United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1991
Amends Federal law to declare that the Tax Reform Act of 1986 shall be applied and administered as if the three-year basis recovery rule applicable to government employees' annuities had not been repealed.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the targeted jobs credit permanently. Increases the maximum age requirement for economically disadvantaged youth from 23 to 25.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1991
Declares that the House of Representatives commends the U.S. maritime industry and maritime community for their commitment to and cooperation with U.S. military forces in Operation Desert Shield.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 1991
Agent Orange Act of 1991 - Presumes the following diseases to be service-connected and resulting from exposure to dioxins and other herbicide agents during service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era unless there is affirmative evidence to the contrary: (1) non-Hodgkins lymphoma, each soft-tissue sarcoma (with certain exceptions), and chloracne or other consistent acneform diseases becoming manifest to a degree of disability of ten percent or more; and (2) those additional diseases that the Secretary determines warrant such a presumption by reason of having a positive association with a herbicide agent, if they become manifest within the appropriate period. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to prescribe regulations providing that a presumption of service connection is warranted whenever it is determined by the Secretary that a positive association exists between the exposure of humans to a herbicide agent and the occurrence of a disease in humans. Requires the Secretary to take into account reports received from the National Academy of Sciences, as well as other sound medical and scientific information. Outlines procedures to be followed by the Secretary in weighing evidence and report information and making conclusions for or against the positive association and, therefore, the service-connection presumption. Provides for the issuance of final regulations listing the diseases for which positive associations have been found or removing the presumption for a disease. Directs the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) under which NAS shall review and summarize the scientific evidence (and its strength) concerning the association between exposure to a herbicide agent during service in Vietnam and each disease suspected to be associated with such exposure. Provides for NAS: (1) scientific determinations concerning diseases; (2) recommendations for additional studies to resolve areas of uncertainty relating to herbicide exposure; (3) subsequent reviews; and (4) reports, at least biennially, to the Secretary and the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees (the veterans' committees). Terminates the agreement ten years after the fiscal year of the first report from NAS. Directs the Secretary to enter into an agreement with another body if the Secretary cannot reach an agreement with NAS within two months after enactment of this Act. Amends the Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 1988 to direct the Secretary to annually furnish updated information on health risks associated with exposure to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era. Extends through 1993 the eligibility for hospital, nursing home, or domiciliary care and medical treatment of individuals who served in Vietnam and who have been determined to have been exposed to dioxin or a toxic substance in a herbicide as the result of such service and of veterans exposed to ionizing radiation while serving between September 11, 1945 and July 1, 1946. Directs the Secretary to compile and analyze, on a continuing basis, all clinical data obtained by the Department of Veterans Affairs in connection with examinations and treatment furnished to veterans by the Department after November 3, 1981, for exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam and which is likely to be useful in determining the exposure to such agents and the disabilities suffered. Requires an annual report on such compilations and provides funding. Directs the Secretary, for facilitating research on the effects of exposure to herbicides used in Vietnam, to establish and maintain a system for the collection and storage of voluntarily contributed blood and tissue samples of veterans who served there. Provides for: (1) specimen security; (2) authorized uses; (3) limitations on acceptance of samples; and (4) authority based on specific funding. Directs the Secretary to establish a scientific research feasibility studies program for conducting research on health hazards resulting from: (1) exposure to dioxin; (2) exposure to other toxic agents in herbicides used in Vietnam; and (3) active military service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era. Outlines program and report requirements. Directs the Secretary to consult with NAS. Directs the Secretary, upon the request of a Vietnam veteran who has applied for Department medical care and filed a claim for, or is in receipt of, disability compensation, to obtain a blood sample to conduct a test for the presence of a specified dioxin. Provides for notification to the veteran of test results and requires such blood sample to be maintained as part of the collection of blood and tissue samples required under this Act. Makes conforming amendments and provides for alternative effective dates.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 1991
Establishes the Manzanar National Historic Site in California to protect historical and cultural resources associated with the relocation of Japanese-Americans during World War II. Establishes the Manzanar National Historic Site Advisory Commission to consult with the Secretary of the Interior on matters relating to the development, management, and interpretation of the site. Terminates the Commission within ten years after the enactment of this Act. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 1991
