Designating October 6, 1991, and October 6, 1992, each as "German-American Day".
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1991
Designates October 6, 1991 and 1992, as German-American Day.
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United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1991
Designates October 6, 1991 and 1992, as German-American Day.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1991
Expresses the policy of the U.S. Government to: (1) establish in each of the Baltic States a U.S. presence such as an information office to serve as a form of political recognition and support; (2) channel to the Baltic States directly U.S. Government humanitarian aid and economic assistance, including management and training assistance, in addition to private sector humanitarian aid. Calls for the United States to: (1) recognize, establish, and maintain direct contacts with the Parliaments of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia; and (2) propose and seek support for observer status for the Baltic States in the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) at the next meeting of foreign ministers of the CSCE participating states.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1991
Requests the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to publish, within one year, proposed amended regulations that specify the components of an adequate operator training program and certification system for operators of powered industrial trucks.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Amends the Federal criminal code to make it a Federal criminal offense to leave or remain outside a State for the purpose of avoiding payment of arrearages in child support.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
United States One Dollar Coin Act of 1991 - Amends Federal currency law to prescribe the color and content of one-dollar coins. Mandates that the obverse side of the one dollar coin have a design recognizing America's veterans. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to cease regular production of one-dollar Federal Reserve notes by a specified date (except for such quantities as are required to meet collectors' needs). Mandates that the seigniorage of the new one-dollar coins be used to offset the reverse seigniorage resulting from the destruction of Susan B. Anthony dollar coins in Government storage.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Joint Manufacturing Opportunities Act of 1991 - Declares that the conduct of any individual in making or performing a contract to carry out a flexible manufacturing network shall not be deemed illegal per se under the antitrust laws, but rather shall be judged on its reasonableness considering all relevant factors affecting competition. Defines "flexible manufacturing network" (FMN) as any group of activities, including attempting to make, making, or performing a contract, carried out by two or more persons for the purpose of: (1) purchasing raw materials, services, or facilities to jointly manufacture and distribute a product; (2) collecting and sharing information on production costs and manufacturing capacity necessary to prepare a bid to sell a product jointly manufactured by such persons, or information applicable to the marketing of such product; or (3) sharing information on manufacturing and distribution capacity for the purpose of jointly manufacturing and distributing such product. Excludes activities not reasonably required to carry out a flexible manufacturing network. Limits recovery under the Clayton Act to actual damages (for private suits), the total damage sustained (in suits by States), interest calculated at a specified rate, and costs, including a reasonable attorney's fee, if such claim results from conduct that is within the scope of a notification that has been filed under this Act for an FMN and is filed after such notification becomes effective. Specifies that interest shall be awarded on the damages involved for the period between the date of injury and the date of judgment, unless the court finds that such award is unjust under the circumstances. Limits recovery under this Act if the challenged conduct of a person defending against a claim is not in violation of any decree or order entered or issued after the effective date of this Act. Provides for the award of costs and attorney's fees. Establishes procedures for the filing of a notice with the Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission of a written agreement to carry out an FMN disclosing: (1) the identities of the parties; and (2) the nature and objectives of such FMN. Exempts specified information from disclosure. Provides for: (1) publication of such notice in the Federal Register; (2) withdrawal of notice; and (3) judicial review of any action by the Attorney General or the Commission with respect to notification filed under this Act. Restricts the admissibility of information disclosed or published under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to revise its application. Revises minimum wage and maximum hours provisions (as well as provisions for special industry committees for American Samoa) to apply such requirements specifically to employers of employees who in any workweek are engaged in industrial homework and who are either engaged in commerce or in the production of goods in commerce (in addition to any other employees so employed). Revises the scope of the application of requirements relating to: (1) wage rate orders for employers in American Samoa; (2) prohibition of sex discrimination in wage rates; and (3) handicapped workers.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Domestic Violence Housing Act - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to: (1) increase FY 1991 and 1992 budget authority for section 8 certificate and voucher assistance; (2) require that such increases be used to assist families affected by domestic violence, including specified shared housing arrangements.