendments of 1977. Removes the limitation on the amount of outside income which an OASDI beneficiary may earn without incurring a reduction in benefits. Provides that individuals shall not be considered to have engaged in substantial gainful activity for disability benefit eligibility purposes unless their earnings exceed the amount currently allowed only for blind individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 20 February 1991
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to continue an individual's entitlement to benefits through the month of his or her death with benefits for that month computed on a prorated basis.
United States · United States Congress · 19 February 1991
Older Americans' Freedom to Work Act of 1991 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to remove the limitation on the amount of outside income which beneficiaries who have attained retirement age may earn without incurring a reduction in benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 19 February 1991
Commends the Peace Corps on its 30th anniversary and those who have served as Peace Corps volunteers. Reaffirms U.S. commitment, through the Peace Corps, to help peoples in other countries to meet their needs.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Ancient Forest Protection Act of 1991 - Establishes the National Ancient Forest Reserve System. Designates certain lands in California, Oregon, and Washington as components of such System. Declares that all Federal lands in such States which qualify as ancient forest or associated forest and are not designated as components of the System shall be managed as if they are. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to issue regulations with respect to the removal of commercial timber from such lands. Declares it to be U.S. policy to develop and utilize scientific information to study and identify the biological and ecological requirements of ancient forest ecosystems. Directs the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality to study and report to appropriate congressional committees on the biological and physical requirements for the survival of such ecosystems.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Northern Ireland Fair Employment Practices Act - Prohibits an article from being imported into the United States from Northern Ireland unless documentation is presented at the time of entry indicating that the enterprise which manufactured or assembled such article complied at the time of manufacture with certain fair employment principles (such as freedom from religious discrimination). Bases such principles on the MacBride Principles, a nine point set of guidelines for fair employment in Northern Ireland. Requires any U.S. person who has a branch or office in Northern Ireland or who controls an enterprise in Northern Ireland in which more than 20 people are employed to insure implementation of such employment principles and compliance with this Act. Requires reports to the Secretary of Commerce on compliance with this Act. Sets forth the fair employment principles. Authorizes the President to waive the requirements of this Act in the interest of national security. Requires such waiver to become effective 90 days after the President submits a justification of such waiver to the Congress unless the Congress adopts a joint resolution disapproving the waiver. Provides for expedited consideration of such resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Social Security Notch Adjustment Act of 1991 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to establish a new formula for computing the primary insurance amount of individuals who attain age 65 in or after 1982 and would otherwise be subject to the benefit computation rules of the Social Security Amendments of 1977. Extends the application of such transitional benefit computation rules to those who become eligible for benefits before 1989. (Currently those who become eligible after 1983 are subject to the benefit computation rules of the Social Security Amendments of 1977.)
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Volunteer Protection Act of 1991 - Prescribes circumstances under which volunteers working for nonprofit organizations or government entities shall be immune from personal financial liability for acts on behalf of the organization or entity. Sets forth exceptions and conditions that a State may impose on the granting of such immunity. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to increase by one percent the fiscal year allotment which would otherwise be made to a State to carry out the Social Services Block Grant Program under title XX of the Social Security Act if such State has, within two years, certified to the Secretary that it has enacted a State law which provides such immunity. Provides for the continuation of such increase based on an annual recertification.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Amends Federal law to provide that no adjournment of either House of Congress, other than an adjournment sine die to end a Congress, prevents the return of a bill by the President. Authorizes the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate to receive bills returned by the President any time their respective Houses are not in session.