United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1991
Peace, Democracy and Development in El Salvador Act of 1991 - Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States shall use diplomacy to encourage the Government of El Salvador and the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) to: (1) participate in good-faith negotiations to achieve a cease-fire and permanent settlement of the conflict in El Salvador; (2) adhere to the terms of agreements signed in Geneva, Switzerland, Caracas, Venezuela, and San Jose, Costa Rica; and (3) support the role of the Secretary General of the United Nations in advancing proposals on the outstanding issues defined in the Caracas accords to resolve the conflict. Withholds from El Salvador unobligated military assistance for FY 1991 and prior fiscal years and military assistance allocated for FY 1992 and 1993 until the Congress enacts a joint resolution authorizing the provision of such assistance and the President reports to the Congress that: (1) those responsible for ordering and carrying out, or obstructing the investigation into, the November 1989 murders of certain priests and civilians have been apprehended and brought to justice; (2) internationally recognized workers' rights have been extended to Salvadoran workers; (3) the El Salvadoran Government has pursued legal avenues to bring to trial and obtain verdicts for those responsible for the murders of Archbishop Romero and certain land reformers and for the bombings of the FENASTRAS headquarters; (4) the El Salvadoran Government is complying with international standards of respect for humanitarian and medical workers; (5) steps have been taken to place the El Salvadoran military under the control of the civilian government; (6) the El Salvadoran Government is negotiating to achieve a cease-fire and a settlement of the conflict and has not rejected a plan for the settlement of the conflict put forth by the United Nations Secretary General; and (7) the El Salvadoran Government, through its military and security forces, has not engaged in assassinations of, or acts of violence against, civilians and has not failed to control such activities by elements subject to the control of such forces. Prohibits funding for: (1) the stationing of U.S. military personnel in El Salvador as trainers or advisors to the El Salvadoran armed forces; and (2) the financing of covert operations in El Salvador or for covert military assistance to the El Salvadoran Government. Establishes the Demobilization, Transition, and Reconstruction Fund to assist with the cost of monitoring a permanent settlement of the conflict, the demobilization of combatants in the conflict and their transition to peaceful pursuits, and the reconstruction of El Salvador. Makes the Fund available only upon the President's notification to the Congress that the El Salvadoran Government and the FMLN have reached a permanent settlement to the conflict. Requires the President, upon notification of a permanent settlement or on September 30, 1992, if no notification has occurred prior to such date, to transfer withheld military assistance to the Fund. Prohibits economic support fund (ESF) assistance from being obligated as balance-of-payments or cash assistance for El Salvador. Makes ESF assistance for El Salvador available only for projects for child nutrition, health, clean water, basic education, agrarian reform, and other human needs of the people of El Salvador. Requires such assistance to be used only for programs implemented solely by civilian agencies. Subjects ESF assistance for El Salvador to reprogramming notifications under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1991
Plastic Recycling Assistance Act of 1991 - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to require plastic containers manufactured or offered for sale in the United States to be coded to identify the principal plastic resin used in such containers. Establishes a symbol and numbers identifying specific types of resins, including degradable resins, for such codes. Prohibits States or political subdivisions from: (1) enforcing any law applicable to plastic coding unless requirements are the same as requirements under this Act; and (2) enforcing any ban on plastic containers coded in compliance with this Act unless such ban is equally applicable to containers made from other materials. Prescribes civil and criminal penalties for violations of this Act. Requires the Administrator to study and report to the Congress on technology to facilitate the automated sorting of recyclable and nonrecyclable plastics in municipal solid waste and to separate such plastics by resin type. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1991
Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to limit the late enrollment penalty to a ten percent increase in the monthly part B premium due over a period equal to twice the number of years that the part B beneficiary could have been but was not enrolled under part B.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1991
Higher Education Technical Amendments of 1991 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to eliminate references to "ability-to-benefit" students in definitions of vocational school (for purposes of the Stafford loan program), proprietary institution and postsecondary institution (for purposes of all student assistance under HEA), and institution of higher education (for purposes of HEA in general). Eliminates "ability-to-benefit" provisions. Requires independent testing of students who are not high school graduates, for purposes of eligibility for any grant, loan, or work assistance under HEA student assistance provisions. Eliminates any statute of limitations for collection of student loan repayments or grant overpayments under HEA student assistance provisions. Directs the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to waive or modify any statutory or regulatory provision applicable to HEA student assistance programs to ensure that those serving on active duty in connection with Operation Desert Shield or Desert Storm: (1) are not placed in a worse position financially in relation to their Stafford or Perkins loans because of such service; (2) have