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Healthy Beginnings Act of 1991 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants for reducing infant mortality and providing to pregnant women, children under two years old, and the mothers of such children, in medically underserved areas, certain services in the home, including: (1) health care; (2) education regarding parenting skills, tobacco and alcohol use, nonprescription drug use, and family planning; and (3) referrals. Requires that the services be provided, to the extent practicable, through nurses. Allows grants to be expended for outreach. Allows technical assistance to grantees. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Provides that former air traffic controllers shall not, as a class, be considered unsuitable or ineligible for: (1) positions as air traffic controllers in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or the Department of Defense; or (2) positions in the FAA other than air traffic controller positions. Requires the Secretary of Transportation and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to take action to ensure that in each of FY 1992 and 1993, at least 500 former controllers are appointed to permanent, full-time positions as air traffic controllers in the FAA. Provides for a waiver of the maximum-age limitation applicable to such appointments. Prescribes procedural guidelines for competitive and non-competitive appointments of such controllers. Precludes an applicant's role in the 1981 strike from being considered when making a determination of suitability for an air traffic controller position. Requires the Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of Defense to prescribe regulations under which the appointment of a former controller to an air traffic controller position within their respective departments shall not become final unless a probationary period has been successfully completed. Sets forth guidelines for the computation of creditability of service for retirement purposes. Expresses the sense of the Congress that such reinstatements should not: (1) cause the separation or reduction in grade of any other air traffic controller; or (2) interfere with training opportunities which would otherwise be afforded to air traffic controllers seeking to become fully qualified.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from the luxury excise tax parts for accessories installed for use of passenger vehicles by disabled individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Makes permanent a provision of the Internal Revenue Code that allows the income tax deduction of 25 percent of the health insurance costs of self-employed individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Designates the weeks beginning on December 1, 1991, and November 29, 1992, as National Home Care Week.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Designates November 16, 1991, as Dutch-American Heritage Day.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Designates May 1991 and May 1992 as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Designates April 21 through April 27, 1991, as National Crime Victims' Rights Week.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Endorses a National Victory Parade in Washington, D.C., and regional victory parades throughout the United States to honor servicemen and women who participated in Operation Desert Storm. Encourages Federal, State, and local governments and private industry to get involved in supporting such parades.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Supports and endorses Operation Homefront as a national grassroots effort to support our servicemen and women who participated in Operation Desert Storm and their families. Encourages Federal, State, and local governments and private business and industry to organize Operation Homefront task forces to support the families of such deployed troops and to plan and organize welcome home celebrations for the troops.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) all Arab nations should enter into direct negotiations with Israel to recognize Israel, end the economic boycott against Israel, and end the state of belligerency with Israel; and (2) the United States should use all available means to influence and encourage the Arab states which were allied with it in the Gulf War to achieve those objectives.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Commends women serving in the armed forces, with special recognition of those women serving in the Persian Gulf region.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1991
Designates September 13, 1991, as Commodore John Barry Day.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1991
Designates June 14, 1991, as Baltic Freedom Day.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1991
Designates April 15, 1991, as National Recycling Day.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1991
Mickey Leland Childhood Hunger Relief Act - Title I: Ensuring Adequate Food Assistance - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to remove the excess shelter deduction cap for purposes of food stamp program (program) eligibility. (Sets forth transitional caps through FY 1995.) Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to adjust the basic benefit level upwards by specified increments at the beginning of each fiscal year until it reaches 105 percent of the cost of the thrifty food plan. Eliminates food stamp reductions for households reapplying for program reinstatement within 30 days. Excludes third party payments for transitional housing for the homeless from consideration as program income. Increases funding for the nutrition assistance program in Puerto Rico. Excludes general assistance vendor payments from consideration as program income. Title II: Promoting Self-Sufficiency - Excludes from consideration as program income: (1) the first $50 a month received as child support; and (2) child support payments to non-household members. Increases annually the fair market value limit of vehicles that program recipients may own. Excludes from financial resources the value of a vehicle a household depends upon to carry heating fuel or water for home use where it has no other access to fuel or water. Increases dependent care deductions and participant and State agency reimbursements in connection with employment and training activities. Title III: Simplifying the Provision of Food Assistance - Permits related adults living in the same household to apply for separate program benefits under specified conditions. Permits a participating family made up of, or including, an elderly or disabled member to own $3,000 in allowable financial resources. (Current law refers to a family member 60 years of age or older.) Makes program authorization of appropriations permanent. Title IV: Implementation and Effective Dates - Sets forth the effective dates for provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1991
