United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1993
First-time Homebuyer Affordability Act of 1993 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make the tax on prohibited transactions inapplicable to a home equity participation arrangement. Describes such arrangement as one in which the eligible participant in an individual retirement plan directs the plan trustee to acquire an ownership interest in all or part of any dwelling unit which within a reasonable period of time is to be used as the principal residence for a first-time homebuyer. Requires such ownership interest to be a fee interest which requires full repayment. Describes the first-time homebuyer as an eligible participant or a qualified family member (child, parent, grandparent, or spouse) who had no present ownership interest in a principal residence during the 36-month period before the date of the arrangement. Allows the use of amounts in an individual retirement plan to make loans to purchase a home for a first-time homebuyer on behalf of an eligible participant or a qualified family member. Requires the repayment of first-time homebuyer loans within 15 years.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1993
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for the portion of employer social security taxes paid with respect to employee cash tips. Makes such credit part of the general business credit.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1993
Small Business Loan Securitization and Secondary Market Enhancement Act of 1993 - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to define a "small business related security" (SBRS) as generally a high rated security that represents and is secured by promissory notes evidencing, and that provides for payments of principal in relation to payments on the notes. Provides that SBRSs shall be exempt from: (1) certain restrictions in the margin and securities delivery rules; (2) certain restrictions on borrowing on securities by and lending among, brokers, dealers, and other members of national securities exchanges; and (3) certain prohibitions on the extension of credit by members of exchanges, brokers, and dealers against a security which was part of a new issue. Amends the Home Owners' Loan Act, the Federal Credit Union Act, and related statutes to allow banks, credit unions, and other depository institutions to invest in SBRSs. Amends the Secondary Mortgage Market Enhancement Act of 1984 to: (1) authorize any U.S. person or entity to invest in SBRS, to the same extent such person is authorized to invest in U.S. obligations issued; and (2) exempt SBRSs from any State law's security registration and qualification to the same extent that U.S. securities are so exempt. Provides for States to enact provisions prescribing specific requirement for SBRSs. Requires the accounting principles applicable to the transfer of a small business loan with recourse contained in reports or statements required by appropriate Federal banking agencies to be uniform and consistent with generally accepted accounting principles. Prohibits the amount of capital required to be maintained by a depository institution with respect to the sale of a small business loan with recourse from exceeding an amount sufficient to meet the institution's reasonable estimated liability under the recourse arrangement. Requires an SBRS to be treated as a mortgage-backed security under the risk-based capital requirements applicable to insured depository institutions. Directs the Secretary of Labor to exclude transactions involving SBRSs from certain restrictions and taxes imposed on "prohibited transactions" Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code (thereby allowing pension fund managers to participate in the pooling and packaging of small business loans for sale as securities). Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to promulgate regulations providing for the taxation of a small business loan investment conduit and the holder of an interest therein similar to the taxation of a real estate mortgage investment conduit and the holder of an interest therein under the Internal Revenue Code.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Safe Streets For Women Subtitle A: Law Enforcement and Prosecution Grants to Reduce Violent Crimes Against Women Subtitle B: Rape Prevention Programs Subtitle C: Victim Compensation Subtitle D: National Board on Violent Crime Against Women Subtitle E: Safe Campuses for Women Title II: Safe Homes for Women Subtitle A: Interstate Enforcement Subtitle B: Arrest in Domestic Violence Cases Subtitle C: Safe Homes for Immigrant Women Subtitle D: Confidentiality for Abused Persons Title III: Civil Rights Title IV: Equal Justice for Women in the Courts Subtitle A: New Evidentiary Rules Subtitle B: Education and Training for Judges and Court Personnel in State Courts Subtitle C: Education and Training for Judges and Court Personnel in Federal Courts Violence Against Women Act of 1993 - Title I: Safe Streets for Women - Safe Streets for Women Act of 1993 - Subtitle A: Law Enforcement and Prosecution Grants to Reduce Violent Crimes Against Women - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (Omnibus Act) to authorize the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance to: (1) make grants to reduce the rate of violent crimes against women to States and nonprofit nongovernmental victim services programs, and to Indian tribes, tribal organizations, or nongovernmental domestic violence and sexual assault victim services programs on Indian reservations; and (2) request any Federal agency, with or without reimbursement, to use its authorities and resources to support such State and local efforts. (Sec. 112) Specifies that no State is entitled to funds under this title unless the State or other grantee incurs the full cost of forensic medical exams for victims of sexual assault. Subtitle B: Rape Prevention Programs - Chapter 1: Rape Prevention Grants - Authorizes the Director to make education and prevention grants to reduce sexual assaults against women. Chapter 2: Offender Training and Information Programs - Directs the: (1) National Institute of Justice to establish criteria and develop training programs to assist probation and parole officer and other personnel who work with released sex offenders in the areas of case management, supervision, and relapse prevention; and (2) Attorney General to compile information regarding sex offender treatment programs and ensure that information regarding treatment programs in the community into which a convicted sex offender is released is made available to persons imprisoned for sexual abuse offenses. Subtitle C: Victim Compensation - Amends the Federal criminal code to require that a court order restitution for violations of Federal sexual abuse laws. Subtitle D: National Board on Violent Crime Against Women - Establishes an Interagency Advisory Board on Violent Crime Against Women to assess and review, and make recommendations regarding, policies and practices of the Government regarding violence