Directs the Secretary of Defense, upon request, to relieve the following members of the armed forces from performing duty in a region designated as an area of hostile fire or imminent danger: (1) the husband or wife if both are assigned to duty in such region and they have a minor child; and (2) a single parent with a minor child who is assigned to duty in such a region. Directs the Secretary to endeavor to reassign a person relieved of such duty to another assignment which does not require the separation of the member from such minor child. Authorizes the Secretary to delay the date of discharge or retirement of a member so relieved, as appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 1991
Adolescent Nutritional Equity Act - Amends the National School Lunch Act to restore eligibility for food supplement benefits under the dependent care food program to adolescent youth 18 years of age or under. Makes children with disabilities eligible for such benefits at any age.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1991
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the financial costs of Operation Desert Shield should be equitably shared by U.S. allies; and (2) to cover such financial costs to the United States not covered by the allies, first, reductions should be made in military expenditures, and, for any remaining costs, a surtax should be imposed on high-income taxpayers.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1991
Amends Federal law to change the name of the Boys' Clubs of America to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Updates the board members of the organization.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 1991
Parents as Teachers: the Family Involvement in Education Act of 1991 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to make grants to States for parents as teachers programs, with special consideration for hard-to-serve populations. Makes eligible for such a grant any State which operates a parents as teachers program associated with the Parents as Teachers National Center in Missouri. Sets forth program requirements, limiting services to families during the period from the last three months of a mother's pregnancy to the child's attaining age three. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a Parents as Teachers National Center for information dissemination and technical and training assistance for States with such programs; and (2) evaluate such programs within four years. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 1991
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should develop a plan for nations allied with the United States in the Persian Gulf crisis to bear a more equitable share of the costs of Operation Desert Shield on the basis of such countries' relative economic capability, military commitment, and security interests in the region.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 1991
Finds that the Constitution vests all power to declare war in the Congress. Declares that any offensive action against Iraq must be explicitly approved in advance by the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 1991
Christopher Columbus Coin and Fellowship Act - Title I: Christopher Columbus Quincentenary Coins - Christopher Columbus Quincentenary Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than a specified number of five-dollar gold coins, one-dollar silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the quincentenary of the discovery of America. Sets forth certain features of such coins and provides for their design, issuance, and sale. Terminates the minting of such coins after June 30, 1993. Requires the Secretary to deposit surcharges from the sale of such coins in the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Fund for use by the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation. Declares that no law governing procurement or public contracts shall be applicable to the procurement of goods and services necessary for carrying out this Act, except that this provision shall not relieve any person from complying with any law relating to equal employment opportunity. Mandates that all amounts received from coin sales be deposited in the coinage profit fund. Title II: Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation - Christopher Columbus Fellowship Act - Establishes the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation to award fellowships to outstanding individuals to encourage new discoveries in all fields of endeavor for the benefit of mankind. Establishes the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Fund. Directs the Foundation to report to the President and to the Congress annually on its operations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 1991
Youthbuild Act of 1990 - Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to provide grants for Youthbuild projects which shall employ economically and educationally disadvantaged youth to help construct or rehabilitate rental and transitional housing for homeless persons and low-income families. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to change from mandatory to discretionary the authority to deny unemployment benefits between academic terms to employees serving educational institutions in nonprofessional positions.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 1991
Michigan Scenic Rivers Act of 1991 - Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain rivers in Michigan as components of or potential additions to the national wild and scenic rivers system. Authorizes the Secretary to acquire fee title to lands which, as of August 1, 1990, were owned by Upper Peninsula Energy Corporation without regard to any acreage limitation set forth in this Act. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to study certain rivers for possible designations as wild and scenic rivers and to establish for each such river a River Study Committee to advise him in the preparation of a study report to the Congress. Terminates each such Committee after submission of its report. Permits the installation and operation of facilities or other activities within or outside the boundaries of such designated river segments for the control of the lamprey eel, subject to such restrictions and conditions as the Secretary may prescribe for the protection of water quality and other values (including wild and scenic characteristics) of the river. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 1991
Employee Educational Assistance Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the income tax exclusion of amounts paid under employee educational assistance programs. (Under current law the exclusion expires for taxable years beginning after December 31, 1991.)