Incarcerated Veterans Rehabilitation and Readjustment Act of 1991 - Title I: Incarcerated Veteran Assessment and Assistance - Directs the Attorney General to identify those individuals who may be veterans among those: (1) entering Federal prisons; and (2) who are incarcerated in such prisons and who are to remain incarcerated for more than 30 days. Requires the Attorney General to transmit to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs the names and locations of such prisoners. Directs the Secretary to inform such prisoners of their ability to have their veteran status determined and to inform those prisoners of their rights to veterans' benefits and services as affected by their incarceration. Outlines other information to be provided. Requires the Secretary to suspend all debt collection activities being undertaken against any such prisoner for the entire period of incarceration and six months thereafter. Requires such debt collection suspension for Federal, State, or local inmates. Title II: Incarcerated Veteran Rehabilitation Counseling - Directs the Secretary to: (1) provide readjustment counseling services to those incarcerated veterans suffering from mental and psychological disorders stemming from their military service; (2) safeguard such veterans' possibility of being adjudicated as having service-connected disabilities to the same extent as non-incarcerated veterans; (3) designate an employee from a regional office of the Department of Veterans Affairs to act as a liaison between each Federal prison and the Department for such veterans; (4) review physical examinations of such veterans to determine whether they are eligible for benefits under the Veterans' Dioxin and Radiation Exposure Compensation Standards Act; and (5) ensure that the designated Department liaison provides liaison services between families of incarcerated veterans and Federal prisons. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) conduct physical examinations, with the incarcerated veterans' consent, for the purpose of aiding in the determination of eligibility for exposure benefits under such Act; (2) transmit such examination results to the Secretary; (3) inform the Secretary of an incarcerated veteran's impending release; and (4) encourage the organization of self-help groups and other similar programs that may contribute to the rehabilitation of incarcerated veterans. Title III: Readjustment Counseling Education - Directs the Secretary to develop a training curriculum, to be available to individuals, organizations, agencies, and health facilities, for assisting relevant professionals employed by the Bureau of Prisons in acquiring the expertise necessary to diagnose and treat psychiatric disabilities peculiar to veterans. Title IV: Post-Incarceration Readjustment Services - Requires the Secretary, upon receiving the names of those veterans about to be released from incarceration, to inform them of readjustment benefits and services available to them. Requires the Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs to designate a disabled veterans' outreach program specialist in each State where a Federal prison is located to serve as liaison with such prison. Directs the Chairman of the United States Parole Commission to: (1) integrate the services available from the readjustment counseling program of the Department into the Federal parole program for released veterans; and (2) encourage Federal parole officers to encourage paroled veterans to make use of vet centers and maintain contact with vet center personnel. Title V: State and Local Outreach Assistance - Directs the Secretary and Assistant Secretary, within six months after enactment of this Act, to implement a program to extend the benefits of this Act to State and local penal institutions with respect to veterans incarcerated in such institutions. Title VI: Miscellaneous - Directs the Attorney General, the Secretary, the Assistant Secretary, and the Chairman of the U.S. Parole Commission to: (1) report annually to the Congress on their activities in implementing this Act; and (2) sign a memorandum of understanding detailing how the organizations and operations controlled by each shall interact to implement this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1991
Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility and Home Health Benefit Act of 1991 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) eliminate the requirement that extended care services be provided within a certain period following hospitalization in order to be covered under the Hospital Insurance Program; and (2) cover nursing care and home health aide services provided or needed on an intermittent basis.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1991
Removes the following limitations on the payment of Federal unemployment compensation in the case of reserve members who performed active-duty service during the Persian Gulf War: (1) a required five-week waiting period prior to initial payment and a limit on the aggregate amount of total compensation payable; (2) the required 180-day minimum period of active duty; and (3) any required waiting period under a State unemployment compensation law.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1991