against women. Subtitle E: Safe Campuses for Women - Directs the Attorney General to provide for a national baseline study to examine the scope of the problem of campus sexual assaults and the effectiveness of institutional and legal policies in addressing such crimes and protecting victims. Title II: Safe Homes for Women - Safe Homes for Women Act - Subtitle A: Interstate Enforcement - Amends the Federal criminal code to establish penalties for traveling across a State line with the intent to: (1) contact that person's spouse or intimate partner and, in the course of such contact, intentionally committing a crime of violence causing bodily injury to such spouse or partner; and (2) engage in conduct that violates a protection order, or that would violate such order if the conduct occurred in the jurisdiction in which the order was issued, and engaging in such conduct. Requires that in any proceeding for the purpose of determining whether a defendant charged shall be released pending trial, or the conditions of such release, the alleged victim be given an opportunity to be heard regarding the danger posed by the defendant. Mandates that a court order restitution to the victim of an offense under this Act. Requires, provided that certain conditions are met, that a protection order issued by the court of one State be accorded full faith and credit by the court of another State. Subtitle B: Arrest in Domestic Violence Cases - Amends the Omnibus Act to authorize the Director to make grants to eligible States, Indian tribes, municipalities, or local governmental entities to encourage arrest policies in domestic violence cases, including mandatory arrest programs for protective order violations and improving judicial handling of domestic violence cases. Subtitle C: Safe Homes for Immigrant Women - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to: (1) permit an alien to petition for preference or immediate relative status under the Act (currently, only a U.S. citizen may petition claiming that an alien is entitled to such status), and provide that such a petition may only be withdrawn by the beneficiary or self-petitioner; (2) provide that an abused alien family member shall be considered to remain the spouse or child of a citizen or resident abuser after the legal termination of the marriage through which the member seeks immigrant status if specified conditions are met; and (3) provide for a stay of deportation and the granting of work authorization for abused alien family members until such time as an immigrant visa is available and the alien's application for adjustment of status has been finally adjudicated by the Attorney General (but authorizes the Attorney General to revoke the work authorization of, and initiate deportation proceedings against, any alien who has fraudulently made a claim to be an abused alien family member, if the alien has received notice of intent to revoke and has a reasonable opportunity to rebut evidence supporting the revocation). Subtitle D: Confidentiality for Abused Persons - Directs the Postmaster General to promulgate regulations to secure the confidentiality of abused persons' addresses or otherwise prohibit the disclosure of an abused person's address, subject to specified requirements. Title III: Civil Rights - Declares that all individuals within the United States, and the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, shall have the right to be free from crimes of violence motivated by the victim's gender. Permits individuals deprived of such right to bring a civil action for compensatory damages, punitive damages, injunctive relief, declaratory relief, or any combination thereof, subject to specified limitations. Title IV: Equal Justice for Women in the Courts - Subtitle A: New Evidentiary Rules - Amends the Federal Rules of Evidence to make evidentiary rulings pursuant to Rule 412 (Rape Cases; Relevance of Victim's Past Behavior) subject to interlocutory appeal by the Government. (Sec. 402) Makes reputation or opinion evidence of the past sexual behavior of an alleged victim inadmissible in a criminal case, other than a sex offense case. Allows other types of evidence of a victim's past sexual behavior in accordance with specified procedures if its probative value outweighs the danger of unfair prejudice. (Sec. 403) Makes reputation or opinion evidence of the plaintiff's past sexual behavior inadmissible in a civil action involving allegations of actionable sexual misconduct. Allows other types of evidence of a plaintiff's past sexual behavior in accordance with specified procedures if its probative value outweighs the danger of unfair prejudice. (Sec. 404) Makes evidence of an alleged victim's clothing in a criminal case under Federal laws relating to sexual abuse inadmissible to show that the victim incited or invited the offense. Subtitle B: Education and Training for Judges and Court Personnel in State Courts - Authorizes the State Justice Institute to award grants to develop, test, present, and disseminate model programs to be used by States in training judges and court personnel in the laws of the State on rape, sexual assault, domestic violence, and other crimes of violence motivated by the victim's gender. Subtitle C: Education and Training for Judges and Court Personnel in Federal Courts - Directs the: (1) circuit judicial councils to conduct studies of the instances of gender bias in their respective circuits; (2) Judicial Conference of the United States to designate an entity within the judicial branch to act as a clearinghouse to disseminate any reports and materials issued by the gender bias task forces and to respond to requests for such reports and materials; and (3) Federal Judicial Center to include in its educational programs information on issues related to gender bias in the courts, prepare materials necessary to accomplish that end, and take into consideration the findings and recommendations of such studies and consult with individuals and groups with relevant expertise in gender bias issues as it prepares or revises such materials.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1993
Deficit Reduction Act of 1993 - Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to set the aggregate amount of required outlay reductions for: (1) FY 1993 at $25 million; (2) FY 1994 at the amount necessary to bring the outlay level to 95 percent of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) baseline for such fiscal year; and (3) FY 1995 at the amount necessary to bring the outlay level to 90 percent of such baseline. Bases the OMB baseline for FY 1994 and 1995 on FY 1993 enacted appropriations less 1993 sequestrations. Requires an across-the-board sequestration to carry out the required outlay reductions. Exempts social security, interest on the debt, Medicare payments, and Head Start from sequestration. Authorizes the President to exempt any account from sequestration or provide for a lower uniform percentage reduction than would otherwise apply if such percentage reduction is increased for non-exempt accounts (subject to limitation).