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 1991
Allows payments under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services for certain health care expenses incurred by members and former members of the uniformed services (and their dependents) who are entitled to retired or retainer pay and who are otherwise ineligible for such payments by reason of their entitlement to benefits under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act because of a disability.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 1991
Federal Government Foreign Travel Accountability Act of 1991 - Prohibits the obligation or expenditure for foreign travel by Federal employees and officials (including Members of Congress) of funds not specifically appropriated for such travel. Requires such employees and officials to travel by the most economical means possible and to travel aboard U.S. commercial carriers, unless an alternative means of foreign travel is more economical. Directs Federal agency heads to designate foreign travel supervisors. Requires each supervisor and each congressional committee to: (1) approve foreign travel of employees and officials in advance; (2) establish guidelines for such travel to prevent unnecessary trips; and (3) file quarterly reports with respect to such travel which shall be made available for public inspection. Requires such reports to: (1) specify the purpose and agenda of the trip; (2) identify each such employee or official and any other person who accompanies them at Government expense; and (3) describe any determination by a supervisor or congressional committee that such travel could be accomplished by a more economical alternative means when such travel is not aboard such a carrier. Requires such reports to be destroyed six years after being filed unless they are required in an ongoing investigation.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reinstate the windfall profit tax on domestic crude oil. Terminates such tax after the last full month the Resolution Trust Corporation is in existence. Appropriates revenues received from such tax to the Corporation.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Black Lung Benefits Equity Act - Amends the Black Lung Benefits Act to provide that, when benefits are paid for at least two years after an initial determination of eligibility, repayment of such benefits will not be required even upon a final determination of ineligibility.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Truth in Savings Act - Requires each advertisement, announcement, or solicitation by a depository institution which refers to a specific interest rate, yield, or rate of earnings on amounts deposited in a demand or interest-bearing account to state the following information clearly and conspicuously: (1) the annual percentage yield and the period such yield is in effect; (2) all minimum initial deposit, minimum balance, and time requirements for earning such yield; (3) the annual rates of simple interest; (4) fees or other conditions that could reduce the yield; (5) any interest penalty for early withdrawal; and (6) the effective percentage yield on the maturity date of any account maturing in less than one year. Authorizes the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to exempt advertisements, announcements, or solicitations made by any broadcast or electronic medium or outdoor advertising displays not on the premises of a depository institution from the disclosure requirements relating to initial deposit requirements, rates of simple interest, or fees if such disclosure would be unnecessarily burdensome. Prohibits any depository institution from advertising an account as a free or no-cost account if: (1) there are minimum balance or limited transaction requirements to avoid fees; or (2) there is any service fee, transaction fee, or similar charge imposed for such account. Prohibits any institution from making any advertisement, announcement, or solicitation that is inaccurate or misleading or that misrepresents its deposit contracts. Requires each depository institution to maintain a schedule, written in clear and plain language, of fees, charges, interest rates, and terms and conditions such as minimum balance and time requirements applicable to each class of accounts offered. Requires that such schedule be disclosed to potential customers and requesting individuals and mailed to account holders. Requires that account holders receive 30 days' advance notice of any change to be made in any term or condition required to be disclosed in the schedule if the change might reduce the yield or adversely affect any account holder. Directs the Board to require modified disclosure requirements concerning the annual yield on variable rate accounts, multiple rate accounts, guaranteed-rate accounts that mature in less than one year, and accounts for which the interest rate is not guaranteed. Directs the Board to provide for public notice and comment on, and to publish, model forms and clauses for common disclosures required by this Act. Provides for the enforcement of this Act and the civil liability of a depository institution that fails to comply with requirements of this Act. Sets forth limitations on such liability and factors to be considered by the court in determining class action awards. Provides that an institution may not be held liable for a violation if the institution demonstrates that the violation was not intentional and resulted from a bona fide error. Establishes U.S. district court jurisdiction and a one-year statute of limitations for actions brought under this Act. Directs the National Credit Union Administration to provide for the similar regulation of credit unions.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Wetlands No Net Loss Act of 1991 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to designate a nonprofit organization as a Wetlands Preservation Trust if such organization: (1) is established for the purpose of acquiring ownership interests in wetlands, former wetlands, and related property and for restoring, creating, or preserving wetlands; and (2) meets, and submits an application in accordance with, the Secretary's requirements. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to create special rules for contributions of land to such Trusts. Applies the 50 percent limitation on charitable contribution deductions to contributions of wetlands to such Trusts. Permits a ten-year carryover for excess contributions. Extends the deadline for the exchange of property held for productive use or investment if such contributions are made as part of such exchanges. Permits the carryover of unused deductions on a taxpayer's last return if such taxpayer dies before the close of the last taxable year for which such deductions could have been allowed. Authorizes the Secretary, acting through the Office of Wetlands Identification and Preservation, to make grants to States from the Wetlands Preservation Account for the improvement, development, or implementation of State Wetlands Conservation Plans. Outlines requirements of such Plans. Prohibits the Secretary from approving any Plan that does not include all wetlands in the State. Amends the Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986 to include former wetlands in the national wetlands priority conservation plan. Amends the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 to require the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to establish the Office of Wetlands Identification and Preservation within the Service by consolidating the Service's programs of Federal Aid, Acquisition, National Wetland Inventory, and Enhancement (restoration). Requires the Director, acting through the Office, to: (1) provide National Wetland Inventory maps to all Federal agencies that own or manage wetlands and make such maps available to the public; (2) conduct a Wetlands Restoration Initiative; (3) carry out title III of the Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986 (State and Federal wetland acquisition); and (4) report to the Congress every five years on trends of the nation's wetland resources, the rate at which they are being lost or gained, and the types and causes of alterations. Authorizes the Director to enter into agreements with private persons to carry out wetlands preservation. Directs heads of Federal agencies that own or manage wetlands to enter into agreements with the Director regarding the completion of mapping of lands not covered by the National Wetland Inventory map. Establishes the Wetlands Preservation Account. Requires at least 60 percent of Account funds to be available for grants to States. Sets forth uses for the remainder of such funds. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit into such Account amounts received in the form of: (1) criminal penalties for certain permit violations of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act; and (2) civil and administrative penalties under such Act. Directs the Secretary to transfer annually to the Account $300,000,000 from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the head of each executive agency to: (1) complete an inventory of all wetlands and associated uplands owned or managed by the agency; and (2) implement a plan for the protection of wetlands and uplands included in the inventory. Requires such agencies to submit such plans to the head of the Office and the Secretary of the Interior. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to authorize the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to issue permits for activities in wetlands or other navigable waters that result in specified changes, or impair the flow, reach, or circulation of surface waters, in such wetlands or waters. Requires permit guidelines to be designed to achieve no overall net loss of wetlands. Applies provisions concerning the denial or restriction of use of specified disposal sites to alterations of wetlands or navigable waters. Authorizes the Secretary to issue general permits within a State for categories of wetlands or other waters if the State has an approved State Wetlands Conservation Plan. Requires the Secretary to monitor the achievement of no overall net loss of wetlands in each general permit and base issuances or renewals of permits on such monitoring. Authorizes the Governors of States desiring to administer their own permit programs for the discharge of dredged or fill material and other alterations of navigable waters to submit State Wetlands Conservation Plans to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Provides for permit processing fees. Provides that permits shall require State water quality certifications. Prohibits the issuance of any permit unless measures are taken to avoid and minimize adverse effects of activities on wetlands and other navigable waters. Requires mitigation measures to be included in permits. Amends the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act to transfer specified authorities of the Secretary of the Interior to the Secretary of Commerce. Revises reporting requirements to require Federal agency reports under such Act to include measures to achieve no net loss of wetlands. Requires the Director of the Office of Technology Assessment to study and report to the Congress on: (1) incentives under Federal and State laws for the protection and management of wetlands; (2) potential modifications to existing Federal laws to improve their effectiveness in creating such incentives and to increase the permanence of such protection; and (3) ways in which the Federal Government may encourage State and local governments to create additional incentives for the protection and management of wetlands by private individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Defense Economic Adjustment Act - Title I: Defense Economic Adjustment Council - Establishes in the Executive Office of the President the Defense Economic Adjustment Council to be co-chaired by the Secretaries of Commerce and Labor. Establishes in the Executive Office an Office of Economic Adjustment, headed by a Director, to provide staff support to the Council. Directs the Council to disseminate information from the Secretary of Defense to Federal, State, and local agencies concerning proposed or pending changes in defense spending which would affect employment in the defense industry. Requires the Council to perform other duties, including: (1) encouraging the preparation of plans for non-defense-related public projects; (2) coordinating and developing information on priority, federally-funded projects and programs pertaining to defense economic adjustment; (3) monitoring job services information banks; and (4) determining criteria for eligibility for assistance under this Act. Directs the Secretary of Defense to provide the pertinent information to the Council a year in advance of any change