United States · United States Congress · 22 September 1987
Amends Federal law regarding the exemption authority of the Interstate Commerce Commission with respect to rail carriers to prohibit the waiving of a rail carrier's obligation under the Railway Labor Act or collective bargaining agreements. Sets forth a separation allowance schedule for employees adversely affected by the disposition of certain rail carrier lines. Establishes a ceiling for such separation allowance of $30,000 (periodically adjusted for inflation). Entitles such employees to the right of first hire in seniority order to a substantially equivalent position by the rail carrier obtaining the rail lines from such employees' previous rail carrier employer. States that such separation allowance and right of first hire apply to: (1) certain financial assistance offers to avoid rail abandonment and discontinuance; and (2) specified actions for which the Commission grants an exemption.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 1987
Requires U.S. coins to be redesigned, at the discretion of the Secretary of the Treasury, over the next six years. Requires the reverse side of the first coin redesigned to commemorate the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution for a two-year period. Requires that any profits from the sale of uncirculated and proof sets of U.S. coins be deposited in the Treasury and used solely to reduce the national debt.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 1987
Amends the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act to include single pregnant women under provisions for the use of funds and the distribution of assistance under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 1987
Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to limit the rate of increase of the part B premium to the rate of increase of part B benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 1987
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a taxpayer to choose the taxable year for inclusion in income of generic commodity certificates (PIK certificates) used to repay Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) loans. Permits as choices: (1) the year in which either the CCC loan is repaid or the commodity used as collateral for the loan is sold; or (2) the year in progress nine months after the date the loan was originally received. Applies to loans made after 1985.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 1987
Commends the Tactile Capital project and its goal of making historic buildings and monuments in the District of Columbia and Virginia more accessible to blind and visually impaired tourists.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 1987
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) Hispanic educational and employment opportunities should be improved through the combined efforts of public and private sector programs and assistance, targeted at helping Hispanics become proficient in the English language; and (2) Federal, State, and local governments must make affirmative efforts toward hiring, recruiting, training, promoting, and rewarding more Hispanic workers.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 1987
Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the corporate income tax exclusion of contributions to the capital of the taxpayer. Includes as a qualifying contribution any amount of money or property received by a regulated public utility (a utility required to provide electric energy, gas, water, or sewage disposal services) that: (1) is a contribution in aid of construction (as defined by regulations to be promulgated by the Secretary of the Treasury); (2) meets certain expenditure requirements; and (3) is not included in the taxpayer's rate base. Excludes amounts paid as customer connection fees.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 1987
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that the manufacturers excise tax on bows, arrows, and related accessories shall be due and payable on the date for filing the appropriate return. (This provision corresponds to the treatment of sport fishing equipment under current law.)
United States · United States Congress · 7 August 1987
Montgomery GI Bill Improvement Act of 1987 - Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to revise the amount of the monthly deduction to be taken from the basic pay of a member of the armed forces who does not make an election not to participate in the armed forces basic educational assistance program (thereby, in effect, electing to participate in such program). Provides the amount of such deduction as either $100 per month for 12 months or $60 per month for 20 months. Changes the time period in which an individual entering into active duty must decide whether to participate in such program from the time one first enters into active duty to a period established by the Secretary of the military department concerned, but not to exceed 60 days after the individual first enters into active duty. Makes identical changes (in both the monthly deductions and the time frame for making the election) for members of the Selected Reserve of the armed forces. Allows an individual who first elected not to participate in the program to still enroll in such program within the 60-day time limit. Adds a new chapter to Federal veterans' benefits provisions relating to the transfer of such educational assistance entitlements to the dependents of an individual in the armed forces. Provides that the Secretary of the military department concerned (the Secretary) may authorize a military member entitled to such basic educational assistance benefits to transfer to one or more of their dependents all or part of such member's assistance entitlement. Allows such transfer to be revoked by such individual at any time. Directs the Secretary and the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to prescribe regulations for the administration of the transfer of such assistance between members and their dependents. Provides that a dependent to whom assistance is transferred is entitled to the same benefits as the former holder, except that such assistance may only be provided: (1) while the individual continues on active duty; or (2) upon the death, discharge for hardship or service-connected disability, or completion of 20 years of active duty by the individual. Outlines administrative provisions relating to the transfer of such assistance benefits to two or more eligible dependents. Requires the person to whom assistance is transferred to be a child or spouse of the member of the armed forces at the time when the benefits would otherwise be paid. Provides for the payment in compensation (rather than educational benefits) for an individual who was entitled to such benefits but has become so physically or mentally disabled that he or she is unable to utilize such assistance. Provides for payment (in a certain priority for estate purposes) to the living survivors of the remaining amount of educational assistance of an individual who dies before utilizing all of his or her entitled educational assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 7 August 1987
Establishes an interest penalty for late payments by the Commodity Credit Corporation to eligible farmers or ranchers to whom the Corporation is obligated to make payments or loans. Sets forth formulae for the determination of required payment or loan closing dates.
