United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1990
Airline Passengers Defense Act of 1990 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish in the Department of Transportation an Office of Airline Passenger Advocacy. Establishes the Office of Airline Passenger Advocacy Advisory Group. Amends the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 to prohibit air carriers from cancelling a flight within 72 hours of its scheduled departure time for any reason, except for safety reasons or the absence of any passengers at such departure time. Requires air carriers which cancel such flights for safety-related reasons to report to the Secretary on the cancellation, the reasons for it, and actions taken to resolve the safety-related problem. Requires air carriers to notify their passengers of any delays of 15 minutes or more in the departure or arrival of scheduled flights. Requires an air carrier which cancels a flight in violation of this Act, or alters stopping places of such flight for any reason other than safety, to compensate passengers. Prohibits on-time performance of regularly scheduled flights from being 30 percent or less in any consecutive three-month period. Requires the Secretary to establish in the Office of Airline Passenger Advocacy a toll-free telephone number system for receiving passenger complaints relating to air service. Sets forth requirements relating to: (1) ticket information; and (2) lost or damaged baggage claims. Sets forth civil penalties for economic cancellations and consistently delayed flights by air carriers.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 1990
Banking Law Enforcement Act of 1990 - Title I: Enhanced Criminal Penalties - Amends Federal criminal law to establish criminal penalties (including imprisonment) for the concealment of assets from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) (acting as conservator or receiver), the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC), or the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Board (acting as conservator or liquidating agent). Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the Federal Credit Union Insurance Act to prohibit certain felons convicted of dishonesty or breach of trust from controlling or participating in the affairs of a depository institution for a minimum ten-year period. Amends Federal criminal law to establish criminal penalties (including imprisonment) for obstructing any examination of a financial institution. Increases from 20 years to 30 years the maximum prison term for bank fraud and embezzlement. Establishes a ten-year statute of limitations for the prosecution of racketeering offenses involving financial institutions. Extends money laundering prohibitions to include funds from specified bank crimes. Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to promulgate guidelines for increased penalties for certain bank crime convictions in which the defendant derived more than $1,000,000 in gross receipts from the offense. Provides for restoration of forfeited property and for restitution to bank crime victims. Sets forth maximum criminal fines and minimum imprisonment terms for certain continuing financial crime enterprises (i.e., certain violations committed by at least four persons acting in concert). Title II: Protecting Assets from Wrongful Disposition - Authorizes the Attorney General to obtain a court order enjoining or restraining the alienation or disposition of property obtained as a result of a banking law violation. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the Federal Credit Union Act to set forth attachment procedures. Amends Federal bankruptcy law to provide that the trustee shall be deemed to have assumed a debtor's commitment to a Federal depository institution regulatory agency to maintain the capital of an insured depository institution (thus precluding the trustee from rejecting such commitment as an executory contract which can be avoided as a discharge in bankruptcy). Exempts a Federal depository institution regulatory agency acting as conservator for an insured depository institution from the requirement of proving reasonable reliance upon a false writing supplied by a debtor who is an institution-affiliated party. Prohibits a discharge in bankruptcy for debts resulting from the debtor's failure to fulfill a commitment to a Federal financial institution regulatory agency to maintain the capital of an insured depository institution. Exempts a Federal depository institution regulatory agency acting as conservator for an insured depository institution from the requirement of a timely nondischargeability request (including notice and hearing) when seeking to recover a debt relating to malfeasance. Declares that for specified cases of deceitful conduct, any institution-affiliated party of an insured depository institution (or credit union) shall be deemed to have been acting in a fiduciary capacity with respect to any debt owed to a Federal banking regulatory agency (thus making such debt nondischargeable in bankruptcy). Sets forth as a prerequisite for a bankruptcy reorganization plan that the debtor will: (1) maintain any commitment to a Federal banking regulatory agency to maintain the capital of an insured depository institution; and (2) continue to be obligated for any debt to such agency for failure to fulfill such commitment. Makes certain debts owed by an institution-affiliated party to an insured depository institution under Federal receivership nondischargeable under a consumer debt bankruptcy plan. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the Federal Credit Union Act to empower the FDIC and the NCUA (acting as conservators) to avoid fraudulent conveyances by a debtor institution-affiliated party. Prohibits an insured depository institution or credit union which does not meet minimum Federal capitalization requirements from making golden parachute payments, covered benefit payments, or certain payments in anticipation of insolvency to an institution-affiliated party without prior written Federal agency approval. Cites conditions under which insured depository institutions and credit unions may make golden parachute payments and covered benefits payments with FDIC or NCUAB approval. Amends the Federal criminal code to revise the civil and criminal forfeiture guidelines for: (1) property affecting a financial institution; and (2) fraudulent offenses involving the sale of assets held by Federal banking regulatory agencies. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the Federal Credit Union Act to prohibit certain convicted felony debtors whose default to an insured financial institution in receivership will cause substantial loss from acquiring any asset of the institution (except with respect to repayment). Title III: Improved Procedures for Handling Banking-Related Cases - Amends Federal criminal law to authorize wiretaps for bank fraud and related offenses. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the Federal Credit Union Act to set forth reciprocal assistance guidelines for foreign investigations by Federal banking agencies and investigations on behalf of foreign banking authorities. Amends the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 (FIRREA) to extend from five to ten years the statute of limitations for commencing a civil action for Federal bank law violations. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the National Credit Union Act to grant the FDIC, the RTC, and the NCUA subpoena authority. Title IV: Structural Reforms to Improve the Federal Response to Crimes Affecting Financial Institutions - Establishes within the Office of the Deputy Attorney General in the Department of Justice a Financial Institutions Fraud Unit, headed by a Special Counsel who shall report directly to the Deputy Attorney General. Terminates such Office five years after enactment of this Act. Empowers the Special Counsel to investigate and prosecute criminal activity involving the financial services industry. Directs the Attorney General to establish: (1) financial institutions fraud task forces; and (2) a senior interagency group to assist in identifying the most significant financial institution fraud cases, to allocate investigative and prosecutorial resources, and to expedite interagency coordination and prosecution of financial institutions fraud. Amends Federal criminal law to authorize the Secret Service (under the direction of the Secretary of the Treasury) to detect and arrest persons who violate banking laws with respect to financial institutions and the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC). Title V: Reporting Requirements - Directs the Attorney General to report quarterly to the Congress regarding financial institution crimes. Requires the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts to present annual statistical tables to the Congress on the business imposed on the Federal courts by the savings and loan crisis. Title VI: National Commission on Financial Institution Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement - Establishes the National Commission on Financial Institution Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement to make investigations and recommendations regarding specified aspects of the savings and loan crisis. Requires the Commission to submit a final report to the President and the Congress within one year after enactment of this Act. Terminates the Commission 30 days after the submission of such final report. Authorizes appropriations. Title VII: Authorizations - Amends the FIRREA to authorize appropriations to the Attorney General and the Federal Court System for bank crime cases.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1990
