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United States · Official source
1,722 records where Rep. Machtley, Ronald K. [R-RI-1] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1991
Urges the President to call on the President of Syria to permit the extradition of the Nazi war criminal Alois Brunner for trial in Germany.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1991
Grants an eight percent interim geographic pay adjustment as provided under the Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act of 1990 to General Schedule employees who work in certain metropolitan areas in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Provides for an eight percent increase in the basic pay rate for prevailing rate employees working in the Narragansett Bay and Boston, Massachusetts, Wage Areas.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1991
Designates October 1991 as National Down Syndrome Awareness Month.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1991
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Government of Kuwait, Kuwaiti enterprises, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shall grant preference in the award of contracts for the rebuilding of Kuwait to supplies and goods produced and manufactured in the United States and to U.S. engineering and consulting services.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1991
World War I Veterans' Service Pension Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay a monthly pension of $100 to each veteran of World War I who meets specified service requirements. Requires such a veteran, if entitled to another pension administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, to elect which pension to receive.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1991
Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to repeal provisions enacted under the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 which reduced Medicare reimbursement for new physicians and other new health care practitioners.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1991
National Commemorative Events Advisory Act - Establishes the President's Advisory Commission on National Commemorative Events to: (1) establish criteria for recommending to the President that a proposed commemorative event be approved or disapproved; (2) review proposals for national commemorative events submitted in accordance with procedures published by the Commission; and (3) issue recommendations to the President concerning each proposal reviewed. Terminates the Commission within five years after the date of its first meeting.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1991
Designates October 1991 as Polish American Heritage Month.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1991
Declares that the House of Representatives: (1) applauds the Architect of the Capitol and the Committee on House Administration for developing an effective recycling program in the House office buildings; and (2) supports ongoing efforts to expand and update source separation and recycling during the 102d Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1991
Crime Victims' Restitution Act of 1991- Amends the Federal criminal code to require (currently, authorize) the court to order restitution of the victim of the offense of which a defendant is convicted when such defendant is being sentenced for specified offenses. Authorizes a court to order restitution of any person who, as shown by a preponderance of the evidence, was harmed physically, emotionally, or pecuniarily by unlawful conduct of the defendant during the criminal episode during which the offense occurred or during the course of a scheme, conspiracy, or pattern of unlawful activity related to the offense. Directs the court: (1) to order restitution to a victim in the full amount of the victim's losses as determined by the court without consideration of the economic circumstances of the offender or the fact that a victim is entitled to receive compensation for a loss from insurance or any other source; and (2) upon determination of the amount owed to each victim, to specify in the restitution order the manner of, and schedule for restitution in consideration of the financial resources and other assets, projected earnings and other income, and financial obligations of the offender, including obligations to dependents. Specifies that: (1) a restoration order may direct the offender to make a single, lump-sum payment, partial payments at specified intervals, or such in-kind payments as may be agreeable to the victim and the offender; and (2) such in-kind payments may be in the form of the return or replacement of property, or services rendered to the victim or another person or organization. Provides that when the court finds that more than one: (1) offender has contributed to the loss of a victim, the court may make each offender liable for payment of the full amount of restitution or may apportion liability among the offenders to reflect the level of contribution and economic circumstances of each offender; and (2) victim has sustained a loss requiring restitution by an offender, the court shall order full restitution of each victim but provide for different payment schedules to reflect the economic circumstances of each victim. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) compensation with respect to losses from insurance or other sources; (2) set-offs against amounts later recovered as compensatory damages by the victim in Federal and State civil proceedings; and (3) payment by the offender to the clerk of the court for accounting and payment in accordance with this Act. Specifies that a restitution order shall constitute a lien against all property of the offender and may be recorded in any Federal or State office for the recording of liens against real or personal property. Makes compliance with the schedule of payments and other terms of a restitution order a condition of any probation, parole, or other form of release of an offender. Specifies actions the court may take, including revocation of probation or supervised release, if a defendant fails to comply with a restitution order. Provides for enforcement of restitution orders. Authorizes: (1) a victim or the offender to petition the court to modify a restitution order in view of a change in the economic circumstances of the offender; and (2) the court to refer any issue arising in connection with a proposed restitution order to a magistrate or special master for proposed findings of fact and recommendations as to disposition, subject to a de novo determination of the issue by the court.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1991
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to revise the duty on brassieres.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1991
Federal Program Performance Standards and Goals Act of 1991 - Amends Federal law to include in the Federal budget a performance standards and goals plan for the overall budget. Directs the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue regulations requiring each Federal department and agency to establish such a plan for each major expenditure category of its budget. Requires OMB to review and adjust such plans and establish an overall performance standards and goals plan for the Federal Government. Requires each bill or resolution which provides for the authorization of appropriations or for the appropriation of funds to specify performance standards and goals for such authorization or appropriation.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1991
Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to extend the medical waste tracking demonstration program until June 30, 1993. Extends the authorization of appropriations for such program through FY 1993.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1991
Federal Employees Health Benefits Reform Act of 1991 - Revises the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (the Program) to: (1) establish the Federal Employees Health Benefits Board (the Board); (2) replace current service and indemnity health benefit plans with a new Government-wide health insurance plan that offers both a standard and a high option for either self or family coverage; (3) require group- and individual-practice prepayment plans and mixed model prepayment plans to offer the same types of benefits offered under the standard option; (4) allow employee organization sponsored health plans to offer supplementary benefits; (5) establish flexible spending plans to allow employees to set aside a portion of their salary on a pretax basis to pay out-of-pocket health care expenses; and (6) allow annuitants whose annuities are insufficient to cover the full amount of required withholdings to elect to be covered under health benefits plans if they pay an amount equal to such withholdings to the Employees Health Benefits Fund (the Fund) through the retirement system that administers their health benefits enrollment. Directs the Board to: (1) prescribe regulations governing the provision of health insurance benefits to Federal employees, their families, and retirees under the Government-wide plan in consultation with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM); and (2) establish procedures for reviewing the utilization of health care services under such plan and controlling service costs. Declares that the service providers shall not be eligible for payments under the plan unless they comply with such procedures. Specifies the benefits required to be provided under each option of the plan and the extent to which they are covered. Requires such individuals to meet specified annual deductions under each option of the plan before any benefits will be paid, except in the case of a family enrollment when the deduction will be waived once it is met by any two family members. Establishes maximum out-of-pocket expense limitations for self and family coverage under each option. Requires the plan to pay all covered expenses after out-of-pocket expenses have exceeded their appropriate maximum limitation. Revises provisions for computing Government contributions. Establishes different requirements for each respective basic health benefits plan. Provides for the following with respect to the Government-wide plan: (1) establishment of specified biweekly employee contributions for the first administrative year to be increased for later years by the lesser of the increase in the medical care component of the consumer price index or the increase in the average enrollment charges; (2) procedures for determining average annual enrollment charges (the costs for providing benefits and administering the plan and any amounts necessary to maintain an adequate contingency reserve) in consultation with the Board for the first administrative year and for adjusting such charges for later years; (3) allocation of such costs to each option in a manner which is reasonable and equitable; (4) publication of new enrollment charges in the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations; and (5) continued individual and family coverage for employees who are placed in a leave without pay status. Revises provisions regarding contracting authority to establish separate authority for awarding competitive three-year contracts to nongovernmental organizations to administer the Government-wide plan on a regional basis in areas established by OPM. Requires plan administrators to review the utilization of health care services and implement the cost-control procedures established by the Board. Permits certain employee organizations which currently self-insure to serve as the plan administrators for employees within their bargaining unit. Repeals provisions regarding payment or reimbursement for services by: (1) psychologists or optometrists; and (2) any person licensed under State law in a State where a specified percentage of the population is located in primary medical care manpower shortage areas. Revises provisions concerning election of coverage to: (1) provide automatic coverage under the Government-wide plan's standard option for self alone to an employee becoming eligible for Federal health insurance coverage unless the employee elects alternative coverage or to be excluded from coverage; (2) revise criteria for continuation of coverage for annuitants; and (3) extend coverage to unmarried dependent natural or adopted children of the former spouse and the employee who are students over age 22 but under age 23. Allows temporary employees to enroll in the Government-wide plan provided they pay both employee and Government contributions. Provides that if an individual eligible to enroll in a basic health benefits plan has a spouse who is also eligible, either may enroll for self and family or each may enroll as an individual, but no individual may be covered both as an enrollee and as a family member. Sets forth rules to apply in administering provisions regarding: (1) election of coverage: (2) continued coverage; (3) coverage of restored employees and survivor or disability annuitants; (4) double coverage; and (5) changes in family status. Requires any amounts forfeited under flexible spending plans to be transferred to a separate account which shall be within the Fund. Allows such amounts to be used for wellness programs for Federal employees. Revises provisions regarding contribution set-asides in the Fund to establish new set-aside requirements for contributions to the basic health benefits plans. Directs OPM to: (1) prescribe regulations to provide eligible individuals with an opportunity to elect coverage under the health benefits plans, to terminate their enrollment, to transfer to another such plan, or to make any other allowable changes in the terms or conditions of their enrollment; (2) on an annual basis compile statistics and submit to the Board a report on the use of the different benefits of the basic and supplemental plans and their costs to the Government as part of a continuing study of the operation and administration of the Program; (3) prescribe Program regulations providing for the establishment of wellness programs for Federal employees; and (4) prescribe regulations to ensure that, for any annuitant eligible to receive Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) and Federal health insurance benefits, deductibles and coinsurance or copayment amounts under the Program shall be waived to the same extent as before the enactment of this Act and that when an individual is eligible for Federal health insurance benefits which would be duplicative of Medicare benefits, the primary payer shall be the same as it would have been before the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1991
