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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 · 18 April 1989
Employee Educational Assistance Act of 1989 - Repeals provisions of the Internal Revenue Code that: (1) terminated the income tax exclusion of amounts paid under employee educational assistance programs as of tax year 1989; and (2) deny benefits in connection with graduate work.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1989
Condemns the Government of Iraq for its forced resettlement program, its premeditated plan to eradicate the Kurdish culture, its atrocities directed toward children and the public-at-large, and its blatant disregard for international law. Urges the Government of Iraq to: (1) allow international relief personnel access to the Kurdish inhabited areas of northern Iraq; and (2) extend to all people in Iraq certain fundamental rights. Calls upon the Secretary of State to: (1) encourage the Government of Iraq to implement human rights reforms; (2) call attention to human rights violations in international fora; (3) cooperate with other governments to focus attention on the situation in Iraq; and (4) provide, and urge others to provide, refugee and humanitarian assistance for those Kurds who have been forced to flee their homeland.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1989
Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to establish a Joint Committee on the Budget to replace and assume the current functions and duties of the Budget Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives. Amends the Standing Rules of the Senate and the Rules of the House of Representatives to reflect the establishment of the new Joint Committee. Lists matters within the Committee's jurisdiction. Establishes a two-year budgeting cycle, but continues annual appropriations legislation. Devotes the first session of any Congress to action on a joint resolution on the biennial budget, subject to the following revised deadlines: (1) April 15 for the Joint Budget Committee to report its joint resolution; (2) May 15 for the Congress to complete action on the resolution; and (3) September 30 for the Congress to complete action on annual appropriations bills and on reconciliation legislation. Shifts the budget resolution from a concurrent to a joint resolution form (thereby requiring the President's signature). Revises the resolution to separate committee allocations of budget and credit authority and budget outlays into the following functional totals: (1) defense discretionary; (2) defense entitlement and mandatory; (3) domestic discretionary; (4) domestic entitlement and mandatory; (5) international affairs discretionary; (6) international affairs entitlement and mandatory; (7) offsetting receipts; and (8) net interest. Requires the Director of the Congressional Budget Office to issue four-year projections of congressional budget action. (Current projections are on a five-year basis.) Amends Federal law to require the President's budget for a biennium to be set forth in the same accounts as those set forth in the Budget Accounts Listing in the budget submitted for FY 1991. Requires the President to consult with committees having jurisdiction over programs affected by proposed changes before any changes may be made in the budget tables. (Current law requiring consultation with the Budget and Appropriations Committees remains unchanged.) Conforms provisions governing the President's budget to the biennial framework. Directs the President to transmit during the first 15 days of the second session any budget revisions with respect to the budget transmitted in the first session, whose deadline is changed to the 15th day after the session begins. Makes allocations subsequent to the joint budget resolution only to the Appropriations Committees, for subdivision among their subcommittees by the relevant major functional categories. Requires that if the Congress has not adopted a joint budget resolution by May 15 for the biennium that begins on October 1 of that year, it will be deemed to have adopted the resolution at the baseline level under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) with reductions assumed as necessary to meet maximum deficit target amounts. Appropriates as continuing appropriations amounts effective for the preceding fiscal year if a regular appropriations bill has not become law before the beginning of the fiscal year. Expresses the sense of the Congress that before FY 1994 legislation should be enacted establishing fiscal targets beyond those mandated by the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act, with the object of producing a unified budget surplus and eliminating the deficit with respect to budget amounts that do not include the social security trust funds.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1989
Drug-Free Housing Act of 1989 - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to make ineligible for public housing assistance, and expedite procedure for evicting, persons involved in drug-related criminal activity.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1989
Designates October 25, 1989, as National Arab-American Day.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1989
Designates the week of September 24, 1989, as Religious Freedom Week.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1989
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should: (1) call for an immediate cease-fire among the parties in Lebanon, the removal of all foreign military forces, and the disbanding of all paramilitary forces there; (2) urge all parties in Lebanon to respond to the international call for an immediate cease-fire and to undertake immediate discussions regarding internal reconciliation; (3) support international efforts to implement a cease-fire and start a process of internal reconciliation; and (4) support actions to encourage the election of a new president in Lebanon.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1989
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should: (1) give the highest priority to fully accounting for the Americans still missing in Southeast Asia and to negotiating the return of Americans still held captive; (2) maintain an ongoing dialogue with Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Lao officials so that the prisoners of war issue may be resolved; (3) continue joint field investigations with such officials; and (4) heighten public awareness of the prisoners of war issue through the dissemination of factual data.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 1989