administrative burdens eased and avoid inadvertent technical defaults with respect to student loans under HEA title IV; and (3) do not have their future eligibility for Pell Grants reduced by the amount of assistance awarded for the instruction period they were unable to complete because of such service. Directs the Secretary to publish notice of such waivers or modifications. Expresses the sense of the Congress that all institutions offering postsecondary education should provide at least a pro rata refund or credit for tuition and fees for that portion of an instruction period that any Armed Force or Reserve member was unable to complete because of active duty service in connection with Operation Desert Shield or Desert Storm. Directs the Secretary to: (1) encourage institutions to provide such refunds or credits; and (2) report to the appropriate congressional committees on their actions, including information received regarding any institutions not providing such refunds or credits. Terminates on September 30, 1997, provisions of this Act relating to Operation Desert Shield or Storm student assistance waiver authority and tuition refunds or credits. Amends the Adult Education Act (AEA) to provide for education programs for commercial drivers. Authorizes the Secretary to make competitive matching grants for adult education programs which increase the literacy skills of eligible commercial drivers so that they may successfully complete the knowledge test requirements under the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986. Requires grantees to refer individuals identified as having literacy skills problems to appropriate adult education programs. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1991 through 1993 for such grants. Directs the Secretary to treat the University of Detroit Mercy of Detroit, Michigan, as an eligible institution under part A (Strengthening Institutions) of title III (Institutional Aid) of HEA for purposes of assistance to institutions under other programs.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1991
Emergency Supplemental Assistance for Israel Act of 1991 - Authorizes emergency supplemental appropriations for FY 1991 for economic support fund assistance for Israel for costs resulting from the Persian Gulf conflict. Designates such funds as emergency requirements pursuant to the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act).
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1991
Desert Shield and Desert Storm Military Personnel Student Financial Aid Fairness Act of 1991 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to direct the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to waive or modify any statutory or regulatory provision applicable to HEA student assistance programs to ensure that those serving on active duty in connection with Operation Desert Shield or Desert Storm: (1) are not placed in a worse position financially in relation to their Stafford or Perkins loans because of such service; (2) have administrative burdens eased and avoid inadvertent technical defaults with respect to student loans under HEA title IV; and (3) do not have their future eligibility for Pell Grants reduced by the amount of assistance awarded for the instruction period they were unable to complete because of such service. Directs the Secretary to publish notice of such waivers or modifications. Expresses the sense of the Congress that all institutions offering postsecondary education should provide at least a pro rata refund or credit for tuition and fees for that portion of an instruction period that any Armed Force or Reserve member was unable to complete because of active duty service in connection with Operation Desert Shield or Desert Storm. Directs the Secretary to: (1) encourage institutions to provide such refunds or credits; and (2) report to the appropriate congressional committees on their actions, including information on any institutions not providing such refunds or credits.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1991
Immunization Now Act of 1991 - Entitles each infant in the United States under two years old, who does not have other health insurance and who meets other requirements, to receive immunizations without charge. Requires any licensed health care professional to provide immunizations in exchange for vouchers issued through hospitals or community health centers or on direct application by the parent, with quarterly reimbursements to health care providers in amounts set by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Directs the Secretary to carry out activities to inform the public and health care providers regarding the program. Authorizes appropriations. Establishes a national immunization registry system to provide for national surveillance of childhood immunization status through age six. Mandates grants for research and demonstration projects to identify mechanisms and structures to develop the registry. Authorizes appropriations. Requires certain measures in expanding the registry from the projects to cover the Nation, including developing: (1) the capacity to link and process all birth certificate records through a central registry; and (2) mechanisms to collect information on all doses of vaccine administered to pre-school age children. Authorizes appropriations. Requires full implementation of the registry by FY 1995, including registration of all infants born in the United States and collection of information on all doses of vaccines administered to children under six. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1991
Disapproves the President's request for the extension of fast track procedures under the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 with respect to the implementation of trade agreements entered into after May 31, 1991, because sufficient progress has not been made in trade negotiations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1991
Requests the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to publish, within one year, proposed amended regulations that specify the components of an adequate operator training program and certification system for operators of powered industrial trucks.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
