United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1990
Condemns the restrictions of the print and electronic media imposed by the Soviet Union on journalists attempting to cover events in Lithuania. Urges: (1) General Secretary Gorbachev to rescind restrictions on the admission of Western journalists to, and on freedom of the press in, Lithuania; and (2) President Bush to take steps to facilitate the readmission of Western journalists to Lithuania.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1990
Foreign Investment Analysis Act of 1990 - Amends the International Investment and Trade in Services Survey Act to direct the President to report to the Congress regarding the status of integrated business data acquired by the Bureau of Economic Analysis from the Bureau of the Census with respect to the range and scope of foreign business ownership interests in the United States. (Presently the two organizations may not share such data with one another.) Amends Federal census law to direct the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Bureau of the Census to exchange and use data regarding foreign business ownership in the United States ("statistical establishment list information"). Sets forth confidentiality guidelines for such a data exchange and establishes criminal penalties for violations of such guidelines.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1990
Mortgage Servicing Transfer Disclosure Act of 1990 - Amends the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 to prescribe mortgage servicing disclosure requirements for each person making a federally related mortgage loan to a consumer (including the identity of the person to whom the mortgage servicing contract is transferred). Sets forth guidelines for the treatment of consumer loan payments during the period in which the mortgage loan servicing contract is being transferred. Sets forth liability guidelines for violations of this Act. Authorizes consumer class action suits. Sets forth guidelines for annual notification to the consumer by the mortgage servicer of the consumer's escrow account status, including itemized expenses and anticipated charges.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1990
Authorizes and requests the President to designate May 26, 1990, to commemorate the bicentennial of "An Act for the government of the territory of the United States, south of the river Ohio" (from which Tennessee was formed).
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1990
Commends the United Nations Human Rights Commission for extending the mandate of the Cuba Working Group with regard to the human rights situation in Cuba. Condemns the Government of Cuba for engaging in a consistent pattern of human rights violations and harassment of human rights activists. Calls upon the Cuban Government to: (1) honor its guarantees that individuals who testified before the Cuban Working Group would not be subject to reprisals; (2) release all human rights activists and other political prisoners; and (3) meet universally recognized standards of human rights.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 1990
Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to provide that the definition of "owner or operator" (for purposes of liability) does not include: (1) a designated lending institution which acquires control of a facility pursuant to the terms of a security interest held by the person in such facility or in connection with a lease subject to Federal or State banking authorities; (2) a corporate fiduciary which operates or has legal title to a facility pursuant to the terms of an estate or trust; (3) an individual or institution that serves as an indenture trustee and acquires control of a facility as the result of default on a financing document between the trustee and the issuing entity; and (4) an individual fiduciary who has legal title to a facility for purposes of administering an estate or trust.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 1990
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to disregard reparation payments made by the Federal Republic of Germany in the post-eligibility computation of income for individuals who reside in nursing homes or receive home- or community-based services.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 1990
Public Television Cable Carriage Act of 1990 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require each cable operator to carry on its cable system the signals of a qualified local noncommercial educational television station (QLNETS) according to provisions of this Act. Requires the operator of a cable system with 12 or fewer usable activated channels to carry only one QLNETS on such system, while allowing other QLNETSs to be carried at the discretion of the operator. Allows a cable operator which operated beyond the presence of any QLNETS to carry the system of one qualified noncommercial educational station (QNETS) (a nonlocal station) at its discretion. Requires a cable operator with a system of 13 to 36 usable activated channels to carry at least one but not more than three QLNETSs, while allowing other QLNETSs to be carried at its discretion. Requires the cable operator of a system which increases its usable activated channel capacity to more than 36 stations on or after March 29, 1990, to carry on such system each QLNETS requesting carriage, subject to other provisions of this Act. Requires all cable operators to continue to provide carriage to all QLNETSs carried on their systems as of March 29, 1990. Allows such requirement to be waived upon the written consent of the cable operator and any such station. Provides that a cable operator with a capacity of more than 36 channels which is required to carry three QLNETSs shall not be required to carry additional QLNETSs if their programming substantially duplicates the programming broadcast by another QLNETS requesting carriage. Requires a cable operator to retransmit in its entirety the primary video and audio transmission of each QLNETS carried on its cable system, as well as material necessary for the receipt of programming by handicapped persons or for educational or language purposes. Prohibits a QLNETS from being repositioned to a different channel by a cable operator unless the operator notifies the station and all cable subscribers at least 30 days in advance of such change. States that a cable operator: (1) shall not be required to carry any QLNETS which does not deliver a signal of good quality as defined by the Federal Communications Commission; (2) is prohibited from accepting monetary payment or other consideration in exchange for carriage of the signal of a QLNETS, except for certain carriage delivery costs; and (3) is not required to add a QLNETS not already required as of March 29, 1990, where such station would be considered a distant signal for copyright purposes, unless such station reimburses the operator for incremental copyright costs assessed against the operator as the result of such carriage.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 1990