Missing Service Personnel Act of 1989 - Requires the responsible uniformed service 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 of the uniformed service in which a missing person serves 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 · 6 April 1989
Urges the President to: (1) sign and submit to the Senate for ratification the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal; and (2) submit to the Congress proposed legislation to reform U.S. hazardous waste export laws and regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 1989
Authorizes the President to present a gold medal, on behalf of the Congress, to each of the following individuals in recognition of their contributions to this Nation's cultural heritage: (1) Frank Capra; (2) James Stewart; and (3) Fred Zinnemann. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to design a different gold medal for each such individual. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to strike and sell bronze duplicates of such medals at a price sufficient to cover the costs of such duplicates and the gold medals. Requires the appropriations to be reimbursed out of the sales proceeds. Designates all such medals as National Medals.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 1989
Healthy Birth Act of 1989 - Amends title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) of the Social Security Act to increase authorized appropriations for such program. Sets aside certain appropriated amounts for comprehensive State infant mortality initiatives and Federal activities in coordination with such initiatives. Prohibits Federal assistance for such a State initiative unless the State provides assurances that it will: (1) establish a toll-free telephone information and referral system for maternal and child health services; (2) provide technical assistance and public awareness activities regarding the maternal and child health handbook to be disseminated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services; (3) develop and expand maternal and child health home visiting programs; (4) establish a "one-stop shopping," client-centered program under which pregnant women and mothers can apply for a wide range of Government programs in a coordinated manner at a location at which social and health-related services are made available to pregnant women and infants; (5) evaluate the impact of such initiative; and (6) be able to continue such initiative without Federal assistance within five years of the first receipt of such assistance. Directs the Secretary to use a specified portion of set-aside amounts to: (1) provide technical assistance to State initiatives; (2) disseminate a maternal and child health handbook to all pregnant women and new parents; (3) establish a nationwide, toll-free telephone information and referral system for maternal and child health services; (4) develop a model, coordinated application and eligibility determination system for use by States under the Medicaid program (title XIX of the Act) and the special supplemental food program for women, infants, and children; (5) improve the integration and coordination of Federal programs serving pregnant women and children; and (6) monitor and evaluate State infant mortality initiatives. Requires the Secretary to give priority to the initiatives of States demonstrating the greatest need and an ability to implement such initiatives, while recognizing the need for an equitable distribution of assistance among the States.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 1989
Consumer Products Safe Testing Act - Prohibits Federal department or agency heads from considering LD50 test results when determining product safety, labeling, or transportation requirements for purposes of Federal regulation. (LD50 is a procedure whereby toxicity is measured in terms of the median dose that will kill 50 percent of the test animals within a specified time.) Requires Federal department and agency heads to: (1) review and evaluate directives that call for the use of an animal toxicity test; and (2) promulgate regulations specifying the use of nonanimal alternatives. Requires that animal toxicity testing regulations be subject to periodic agency review and to public comment in certain cases.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 1989
Refuge Wildlife Protection Act of 1989 - Amends the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act to require that any wildlife management or other activity which affects wildlife in any area of the System be conducted in the most humane manner possible. Permits the Secretary of the Interior to authorize any killing of a member of a wildlife species within any area of the System, based upon evidence that such killing is necessary for the health and habitat of wildlife species within the area, to protect public health and safety, and that non-lethal management alternatives are not available. Requires the Secretary to provide the scientific information upon which the authorization is based as well as details such as the numbers to be killed. Authorizes public hearings on such decisions unless an emergency exists. Authorizes the Secretary to contract out such killing. Authorizes the Secretary to donate the carcass to a charitable organization for a charitable purpose.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 1989
Targeted Relief Disclosure Resolution of 1989 - Amends rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives to require each report accompanying each bill or joint resolution of a public character reported by the Committee on Ways and Means to identify: (1) each provision which is intended to provide special benefits with respect to five or fewer taxpayers, transactions, events, items of property, projects, or issuances of bonds; (2) each beneficiary of such provision; (3) the Member of Congress who sponsored the inclusion of each such beneficiary; and (4) an estimate by the Joint Committee on Taxation of the loss in revenues resulting from such provision with respect to each such beneficiary for the fiscal year for which such loss in revenues first occurs and each of the five fiscal years thereafter.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1989
