United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1994
Instructs the House Committees on Agriculture; Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs; Government Operations; the Judiciary; and Small Business to commence hearings on issues within their jurisdiction relating to Madison Guaranty Savings and Loan Association, Whitewater Development Corporation, Capital Management Services Inc., Ray E. Friedman and Company, Lasater and Company, and such appropriate related issues by August 15, 1994, and to submit written findings concerning such matter to the House by the sine die adjournment of the Congress. Directs the respective committees to work to accommodate the work of Special Counsel Robert B. Fiske, Jr., and to not grant immunity, under specified provisions of the Federal criminal code, over the objection of the Special Counsel to any witness called to testify at these hearings. Instructs the Speaker and the majority and minority leaders to meet to determine the appropriate timetable, procedures, and other relevant issues relating to congressional oversight.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1994
Directs the Committee on House Administration to make public all transcripts of proceedings and documents related to the investigation of the House Administration Committee Task Force to Investigate the Operation and Management of the House Post Office leading to its final report.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1994
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Amendments to Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act Title II: Amendments to the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act Marine Fish Conservation Amendments of 1994 - Title I: Amendments to Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act - Amends the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act to declare that it is the policy of the Congress to: (1) assure that the national fishery conservation and management program encourages development of practical measures that reduce bycatch (the incidental catch, take, or harvest of certain fish, marine mammals, and other specified animals) to insignificant levels approaching zero; and (2) ensure that all State and Federal actions are consistent with the conservation and management of fisheries under such Act. (Sec. 105) Revises national standards for fishery conservation and management to require conservation and management measures to: (1) provide an adequate margin of safety to act as a buffer against overfishing; and (2) reduce bycatch to the lowest level practicable and avoid unnecessary waste of fish. (Sec. 106) Revises requirements for Regional Fishery Management Councils to direct the Secretary of Commerce to ensure that at least 25 percent of the appointed members of each Council are persons selected for their fisheries expertise, as demonstrated by university, environmental organization, or other non-user group affiliation and by past actions and accomplishments. Provides for removal of a Council member for cause upon the Secretary's determination of a conflict of interest. Requires that each Council decision be recorded by roll call vote registered and forwarded to the Secretary for review. Authorizes each Council to request the Secretary to initiate consultation with a Federal agency about certain agency activity which may affect the essential fishery habitat of a fishery under its jurisdiction designated in a fishery management plan. Revises financial disclosure requirements for Council members to include financial interests held by children, grandchildren, parents, or siblings. Requires any Council member holding a financial interest requiring disclosure to recuse him or herself from voting on or participating in all Council actions that would affect such interest. Authorizes Council members and the public to challenge, in writing to the Secretary, any vote of a Council member alleged to have been made in violation of such recusal requirement. (Sec. 107) Requires any fishery management plan to: (1) specify an objective definition of overfishing for each fish species or population involved in the fishery; (2) contain a recovery plan for any overfished fishery; (3) specify allowable gear types for the fishery, requiring the use of types which minimize bycatch and associated mortality; (4) provide for the stationing on U.S. fishing vessels of observers to gather reliable data; (5) establish a system of fees to pay for plan implementation; (6) assess the bycatch of all gear types used in the fishery; and (7) contain conservation and management measures to minimize or eliminate the adverse impacts of fishing gear and practices on habitat for fish. Requires the Secretary to review each existing fishery management plan for compliance with the definition of overfishing in this Act. (Sec. 108) Specifies plan review, plan preparation, and overfishing determination duties of the Secretary. Mandates the contents of regulations establishing a system to collect fees to pay for fishing vessel observers. Establishes a National Fishery Observer Fund. Directs the Secretary to publish in the Federal Register a list of fish species, populations, and population complexes that are overfished and the objective definition of overfishing used to make that determination. Requires the Secretary to develop a research plan to identify and gather needed data on fish species, populations, and population complexes for which information is insufficient. Revises the approval voting requirements for a management plan for any fishery under the authority of more than one Council. Declares that any Secretary-prepared fishery management plan or amendment addressing a highly migratory species fishery, which was in effect on July 1, 1993, shall remain in effect until superseded by a plan or amendment prepared by the appropriate Councils and approved by the Secretary. Sets forth procedures for adoption of a recovery plan addressing overfishing with respect to fish species, populations, or population complexes subject to a fishery management plan. Directs the Secretary to provide for the elimination of bycatch through fees and incentive programs, including cooperative efforts with the Federal Government on research and development of selective fishing gear and other technological devices for the reduction of bycatch. Directs the Secretary to publish in the Federal Register and submit to the Congress a report on the cumulative impacts on fishery habitats of the actions authorized, funded, or carried out by Federal agencies, including an assessment of how fishery habitats identified in approved fishery management plans are affected. Directs the Secretary to review: (1) the feasibility of establishing a risk sharing pool through a reasonable fee to provide coverage for vessels and vessel owners against liability from civil suits by observers; and (2) the availability of comprehensive commercial insurance for vessel and owner liability against such suits. Requires the Secretary to establish such a pool unless such insurance is available to all fishing vessels and U.S fish processors required to have observers, and it will provide a greater measure of coverage at a lower cost. Requires the Secretary to establish an alternative observation program for vessels on which facilities for quartering of an observer, or for carrying out observer functions, are inadequate to ensure the health or safety of the observer or the safe operation of the vessel. (Sec. 109) Authorizes the Secretary or the appropriate Council (subject to the Secretary's approval) to adopt regulations as an interim measure in the absence of a fishery management plan. Prescribes general requirements for such regulations. Requires the Secretary to comment on and make recommendations concerning any actual or proposed action authorized, funded, or carried out by a State or Federal agency that may result in the destruction or adverse modification of the essential habitat designated in a fishery management plan. Prescribes guidelines for Federal agency response to such comments or