Title I: Research - Subtitle A: Health Research Act - Women's Health Research Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health the Office of Women's Health to coordinate all activities and research of the Department of Health and Human Services relating to disease, disorders, or other health conditions that are unique to, more prevalent in, or more serious for women, or for which risk factors or interventions are different for women. Establishes in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) the National Center for Women's Health Research and Development. Requires the Center, with respect to women's health research, to: (1) identify research projects conducted or supported by each agency of the NIH and of the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration (ADAMHA); (2) evaluate such projects and select those that have particular merit; (3) provide amounts to the agencies for the projects; and (4) take other actions. Requires the Director of the Center to: (1) investigate the extent to which women are being included in NIH or ADAMHA research; (2) investigate whether the projects are being carried out in accordance with policies regarding the inclusion of women; (3) coordinate NIH and ADAMHA research with respect to women's health; and (4) take other actions. Requires the Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to conduct a program for clinical research in obstetrics and gynecology. Requires the Director of the Center to establish the National Women's Health Data Bank and the National Women's Health Clearinghouse. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish: (1) within the Center the National Women's Health Clinical Research Advisory Board; and (2) the Interagency Council on Women's Health Research and Development. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle B: Clinical Trials Fairness Act - Clinical Trials Fairness Act - Amends provisions of the Public Health Service Act relating to the national research institutes and provisions relating to the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration (ADAMHA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to ensure, in conducting or supporting clinical research, that women and minority groups are included as research subjects, unless inappropriate. Requires that any project be designed and carried out so as to provide for a valid analysis of whether the research variables affect women or minorities differently than other subjects. Directs the Secretary to establish within the advisory council of each institute and each agency of ADAMHA a Clinical Research Equity Subcommittee to review all clinical research of that agency to determine whether the research is being conducted in accordance with requirements of this Act. Provides for suspension or revocation of the authority for any project the Secretary determines is not being conducted in accordance with those requirements. Defines "minority groups" to mean racial and ethnic minority groups. Requires that the technical and scientific peer review process in the institutes and ADAMHA include an evaluation of the inclusion of women and minority groups as research subjects. Subtitle C: Breast Cancer Research - Authorizes appropriations to the National Cancer Institute for breast cancer research other than research that involves treatment or clinical trials. Subtitle D: Contraceptive and Infertility Research Centers Act of 1990 - Contraception and Infertility Research Centers Act of 1990 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the Institute of Child Health and Human Development to make grants and enter into contracts for centers for improving methods of contraception and centers for diagnosing and treating infertility. Requires the Director, subject to appropriations, to provide for three centers on contraception and two centers on infertility. Requires each center to: (1) conduct clinical and other applied research; (2) develop training protocols for and conduct training of physicians, scientists, nurses, and other health and allied health professionals; (3) develop model continuing education programs; and (4) disseminate information to such professionals. Allows a center to use the funds to provide: (1) stipends for health and allied health professionals enrolled in the training programs; and (2) fees to individuals serving as subjects in the clinical trials. Requires each center to use the facilities of a single institution, or be formed from a consortium of cooperating institutions, meeting requirements as prescribed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Allows support for a center to be for a period of up to five years, with extensions of one or more periods of up to five years if the center's operations have been reviewed by a peer review group and the group has so recommended. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary to establish a program of entering into agreements with health professionals, including graduate students, under which the professionals agree to conduct research with respect to contraception or infertility in consideration of the Government agreeing to repay, for each year of such service, not more than a specified amount of the principal and interest of their educational loans. Applies provisions of the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program to this program, except as inconsistent. Authorizes appropriations. Requires amounts appropriated to remain available until the end of the second fiscal year after they are appropriated. Subtitle E: Contraception and Infertility - Declares that the Congress should: (1) establish a program of research for the development of methods of contraception and methods of diagnosing and treating infertility; (2) provide adequate long-term resources for the program; (3) ensure that Federal programs with respect to sexually transmitted diseases adequately respond to the role of such diseases in infertility; (4) ensure public education on contraception and infertility; (5) establish as Federal goals the development, by the year 2010, of improved barrier methods to protect against pregnancy and diseases, new methods of contraception for use by men, a vaccine-like drug for women that prevents pregnancy for a significant period of time without other specified effects, and new and improved techniques of diagnosing and treating infertility; (6) require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to reestablish the Ethical Advisory Board in order to facilitate research with respect to infertility; (7) review the policies and procedures of the Food and Drug Administration with respect to expediting approval of drugs and devices for use by the public, especially with respect to contraception and infertility; and (8) determine to what extent measures can be implemented by public or private entities to resolve liability issues involved with drugs and devices concerned with contraception and infertility. Subtitle F: Women and AIDS Research Initiative - Women and AIDS Research Initiative Amendments of 1990 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Administrator of the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration, or both, to establish a program to conduct biomedical and behavioral research on cases of infection with the etiologic agent for acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in women. Authorizes the Secretary to conduct the research directly or through grants. Specifies forms of research to be included. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes appropriations for grants for community-based clinical trials on experimental treatments for such infection for women. Allows the Director of the NIH to authorize grantees to expend the grants to provide individuals with such transportation, child care, and other incidental services as may be necessary to enable the individuals to participate as subjects in the trials. Subtitle G: Osteoporosis and Related Disorders Research - Osteoporosis and Related Bone Disorders Research, Education, and Health Services Act of 1990 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMSD) and the Director of the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to expand and intensify research on osteoporosis and related bone disorders. Requires, with respect to osteoporosis and related bone disorders: (1) the NIAMSD Director to increase the number of Specialized Centers of Research; and (2) the NIA Director to increase the number of program project grants devoted to creating centers of excellence. Authorizes appropriations. Establishes in the Department of Health and Human Services the Interagency Council on Osteoporosis and Related Disorders and the Advisory Panel on Osteoporosis and Related Disorders. Authorizes appropriations for the Advisory Panel. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make up to three grants to establish model health promotion projects for community-based education on osteoporosis, with each project targeting one of these groups: young and teenage girls, midlife women, and older men and women. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the NIAMSD Director to make grants or enter into contracts to establish a Resource Center on Osteoporosis and Related Disorders to: (1) disseminate information about research results, services, and educational materials to health professionals, patients, and the public; and (2) coordinate regional training for the development of health professional resource networks. Requires grant and contract recipients to establish: (1) a central computerized information system to, among other matters, translate scientific and technical information into information readily understandable by the general public; and (2) a national toll-free telephone information line. Requires the grant or contract recipient to charge fees for providing information, but allows exceptions for individuals and organizations unable to pay. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Services - Subtitle A: Informed Consent for Breast Cancer Treatment - Breast Cancer Treatment Informed Consent Act - Requires any State receiving funds under titles V (Maternal and Child Health Block Grant) or XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act or under the preventive health service provisions of the Public Health Service Act to require any physician or surgeon licensed to practice medicine in such State to inform any breast cancer patient of alternative methods of treatment for breast cancer before such treatment is begun. Requires that the patients be informed by means of: (1) a standardized written summary in layman's language and in a language understood by the patient of alternative methods of treatment; and (2) an explanation of the treatment options described in such written summary together with the risks associated with each procedure relative to each patient's particular medical circumstances. Subtitle B: Reimbursement for Certain Nurse Practitioners Under Medicare and Medicaid - Women's Health Care Coverage Expansion Act of 1990 - Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to provide Medicare and Medicaid coverage of obstetrical and gynecological services furnished by nurse practitioners. Subtitle C: Adolescent Pregnancy and Parenthood Act of 1990 - Mickey Leland Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention and Parenthood Act of 1990 - Replaces the current title XX (Adolescent Family Life Demonstration Projects) of the Public Health Service Act with a new title on adolescent pregnancy prevention, care, and research grants. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to provide care services to pregnant adolescents and adolescent parents and prevention services to nonpregnant adolescents. Lists permissible uses for the grants. Requires that grantees charge fees for services only according to a fee schedule approved by the Secretary that bases fees on income. Prohibits a grantee from discriminating on the basis of an individual's inability to pay for services. Sets forth priorities in making the grants. Provides for the amount of a grant. Prohibits the Federal portion of the grant from exceeding 75 percent of annual program costs. Allows non-Federal contributions to be in cash or in kind. Allows the Secretary to waive the 75 percent limitation in accordance with criteria established by regulation. Sets forth descriptions and assurances which must be included in grant applications. Requires grant recipients to spend between three and ten percent to conduct, through an independent entity, an evaluation of the services supported. Directs the Secretary to coordinate Federal policies and programs providing services relating to the prevention of initial and recurrent adolescent pregnancies and providing care for pregnant adolescents and adolescent parents. Requires grant recipients to coordinate activities with other grant recipients in the same locality. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to support: (1) research concerning the societal causes and consequences of pregnancy, childbearing, and child rearing for adolescent females and males; (2) evaluative research to identify services that reduce adolescent pregnancy rates and that improve the outcome of adolescent childbearing; and (3) the dissemination of information from programs and research relating to adolescent pregnancy and parenthood. Allows research and dissemination grants to be made for one year, with renewals for four additional one-year periods. Limits the amount of a grant for direct costs, but allows: (1) additional amounts for indirect costs as the Secretary deems appropriate; and (2) the Secretary to waive the limitation. Sets forth allowed and prohibited uses of the funds. Directs the Secretary to coordinate research and dissemination activities carried out under these provisions with such activities carried out by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Directs the Secretary to establish a system for the review of applications that is substantially similar to the system for scientific peer review of the NIH. Requires the creation of a panel to review applications. Requires grants to be made from among programs the panel has determined to be of scientific merit. Authorizes appropriations for carrying out the title added by this subtitle. Prohibits use of funds for grants under this subtitle for payment for the performance of an abortion. Subtitle D: COBRA Displaced Family Amendments Act of 1990 - COBRA Displaced Family Amendments of 1990 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and the Public Health Service Act to declare that specified provisions relating to the required period of group health plan continuation coverage do not apply to the qualifying events of death, divorce, or legal separation involving a beneficiary who is 50 years old or older. Requires that coverage continue until the 23rd birthday for a beneficiary under 20 years old at the time of such an event involving a covered employee 50 years old or older. Entitles beneficiaries who have applied for, but not received, a determination of disability before the end of an 18 month period after the qualifying event to a continuation period of 29 months. Requires that notice of the option to enroll under a conversion plan be given during the 120-day period ending 60 days before the expiration of the continuation coverage. (Current law requires such notice be given during the 180-day period ending on the expiration date of the continuation coverage.) Allows continuation coverage to end on the date on which the employer or successor employer (currently, the employer) ceases to provide any group health plan to any employee. Subtitle E: Federal Employee Family-Building Act - Federal Employee Family-Building Act of 1989 - 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. 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. 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. Title III: Prevention - Subtitle A: Medicaid Infant Mortality Amendments of 1990 - Medicaid Infant Mortality Amendments of 1990 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to phase-in mandatory State coverage of pregnant women and infants whose family income is below 185 percent of the Federal poverty level. Deducts child and medical care costs from the income eligibility test. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report to the Congress by July 1, 1991, on State error rates in determining the Medicaid eligibility of pregnant women and infants. Suspends error rate penalties attributable to such eligibility determinations made from July 1, 1989, until one year after the Secretary's report. Authorizes States to provide Medicaid coverage of prenatal home visitation services for high-risk pregnant women and/or postpartum home visitation services for high-risk infants. Excuses women, during and for 60 days after pregnancy, from a requirement to cooperate in: (1) establishing paternity regarding a child born out of wedlock; (2) obtaining support and payments. Subtitle B: Breast and Cervical Cancer Mortality Prevention Act of 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 are recommended for use; 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 any woman 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. Subtitle C: Mammography Reimbursement Under Medicare - Part 1: Screening Mammography Medicare Coverage Act of 1989 - Screening Mammography Medicare Coverage Act of 1989 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover screening mammographies for women over age 34 under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of the Medicare program. Part 2: The Rose Kushner Medicare Screening Mammography Act of 1990 - Rose Kushner Medicare Screening Mammography Act of 1990 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover screening mammographies for women over age 34 at a frequency which varies on the basis of a woman's age and risk of developing breast cancer. Finances such coverage by increasing the Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) premium. Part 3: Older Women's Breast Cancer Prevention Act of 1990 - Older Women's Breast Cancer Prevention Act of 1990 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover screening mammographies for Medicare-eligible women whose last screening mammographies were performed more than 11 months previously. Determines the payment amount for such service pursuant to a fee schedule. Subtitle D: Coverage of Bone Mass Measurement Under Medicare - Medicare Bone Mass Measurement Coverage Act of 1990 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide Medicare coverage of bone mass measurements. Subtitle E: Women and AIDS Outreach and Prevention Act - Women and AIDS Outreach and Prevention Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants regarding prevention of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and other sexually transmitted diseases in women, including preventive health services, screening, providing treatment (for such diseases other than AIDS), referrals, and follow-up services. Requires that a grantee be an entity that provides health or voluntary family planning services: (1) to a significant number of low-income women; and (2) in an area with a significant number of AIDS cases in women and in newborn infants. Requires that grantees maintain the confidentiality of information on individuals, subject to complying with applicable law. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle F: Infertility Prevention Demonstration Projects of 1990 - Infertility Prevention Demonstration Projects Act of 1990 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants for demonstration projects for the prevention and control of the sexually transmitted disease known as chlamydia, including by providing: (1) to women services relating to counseling, screening, treatment, referrals, follow-up, and outreach; and (2) public information and education and data collection. Requires that grantees be grant recipients under specified provisions that provide preventive gynecological health care. Prohibits charging for the services or information. Authorizes appropriations. Limits the number of grants to ten in fiscal year 1991.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1990
Condemns: (1) the arrest and detention of Kenyan citizens for the peaceful expression of political views and the recent violence against Kenyan citizens by security forces; and (2) the Kenyan Government's disregard of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Calls upon the Kenyan Government to: (1) end intimidation and harassment of those critical of government policies; and (2) implement safeguards to ensure freedom of the press and independence of the judiciary and to guarantee civil and human rights for individuals detained by the government. Expresses the sense of the Congress that all military and economic support fund assistance to Kenya should be suspended until the Kenyan Government: (1) restores basic human rights and fundamental freedoms; (2) releases persons arrested for the peaceful expression of their views and ends harassment and detention of political opponents and human rights lawyers; and (3) enables the Kenyan people to determine whether they want to pursue a multi-party democratic system.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 1990