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the provisions permitting small issues of tax-exempt bonds to finance manufacturing facilities and farm property.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 1990
Commends the United Nations Human Rights Commission for extending the mandate of the Cuba Working Group with regard to the human rights situation in Cuba. Condemns the Government of Cuba for engaging in a consistent pattern of human rights violations and harassment of human rights activists. Calls upon the Cuban Government to: (1) honor its guarantees that individuals who testified before the Cuban Working Group would not be subject to reprisals; (2) release all human rights activists and other political prisoners; and (3) meet universally recognized standards of human rights.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1990
Tourism Policy and Export Promotion Act of 1990 - Declares it to be the national goal to increase U.S. export earnings from U.S. tourism and transportation services with an eye toward: (1) the elimination of the travel and tourism export deficit of the United States and the U.S trade deficit; and (2) the achievement of a travel and tourism export surplus. Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to require the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to identify foreign trade barriers to U.S. travel and tourism. Requires the USTR to submit the National Trade Estimate to the President and the Senate Committees on Finance and Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Amends the International Trade Act of 1961 to require each annual tourism trade development plan to focus on those countries in which tourism trade development has the greatest potential for increasing travel and tourism export revenues. Declares that the Congress finds that increased efforts directed at the promotion of rural tourism will contribute to the economic development of rural America. Establishes the Rural Tourism Foundation. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1990
Liability Risk Retention Amendments of 1990 - Amends the Liability Risk Retention Act to change the ways in which: (1) States are allowed to regulate risk retention groups; (2) such groups are explicitly exempt from State regulation; and (3) States may control the licensing of agents or brokers for such groups. Allows a risk retention group to provide liability insurance to a nonmember in certain circumstances. Changes the ways in which: (1) purchasing groups are explicitly exempt from State regulation; and (2) States may control the licensing of agents or brokers for such groups. Requires additional information in the notice to State insurance commissioners of intent by a purchasing group to do business. Allows a purchasing group to purchase insurance only from an insurer meeting certain requirements of this Act. Authorizes admitted insurers, approved surplus lines insurers, and other nonadmitted insurers to provide insurance under the Act to purchasing groups, provided certain conditions are met. Requires the provision of insurance by a qualified purchasing group insurer to be regulated in specified ways by the State in which the group has its principal place of business. Requires that purchasing group insurers furnish specified information to the insurance commissioner of the State in which it has its principal place of business and, in certain circumstances, to the insurance commissioner of each State in which it is doing business. Requires a purchasing group insurer to register with and designate the State insurance commissioner of each State in which it has insured members as its agent for receiving service of legal documents or process. Requires the ownership interests of members of risk retention groups to be considered exempted securities for the purposes of the broker-dealer registration requirements of specified provisions of the Securities Act of 1933. Declares that the exemption provided under specified provisions of this Act includes the promotion, sale, and distribution of ownership interests in a company or association which is being organized solely for the purpose of qualifying as a risk retention group. Adds references to purchasing group insurers to provisions concerning the permissible State authority with regard to: (1) State motor vehicle no-fault and financial responsibility insurance law; (2) the applicability of the exemptions in the Act to liability insurance, and the provision or purchase of any other line of insurance; and (3) coverage which is prohibited generally by State statute or declared unlawful by the highest court of the State. Allows a State, subject to certain provisions relating to discrimination, to specify acceptable means of demonstrating financial responsibility as a condition for obtaining a license or permit to undertake specified activities. Prohibits a State from prohibiting any political subdivision or other public entity from becoming a member of a risk retention group or a purchasing group or from obtaining insurance provided by or for a group of which it is a member. Prohibits a State, except the State in which a risk retention group is chartered or has its principal place of business, from requiring a risk retention group or a purchasing group to pay a registration fee. Provides for injunctions to prevent: (1) application of State laws inconsistent with this Act; or (2) discrimination against a risk retention group or a purchasing group. Prohibits a State or political subdivision from establishing or applying requirements or limitations which are not identical to those in this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1990