United States One Dollar Coin Act of 1991 - Amends Federal currency law to prescribe the color and content of one-dollar coins. Mandates that the obverse side of the one dollar coin have a design recognizing America's veterans. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to cease regular production of one-dollar Federal Reserve notes by a specified date (except for such quantities as are required to meet collectors' needs). Mandates that the seigniorage of the new one-dollar coins be used to offset the reverse seigniorage resulting from the destruction of Susan B. Anthony dollar coins in Government storage.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Provides that former air traffic controllers shall not, as a class, be considered unsuitable or ineligible for: (1) positions as air traffic controllers in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or the Department of Defense; or (2) positions in the FAA other than air traffic controller positions. Requires the Secretary of Transportation and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to take action to ensure that in each of FY 1992 and 1993, at least 500 former controllers are appointed to permanent, full-time positions as air traffic controllers in the FAA. Provides for a waiver of the maximum-age limitation applicable to such appointments. Prescribes procedural guidelines for competitive and non-competitive appointments of such controllers. Precludes an applicant's role in the 1981 strike from being considered when making a determination of suitability for an air traffic controller position. Requires the Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of Defense to prescribe regulations under which the appointment of a former controller to an air traffic controller position within their respective departments shall not become final unless a probationary period has been successfully completed. Sets forth guidelines for the computation of creditability of service for retirement purposes. Expresses the sense of the Congress that such reinstatements should not: (1) cause the separation or reduction in grade of any other air traffic controller; or (2) interfere with training opportunities which would otherwise be afforded to air traffic controllers seeking to become fully qualified.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Makes permanent a provision of the Internal Revenue Code that allows the income tax deduction of 25 percent of the health insurance costs of self-employed individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1991
Privacy for Consumers and Workers Act - Requires employers who engage in electronic monitoring to provide each affected employee with prior written notice describing specified aspects of the electronic monitoring directly affecting the employee. Requires employers to notify prospective employees at personal interviews or meetings of existing forms of electronic monitoring which may directly affect them and, upon request, provide them with the written notice provided to employees. Requires employers to provide affected employees with some form of visual or aural notice that indicates that electronic monitoring is taking place, at periodic intervals unless the monitoring is continuous during each of the employee's shifts. Requires employers to provide affected customers with some form of visual or aural notice, at periodic intervals, indicating that telephone service observation is taking place. Requires employers to permit employees or their authorized agents to have access to all personal data obtained by electronic monitoring of their work. Prohibits employers from collecting personal data on an employee which is not relevant to the employee's work performance. Prohibits employers from disclosing personal data obtained by electronic monitoring to any person or business except to the individual employee to whom that data pertains or without the employee's prior written consent, unless disclosure would be: (1) to the employer's officers and employees who need it to perform their duties; (2) to a law enforcement agency for a criminal investigation or prosecution; or (3) pursuant to a proper court order. Prohibits employers from using personal data obtained by electronic monitoring as the exclusive basis for individual employee performance evaluation or disciplinary action, unless the employee is given an opportunity to review the data within a reasonable time after it is obtained. Prohibits employers from using personal data or collective data obtained by electronic monitoring as the sole basis for setting production quotas or work performance expectations. Prohibits employers from maintaining, collecting, using, or disseminating personal data obtained by electronic monitoring which describes how an employee exercises First Amendment rights, unless such use is: (1) expressly authorized by statute or by the employee; or (2) pertinent to and within the scope of an authorized law enforcement activity. Sets forth the following enforcement provisions: (1) civil penalties; (2) injunctive actions by the Secretary of Labor; and (3) private civil actions. Prohibits waiver of rights and procedures provided by this Act, unless such waiver is part of a written settlement by the parties to a pending action or complaint. Directs the Secretary of Labor to issue rules and regulations to carry out this Act within six months. Makes this Act inapplicable to otherwise permissible electronic monitoring by law enforcement agencies in criminal investigations.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1991