Citizen Assistance Relief Effort Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish and implement an emergency loan assistance program for the purpose of providing financial institution assistance loans to States in which: (1) depositors cannot access their account funds for certain periods due to the simultaneous insolvency of more than one-third of the State's financial institutions; and (2) the Governor has declared a bank holiday due to the insolvency of a non-Federal deposit insurance fund responsible for insuring deposits at certain financial institutions. Sets forth participation requirements including: (1) the submission of a State comprehensive financial institution reorganization plan which meets the Secretary's approval; and (2) obtaining Federal deposit insurance by a financial institution that has resumed business as a result of receiving State emergency loan assistance. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1991
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to establish a part B (Health Services Access) under such title to fund grants to federally-qualified health centers (FQHCs) and other entities and organizations for the expansion and development of primary health care service programs for medically underserved populations. Sets forth the eligibility criteria for such grants and the requirements grant applications must meet. Outlines limitations on the use of grant funds. Establishes different priorities for the awarding of grants, with the highest priority for those FQHCs and other entities proposing to expand operations to serve medically unserved populations with the highest degree of unmet need in the most efficient manner. Requires entities and organizations receiving program funds to return excess revenues to the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to terminate grants to entities which fail to meet certain requirements. Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on the relationship between community health centers and hospitals in providing such services.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1991
Radon Reduction Incentives Act of 1991 - Treats amounts paid for home improvements necessary to mitigate measured harmful levels of radon gas exposure as medical care expenses for purposes of the medical care expense income tax deduction.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1991
Designates May 8, 1991, as National Tax Freedom Day.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1991
Condemns the Government of Iraq for its continuing military activities, its slaughter of thousands of innocent civilians, its brutal treatment of Kurds, Shiites, and others, its consistent violations of internationally recognized human rights and its disregard for international covenants. Encourages Turkey and Iran to continue their assistance to the Kurds and other Iraqi refugees. Pledges U.S. assistance to international relief efforts to aid the refugee populations. Calls for sustained humanitarian relief for the refugees. Urges the President to continue his efforts to win international support for those fleeing Iraqi repression and to press the United Nations (U.N.) Security Council to adopt effective measures to assist Iraqi refugees and to enforce the demand that Iraq immediately end its repression of the Kurds and other Iraqi civilians. Urges that the costs of the provision of immediate, urgent assistance to the Kurds and other Iraqi refugees which are not covered by voluntary contributions from participating nations be paid by the Government of Iraq through the reparations accounting procedures established under terms of the U.N. ceasefire agreement with Iraq.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code and title II of the Social Security Act (Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) with respect to the social security exemption for election officials and election workers employed by State and local governments to increase the allowed remuneration paid to such workers.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1991
Omnibus Adoption Act of 1991 - Title I: National Advisory Council on Adoption - Establishes the National Advisory Council on Adoption (the Council), to be appointed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Terminates such Council after four years. Title II: Adoption Data Collection System - Directs the Secretary of HHS to: (1) report to the Congress, within 30 days, on the status of the implementation of the adoption data collection system required under specified provisions of the Social Security Act, including specific assurances relating to such system; (2) report monthly to the Congress on the progress made in implementing such system; and (3) consult with the Council in developing regulations to carry out such reporting requirements and assurances. Title III: Adoption Education Programs - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to establish a program of fellowships for graduate study in social work, in innovative programs concerning the effects of adoption on the adopted children, their adoptive families, and their biological parents who make an adoption plan. Directs the Secretary of Education to award up to 50 such fellowships. Sets forth provisions for student selection procedures, stipends, payments to institutions, fellowship conditions, consultation with the Council, and an authorization of appropriations for FY 1992 through 1996. Directs the Secretary of Education, within one year after enactment of this Act, to make grants to States to carry out adoption education programs. Sets forth provisions for grants amounts, applications and agreements, program guidelines, consultation with the Council, and an authorization of appropriations for FY 1992 through 1994. Title IV: Adoption Benefits for Federal Employees and Military Personnel - Amends Federal law relating to Federal employees to allow their sick leave (including advance sick leave) to be used for purposes relating to the adoption of a child. Includes prenatal and maternal benefits (other than those relating to a surrogate parenting arrangement) for the biological mother of an adoptive child among the types of benefits which may be provided under Federal employee benefits plans. Directs the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to establish minimum standards for this type of benefits, in accordance with specified guidelines. Amends Federal law relating to members of the uniformed services to require establishment of a program to reimburse them for expenses they incur for prenatal and maternal care provided to the biological mother of a child they legally adopt. Limits such reimbursement to care provided on or after the date on which the member notifies the appropriate administering Secretary. Prohibits such reimbursement for expenses incurred in carrying out a surrogate parenting arrangement. Includes prenatal care among types of authorized care for military dependents. Includes care for preexisting conditions among the types of authorized care for adopted children of uniformed service members. Defines adopted child, for purposes of Federal law relating to members of the uniformed services, as a child with respect to whom a written plan of adoption has been entered into pursuant to the laws of the State in which the child resides. Directs OPM and the Secretary of Defense to coordinate their development of regulations and guidelines to carry out their responsibilities under this title, and to consult with the Council in such development. Title V: Adoption Tax Credit - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to establish a refundable tax credit for certain amounts of adoption expenses, for taxpayers at certain income levels. Title VI: Maternal Health Certificates Program - Directs the Secretary of HHS, within 180 days after enactment of this Act, to establish a program to provide maternal health certificates for eligible pregnant women to use to cover expenses incurred in receiving services at a maternal and housing services facility. Bases eligibility on an individual's having an annual individual income of not greater than 175 percent of the applicable official poverty line income. Determines such income without taking account of: (1) the income of any parent or guardian of the individual; or (2) the income of an estranged spouse who has been living apart from the woman for at least six months. Prohibits finding an individual ineligible for such program solely on the grounds that they do not receive aid under the State plan for aid for families with dependent children (AFDC) under the Social Security Act. Sets limits on the amount of expenses which such program certificates may cover. Directs the Secretary of HHS to consult with the Council in developing regulations for such program. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 1994 for such maternal health certificates program. Title VII: Rehabilitation Grants for Maternity Housing and Services Facilities - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to carry out a program to make grants to eligible nonprofit entities for rehabilitation of existing structures for use as facilities to provide housing and services to pregnant women. Sets forth provisions for such grant program authority, applications, limitations on numbers and amounts of grants, and reporting requirements. Directs the Secretary of HUD to consult with the Council in issuing such program regulations. Authorizes appropriations for such program for FY 1992 through 1994. Title VIII: Sense of Congress Regarding Changes in State Adoption Laws - Expresses the sense of the Congress that each State should adopt and enforce specified types of adoption laws, rules, or regulations, which include provisions for: (1) disclosure of all relevant information, including background information (except actual identification of the child or biological parents), to the prospective adoptive parent, with criminal penalties for unauthorized disclosure, (2) pre-placement investigations of the prospective adoptive parent; (3) disclosure to the court of all costs incurred by or on behalf of each party to the adoption; (4) guaranteed adequate legal representation for the biological mother; (5) filing of a petition for adoption with the appropriate court within one year after placement; and (6) coverage by the health plan of the adoptive parent of pregnancy and childbirth expenses (excluding surrogate parenting arrangements) for the child and the biological mother, or for any dependent child of the plan enrollee, and plan coverage of pre-existing conditions of adopted children.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1991
Amends the Federal criminal code to require a minimum sentence of five years' imprisonment, without an opportunity for parole, for the unlawful possession of a firearm by any person: (1) who has been convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year's imprisonment; (2) who is a fugitive from justice; (3) who is an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance; (4) who has transported in interstate commerce any stolen firearm; or (5) who has received any stolen firearm. Increases from $5,000 to $10,000 and from five years to ten years the fine and term of imprisonment, respectively, for violation of Federal firearm laws. Increases the penalties for possession of a firearm in connection with a crime of violence or drug trafficking.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1991
Fair Credit Reporting Amendments of 1991 - Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to require consumer reporting agencies to disclose promptly to a consumer any adverse information the agency receives. Directs the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to prescribe regulations defining "adverse information."
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1991
World War II Cadet Nurse Civil Service Fairness Act - Includes service of at least one year but less than two years in the Cadet Nurse Corps during World War II as creditable service for purposes of civil service retirement. (Current law provides for individuals with two or more years of service.) Requires the retirement annuity of an affected individual to be redetermined provided he or she: (1) files an appropriate written application with the Office of Personnel Management within 14 months of enactment of this Act; and (2) makes required deposits to the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund with respect to service in the Corps.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1991
Lead Exposure Reduction Act of 1991 - Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act to prohibit the importing, manufacturing, processing, or distribution in commerce of certain products containing more than a specified percentage of lead. Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to modify the allowable lead percentage for such products under certain conditions. Permits the Administrator to extend dates for compliance with such requirements for one year and to establish a performance standard for lead leaching from plumbing fittings and fixtures in lieu of the applicable restriction if such standard is at least as protective of human health and the environment as such restriction. Requires the Administrator to waive such requirements with respect to certain toys and recreational game pieces that are collectible items and scale models intended for adult acquisition. Directs the Administrator to publish regulations banning the sale of lead solder to plumbers and plumbing supply wholesalers and retailers. Prohibits the sale or promotion of: (1) any packaging which may be used for food for human consumption (or any food in such packaging) that includes any additive to which lead has been intentionally introduced, beginning 24 months after this Act's enactment; and (2) any packaging or product in packaging that includes such an additive, beginning 48 months after this Act's enactment. Sets allowable concentration levels for the incidental presence of lead in such packaging. Prohibits the sale or promotion of packaging exceeding such levels. Authorizes the Administrator to exempt from such requirements: (1) packaging manufactured prior to this Act's enactment date; and (2) packaging to which lead has been added to comply with Federal, State, or local health or safety requirements. Requires certificates of compliance with lead requirements to be retained by packaging manufacturers or distributors and made available to purchasers. Prohibits the manufacture, import, or distribution in commerce of food cans containing more than .2 percent lead by dry weight. Prohibits the importing, manufacturing, processing, or distributing in commerce of foils for wine bottles containing more than .1 percent lead by dry weight. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to delay the application of such requirements under certain conditions. Prohibits the sale of leaded gasoline at a price lower than that of unleaded gasoline sold at the same establishment. Prohibits, within six months of this Act's enactment, the sale of leaded gasoline for use in motor vehicles (other than farm vehicles) in a metropolitan statistical area or consolidated metropolitan statistical area with a 1980 population of 250,000 persons or more. Requires, effective January 1, 1996, manufacturers or importers of fuels containing lead or lead additives to submit quarterly reports to the Administrator on the lead content and volume of such fuels. Exempts from lead content requirements: (1) paint used by artists; (2) products used for medical purposes; (3) products used in connection with national security; (4) products used in the nuclear industry; and (5) products used in the mining industry to determine the presence of noble metals in geological materials. Directs persons manufacturing, processing, or importing any product containing more than .1 percent lead by dry weight to submit specified information to the Administrator. Exempts owners or operators of recycling facilities and manufacturers, processors, or importers of lead-acid batteries from such requirement. Requires the Administrator to update, and publish a compilation of, such information. Directs the Administrator to report to the Congress on such information and on recommendations for minimizing the release of lead into the environment and preventing human exposure to lead. Permits persons submitting inventory information to claim such information as confidential. Sets forth provisions concerning confidentiality applications. Requires the Administrator to promulgate regulations that provide for the labeling of products (other than lead-acid batteries) that pose a risk of human exposure to lead. Requires the labeling of toys and recreational game pieces that are collectible items and scale models to disclose that such items contain lead and are not suitable for children. Prohibits: (1) the placement into landfills and incineration of lead-acid batteries; and (2) the disposal of such batteries other than by recycling in accordance with this Act. Prohibits the disposal of batteries except by delivery to: (1) battery retailers or wholesalers; (2) regulated lead smelters or collection or recycling facilities; or (3) automotive dismantlers. Sets forth specified delivery and disposal requirements for battery retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers. Directs battery retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers to accept from customers used batteries of the same type, and in an approximately equal quantity to, the batteries sold. Requires battery retailers to post notices in public areas of retail establishments that: (1) state that it is illegal to throw away motor vehicle or lead-acid batteries; (2) state that Federal law requires battery retailers to accept used batteries for recycling and allows a person to give used batteries to battery collectors, recyclers, or processors or to automotive dismantlers; and (3) encourage recycling of used batteries. Prescribes civil penalties for violations of notice requirements. Makes it unlawful to sell a lead-acid battery that does not bear a permanent label stating that: (1) the battery contains lead; and (2) Federal law requires recycling and the seller must accept the return. Permits the Administrator to issue warnings and citations for noncompliance with battery labeling and notice requirements. Permits the export of lead-acid batteries for purposes of recycling. Directs the Administrator to undertake a program to promote monitoring, detection, and abatement of lead-based paint and other lead exposure hazards. Requires the National Institute of Standards and Technology to establish protocols, criteria, standards, and a voluntary accreditation program with respect to laboratory analysis of lead in paint films, soil, and dust. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control, to establish: (1) protocols, criteria, and standards for laboratory analysis of lead in blood; and (2) certification programs to assure the quality and consistency of such analyses, unless voluntary accreditation programs are operating nationwide. Requires the Secretary of Labor to develop minimum core curricula for technical training courses for lead-based paint abatement workers, supervisors, designers, inspectors, and building owners. Provides that such courses shall address factors associated with lead testing and abatement in various types of housing units. Authorizes the Secretary to evaluate such programs and to encourage State certification programs or the development of national proficiency tests. Requires the Administrator to conduct research and report to the Congress on methods for evaluating emerging products and techniques for detecting lead in paint films and dust. Directs the Administrator to conduct research and report to the Congress on the efficacy of lead abatement and management techniques for housing based on levels of lead in dust and in occupants' blood. Requires the Administrator to conduct research and report to the Congress on products for encapsulating or stripping lead-based paint. Directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology to establish performance criteria and standards for encapsulants and strippers. Requires the Administrator to issue guidelines for the management of lead-based paint debris. Prohibits the funding of travel of EPA employees outside the United States unless such guidelines are issued. Requires the Administrator to undertake a research project on lead exposure in children who have elevated blood lead levels greater than ten micrograms per deciliter. Directs the Secretary of Labor and the Administrator to conduct a long-term research study on the sources of lead exposure in construction workers. Requires the Administrator to sponsor public education and outreach activities to increase awareness of the scope and severity of lead poisoning from household sources, potential exposure to lead in schools and day care centers, and the need for abatement and management action. Directs the Administrator to issue guidelines concerning the action levels for lead in soil. Directs the Administrator to appoint a Coordinator for Lead Activities. Requires the Administrator to award grants to institutions of higher education for purposes of establishing Centers for the Prevention of Lead Poisoning. Limits the Federal share of Center operation costs. Limits grants to two-year periods. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control, to: (1) encourage State public health officials to report blood-lead measurements to the Director; and (2) report to the Congress on the status of such reporting and the feasibility and desirability of instituting a national requirement for mandatory pre-school blood-lead screening. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary, acting through the Director, to establish a blood-lead laboratory reference project to assist State and local governments in establishing and improving the quality of laboratory measurements performed for childhood lead poisoning prevention programs. Requires the Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to update a report submitted pursuant to the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 to include information on childhood and adult lead poisoning and estimates of adverse health outcomes associated with lead exposure. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to deem a food to be adulterated if: (1) it is packaged in a container containing solder or another ingredient with a lead content greater than .2 percent by dry weight; or (2) it is ceramic ware and the ability of such ceramic ware to leach lead does not conform with standards for ceramic ware established by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Requires the Secretary to establish standards and testing procedures with respect to lead in ceramic ware. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1991