Used Oil Recycling Act of 1989 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from listing or identifying as a hazardous waste any: (1) recycled oil; (2) used oil transferred to a person who certifies that such oil will be rerefined, processed, or reclaimed for a beneficial purpose or stored less than 12 months prior to such transfer; and (3) used oil which has been removed from the engine of a light duty motor vehicle or household appliance by the owner, transferred to a service station dealer, and stored by the dealer for less than 12 months. Requires the Administrator to determine whether to list as a hazardous waste used oil which is a solid waste and does not satisfy the above-listed criteria. Directs the Administrator to establish management standards for the storage, testing, transportation, treatment, exportation and importation, and processing of used oil. Requires such standards to be designed to protect human health and the environment by encouraging and expanding reliance on recycling of used oil. Exempts generators of used oil from recordkeeping or reporting requirements if such generators: (1) enter into an agreement for delivery of such oil to a recycling facility whose owner or operator certifies compliance with such standards or recycles such oil; (2) do not mix the oil with any hazardous wastes; and (3) maintain necessary records relating to the oil. Prohibits mixing used oil with any hazardous waste identified under such Act except where: (1) such mixing involves an identified hazardous waste and the resulting mixture does not exhibit a characteristic identified in such Act; and (2) the used oil mixture is burned to recover useful energy such that protection of human health and the environment is assured. Deems owners or operators of facilities which process used oil for fuel to have permits for recycling activities if in compliance with management standards. Directs the Administrator to conduct inspections of such facilities to determine compliance with such standards. Requires the Administrator to implement educational programs to inform the public about the environmental and safety hazards associated with improper handling of used oil and the benefits of used oil recycling. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations concerning the procurement of used oil fuel by Federal agencies subject to the requirements of the Solid Waste Disposal Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1989
Criminal Assault Weapon Penalty Act of 1989 - Provides for enhanced penalties for the possession or use of a semiautomatic firearm with an ammunition clip capacity of ten or more rounds or a short-barrelled shotgun during a crime of violence or a drug trafficking crime.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1989
Emergency Refugee Act of 1989 - Authorizes additional FY 1989 refugee admissions from the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Vietnam, the Near East, and East Asia First Asylum countries. Transfers unused FY 1989 State legalization impact assistance grant (SLIAG) funds to cover specified costs related to such admissions. Authorizes additional SLIAG FY 1990 and 1991 appropriations. Authorizes FY 1990 and 1991 appropriations for anti-discrimination in employment activities. Authorizes SLIAG funds to be used for: (1) employment training and educational outreach programs for legalized aliens; and (2) State enforcement of anti-discrimination activities. Establishes an administrative appeals process for States applying for SLIAG assistance. Gives education priority under such grants to basic citizenship skills (English language and United States history and government).
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1989
Authorizes and requests the President to designate the third Sunday of August 1989 as National Senior Citizens Day.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1989
Designates the week beginning September 1, 1989, as World War II Remembrance Week in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the outbreak of that War.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1989
Designates September 1989 as National Alcohol and Drug Treatment Month.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1989
Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Revision Act of 1989 - Delays, for one year, the implementation of the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act of 1988, except for provisions of such Act expanding benefits under part A (Hospital Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1989
Designates the week of October 23 through October 29, 1989, as Eating Disorders Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1989
Indoor Air Quality Act of 1989 - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a national research, development, and demonstration program to assure the quality of indoor air, including coordinating and accelerating efforts related to the causes, detection, and correction of contaminated air. Requires such program to include information collection and dissemination, cooperative research, grants, studies, development of techniques, facility construction, and conferences. Requires that research focus on human health effects and the identification of types and levels of contaminants likely to cause harm, including the development of methodology and techniques for detection and control. Authorizes the Administrator to assist technology demonstration activities based on a technology's potential to cost effectively control sources of contaminants. Limits Federal funding to 75 percent of the costs of such projects. Requires the Administrator to publish: (1) general reports on the findings of such demonstration projects; and (2) bulletins assessing technology and management practices for controlling and measuring indoor air contaminants, which shall be provided to the Indoor Air Quality Information Clearinghouse. Directs the Administrator to develop protocols, within six months of this Act's enactment, for the measurement of radon gas in child care facilities and disseminate information regarding techniques for measuring and mitigating radon in such facilities. Authorizes the Administrator to take certain other actions conducive to the detection and reduction of radon in such facilities. Directs the Administrator to publish and biennially revise a list of contaminants known to occur in indoor air. Provides for additions to such list upon application of a State Governor. Requires the Administrator to publish advisory materials addressing the human health effects of listed contaminants which describe the properties, effects, risks, and concentrations of such contaminants. Directs the Indoor Air Panel of the EPA Science Advisory Board to assist in the listing and