and to furnish the Council with projected future defense spending levels. Directs the Council to prepare and distribute a Conversion Guidelines Handbook to outline requirements of programs for professional retraining of personnel. Title II: Community Economic Adjustment Planning - Makes eligible for Federal assistance for economic adjustment planning any community which is substantially affected by reduction or elimination of Government defense facilities or curtailment or conclusion of defense contracts. Directs the Council to make available to alternative use committees information on economic development programs of any Federal instrumentality which provides funds that may be used for planning. Requires the Council to report to the Congress at least annually on any such economic development program. Directs the Council to use data from other departments to develop criteria which ensures that assistance is directed to those communities that are most vulnerable economically to reductions in defense expenditures. Requires the Council to publish a semiannual list of eligible communities. Requires excess property resulting from a closing or reduction in a Government-owned facility to be appraised for purposes of resale to the community. Title III: Alternative Use Committees - Requires the establishment of alternative use committees at defense facilities to plan for economic conversion in the event of closure or reduction. Directs such committees to: (1) evaluate the assets of the facilities and the resources and requirements of the local community; (2) develop at least biennially a detailed plan for conversion of the facility to non-defense-related productive activity; and (3) provide retraining and reemployment counseling services. Requires conversion plans to maximize the pool of skills of available personnel and specify in detail the composition of the work force and plant, material, and financing requirements. Penalizes any contractor who fails to submit an alternative use plan or carry out one approved by the Council by making such contractor ineligible for future defense contracts for three years. Title IV: Economic Adjustment Assistance for Workers - Makes displaced workers certified by the local alternative use committees to the Council eligible for benefits for two years under this Act. Includes among such benefits: weekly compensation, vested pension credit, maintenance of health insurance, retraining for civilian work, job search allowance, and reimbursement for relocation expenses. Requires completion of a program of professional retraining before certain employees are eligible for assistance. Directs the Council to enter into agreements with a State or agency in the State administering the unemployment compensation law to disburse benefits under this Act. Requires displaced workers to accept any employment determined by the State agency or Secretary of Labor to be comparable to the former job, or benefits will terminate. Excludes these benefits from other determinations of eligibility for unemployment compensation under any Federal or State law. Title V: Economic Adjustment Fund - Establishes in the Treasury a Workers Economic Adjustment Reserve Trust Fund. Requires defense contractors to pay a specified percentage into the Fund. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit a percentage of the projected savings resulting from a cancellation or cutback in defense spending. Title VI: Use of Certain Research Funds - Requires the Council to define urgent national requirements for nondefense sectors of the economy in any determination of the Secretary of Defense as to how certain research and development funds are to be spent. Title VII: Authorization of Appropriations - Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Act for Micro-Enterprise - Amends the Social Security Act to exclude from income for purposes of the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs business assets received primarily for micro-enterprise business purposes. Extends public assistance benefits (including AFDC, SSI, Medicaid, and Medicare) for persons with income from or resources in a micro-enterprise (any commercial enterprise with five or fewer employees, one or more of whom own the enterprise). Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make eligible for unemployment compensation an individual who starts a micro-enterprise. Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to make financial assistance available under the Community Development Block Grant and Urban Development Action Grant programs to lending institutions and public and private organizations to provide loans, counseling, and training for micro-enterprises. Amends the Small Business Act to urge that when implementing business loan programs the Administrator of the Small Business Administration consider the needs of micro-enterprises, and the institutions which offer them credit or services. Amends the Home Owners' Loan Act to treat savings association loans to micro-enterprises as qualified thrift investments. Mandates that each Federal banking agency establish a Micro-Enteprise Technical and Operations Office (Me-Too) to promote micro-enterprises through technical assistance, outreach, and training.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Congressional Recycling Act of 1991 - Requires the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate to purchase recycled paper and paper products for use to the greatest extent practicable in the operations of the House and the Senate. Directs the Public Printer to assure that the Government Printing Office uses recycled paper in providing services to the House. Directs the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate to determine the price or range of prices to be considered unreasonable for purposes of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Title X Pregnancy Counseling Act of 1990 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services from making a grant for the provision of family planning methods or services unless the applicant agrees to provide complete information and counseling regarding pregnancy, and for a pregnant woman who requests information on options for an unintended pregnancy, to provide: (1) nondirective counseling on prenatal care and delivery, infant care, foster care and adoption, and termination of pregnancy; and (2) referrals for the services that are appropriate to the decision of the woman.