Mickey Leland Childhood Hunger Relief Act - Title I: Ensuring Adequate Food Assistance - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to remove the excess shelter deduction cap for purposes of food stamp program (program) eligibility. (Sets forth transitional caps through FY 1995.) Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to adjust the basic benefit level upwards by specified increments at the beginning of each fiscal year until it reaches 105 percent of the cost of the thrifty food plan. Eliminates food stamp reductions for households reapplying for program reinstatement within 30 days. Excludes third party payments for transitional housing for the homeless from consideration as program income. Increases funding for the nutrition assistance program in Puerto Rico. Excludes general assistance vendor payments from consideration as program income. Title II: Promoting Self-Sufficiency - Excludes from consideration as program income: (1) the first $50 a month received as child support; and (2) child support payments to non-household members. Increases annually the fair market value limit of vehicles that program recipients may own. Excludes from financial resources the value of a vehicle a household depends upon to carry heating fuel or water for home use where it has no other access to fuel or water. Increases dependent care deductions and participant and State agency reimbursements in connection with employment and training activities. Title III: Simplifying the Provision of Food Assistance - Permits related adults living in the same household to apply for separate program benefits under specified conditions. Permits a participating family made up of, or including, an elderly or disabled member to own $3,000 in allowable financial resources. (Current law refers to a family member 60 years of age or older.) Makes program authorization of appropriations permanent. Title IV: Implementation and Effective Dates - Sets forth the effective dates for provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1991
High Risk Occupational Disease Notification and Prevention Act - Establishes a Risk Assessment Board (the Board), within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to: (1) review pertinent medical and scientific reports on the incidence of disease associated with exposure to occupational health hazards; (2) identify and designate populations at risk that should receive notification; (3) develop a form and method of notification that will be used by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary); and (4) determine the appropriate type of medical monitoring or beneficial health counseling. Sets forth factors for Board consideration and priorities in designating populations at risk of disease for notification. Directs the Secretary to make every reasonable effort to ensure that each individual within a population at risk of disease is notified of the risk. Requires the Secretary, through the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), to conduct the required notification, with specified exceptions. Allows an employer to apply to NIOSH for an exemption from such employee notification because that employer's employees are not at risk of disease because of significant mitigating factors. Provides for telephone "hot lines" and other dissemination of information. Authorizes the Secretary to certify a private employer or a State or local government to conduct notification. Provides for judicial review of Board determinations. Requires the Secretary to establish and certify ten occupational and environmental health centers to: (1) provide education, training, and technical assistance to personal physicians and health and social service professionals who serve employees notified that they are at risk under this Act; and (2) provide diagnosis, treatment, and medical monitoring and family services for such employees. Directs the Secretary to make grants to conduct research, training, and education aimed at improving the means of identifying employees exposed to occupational health hazards and improving medical assistance to such employees. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants and contracts for training and curriculum development in occupational medicine or health to schools of medicine and of nursing. Provides that such assistance shall be for projects: (1) at schools with occupational medicine or health programs, for faculty continuing education, curricula and training materials for undergraduate medical or nursing training, and clinical training for residents in graduate medical programs; and (2) at schools without such programs, for faculty training. Directs the Secretary, during FY 1991 through 1993, to make such grants and contracts to at least ten schools of medicine or nursing. Requires that the medical monitoring recommended by the Board be provided by the current employer: (1) at no additional cost to the employee (above any existing employee health care contribution), if any part of the exposure occurred in the course of employment by that employer; or (2) at a charge to the employee not exceeding the additional cost to the employer (above any existing employer health care contribution), or at no charge, if no part of such exposure occurred in the course of employment by that employer. Sets forth special rules for medical monitoring by small businesses and of seasonal agricultural workers. Prohibits discharging or discriminating against employees, or applicants for employment, on the basis that they are or have been members of a population at risk. Makes an exception to such prohibition if the position which the applicant seeks requires exposure to the occupational health hazard which is the subject of the notice. Allows an employer with 50 or fewer employees to transfer an employee who is or has been a member of a population at risk to another job if earnings, seniority, and other employment rights and benefits are as comparable as possible to the old job and if the terms of an applicable collective bargaining agreement are not violated. Grants the option of being transferred to a less hazardous or nonexposed job to any employee member of a population at risk who is determined by a physician to show evidence of developing the disease described in the notice or other symptoms or conditions increasing the likelihood or incidence of such disease. Requires that the employee maintain earnings, seniority, and other employment rights and benefits of the former job. Sets forth procedures for independent reconsideration of the initial medical determination. Sets forth special rules for medical removal. Makes such protection inapplicable to seasonal agricultural workers with less than six months continuous employment with an employer. Exempts from the requirement of medical removal protection any employer who has 50 or fewer employees and who has made or is making a