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1993
Prohibits direct Federal financial benefits or social insurance benefits (including aid to families with dependent children, supplemental security income, food stamps, and public housing assistance) to aliens who are not lawful permanent residents. Prohibits unemployment benefits to aliens who have not been granted employment authorization under Federal law. Makes a limited exception from this prohibition for benefits under the old age, survivors, and disability insurance (OASDI) program; but prohibits taking into account unauthorized wages paid on or after enactment of this Act in crediting quarters of coverage for the OASDI program under the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1993
Immigration Document Fraud Prevention Act of 1993 - Provides for: (1) the replacement of current green cards with new counterfeit-resistant identification cards (which shall not be considered national identity cards) for all permanent resident aliens eligible to work in the United States; (2) a national program to educate employers about their responsibilities under the Immigration and Nationality Act and the uses of such cards; and (3) a demonstration program to determine the feasibility of a computerized telephone worker verification system for employers. Increases immigration fraud penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1993
Improved Immigration Law Enforcement Act of 1993 - Increases FY 1994 personnel levels and funding for the Border Patrol and support personnel levels for the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). Provides for inservice training to familiarize Border Patrol personnel with the rights and varied cultural backgrounds of aliens and citizens. Authorizes FY 1994 appropriations. Increases FY 1994 personnel levels in: (1) the Wage and Hour Division with the Employment Standards Administration of the Department of Labor, and assigns such additional personnel to areas with high concentrations of undocumented aliens; and (2) the Investigations Division within INS, and assigns such additional personnel to investigate violations of the employer sanctions provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (the Act). Increases for FY 1994 the number of Assistant United States Attorney positions, and assigns such additional personnel to prosecute persons who harbor or bring into the United States illegal aliens. Amends the Act to increase penalties for harboring or bringing into the United States aliens for profit (but specifies that mere employment of an individual by itself shall not be deemed to constitute harboring). Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Attorney General and the Secretary of State should initiate programs with Mexico and Canada to prevent and prosecute the smuggling of aliens into the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1993
Directs the Attorney General to hire as additional border Patrol agents in the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 2,500 former military personnel involuntarily discharged under honorable conditions. Provides for inservice training for such individuals. Provides funding for such additional personnel from sums appropriated to the Department of Defense for FY 1994.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1993
Illegal Alien Transportation Prevention Act of 1993 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit the transportation of illegal aliens for employment purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1993
Small Business Regulatory Cost Relief Act of 1993 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to replace the small business tax credit for expenditures to provide access to disabled individuals with the small business tax credit for regulatory costs. Makes such credit 50 percent of qualified regulatory costs for a taxable year as exceed $250. Declares that such costs include eligible access expenditures for the disabled.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1993
Tax Fairness and Accountability Act of 1993 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require any legislation that increases the tax rate, the tax base, or the amount of income subject to tax, or decreases a deduction, exclusion, or credit to be approved in the House of Representatives and the Senate by an affirmative vote of three-fifths of its Members.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1993
Declares that it is the sense of the Congress that any legislation enacted to reform the health care system must: (1) ensure that every person has access to coverage for medically and psychologically necessary treatments for mental disorders that is equitable to the coverage provided for treatments of physical illnesses; and (2) meet specified requirements concerning coverage, consumer choice, financial protection, financing policies, and coordination across Federal, State, and local programs.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1993
Directs the Secretary of Defense to issue a commendation to each individual who was exposed to mustard agents in testing during World War II while serving in the armed forces. Requires the Secretary to: (1) notify each individual so exposed of possible health effects; and (2) make available to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs any information regarding such exposure.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Small Business Tax Incentives Title II: Increase of Number of Permitted S Corporation Shareholders Title III: Women-Owned Small Business Concerns Title IV: Prepayment of Development Company Debentures Title V: Cabinet Level Status for SBA Administrator Title VI: Assistant United States Trade Representative for Small Business Title VII: Judicial Review Under Regulatory Flexibility Act Title VIII: Congressional Budget Office Small Business Legislative Cost Analysis Title IX: Relief From Retroactive Application of Treasury Department Regulations and Rulings Title X: Study of Impact of Regulatory Analysis Upon Small Business Title XI: Fair Labor Standards Act Title XII: Independent Contractors Omnibus Small Business Promotion and Protection Act of 1993 - Title I: Small Business Tax Incentives - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend permanently: (1) the income tax credit for increasing research activities and the targeted jobs credit; (2) the authority to issue bonds for which 95 percent or more of the proceeds are used to provide any manufacturing facility or farm land or property; (3) the exclusion from gross income of payments to an educational assistance program; and (4) an increased deduction (from 25 to 100 percent of such insurance costs) for health insurance costs of self-employed individuals. Title II: Increase of Number of Permitted S Corporation Shareholders - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase from 35 to 50 the maximum number of shareholders of a "small business corporation." Title III: Women-Owned Small Business Concerns - Amends the Small Business Act to: (1) include as socially disadvantaged small business concerns those which have been subjected to gender-based prejudice; (2) include women under the definition of socially and economically disadvantaged individuals for contracting purposes; and (3) prohibit the application of community property laws in determining whether a small business meets certain ownership and control requirements. Title IV: Prepayment of Development Company Debentures - Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to allow the issuer of a debenture purchased by the Federal Financing Bank and guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA), at the election of the borrower whose loan secures the debenture, to prepay such