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Medicaid Infant Mortality Amendments of 1991 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to phase-in mandatory State coverage of pregnant women and infants whose family income is below 185 percent of the Federal poverty level. Deducts child and medical care costs from the income eligibility test. Authorizes States to provide Medicaid coverage of prenatal home visitation services for high-risk pregnant women and/or postpartum home visitation services for high-risk infants.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Recyclable Materials Technology and Markets Development Act - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to: (1) conduct a study of markets for postconsumer materials (defined as materials that have served their intended end-use by an entity other than an industrial establishment); and (2) establish an Office of Recycling Research and Information in the Department of Commerce. Requires the Director of Recycling Research and Information to: (1) make grants for studies and scientific research relating to recycling of postconsumer materials; and (2) conduct a public outreach program to provide information to secondary school students, State and local governments, and the general public. Requires each manufacturer of a recyclable product to recycle, or provide for the recycling of, increasing minimum percentages of the products manufactured during specified years. Directs the Secretary to designate a product as recyclable if it may feasibly be recycled, as determined by the Secretary. Prohibits manufacturing a product for which the prescribed recycling rate was not met for the preceding year. Provides for civil fines for violating the prohibition. Prohibits manufacturing a nonrecyclable product if a recyclable substitute is readily available. Directs the Secretary to designate a product as nonrecyclable if it is not technically or economically feasible to be recycled. Authorizes the Secretary to require nonrecyclable products to be so labeled. Provides for civil fines for violating the prohibition. Provides for recycling seals of approval for recyclable products and for products containing a certain percentage of recycled postconsumer materials.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to authorize payment for specified services performed by chiropractors, including x-rays, physical examinations, and related routine laboratory tests.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Older Persons Comprehensive Counseling Assistance Act of 1991 - Title I: General Provisions - Authorizes appropriations for specified programs under this Act. Directs the United States Commissioner on Aging, through the National Information Resource Clearinghouse for the Aging, to collect, analyze, and disseminate information related to counseling services for older persons. Title II: Counseling Assistance Programs - Requires each State desiring a grant under this Act to submit a comprehensive State plan for providing counseling assistance to the elderly. Requires such plan to conform to specified criteria. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to States having approved plans based on statewide needs and priorities. Permits the use of grants to fund counseling assistance outreach programs, preretirement counseling programs, career counseling assistance programs, referral services, community activities, and counseling for families of sick and disabled senior citizens. Sets forth requirements for State programs and for State training and retraining programs for counseling personnel. Directs the Commissioner on Aging to contract with postsecondary educational institutions and area agencies on aging for the purpose of providing needed training and retraining of counseling personnel. Directs the Commissioner on Aging to carry out a demonstration and evaluation program for specified purposes, including: (1) identification of existing effective practices in counseling older persons; (2) identification of areas where further development is needed; and (3) development of model training programs for professional counselors.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Pay Equity Technical Assistance Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor to develop and implement a continuing program of information dissemination, research, and technical assistance to public and private entities with respect to correction of wage-setting practices, and reduction or elimination of wage disparities, to the extent that they are based on the sex, race, or national origin of the employee, rather than on the work performed and other appropriate factors.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Amends the National School Lunch Act to extend eligibility for the child care food program to children receiving day care services pursuant to a State's job opportunities and basic skills training program.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Save the Children Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make grants, to local educational agencies in areas where the dropout rate for high school students is 20 percent or more, to pay 90 percent of costs of programs of daily after-school activities for at-risk students in the fourth through eighth grades. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Dolphin Protection and Fair Fishing Act of 1991 - Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to prohibit, with regard to fishing for yellowfin tuna, promulgation of regulations or issuance of permits allowing the intentional setting of purse seine nets on marine mammals. Revokes previously issued permits. Mandates observers on tuna fishing vessels in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean to ensure that the taking of any marine mammal is reported to the Secretary of the department in which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrtion is operating. Modifies requirements regarding: (1) the level of incidental taking of marine mammals by countries exporting to the United States and by U.S. vessels; and (2) the total take of dolphins in specified years. Authorizes appropriations for research and development of alternative tuna fishing methods and technologies that do not involve intentional encirclement of dolphins or other intentional takings of marine mammals.