Calls for the United States to: (1) continue to give the highest priority to accounting for Americans still missing or unaccounted for in Southeast Asia and to securing the return of Americans still held captive; (2) ensure cooperation with Vietnam and Laos to achieve credible answers for the families of such Americans, including primary-next-of-kin access to all records and information resulting from joint investigations, surveys, and excavations; (3) develop a means of accounting for Americans unaccounted for in Cambodia that is consistent with U.S. efforts to obtain a political settlement to the Cambodian situation; and (4) heighten responsible public awareness of Americans unaccounted for in Southeast Asia through the dissemination of factual data.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1990
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the United States should support the unified status of Jerusalem and continue to recognize that a unified Jerusalem is an integral part of the State of Israel; (2) efforts of the U.S. Government to achieve peace in the Middle East should take into account the close relationship between the United States and Israel, as well as Israel's legitimate security needs; and (3) efforts to advance the peace process must not call into question the status of Jerusalem.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1990
Maritime Appropriations Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1991 and 1992 - Authorizes appropriations without fiscal year limitation, as the appropriation Act may provide, for the use of the Department of Transportation for: (1) operating-differential subsidies; (2) operations and training; and (3) acquiring and maintaining a surge shipping capability in the National Defense Reserve Fleet in an advanced state of readiness. Amends the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 to replace provisions authorizing the Secretary of Transportation to acquire suitable vessels in exchange for obsolete vessels in the National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) with provisions authorizing the Secretary to acquire suitable vessels with funds in the Vessel Operations Revolving Fund derived from the sale of obsolete vessels in the NDRF.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 1990
Breast and Cervical Cancer Mortality Prevention Act of 1990 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control, to make grants to States, with regard to breast and cervical cancer, for screening, referrals and follow-up services, public information and education programs, education and training for health professionals, quality monitoring of screening, and evaluations of such activities. Sets forth preferences in making the grants and requires equitable geographical distribution. Requires matching non-Federal funds in a specified ratio. Requires that States agree to: (1) provide all of certain services by a specified date; (2) switch to any improved screening procedures which become available; and (3) assure the quality of any screening procedures used. Directs the Secretary to establish guidelines for assuring the quality of mammography and cytological screening conducted under these provisions. Requires that low-income women be given priority in the provision of services. Requires that a charge for services, if any: (1) be made according to a public schedule; (2) be adjusted for income of the woman involved; and (3) not be imposed on women with incomes below the poverty line. Requires services to be provided throughout a State, including to members of any Indian tribe or tribal organization. Authorizes the Secretary to provide training and technical assistance. Directs the Secretary to provide for annual evaluations of programs carried out under this Act. Authorizes appropriations. Limits the number of grants made to seven in FY 1991.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1990
Authorizes appropriations for FY 1991 for the Maritime Administration for: (1) operating-differential subsidies; (2) manpower, education, and training; (3) operating programs; (4) national security support capabilities; and (5) the Ready Reserve Force. Amends Federal law to replace provisions authorizing the Secretary of Transportation to make research grants to a National Maritime Enhancement Institute from amounts appropriated under specified provisions with provisions authorizing the Secretary to make awards to an institute from amounts appropriated. Amends the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 to require that the Board of Visitors to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, established by current law, be established for a term of two years commencing at the beginning of each Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1990
Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Act of 1990 - Title I: United States Coast Guard Regulations - Directs the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating, through the Commandant of the Coast Guard, to promulgate regulations to prevent and control the transportation into U.S. waters of viable biological materials in ship ballast waters. Mandates the use of a high sea ballast water exchange or alternative methods developed and recommended by the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations to prevent the unintentional transfer or introduction of nonindigenous species by ships operating exclusively within U.S. territorial waters or contiguous coastal waters of North America. Exempts such ships from the high seas exchange requirement of this Act. Exempts from the high seas exchange requirement a ship that is subject to requirements regarding the treatment of ballast water for the removal of chemical contaminants. Authorizes the Secretary to assess civil monetary penalties for violation of the regulations. Makes civil penalties available, as provided by appropriation Acts, to endow research on the control of nonindigenous species. Title II: Zebra Mussel and Aquatic Nuisance Species Research, Control, and Educational Program - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, through the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Secretary of Commerce, through the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (National Cooperative Action Group - NCAG), to jointly