Lead Battery Recycling Incentives Act - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate regulations for persons who generate, transport, store, recycle, or dispose of spent lead-acid batteries. Requires the Administrator, in developing such regulations, to conduct an analysis of the economic impact of the regulations on the recycling industry. Sets forth required elements of such regulations, including specific requirements for: (1) the storage and transfer of batteries by generators; (2) recordkeeping by battery generators, transporters, and recyclers; and (3) management practices of recyclers. Directs battery retailers to accept from customers used lead-acid batteries of the same type and quantity of the batteries sold. Requires transporters to acquire an identification number from the EPA or the State enforcing this Act. Directs the Administrator to implement education activities to inform the public about the environmental and safety hazards associated with improper handling and disposal of spent lead-acid batteries. Authorizes appropriations. Applies such requirements to batteries which are transported to or managed by a lead-acid battery recycling facility, a secondary lead smelter, or any facility that prepares batteries for recycling by means of exposing lead to the atmosphere. Requires producers or importers of lead-acid batteries to recycle, for the ten-year period beginning 24 months after this Act's enactment, an amount of spent lead equal to at least the amount determined by multiplying the amount of lead in the batteries produced or imported by such persons by the recycling percentage established by the Administrator. Authorizes compliance with such requirement by: (1) reclaiming lead from such batteries and using it in the production of new batteries; (2) purchasing reclaimed lead from secondary lead smelters for purposes of producing new batteries or shielding; or (3) purchasing recycling credits. Directs producers or importers to report annually to the Administrator on the amount of virgin and secondary lead used in new lead-acid batteries produced or imported by such persons. Requires the Administrator to establish a recycling percentage that is two points higher than the existing recycling rate for spent lead in used lead-acid batteries. Increases such percentage by two points annually. Authorizes the Administrator to reduce or waive the two percent increase if the rate exceeds 95 percent. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations to allow: (1) producers or importers of lead-acid batteries to create credits for recycling an amount of batteries greater than required; and (2) producers or importers of new batteries to purchase such credits for purposes of complying with this Act. Sets forth minimum requirements for the credit system. Applies battery recycling requirements to persons who produce or import more than 10,000 pounds of new lead-acid batteries annually. Sets the recycling percentage at 90 percent if the Administrator fails to promulgate recycling regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 1990
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to permit the cancellation of Perkins student loans for service as a full-time law enforcement or corrections officer.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1990
FHA Protection and Homeownership Preservation Act of 1990 - Amends the National Housing Act to limit the maximum amount of a Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insured mortgage principal to a property's appraised value. Sets forth periodic premium payment schedules. Limits FHA rebates on unearned premiums. Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to: (1) insure that the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund attains specified capital ratios; (2) conduct annual Fund audits; and (3) adjust premiums as necessary. Authorizes periodic mortgage insurance safety premiums.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 1990
Support for Democracy and Human Rights in China Act of 1990 - Prohibits most-favored-nation treatment for Chinese products. Terminates such prohibition upon the President's certification to the Congress that China: (1) has ceased committing violations of internationally recognized human rights; (2) has ceased persecution of pro-democracy movement members; (3) permits unrestricted emigration; and (4) has ceased religious persecution in China and Tibet.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 1990
Mickey Leland Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention and Parenthood Act of 1990 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to replace the title on adolescent family life demonstration projects with a title on adolescent pregnancy prevention, care, and research grants. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to provide, supplement, or improve the quality of care services to pregnant adolescents and their male partners and adolescent parents and prevention services to nonpregnant adolescents. Requires grantees to charge fees for services only under a fee schedule, approved by the Secretary, based on the income of the person and taking into account the difficulty adolescents face in obtaining resources to pay for services. Prohibits discrimination because of an individual's inability to pay for services. Sets forth priorities in making grants, including giving priority to applicants that: (1) serve an area with a high incidence of adolescent pregnancy; and (2) serve an area with a high proportion of low-income families and low availability of care programs. Requires that the amount of a grant be set by the Secretary. Limits a grant, subject to waiver for one year, to 75 percent of the cost of a program. Specifies the information and assurances which must accompany a grant application. Directs the Secretary to coordinate Federal policies and programs providing services relating to the prevention of initial and recurrent adolescent pregnancies and providing care services, including by requiring grantees under these provisions to report concerning Federal, State, and local policies that interfere with delivery and coordination of programs of care for pregnant adolescents and adolescent parents. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to institutions of higher education to support and disseminate the results of research relating to adolescent pregnancy. Limits grants or contracts to: (1) one year, subject to renewal for four additional one-year periods; and (2) subject to waiver, a specified dollar amount. Allows funds to be used for descriptive or explanatory surveys, evaluation studies, longitudinal studies, or limited programs for services that are for the purpose of increasing knowledge and understanding of specified matters. Directs the Secretary to establish a system for the review of grant and contract applications which is similar to the system of scientific peer review of the National Institutes of Health. Allows grants only to programs determined by the review panel to have scientific merit. Authorizes appropriations to carry out this Act, earmarking at least two-thirds of appropriated funds for services, with no more than one-third of those amounts used for grants for prevention services. Prohibits using grant funds under this Act for the performance of an abortion.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 1990
Robert Noyce National Math and Science Teachers Corps Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award up to 5,000 scholarships annually to assist individuals in obtaining a teaching degree (with individual limits of four such scholarships for undergraduate study and two for graduate study). Requires scholarship recipients to agree to: (1) teach science or mathematics in an elementary or secondary school eligible for certain payments for disadvantaged children's education, for at least two years for each fiscal year the recipient received such a scholarship; or (2) repay such scholarship in whole or in part, depending on the amount of required teaching done. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 1990
Title X Pregnancy Counseling Act of 1990 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services from making a grant for the provision of family planning methods or services unless the applicant agrees to provide complete information and counseling regarding pregnancy, and for a pregnant woman who requests information on options for an unintended pregnancy, to provide: (1) nondirective counseling on prenatal care and delivery, infant care, foster care and adoption, and termination of pregnancy; and (2) referrals for the services that are appropriate to the decision of the woman.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 1990
Amends the Defense Production Act to authorize the President or his designee to conduct a review to determine whether an investigation should be conducted to determine the effects on national security of certain mergers, acquisitions, and takeovers by foreign persons which could result in foreign control of persons or activities engaged in interstate commerce in the United States. (Currently, there is no review process prior to such investigation.) Authorizes the Secretaries of Commerce and Defense, if the President's designee is an interagency committee, to collect and analyze such takeover proposals, identify the plans of the acquiring foreign person with respect to the transfer of technology, and make recommendations to the committee concerning the need to conduct such an investigation. Authorizes the Secretaries to: (1) solicit assurances from the foreign person that their plans will not impair the national security; (2) conduct a review to determine if such assurances are being implemented and complied with; and (3) request that the interagency committee conduct an investigation if the Secretary of Commerce finds that a foreign person is not appropriately implementing or complying with the assurances. Requires a foreign person making a direct investment in a United States person (entity) to file with the President or his designee an advisement which discloses specified information with respect to such investment. Requires each agency serving on the interagency committee to identify technologies which are essential to the industrial and technological base of the United States, a list of which shall be published in the Federal Register. Requires the Secretaries to identify, in connection with any merger, acquisition, or takeover involving a foreign person, any essential technology which is involved. Requires an investigation to be commenced if an essential technology is found to be involved. Requires the foreign person, as part of such investigation, to make assurances that the involvement of such essential technology will not adversely affect the national security by eroding the industrial and technological base of the United States. Authorizes the President to suspend or prohibit any merger, acquisition, or takeover by a foreign person in the United States if the President believes that national security might be impaired by the effects such takeover could have on the industrial or technological base of the United States. Allows General Accounting Office officials and employees access to information collected by the Secretary of Commerce concerning foreign direct investment in the United States for purposes of responding to requests for information and conducting research and analysis for the Congress. Directs the President to report to the Congress the results of a study conducted to identify trends in foreign direct investment in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1990