Authorizes the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity to establish a memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr., on Federal land in the District of Columbia and its environs. Makes the Fraternity solely responsible for acceptance of contributions for, and payment of expenses of, the memorial. Prohibits the use of Federal funds for its establishment. Requires the Fraternity to deposit excess funds into the Treasury.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1991
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to transmit to the Congress a National Historic Landmark Theme Study on American Labor History which identifies key sites in American labor history for nomination as National Historic Landmarks. Requires the Secretary to prepare a list discussing the feasibility of including such sites in the National Park System. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1991
Small Business Investment Company Progress Act of 1991 - Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to prescribe minimum private capital requirements for small business investment companies. Sets forth guidelines for the maximum amount of outstanding guarantees which may be provided to small business investment companies under common control. Prohibits the Small Business Administration (SBA) from purchasing or guaranteeing securities or debentures of companies under common control. Sets forth a formula for the maximum amount of outstanding leverage which may be provided by the SBA to any investment company. Repeals provisions authorizing financial assistance as a percent of capital and surplus if the recipients are companies under common control. Sets forth subordination guidelines for debentures purchased or guaranteed by the SBA. Authorizes the inclusion of private or public pension funds within the definition of the private capital of a small business investment company. Mandates that financing made to provide long-term loans or equity capital for small business concerns assist in the establishment, change of ownership or expansion of small business concerns, according to specified guidelines. Authorizes the SBA to disqualify any director of a small business investment company who has been convicted of a criminal offense or moral turnpitude. Directs the SBA to issue guarantee and trust certificates at least every four months.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1991
Global Education Opportunities Act of 1991 - Title I: Foreign Language Instruction - Authorizes the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to make demonstration grants to eligible consortia to: (1) operate critical languages and area studies programs; (2) develop and acquire educational equipment and materials; and (3) develop teacher training programs, texts, curriculum, and other activities to improve and expand foreign language instruction at elementary and secondary schools. (Defines critical language as one designated on the Secretary's list under the Education for Economic Security Act.) Requires each grant recipient to include a study abroad or cultural exchange program among the assisted activities. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to make demonstration grants to State education agencies, institutions of higher education, and nonprofit education and professional associations to provide technology for distance learning, in cooperation with foreign language teachers and specialists, to serve small and rural school districts, small colleges, community colleges, and adult business education classes, through video tapes, cassettes, satellite linkages, cable programs, teleclasses, and computer-assisted instruction. Limits grant amounts. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants for innovative and model programs for elementary and secondary teacher education which integrate foreign language and culture, democracy and civic education, geography, and international studies into practicing and preservice teacher training. Provides that such programs must meet the needs of elementary school teachers before they address those of secondary school teachers. Requires an institute of higher education, to receive such a grant on behalf of its school or department of education and in cooperation with its liberal arts department, to submit a proposal to the Secretary and the appropriate State educational agency. (Allows nonprofit institutions of demonstrated effectiveness to also receive such grants.) Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to make competitive grants to various educational entities or consortia to act as a resource center for: (1) coordinating development and dissemination of foreign language and culture instructional materials (including children's literature, teacher's kits, videotapes, and computer software); and (2) encouraging expanded use of technology in teaching foreign languages and culture in elementary schools (and when these needs are met, in secondary schools), especially at schools with proportionally fewer resources. Requires coordination of such materials and technologies development with that under the Star Schools Program Assistance Act. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to make matching grants, within specified limits, to: (1) States and major metropolitan areas to establish foreign language foundations; and (2) world trade council units to provide language training, translation services, and information about other cultures and markets for small- and medium-sized businesses seeking to enter export markets. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Higher Education Amendments - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to revise student assistance for those engaged in study abroad. Specifies that programs of study abroad approved for credit by an institution of higher education (approved programs of study abroad) are among those for which eligible students may receive student assistance under the programs of Pell grants, supplemental educational opportunity grants, grants to States for State student incentives, guaranteed student loans, and Perkins loans. Includes such approved programs of study abroad under cost of attendance provisions for HEA Student Assistance. Revises student eligibility for assistance to declare that nothing in HEA shall be construed to limit or otherwise prohibit access to approved programs of study abroad. Declares that: (1) otherwise eligible students engaged in an approved program of study abroad are also eligible for assistance under title IV (Student Assistance) of HEA; and (2) such a study abroad program need not be a required part of the student's degree program to qualify for such assistance. Requires eligible institutions to: (1) disseminate to prospective and enrolled students accurate information that enrollment in an approved program of study abroad may be considered enrollment in the home institution for purposes of applying for Federal student financial assistance; and (2) agree, for purposes of student assistance program participation, not to deny any form of Federal aid to any student who meets HEA eligibility requirements on the grounds that such student is taking part in an approved program of study abroad. Applies existing requirements for loan check endorsement and multiple disbursement of federally-insured and guaranteed student loans to students engaged in a approved program of study abroad. Allows students participating in approved programs of study abroad to receive, according to specified formulas, increased aid under the programs of Pell grants, supplemental educational opportunity grants, State student incentive grants, federally insured loans, and Perkins loans. Establishes a program of incentive grants for enrollment in special programs abroad. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) make grants to institutions of higher education or certain other organizations to pay partial incentive stipends to individuals enrolled in certain programs of study abroad; and (2) award, through a national competition, incentive stipends to students who enroll in study abroad programs to learn languages and develop international skills not available in countries in which large numbers of U.S. students study. Requires such grants to be awarded on the basis of merit but with preference given to students who are underrepresented in study abroad, including those from minority groups and professional and preprofessional studies. Intends such stipends to meet extraordinary travel and other associated costs for a one-year maximum. Authorizes appropriations. Requires work study program participation agreements to permit: (1) an institution to devise suitable work opportunities for students studying abroad, including work for foreign colleges, universities, and nonprofit or service organizations; (2) establishment of internship programs involving work for foreign or multinational organizations relevant to the student's course of study; and (3) work-study compensation to eligible students for such work or internships. Declares that student financial aid administrators have discretionary authority to make certain necessary cost of attendance and asset adjustments and special arrangements for student notification, verification, disbursement, and refunds, for students participating in approved programs of study abroad. Allows requests for deferment of Stafford or Perkins student loan repayment by students engaged in graduate or postgraduate fellowship study abroad to be approved until the completion of the fellowship period. Revises HEA title VI (International Education Programs) requirements for undergraduate international studies and foreign language programs to add to the list of authorized grant activities development of: (1) undergraduate study abroad programs providing courses closely related to on-campus foreign language and international studies curricula; and (2) new study abroad opportunities for undergraduates in specific degree programs' curricula. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to higher education institutions, nonprofit organizations, and consortia for: (1) study abroad in the form of either programs in locations otherwise unavailable for such study or opportunities for students who would not otherwise engage in such study; and (2) enrichment of study abroad programs, including development of model predeparture and post-return activities, program selection material and advising services, and academic advising. Requires that centers for international business education assisted under HEA include in their programs opportunities for business students to study abroad in locations which are important to the current and future economic well-being of the United States. Provides that intensive summer language institutes receiving HEA grants may be either in the United States or in appropriate countries abroad. Includes among authorized providers of such training institutes designed to integrate intensive foreign language training with culture experiences abroad for undergraduate students in a wide range of disciplines. Covers the costs of travel to and from institutes in foreign countries in stipends for students and faculty attending such institutes.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1991
Directs the heads of Federal departments or agencies which hold or receive records and information which have or could possibly have been correlated to U.S. personnel listed as prisoners of war or missing in action after 1940, including from World War II and the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, to publicly disclose such records and information, except where such disclosure would compromise national security. Requires the Department of Defense to publicly disclose a complete list of such personnel including those killed in action (body not returned) with each service member's current classification as well as any changes in such classification occurring during or after such hostilities.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1991
Designates the month of November in 1991 and 1992 as National Hospice Month.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1991