coordinate national research, control, and educational efforts associated with the infestation of the zebra mussel and other aquatic nuisance species in U.S. waters. Authorizes the NCAG to establish and coordinate regional commissions as necessary and to facilitate information transfer among the commissions. Authorizes Federal agency heads, on request of the chairman of any commission, to detail personnel to the commission. Requires the NCAG to provide advice to the Secretary of State concerning aquatic nuisance species that infest water resources shared with other countries. Requires the NCAG to establish a regional commission for the Great Lakes region and to request that the Great Lakes Fishery Commission: (1) designate a representative to serve on it; (2) advise, coordinate, and provide secretarial services on matters related to Great Lakes fisheries, related environmental concerns, and interactions with the Government of Canada; and (3) provide technical services for any technical committee established by the NCAG. Requires that the NCAG request that the Great Lakes Commission (established under the Great Lakes Basin Compact): (1) designate a representative to serve on the regional commission; (2) advise, coordinate, and provide secretarial services on matters related to the economic impacts of the zebra mussel on the geographic area of the Great Lakes; and (3) provide technical services for any technical committee established by the NCAG. Requires that research activities under this Act be carried out only in drainage basins infested with an aquatic nuisance species, with research funds allocated, to the extent possible, to existing facilities within infested areas. Sets forth research priorities. Directs the Secretary of State to initiate negotiations with foreign governments concerning prevention, research, education, and control programs for shared water resources. Requires compliance with specified treaties relating to the Great Lakes. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to declare the zebra mussel an injurious species. Requires the appropriate lead agency to allocate funds authorized under this Act for competitive university research grants to be administered through the Sea Grant College program to study aquatic nuisance species. Authorizes the program to conduct education and assistance services related to the prevention and control of such species. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1990
Designates the week of July 22 to July 29, 1990, as National Week of Recognition and Remembrance for Those Who Served in the Korean War. Authorizes and requests the President to urge that the American flag be flown at half staff on July 27, 1990, in honor of those Americans who died as a result of their service in Korea.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1990
Designates April 6, 1990, the 88th birthday of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, as Education Day, U.S.A. Calls on heads of state of the world to join the President of the United States in this tribute by signing scrolls of honor commemorating the 40th anniversary of Schneerson's leadership of the Lubavitch movement. Welcomes the cooperation of the Department of State in extending the good office of the U.S. missions to the Lubavitcher emissaries.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 1990
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the 25th anniversary of the enactment of the Older Americans Act of 1965 and its successful implementation should be recognized; (2) contributions at all levels of the aging network should be acknowledged and commended; and (3) support for the Act and its primary goal should be reaffirmed.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1990
Competitive Northeastern Rail Freight Service Act of 1990 - Requires the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to provide for access by a second, competitive rail freight carrier over routes from Montreal, Quebec, through New York State, via Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to Hagerstown, Maryland, and Potomac Yard, Alexandria, Virginia. Requires the ICC, if necessary, to grant trackage rights for the establishment of such competitive routes.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1990
Designates the week of June 24 through June 30, 1990, as National Sheriffs' Week in honor of the 50th anniversary of the National Sheriffs' Association.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1990
Student Loan Default Reduction Amendments of 1990 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 with respect to reduction of student loan defaults. Requires provision for graduated repayment of student loans under federally insured student loans and the insurance program under the guaranteed student (or Stafford) loan program. Restricts certain institutional promotional activities. Sets forth wage garnishment requirements for collection of student loan repayments. Requires that students admitted on the basis of ability to benefit pass certain tests prior to enrollment. Requires eligible institutions participating in student loan and assistance programs to have certain tuition refund policies.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 1990
Benjamin Franklin Memorial Fire Service Bill of Rights Act - Title I: Minting of Benjamin Franklin National Memorial Commemorative Coin - Benjamin Franklin National Memorial Commemorative Coin Act - Provides for the sale of Benjamin Franklin commemorative coins at a surcharge of which 25 percent shall be paid to the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial and the remainder be distributed in specified percentages to the National Fire Center and Museum Account, the National Hero Scholarship Account, the Firefighter Tuition Assistance Account, the Hazardous Materials Response Computer Account, the Research and Education Account, and the Burn Research Grant Account of the Firefighter Assistance Trust Fund (Fund). Prohibits the issuance of such coins from resulting in any net cost to the Federal government. Title II: Fire Service Bill of Rights - Fire Service Bill of Rights Act - Amends the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to establish a fire service bill of rights. Establishes the National Fire Center and Museum in the District of Columbia to provide information