reasonable good faith effort to eliminate the occupational health hazard that is the basis for the medical removal decision. Provides for confidentiality of employee records unless disclosure is authorized by and is necessary to carry out a provision of this Act, or is authorized by the employee. Permits employees aggrieved by violations of provisions involving medical monitoring, medical removal, discrimination, and confidentiality to apply, within six months after the violation occurs, to the Secretary of Labor for a review of the alleged violation. Sets forth provisions for investigations, actions, defenses, determinations, and appeals in such cases. Provides for reinstatement and other relief for employees injured by such violations. Sets forth civil penalties for such violations. Authorizes the Secretary (of HHS) to bring an action in U.S. district court to enjoin an employer from violating this Act. Directs the Secretary of Labor to report annually to the Congress on the implementation and enforcement of the hazard communication standard. Directs the Secretary of HHS to report annually to the Congress on the implementation and enforcement of notification under this Act. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1991 through 1995.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the tax exemption for qualified small issue industrial bonds (bonds issued to finance manufacturing facilities and farm property) through 1996.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1991
Incarcerated Veterans Rehabilitation and Readjustment Act of 1991 - Title I: Incarcerated Veteran Assessment and Assistance - Directs the Attorney General to identify those individuals who may be veterans among those: (1) entering Federal prisons; and (2) who are incarcerated in such prisons and who are to remain incarcerated for more than 30 days. Requires the Attorney General to transmit to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs the names and locations of such prisoners. Directs the Secretary to inform such prisoners of their ability to have their veteran status determined and to inform those prisoners of their rights to veterans' benefits and services as affected by their incarceration. Outlines other information to be provided. Requires the Secretary to suspend all debt collection activities being undertaken against any such prisoner for the entire period of incarceration and six months thereafter. Requires such debt collection suspension for Federal, State, or local inmates. Title II: Incarcerated Veteran Rehabilitation Counseling - Directs the Secretary to: (1) provide readjustment counseling services to those incarcerated veterans suffering from mental and psychological disorders stemming from their military service; (2) safeguard such veterans' possibility of being adjudicated as having service-connected disabilities to the same extent as non-incarcerated veterans; (3) designate an employee from a regional office of the Department of Veterans Affairs to act as a liaison between each Federal prison and the Department for such veterans; (4) review physical examinations of such veterans to determine whether they are eligible for benefits under the Veterans' Dioxin and Radiation Exposure Compensation Standards Act; and (5) ensure that the designated Department liaison provides liaison services between families of incarcerated veterans and Federal prisons. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) conduct physical examinations, with the incarcerated veterans' consent, for the purpose of aiding in the determination of eligibility for exposure benefits under such Act; (2) transmit such examination results to the Secretary; (3) inform the Secretary of an incarcerated veteran's impending release; and (4) encourage the organization of self-help groups and other similar programs that may contribute to the rehabilitation of incarcerated veterans. Title III: Readjustment Counseling Education - Directs the Secretary to develop a training curriculum, to be available to individuals, organizations, agencies, and health facilities, for assisting relevant professionals employed by the Bureau of Prisons in acquiring the expertise necessary to diagnose and treat psychiatric disabilities peculiar to veterans. Title IV: Post-Incarceration Readjustment Services - Requires the Secretary, upon receiving the names of those veterans about to be released from incarceration, to inform them of readjustment benefits and services available to them. Requires the Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs to designate a disabled veterans' outreach program specialist in each State where a Federal prison is located to serve as liaison with such prison. Directs the Chairman of the United States Parole Commission to: (1) integrate the services available from the readjustment counseling program of the Department into the Federal parole program for released veterans; and (2) encourage Federal parole officers to encourage paroled veterans to make use of vet centers and maintain contact with vet center personnel. Title V: State and Local Outreach Assistance - Directs the Secretary and Assistant Secretary, within six months after enactment of this Act, to implement a program to extend the benefits of this Act to State and local penal institutions with respect to veterans incarcerated in such institutions. Title VI: Miscellaneous - Directs the Attorney General, the Secretary, the Assistant Secretary, and the Chairman of the U.S. Parole Commission to: (1) report annually to the Congress on their activities in implementing this Act; and (2) sign a memorandum of understanding detailing how the organizations and operations controlled by each shall interact to implement this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1991
Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility and Home Health Benefit Act of 1991 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) eliminate the requirement that extended care services be provided within a certain period following hospitalization in order to be covered under the Hospital Insurance Program; and (2) cover nursing care and home health aide services provided or needed on an intermittent basis.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1991