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover colon cancer preventive screening examinations and an annual physical examination performed by a physician or nurse practitioner if a demonstration project to be conducted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services proves such examinations to be cost-effective or of moderate cost but measurably health-enhancing.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1991
Missing Service Personnel Act of 1991 - Requires the responsible armed forces commander, after receiving notice that a person under his command is missing, to conduct an informal investigation to determine such person's whereabouts and, if appropriate, to place such person in a missing status. Requires the commander, if a person has been placed in such status, to notify the officer holding general court-martial authority over such person (or, in the case of a missing civilian, the Secretary concerned), who shall convene a board of initial inquiry within 45 days. Requires such board to: (1) investigate evidence relating to the disappearance of such person; (2) recommend whether to continue such person in a missing status or make a finding that such person has deserted, is absent without leave, or is dead; and (3) report its recommendations and findings. Provides for the convening of a board of further inquiry, if a board of initial inquiry recommends that such person be continued in a missing status, within one year of such recommendation. Requires such board to analyze any information which has become available since the board of initial inquiry issued its report, to determine whether such person should be continued in a missing status or declared dead, and to report its findings. Directs the Secretary concerned, upon the written request of a member of the immediate family of a missing person who, before the date of the enactment of this Act, was determined by the Secretary to be dead, to: (1) convene a board of further inquiry to determine whether such finding of death should be upheld or such person should be placed in a missing status; and (2) report its findings. Requires the Secretary, within three years after a board of further inquiry recommends a missing status for any person, to reconvene such board to review such status. Specifies the composition of such boards. Directs the Secretary to invite each member of the immediate family of the missing person to the meetings of a board of initial inquiry unless attendance would place such member in danger. Requires the Secretary to: (1) invite family members of missing persons to meetings of boards of further inquiry; (2) schedule such meetings at convenient locations and times; (3) provide such family members with reasonable notice of such meetings; and (4) open such meetings to the general public. Authorizes each board to hold meetings, take testimony, receive evidence, and secure directly from any U.S. department or agency any information necessary to carry out its duties. Provides for the appointment of counsel by the officer or Secretary concerned to represent the missing person. Requires that, if a board determines that a missing person is dead, it shall include in its report a detailed description of the location and date of death, whether the body has been recovered, and whether a licensed practitioner of forensic medicine determined that the body recovered is that of the missing person. Prohibits any such board from declaring a missing person dead unless: (1) evidence other than the passage of a period of less than 50 years suggests that such person is dead; (2) no evidence which reasonably suggests that such person is alive is in the possession of the Government; (3) representatives of the Government have made a complete search of the area where such person was last seen (unless the United States is not granted access to such area); and (4) Government representatives have checked the records of the government or entity having control over the area where such person was last seen (unless the Government is not granted access to such records). Provides for judicial review of determinations of death upon the filing of a written petition by any member of the missing person's immediate family. Directs the Secretary concerned to make certain that such person's personnel file contains all information in the possession of Federal departments and agencies pertaining to the disappearance or whereabouts of such person. Requires the Secretary to make certain that, if classified information is withheld, such file contains: (1) a notice that the information exists; and (2) a notice of the date of the most recent review of the classification status of the information. Sets forth penalties for knowingly withholding information pertaining to the disappearance or whereabouts of a missing person from that person's personnel file. Requires the Secretary concerned to make the contents of such file available to a member of the immediate family of such person upon written request.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to disallow a deduction for certain costs incurred in connection with any oil discharge or hazardous substance release. Provides an exception to such rule for any taxpayer who has a complete liability defense or qualifies for a liability limitation with respect to such discharge or release. Provides a limitation on the use of the net operating loss deduction to offset deductions disallowed by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1991
Designates April 21 through 27, 1991, and April 19 through 25, 1992, as National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1991
Declares that it is the sense of the Congress that consumers should be provided with incentives to save for long-term purposes and children should be encouraged to save.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1991
Declares that the Arab League should terminate its boycotts against Israel and that the President should encourage U.S. allies and trading partners to enact laws prohibiting businesses from complying with such boycott and penalizing businesses that do comply.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 1991
Directs the Secretary of State, together with the Attorney General, to enter into negotiations with any country for an agreement to provide for the incarceration in such country (for the duration of a prison term to which the individual was sentenced in the United States) of any individual who: (1) is a national of such country; (2) is an illegal alien in the United States or on the basis of conviction of a Federal or State criminal offense, is subject to deportation; and (3) is incarcerated in a Federal prison facility for a Federal criminal offense. Requires the Secretary to give priority to negotiating with a country if the number of individuals who are nationals of such country represent a large percentage of individuals meeting such criteria. Permits such agreements to provide for the contribution of U.S. funds to a country for the construction of prison facilities for individuals transferred from the United States or for other expenses incurred in imprisoning such individuals. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 1991
Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to maintain for FY 1992 the current Federal-State funding ratio (75 percent Federal, 25 percent State) for the Bureau of Justice Assistance's block grant program (assistance to local law enforcement agencies).