advisories. Requires advisories to be updated at least once every five years. Directs the Administrator to develop and publish a national indoor air quality response plan to reduce human exposure to the listed indoor air contaminants and reduce, to the fullest extent practicable, indoor air contaminant concentration levels to levels at which there is no known or anticipated human health effect, with an adequate margin of safety. Requires the response plan to identify the contaminant, the basis for the action, the nature of the response, the responsible Federal authority, the necessary financial resources, and the technological or legislative changes required for further reduction of the contaminant. Requires the Administrator and the Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA) to develop and implement a program to respond to and reduce indoor air contamination in Federal buildings and to demonstrate methods of reducing indoor air contamination in new Federal buildings. Directs the Administrator of the GSA to prepare a specific response plan for Federal buildings which lists buildings and the reduction and response actions to be taken and identifies those buildings for which there is sufficient evidence of indoor air contamination to warrant their assessment under this Act's Building Assessment Demonstration Program. Exempts specified buildings for national security, demolition, or special use purposes. Requires the Administrator of the GSA to provide a method and format for filing comments and complaints concerning indoor air quality in Federal buildings. Requires response plans to be submitted to the Congress on a biennial basis. Directs the Administrator of the GSA to reserve 0.5 percent of any funds appropriated for construction of new Federal buildings for design and construction of measures to reduce indoor air contaminant concentrations within such buildings. Requires that any new EPA building be designed, constructed, maintained, and operated as a model to demonstrate principles and practices for protecting indoor air quality. Authorizes grants to States for the development and implementation of management strategies and indoor air quality assessment and response programs similar to those of the Federal program. Directs the Administrator to establish the Office of Indoor Air Quality within the EPA's Office of Air and Radiation to implement agency responsibilities under this Act. Establishes a Council on Indoor Air Quality to coordinate Federal indoor air quality activities and review and comment on the national indoor air response program and the Federal building response plan. Requires the Council to report to the Congress on a biennial basis. Directs the Administrator to establish a national indoor air quality clearinghouse which shall operate a toll-free hotline on indoor air quality. Requires the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to implement a Building Assessment Demonstration Program to support the development of methods, techniques, and protocols for assessing indoor air contamination in non-residential, non-industrial buildings and to provide contamination reduction assistance and guidance to building owners and occupants. Sets forth building assessment report requirements. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1994.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1989
High Definition Television Research and Development Act of 1989 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, to provide assistance for the creation and support of joint research and development ventures to speed commercialization of high definition television products and services and to establish technology-sharing and technology transfer procedures. Directs the Secretary to: (1) publish notice that the National Institute is prepared to accept applications for assistance; and (2) negotiate a Memorandum stating the activities and responsibilities of each member of any joint venture selected for assistance. Requires each joint venture to submit an annual report and operating plan to the Secretary, the appropriate congressional committees, and the Comptroller General of the United States defining the goals, financial reporting requirements, and technology transfer agreements to be established in such joint venture. Treats all intellectual properties, trade secrets, and technical data developed by a joint venture receiving such assistance as if they are inventions made with Federal assistance for purposes of patent rights to such information. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1994.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1989
Anti-Terrorism Sanctions Act of 1989 - Requires the President to revoke the most-favored-nation trade status of certain foreign countries that repeatedly support international terrorism. Prohibits duty-free treatment for the products of such countries under the Trade Act of 1974 or the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act. Prohibits the Secretary of Commerce from consulting with the governments of such countries regarding international travel and tourism. Allows the President to waive any sanction under this Act with respect to any foreign country if such waiver would be in the best interests of the United States. Requires the President to give 30 days' notice to the Congress concerning any waiver.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1989
Utah BLM Wilderness Act of 1989 - Title I: Designation of Wilderness - Designates the following lands in Utah as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: (1) the Great Basin Wilderness; (2) the Zion and Mojave Desert Wilderness; (3) the Grand Staircase and Kaiparowits Plateau Wilderness; (4) the Escalante Canyons Wilderness; (5) the Henry Mountains Wilderness; (6) the Dirty Devil River Wilderness; (7) the Cedar Mesa Wilderness; (8) the Canyonlands Wilderness; (9) the San Rafael Swell Wilderness; and (10) the Book Cliffs and Uinta Basin Wilderness. Title II: Administrative Provisions - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to administer the wilderness areas designated under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1989
Requires the cost-of-living adjustments in FY 1990 for persons receiving military retired pay or an annuity under a veterans' survivors' benefits program to take effect. Prohibits any reduction or suspension of such adjustments under any presidential order or any other provision of law, except applicable Federal armed forces provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1989