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to transmit to the Congress a National Historic Landmark Theme Study on American Labor History which identifies key sites in American labor history for nomination as National Historic Landmarks. Requires the Secretary to prepare a list discussing the feasibility of including such sites in the National Park System. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1991
State Thrift Deposit Insurance Premium Act of 1991 - Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to direct the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to determine and apportion among the States the cumulative cost of Federal assistance provided to State-chartered savings associations for case resolutions. Declares as "high risk" any State whose share of State resolution costs exceeds twice its share of 1980 State deposits. Mandates that each high risk State pay to the Savings Association Insurance Fund (SAIF) prescribed premiums reflecting such risk. Sets forth insurance termination procedures if a State fails to pay the required premium. Requires depositor notification of such insurance termination. Mandates that the premium paid by high-risk States into the SAIF shall be available to pay the thrift resolution costs incurred by the FSLIC Resolution Fund or the Resolution Trust Corporation, as appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1991
Federal Reserve Reform Act of 1991 - Amends the Federal Reserve Act to require the Federal Open Market Committee to consult with the Secretary of the Treasury, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers during a specified period preceding the President's submission of the budget. Directs the President to appoint, with the advice and consent of the Senate, the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Board). Mandates that any change in the intermediate targets for monetary policy adopted by the Federal Open Market Committee shall be publicly disclosed on the date of its adoption. Prohibits the Comptroller General from auditing written communications among members of the Board including Federal Reserve System personnel with respect to transactions with a foreign central bank, foreign government, or nonprivate international financing organization. Mandates that the estimated receipts and proposed expenditures of the Board and all Federal Reserve Banks be transmitted by the President (without change) with the budget submitted to the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1991
Directs the heads of Federal departments or agencies which hold or receive records and information which have or could possibly have been correlated to U.S. personnel listed as prisoners of war or missing in action after 1940, including from World War II and the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, to publicly disclose such records and information, except where such disclosure would compromise national security. Requires the Department of Defense to publicly disclose a complete list of such personnel including those killed in action (body not returned) with each service member's current classification as well as any changes in such classification occurring during or after such hostilities.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the gross income of an individual the following qualified employer-provided transportation benefits: (1) the value of transportation in a commuter highway vehicle between the employee's residence and workplace; and (2) up to $60 per month of the value of any transit pass entitling the employee to transportation on mass transit facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1991
Nursing Home Access to Respiratory Therapy Act of 1991 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to include respiratory therapy within covered extended care services.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1991
Construction Safety, Health, and Education Improvement Act of 1991 - Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (the Act) to establish in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) an Office of Construction Safety, Health, and Education (the Office) to ensure safe and healthy working conditions in the performance of construction work. Directs the Secretary of Labor (the Secretary) to: (1) develop mandatory standards for construction safety and health plans and programs established under this Act; (2) assume control of a construction site to both prevent the destruction of any evidence that would assist in the investigation of a fatality, serious injury, or incident, (unless it must be moved or destroyed as a part of rescue operations) and monitor the rescue operations conducted in response to the incident; (3) assist the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health in developing training courses and curriculum for the training of OSHA inspectors and other OSHA employees with duties related to construction safety; (4) advise and consult with construction employer associations, construction employers, construction employees, and labor organizations as to effective means of preventing fatalities and serious injuries in construction work; (5) increase awareness of construction site safety through education, training, and outreach programs; (6) identify construction employers who have high frequency rates of fatalities or serious injuries or patterns of noncompliance with health and safety standards; and (7) carry out specified duties for construction worksite inspections, investigations, reporting, and recordkeeping and for construction safety and health plans and programs. Establishes within OSHA the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Construction who is to: (1) be appointed by the Secretary; (2) coordinate Office activities with those of other offices and directorates within OSHA as they relate to safety, health, and education in the construction industry; and (3) coordinate the activities and advice of the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health with all OSHA activities relating to such matters, ensuring that the Advisory Committee performs its functions under the Act and the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act. Directs the