Food for Peace and Agricultural Export Promotion Act of 1990 - Title I: Food for Peace (Public Law 480) - Mickey Leland Food for Peace Act - Amends the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 to extend through 1995 the authority to enter into agreements to finance the sale of agricultural commodities or provide famine relief assistance. Declares it U.S. policy to increase the level of food aid to developing countries through the use of agricultural commodities, and local currencies generated by the sale of such commodities, to: (1) combat world hunger and malnutrition; and (2) expand export markets for U.S. agricultural commodities. Allows the President to forgive debts owed to the Commodity Credit Corporation by certain least developed countries in specified circumstances. Authorizes the President, acting through the Agency for International Development, to provide commodities to least developed countries on a grant basis. Directs the President to establish a Food Aid Advisory Group. Establishes a Food for Freedom Program. Authorizes the President to enter into agreements to provide agricultural commodities to eligible countries to support democratization, the granting of individual liberties, and the promotion of economic freedom. Directs the Comptroller General of the United States to evaluate assistance provided under the Act once every three years. Repeals the Food for Progress Act of 1985. Title II: Export Promotion - Amends the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to require the Secretary of Agriculture to develop, for each three-fiscal year period, a long-term agricultural trade strategy designed to promote the export of U.S. agricultural commodities. Authorizes the Secretary to make commercial export promotion programs of the Department of Agriculture and the Commodity Credit Corporation available to an affected industry to help mitigate unfair trade practice of a foreign country. Directs the Secretary to establish the Market Development Task Force to develop each three-fiscal year long-term agricultural strategy and to provide information with regard to agricultural export markets and domestic trade programs. Directs the Commodity Credit Corporation to carry out a program to discourage unfair trade practices by making U.S. agricultural commodities competitive, especially high-value and value-added agricultural commodities. Requires the Corporation to establish a program to encourage the development and expansion of commercial export markets for agricultural commodities through cost-share assistance to eligible trade organizations that implement a foreign market development program. Requires U.S. exporters of wheat and wheat flour, feed grains, oilseeds, and cotton to report, on a weekly basis, to the Secretary specified information regarding export sales contracts. Sets forth penalties for failure to make such reports. Requires the Secretary to report to certain congressional committees about nongovernmental subsidies and long-term agricultural trade strategy. Amends the Food for Peace Act of 1966 to require that no export sale of agricultural products may be financed, and no loan may be guaranteed, by the Commodity Credit Corporation unless the Secretary determines that the sale will, among other things, directly benefit U.S. agricultural producers. Extends the authorization of export credit program levels through FY 1995. Prohibits the Corporation from making such guarantees to countries that cannot service the associated debt. Sets forth penalties for fraud committed with respect to such guarantees. Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to extend through FY 1995 the Corporation's short-term export credit program to finance the export sales of U.S. agricultural commodities, including wood and processed wood products. Requires the Secretary to study and report to specified congressional committees about: (1) the effects of the creation of a North American common market on the U.S. agricultural economy; (2) the red tart cherry industry; (3) the impact of consignment sales of foreign roses and fresh cut flowers on the domestic rose and fresh cut flower industry; (4) the promotion of wood and processed wood products; and (5) agricultural commodity transportation. Urges the President to use every means to maintain U.S. access to the European Community market for agricultural commodities. Requires the Foreign Agricultural Service to revise its evaluation reports for its Foreign Service officers with respect to such employees' proficiency in foreign languages. Title III: Agricultural Trade with and Fellowships for Emerging Democracies and Middle-Income Countries - Requires the Commodity Credit Corporation to make available for FY 1991 through 1995 credit guarantees for the export of agricultural products to emerging democracies. Requires the Secretary, in order to develop and expand markets for U.S. agricultural exports, to make U.S. expertise available to such countries. Requires the Secretary to establish an advisory committee to provide information about such exports. Requires the Secretary to establish a program for middle-income countries and emerging democracies to provide fellowships to persons who specialize in agriculture for study in the United States. Authorizes appropriations. Title IV: Effective Dates and Conforming Changes - Sets forth effective dates.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 1990
Expresses the sense of the Congress that U.S. nationals conducting industrial cooperation projects in China or Tibet should adhere to specified principles, including to: (1) suspend the use of merchandise manufactured by convict or forced labor; (2) seek to ensure political and religious freedom without fear of one's employment status; (3) ensure that methods of production do not pose a danger to project employees and the surrounding environment; (4) strive to use business enterprises that are not controlled by China; and (5) promote human rights in China. Requires the Secretary of State to forward a copy of such principles to member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and encourage them to promote such principles. Requires U.S. nationals to register with the Secretary of State and indicate whether they agree to implement such principles. Sets forth specified reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 1990
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the memory of Walt Disney should be honored on the 35th anniversary of his contribution to the American dream (the opening of Disneyland).
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 1990
Homelessness Prevention and Community Revitalization Act of 1990 - Title I: Family Support Centers - Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Human Services to make grants to eligible agencies (as defined in this Act) for comprehensive supportive services for low-income families, especially very low-income families living in subsidized housing who were previously homeless or who are at risk of becoming homeless. Requires a participating agency to: (1) establish at least one primary location family support center; and (2) employ family case managers. Authorizes planning grants. Title II: Provision of Services to Elderly Individuals and Individuals with Chronic and Debilitating Illnesses and Conditions - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary to make grants to eligible agencies for health and related services for low-income elderly or low-income seriously ill persons, especially very low-income elderly or seriously ill persons who are homeless or who are at risk of becoming homeless or institutionalized. Requires a participating agency to establish at least one primary location home health service program. Authorizes planning grants. Title III: Mental Health Services Grants for Group Homes for Homeless Individuals - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary to make grants to eligible agencies for housing based services to previously homeless low-income mentally ill persons who will reside in a group home. Requires a participating agency to establish a primary location mental health services program. Authorizes planning grants. Provides with regard to grants under titles I, II, and III of this Act for: (1) 80 percent Federal funding; (2) maximum grants of $50,000 per agency; (3) obligated amounts for staff training; and (4) FY 1991 through 1995 appropriations. Title IV: Community Development Corporation Improvement Grants - Amends the Community Economic Development Act of 1981 to direct the Secretary to make grants for community development corporation: (1) business management enhancement; (2) operations; and (3) revolving funds for community development projects. Authorizes appropriations. Title V: Plan for Cooperation - Requires the Secretary and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to prepare and submit to the appropriate congressional committees a specified cooperation plan. Title VI: Comprehensive Services for Homeless Veterans - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, with regard to homeless veterans, to: (1) establish a homeless veterans pilot project; (2) establish up to ten outreach centers; (3) provide for up to ten mobile support teams to assist in the provision of clinical care, case management, and monitoring services; (4) provide housing assistance; (5) establish up to 20 privately owned or Department of Veterans Affairs maintained group homes; and (6) establish a revolving fund for loans for group homes for veterans suffering from chronic mental illness or substance abuse. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1990
Western Hemisphere Debt for Nature Conversion Act - Authorizes the President, under debt-for-nature swap agreements, to release eligible Latin American and Caribbean countries from obligations to repay economic assistance loans. Directs the President, in determining the eligibility of a country for such agreements, to take into account: (1) the needs for financial resources for protecting or restoring environmentally critical areas and resources in such country; and (2) the commitment of the country's government to such protection and restoration.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 1990
Drug Abuse Resistance Education Act of 1990 - Amends the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1986 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants to local education agencies, in consortia with entities which meet specified requirements, to provide drug abuse resistance education to students in kindergarten through grade six. Reserves specified amounts for such grants.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 1990