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Federal Employees Health Care Freedom-of-Choice Act - Authorizes direct payment or reimbursement to be made to Federal employees under provisions relating to employee health benefits for services performed by a: (1) chiropractor; (2) marriage family therapist; and (3) mental health counselor. Declares that this Act does not supersede or preempt any State or local law which relates to licensing or certification of health practitioners.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Requires the United States Postal Service to study and report to the Congress, in writing, on ways to encourage mailers of second-class and third-class mail to use recycled paper or other recycled materials, including lower postage rates for such use.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Independent Defense Procurement Corps Act of 1991 - Title I: Independent Defense Procurement Corps - Establishes as an independent agency in the executive branch the Independent Defense Procurement Corps. Requires the Director of the Corps to establish a personnel system for civilian personnel within the Corps. Allows current members of the armed forces to fill the initial staff requirements of the Corps for no longer than five years after enactment of this Act, unless certain conditions have been met. Requires the Corps to carry out all procurement functions of the Department of Defense (DOD). Requires the Corps to: (1) operate as the sole negotiator between the private sector and DOD in defense procurement business; (2) seek and receive evaluations and advice from specified officials within DOD about the need and justification for property and services; and (3) carry out functions and relevant acquisition regulations of DOD relating to the research, development, and production of property and services. Requires the Secretary of Defense to be the chief liaison between DOD and the Corps for purposes of communicating the views of DOD, including the military departments and defense agencies, on acquisition matters. Prohibits a person from serving as Director if such person has been employed by a defense contractor or the Corps, has served on active duty with the armed forces, or has been a consultant to DOD during the three-year period before being nominated as Director. Prohibits a former Director from accepting compensation for a period of five years after leaving office from any person under contract with DOD or the Corps during the period in which such person served as Director. Provides similar three-year limitations for staff members of the Corps. Requires the Director to submit to the President, the Congress, and the Secretary of Defense annual reports on the activities of the Corps. Terminates the position of Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition. Transfers to the Director all procurement functions from various offices within the departments and agencies of DOD. Title II: Inspector General for Defense Procurement - Establishes the Office of the Inspector General for Defense Procurement as an independent office in the executive branch. Requires the Inspector General to appoint: (1) an Assistant Inspector General for Auditing who shall be responsible for auditing the programs and operations of the Corps; and (2) an Assistant Inspector General for Investigations who shall be responsible for supervising the performance of investigative activities relating to such programs and operations. Prohibits a person from serving as Inspector General if such person has been employed by, or has been a consultant to, a person under contract with DOD or the Corps, has served on active duty as an officer in the armed forces, or has been a consultant to DOD during the five-year period ending on the date on which the person is nominated to be Inspector General. Prohibits a former Inspector General from accepting compensation for five years after serving in such position from any person under contract with DOD or the Corps during the period in which the person served as Inspector General. Provides similar three-year limitations for employees of the Office. Prohibits any member of the armed forces, active or reserve, from being appointed to the Office under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Troubled Defense Programs Accountability Act - Prohibits funds appropriated for a major defense procurement system from being released to the Secretary of the military department concerned until the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition finds, and the Comptroller of the Department of Defense concurs, that the system meets established requirements and criteria (in terms of cost, schedule, technical specifications, and testing). Authorizes the Comptroller to release funds for a system to the extent necessary to enable the system to meet such requirements and criteria. Requires the Secretary of each military department, at the beginning of each fiscal year, to establish a funding schedule (expressed as projected costs for meeting requirements and criteria) for each system. Directs each Secretary to maintain and update such schedules to reflect changes in requirements, criteria, and projected costs. Requires the Comptroller to review such schedules.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Permits certain veterans with service-connected disabilities who are retired members of the uniformed services to receive compensation concurrently with retired pay, without deduction from either.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Amends the Uniformed Services Survivor Benefits Amendments of 1980 to entitle certain individuals who were widowed before September 21, 1972, and who are not covered by the Military Survivor Benefit Plan to an annuity.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Desert Shield Burden-Sharing Act of 1991 - Directs the President to determine whether each foreign country that receives trade benefits from the United States is making a commensurate contribution to the multinational military mobilization carried out in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Requires the President to impose an additional duty to dutiable products and a duty to duty-free products of countries that are found not to be contributing to the mobilization. Provides for the termination of such duties. Establishes the Desert Shield Reimbursement Fund to receive duties collected under this Act. Makes the Fund available solely to reimburse appropriations made to support U.S. participation in the mobilization.