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 1991
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to exclude from OASDI coverage any service performed on an election day by State and local election officials and workers.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 1991
First-Time Home Buyer's Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to spread over a ten-year period the taxation of up to $5,000 of individual retirement plan distributions used by a first-time homebuyer within 90 days to purchase, construct, or reconstruct a dwelling that will be used as the taxpayer's principal residence for at least three years.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 1991
Designates the week beginning February 16, 1992, as National Visiting Nurse Associations Week.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make members of the armed forces serving on extended active duty and stationed outside the United States eligible for the earned income credit.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1991
Directs the American Battle Monuments Commission to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia or its environs to honor World War II veterans and to commemorate U.S. participation in that conflict. Directs the Commission to plan, design, construct, and oversee the operation of the memorial. Specifies that such design shall provide for accessibility by, and accommodations for, the physically handicapped. Establishes the World War II Memorial Advisory Board to: (1) promote the establishment of the memorial and encourage the donation of private funds for construction and maintenance; (2) assist and cooperate with the Commission in the selection of the site and design for the memorial; and (3) transmit annual reports on its activities to the Congress. Authorizes the Commission to solicit private contributions for such memorial. Establishes a fund in the Treasury which shall be made available to the Commission to carry out this Act. Authorizes Federal funding, in addition to such private funds, for: (1) site preparation, design, planning, and associated administrative costs for establishment of the memorial; and (2) construction, maintenance, and operation of the memorial. Authorizes assistance from specified Federal departments and agencies, including the Library of Congress. Authorizes the transfer of Federal property to the Commission. Authorizes the Commission to purchase suitable property within the District of Columbia for the establishment of such memorial. Urges the Government to encourage 50th anniversary commemorations of the U.S. role in World War II. Urges the Smithsonian Institution and other Federal museums to develop commemorative exhibitions to be shared with academic institutions.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1991
National Historic Preservation Act Amendments of 1991 - Amends the National Historic Preservation Act to: (1) require the Secretary of the Interior to report, at least once every four years, to the President and to the Congress, on a review of threats to properties included in or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places; (2) revise requirements for Federal and State historic preservation programs; (3) provide for tribal and Native Hawaiian historic preservation programs; (4) provide for matching grants to States and direct grants to Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations to carry out this Act; (5) require development of a comprehensive preservation education and training program; (6) revise requirements for awarding and apportioning grants under this Act; (7) require adaptive use alternatives for Federal agency historic properties; and (8) provide for disposition of archaeological materials. Requires the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation to study and report to the Congress on the feasibility of establishing a registration program for artifacts removed from domestic and foreign archaeological sites. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Council to call for and organize U.S. leadership and participation in an international conference on the international antiquities trade. Provides that the conference shall be held in 1992 as part of the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Columbus Discovery Voyage. Amends the National Historic Preservation Act to include within the membership of the council one member of an Indian tribe or Native Hawaiian organization appointed by the President. Prohibits public access to certain information about historic resources in specified circumstances. Establishes in the National Park Service a National Center for Preservation Technology. Establishes a Preservation Technology Board to: (1) provide leadership, policy advice, coordination, and professional oversight to the Center; (2) advise on priorities and the allocation of funds among Center activities; and (3) submit an annual report to the President and the Congress. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on: (1) the status of the inclusion of artifacts, records, and material remains on the National Register of Historic Places; and (2) the advisability of including traditional cultural practices and lifeways on it.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1991
World War II 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act - Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should recognize the 50th anniversary of World War II by minting and issuing commemorative coins. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue and mint such coins in five dollar, one dollar, and half dollar denominations. Mandates that surcharges received from the sale of such coins be deposited in a coinage profit fund and allocated, upon separate congressional authorization, to the American Battle Monuments Commission to establish a World War II memorial. Directs the Secretary to report semiannually to the Congress regarding implementation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1991
Declares that it is U.S. policy to: (1) support democratization within the Soviet Union and support self-determination and independence for all Soviet republics which seek such status; (2) support restoration of independence for Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania; (3) shape foreign assistance and other programs to support republics whose governments are democratically elected; and (4) support peaceful resolution of conflicts within the Soviet Union and between the central Soviet Government and the Baltic States and Soviet republics, condemn the use of force to suppress democracy and self-determination, and view the use of force for such purposes as an obstacle to fully normalized U.S.-Soviet relations. Directs the Secretary of State to report to the Congress on actual and threatened uses of force against the Baltic States, the Soviet republics, and autonomous regions within the Soviet Union. Requires such report to be included in the Department of State's annual country reports on human rights practices.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1991
Operation Desert Storm Commemorative Coin Act - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to issue one dollar and ten dollar coins emblematic of the United States military's participation in Operation Desert Storm. Prescribes guidelines for the sale of such coins, including the solicitation by the Secretary of the Treasury and the President of the United Service Organizations of bids for proposals from marketing organizations to implement a coin marketing agreement. Mandates that such agreement not indicate in any manner that any portion of the sales price to the public constitutes a tax deductible contribution. Sets forth a surcharge distribution scheme. Mandates that: (1) all amounts received from the sale of such coins be deposited in the coinage profit fund; and (2) the minting and issuing of such coins not result in any net cost to the Federal Government.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1991