Tobacco Control and Health Protection Act - Makes it unlawful to manufacture, package, or distribute for sale any cigarettes or smokeless tobacco product unless its package bears one of specified warnings. Regulates the label format and requires rotation of the warning labels. Requires the advertising for cigarettes and smokeless tobacco to bear one of the same list of warnings. Sets forth a separate list of warnings for use on billboards advertising cigarettes. Regulates the warning format and requires rotation of warnings. Prohibits advertising any tobacco product on any medium of electronic communication subject to Federal Communications Commission regulation. Prohibits, subject to exception, the use in advertising of a human or cartoon figure, tobacco trademark logo or symbol, or picture other than a single package on a neutral white background. Requires advertising print to be black on a white background. Prohibits: (1) advertising in conjunction with sports or near schools with students under 21 years of age; (2) free or reduced cost distribution; (3) publicly identified sponsorship of any athletic, music, artistic, or other event; (4) marketing of nontobacco products (including toys) bearing a tobacco trademark; (5) payment to have any tobacco product appear in any entertainment; or (6) payment to have any tobacco trademark appear on sporting equipment, including vehicles. Applies the prohibitions and requirements of this paragraph to advertising, promotion, and packaging of nontobacco products or services which: (1) are manufactured or marketed by a corporation which manufactures or distributes tobacco products, including related companies or licensees, or any person acting with the concurrence or acquiescence of such a corporation; and (2) bear the trademark of a tobacco product manufactured or sold by that corporation. Prohibits packaging from containing a picture or human or cartoon figure unless the picture or figure appeared on the package for five consecutive years before January 1, 1989. Prohibits advertising on any audio tape, audio disc, videotape, video arcade game, or film. Prohibits advertisements and packaging from containing any representation regarding health or safety, including the level of or removal, reduction, or addition of ingredients, tar, nicotine, carbon monoxide, filters, or any other mechanism or device unless the Secretary of Health and Human Services determines that the representation is significant in terms of affecting health and safety and is based upon significant scientific agreement. Prohibits any person from manufacturing, packaging, or distributing any tobacco product unless the person has provided the Secretary a list of all brands, with certain information about their constituents, and the label states the ingredients in descending order. Directs the Secretary to make the information public. Allows the Secretary, if the Secretary determines that any ingredient other than tobacco is unsafe or presents risks to health to the consumer or general public, to require that the levels of that ingredient be reduced or eliminated. Allows the Secretary to require that the manufacturer, packager, or distributor of tobacco products provide consumers with additional information about the adverse effect of tobacco products. Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit a State from receiving an allotment under alcohol and drug abuse and mental health services block grant provisions unless the State has in effect a law which: (1) prohibits sale of any tobacco product to any person under the age of 19; (2) requires a place to be licensed to sell any tobacco product; (3) meets other requirements. Authorizes the Secretary to suspend such block grant payments if the Secretary determines a State is not adequately enforcing the law. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to deem a food misbranded if it is a confectionary or chewing gum in a form resembling cigarettes or other tobacco products. Provides for enforcement of this Act, including through action by the Secretary, injunctions, civil actions by any interested organization, and civil monetary penalties. Sets forth the authority of the Secretary with regard to: (1) research and public information on the effects of tobacco products on human health; (2) implementation of strategies for reducing the consumption of tobacco products; (3) coordination of activities inside the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), within other Federal agencies, and within private agencies; and (4) liaison with public and private entities. Directs the Secretary to establish a Center on Tobacco and Health to educate the public, support research, assist State and local law enforcement, and take other actions. Establishes within the Center an Interagency Committee on Tobacco and Health to: (1) coordinate research and educational programs within HHS and coordinate those activities with other Federal and private agencies; and (2) maintain liaison with private and public entities. Prohibits any Federal agency, or any State or local statute or regulation, from requiring any statement relating to tobacco and health, other than those required by this Act, to appear on any package or advertisement. Declares that compliance with this Act, the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act, or the Comprehensive Smokeless Tobacco Health Education Act of 1986 shall not relieve any person from liability to any other person at common law or under State statutory law. Repeals those Acts one year after enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 1990
Prohibits the proposed sale to Saudi Arabia of modifications and systems integration of AWACS E-3 and tanker KE-5 aircraft and related defense articles and services.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1990
Asian and Pacific Islander Health Improvement Act of 1990 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants for primary health services and health promotion education in areas with a significant number of low-income residents of Asian or Pacific Island ancestry who have a limited ability to speak English, giving preference to applicants who agree to provide health services regarding conditions that disproportionately affect individuals of such ancestry. Requires that services be provided in the most appropriate language and cultural context. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants for identifying health needs particular to, and developing model delivery systems for, individuals of such ancestry. Directs the Secretary, in collecting any health-related data on individuals of such ancestry, to ensure that the data is specific to such individuals as a single population, and is specific to each of specified subpopulations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 1990
1992 Olympic Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue 1992 Olympic Games commemorative five-dollar gold coins and one-dollar silver coins. Prescribes guidelines for the sale and pricing of such coins and directs the Secretary to ensure that their issuance will not result in any net cost to the United States. Mandates that surcharges be paid to the U.S. Olympic Committee.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 1990
Biomedical and Behavioral Facilities Construction Act of 1990 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), through the Director of Research Resources (Director), to award grants to public or nonprofit private institutions, under provisions relating to biomedical and behavioral research facilities, to expand, remodel, renovate, or alter existing research facilities or construct new research facilities. Establishes in the Division of Research Resources of the NIH a Technical Review Board on Biomedical and Behavioral Research Facilities to: (1) advise the Director and the Advisory Council (established under existing law) on matters concerning the construction of facilities; and (2) conduct the peer review of applications under this title. Sets forth requirements for application and selection of grants. Limits the amount of any grant to 50 percent of the cost of construction or, in the case of a multipurpose facility, 50 percent of the cost of construction proportionate to the contemplated use. Allows the Director to waive these limitations for institutions of emerging excellence in biomedical or behavioral research. Provides for recapture of payments in certain circumstances for 20 years after completion of construction. Requires the Director to prescribe regulations with respect to the grants. Requires the Director to mandate peer review of applications for grants under these provisions in accordance with existing peer review provisions. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1990
Amends the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978 to direct the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to exchange Federal lands in Nevada for city-owned lands in Los Angeles, California. Subjects federally-exchanged lands under this Act to all valid existing rights (including but not limited to leases issued and rights-of-way granted by the United States). Gives the United States the option to purchase or reacquire such federally-exchanged lands if the White Pine Power Project has not commenced within 50 years of the effective date of this Act. Makes a certain public land order ineffective with respect to specified Federal lands in Nevada. Releases such lands from withdrawal. Establishes the Sunrise Mountain National Conservation Area (conservation area) to conserve, protect, and enhance specified areas contained in and adjacent to Sunrise Mountain (Natural Area) Inventory Unit, Nevada. Requires the Secretary to develop a management plan for the conservation area. Authorizes appropriations. Establishes a right-of-way corridor along the existing Navajo-McCullough electrical transmission line, to be designated and administered by the Secretary. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to accept donations of non-Federal land in the State of Nevada to become National Forest System lands. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to enter into negotiations on a funding participation agreement with Nevada, Arizona, and any other affected parties for construction of the Colorado River bridge crossing at Black Canyon, and to report to specified congressional committees on the status of such negotiations.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1990
Substance Abuse Treatment Corps Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish within the Public Health Service the Substance Abuse Treatment Corps to increase the availability of treatment for alcohol and drug abuse in geographic areas with a significant incidence of abuse and an inadequate availability of services. Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out such purpose only through assigning Corps members to provide services for such areas. Allows the Secretary to assign a Corps member to an entity only if the entity, among other requirements, enters into an agreement with the Secretary regarding the allocation, between the Secretary and the entity, of costs relating to the assignment. Directs the Secretary to establish a program of entering into contracts with students in specified fields under which the students agree to serve in the Corps upon obtaining their degree in consideration of the Federal Government agreeing to pay tuition, other expenses, and a stipend. Applies, except as inconsistent, provisions relating to the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program to this program. Directs the Secretary to establish a program of entering into contracts with individuals who have been licensed or certified in certain fields, or who are students in such fields, under which the individuals agree to serve in the Corps in consideration of the Federal Government agreeing to repay up to a specified sum of educational loans of the individuals. Applies, except as inconsistent, provisions relating to the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program to this program. Authorizes appropriations for the scholarship and loan repayment programs established by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1990