Secretary, with the advice of the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health, to determine the necessary qualifications and training for OSHA inspectors, including: (1) full understanding of the Act and the Secretary's standards and regulations for the construction industry; and (2) at least five years' experience working in the construction industry. Establishes requirements for construction safety and health plans and programs. Requires designation of a project constructor (the constructor) in construction project documents by the construction owner for every construction project covered by the Act. Gives the constructor: (1) responsibility for supervising and controlling all construction work on the worksite; and (2) overall responsibility for the safety and health of all construction employees at the construction worksite, and for performing constructor duties set out in the Act and regulations issued under it. Considers the construction owner as the project constructor if such owner does not designate a constructor. Directs the constructor for a worksite to establish and implement: (1) written safety and health plans by constructors, including the project safety and health programs of construction employers involved in the project; (2) hazard analyses that identify the potential for and provide instructions to prevent hazards in the construction process; and (3) construction process plans that include means to ensure worksite structural stability and worksite inspections. Requires that: (1) constructors designate project safety coordinators (coordinators) for construction projects and notify construction employers of their identity (although such coordinators may not be assigned overall responsibility for project safety); and (2) coordinators, on behalf of constructors, adequately monitor safety at construction sites, prepare project safety and health plans before construction commencement, and ensure construction employers' compliance with reporting requirements. Requires safety and health plans to provide for permit systems under which constructors authorize employers to engage in operations determined to pose a risk of death or serious injury (covered operations). Requires covered operations to include: (1) construction of trenches and excavations; (2) erection and dismantling of scaffolding; (3) demolition of any building or structure; (4) operation of cranes and derricks; (5) operations requiring employees to enter confined or enclosed spaces; (6) operations involving exposure to asbestos and other toxic materials; and (7) other operations designated by the Secretary. Requires constructors, in issuing such permits, to ensure that employers: (1) know of and show intent to comply with requirements of the Act and standards and regulations issued by the Secretary; and (2) have developed safety and health programs that adequately address the hazards of the covered operation. Requires construction employers (employers) involved in construction project worksites to develop and implement project safety programs commensurate with the scope of the work. Requires such programs to require: (1) employers to appoint one competent person for each project to be responsible for general program administration; (2) a competent person to be at each worksite at all times that employers are engaged in construction work; (3) competent persons to inspect worksites frequently and take all necessary actions to eliminate hazards, including work stoppage or removal of affected employees if necessary; (4) provision of prescribed general health and safety training for construction employees; (5) adequate worksite instruction in the recognition of unsafe and unhealthy conditions, applicable standards and regulations, use of construction worksite equipment, and the handling of toxic and harmful substances; (6) emergency evacuation plans, inspection procedures, reporting of incidents, regular safety meetings, and monitoring procedures; (7) a procedure for employees and employee representatives to obtain an immediate inspection or a written evaluation, or both, of a perceived hazardous condition or harmful substance by a qualified person at any time in the construction process; (8) upon determination that such condition or substance presents an imminent danger, for the project constructor to stop work at, or remove affected employees from, the area in which such danger exists; and (9) other requirements, including procedures for monitoring, notification, and safety meetings. Sets forth procedures for emergency waivers of such requirements under specified conditions. Exempts any construction worksite with only one employer and ten or fewer employees from requirements for construction safety and health plans and programs, unless the construction worksite is one at which one of the specified covered operations (under the permit system) occurs. Provides for inspections, investigations, reporting, and recordkeeping. Requires project constructors to submit, before construction work commences, specified types of information necessary for the Secretary to develop and conduct a system of prioritized inspections. Directs the Secretary to establish an effective system for construction worksite inspections. Requires such system to give priority to concentration of enforcement resources on construction worksites and operations with a high potential for fatalities or serious injuries, giving due weight to: (1) employers' and owners' worksite compliance records; and (2) frequency and severity rates of fatalities, serious injuries, and incidents attributable to particular owners and employers and particular types of construction projects, worksites, and operations. Prohibits such priority system from limiting: (1) inspections based on complaints by construction employees on their representatives or complaints of imminent dangers; or (2) inspections following up prior enforcement actions or proceedings. Prohibits the Secretary from excluding from construction worksite inspections any construction owner or employer. Requires project constructors to make and maintain accurate records concerning fatalities, serious injuries, and incidents at a worksite. Requires project constructors to report to the