United States · United States Congress · 7 August 1987
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should request that West Germany and Japan enter into negotiations with the United States for the purpose of establishing a more equitable distribution of the defense burden in the Persian Gulf. Specifies that an equitable level of assistance for West Germany and Japan should be not less than: (1) a contribution to the total forces necessary to defend the interests of the Western Alliance in the Persian Gulf region of 30 percent and eight percent of such total for Japan and West Germany, respectively; or (2) a comparable level of monetary compensation to the United States for this Nation's additional costs of assuming an inequitably large share of the defense burden in the Persian Gulf.
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 1987
Trauma Care and Emergency Medical Services Planning and Development Act of 1987 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for the establishment and operation of a National Clearinghouse on Emergency Medical Services. Directs the Secretary to conduct and submit to the Congress a study regarding the use of fees or assessments collected by the Clearinghouse to cover operating costs. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 through 1990. Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise the application procedure for Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grants to provide the State officer responsible for the administration of the State highway safety program an opportunity to participate in the development of any plan relating to emergency medical services. Amends the Public Health Service Act to limit the amount of certain grant allotments used for the purchase of communications equipment. Requires the Federal Communications Commission to: (1) study the availability of radio frequency channels for emergency medical services communications; (2) establish a plan to ensure that the needs of emergency medical services communications are provided for in the allocations of frequencies; (3) develop information regarding how States should carry out any responsibilities under such plan; (4) make such information available to State officials; and (5) submit a report to the Congress containing such study, plan, and information. Requires each State, beginning in FY 1989, to submit annual comprehensive emergency medical services and trauma care plans to the Secretary. Establishes a Trauma Care Block Grant program. Sets forth requirements for the distribution and use of allotments. Sets forth application requirements. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 through 1990. Directs the Secretary to study: (1) the financial impact of payments to trauma centers under the Medicare and Medicaid programs; and (2) the long-term economic effects of trauma.
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 1987
Ground Water Safety Act of 1987 - Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to require a pesticide registrant or reregistrant to submit information to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding the pesticide's potential for groundwater leaching. Directs the Administrator, upon such registration, to determine a pesticide's leaching potential. Requires registrants, in the case of a positive leaching potential, to: (1) develop management practices to minimize such leaching; (2) disseminate such management information to applicators; and (3) conduct groundwater monitoring. Requires a registrant, upon detection of groundwater contamination, to notify EPA, the State, the owner of the property, and any other person(s) relying on the underground source for drinking water or household needs. States that if such contamination reaches or is likely to reach 25 percent of the EPA-established groundwater residue guidance level, the Administrator shall amend the registration to impose further restrictions on the pesticide's use. States that if contamination reaches 50 percent of the groundwater residue guidance level, the Administrator shall notify and provide relevant information to the affected State(s). Directs the Administrator, if an affected State fails to act, to prohibit the pesticide's use in the vicinity of the underground source of drinking water. Directs the Administrator to: (1) collect and make available to the public information on groundwater pesticide contamination; (2) provide technical assistance to States for groundwater protection programs; (3) conduct research activities to monitor the presence of pesticides in the unsaturated zone; and (4) enter into agreements with the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, and the Interior to develop information systems for State and local officials, farmers, and applicators regarding soil, climate, and hydrology at specific pesticide use sites. Authorizes FY 1988 through 1992 appropriations. Requires States to develop and submit for EPA approval pesticide water pollution prevention programs. Authorizes: (1) the Administrator to provide financial assistance; and (2) FY 1988 through 1992 appropriations. Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Administrator to issue groundwater residue guidance levels for FIFRA-registered pesticides. Amends the Clean Water Act to authorize FY 1988 through 1992 appropriations for EPA research in developing management practices to control pesticide contamination of surface and groundwaters.
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 1987
Designates the period beginning September 15 and ending October 15 each year as National Hispanic Heritage Month. (Current law designates the week including September 15 and 16 each year as National Hispanic Heritage Week.)