Medigap Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act of 1990 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to penalize individuals who issue, sell, or renew Medicare supplemental policies which are in violation of this Act's standards or offer to sell a policy in a State that has not approved such policy. Requires that Medicare supplemental policy issuers: (1) cover a core group of basic benefits and, if they offer other benefits, issue a policy covering only such basic benefits; (2) provide prospective purchasers of a policy with a summary information sheet describing policy benefits and the amount of any premiums attributable to optional benefits; (3) guarantee the renewability of policies; (4) offer each group policyholder terminating their coverage or group membership the right to continued coverage under an individual policy (the policyholder ending his or her group membership may also opt for continued coverage under the group policy) or, if the old group policy is replaced by a new group policy, the right to coverage under a new group policy without exclusion for preexisting conditions; and (5) suspend policy benefits and premiums upon the policyholder's indication that he or she is entitled to Medicaid (title XIX of the Social Security Act) benefits. Requires the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) or, upon the NAIC's default, the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate simplification standards which set the core group of basic benefits policies must provide, limit the additional benefit packages that may be provided, and establish a uniform language and format to be used with respect to policy benefits. Prohibits the sale of policies which do not meet such standards, though permits approved waivers of such standards to test new or innovative benefits. Directs the Secretary to request the NAIC to educate Medicare beneficiaries on the simplification standards. Increases the civil monetary penalty for knowingly selling a policy which duplicates health benefits to which an individual is already entitled. Permits persons aggrieved by duplicative coverage to recover triple damages in a civil suit. Prohibits a policy issuer from selling a policy without: (1) obtaining a written statement of the buyer indicating any health policies of the same type or Medicaid coverage the buyer may have; and (2) notifying the buyer of the possibility and effect of their coverage under the Medicaid program and the address and telephone number of any State Medicare supplemental policy counseling program and the State Medicaid office. Prohibits the issuer from selling a policy to a person who indicates that he or she is covered by the Medicaid program or has duplicative health benefits. Penalizes individuals who sell a policy in violation of such requirements. Increases the percentage of premiums which must be returned to policyholders as benefits. Establishes a process whereby States must approve premium increases prior to their implementation. Requires public hearings for any premium increase request exceeding twice the percentage increase in the medical care component of the consumer price index. Limits Medicare supplemental policy sales commissions. Authorizes appropriations for a matching grant program to assist States in establishing counseling programs to aid Medicare-eligible individuals in choosing Medicare supplemental policies. Prohibits such policies from denying a claim for losses incurred more than six months from the effective date of coverage for a preexisting condition.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1990
Rural Small Business Enhancement Act of 1990 - Title I: Loan Programs - Amends the Small Business Act to direct the Administrator of Small Business to make loans to rural economic development entities which must use them for: (1) the creation and expansion of business concerns; and (2) rural small business incubators. Prescribes lending guidelines. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Rural Small Business Investment Companies - Modifies the capital requirements for certain companies licensed to assist rural small business concerns. Authorizes paid-in capital to include contributions by State and local governments and nonprofit institutions. Title III: Technical Assistance for Rural Small Business Concerns - Establishes an Office of Rural Affairs (the Office) in the Small Business Administration to be headed by an Associate Administrator who shall: (1) ensure that rural small businesses receive a percentage of financial assistance representative of the population and economic needs in their areas; (2) compile specified rural business statistics; and (3) disseminate information regarding sources of assistance. Mandates that rural area statistics compiled by the Office be included in the President's annual report on small business and competition. Directs the Administrator to: (1) make grants to rural economic development entities to fund a portion of the salaries and expenses of rural technical assistance specialists; (2) report to the Congress regarding the effectiveness of such grants; (3) make marketing assistance grants for rural small businesses; and (4) make grants to assist marketing studies regarding tourism promotion in rural areas. Authorizes appropriations. Sets forth matching grant requirements. Title IV: Infrastructure Improvement - Amends the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987 to increase the authorization for rural Federal-aid highways. Mandates that each State conduct a rural scenic byways preservation and improvement program with Federal amounts apportioned for construction projects on such byways. Outlines funding guidelines. Authorizes appropriations. Title V: National Commission on Rural America - Establishes the National Commission on Rural America to evaluate and report to the Congress on specified aspects of the Federal rural assistance program. Terminates the Commission after it submits such report. Title VI: Research and Reporting Requirements - Directs the Administration to study and report to the Congress on methods to: (1) assist rural small businesses to obtain Government contracts; and (2) expand the export of goods and services provided by such businesses. Directs the Administrator to compile and distribute to the public and the Congress a catalog of Federal rural small business assistance programs.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1990
Aviation Noise Abatement Policy Act of 1990 - Amends the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 to direct the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (the Administrator) to consider as being in the public interest aircraft noise reduction in communities near an airport (or under an aircraft flight path associated with an airport). Directs the Administrator to: (1) transmit to the Congress a comprehensive aircraft abatement noise plan for airports in the State of Washington; (2) make periodic progress reports to the Congress regarding implementation; and (3) submit biennial reports to certain congressional committees regarding noise level reductions. Directs the Administrator to enter into an agreement with the Secretary of Defense regarding increased use by air carriers of special-use air space over the Pacific Ocean which is being used by military aircraft. Requires the Administrator to issue an environmental impact statement and hold hearings in certain cases of air route changes to altitudes of 15,000 feet or below in order to mitigate aircraft delays and congestion. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish advisory committees in the Department of Transportation to develop a national policy on reducing noise resulting from airport operations. Requires the Secretary to transmit such committees' recommendations to the Congress. Requires the Secretary to submit to the Congress recommendations for the reduction of the commercial fleet of Stage II aircraft.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1990
Solar, Wind, and Geothermal Power Production Incentives Act of 1990 - Amends the Public Utility and Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) and the Federal Power Act to remove the size limitations placed upon solar, wind, and geothermal facilities eligible for PURPA regulatory benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1990
SSI Independence Act for Disabled Americans - Amends title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act to exclude from an SSI recipient's income in SSI eligibility and benefit determinations, contributions of clothing and other contributions, other than cash paid directly to the recipient, which are for the purchase of social services, vocational rehabilitation services, medical care, transportation, educational services, personal assistance or attendant care services, and certain services or equipment related to the quality and livability of his or her shelter. Excludes a trust created for an SSI recipient's benefit from such recipient's resources if such recipient does not have access to the trust's assets. Excludes funds or property placed in a trust for an SSI recipient's benefit from such recipient's income. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide notices and pamphlets to SSI applicants and recipients informing them of the consequences various actions affecting their income and resources will have on their SSI and Medicaid (title XIX of the Social Security Act) eligibility. Deems SSI applicants who lost disability benefits under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act after their trial work period to have received SSI benefits while still eligible for OASDI disability benefits and therefore qualify for participation in the SSI work incentive program (providing Medicaid and special SSI cash benefits to disabled individuals whose earnings otherwise make them ineligible for SSI and Medicaid benefits) if they meet SSI income, resource, and disability tests. Provides that reviews to determine the continuing disability of participants in the SSI work incentive program need to be conducted no more frequently than once every 12 months. Excludes spousal income in determining a disabled and working individual's eligibility for participation in the SSI work incentive program. Precludes the attainment of age 65 from serving as a basis for the termination of Medicaid eligibility under the SSI work incentive program. Requires that State supplementary cash payments to the needy include participants in the SSI work incentive program. Excludes impairment-related work expenses from the income of an individual who is eligible for SSI and OASDI disability benefits but receives only State supplementary payments. Treats royalties from the publication of an individual's work and scholarships which have not been used for education expenses as earned income.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1990