Designates the week of October 6 through 12, 1991, as Mental Illness Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1991
Designates the months of March 1991 and March 1992 as Women's History Month.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1991
Designates the month of May 1991 as National Foster Care Month.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1991
Grants honorary U.S. citizenship to Christopher Columbus.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1991
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to design and strike a silver commemorative medal for members of the U.S. armed forces who serve in a combat zone in connection with the Persian Gulf conflict.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1991
Construction Safety, Health, and Education Improvement Act of 1991 - Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (the Act) to establish in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) an Office of Construction Safety, Health, and Education (the Office) to ensure safe and healthy working conditions in the performance of construction work. Directs the Secretary of Labor (the Secretary) to: (1) develop mandatory standards for construction safety and health plans and programs established under this Act; (2) assume control of a construction site to both prevent the destruction of any evidence that would assist in the investigation of a fatality, serious injury, or incident, (unless it must be moved or destroyed as a part of rescue operations) and monitor the rescue operations conducted in response to the incident; (3) assist the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health in developing training courses and curriculum for the training of OSHA inspectors and other OSHA employees with duties related to construction safety; (4) advise and consult with construction employer associations, construction employers, construction employees, and labor organizations as to effective means of preventing fatalities and serious injuries in construction work; (5) increase awareness of construction site safety through education, training, and outreach programs; (6) identify construction employers who have high frequency rates of fatalities or serious injuries or patterns of noncompliance with health and safety standards; and (7) carry out specified duties for construction worksite inspections, investigations, reporting, and recordkeeping and for construction safety and health plans and programs. Establishes within OSHA the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Construction who is to: (1) be appointed by the Secretary; (2) coordinate Office activities with those of other offices and directorates within OSHA as they relate to safety, health, and education in the construction industry; and (3) coordinate the activities and advice of the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health with all OSHA activities relating to such matters, ensuring that the Advisory Committee performs its functions under the Act and the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act. Directs the Secretary, with the advice of the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health, to determine the necessary qualifications and training for OSHA inspectors, including: (1) full understanding of the Act and the Secretary's standards and regulations for the construction industry; and (2) at least five years' experience working in the construction industry. Establishes requirements for construction safety and health plans and programs. Requires designation of a project constructor (the constructor) in construction project documents by the construction owner for every construction project covered by the Act. Gives the constructor: (1) responsibility for supervising and controlling all construction work on the worksite; and (2) overall responsibility for the safety and health of all construction employees at the construction worksite, and for performing constructor duties set out in the Act and regulations issued under it. Considers the construction owner as the project constructor if such owner does not designate a constructor. Directs the constructor for a worksite to establish and implement: (1) written safety and health plans by constructors, including the project safety and health programs of construction employers involved in the project; (2) hazard analyses that identify the potential for and provide instructions to prevent hazards in the construction process; and (3) construction process plans that include means to ensure worksite structural stability and worksite inspections. Requires that: (1) constructors designate project safety coordinators (coordinators) for construction projects and notify construction employers of their identity (although such coordinators may not be assigned overall responsibility for project safety); and (2) coordinators, on behalf of constructors, adequately monitor safety at construction sites, prepare project safety and health plans before construction commencement, and ensure construction employers' compliance with reporting requirements. Requires safety and health plans to provide for permit systems under which constructors authorize employers to engage in operations determined to pose a risk of death or serious injury (covered operations). Requires covered operations to include: (1) construction of trenches and excavations; (2) erection and dismantling of scaffolding; (3) demolition of any building or structure; (4) operation of cranes and derricks; (5) operations requiring employees to enter confined or enclosed spaces; (6) operations involving exposure to asbestos and other toxic materials; and (7) other operations designated by the Secretary. Requires constructors, in issuing such permits, to ensure that employers: (1) know of and show intent to comply with requirements of the Act and standards and regulations issued by the Secretary; and (2) have developed safety and health programs that adequately address the hazards of the covered operation. Requires construction employers (employers) involved