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 1987
Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to provide a presumption of service-connection for the condition of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (if manifest to a degree of ten percent or more after service) arising in veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange while serving in Vietnam during the Vietnam era.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1987
Child Labor Exploitation Prevention Act of 1987 - Prohibits the importation of products which have been produced by child labor in violation of internationally recognized child labor rights. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to maintain and annually revise a list of such products. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to notify any foreign manufacturer of such products of such prohibition. Grants U.S. district courts jurisdiction over civil actions brought by persons to enjoin the importation of such products. Requires the Secretary of State to assess the status of internationally recognized child labor rights as part of the annual country report on human rights. Requires the Secretary of State to identify which countries enforce, and which producers fail to comply with, internationally recognized child labor rights.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 1987
Emergency Livestock Feed Assistance Act of 1987 - Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to implement an emergency livestock feed assistance program in States (currently includes Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands) threatened by natural disasters. (Current law authorizes but does not mandate such an assistance program.) Requires that requests for such assistance be made by the Governor of the affected State, after consultation with a special emergency board constituted in accordance with this Act. Requires at least a 30 percent feed loss in order to qualify for such assistance. Includes within program assistance (in addition to feed cost reimbursement): (1) transportation assistance; and (2) Commodity Credit Corporation feed donations and sales. Subjects a producer who sells such feed to civil and criminal penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 1987
Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions relating to the income tax deduction for the health insurance costs of self-employed individuals to: (1) increase from 25 percent to 100 percent the allowable deduction; and (2) make the deduction permanent (under current law it will expire after tax year 1989).
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 1987
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to accord income tax treatment as a qualified cash or deferred arrangement (401(k) plan) to a defined contribution plan established and maintained by a rural telephone cooperative. (Under current law, rural electric cooperatives, but not rural telephone cooperatives, are permitted to offer such plans to their employees.) Applies to such plans the same accounting rules as are currently applied to the plans of rural electric cooperatives.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 1987
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Accountability Act of 1987 - Amends the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 to mandate that all Commission appointments shall be made from among persons who: (1) have filed a financial disclosure report for the two calendar years preceding such appointment; and (2) have not had a significant financial relationship with an entity subject to Commission regulation within the two-year period preceding such appointment. Prohibits former Commissioners from accepting compensation from a utility subject to the Commission's licensing jurisdiction during the two-year period beginning with separation from the Commission. Establishes civil penalties for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 1987
Requires the suspension of U.S. escort services for reflagged Kuwaiti tankers in the Persian Gulf and the revocation of the certificates of documentation issued for such reflagged tankers unless the Government of Kuwait agrees to allow the United States to base mine-sweeping helicopters in Kuwait and provides assurances that it is willing to provide whatever cooperation is necessary to ensure the safety and security of U.S. armed forces involved in the escort operation and the success of the escort operation.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 1987
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow rural telephone and electric cooperatives to exclude allocations in the nature of patronage dividends when determining net book income for purposes of the minimum tax.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1987
Elephant Protection Act - Directs the President to propose to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species that all trade in elephant products be suspended until accurate data demonstrate the stability of healthy elephant populations. Prohibits the knowing import, export, or sale of such products by any person subject to U.S. jurisdiction. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to administer this Act. Authorizes exceptions for scientific or survival purposes. Establishes civil and criminal penalties for violations of this Act. Grants enforcement authority to the Secretary, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Coast Guard. Subjects to forfeiture items possessed, sold, shipped, received, imported, exported, or carried in violation of this Act and vehicles used to aid such activities. Authorizes the charging of permit fees. Authorizes citizen suits to enforce this Act. Preempts State law.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1987
Abandoned Infants Assistance Act of 1987 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to local governments to support projects to: (1) demonstrate methods of providing incentives to encourage families or qualified community-based organizations to provide foster care for infants abandoned in hospitals, particularly infants with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS); and (2) train foster care personnel and other appropriate individuals to provide for the special needs of infants exposed to drugs and infants with AIDS. Directs the Secretary to make grants to local governments to support the establishment of respite homes for infants abandoned in hospitals, including infants with AIDS. Gives priority for such grants to local governments with jurisdiction over areas in which there is the greatest need for such homes. Sets forth grant application requirements. Directs the Secretary, within six months after the enactment of this Act, to report to the Congress on: (1) the number of infants abandoned in hospitals in the United States and the number of such infants with AIDS; (2) the annual costs incurred by Federal, State, and local governments to provide housing and care for such infants. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 through 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1987