about the fire service and safety to the public and fire services. Establishes a National Hero Scholarship to fund the higher education of a child, spouse, or dependent parent of a deceased firefighter. Establishes a scholarship providing tuition assistance to firefighters for higher education in fire safety or protection. Authorizes the Administrator of the United States Fire Administration to use amounts in the Research and Education Account of the Fund to fund other specified programs under the Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 and the provision of information concerning surplus Federal property and infectious diseases pursuant to this Act. Establishes the Firefighter Assistance Trust Fund. Places the National Academy for Fire Prevention and Control within the United States Fire Administration. Directs the Administrator to provide States with funds from the Hazardous Materials Response Computer Account of the fund for distribution to local fire services that wish to purchase computer equipment. Directs the Administrator to make a grant from the Burn Research Grant Account of the Fund to one national firefighter's burn foundation dedicated to reducing burn injuries. Requires the Administrator to prepare and make available to fire services, upon request, a manual describing Federal procedures for disposing of surplus property and highlighting how fire services could obtain such property. Directs the Administrator to distribute to such marshals information on the infectious diseases to which firefighters are particularly vulnerable. Permits the Administrator, in certain circumstances, to award to a domestic firm a contract that, under the use of competitive procedures, would be awarded to a foreign firm.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1990
Requires the President, with respect to each year after 1989, to determine whether: (1) there was a reduction in the quantity of illicit coca produced or in illicit coca activities in Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru; and (2) any reduction is attributable to the implementation of social or economic alternatives in such countries. Authorizes the President, if an affirmative determination with respect to such a country is made, to apply special trade treatment to articles that: (1) are products of such country; and (2) are entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption in U.S. customs territory in the year following the year such determination was made. Prohibits such special treatment if specified actions under the Narcotics Control Trade Act are in effect with respect to such country. Authorizes the President to provide economic assistance to Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru to promote the production, processing, or marketing of agricultural commodity exports, excluding commodities from which narcotic and psychotropic drugs are derived. Waives provisions of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act that prohibit economic assistance for the growth or production in a foreign country of commodities which would compete with similar U.S. commodities with respect to such assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1990
Designates October 14, 1990, as Dwight D. Eisenhower Day, commemorating the 100th anniversary of Eisenhower's birth. Requests Members of Congress who are members of the Dwight David Eisenhower Centennial Commission to make arrangements for a joint meeting of the Congress in commemoration of the centennial of the birth of Dwight David Eisenhower.
United States · United States Congress · 20 February 1990
Authorizes appropriations for the Federal Maritime Commission for FY 1991. Amends the Shipping Act of 1984 to change the due date for a final report to the President and the Congress by the Advisory Commission on Conferences in Ocean Shipping to one year after all of the Commission's members have been appointed (currently, one year after the Commission is established).
United States · United States Congress · 20 February 1990
Supports the right of citizens to conduct peaceful and lawful demonstrations. Condemns the acts of physical violence of demonstrators who, on January 31, 1990, threw blood on the columns and steps of the U.S. Capitol and, on February 17, 1990, threw blood on the entrance gate to the White House. Urges that such demonstrators be prosecuted and charged with a felony.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1990
Savings and Economic Growth Act of 1990 - Title I: Capital Gains Provisions - Subtitle A: Reduction in Capital Gains Tax - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce the capital gains rate for noncorporate taxpayers through a deduction of: (1) 30 percent for assets held at least three years; (2) 20 percent for assets held at least two years; and (3) ten percent for assets held at least one year. Provides for the treatment of collectibles as short-term gains or losses (making them ineligible for such deduction). Disallows the capital gains deduction in computing the alternative minimum tax. Subtitle B: Depreciation Recapture - Provides for the treatment of gain from the disposition of certain depreciable realty as ordinary income. Title II: Home Ownership and Savings Incentives - Allows an exemption from the ten-percent additional tax on early distributions from qualified retirement plans up to $10,000, if the distribution is used to make a first-home purchase at a cost of no more than 110 percent of the median home price in the geographic area where the residence is located. Allows an individual (other than a dependent) to establish a family savings account for the exclusive benefit of an individual and the individual's beneficiaries. Limits contributions to such accounts to $2,500 for the taxable year, if the individual's adjusted income does not exceed $60,000 ($120,000 in the case of joint returns). Subjects the family savings account to the tax imposed on unrelated business income of tax-exempt organizations. Provides that distributions paid out of such accounts shall not be included in gross income, except for earnings on contributions held less than seven years. Establishes a ten-percent additional tax on earnings on contributions held less than three years.
![Official portrait of Rep. Lent, Norman F. [R-NY-4]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/l000243_200.jpg)