recommendations. Authorizes the Secretary to prohibit any such Federal agency actions. Provides for: (1) citizen suits to enforce such Act; and (2) citizen petitions to compel the Secretary to make a finding or determination or take any other action authorized by such Act. Title II: Amendments to the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act - Amends the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act of 1975 to require the Director of the National Marine Fisheries Service (or his or her designee) to be one of the three U.S. Commissioners on the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. (Sec. 201) Prohibits any U.S. Commissioner from having a financial interest or from serving as an officer, director, trustee, partner, or employee with an organization with a financial interest in any catching, harvesting, processing, or marketing activity undertaken within any fishery over which the Commission has jurisdiction. Repeals certain knowledge and experience requirements, with respect to commercial and recreational fishing, for non-governmental Commissioners. Allows regulations to carry out Commission recommendations which may have the effect of decreasing any allocation or quota of fish to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1994
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Federal Responsibilities Subtitle A: Federal Workforce Preparation and Development Council Subtitle B: National Commission for Employment Policy Subtitle C: Federal Waiver Authority for Provisions of Workforce Preparation and Development Programs Subtitle D: Implementation Grants and Technical Assistance Title II: State Responsibilities Subtitle A: State Human Resource Investment Council Subtitle B: Unified Single State Plan Subtitle C: Unified Service Areas Subtitle D: Local Workforce Development Boards Subtitle E: Community Job Resource Centers Title III: Consolidation of Federal Workforce Preparation and Development Programs Subtitle A: Adult Education and Literacy State Block Grant Programs Subtitle B: Vocational and Technical Education State Block Grant Program Subtitle C: State Vocational Rehabilitation Block Grant Program Subtitle D: Adult Employment and Training System Subtitle E: Youth Employment and Training Block Grant Program Subtitle F: Native Americans' Employment, Training, and Education Block Grant Program Subtitle G: Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers Employment, Training, and Education Block Grant Program Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions Title V: Effective Dates and Transition Consolidated and Reformed Education, Employment, and Retraining Systems Act (CAREERS Act) - Establishes a comprehensive workforce preparation and development (WPD) system. Title I: Federal Responsibilities - Subtitle A: Federal Workforce Preparation and Development Council - Establishes the Federal Workforce Preparation and Development Council, consisting of the Secretaries of Labor, Education, Health and Human Services, and Commerce, the Director of the Office of Management and the Budget, and any other Federal agency heads the President may designate. Requires the Federal Council to develop a strategic WPD plan for the United States and report to the President and the Congress. Subtitle B: National Commission for Employment Policy - Amends the Job Training Partnership Act to establish a National Commission for Employment Policy. Directs the Commission to study existing WPD programs and develop recommendations on reforms necessary for a comprehensive WPD system for the President, the Congress, and the Federal Council. Subtitle C: Federal Waiver Authority for Provisions of Workforce Preparation and Development Programs - Authorizes the Federal Council to waive provisions of law or regulations relating to State planning and reporting, performance standards, or other provisions with respect to WPD programs under unified State plans. Sets forth provisions for waiver applications, review, approval or disapproval, and revocation. Subtitle D: Implementation Grants and Technical Assistance - Authorizes the Federal Council to provide grants and technical assistance to States that have an approved application to carry out the single State plan. Requires a State to provide at least 70 percent of such a grant to the Local Boards. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: State Responsibilities - Subtitle A: State Human Resource Investment Council - Requires any participant State to establish a State human resource investment council to assist the Governor in developing a coordinated State strategy for WPD programs, including school-to-work transition and lifelong learning programs. Subtitle B: Unified Single State Plan - Requires any participant State to: (1) establish a unified single State plan to coordinate services under WPD programs; and (2) report annually to the Federal Council on progress in achieving plan goals. Expresses the sense of the Congress that States and unified service areas should use cost-effective methods for collecting data for post-program follow-up of participants of WPD programs. Subtitle C: Unified Service Areas - Requires any participant State to ensure establishment of unified service areas throughout the State to provide community-wide WPD services. Subtitle D: Local Workforce Development Boards - Requires any participant State to ensure establishment of a Local Workforce Development Board in each unified service area. Requires a participant Local Board, in partnership with local governments, to submit an annual unified local plan to the State Council for approval. Subtitle E: Community Job Resource Centers - Requires any participant State to ensure that each Local Board designates or establishes a network of community job resource centers in its unified service area, to be composed of specified entities. Title III: Consolidation of Federal Workforce Preparation and Development Programs - Subtitle A: Adult Education and Literacy State Block Grant Programs - Amends the Adult Education Act (AEA) to authorize appropriations for FY 1995 and 1996 for: (1) the State Block Grant program authorized under the State Adult Education and Literacy Program, with a limited portion for certain additional State activities; and (2) national activities, including the National Institute for Literacy. (Sec. 302) Allows a portion of such block grants to States to also be used for the following additional programs: correctional education, State literacy resource centers, workplace literacy, English literacy, and training of literacy teachers and volunteers. (Sec. 303) Revises four-year State plan provisions to require description of steps to be taken in continuing programs for correctional education, State literacy resource centers, workforce literacy, and the homeless. Focuses on use and training of adult and elderly volunteers. (Sec. 304) Repeals specified AEA provisions, including: (1) a reservation of funds for national activities; (2) mandatory reserved funds for programs for corrections education and education of other institutionalized individuals; (3) mandatory reserved funds for special experimental demonstration projects and teacher training; (4) grants for State literacy resource centers; (5) grants for adult literacy volunteer training from certain reserved funds; and (6) workplace literacy and English literacy grants. (Sec. 306) Repeals provisions of the: (1) National Literacy Act relating to literacy for incarcerated individuals; (2) Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 relating to the Vista Literacy Corps; and (3) Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act relating to literacy initiatives for adult homeless individuals. Subtitle B: Vocational and Technical Education State Block Grant Program - Amends the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act to authorize appropriations for FY 1995 and 1996 for: (1) the State Block Grant program, with certain amounts for territories and for employment and training block grant programs for Native Americans under the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA); and (2) national activities, with a certain amount for the National Council on Vocational Education. (Sec. 312) Revises provisions for State allotments and within-State allocation. Repeals provisions relating to State administration and for authorization of appropriations for State councils on vocational education. (Sec. 313) Requires State plans to describe the extent to which the State Vocational Education Block Grant provides for programs for single parents, displaced homemakers, single pregnant women, sex equity, and tech prep. Adds to authorized activities under State programs: business-labor-education partnerships, corrections education, and support for consumer and homemaking education. Includes under authorized activities for other State-administered programs: comprehensive career guidance and counseling and consumer and homemaking education. (Sec. 314) Revises provisions for mandatory use of funds for programs for single parents, displaced homemakers, and single pregnant women, and for sex equity. Repeals provisions for programs for criminal offenders. (Sec. 315) Eliminates a special rule for minimal allocation. Establishes a tech-prep education program. Directs State Boards to award grants for four-year tech-prep education programs to consortia of specified secondary and higher education entities. (Sec. 316) Repeals provisions for various Special Programs. (Sec. 317) Revises provisions for demonstration programs to authorize the Secretary of Education to make demonstration grants to improve vocational education programs. (Currently requires such grants to be made for specific types of programs.) Repeals provisions for Bilingual Vocational Training. Subtitle C: State Vocational Rehabilitation Block Grant Program - Amends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (RA) to consolidate certain employment-related programs, including supported employment for individuals with most severe disabilities, special recreation activities and services, and projects with industry. Reserves certain RA funds for Native American employment and training block grant programs under JTPA. Subtitle D: Adult Employment and Training System - Allows a State or eligible unified service area to combine funds received under one or more programs described in this subtitle or the Wagner-Peyser Act to develop and implement an integrated adult employment and training system. Requires a single application and State plan to combine such funds. Allows an eligible unified service area to combine such funds, with State approval and consistent with the State plan approved by the Secretary of Labor, if it has adopted a one-stop delivery system. Chapter 1: Disadvantaged Adult Employment and Training Block Grant Program - Amends the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) to revise allocation and allotment provisions, including State reservations of funds, limitations, and State activities. (Sec. 342) Requires each service delivery area to ensure equitable provision of training and placement opportunities for older individuals in private sector jobs. (Sec 343) Renames JTPA title II part A as the Disadvantaged Adult Employment and Training Block Grant Program. Authorizes appropriations. Repeals: (1) incentive grants for certain JTPA title II programs that exceed performance standards; and (2) certain program design provisions for services for older individuals. Repeals specified provisions for job training for the homeless under the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act (except homeless veterans' reintegration projects). Chapter 2: Dislocated Worker Employment and Training Block Grant Program - Amends JTPA title III dislocated worker provisions to include skills upgrading under authorized retraining services. (Sec. 352) Requires that special consideration for eligibility for needs-related payments be given to workers dislocated due to Federal policies, including trade policy, in particular the North American Free-Trade Agreement, or reductions of defense spending or closures of military facilities. (Sec. 353) Authorizes appropriations for the JTPA title III Dislocated Worker Employment and Training Block Grant Program for FY 1995 and thereafter. Repeals JTPA provisions relating to programs for: (1) defense conversion adjustment; (2) defense diversification; and (3) clean air employment transition assistance. Repeals the program of adjustment assistance for workers under the Trade Act of 1974. Renames JTPA title III as the Dislocated Worker Employment and Training Block Grant Program. (Sec. 354) Makes funds from such aforementioned repealed programs under JTPA and the Trade Act of 1974 available for JTPA title III. Chapter 3: Veterans' Employment and Training Block Grant Program - Renames and revises JTPA title IV part C veterans' employment programs provisions as the Veterans' Employment and Training Block Grant Program. (Sec. 362) Makes available for such JTPA program any unobligated or unexpended funds under the Service Members Occupational Conversion and Training Act of 1992 and specified provisions of Federal laws relating to: (1) disabled veterans outreach; (2) local veterans employment representatives; (3) homeless veterans' reintegration projects; (4) veterans' vocational rehabilitation; and (5) job counseling, training and placement service for veterans. (Sec. 363) Directs the Secretary of Labor, through the Assistant Secretary of Veterans Employment and Training and in cooperation with the Secretary of Defense, to provide for orderly implementation of the Veterans' Employment and Training Block Grant Program under JTPA. (Sec. 364) Repeals, after a transition period, the Service Members Occupational Conversion and Training Act of 1992 and specified provisions of Federal law relating to: (1) veterans' employment and training opportunities and employment assistance; (2) disabled veterans outreach, local veterans employment representatives, and their performance; and (3) homeless veterans' reintegration projects. (Sec. 365) Authorizes appropriations. Chapter 4: Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Act - Amends the Social Security Act to transfer authority over the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) program to the Secretary of Labor. Directs the Secretary to develop performance standards for such program and issue regulations to coordinate administration of such program at Federal, State, and local levels with JTPA programs. Subtitle E: Youth Employment and Training Block Grant Program - Amends JTPA title II part C youth training program provisions to provide for a comprehensive range of integrated education, training, employment and social services to disadvantaged and at risk disadvantaged youth not currently served, or underserved, by existing Federal education and training programs particularly in areas of high poverty or crime. (Sec. 373) Sets age 14 through 21 as part of eligibility criteria. (Sec. 374) Includes under authorized services specified outreach and recruitment efforts. Requires use of strategies and practices based on comprehensive and integrated service delivery, innovative approaches to serving hardest-to-serve youths, and programs with community support that make use of various resources and entities. Allows a portion of youth training funds to be used for specified summer youth employment and training activities. (Sec. 375) Adds to JTPA youth training program linkages the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994. (Sec. 376) Renames JTPA title II part C youth training programs provisions as the Disadvantaged Youth Employment and Training Block Grant Program. Authorizes appropriations. Repeals JTPA title II part B summer youth employment and training program and title IV part H Youth Fair Chance program. Subtitle F: Native Americans' Employment, Training, and Education Block Grant Program - Amends JTPA title IV part A Native American programs to include tribally controlled postsecondary vocational institutions among program providers. (Sec. 383) Adds to comprehensive plan requirements, including strategic overviews and coordination with similar programs. (Sec 384) Directs the Native American Employment and Training Council to advise the Secretaries of Education and of the Interior, as well as the Secretary of Labor, and to recommend ways of consolidating other Native American employment and training programs into the JTPA program. (Sec 385) Makes available for the JTPA Native American Block Grant program unobligated or unexpended funds under the specified Act and portions of Acts which are repealed in the following section. (Sec. 386) Repeals the Indian Employment, Training, and Related Services Act of 1992 and specified provisions under the Indian Education Act, the Social Security Act, the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act, and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. (Sec. 387) Renames the JTPA program as the Native American Block Grant program. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle G: Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers Employment, Training, and Education Block Grant Program - Amends JTPA title IV part A migrant and seasonal farmworker programs to require their being designed to help such farmworkers complete a secondary education and begin and successfully complete the first year of postsecondary education. (Sec. 392) Makes available for the JTPA farmworker block grant program unobligated or unexpended funds under the specified provisions repealed under other Acts in the following section. (Sec. 393) Repeals: (1) special programs for students whose families are engaged in migrant and seasonal farmwork, under the Higher Education Act of 1965; and (2) the adult migrant farmworker and immigrant education program, under the Adult Education Act. (Sec. 394) Renames the JTPA program as the Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Block Grant program. Authorizes appropriations. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Amends JTPA to revise and rename State education coordination and grants provisions as State workforce preparation and development coordination and innovation grants. Requires program coordination and linkages with specified other JTPA programs and with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Act, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Adult Education Act, JOBS program, Goals 2000: Educate America Act, School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994, and National and Community Service Act of 1990. (Sec. 402) Amends the Wagner-Peyser Act to require the local employment service office to participate in the operation of the community job resource centers established under this Act based on the plan developed by the Local Board. Allows such offices to apply to be designated as such centers. Repeals specified provisions under the Food Stamp Act of 1977, Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973, Internal Revenue Code, Higher Education Act of 1965, and Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965. Title V: Effective Dates and Transition - Sets forth effective dates and transition provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1994
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Members of Congress should have the opportunity to offer, debate, and vote on an amendment striking any employer mandate in any legislation to reform our health care system.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 1994
Expresses the sense of the Congress that any legislation enacted to provide for national health care reform should: (1) prohibit the denial of health insurance coverage to, or limitation of coverage or benefits for, any individual or family on the basis of a preexisting medical condition; (2) prohibit charging an unreasonable amount for such coverage and benefits on the basis of a preexisting medical condition; and (3) include among the individuals and families protected by such prohibitions those who wish to acquire health insurance coverage and benefits from an entity other than their current health care provider.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 1994
Restricted Explosives Control Act of 1994 - Prohibits the distribution or receipt of restricted explosives without a Federal permit. Defines "restricted explosives" to mean high explosives, blasting agents, detonators, and more than 50 pounds of black powder. Requires applications for such permits to include the applicant's photograph and fingerprints, which shall be taken and transmitted to the Secretary of the Treasury by the chief law enforcement officer of the applicant's place of residence.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1994
Directs the Secretary of Defense to terminate the C-17 aircraft acquisition program with those aircraft for which funds are appropriated for FY 1995. Prohibits the obligation of funds appropriated: (1) for FY 1995 for procurement of long-lead items for such aircraft; or (2) after FY 1995 for procurement of such items or such aircraft. Requires the Secretary to develop, and report to the Congress on, a program to meet the remaining strategic airlift requirements of the Air Force through the acquisition of nondevelopmental airlift aircraft.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 1994
Health Care Quality Improvement Act Amendments of 1994 - Amends the Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 1986 to require, in a professional review action (PRA), the granting of a motion for summary judgment that PRA standards have been met unless, considering the evidence in the light most favorable to the opposing party, a reasonable finder of fact could conclude that the presumption that such standards have been met has been rebutted. Allows appeal as of right to a Federal court of appeals (except the Federal Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit) of any decision on such a motion. (Sec. 3) Requires each person (as well as entity), including a Federal, State, or local government, and any Federal officer and employee, who makes payment in whole or partial settlement of a medical malpractice action or claim, to report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary) certain information on the payment and its circumstances. Applies this reporting requirement to any physician or other licensed health care professional who makes such a payment and whose acts or omissions are the basis for the action or claim. Waives this requirement for any such physician or other licensed health care professional whose payment is made as a refund of fees for the health service involved, when such payment does not exceed the amount of the original charge for such services. Applies other specified reporting requirements to Federal health facilities and any PRA's taken by them regarding the competence or professional conduct of Federal physicians to the same extent and in the same manner as they apply to health care entities and PRA's. (Sec. 4) Requires each Board of Medical Examiners to report to the Secretary any denials of a physician's license. (Sec. 5) Imposes on each Board of Medical Examiners the duty to request from the Secretary any information reported on a physician at the time the physician applies for a physician's license, or for continuation of such a license, in the State involved. Presumes any Board to have knowledge of any such information it fails to request. Requires the Secretary to establish a system for electronically transmitting information to States, that elect to install equipment necessary to participate in such system. Grants the Board of Medical Examiners in a participating State the option, in lieu of requesting information upon a physician's application for license continuation, to transmit annually through the system data identifying all individuals holding a valid physician's license issued by the Board. Requires a Board exercising such an option also, upon receiving from the Secretary a list of physicians who have been the subject of information on incidents giving rise to malpractice actions or claims, to identify promptly and request from the Secretary information on any such physician