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Lead Battery Recycling Incentives Act - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate regulations for persons who generate, transport, store, recycle, or dispose of spent lead-acid batteries. Requires the Administrator, in developing such regulations, to conduct an analysis of the economic impact of the regulations on the recycling industry. Sets forth required elements of such regulations, including specific requirements for: (1) the storage and transfer of batteries by generators; (2) recordkeeping by battery generators, transporters, and recyclers; and (3) management practices of recyclers. Directs battery retailers to accept from customers spent lead-acid batteries of the same type and quantity of the batteries sold. Requires transporters to acquire an identification number from the EPA or the State enforcing this Act. Directs the Administrator to implement education activities to inform the public about the environmental and safety hazards associated with improper handling and disposal of spent lead-acid batteries. Authorizes appropriations. Applies such requirements to batteries which are transported to or managed by a lead-acid battery recycling facility, a secondary lead smelter, or any facility that prepares batteries for recycling. Requires producers or importers of lead-acid batteries to recycle, for the ten-year period beginning 24 months after this Act's enactment, an amount of spent lead equal to at least the amount determined by multiplying the amount of lead in the batteries produced or imported by such persons by the recycling percentage established by the Administrator. Authorizes compliance with such requirement by: (1) reclaiming lead from such batteries and using it in the production of new batteries; (2) purchasing reclaimed lead from secondary lead smelters for purposes of producing new batteries or shielding; or (3) purchasing recycling credits. Directs producers or importers to report annually to the Administrator on the amount of virgin and secondary lead used in new lead-acid batteries produced or imported by such persons. Sets the recycling percentage at 80 percent. Increases such percentage by two points annually. Authorizes the Administrator to reduce or waive the two percent increase if the rate exceeds 95 percent. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations to allow: (1) producers of lead-acid batteries to create credits for recycling an amount of batteries greater than required; and (2) producers of new batteries to purchase such credits for purposes of complying with this Act. Sets forth minimum requirements for the credit system. Applies battery recycling requirements to persons who produce or import more than 10,000 pounds of new lead-acid batteries annually. Sets the recycling percentage at 90 percent if the Administrator fails to promulgate recycling regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Oil Recycling Incentives Act - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from identifying used oil or affiliated materials as hazardous wastes under the Solid Waste Disposal Act. Defines "affiliated materials" as used oil filters and any materials used for cleaning up after changing oil that are contaminated with used oil. Provides that any fuel derived from used oil that does not meet used oil specifications established by the Administrator and would otherwise be identified as a hazardous waste shall be deemed to be a hazardous waste. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations for persons who generate, store, transport, recycle, or dispose of used oil. Requires the Administrator, in developing such regulations, to conduct an analysis of the economic impact of such regulations on the used oil recycling industry. Provides that regulations for used oil generators shall: (1) prohibit the storage of used oil in an underground storage tank unless such tank meets requirements under this Act; (2) prohibit the storage of used oil for more than 12 months; (3) require generators to transfer such oil to specified permitted used oil recycling or disposal facilities or transporters; and (4) require generators to keep specified records on such oil. Requires used oil transporter regulations to provide that such transporters: (1) acquire identification numbers from EPA; (2) meet applicable financial responsibility requirements; and (3) keep specified records. Includes intermediate storage requirements in transporter regulations. Provides that used oil recycler regulations shall require recyclers to: (1) keep specified records; (2) test fuel produced from the recycling process before departure from the facility; and (3) obtain certain permits. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations for exempt refineries that recycle used oil as necessary to protect human health and the environment. Sets forth minimum requirements for such regulations. Requires used oil disposal and affiliated material regulations to prohibit mixing used oil with any hazardous waste identified under the Solid Waste Disposal Act unless the mixture is stored, treated, or disposed of at a permitted facility. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations requiring owners or operators of new and existing recycling facilities to have class permits. Sets forth permit requirements. Provides for annual inspections of such facilities to assure permit compliance. Sets forth requirements for interim class permits. Exempts from permit requirements: (1) facilities which refine at least 10,000 barrels daily of crude oil into petroleum products, are classified as S.I.C. number 2911 (pursuant to the Office of Management and Budget Standard Classification Manual) facilities, and at which the amount of refined used oil is equal to no more than the amount of used oil that the owner is required to recycle and the used oil contains less than a specified amount of halogens; and (2) facilities which compound or blend lubricating base oil into finished lubricant products as their principal activity, are classified as S.I.C. number 2899 or 2992 facilities, and whose volume of used oil compounded or blended into such products is no more than ten percent of the lubricating base oil compounded or blended annually. Exempts from used oil regulation requirements on-site activities at facilities classified as S.I.C. number 4911 facilities. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations governing such facilities. Requires the Administrator to promulgate regulations establishing specification standards for fuel derived from used oil to be burned in furnaces and boilers. Sets forth requirements to be effective if the Administrator fails to promulgate used oil regulations by the applicable deadline. Requires the Administrator to implement education programs to inform the public and small businesses about the environmental and safety hazards associated with improper handling and disposal of used oil and the benefits derived from used oil recycling. Authorizes appropriations. Sets forth labeling requirements for oil packages and oil filters to encourage the return of used oil to collection centers. Requires States to develop plans for making information available to the public about recycling of used oil and oil filters. Directs the Administrator to establish a toll-free telephone line to give out information about State used oil recycling programs. Requires producers or importers of lubricating oil to recycle for a period of ten years an amount of used oil equal to at least the amount determined by multiplying the amount of lubricating oil produced or imported that year by such persons by the recycling percentage established by the Administrator. Authorizes such individuals to comply with this Act by: (1) recycling (through re-refining) used oil or purchasing re-refined oil for purposes of producing lubricating oil; or (2) purchasing recycling credits under this Act. Requires producers and importers to report annually to the Administrator on the amount of oil produced or imported by such persons. Requires a producer or importer to be treated as having recycled two units of used oil for each unit of re-refined oil or lubricant base stock purchased. Directs the Administrator to establish a recycling percentage that is two points higher than the existing recycling rate for lubricating oil. Provides for increases in such percentage of two points annually for ten years. Requires the Administrator to promulgate regulations allowing recyclers to create credits for used oil recycling and producers or importers of lubricating oil to purchase such credits. Provides that such regulations shall require: (1) specified records to be kept by recyclers and by importers or producers; and (2) recyclers to sell or distribute in commerce such oil as specification used oil, off-specification used oil, industrial specification used oil, or re-refined oil. Directs the Administrator to report to the Congress on such regulations and to include: (1) a discussion of the effects of such regulations on the oil industry and the environment; and (2) an evaluation of the level of the recycling percentage and whether such percentage should be increased in future years. Requires an updated version of such report to be submitted within ten years of this Act's enactment. Applies recycling requirements to persons who import or produce more than 100,000 gallons of lubricating oil annually. Sets the recycling percentage at 40 percent if the Administrator fails to promulgate such regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Unemployment Insurance Program Budgeting Reform Act - Excludes the receipts of the Unemployment Trust Fund from deficit calculations. Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to exclude the State unemployment insurance and employment services operations account from sequestration.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
CHAMPUS Mental Health Benefits Restoration Act of 1991 - Provides that a scheduled reduction in the provision of inpatient mental health services to veterans under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) as required under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1991 shall not take effect until one year after the end of the Persian Gulf conflict, as declared by presidential proclamation or by law. States that all direct and discretionary spending contained in this Act is to be considered emergency expenditures related to Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm for purposes of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act).
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Newsprint Recycling Incentives Act - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to require producers or importers of newsprint to recycle, through methods specified under this Act, an amount of newsprint equal to at least the amount determined by multiplying the amount of newsprint produced or imported annually by such individuals by the recycling percentage established by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Authorizes such individuals to comply with this Act by: (1) recycling (through deinking) newsprint; (2) purchasing recycled newsprint to combine with shipments of virgin newsprint; or (3) purchasing recycling credits under this Act. Requires the recycling percentage to be at least 20 percent. Provides for increases in such percentage of two points annually for the next ten years. Requires the Administrator to promulgate regulations to allow newsprint producers or importers to create or purchase recycling credits. Provides that such regulations shall require: (1) producers and importers to keep specified records; (2) producers of recycled newsprint to notify EPA of capacity to recycle old newsprint; (3) importers of recycled newsprint to notify the U.S. Customs Service of the amount of newsprint being imported and to have certifications of the accuracy of such amount from the trade representative of the country shipping such newsprint to the United States; and (4) producers and importers to report to the Administrator on the amount of recycled newsprint produced or imported annually and the number of credits purchased from, or sold to, other producers or importers. Directs the Administrator to report to the Congress on such regulations and to include: (1) a discussion of the effects of such regulations on the newsprint and newspaper industry and the environment; and (2) an evaluation of the level of the recycling percentage and whether such percentage should be increased in future years. Requires an updated report to be submitted within ten years of this Act's enactment. Applies recycling requirements to persons who produce or import more than ten tons of newsprint annually. Sets the recycling percentage at 20 percent if the Administrator fails to promulgate such regulations. Prescribes civil penalties for violations of this Act. Directs the Administrator to submit to the Congress and implement a plan for the recycling of post-consumer high grade paper. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Tire Recycling Incentives Act - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to require tire producers or importers to recycle an amount of scrap tires equal to at least the amount determined by multiplying the amount of tires produced or imported that year by the recycling percentage established by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Authorizes compliance by: (1) recycling scrap tires through reintroducing the recovered rubber into a manufacturing process to produce new tires or retread old tire casings; or (2) purchasing recycling credits under this Act. Requires such individuals to report annually to the Administrator on the amount of tires produced or imported. Directs the Administrator to establish a recycling percentage that is five percentage points higher than the existing recycling rate for tires. Provides for increases in such percentage of five points annually in the ten years following the date of enactment of this Act. Requires the Administrator to promulgate regulations allowing recyclers to create credits for tire recycling and tire producers or importers to purchase such credits. Sets forth: (1) specified recordkeeping requirements for owners or operators of tire sale and installation facilities, scrap tire collection facilities, and tire producers and importers; and (2) the amount of credits allowed for scrap tires. Directs the Attorney General to determine the effects of the credit system on competition within the tire and scrap tire recycling industries and to report annually to the Congress. Sets the recycling percentage at 60 percent if the Administrator fails to promulgate regulations. Prescribes civil penalties for violations of recycling requirements. Considers a scrap tire recycling or disposal facility to be a solid waste disposal facility for purposes of Internal Revenue Code provisions concerning exempt facility bonds. Directs the Administrator to: (1) publish in the Federal Register minimum requirements for State scrap tire management and procedures under which such requirements shall be incorporated into State solid waste management plans; (2) provide for expedited review of State plans which include specified scrap tire recycling measures; and (3) establish standards to minimize health and environmental damages from the improper disposal and storage of tires. Requires such standards to provide for: (1) bans on the disposal of tires in land disposal facilities and on the intentional infliction of damage on tire casings to preclude casings from being used in retreading; (2) State inventories of scrap tire collection facilities, tire advisory boards, and scrap tire abatement plans; (3) agreements between facilities which distribute more than 1,000 tires annually and licensed tire haulers for the exclusive hauling of scrap tires by licensed haulers; and (4) prohibitions on the transportation of scrap tires by transporters without transportation identification numbers, with specified exceptions. Directs the Administrator to publish guidelines for States for the issuance of permits to scrap tire collection facilities. Provides for: (1) limits on the size of scrap tire piles at such facilities; (2) bans on open burning within 50 feet of a scrap tire pile; (3) regulations on vegetation, rodent, and mosquito control at such facilities; and (4) different requirements for collection facilities located in 100-year flood plains or other areas where water resources are critical. Requires the Administrator to promulgate guidelines for States for facility emergency plans. Directs facility owners or operators to maintain and update emergency preparedness manuals. Requires facility owners or operators to notify the State immediately in the event of an emergency with potential offsite impacts. Sets forth specified emergency and operational recordkeeping, reporting, and inspection requirements. Requires all regulated facilities to have appropriate financial responsibility or insurance to maintain the facility for at least five years after closure. Exempts specified persons from permitting requirements. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations for the State to use to issue permits to scrap tire recycling facilities. Requires the Secretary of the Interior, together with the heads of agencies responsible for public lands or military installations, to implement a plan to remediate tire piles. Applies plan requirements to the National Railroad Passenger Corporation. Directs the Administrator to develop a guideline for procuring items that make use of scrap or used tires. Requires Federal departments, if the Administrator fails to promulgate such guideline, to procure items containing at least 75 percent of post-consumer scrap rubber from scrap tires if the rubber is available within a reasonable amount of time at a reasonable price and meets performance standards. Directs the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, to publish standards to determine the life-cycle costs and benefits of items that make use of rubber from scrap or used tires as compared with items that make use of rubber other than from scrap or used tires. Requires such standards to be used by Federal departments covered by the procurement guideline. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to determine and report to the Congress on: (1) direct worker environmental health effects relating to asphalt made from crumb rubber from scrap tires; (2) the recyclability of asphalt road surfaces made from crumb rubber from scrap tires; and (3) the estimated life of existing asphalt road surfaces made from crumb rubber from scrap tires. Permits States to: (1) enter into consent agreements with owners and operators of scrap tire collection facilities for proper management and abatement of scrap tires; and (2) levy fines on facilities for noncompliance. Imposes fines on tire facilities and landfills for specified violations of this Act. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Social Security Caregiver Act of 1991 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to provide for an increase of up to five in the number of years of either zero or low earnings disregarded in determining average annual earnings on which benefits are based provided such years were used to provide care to a child under the age of 12 or to a chronically dependent spouse or relative.
![Official portrait of Rep. Hertel, Dennis M. [D-MI-14]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/h000547_200.jpg)