Repeals provisions of the Internal Revenue Code that limit the deductibility of contributions to individual retirement plans by active participants in employer-maintained retirement plans.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1989
Urges the British Government to ensure direct elections in 1991 and 1994 to the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. Calls upon the President to communicate to the People's Republic of China and the British Government the importance the United States attaches to the democratic and human rights of Hong Kong's citizens and the retention of Hong Kong's capitalist system.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1989
Oil Pollution Liability and Compensation Act of 1989 - Title I: Oil Pollution Liability and Compensation - Imposes joint, several, and strict liability for specified removal costs and damages upon the party responsible for a vessel or facility from which oil is either discharged into certain waters, or which poses a substantial threat of such a discharge. Exempts from such liability certain discharges permitted under Federal, State, and local law. Defines conditions under which a mobile offshore drilling unit will be treated as either a tanker or as a facility for purposes of determining responsibility or excess liability. Sets forth defenses to liability under this Act. Sets forth limits to liability under this Act, with specified exceptions. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to establish by regulation a maximum liability limit. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress from time to time regarding liability adjustments. Declares that the responsible party or his guarantor shall be liable to the claimant for interest on the amount paid in satisfaction of a claim for a specified period. Defines circumstances under which liability for injury to natural resources shall be to either: (1) the United States; (2) the affected State; or (3) a foreign government. Sets forth recovery and indemnification procedures. Sets forth the uses of the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund (the Fund) including: (1) payment of removal costs and administrative expenses; and (2) contributions to the International Fund. Sets forth defenses to liability for such Fund and a specified maximum amount which may be paid from the Fund. Confers rights of subrogation upon the United States for payment of any claim by the Fund. Sets forth a claims procedure for removal costs or damages. Requires the Secretary to designate the source of a discharge and to immediately notify the responsible party or guarantor of such designation. Grants subrogation rights to any person (including the Fund) who pays compensation under this Act to any claimant for costs or damages. Requires the party responsible for certain vessels over 300 gross tons to establish and maintain evidence of financial responsibility to meet maximum liability limits. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to withhold or revoke the clearance of any vessel which fails to certify such financial responsibility. Sets forth circumstances under which such vessels may be denied entry into U.S. ports or waters or have their oil cargo seized. Imposes a civil penalty for failure to comply with the financial responsibility requirement. Restricts judicial review of any regulation promulgated under this Act to the Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Grants the district courts original jurisdiction over all actions arising under this Act. Sets forth a limitation period for actions for removal costs, damages, or contribution. Title II: Conforming Amendments - Sets forth conforming amendments to certain related statutes. Title III: Implementation of International Conventions - States that during any period in which the Civil Liability Convention and the Fund Convention are in force with respect to the United States, owner liability for pollution damage arising from a ship-related incident shall be determined according to such Conventions. Grants recognition to the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund as a legal person under Federal law, and deems the Director of such Fund to have irrevocably appointed the Secretary of State as the Fund's agent for service of process for legal proceedings involving the Fund within the United States. Exempts such Fund and its assets from all direct taxation in the United States. Provides that certain required contributions with respect to oil received in the United States shall be paid to the International Fund from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund. Grants recognition to any final judgment of a court of any country which is a party to either the Civil Liability Convention or the Fund Convention. Sets forth the financial responsibility requirements of shipowners whose vessels are subject to the Civil Liability Convention. Imposes specified sanctions and civil penalties upon persons violating the financial responsibility requirements. Waives all U.S. defenses based upon sovereign immunity with respect to any controversy arising under the Civil Liability Convention or the Fund Convention relating to any ship owned by the United States and used for commercial purposes. Authorizes the Secretary to prescribe regulations to implement this Act and all Federal obligations under the specified Oil Pollution Conventions.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1989
Acid Deposition Control Act of 1989 - Title I: Stationary Sources - Amends the Clean Air Act to require each Governor to submit to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency for approval a two-phased plan establishing emission limitations and compliance schedules for sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen emissions from fossil fuel fired electric utility steam generating units in the State. Requires reductions in sulfur dioxide emissions by 1994 (phase I) and reductions in oxides of nitrogen and further reductions in sulfur dioxide by 1998 (phase II). Directs each Governor to submit to the Administrator for approval an emissions limitations plan for such units, other than electric utilities' units, requiring both sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen emissions reductions by 1998. Requires the Administrator to conduct and update an annual inventory of sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen emissions from stationary sources. Directs the Administrator to identify the total statewide