Tropical Forest Protection Act of 1987 - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to conduct a review of the appropriate literature to determine which tropical forests and wetlands are likely to be unsuitable for agriculture and could, with assistance from multilateral development banks and public and private donors, be established as reserves for scientific research, tourism, indigenous people, and nonconsumptive uses and to analyze the likelihood that conserving tropical forests and wetlands can be achieved without such assistance. Authorizes the Secretary to consult with other U.S. officials, agencies, and appropriate nongovernmental organizations in conducting such review and analysis. Requires the Secretary to make determinations concerning the maximizing of in-country support for protection and management of tropical forests and wetlands. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress concerning such review, analysis, and determinations. Requires the Secretary to instruct the U.S. Executive Director of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) to initiate discussions and make proposals to the executive directors and management of the World Bank. Specifies that such proposals shall include: (1) a three-year pilot environmental structural adjustment lending program; and (2) a three year pilot exchange program whereby any country with outstanding debts held by the Bank may establish long-term conservation easements to protect tropical forests and wetlands in exchange for the World Bank suspending or rescheduling such debts. Requires the U.S. Executive Director to prepare annual reports while such three-year pilot programs are in effect and a final report describing the results of the programs. Requires the dissemination of such results to all multilateral development banks and all private lending institutions with outstanding loans to tropical nations in order to provide such banks with information about exchanges of debt for conservation easements as an alternative to forgiveness of any such debt. Requires the Secretary to conduct an analysis of the programs and policies of the International Monetary Fund to assess the potential for adapting the pilot programs of the World Bank to the operation of the Fund. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress concerning such study and analysis.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 1987
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit a partnership, S corporation, or personal service corporation, unless it is part of a tiered structure, to elect to have a taxable year other than the required one, but generally only if the deferral period of the taxable year elected is three months or less. (Current law requires partnerships, S corporations, and personal service corporations, in most cases, to conform their taxable years to the calendar years used by their owners.) Subjects the principals of a partnership or S corporation electing to change taxable years to additional estimated tax requirements to offset any tax deferral resulting from such election. Imposes deduction limitations on a personal service corporation that changes taxable years. Provides that an election with respect to taxable year shall be made by the partnership, S corporation, or personal service corporation and shall be binding on all partners and shareholders. Sets forth the formula for determining the additional tax requirement when a taxpayer: (1) is a partner or shareholder in at least one such entity during any applicable election years of the entity that end within the taxpayer's taxable year; and (2) has an aggregate deferred tax exceeding $200 with respect to the entity. Describes payment procedures. Requires the inclusion of specified information on returns filed by partnerships and S corporations that elect to use a non-required taxable year. Limits the tax deduction permitted to a personal service corporation for amounts paid or incurred with respect to employee-owners when such a corporation: (1) elects to have a taxable year other than the required one; and (2) fails to meet certain minimum distribution requirements regarding non-dividend amounts paid to owners.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 1987
Amends Federal provisions relating to cemeteries and memorials to remove the per-State limitation on the receipt of grant funds used for the establishment, expansion, and improvement of veterans' cemeteries. Authorizes the Administrator of Veterans Affairs (the Administrator) to make contributions to local authorities for the construction of traffic controls, road improvements, or other devices on land adjacent to a national cemetery if the Administrator determines that such a contribution is necessary for safe ingress and egress to or from such cemetery. Authorizes the Administrator to provide an approved grave liner for the interment of remains in cemeteries within the National Cemetery System and in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia. Authorizes the Administrator to provide for flat grave markers in the case of gravesites of cremated remains that are interred in the ground. Authorizes the Administrator to also provide for flat grave markers in the case of graves on land transferred to the Department of Memorial Affairs from the Department of Medicine and Surgery of the Veterans Administration for the expansion of a cemetery at the Clement A. Zablocki Veterans' Administration Medical Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Establishes in the Treasury the Foreign Currency Fluctuations, American Battle Monuments Commission, Account. States that account funds shall be used by the American Battle Monuments Commission (the Commission) to eliminate operating losses due to fluctuations in currency exchange rates of foreign countries which occur after a budget request for the Commission is submitted to the Congress. Requires any limits applicable to appropriations available to the Commission to be adjusted to take into account any such foreign currency fluctuations. Authorizes funds originally transferred from such Account to be transferred back to that Account if foreign currency fluctuations necessitate such action. Requires unobligated balances of funds appropriated to the Commission for a fiscal year to be transferred into the Account within a specified time and to be merged with and available for the same period and purposes as that Account. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to report to the Congress annually on funds made available under this provision. Authorizes appropriations to the Account.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 1987