in construction project worksites to develop and implement project safety programs commensurate with the scope of the work. Requires such programs to require: (1) employers to appoint one competent person for each project to be responsible for general program administration; (2) a competent person to be at each worksite at all times that employers are engaged in construction work; (3) competent persons to inspect worksites frequently and take all necessary actions to eliminate hazards, including work stoppage or removal of affected employees if necessary; (4) provision of prescribed general health and safety training for construction employees; (5) adequate worksite instruction in the recognition of unsafe and unhealthy conditions, applicable standards and regulations, use of construction worksite equipment, and the handling of toxic and harmful substances; (6) emergency evacuation plans, inspection procedures, reporting of incidents, regular safety meetings, and monitoring procedures; (7) a procedure for employees and employee representatives to obtain an immediate inspection or a written evaluation, or both, of a perceived hazardous condition or harmful substance by a qualified person at any time in the construction process; (8) upon determination that such condition or substance presents an imminent danger, for the project constructor to stop work at, or remove affected employees from, the area in which such danger exists; and (9) other requirements, including procedures for monitoring, notification, and safety meetings. Sets forth procedures for emergency waivers of such requirements under specified conditions. Exempts any construction worksite with only one employer and ten or fewer employees from requirements for construction safety and health plans and programs, unless the construction worksite is one at which one of the specified covered operations (under the permit system) occurs. Provides for inspections, investigations, reporting, and recordkeeping. Requires project constructors to submit, before construction work commences, specified types of information necessary for the Secretary to develop and conduct a system of prioritized inspections. Directs the Secretary to establish an effective system for construction worksite inspections. Requires such system to give priority to concentration of enforcement resources on construction worksites and operations with a high potential for fatalities or serious injuries, giving due weight to: (1) employers' and owners' worksite compliance records; and (2) frequency and severity rates of fatalities, serious injuries, and incidents attributable to particular owners and employers and particular types of construction projects, worksites, and operations. Prohibits such priority system from limiting: (1) inspections based on complaints by construction employees on their representatives or complaints of imminent dangers; or (2) inspections following up prior enforcement actions or proceedings. Prohibits the Secretary from excluding from construction worksite inspections any construction owner or employer. Requires project constructors to make and maintain accurate records concerning fatalities, serious injuries, and incidents at a worksite. Requires project constructors to report to the Secretary by telephone or telegraph, within four hours after its occurrence, any incident involving construction work that results in: (1) a serious injury; (2) a fatality; or (3) a structural failure. Requires such reports to specify certain information. Directs the Secretary to conduct site inspections to investigate all such reports of incidents, as the Secretary prescribes. Requires such inspections as soon as practicable or at least within 24 hours after receipt of the telephone or telegraph report, unless site conditions would make inspection dangerous. Requires the project constructor to prevent destruction of evidence. Directs the Secretary to make public a narrative description of the occurrence. Requires the project constructor, at project completion or at one-year intervals during the project, to report to the Secretary all fatalities and serious injuries and all structural failures. Requires such report to provide specified information. Grants the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health specified powers to carry out its functions under the Act and under the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act. Limits the terms of members of such Committee. Directs the Secretary to respond in writing within 60 days to any recommendation made by a majority of members of such Committee. Requires any State construction safety and health plan to comply with specified requirements for State plans under the Act and to provide for development and enforcement of requirements at least as effective as those imposed by the Act and the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States for administering and enforcing this Act. Sets forth formulas for determining the Federal share of such grants. Directs the Secretary to report to the President and the Congress: (1) annually on certain general subjects as these relate to the construction industry, including the operation of the Office; and (2) within 120 days after three years of Office operation, on whether specified relevant information supports the continued existence of the Office within OSHA or supports enactment of legislation to establish in the Department of Labor a Construction Industry Safety and Health Administration to be headed by an Assistant Secretary of Labor for Construction Safety and Health.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permanently extend the period during which qualified mortgage bonds and mortgage credit certificates may be issued.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1991
Designates November 19, 1991, as National Philanthropy Day.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1991
Designates the week beginning May 13, 1991, as National Senior Nutrition Week.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1991
Designates April 22, 1991, as Earth Day.