debenture by payment to the Federal Financing Bank of the unpaid principal balance and any required prepayment penalty. Title V: Cabinet Level Status for SBA Administrator - Expresses the sense of the Congress that the SBA Administrator should be designated by the President as a full-fledged member of the Cabinet. Increases the Administrator's pay to an executive level commensurate with Cabinet status. Title VI: Assistant United States Trade Representative for Small Business - Expresses the sense of the Congress that the U.S. Trade Representative should establish the position of Assistant United States Trade Representative for Small Business to promote small business exports and remove foreign impediments to such exports. Title VII: Judicial Review Under Regulatory Flexibility Act - Amends the Regulatory Flexibility Act to repeal the proscription against judicial review of agency determinations regarding regulatory flexibility. Title VIII: Congressional Budget Office Small Business Legislative Cost Analysis - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require the Director of the Congressional Budget Office to prepare for each public bill or resolution reported by a congressional committee an estimate of the costs incurred in carrying out such bill or resolution and costs to small businesses in complying with such legislation. Title IX: Relief from Retroactive Application of Treasury Department Regulations and Rulings - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that all final, temporary, or proposed regulations and rulings issued by the Secretary of the Treasury shall apply prospectively from the date of their publication in the Federal Register. Title X: Study of Impact of Regulatory Analysis Upon Small Business - Requires the SBA's Chief Counsel for Advocacy to study the impact of Federal regulatory paperwork and tax requirements upon small business. Title XI: Fair Labor Standards Act - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 with respect to minimum wage and maximum hours to include within its purview workers engaged in industrial homework. Title XII: Independent Contractors - Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Internal Revenue Service should adopt objective, reasonable standards to determine independent contractor status.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1993
Federal Budget Structure Act of 1993 - Amends Federal law to require that the budget the President submits to the Congress be a unified budget comprising an operating budget and a capital budget, each presented separately for total funds, Federal funds, and trust funds. Restricts the capital budget to the major activities, projects, and programs supporting the acquisition, construction, alteration, and rehabilitation of capital assets. Includes all other items in the operating budget. Requires the following reports to specified congressional committees on capital activities and operating activities associated with: (1) roadways and bridges, airports and airway facilities, and mass transportation systems; (2) waste water treatment and related facilities; (3) water resource projects; and (4) public buildings.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1993
Vehicle Damage Disclosure Act of 1993 - Amends the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act to prohibit the licensing in a State of a vehicle whose ownership has been transferred unless the State discloses on the vehicle's title information indicating: (1) whether it was previously issued a title containing a word or symbol signifying that it was "salvage," "junk," "reconstructed," or "rebuilt," or that it has been damaged by flood; and (2) if it was issued such a title, which State first issued it. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to prescribe rules governing the manner in which a State shall disclose such information.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1993
Improved Budget Presentation Act - Establishes the Commission on the Presentation of the Budget of the United States to study and report to the President and the Congress on recommendations to provide improved governmental processes in the formulation, presentation, and implementation of the Federal budget with respect to: (1) the ability of the budget to distinguish between capital and operating activities, and between operating and trust funds, to identify the resources needed to meet the Government's needs; (2) improved procedures among Federal departments, agencies, independent establishments, and instrumentalities to provide improved coordination and control with respect to the budget; and (3) more effective arrangements between the executive branch and the Congress which will better enable each to carry out its budgeting, revenue, and appropriation responsibilities.
United States · United States Congress · 18 February 1993
Minor Crop Pesticides Act of 1993 - Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to define "minor use" as the use of a pesticide on an animal or a commercial agricultural crop or site or for the protection of public health where: (1) the use does not provide sufficient economic incentive to support registration; and (2) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not determined that the use presents an unreasonable adverse environmental effect. Prohibits data that relates solely to a minor use, without the permission of the original data submitter, from being considered by the Administrator to support a minor use application by another person for ten years following the submission of the data. Requires the Administrator, upon the request of a registrant, to extend the deadline for the production of residue chemistry data required solely to support a minor use pesticide up to two years subject to specified conditions. Applies the same extension conditions to data for reregistrations. Permits the Administrator, in handling the registration of a pesticide for a minor use, to waive applicable data requirements if such use does not have an adverse environmental effect. Provides for expedited review (within six months of submission) of applications to support minor use pesticide registrations. Requires the Administrator to conditionally amend a registration to permit additional minor uses even if data is insufficient if the applicant has submitted satisfactory data pertaining to the proposed minor use and amending such registration would not increase environmental risks. Authorizes the Administrator to conditionally register or amend the registration of a pesticide for a minor use if: (1) the active ingredient is being supported for reregistration; (2) the minor use was a registered use of a product that has been canceled, proposed for cancellation, or deleted as a use after December 24, 1988; and (3) the use requires only residue chemistry data for reregistration. Outlines additional requirements for conditional registrations. Directs EPA to assure coordination of minor use issues through the establishment of a minor use program. Establishes and authorizes funding for a Department of Agriculture minor use matching fund program. Requires the program to be utilized to ensure the continued availability of minor use crop protection chemicals. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 18 February 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Regulatory Impact on Credit Availability Subtitle A: General Provisions Subtitle B: Impact of Accounting and Capital Issues on Credit Availability Subtitle C: Disincentives to Risk-Taking Subtitle D: Miscellaneous Credit Availability Provisions Title II: Regulatory Micromanagement Title III: Unnecessary Cost, Paperwork and Regulation Subtitle A: General Provisions Subtitle B: Holding Company Efficiencies Title IV: Consumer Inconvenience, Paperwork, and Cost; Other Non-Supervisory Reforms Subtitle A: Consumer Benefits and Lending Process Improvements Subtitle B: Other Non-Supervisory Reforms Title V: Community Investment Economic Growth and Financial Institutions Regulatory Paperwork Reduction Act of 1993 - Title I: Regulatory Impact on Credit Availability - Subtitle A: General Provisions - (Sec. 101) Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA) to direct the appropriate Federal banking agencies to minimize the negative impact upon credit availability for small business, residential, and agricultural purposes and on low-and moderate-income communities when prescribing real estate lending standards. (Sec. 102) Amends the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 to direct the Appraisal Subcommittee to encourage the States to develop reciprocity agreements among themselves so as to readily authorize licensed appraisers in good standing to perform appraisals in sister States. Subtitle B: Impact of Accounting and Capital Issues on Credit Availability - (Secs. 111-113) Amends the FDIA to amend the regulatory scheme with respect to: (1) audits of insured depository institutions; (2) recourse agreements; and (3) market value accounting. (Sec. 114) Requires the Department of the Treasury to report to certain congressional committees on the effect on the national economy resulting from implementation of risk based capital standards (including the Basle international capital standards). Subtitle C: Disincentives to Risk Taking - (Sec. 121) Amends the FDIA and the Federal Credit Union Act with respect to the due process protections accorded the attachment of assets, and the statutory authority to require a depository institution to prohibit a person from alienating property under certain circumstances. Subtitle D: Miscellaneous Credit Availability Provisions - (Sec. 131) Mandates the establishment of a regulatory appeals process within each appropriate Federal banking agency and the National Credit Union Administration. (Secs. 132 and 133) Amends the Federal Reserve Act to modify the aggregate limits on insider lending for specified small banks. Mandates that certain agencies study and report to the Congress on the advisability and budgetary impact of requiring insured depository institutions to maintain sterile reserves. (Sec. 134) Amends the FDIA to prescribe guidelines under which the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) may, with respect to an undercapitalized insured depository institution, waive its right to repudiate an agreement to sell credit card accounts receivable. (Sec. 135) Amends the Federal Home Loan Bank Act to permit FHLBA banks to: (1) make secured advances upon obtaining a security interest in certain nonresidential real estate-related collateral; and (2) invest surplus funds to purchase participation interests in residential construction loans originated by member institutions. Title II: Regulatory Micromanagement - (Secs. 201-204) Amends the FDIA to modify the regulatory scheme with respect to: (1) safety and soundness standards; (2) paperwork reduction; (3) rules on deposit taking; and (4) a transition period for new regulations. Title III: Unnecessary Cost, Paperwork and Regulation -Subtitle A: General Provisions - (Secs. 301-303) Amends the FDIA with respect to: (1) bank examinations; (2) coordination of State and Federal examinations; and (3) the use of accounting principles. (Secs. 304-306) Prescribes guidelines for the reduction of call report requirements and capital compliance requirements. Excludes automated teller machines and specified bank branches from FDIA branch closure notice requirements. (Sec. 307) Amends Federal law regarding monetary instruments transactions to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to annually: (1) review all regulations pertaining to monetary instruments transaction requirements, seeking public comment; and (2) publish all written rulings interpreting such law, as well as staff commentaries. (Sec. 309) Amends the FRA and the FDIA to cite conditions under which accounts of U.S. banks are shielded from liability to repay] deposits made at foreign branches. Subtitle B: Holding Company Efficiencies - (Secs. 321-325) Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 to modify the procedures under which bank holding companies: (1) are formed; and (2) acquire interests in nonbanking activities. Reduces the post-approval waiting period for bank holding company acquisition and bank mergers. Title IV: Consumer Inconvenience, Paperwork, and Cost; Other Non-Supervisory Reforms - Subtitle A: Consumer Benefits and Lending Process Improvements - (Sec. 401) Mandates a Federal Reserve study and report to the Congress on ways to streamline the credit-granting process. (Secs. 402-403) Amends the Truth in Lending Act regarding: (1) certain exemptions from credit cost disclosure requirements; (2) modification of waiver of the debtor's rescission rights; and (3) alternative disclosures for adjustable rate mortgages. (Sec. 405) Amends the Truth in Savings Act to exempt business accounts from its purview. Subtitle B: Other Non-Supervisory Reforms - (Secs. 411-413) Amends the Expedited Funds Availability Act regarding: (1) the availability of Treasury checks and local checks; (2) new accounts; and (3) the allocation of risks of loss and liability to the States and political subdivisions. (Secs. 414 and 421) Amends the Electronic Fund Transfer and the Truth in Lending Act to increase the consumer liability limit in specified circumstances of unauthorized electronic fund transfers and unauthorized use of credit cards where the cardholder has substantially contributed to the unauthorized transfer or use. (Sec. 432) Amends the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 to reduce the homeownership debt counseling notification requirement to no more than once per year. (Sec. 433) Prohibits a Federal banking agency from imposing data collection requirements upon an institution under its jurisdiction other than the information required under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975. (Secs. 441 and 442) Amends the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 to: (1) modify the disclosure guidelines for the servicing of mortgage loans; and (2) exempt certain credit transactions from its purview. Title V: Community Investment - (Sec. 501) Amends the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 (the Act) with respect to: (1) minimizing the regulatory paperwork costs and burdens associated with compliance; (2) conditions under which an application for a deposit facility shall not be denied on the basis of compliance; (3) granting credit to a financial institution for making investments and loans to either minority and women's depository institutions, or to entities providing benefits to distressed communities; (4) assessments of special purpose banks; and (5) the acceptability of State examinations in lieu of Federal examinations.
United States · United States Congress · 18 February 1993
Gun-Free Schools Act of 1993 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) to require local educational agencies (LEAs), as a condition of receiving ESEA assistance from the State, to have in effect a policy requiring expulsion from school for at least one year of any student who has brought a gun, knife, or other weapon to a school under LEA jurisdiction. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make grants to LEAs for: (1) purchasing crime prevention equipment, including metal detectors; and (2) training security personnel. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 18 February 1993
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 (MA) 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, MA, Wage Areas.