Veterans' Compensation Amendments of 1987 - Title I: Rate Increases - Increases the rates of veterans' disability compensation, additional compensation for dependents, and the clothing allowance for certain disabled veterans. Increases the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children of veterans who have died as a result of service-connected disabilities, as well as the rates of supplemental dependency and indemnity compensation for certain surviving children. Title II: Improved Benefits for Former Prisoners of War - Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to: (1) redefine "former prisoner of war" to include persons held by other than an enemy government during a war; and (2) allow a presumption of service-connection for peripheral neuropathy due to trauma, a spastic colon, or peptic or duodenal ulcers suffered by a former prisoner of war which become manifest to a degree of ten percent or more after active military service. Decreases from six months to 90 days the period of internment required for former prisoners of war to become eligible for dental care benefits. Title III: Miscellaneous Provisions - Directs the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to pay benefits to the surviving spouse and children of certain deceased veterans rated totally disabled at their time of death and for a specified period preceding death. Requires such benefits to be provided in the same manner as if the veteran's death was service-connected. Prohibits the payment of any such benefits to a surviving spouse unless: (1) the marriage to the veteran occurred before the expiration of 15 years after the veteran's discharge or release from active duty; (2) the surviving spouse was married to the veteran for one year or more; or (3) a child was born of the marriage. Requires any benefits to be paid under this provision to be offset by any money received from a cause of action for damages arising from the death of the veteran as described above. Provides that persons found eligible for benefits as a result of this Act shall also be deemed eligible for dependency and indemnity compensation under current Federal law. Directs the Administrator to continue to maintain and operate separately the Veterans Administration Insurance Centers located in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Prohibits the Administrator from taking any action to consolidate such centers. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the bridge currently being constructed across the Ohio River between the cities of Weirton, West Virginia, and Steubenville, Ohio, would serve as an appropriate and fitting memorial to veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1987
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) women's pay scales should be reexamined by employers to provide job and pay equality in the workplace; and (2) employers should reexamine their employee benefit plans in order to ensure that women are not being discriminated against.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1987
Amends Federal armed forces provisions to repeal the social security offset applicable to certain annuities paid to surviving spouses under the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) for retired members of the armed forces, to the extent that such offset is due to social security benefits which are based on the surviving spouse's own earnings or self-employment. Directs the Secretary of the military department concerned to recompute the existing annuities of certain individuals currently under the SBP or who have become eligible for such annuity by the date of enactment of this Act, in order to determine if such recomputation is more favorable due to changes made by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 1987
Agricultural Prompt Payment Act of 1987 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to pay interest on any payment to a producer, rancher, or farmer under the Agricultural Act of 1949 or the conservation acreage reserve program when such a payment is not made within ten days of its due date. Directs the Secretary to include a required payment date in each contract entered into after this Act's enactment with respect to the affected programs.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 1987
Urges the administration to continue to reject efforts by Canadian negotiators to: (1) have the U.S. cabotage trades, including the transport of energy resources, opened to Canadian vessels; and (2) eliminate the ad valorem duty on vessel repairs performed in Canadian shipyards.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1987
Regulatory Fairness Act - Amends the Federal Power Act to direct the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to order a public utility to refund (with interest) those amounts determined by the Commission to be in excess of just and reasonable rates or charges.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1987
National Commission on Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Act - Establishes a National Commission on Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome to study and make recommendations regarding: (1) national policy and priorities with respect to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) including research, testing for the AIDS virus, confidentiality of test results, treatment and care of AIDS sufferers, prevention of the transmission of AIDS, and education about AIDS; (2) the appropriate roles of Federal, State, and local governments, and of the private sector regarding such national policy and priorities; and (3) guidelines for the coordination of AIDS activities with international organizations. Directs the Commission to hold hearings and to submit interim and final reports to the President and to the Congress. Directs the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to assist the Commission by preparing: (1) a detailed compilation and synopsis of national and international medical research on AIDS; and (2) a detailed report on activities of the Veterans Administration relevant to the duties of the Commission. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988. Terminates the Commission 30 days after submission of its final report. Authorizes the President to extend the life of the Commission for a period not to exceed two years.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1987
Directs the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to: (1) conduct a study of methods of screening persons and property to be carried in air transportation in order to detect dangerous weapons, explosives, and incendiary devices; and (2) report to the Congress on the study results.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1987
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to remove certain restrictions on the making of guaranteed loans to their students by institutions of higher education. Permits such institutions to make loans to their students if the institutions continue to hold such loans until the beginning of the loan repayment period.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1987
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the administration should oppose the implementation of the European Community directive which will limit U.S. access to such Community's agricultural markets; (2) if the European Community denies U.S. meat imports based on unsubstantiated standards or standards not applied to all Community members, the administration should adopt countermeasures; and (3) the administration should communicate to the Community that the United States views the directive as inconsistent with such Community's obligations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1987