who has had an incident in another State. (Sec. 6) Prohibits the Secretary from imposing a fee for providing such a physician list. Requires the Secretary to publish and make available to the public semiannually information, with specified exceptions, from medical malpractice payment reports. Requires the Secretary to disseminate each such publication to public libraries without charge, but permits imposition of a reasonable fee on other entities to which the publication is provided. (Sec. 7) Prohibits any entity from making any payment in whole or partial settlement of a medical malpractice action or claim without the written consent of the physician or other licensed health care practitioner whose acts or omissions are the basis of the action or claim. Excepts from such prohibition court judgments, alternative dispute resolution processes, and an entity's reasonable belief, after delivering a written notice, that the physician or other licensed health care practitioner concerned does not object to payment. Sets forth civil money penalties for any entity violating this prohibition. Prohibits a health services organization from terminating the employment of a physician (or a contract with a physician for provision of health services) unless adequate notice and hearing procedures have been afforded the physician involved. Specifies conditions such an organization must meet to satisfy this requirement. (Sec. 8) Subjects to such Act any unlicensed or unapproved hospital if State or local law allows the hospital to operate without being licensed or otherwise approved.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 1994
Health Research Act of 1994 - Establishes in the Treasury the National Fund for Health Research. Requires regional and corporate health alliances formed under a comprehensive health care reform program to set aside and transfer specified amounts each calendar year into the Fund. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to authorize individuals (other than nonresident aliens) to designate for payment into the Fund at least $1 of a cash contribution or of any tax overpayment made. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to distribute specified amounts from the Fund for various health research activities of the National Institutes of Health and the National Center for Research Resources. Excludes Fund amounts from any budget enforcement procedures under the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 or the Balanced Budget Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act).
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1994
Requires the establishment of a budget reserve account for the funding for natural disasters and national security emergencies. Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to include such funding in the budget process. Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to repeal provisions relating to emergency appropriations. Requires annual reports to the Congress on expenditures from such account.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1994
Federal Credit Cost Reduction Act of 1994 - Amends the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990 to include administrative costs (which, currently, are expressly excluded) in the estimated long-term costs to the Government of direct loans and loan guarantees. Amends Federal law to require the President's annual budget to contain a separate listing of administrative costs for direct loans and loan guarantees on a cash accounting basis and an appendix of such costs by program, by agency, and for the Government. Establishes maximum permissible subsidy rates for each credit reform program account. Reduces such rates from 40 percent for FY 1995 to five percent by FY 1999.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1994
Calls for the United States, at the International Conference on Population and Development, to: (1) place the highest priority on the success of the Conference by actively participating, particularly through the President's personal participation; (2) propose or support an initiative concerning the financing of global cooperation on efforts to slow rapid population growth that takes into account the costs of slowing growth and the basic development goals of developing countries and that increases accountability for the use of funds provided for family planning purposes; (3) seek to initiate a process of regular high-level intergovernmental consultations on the issues under consideration at the Conference and establish improved organizational and procedural means to implement its objectives; (4) support the effective implementation of a global action plan to raise the economic, educational, and leadership status of women and programs that provide maternal and child health care, education, and training for women and voluntary family planning; and (5) promote public participation, especially by women, at all levels of formulation and implementation of family planning and sustainable development policy and programs.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1994
Vegetable-based Ink Federal Printing Resolution of 1994 - Expresses the sense of the Congress that, to the greatest extent practicable, ink made from vegetable oil should be used in lithographic printing for the Federal Government.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1994
Limits to no more than two vessels (designated SSN-21 and SSN-22) the number that may be constructed under the Seawolf attack submarine program. Limits the cost of procurement for such vessels.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1994
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Golden Gate National Area Title II: Presidio Public Benefit Corporation Title I: Golden Gate National Recreation Area - Includes certain areas in Mateo County, California, within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) utilize the resources of the Presidio unit of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California, to provide for and support programs and activities that foster research, education, and demonstration projects concerning the environment, international affairs, cultural understanding, health, and science; (2) negotiate and enter into leases, as appropriate, with any private or government entity for the use of any property within the Presidio, except such properties which the Secretary of Defense determines are essential for the continued use of the Presidio by the sixth Army in accordance with the Area's General Management Plan or the Act establishing the Area; (3) negotiate and enter into leases or other appropriate agreements with any Federal agency or organization to house that agency's or organization's employees who are engaged in activities or programs at the Presidio; and (4) enter into interagency permitting agreements or other appropriate agreements with the Secretary of Defense and the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and leases with the Red Cross to house their activities and employees at the Presidio. Requires the Secretary to establish competitive bidding procedures to be used for the issuance of such leases. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements and permits for purposes of such Area. Title II: Presido Public Benefit Corporation - Authorizes the President to establish the Presidio Public Corporation only after San Francisco makes specified zoning decisions. Requires the Secretary to transfer all lands, facilities, and interest in certain Presidio properties to the Corporation. Transfers the Public Health Service Hospital and surrounding 36 acres to the administrative jurisdiciton of the Corporation. Directs the Corporation to sell: (1) the Public Health Service Hospital and adjacent golf course and allows it to use the proceeds of the sale for any function authorized by this Act; and (2) at fair market value, the Letterman Army Institute of Research, Letterman Army Medical Center, and such other buildings and lands in the Letterman complex necessary to conduct scientific research or education programs pertaining to human health to the University of California and authorizes it to use the proceeds from the sale for the same purposes. Allows the Secretary or other Cabinet officers to provide Federal personnel, facilities, and services to the Corporation on a reimbursement basis. Declares that the Corporation is devoted to an essential public and governmental function and purpose. Exempts it from all Federal taxes and special assessments. Applies all general penal statutes relating to the larceny, embezzlement, or conversion of public moneys or U.S. property to the moneys and property of the Corporation. Subjects the Corporation to provisions of Federal laws relating to administrative procedures and freedom of information.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1994