United States · United States Congress · 18 February 1993
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the widespread rape and forced pregnancy of women and girls in the former Yugoslavia constitute war crimes; (2) the United Nations (UN) Security Council and UN Human Rights Commission should adopt resolutions explicitly recognizing that rape and forced pregnancy constitute war crimes; (3) such war crimes should be investigated by an international tribunal; (4) such tribunal may be convened by the UN at the highest level and should be provided with clear authority to investigate, prosecute, adjudicate, and punish those responsible for those and other crimes; (5) the UN should appoint a special rapporteur on sex discrimination and violence against women; and (6) the 1993 UN World Conference on Human Rights in June should consider violations of the human rights of women.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 1993
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should: (1) continue to send immediate fuel and humanitarian assistance to help Armenia and its economy and continue to withhold all U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan until Azerbaijan lifts its blockade and other uses of force against Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh; (2) promote a lasting and equitable resolution to the conflict within the United Nations and the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe; (3) promote the full participation of the representatives of Nagorno Karabagh in all negotiations concerning this conflict; (4) encourage Turkey to play a neutral role in helping to promote an equitable resolution to this crisis; and (5) condemn the continuing blockade of Armenia and Karabagh and demand the immediate lifting of the blockade and the opening of corridors to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian goods to Armenia.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Copyright Office Title II: Copyright Royalty Tribunal Title III: General Provisions Copyright Reform Act of 1993 - Title I: Copyright Office - Amends Federal copyright law to provide that nothing in such law limits any rights under State law with respect to perfecting security interests. Authorizes a copyright owner, in the case of a work consisting of sounds, images, or both, the first fixation of which is made simultaneously with its transmission, to institute an infringement action either before or after such fixation takes place if he serves notice upon the infringer between ten and 30 days before the fixation and identifies the work and specific time and source of its first transmission. (Current law requires a work to be registered before an infringement action may be brought.) Repeals a provision which requires registration as a prerequisite to certain remedies for infringement. Converts the Register of Copyrights from a Librarian of Congress appointee to a presidential appointee. Title II: Copyright Royalty Tribunal - Replaces the Copyright Royalty Tribunal with copyright arbitration royalty panels to oversee the adjustment of copyright royalty rates and payments and to distribute royalty fees in the event a controversy over distribution exists. Sets forth provisions concerning panel membership and arbitration proceedings. Requires the Register of Copyrights to: (1) adopt a panel decision unless the decision is arbitrary; and (2) set a royalty fee or distribute fees if it rejects the decision. Provides for judicial review of Register decisions concerning panel determinations. Authorizes owners or users of copyrighted works to petition for adjustments of compulsory license rates by copyright arbitration royalty panels. Sets forth requirements for proceedings concerning cable television, phonorecords, coin-operated phonorecord players, noncommercial broadcasting, and digital audio recording. Repeals specified provisions concerning compulsory licenses and limitations on exclusive rights for coin-operated phonorecord players. Revises requirements concerning compulsory licenses for public broadcasting. Title III: General Provisions - Sets forth effective dates for the amendments made by this Act. Retains existing royalty rates and determinations concerning the proportionate division of compulsory license fees among copyright claimants until modified by voluntary agreement or pursuant to the amendments made by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 1993
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to remove charitable contributions of appreciated capital gain property as an item of tax preference for purposes of the alternative minimum tax.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 1993
Volunteer Protection Act of 1993 - Prescribes circumstances under which volunteers working for nonprofit organizations or government entities shall be immune from personal financial liability for acts on behalf of the organization or entity. Sets forth exceptions and conditions that a State may impose on the granting of such immunity. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to increase by one percent the fiscal year allotment which would otherwise be made to a State to carry out the Social Services Block Grant Program under title XX of the Social Security Act if such State has, within two years, certified to the Secretary that it has enacted a State law which provides such immunity. Provides for the continuation of such increase based on an annual recertification.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 1993
Fairness in Federal Purchases Act of 1993 - Amends the Buy American Act to require Federal agency heads, upon notification in the Federal Register that the unemployment rate was five percent or higher or that the gross national product (GNP) declined during the preceding fiscal quarter, to determine whether: (1) the amount the agency spent on foreign government goods and services exceeded the amount such foreign governments spent on similar domestic goods and services during the preceding fiscal year and, if so, adjust spending on procurement from domestic versus foreign sources to eliminate any imbalance; and (2) less than 35 percent of the agency procurement spending went to small businesses and, if so, increase small business procurement spending to equal or exceed that amount. Provides that the lowest acceptable domestic product prices shall be considered unreasonable if they exceed the lowest acceptable foreign prices by more than specified amounts. Terminates such spending requirements after: (1) three years; or (2) specified shorter periods following publication of an unemployment rate of less than five percent for the preceding quarter or of a stable or increasing GNP for two consecutive quarters.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 1993