United States · United States Congress · 20 February 1991
Defense Production Act Extension and Amendments of 1991 - Amends the Defense Production Act of 1950 to extend its expiration date to October 20, 1991. Authorizes appropriations and sets spending limits under such Act through FY 1991. Repeals provisions of such Act granting immunity from civil and criminal suits and a defense to antitrust actions for persons engaging in voluntary agreements for defense preparedness programs and expansion of production capacity and supply. Authorizes the President, with respect to certain Defense Production Act activities, to exempt persons participating in a voluntary agreement or plan of action on behalf of the United States from Federal antitrust laws or any similar State law for activities engaged in as part of such voluntary agreement or plan. Requires an individual designated by the President to administer such an agreement or plan to provide prior written notice of the time, place, and nature of any meeting to carry out such agreement or plan to the Attorney General, the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, and the Congress. Outlines requirements for, and limitations to, the antitrust defense for participants in such agreements or plans. Exempts any activity or provision of such agreements or plans from the Federal Advisory Committee Act and other Federal law relating to advisory committees. Authorizes the President to order a priority in the allocation of materials, facilities, and services (currently, only materials and facilities) when requirements of national defense cannot otherwise be met. Requires the President to reach certain determinations concerning the critical shortages of such materials, facilities, and services before exercising such authority. Makes this Act effective (retroactively) on October 20, 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 20 February 1991
Federal Employee Family-Building Act of 1991 - Requires any contract for health benefits for Federal employees that provides obstetrical benefits to also provide benefits for family-building procedures. Provides that payment terms or conditions under such contracts shall be no more restrictive for family-building benefits than for obstetrical benefits. Defines "family-building procedure" as a medical procedure to overcome infertility (including procedures to achieve pregnancy and procedures to carry pregnancy to term) and procedures relating to child adoption. Requires such contracts to provide that: (1) benefits shall consist of reimbursement for reasonable and necessary medical expenses and counseling fees directly relating to the adoption of a child; and (2) benefits shall be available in connection with obstetrical care for the biological mother and medical care for the child if, or to the extent that, the pre-adoptive or adoptive parent or parents are legally responsible for the cost of such care. Directs the Office of Personnel Management to authorize the use of sick leave for purposes relating to family-building procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 20 February 1991
Women and Alcohol Research Equity Act of 1991 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for research on alcohol abuse and alcoholism, earmarking certain amounts for such research relating to women.
United States · United States Congress · 20 February 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow penalty-free withdrawals from an individual retirement plan if distributed to an Operation Desert Storm reservist within 180 days after the termination of active duty.
United States · United States Congress · 20 February 1991
Designates the week beginning July 21, 1991, as Lyme Disease Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 20 February 1991
Designates the weeks of April 14 through 21, 1991, and May 3 through 10, 1992, as Jewish Heritage Week.
United States · United States Congress · 19 February 1991
Designates January 1 as National Ellis Island Day.