Deficit Reduction Lock Box Act of 1994 - Establishes the Deficit Reduction Trust Fund consisting of amounts contained in deficit reduction lock box provisions of appropriations Acts. Reduces discretionary spending limits by amounts transferred to the Fund. Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require that amounts resulting from reduced spending under general appropriations bills be placed in the Fund. Requires the Congressional Budget Office to score all general appropriations measures as passed by the House and Senate and to publish such scorecard in the Congressional Record.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 1994
Hate Group Public Funding Exclusion Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to make an organization controlled by an individual or individuals who promotes bias ineligible for HUD assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1994
Protection from Sexual Predators Act of 1994 - Expresses the sense of the Congress that States should: (1) more seriously consider the relatively high recidivism rate of sexual offenders when deciding whether to plea bargain with first-time sexual offenders and whether to grant parole to sexual offenders; and (2) review their treatment and parole supervision programs for sexual offenders to assure that such programs are fulfilling their goals. Amends the Federal criminal code to provide that whoever violates provisions regarding aggravated sexual abuse (or engages in conduct in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce that would be a violation of such provisions if the offense had occurred in the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States) after previously having been convicted of another State or Federal sexual abuse offense (or conduct which would have been such an offense if the offense had occurred in such jurisdiction) shall be imprisoned for life. Directs the Attorney General to establish guidelines for State programs requiring: (1) any person who is convicted of a sex offense to register and keep up to date a current address with a designated State law enforcement agency (LEA) for ten years after being released from prison or placed on parole, supervised release, or probation; and (2) each State to provide information obtained about the registered person to the Attorney General on a prompt and regular basis and in a uniform format. Requires the Attorney General to: (1) maintain on-line availability of information obtained under this Act for use by authorized LEAs in carrying out their functions; and (2) provide for the privacy of such information. Directs each State to implement the registration provisions within three years. Makes States not in compliance after such time subject to a reduction of funds under title I (drug control and system improvement grants) of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. Requires the National Institute of Justice to carry out a study of persistent sexual predators and to report to the Congress and the President.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1994
Supplemental Appropriations Rescissions Act of 1994 - Rescinds FY 1994 funds made available to: (1) the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the automation of fingerprint identification services; (2) the Federal Railroad Administration for the conversion of a post office to a train station and commercial center; and (3) the Department of Housing and Urban Development for assistance to sugarcane mills on the Hilo-Hamakua Coast of Hawaii. Repeals the authority of the Secretary of Transportation to use specified funds to relocate, repair, and lay up the nuclear ship SAVANNAH.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 1994
Retired Federal Bureau of Investigation Agent Self-Defense Act - Amends the Federal criminal code to authorize a qualified former agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to carry a concealed firearm if the former agent is carrying a document, issued to such individual by the FBI within the last three years, which certifies that the former agent is qualified to operate a firearm.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1994
Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to exclude from coverage any fire fighters or rescue squad members during the period in which they volunteer their services at a location where they are not employed. Waives overtime compensation requirements when fire fighters or rescue squad members volunteer their services to their employer and sign a legally binding waiver. Prohibits employer coercion of such volunteering.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1994
Level of Effort Clean Water Bonus Fund Act of 1994 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to reserve 20 percent of the amounts made available for capitalization grants for State water pollution control revolving funds for making level of effort capitalization grants to eligible States. Requires States that receive level of effort grants to deposit an equal amount into the revolving funds. Makes eligible for such grants States that have deposited more than the required matching amount into the revolving fund or into a non-Federal revolving fund or grant program that is subject to requirements similar to those for the State revolving fund. Prohibits States from receiving a grant in an amount greater than 20 percent of the amount of funds reserved.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1994
Tax Fairness for Agriculture Act of 1994 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit agricultural or horticultural organizations from treating member dues (limited to a specified amount) as unrelated business taxable income.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1994
Designates March 23, 1994, the 92d birthday of the Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (leader of the worldwide Lubavitch movement), as Education and Sharing Day, U.S.A.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1994
Senior Citizens Housing Safety Act - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to prohibit persons with drug or alcohol problems from occupying dwelling units in assisted housing designated for elderly families.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1994
Polly Klaas Child Rescue Act of 1994 - Authorizes appropriations for each fiscal year beginning with FY 1995 in an amount equal to two percent of the funding for official mail costs of the House of Representatives for FY 1994 adjusted for any increase in first-class postage rates, to be used for payment of first-class postage for mailing of information on active investigations of children abducted by strangers. Authorizes the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to use the funds to pay the Postal Service for postage to be used by: (1) any local entity engaged in the search for a child abducted by a stranger; or (2) if no such entity exists, the FBI. Prohibits the funds from being used unless the FBI determines that: (1) a stranger abduction has occurred; (2) such abduction occurred not more than one year before the date of the determination; (3) the mailing will benefit the investigation; (4) an accurate and appropriate mailing list is available for the mailing; and (5) funds are not immediately available and a delay in the mailing would be harmful to the investigation. Limits the amount that may be spent on mailings to $15,000 per abducted child. Allows two percent of the funding for official mail costs of the House for FY 1994 to be made available for FY 1994 to the FBI for purposes of this Act. Provides that, if the amount appropriated pursuant to the authorization in this Act for any fiscal year beginning with FY 1995 is less than the authorized amount, the difference may be paid from the funding for official mail costs of the House for the fiscal year involved. Requires the FBI to immediately transfer the necessary funds for mailing to the Postal Service after making the required determination and the Postal Service to expedite the mailing upon receiving such funds.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1994