potential reductions in such emissions and to transmit such information to the State. Requires each Governor to submit to the Administrator a plan for establishing emission limitations from stationary sources of industrial process emissions to achieve such State's potential reductions by 1998. Requires the Administrator to study and report to the Congress by June 30, 1994, on the reductions achieved during phase I, granting the Congress an opportunity to legislate by the start of 1995 against the implementation of phase II. Grants States an opportunity to modify disapproved plans. Establishes emissions standards and Administrator-promulgated plans for States without an approved plan. Requires units in such States to submit a compliance plan and schedule to the Administrator. Directs the Administrator to impose fees on the generation and importation of electric energy if a utility is eligible for Federal subsidies to cover rate increases attributable to emission reduction requirements. Limits such fee to a maximum of 1/2 mill per kilowatt hour and makes it inapplicable to the generation of electric energy within the United States by hydroelectric or nuclear power. Prohibits the application of such fees after December 31, 1997. Prescribes civil penalties for violations in connection with such fees. Establishes the Acid Deposition Control Fund to provide for subsidies to electric utilities to cover rate increases attributable to emission reduction requirements. Prohibits the payments of subsidies to any utility, unless the State's Governor has assured that such rate increases are: (1) equivalent for residential electric utility ratepayers throughout the State; and (2) made level over the period during which such requirements are in effect. Prohibits costs for any technological system of emission reduction from being attributed to such requirements, unless such system meets specified conditions. Authorizes the Administrator to provide financial assistance to the owners or operators of stationary sources to promote the use of innovative technologies to control sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and other emissions from fossil fuels covered under the Clean Air Act. Sets forth eligibility and evaluation requirements. Allows State plans to provide for the use of innovative technology if contingent emission limitations are included in such plans. Authorizes the Administrator to impose fees on the generation of electric energy in such States to promote the use of innovative technologies. Prescribes civil penalties for violations in connection with such fees. Directs the Administrator to revise standards for emissions of nitrogen oxides for electric utility steam generating units burning bituminous or subbituminous coal. Requires the Administrator to promulgate standards for such emissions from nonelectric utility units which are new sources over a certain capacity. Title II: Emissions from Mobile Sources - Establishes emission standards for: (1) oxides of nitrogen from passenger cars and trucks manufactured after model year 1990; and (2) hydrocarbons from trucks manufactured after model year 1991. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations setting a maximum percentage for the sulfur content of motor vehicle diesel fuel. Prohibits any manufacturer or processor of diesel fuel from selling or introducing into commerce any fuel not in compliance with such regulations after January 1, 1991. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations to require the use of either hydrocarbon control technology by motor vehicles manufactured after model year 1991, or gasoline vapor recovery of hydrocarbon emissions emanating from the fueling of motor vehicles, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1989
International Financial Security Act of 1989 - Amends the Export Administration Act to state congressional findings that loans and other transfers of capital to the Soviet Union and its allies increase the ability of those countries to obtain sensitive goods and technology and to more easily divert funds to purposes inimical to U.S. interests. Declares that it is U.S. policy to use export controls to: (1) restrict the export of capital, the extension of credit, or the transfer of financial resources to destinations or persons abroad in order to promote the national security, including antiterrorism, the foreign policy interests of the United States, the advancement of emigration of Soviet Jews and other ethnic minorities, and human rights policies of the Soviet Union and other East Bloc countries; and (2) restrict the export of goods and technology where such export will likely support terrorism against U.S. citizens or benefit terrorists or countries supporting international terrorism. Authorizes the President to restrict the export or transfer of: (1) goods and technology if such export will likely support terrorism against U.S. citizens or benefit terrorists or countries supporting international terrorism; and (2) money or other financial assets to the governments of Warsaw Pact countries or countries supporting international terrorism. Provides for negotiations with other countries to obtain their cooperation with such export controls on capital, goods, and technology. Requires export license applications for the export of capital to be submitted to the Secretary of the Treasury, who shall make all determinations with respect to such application. Requires the annual report on the administration of the Export Administration Act of 1979 to include a report on actions taken to carry out export controls on capital. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to require that any notice of a change in control of an insured bank include the nationality of the person or persons making the acquisition. Sets forth criminal penalties for violation of any change in control requirement. Requires Federal banking agencies to disapprove any proposed acquisition which would result in the ownership or control of an insured bank by a Warsaw Pact country or a national agency or instrumentality of any such country. Requires federally-insured banks to include in reports of condition and reports to shareholders, and make available to the public, information concerning the number and amount of each untied loan made to any Warsaw Pact country.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1989
Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to establish in the Treasury the Textile Machinery Modernization Fund. Appropriates revenues from customs duties imposed on textile machinery and parts imported into the United States to such fund for research projects for the modernization of the U.S. textile machinery industry.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 1989
Waste Reduction Act - Makes it the national policy to reduce or prevent pollution at its source whenever feasible. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish an office within the EPA which will be independent of the EPA's single-medium program offices and have the authority to review and advise such offices on their activities to promote a multi-media approach to source reduction. Directs the Administrator to develop and implement a strategy to promote source reduction. Identifies several review, coordination, outreach, and organizational actions that the Administrator must take as part of such strategy. Requires the Administrator to: (1) make matching grants to States for programs promoting the use of source reduction techniques by businesses; and (2) establish a Source Reduction Clearinghouse to compile information generated by States receiving grants on management, technical, and operational approaches to source reduction. Requires that such information be made available to the public. Requires filings of annual toxic chemical release forms required under the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 to include toxic chemical source reduction and recycling reports for toxic chemicals which are the subject of such filings. Includes in such reports information, on a facility-by-facility basis, as to: (1) the amounts and disposition of each toxic chemical; (2) the source reduction practices used with respect to such chemicals; (3) measurements of changes from past to anticipated levels of chemical reduction and recycling; and (4) the techniques used to identify source reduction opportunities. Makes such information available to the public. Directs the Administrator to report to the Congress within one year of this Act's enactment and biennially thereafter on the results of actions taken to implement source reduction strategies. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 1989
Research and Experimental Credit Extension and Reform Act of 1989 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the income tax credit for qualified research expenditures by repealing the provisions that would terminate the credit for expenses incurred or paid after 1989. Revises the method for computing: (1) base period research expenses, adding a factor reflecting the gross national product growth rate; and (2) the tax credit, adding an alternative computation component. Applies the credit to in-house research expenses that the taxpayer pays or incurs for the principal purpose of using the research results in the active conduct of a future trade or business.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1989
Eliminates post-1968 service in the National Guard as a prerequisite to civil service retirement credit for former National Guard technicians. Amends the National Guard Technicians Act of 1968 to eliminate post-1968 service as a prerequisite for National Guard technicians for receipt of credit in the determination of length of Federal civil service for purposes of leave, Federal employees' death and disability compensation, group life and health insurance, severance pay, tenure, and status. Sets forth rules for applying provisions of this Act to affected individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1989
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the number of refugees admitted into the United States and the related resettlement program appropriations should be increased; and (2) the Department of Justice should reestablish the presumption that Jews and other religious minorities emigrating from the Soviet Union qualify for refugee admission status.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1989
Prohibits the obligation of funds for the B-2 Advanced Technology Bomber Program until the Secretary of Defense reports to the Congress on the following information with respect to the program: (1) total cost, including cost estimates and budget requests for future fiscal years; (2) production schedules; (3) test programs; and (4) the Secretary's views regarding the missions and purposes of such aircraft.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1989
Expresses disapproval of the refusal of the U.S.S.R. to recognize the sovereignty of the Baltic Republics. Designates June 14, 1989, as Baltic Freedom Day. Authorizes and requests the President to call upon the Soviet Union, the Federal Republic of Germany, and the Democratic Republic of Germany to renounce the acquisition or absorption of the Baltic Republics by the Soviet Union as a result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1989
Designates the week beginning April 2, 1989, as National Child Care Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 1989
Prohibits the Secretary of Defense from imposing charges for outpatient medical or dental care provided at any military health care facility.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 1989
Constitutional Amendment - Grants the President line item veto authority with respect to appropriations legislation.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 1989
Designates September 15, 1989, as National POW/MIA Recognition Day. Recognizes the National League of Families POW/MIA flag as the official symbol of the United States' commitment to resolving the fates of Americans still prisoner or missing in action in Southeast Asia.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 1989
Declares that the Congress urges: (1) the President to work with the Congress on a comprehensive oceans and Great Lakes policy; (2) Federal, State, and local governments, industry, organizations, and the public to share their expertise to preserve and responsibly utilize the oceans and the Great Lakes; and (3) the President to dedicate appropriate funding to implement the policy.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1989