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that provisions under the Social Security Act (SSA) for cost-of-living adjustments under the Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance program under SSA title II are essential to the integrity of such program and must not be interrupted or restricted.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: General Provisions Title II: Manufacturing Subtitle A: Manufacturing Technology and Extension Subtitle B: National Science Foundation Manufacturing Programs Title III: Critical Technologies Subtitle A: Benchmarking Science and Technology Subtitle B: Advanced Technology Program Subtitle C: Civilian Technology Loan Program Subtitle D: Civilian Technology Development Program Title IV: Miscellaneous Title V: Authorizations of Appropriations Title I: General Provisions - National Competitiveness Act of 1993 - Sets forth the purposes and goals of this Act. Title II: Manufacturing - Subtitle A: Manufacturing Technology and Extension - Manufacturing Technology and Extension Act of 1993 - (Sec. 204) Amends the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 to establish the National Technology Outreach Program to assist U.S. manufacturers, especially small and medium-sized firms, to expand the use of technology and modern manufacturing processes. Provides for: (1) a related communications infrastructure; (2) an information clearinghouse; and (3) manufacturing outreach centers. (Sec. 205) Directs the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) to establish an Advanced Manufacturing Program, whose goal shall be to create programs to develop design and manufacturing technologies and associated applications, including advanced computer integration and electronic networks. (Sec. 207) Amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to authorize the Institute to establish local manufacturing offices. (Sec. 208) Establishes within the Institute a State Technology Extension Program. Subtitle B: National Science Foundation Manufacturing Programs - (Sec. 212) Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation to expand the number of Engineering Research Centers and strengthen the Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers Program. (Secs. 213 and 214) Authorizes the Director to establish: (1) graduate traineeships; (2) a manufacturing managers in the classroom program; and (3) a quality management program. Title III: Critical Technologies - Subtitle A: Benchmarking Science and Technology - (Sec. 301) Amends the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 to make the Department of Commerce the lead Federal agency in making available information for assessing the comparative strength of U.S. scientific and technological capabilities. Directs: (1) the Secretary to establish within the Technology Administration an Office of Technology Monitoring and Assessment; and (2) such Office to establish a related fellowship program. Subtitle B: Advanced Technology Program - (Secs. 321 and 322) Directs the Secretary to submit to the Congress an expansion plan for the Advanced Technology Program. Authorizes Program support of large-scale joint ventures. Subtitle C: Civilian Technology Loan Program - (Sec. 331) Authorizes the Secretary to make or guarantee loans to qualified small and medium businesses for research, development, or utilization of critical or advanced technologies. Subtitle D: Civilian Technology Development Program - Civilian Technology Development Act of 1993 - (Secs. 343 through 361) Establishes within the Technology Administration: (1) a program to supplement the availability of long-term investment capital for U.S. critical or advanced technology businesses through licensed technology investment companies; and (2) an Office of Technology Financing to administer such program. Establishes a related Civilian Technology Development Advisory Committee. Title IV: Miscellaneous - (Sec. 401) Establishes a Department of Commerce Technology Advisory Board to assist the Technology Administration. (Sec. 402) Amends the American Technology Preeminence Act of 1991 to expand the Institute's standard pilot program to permit contracts with non-Federal organizations to promote U.S. technical standards dissemination activities abroad. (Sec. 403) Amends the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 to prohibit the making of a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award within a category or subcategory if there are no qualifying enterprises. Makes educational institutions an Award category. (Sec. 407) Directs the Critical Technologies Institute to report to the Congress on advanced lithography technologies for the production of semiconductor devices. (Sec. 408) Authorizes the Secretary to make grants for American workforce quality partnerships (training consortia between industry and institutions of higher education). Title V: Authorization of Appropriations - Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1993
National Wildlife Refuge System Management and Policy Act of 1993 - Amends the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 to prohibit the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) from initiating or permitting a new use of a refuge or expanding, renewing, or extending an existing use unless it is determined that it is compatible with the purposes of the System and the refuge. Allows existing uses of such refuge system lands that have been determined compatible under this Act, or the Refuge Recreation Act, to continue under specified conditions. Terminates such use and revokes permits for it within five years after the enactment of this Act unless the Secretary determines that such use is compatible. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to establish a formal process for governing determinations of compatibility of an existing or proposed new use in a refuge with the purposes of the System and the refuge. Requires the head of each Federal agency that has, with respect to a refuge, an equivalent or secondary jurisdiction with the Department of the Interior, or conducts activities within any refuge, to ensure that any actions authorized, funded, or carried out will not impair the resources of the refuge or be incompatible with system or refuge purposes, unless the action is specifically authorized by law or necessary for national security. Directs the Secretary to: (1) prepare (and revise every ten years) a comprehensive plan for the System; and (2) prepare (and revise every 15 years) a comprehensive conservation plan for each refuge or ecologically related complex of refuges in the System, except those in Alaska. Authorizes appropriations. Grants the Secretary emergency power to suspend any activity in any range in the National Wildlife Refuge System that constitutes an imminent danger to the health and safety of any wildlife population, refuge, or to public health and safety.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1993
Regulatory Flexibility Amendments Act of 1993 - Amends Federal law to eliminate provisions respecting judicial review of Federal agency compliance with regulatory flexibility analysis requirements. Requires an agency to consider the direct and indirect effects of a rule in determining whether or not it is likely to have a significant impact on a substantial number of small entities. Sets forth guidelines governing agency transmittal of proposed rules to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration. Authorizes such official to transmit to the agency a statement of opposition to the proposed rule. Requires publication of such statement and the agency's response in the Federal Register. Expresses the sense of the Congress that such official should be permitted to appear as amicus curiae in any action or case brought in a U.S. court for the purpose of reviewing a rule.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1993
Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1993 - Provides that not later than 30 days after a lobbyist first makes or agrees to make a lobbying contact with a covered legislative or executive branch official, such lobbyist, or as provided below, the organization employing such lobbyist, shall register with the Office of Lobbying Registration and Public Disclosure (OLRAPD). Provides that any person whose income or expenses in connection with lobbying activities on behalf of a particular client do not exceed, or are not expected to exceed, $1,000 in a semiannual period is not required to register for such client. Defines "lobbyist" as any individual who is employed or retained by another for financial or other compensation to perform services that include lobbying contacts, other than an individual whose lobbying activities are only incidental to, and not a significant part of, the services for which such individual is paid. Specifies the information that such registration shall contain. Provides that in the case of a registrant representing more than one client, a separate registration shall be filed for each client represented. Requires organizations whose employees are lobbyists to file a single registration. Requires registrants to file with OLRAPD a report on semiannual lobbying activities. Establishes within the Department of Justice OLRAPD the duties of which include: (1) prescribing rules for implementing this Act; (2) making registrations and reports public; and (3) transmitting annual reports to the Congress and President. Establishes procedures for: (1) informal resolution of alleged noncompliance; (2) determinations of noncompliance where information provided to OLRAPD indicates that noncompliance may exist; and (3) addressing late registrations and filings and failures to provide such information. Provides for judicial review of certain OLRAPD decisions. Amends the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 to: (1) revise the definition of "foreign principal"; (2) eliminate references to political propaganda and, in certain cases, replace such references with references to informational materials; and (3) modify the registration exemption for lawyers providing legal representation to disclosed foreign principals to apply such exemption to judicial proceedings and criminal or civil law enforcement inquiries, investigations, or proceedings. Revises limitations on use of appropriated funds to influence certain Federal contracting and financial transactions. Repeals the Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act. Repeals provisions under the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act and Public Utility Holding Company Act relating to lobbyist activities. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1993
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to remove charitable contributions of appreciated capital gain property as an item of tax preference for purposes of the alternative minimum tax.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1993
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the provisions permitting small issues of tax-exempt bonds to finance manufacturing facilities and farm property.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1993
Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the corporate income tax exclusion of contributions to the capital of the taxpayer. Includes as a qualifying contribution any amount of money or property received by a regulated public utility which provides water or sewage disposal services that: (1) is a contribution in aid of construction; (2) meets certain expenditure requirements; and (3) is not included in the taxpayer's rate base. Excludes amounts paid as service charges for starting or stopping services. Determines the depreciation deduction for such property by using the straight line method and provides for a 25-year recovery period.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1993
Amends the National Labor Relations Act to exclude shipboard supervisory personnel from selection as employer representatives, if such personnel are licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard and represented by a labor organization. Provides that picketing or other economic activity undertaken by a labor organization on behalf of such licensed shipboard supervisory personnel shall not be considered a prohibited restraint or coercion.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1993
Constitutional Amendment - Prohibits outlays for a fiscal year (except those for repayment of debt principal) from exceeding total receipts (except those derived from borrowing) for that fiscal year unless the Congress, by a three-fifths roll call vote of each House, authorizes a specific excess of outlays over receipts. Requires a three-fifths roll call vote of each House to increase the public debt. Directs the President to submit a balanced budget to the Congress. Requires the approval of a majority of each House by roll call vote before any bill to increase revenue may become law. Waives these provisions when a declaration of war is in effect. Waives these provisions when the United States is engaged in a military conflict which poses a threat to national security as declared by a joint resolution adopted by a majority of each House.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1993
Declares that any economic growth package passed by the 103d Congress should include the permanent extension of the mortgage revenue bond and low-income housing tax credit programs.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1993
Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act of 1993 - Amends the Federal criminal code to impose civil or criminal penalties upon persons who intentionally prevent other individuals from entering or exiting a medical facility. Permits aggrieved individuals to obtain appropriate relief through civil actions.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Modification of Passive Loss Rules Title II: Provisions Relating to Real Estate Investments By Pension Funds Title III: Discharge of Indebtedness Real Estate Stability and Recovery Amendments Act of 1993 - Title I: Modification of Passive Loss Rules - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude certain rental real estate development activities from treatment as a passive activity for purposes of determining passive activity losses and credits. Title II: Provisions Relating to Real Estate Investments by Pension Funds - Modifies exceptions to the exclusion of real property acquired by a qualified organization from the meaning of acquisition indebtedness. Makes certain exceptions inapplicable to sales out of foreclosure by a financial institution. Applies the meaning of acquisition indebtedness to investments in certain large partnerships where the principal purpose of partnership allocation is not tax avoidance. Repeals the special rule for publicly traded partnerships with respect to the treatment of unrelated business taxable income. Permits a tax-exempt title-holding company to receive unrelated business taxable income of up to ten percent of its gross income, if the income is incidentally derived from the holding of real property. Excludes from unrelated business taxable income: (1) gains from the sale, exchange, or other disposition of real property acquired from financial institutions that are in conservatorship or receivership; (2) amounts received or accrued as consideration for entering into agreements to make loans; and (3) all gains on the lapse or termination of options, written by an organization in connection with its investment activities, to buy or sell real property. Provides for the tax treatment of pension fund investments in real estate investment trusts. Title III: Discharge of Indebtedness - Excludes from gross income, the income from the discharge of qualified real property business indebtedness. Applies the excluded amount to reduce the basis of the depreciable real property. Limits such amount to the amount of outstanding indebtedness over the fair market value of the property, reduced by any other qualified real estate business indebtedness. Excludes qualified farm indebtedness from the definition of "qualified real property business indebtedness."
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1993
Americans with Disabilities Business Development Act of 1993 - Amends the Small Business Act to: (1) substitute the definition of "disability" (a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of an individual) for "handicapped individual"; and (2) include Americans with disabilities among those considered to be socially disadvantaged for purposes of such Act.