Makes volatile alkyl nitrite (VAN) a banned hazardous product under the Consumer Product Safety Act, but declares that it shall not be unlawful to manufacture, sell, or distribute VANs for any commercial purpose, except for the production of consumer products containing VANs that may be used for inhaling or otherwise introducing VANs into the human body for euphoric or physical effects.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1990
Drug Emergency Areas Act of 1990 - Amends the National Narcotics Leadership Act of 1988 to replace language with respect to the designation of high intensity drug trafficking areas with provisions authorizing the President to declare a State or part of a State to be a drug emergency area. Requires requests for such a declaration to be made, in writing, by the Governor or chief executive officer of any affected State or local government and forwarded to the President through the Director of National Drug Control Policy. Allows cities, counties, or States to submit a joint request. Requires requests to be based on a written finding that the emergency is of such severity and magnitude that it is beyond the capability of the State or local government to respond and Federal assistance is necessary. Prohibits the President from limiting declarations made under this Act to highly-populated centers of drug trafficking, drug use, or drug-related violence. Requires the President to consider applications from governments of less populated areas. Requires each Governor or chief executive officer, as part of such requests and as a prerequisite to such assistance, to: (1) take appropriate action under State or local law to respond to the crisis and furnish information on the nature and amount of State and local resources which have been or will be committed to alleviating the emergency; (2) certify that State and local government obligations and expenditures will comply with all applicable cost-sharing requirements; and (3) submit a detailed plan outlining the requesting government's short- and long-term plans to respond to the emergency. Requires the Director to review requests submitted and forward the application to the President, along with a recommendation. Authorizes the President to make grants to State or local governments of up to $50,000,000 for any single emergency. Limits the Federal share to 75 percent of the costs necessary to implement the short- and long-term plan. Limits the duration of assistance to a drug disaster area to one year, after which the Governors or chief executive officers may apply for an extension of up to 180 days. Requires each State or local government receiving Federal assistance to balance the allocation of such assistance evenly between drug supply and demand reduction efforts, unless State or local conditions dictate otherwise. Authorizes the President to: (1) direct any Federal agency to utilize its authorities and resources to support State and local efforts; and (2) provide technical and advisory assistance. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1990
Technology Corporation of America Act of 1990 - Establishes the Technology Corporation of America as a nonprofit corporation to: (1) assist in the redirection of Federal civilian research and development funds to better meet the strategic research and development needs of America's domestic industries; (2) assist in the creation of private and public sector research, development, and manufacturing activities focused on developing the Nation's strategic technologies; (3) encourage cooperative research and development; and (4) serve as a permanent source of strategic vision for the Nation's technological and industrial base. Requires the Corporation's Board of Directors to establish advisory committees for financial issues and technical issues. Limits assistance by the Corporation to projects: (1) subject to exception, where majority control is held by North American companies or entities; and (2) that demonstrate the ability to obtain funding equal to or greater than that requested from the Corporation. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 1990
Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 - Title I: Child Abuse Offense - Requires the United States Sentencing Commission to promulgate guidelines or amend existing guidelines to provide that a defendant convicted of a sexual offense or crime of violence in which the victim was under age 14 shall receive a sentence at an offense level two levels higher than that which obtains when no victim was under age 14. Title II: Improving Investigation and Prosecution of Child Abuse Cases - Authorizes the Administrator of the Office for Victims of Crime to make grants to develop and implement multidisciplinary child abuse investigation and prosecution programs. Enumerates program criteria, including requirements identifying an appropriate site for counseling child victims of sexual and serious physical abuse and neglect, referring cases to the appropriate law enforcement agency within 24 hours, minimizing the number of interviews the child victim must attend, and assigning volunteers or staff advocates to each child's family. Directs the Administrator to make grants to national organizations to provide technical assistance and training to attorneys and others instrumental to the criminal prosecution of child abuse cases in State or Federal courts for the purpose of improving the quality of investigation and criminal prosecution. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1993. Title III: Court Appointed Special Advocate Program - Authorizes the Administrator to make grants to expand the court-appointed special advocate program. Requires the Administrator to establish criteria to be used in evaluating grant applications, which shall include a program providing screening, training, and supervision of court-appointed special advocates. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1993. Title IV: Child Abuse Training Programs for Judicial Personnel and Practitioners - Authorizes the Administrator to provide technical assistance and training to judicial personnel and attorneys to improve the judicial system's handling of child abuse and neglect cases. Directs the Administrator to make grants to national organizations to develop model technical programs to improve the judicial system's handling of such cases. Authorizes the Administrator to make grants to or for juvenile and family courts and State judicial systems for programs that implement model child abuse and neglect programs. Directs that the grant criteria give priority to programs which improve procedures for preventing placement of children in foster care, make reasonable efforts to reunite the family, and coordinate information and services. Authorizes appropriations. Requires that at least 80 percent of such funds be used for juvenile and family court and State judicial system programs. Title V: National Commission to Improve Domestic Relations Courts - Establishes the National Commission to Improve Domestic Relations Courts to develop suggestions to improve domestic relations courts, with special attention to the handling of child abuse and neglect cases, to suggest whether new model State legislation is needed, and to identify barriers to the nationwide use of specialized, comprehensive family court systems. Specifies membership, qualifications, terms of office, pay, powers, and reporting requirements of such Commission. Authorizes appropriations. Title VI: Federal Victims' Services, Protections, and Rights - Requires the Attorney General to: (1) establish an evaluation system to rate law enforcement officers on their compliance with laws protecting victims of crime; and (2) create a set of standards to govern services to victims and witnesses in Federal cases and serve as a model to States and localities. Requires the Office for Victims of Crime to report at least annually to the public, the Congress, and the President on the protection of victims generally and, specifically, on compliance with such standards. Authorizes the court to appoint a guardian ad litem at the earliest possible stage of all proceedings where a child was a victim of a crime involving abuse or exploitation to protect the best interests of the child. Sets forth guidelines with respect to criteria in choosing, and the duties of, such guardian. Grants a child testifying at a criminal proceeding the right to be accompanied by an adult to provide emotional support to the child, subject to certain restrictions. Authorizes the court to order that a child's testimony be taken by closed-circuit TV if it finds that: (1) the child would be so intimidated, or otherwise inhibited, by the physical presence of the defendant that the child would be rendered incompetent or unable to testify; (2) there is a substantial likelihood that the child will suffer serious trauma from testifying in the same room as the defendant; and (3) conduct on the part of the defendant or defense counsel during the hearing or trial causes the child to be unable to continue the child's testimony. Sets forth provisions governing: (1) the court's questioning of a child; (2) a child's live testimony by two-way closed circuit TV; (3) videotaped depositions of child witnesses; (4) a videotape record of any examination of the child; (5) age appropriate questions; (6) testimonial aids; (7) competency examinations; (8) privacy and address protection of a child victim or witness; (9) closing the courtroom; (10) victim impact statements; and (11) speedy trial motions. Amends the Federal Rules of Evidence to make an exception to the hearsay rule to include within the definition of "unavailability" certain situations in which the declarant is a child. Prohibits any statute of limitations that would prevent the prosecution of abuse of a child under age 18 from taking effect before the child reaches age 20.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 1990
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to permit the deferral of payments on student loans during professional internships of any duration (by removing a two-year limitation).
![Official portrait of Rep. Levine, Mel [D-CA-27]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/l000264_200.jpg)