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: National Registry of Child Support Orders Title II: Enforcement of Child Support Orders Through Employer Withholding Title III: Enforcement of Criminal Penalties for Flight to Avoid Payment of Child Support Title IV: Credit Bureau Reporting Title V: National Jurisdiction Title VI: Administrative Process Title VII: Medical Child Support Orders Issued by Administrative Adjudicators Title VIII: Elimination of Operating Subsidies for Vacant Public Housing Child Support Enhancement Act of 1994 - Title I: National Registry of Child Support Orders - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a national registry of all child support orders the information in which must be in computer data base form. Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require State procedures to ensure that a copy of each child support order issued or modified in the State is transmitted to the national registry. Requires the national registry, upon the receipt from an employer of a W-4 form completed by an employee, to: (1) compare information on the form with its information on the child support obligations of the employee; and (2) report to the employer information on whether the employee is subject to a child support order and, if so, the amount of monthly support involved, as well as the individual to whom such support is owed. Title II: Enforcement of Child Support Orders Through Employer Withholding - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to require all: (1) employees to file with their employers new W-4 forms including information on child support obligations and health insurance coverage for dependent children; and (2) employers to provide a copy of each such form to the national registry. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require employers to: (1) deduct and withhold child support obligations from employee wages; (2) pay such obligations to the person entitled to them; and (3) include withheld obligations on the employee's W-2 form. Title III: Enforcement of Criminal Penalties for Flight to Avoid Payment of Child Support - Authorizes appropriations to the Attorney General for the enforcement of criminal penalties for flight to avoid payment of child support. Title IV: Credit Bureau Reporting - Revises SSA title IV part D provisions for State child support enforcement procedures concerned with providing information on overdue support to consumer reporting agencies. Title V: National Jurisdiction - Amends the Federal judicial code to require the appropriate authorities of every State to enforce according to its terms a child support order made by a court of another state, provided that the court has personal jurisdiction of the contestants. Specifies the conditions under which a court: (1) has personal jurisdiction over nonresident contestants; (2) may modify an order for the same child made by a court of another State; and (3) may exercise jurisdiction in any proceeding for an order commenced during the pendency of a proceeding in a court of another State. Requires that reasonable notice and an opportunity to be heard be given to the contestants before an order is made. Amends SSA title IV part D to require State procedures for child support enforcement to include procedures under which States may assert personal jurisdiction over nonresident contestants for purpose of adjudicating parenting and/or establishing child support orders under certain conditions. Declares that the Congress finds that due process is satisfied when a child's State of domicile asserts personal jurisdiction (long arm jurisdiction) over a nonresident contestant who is the parent or presumed parent of that child in an action to adjudicate parent or establish a child support order. Outlines the duration of parental obligations to provide child support, including extensions thereof to cover disabilities and college enrollment, for children born to a marriage or out-of-wedlock whose parentage has been determined under law. Title VI: Administrative Process - Revises SSA title IV part D provisions for expedited process procedures for obtaining and enforcing support orders to require procedures for obtaining expedited administrative process are used to establish paternity in contested paternity cases and to establish and enforce support orders in all cases. Title VII: Medical Child Support Orders Issued by Administrative Adjudicators - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to include medical child support orders issued by an administrative adjudicator within the definition of medical child support order under that Act. Title VIII: Elimination of Operating Subsidies for Vacant Public Housing - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to eliminate: (1) operating subsidies for vacant public housing units; and (2) the annual contribution reserve. Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to recapture any amounts reserved from annual contributions for public housing agencies and deposited in accounts established on behalf of the agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 1994
Amends rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives to make it out of order to consider any measure appropriating amounts for salaries and expenses of the House unless such measure: (1) prohibits availability of any such amount for obligation for that purpose after the end of the fiscal year for which the amount is appropriated; and (2) requires that any such amount not so obligated be used for open-market purchase of outstanding interest-bearing obligations of the Government.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 1994
National Voter Opportunity To Inform Congress Effectively (V.O.I.C.E.) on Term Limits Act of 1994 - Requires the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate to certify to the appropriate State election agencies for inclusion on the 1994 general election ballot in every congressional district a national advisory referendum that poses the question of whether the Congress should approve a constitutional amendment to limit the number of terms that a Member of Congress can serve in office. Requires tabulation and certification of the election results under customary procedures. Makes the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate responsible for transmitting such results to each Member. Requires the results to be taken under advisement by the House and the Senate Judiciary Committees, with recommendations for response reported back to the Congress within six months of the general election. Requires the State election agencies to forward to the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate their comments or suggestions regarding changes or improvements in procedures for conducting national nonbinding referenda in future general elections.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 1994
World War II Peace Accords Commemorative Coin Act - Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the 50th anniversary of the signing of the World War II peace accords on the U.S.S. Missouri should not go unrecognized at the national level; and (2) the United States should recognize such anniversary by minting and issuing a commemorative coin. Sets forth specifications for half dollar clad coins. Mandates that the surcharges received from the sale of such coins be paid by the Secretary of the Treasury to the Admiral Nimitz Foundation for the purpose of preserving the Pacific War heritage of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 1994