Telecommunications Employees' Protection Act of 1987 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to establish certain reemployment rights for employees who have lost employment as a consequence of the divestiture of the Bell system. Requires, to the extent that the dominant long distance common carrier (AT&T), the regional common carriers, the Bell operating companies, or their respective subsidiaries and affiliates (all of which shall be called the "telecommunications companies") continue to need the work of eligible protected positions performed, that such work be performed by employees of such companies. Requires the telecommunications companies (after any appropriate seniority, layoff and recall, or force adjustment provisions in applicable collective bargaining agreements have been satisfied) to afford to eligible protected employees the first right of hire for any eligible protected positions for which they are qualified by training and experience over any persons who have not theretofore been employees of such companies. Defines eligible protected employee as one who on December 31, 1983, was serving in an eligible position as an employee of one of the telecommunications companies, and who has been or is laid off or terminated for other than cause. Requires the telecommunications companies to credit eligible protected employees as possessing the training and experience they would normally have acquired in their former position had they not been laid off or terminated since December 31, 1983. Makes service credit the basis of selection if training and experience are substantially equal. Provides that, upon rehire, an eligible protected employee shall be subject to any seniority, layoff and recall, or force adjustment provisions contained in any applicable collective bargaining agreements. Requires the monthly listing of eligible protected positions in an available and accessible manner. Requires the telecommunications company which laid off or terminated them to pay moving expenses and certain reimbursement payments to eligible protected employees who must relocate in order to fill eligible protected positions. Provides for a certain base wage upon rehiring of an eligible protected employee. Provides for civil enforcement of this Act in a U.S. district court.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1987
Requests and authorizes the President to conduct a White House conference on Child Abuse not earlier than September 1, 1989, and not later than September 30, 1991. Requires the conference to be planned and conducted under the direction of the Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect. Provides for the cooperation of Federal departments and agencies. Requires the final report of the Conference to include a statement of a comprehensive coherent national policy on children, youth, and families. Requires the Board and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to submit their recommendations following the report. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1987
Hazardous Waste Reduction Act - Requires filings of the annual toxic chemical release forms required under the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 to include a toxic chemical waste reduction and recycling report for each listed toxic chemical for the preceding calendar year. Requires such report to include information on a facility-by-facility basis as to the amounts and disposition of each toxic chemical, including levels of waste reduction and recycling achieved and expected. Requires that toxic chemical waste reduction practices be delineated according to set categories, such as equipment, redesign, and substitution of raw materials. Requires the inclusion of a production index for each toxic chemical waste and a list of techniques used to identify waste reduction opportunities. Provides protection for trade secrets. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a central receiving facility at EPA for the storage and retrieval of waste management program information. Requires the Administrator to collect, coordinate, and consolidate data collection requirements under environmental statutes. Requires all such information to be compiled into a data base organized on an industry-by-industry basis according to Standard Industrial Classifications and on a waste stream basis. Directs the Administrator to establish a Waste Reduction and Recycling Clearinghouse Program to include information on approaches to waste reduction and recycling and information from States receiving grants for technical assistance programs. Requires the Clearinghouse to be actively involved in technology transfer and the development of waste reduction technologies. Requires the Administrator to make matching grants to States for innovative waste reduction programs. Requires such programs to make specific and targeted technical assistance available to businesses as well as for funding experts and research and providing training. Directs the Administrator to report annually to the Congress on the waste reduction information gathered pursuant to this Act. Requires such report to include a profile of waste reduction levels on an industry-by-industry basis and identify priorities as to industries, pollutants, and research. Establishes the Office of Waste Reduction within EPA to collect waste reduction plans and information from other EPA offices on an industry-by-industry basis, administer the clearinghouse and State grants programs, and carry out other related responsibilities including improving EPA's ability to evaluate multi-media waste management practices and the potential for waste reduction through information collection and retrieval. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1987
Amends the Clean Air Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate performance standards for emissions of specified air pollutants, including particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, and lead, from new or modified municipal waste combustion units. Requires such standards to reflect the greatest degree of emission limitation achievable through application of the best available control technologies achieved in practice by similar units or contained in a State implementation plan. Makes specified technologies available, including spray dry scrubbers source separation, and catalytic oxidation. Requires initial standards to be promulgated within 12 months, in effect within 18 months, and reviewed every five years. Sets a standard of emission equivalent to that achieved by the five lowest emitting units should the Administrator fail to promulgate a standard for any of the specified pollutants. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations requiring existing units to meet the emissions standards promulgated under this Act according to a timetable which requires compliance at least within six years. Requires owners or operators of municipal waste combustion units to monitor emissions at the point such emissions move into the ambient air and at other points as necessary to protect human health and the environment. Sets monitoring standards, including continuous and periodic monitoring. Requires unit permits to be terminated five years after their issuance unless the Administrator or an authorized State certifies such unit's compliance with emissions requirements. Permits States to submit for Administrator approval a State program of enforcement, treating the State as the enforcing entity under this Act. Authorizes the Administrator to withdraw such authority if the State is not adequately enforcing these requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1987