World Summit for Children Implementation Act of 1991 - Provides for assistance in implementing the plan of action adopted by the World Summit for Children. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the U.S. Government should commit to increasing participation in the special supplemental food program for women, infants, and children under the Child Nutrition Act (the WIC program) by 20 percent per year in FY 1992 through 1996, to reach full participation by the end of FY 1996; and (2) specified minimum amounts should be appropriated for the WIC program in FY 1992 and 1993 to reach such full participation goal. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the commitment to provide full funding for the Head Start Program, contained in the Human Services Reauthorization Act of 1990, should be implemented in order that the goal of full participation of all eligible three- and four-year-old children can be reached by FY 1994. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to undertake a Children's Vaccine Initiative. Requires that the Director of the National Vaccine Program: (1) plan and coordinate the Initiative; and (2) ensure that the Public Health Service conducts vaccine research, production, and delivery activities under the Initiative in collaboration with non-governmental institutions and with other Federal agencies to ensure the full use of U.S. scientific and industrial capacity to prevent infectious disease. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 and 1993. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 and 1993 for contributions to the United Nations Children's Fund for activities to promote child health and other assistance programs for children (to carry out specified provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961). Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (the Act) to authorize appropriations for FY 1992 and 1993 for special health needs of children and mothers under the Child Survival Fund. Requires that specified minimum amounts of funds under various provisions for FY 1992 and 1993 be reserved only for such specified child survival activities. Expresses the sense of the Congress that authorization, in such amounts as may be required, should be granted to the President to exercise the (Public Law 480) debt authority with respect to least developed countries that are pursuing reforms to promote long-term economic development (as provided in specified provisions of the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954, as amended by the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990). Amends the Act to establish a Vitamin A Deficiency Program. Reserves for such Program specified amounts in FY 1992 and 1993 from funds for development assistance for agriculture, rural development, and nutrition. Amends the Act to direct the President, in carrying out provisions for development assistance for health-related activities, to promote, encourage, and undertake activities relating to research on, and treatment and control of, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in developing countries. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 and 1993, for such purpose, to the International AIDS Prevention and Control Fund. Provides that such amounts shall be in addition to other amounts available for such purpose. Amends the Act to reserve specified amounts in FY 1992 and 1993, from funds for development assistance for education and under other provisions of the Act, for international basic education, including early childhood education, primary education, teacher training, other support activities, and adult literacy training. Expresses the sense of the Congress that at least specified minimum amounts should be appropriated for the Migration and Refugee Assistance account, and that at least specified minimum portions of such funds should be reserved for programs of refugee assistance overseas (in addition to amounts available for programs for Soviet, Eastern European, and other refugees resettling in Israel). Amends the Act to replace provisions for certain disadvantaged children in Asia with provisions for assistance to children in exceptionally difficult circumstances. Includes among such children street children, AIDS orphans, other orphaned and abandoned children, and children displaced by armed conflict, poverty, famine, or other disasters. Reserves specified minimum portions of certain funds under the Act in FY 1992 and 1993 for assistance for such children. Requires that such assistance be made available in accordance with policies and general authorities under certain disaster assistance provisions. Directs the President to report annually to the Congress on U.S. contributions to the achievement of the goals of the World Summit for Children, including U.S. efforts to achieve such goals in the United States and in other countries, with an analysis of past, current, and planned funding levels.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the tax credit for increasing research activities.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend for five years, through 1996, the investment tax credit in connection with depreciable solar energy property and geothermal property; and (2) permit this credit against the taxpayer's entire regular tax liability and minimum tax liability.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1991
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide outpatient medical services to any former prisoner of war for any disability.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1991
Fairness in Health Insurance Coverage for the Self-Employed Act - Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions relating to the income tax deduction for the health insurance costs of self-employed individuals to: (1) increase the allowable deduction from 25 percent to 100 percent; and (2) make the deduction permanent (under current law it will expire after tax year 1991).
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1991
Declares that the Congress pays tribute on the 75th anniversary of the chartering of the Boy Scouts of America.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1991
Constitutional Amendment - Requires the removal from office of an Article III judge upon conviction of a criminal offense punishable by more than one year's imprisonment.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1991
Supports the efforts of the Bush Administration to obtain the release of hostages in Lebanon and urges the President to continue to give high priority to working for the release of such hostages and to seek the recovery of the remains of William Buckley and Lieutenant Colonel Higgins. Encourages senior Government officials to emphasize the plight of the hostages in discussions with foreign governments and appeals to governments which have influence with hostage captors to use such influence to win the release of the hostages. Condemns those holding hostages for the violation of human rights. Calls upon the international community to cooperate in establishing mechanisms for holding individuals who engage in international terrorism accountable. Encourages all nations and international organizations to accelerate efforts to obtain the safe and unconditional release of all hostages.