Disability Insurance Reform Act of 1994 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the payment of benefits based on disability to any individual who is a drug addict or alcoholic until such individual: (1) undergoes appropriate substance abuse treatment at an approved facility; (2) has complied with the terms of such treatment; and (3) either recovers or makes progress towards recovery, with benefits terminated if the individual fails to continue treatment. Requires lump sum disability payments to be made only through a qualified governmental or nonprofit care facility or community-based social service agency representative payees. Makes other changes with regard to representative payees, including allowing them to collect monthly fees for expenses in providing service. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for a monitoring and testing program to ensure individual compliance with treatment requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1994
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) should be a high priority; (2) all FY 1995 appropriations made for LIHEAP should be expended; and (3) LIHEAP expenditures for FY 1996 should ensure the provision of services at or above the level provided in FY 1995.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1994
Social Security Immigration Fraud Protection Act of 1994 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to create a mandatory minimum sentence of a fine or five years' imprisonment, or both, for illegal alien social security documentation fraud.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1994
Prohibits the Department of Transportation or any other Federal department, agency, or instrumentality from requiring any State or political subdivision to convert highway signs to metric units.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1994
Federal Energy Research Priorities Act - Establishes the Department of Energy Facilities Closure and Reconfiguration Commission. Directs the Secretary of Energy to publish in the Federal Register and transmit to the congressional energy committees (the committees) the criteria proposed to be used in making recommendations for the closure or reconfiguration of Department of Energy (DOE) facilities resulting in a 25 percent budget reduction for such facilities. Requires the Commission to report to the President and the committees on its analysis and review of the Secretary's recommendations. Directs: (1) the Comptroller General to transmit to the committees amd the Commission a detailed analysis of the Secretary's recommendations; and (2) the President to transmit to the committees his approval or disapproval of them. Sets forth procedural guidelines for the closure and reconfiguration of DOE facilities. Establishes the Department of Energy Facility Closure Account to receive the proceeds resulting from the closures and reconfiguration under this Act. Requires the Secretary to submit a status report to the committees concerning: (1) the Account; and (2) implementation of the closure and reconfiguration actions. Prescribes guidelines for congressional consideration and disapproval of the Commission's report. (Provides for implementation of the recommendations if the Congress does not disapprove.)
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1994
Federal Power Marketing Administrations Privatization Act of 1994 - Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the power generation and transmission facilities of the Federal Power Marketing Administrations should be privatized; and (2) all property remaining after such privatization should be transferred to other governmental agencies. Directs the President to transmit to the Congress a plan for transferring all real property, facilities, and equipment of the Federal Power Marketing Administrations to public and private entities.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1994
Amends the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 to eliminate funding for specified highway demonstration projects, including projects for high cost bridges, congestion relief, high priority segments of the National Highway System, and rural and urban access, innovative, and priority intermodal transportation.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1994
Congressional Parking Act - Prohibits funds from being appropriated for congressional parking attendants or administering congressional parking attendants beginning in FY 1995. Provides that Members of Congress, staff, and visitors shall be charged market rates for parking within the buildings and parking lots in the Capitol Hill complex.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1994
Agency for International Development Efficiency and Effectiveness Act of 1994 - Reduces budget authority and outlays for development assistance by specified amounts below the Congressional Budget Office baseline in FY 1995 through 1999. Requires the Agency for International Development (AID) to narrow its focus and fund fewer development assistance projects to achieve such budget savings. Directs AID to target assistance to lower income countries that have economic policies designed to encourage growth through free markets and trade, thereby reducing the number of countries that receive development assistance to approximately 60. Bars development assistance for middle income countries or lower income countries where such assistance has not shown results. Permits AID to provide assistance only for projects that focus on alleviating poverty and promoting economic development. Terminates the housing investment guaranty program under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 after September 30, 1994. Requires the President to transfer responsibility for administering all development assistance programs that have an objective other than alleviating poverty and promoting economic development from AID to a Government agency whose mission is closer to the objective. Transfers: (1) private sector activities to the Overseas Private Investment Corporation; and (2) environmental protection activities in developing countries to the Environmental Protection Agency. Requires transferred programs to be carried out with funds appropriated for that agency rather than with development assistance or international affairs program funds. Provides that this Act supersedes existing law applicable to AID development assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1994
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to study and report to the Congress on the feasibility of using biometric devices to verify the identity of applicants and recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1994
Education Bureaucracy Reduction Act - Directs the Secretary of Education, for FY 1995 and 1996, to reduce personnel costs of the Department of Education by ten percent. Requires savings from such reduction to be used as follows: (1) 90 percent transferred to local educational agencies according to State distribution formulas; and (2) ten percent to reduce the Federal budget deficit.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1994
Requires the Secretary of Transportation to amend the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) to apply to charter flights to inter-collegiate football bowl games and to Final Four games in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's division I championship basketball tournaments certain CFR provisions that currently require an operator marketing a Super Bowl air package that includes game tickets to actually have the tickets in hand or at least a written contract for them before the operator does any advertising.
![Official portrait of Rep. Klug, Scott L. [R-WI-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/k000274_200.jpg)