Medicare Long-Term Home Care Catastrophic Protection Act of 1987 - Amends part A (Hospital Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide part A coverage of long-term home care furnished through home health agencies to chronically ill individuals who are under a physician's care. Requires physicians to establish and periodically review a written plan of long-term home care for each of their patients who receive such coverage. Lists the services which comprise long-term home care. Defines a "chronically ill individual" as an individual who requires assistance with at least two daily living activities or has a similar level of dependency due to cognitive impairment. Holds monthly payments for long-term home care to 75 percent of the average monthly payment under the Medicaid program (title XIX of the Act) for skilled nursing facility services. Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of such Act to cover, under part A of the Medicare program, long-term home care provided to children who: (1) are chronically ill and require assistance with at least two daily living activities; or (2) require a medical device to compensate for the loss of a vital body function and substantial and ongoing nursing care to avert death or further disability. Holds monthly payments for the latter category of children to the amount which would be payable under the Medicaid program if such children were institutionalized. Adds a new title XXI to the Social Security Act entitled "Home Care Quality Assurance." Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate a home care consumers' bill of rights which includes rights: (1) facilitating consumer participation in the planning and delivery of services; (2) requiring consumer notification regarding services, charges for services, and the termination or reduction of services; (3) protecting consumer dignity, privacy, and property; and (4) ensuring service from properly trained and competent individuals. Requires home health agencies to: (1) satisfy Medicare home care agency requirements; (2) provide consumers with copies of the home care bill of rights; (3) implement grievance review procedures and provide copies of such procedures to consumers; (4) provide consumers with schedules of the services to be provided; (5) have methods for identifying and reviewing a home care consumer's needs and coordinating the provision of services with other home health agencies; (6) ensure that each home care provider whom they employ or have under contract receives training; and (7) evaluate annually and supervise each home care provider whom they employ or have under contract. Conditions coverage of durable medical equipment services on providers: (1) issuing written instructions to and training the home care consumer and staff in the operation of such equipment; and (2) formulating an emergency plan for providing services to the consumer. Directs the Secretary to establish procedures for conducting an equal number of announced and unannounced surveys of a home health agency's compliance with title XXI participation conditions, with more frequent surveys required for agencies with poor compliance records. Authorizes the Secretary to contract with States having survey procedures equivalent to those the Secretary would otherwise apply to conduct such compliance surveys and transmit their results to the Secretary annually. Directs the Secretary to develop procedures for reviewing State surveys, with more frequent review required if peer review organizations (PROs) find at least ten percent of State-surveyed agencies to have serious or chronic quality of care problems. Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations, within one year of this Act's enactment, pursuant to which PROs shall monitor the provision of home health services, devoting at least 75 percent of their efforts to quality assurance. Requires the inclusion of: (1) both documentary review and personal interviews of home care consumers and providers in the PRO review process; and (2) representatives of home care providers and consumers in PRO membership. Requires the Secretary to establish a Consumer Board to oversee the review activities of PROs. Directs the Board to report to the Secretary and the State's chief executive on October 1 of each year regarding such review activities. Requires the Secretary to develop methods for monitoring continuity in the provision of health care and outcome-orientated criteria for monitoring the quality of home care. Requires that PROs: (1) establish and operate statewide toll-free hotlines for receiving home care questions and complaints; and (2) assist consumers in resolving home care quality problems. Directs Consumer Boards and PROs to cooperate with State and local officials in educating consumers regarding quality assurance programs and the assistance available for consumers with quality assurance problems. Requires the Secretary to issue regulations which impose sanctions against agencies and providers failing to comply with this Act. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress on January 1 of each year regarding the availability, adequacy, and use of sanctions. Requires the Secretary to develop incentives to contractor compliance with title XXI participation conditions, including an annual directory of home care agencies having a consistent record of compliance with such conditions. Directs the Secretary to: (1) encourage States to develop home care provider licensing and certification policies; and (2) issue a biennial report on State implementation of such policies. Establishes a Home Care Quality Assurance Council with which the Secretary must consult in implementing and administering title XXI of the Social Security Act. Directs the Secretary to award grants for home care agency and provider training programs and to furnish States and home health agencies and providers with training materials. Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct, and issue a report regarding, studies on home care quality assurance measures; and (2) report to the Congress on January 1 of each year regarding the nature and performance during the preceding fiscal year of the home care quality assurance system. Authorizes appropriations from the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund to carry out title XXI. Directs the Secretary to issue regulations by 1988 for implementing title XXI. Permits disabled individuals to purchase part A (Hospital Insurance) Medicare coverage during the 24-month waiting period preceding their entitlement to such coverage. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to subject all of an individual's wages and self-employment income to the Hospital Insurance tax.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1987
Directs the Postal Service to establish a program under which change-of-address forms may be transmitted to appropriate State election authorities for voter registration purposes. Directs the Postal Service to prescribe regulations under which a State may participate in such program. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1987