National Biological Diversity Conservation and Environmental Research Act - States that the conservation of biological diversity is a national priority. Requires Federal actions to be consistent with such goal. Amends the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to require that environmental impact statements on proposed Federal actions include any impacts on biological diversity. Requires Federal agencies to conduct annual reviews of their programs for consistency with the conservation of biological diversity pursuant to this Act and to report the results of such reviews to the President, the Council on Environmental Quality, and the Congress. Sets forth requirements for programs found to be inconsistent with this Act. Directs the President's Council on Environmental Quality to: (1) establish guidelines for consideration of biological diversity in the preparation of environmental impact statements; and (2) identify those biotic communities, species, and populations that appear to be in decline, in imminent danger of loss of viability, or otherwise of special concern. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to review and comment on the adequacy of each environmental impact statement prepared under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 in assessing biological diversity impacts. Establishes a National Center for Biological Diversity and Conservation Research (Center) responsible for: (1) coordinating the collection of data pertaining to the national biota and supplementing and disseminating such information; (2) arranging and conducting surveys and supplementary research of the national biota; and (3) enhancing the application of biological data to the conservation of biological diversity. Establishes an Interagency Working Committee on Biological Diversity responsible for preparing a coordinated Federal strategy (Strategy) for conservation of biological diversity. Dissolves the Committee two years after this Act's enactment. Sets forth the required contents of such strategy and reporting requirements. Authorizes each agency represented on the Interagency Committee to provide grants to public agencies, private individuals, and organizations for projects to maintain or restore biological diversity. Requires that such grants be matched on at least an equal basis by the grantee, except when the grantee is a State or where the grant is provided for research. Directs each agency represented on the Interagency Committee to: (1) give high priority to research and personnel training directed towards implementation of the Strategy; and (2) assess the adequacy of its environmental research and training programs. Establishes, on a permanent basis, a National Scientific Advisory Committee on Biological Diversity which shall: (1) oversee the implementation of the Strategy; (2) advise the Interagency Committee and Federal agencies in the preparation and implementation of the Strategy; (3) assist in the coordination of interaction between Interagency Committee agencies and the Center; (4) assist in the evaluation of the impacts of proposed Federal activities on biological diversity; (5) assist in the review of Federal programs for consistency with the conservation of biological diversity and the adequacy of such programs in environmental research and training; and (6) serve as a general reference and advisory resource for the Nation in matters relating to conservation of biological diversity. Authorizes appropriations for the activities of the Center and the grant program for FY 1990 through 1992.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1989
Directs the Secretary of Energy to establish three Centers for Metal Casting Competitiveness Research as part of the Department of Energy's energy conservation programs.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1989
High Definition Television Competitiveness Act of 1989 - Title I: Tax Incentives for Research and Development - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal: (1) the termination date of the tax credit for increasing research activities; and (2) provisions denying the tax deduction for amounts allowed as a research credit. Title II: Authority to Engage in Joint Actions to Promote Development - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit the application of antitrust laws to any cooperative high definition television (HDTV) enterprise engaged in a joint research, development, or production venture with respect to which certain notification has been given. Title III: Federal Support for Development Initiatives - Requires the Secretary of Commerce to establish: (1) a program to provide general financial assistance to cooperative HDTV enterprises to promote the discovery, development, and commercialization of HDTV technology; and (2) a separate program to provide financial assistance to support pilot manufacturing projects and experimental community demonstration related to HDTV technology. Requires the Secretary to award such financial assistance competitively. Requires the Secretary to submit to each House of the Congress and the President: (1) quarterly reports on the state of progress of the research, development, and commercialization assisted under this title; and (2) a comprehensive report on the results of the financial assistance provided under this title. Authorizes appropriations. Title IV: Coordination of Federal Procurement of HDTV Technology - Requires the Secretary to submit to each House of the Congress recommendations for establishing a mechanism to coordinate procurements of HDTV technology by specified Federal agencies. Title V: International Trade - Requires the Secretary to submit a report to the President and the Congress on the implications for international trade of HDTV technology. Title VI: HDTV Broadcast Standard - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to authorize to be appropriated to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) $500,000 for FY 1989 to enable the FCC to prescribe a broadcast standard for HDTV.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1989
Law Enforcement Assistance Act of 1989 - Amends the Federal criminal code to bar the exclusion of otherwise admissible evidence obtained as a result of a search or seizure from a court of the United States if the search or seizure was undertaken in an objective, reasonable, good faith belief that it was in conformity with the fourth amendment to the Constitution. Specifies that evidence obtained pursuant to, and within the scope of, a warrant constitutes prima facie evidence of such a belief, unless obtained through intentional and material misrepresentation.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1989
Lower Income Housing Fair Rent Act of 1988 - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to exclude from the definition of income for purposes of rent and assistance payments all income earned by family members except the income of the two highest-earning family members.