Steel Revitalization Act of 1987 - Sets forth quotas on the aggregate quantity of articles that may be imported within all steel categories and within each steel category for quota years 1989 through 1997 (corresponding to FY 1990 through 1998). Limits the aggregate quantity of such articles for any year to a specified percentage of the domestic consumption. Sets forth a foreign country limitation with respect to the importation of such steel articles. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to determine the domestic consumption and compute the quantitative restriction for such articles in a steel category for each year. Requires the Secretary to: (1) monitor the domestic production in, the exportation from, and the importation into, the United States of articles in a steel category; and (2) notify the Secretary of the Treasury of such determinations and computations. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to auction rights to enter quantities of articles within the steel categories during each quota year. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit auction monies into the Steel Revitalization Fund. Requires the President, before quota year 1989, to negotiate with foreign countries for an orderly transition from voluntary steel restraint agreements to the quantitative restrictions imposed under this Act. Permits any domestic steel product manufacturer to submit, for the Secretary's approval, a restructuring plan that will enable such manufacturer to compete on an international basis. Authorizes the Secretary to provide financial assistance to steel manufacturers with approved restructuring plans. Authorizes the Secretary to establish a plan review advisory council to review and provide advice regarding restructuring plans. Establishes the Steel Revitalization Fund within the Treasury. Terminates the quantitative restrictions imposed under this Act on September 30, 1998.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 1987
Major Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Amendments of 1987 - Amends the Disaster Relief Act of 1974 to make eligible for assistance for the repair, restoration, reconstruction, and replacement of damaged facilities special purpose local governments such as levee districts, irrigation districts, and reclamation districts. Declares that the Federal share of such assistance shall not be less than 75 percent (currently, such assistance can not exceed 100 percent). Requires the President to issue rules which provide for the recognition of differences existing among urban, suburban, and rural lands to facilitate adequate removal of debris and wreckage from large lots. Declares the Federal share of assistance for debris removal to be 75 percent. Provides for temporary housing assistance for up to 18 months after the date of a major disaster. Authorizes the President to extend such period for an additional 18 months due to extraordinary circumstances. Declares the Federal share of such assistance to be 100 percent of eligible costs. Provides that temporary housing assistance may not be used for reconstruction or rehabilitation of damaged property when the cost of such assistance exceeds the cost of other applicable types of housing. Sets forth notification requirements for the President when persons apply for temporary housing assistance, including: (1) all forms of assistance available; (2) criteria that must be met to qualify for each type of assistance; (3) limitations which apply to each type of assistance; and (4) the address and telephone number of offices responsible for assisting applicants. Requires that housing assistance account for the applicant's location of and travel time to: (1) the applicant's place of business; (2) schools which family members may attend; (3) any home or place of business whose destruction or damage is the result of the major disaster which created the need for assistance; and (4) crops or livestock the applicant tends which provide 25 percent or more of the applicant's annual income. Includes in the individual and family grant program an authorization for the President to make grants to States for land use and construction projects designed to mitigate future major disaster-related loss. Authorizes a State to expend up to ten percent (currently, three percent) of any such grant for administrative expenses. Increases the limitation on such grants for families and individuals from $5,000 to $10,000. Repeals the restriction that crisis counseling be provided only through the National Institute of Mental Health. Removes the authority of the President to make grants to States for the removal of damaged timber from private lands. Provides that appeals arising from assistance decisions must be acted upon within 60 days of the receipt of such appeal. Declares that eligibility for Federal disaster assistance begins on the date: (1) of the occurrence of the disaster; or (2) on which eligible costs are incurred, whichever is earlier. Declares that disaster assistance shall not be restricted to limit assistance to a particular geographic area. Sets forth procedures for State governors to request declarations by the President that a major disaster exists. Requires such request to be based on a finding that effective response to such disaster is beyond the capabilities of the State and local governments and that Federal assistance is necessary. Describes general and essential assistance that the President may provide. Authorizes the President to contribute up to 50 percent of the cost of hazard mitigation measures. Establishes an emergency assistance program. Sets forth procedures for State governors to request the President to declare an emergency. Describes general Federal assistance under such an emergency. Limits the amount of emergency assistance to $5,000,000, which may be exceeded if the President finds it necessary. Requires the President to report to the Congress on the nature and extent of an emergency when such limitation is exceeded. Requires public and private nonprofit facilities in flood hazard areas to maintain flood insurance. Declares that major disaster and emergency assistance shall not be considered income or a resource when determining benefit levels for Federal programs. Requires the President to establish comprehensive standards to be used to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of Federal emergency and major disaster response programs administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Authorizes the Federal Government to recover the cost of assistance from any person whose negligent act or omission, or whose act or omission while engaged in ultra-hazardous activity, resulted in an emergency or major disaster. Directs the President to conduct audits and investigations necessary to ensure compliance with this Act. Revises provisions relating to criminal and civil penalties. Increases from $25,000 to $50,000 the maximum amount of grants to States for improvement, maintenance, and updating of State plans. Renames the Disaster Relief Act of 1974 the Major Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.
![Official portrait of Rep. Jontz, Jim [D-IN-5]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/j000265_200.jpg)