Secretary by telephone or telegraph, within four hours after its occurrence, any incident involving construction work that results in: (1) a serious injury; (2) a fatality; or (3) a structural failure. Requires such reports to specify certain information. Directs the Secretary to conduct site inspections to investigate all such reports of incidents, as the Secretary prescribes. Requires such inspections as soon as practicable or at least within 24 hours after receipt of the telephone or telegraph report, unless site conditions would make inspection dangerous. Requires the project constructor to prevent destruction of evidence. Directs the Secretary to make public a narrative description of the occurrence. Requires the project constructor, at project completion or at one-year intervals during the project, to report to the Secretary all fatalities and serious injuries and all structural failures. Requires such report to provide specified information. Grants the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health specified powers to carry out its functions under the Act and under the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act. Limits the terms of members of such Committee. Directs the Secretary to respond in writing within 60 days to any recommendation made by a majority of members of such Committee. Requires any State construction safety and health plan to comply with specified requirements for State plans under the Act and to provide for development and enforcement of requirements at least as effective as those imposed by the Act and the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States for administering and enforcing this Act. Sets forth formulas for determining the Federal share of such grants. Directs the Secretary to report to the President and the Congress: (1) annually on certain general subjects as these relate to the construction industry, including the operation of the Office; and (2) within 120 days after three years of Office operation, on whether specified relevant information supports the continued existence of the Office within OSHA or supports enactment of legislation to establish in the Department of Labor a Construction Industry Safety and Health Administration to be headed by an Assistant Secretary of Labor for Construction Safety and Health.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1991
National Coal and Extractive Energy Strategy Act of 1991 - Title I: Coal Remining - Amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to authorize any State with an approved abandoned mine reclamation program to establish, upon the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, a State Remining Program, including a State Remining Fund. Outlines Program and Fund requirements. Declares that penalties shall not be imposed on qualified permittees under the Program for any violation which results from an unanticipated event or condition. Sets forth special rules applicable to remining operations. Requires the Secretary of the Interior (the Secretary) to publish in the Federal Register proposed regulations establishing: (1) environmental protection performance and reclamation standards; and (2) a separate permit system for abandoned coal refuse piles. Requires the Secretary to report to certain congressional committees on such standards and permit system. Direct the Secretary to increase from 50 percent to 80 percent the amount of total State reclamation costs which may be reimbursed with Federal grants if: (1) the State has insufficient fiscal resources to adequately implement its Program; or (2) the State has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Secretary for the implementation of the Applicant Violator System settlement agreement. Title II: Metallurgical Coal Development - Directs the Secretary to establish as a separate program within the Bureau of Mines a metallurgical coal mining experimental program to develop techniques leading to enhanced utilization of metallurgical coal resources. Requires the Director of the Bureau of Mines to transfer technologies developed under the experimental program to the private sector for commercial application. Establishes the Metallurgical Coal Development Commission to advise on increased development and utilization of metallurgical coal resources. Requires the Commission to report to the Congress and the President. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to construct and maintain a mining experimental station facility in a region with a history of intensive metallurgical coal mining. Authorizes appropriations. Title III: Coalbed Methane Development - Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to allocate the rights of ownership among surface estate and subsurface rights owners and lessees of coalbed methane gas where the rights of ownership and leasing have been severed from the surface estate. Title IV: Federal Coal Leasing Amendments - Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to permit the extension of a coal lease for up to five years when coal is not being produced in commercial quantities at the end of ten years if: (1) the lessee has made bona fide efforts to produce coal in commercial quantities; and (2) payments in lieu of diligent development are made. Prohibits the Secretary from issuing any coal lease: (1) if it would have a significant adverse effect on coal produced from private lands due to its displacement from historical markets; or (2) to any person or entity engaged in coal production in a foreign country, or the importation of such coal into the United States. Directs the Secretary to report to the President and the Congress on possible specified effects of current Federal coal royalty rates, and on certain alternative royalty bases. Title V: Federal Mineral Receipts Management - Amends the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands to prescribe the manner in which payments shall be made by the Secretary to the States with respect to: (1) moneys received; and (2) a suspense account pending resolution of a Federal-State dispute of moneys received. Mandates that each department, agency and instrumentality of the United States which administers lands acquired by the United States with existing mineral leases shall transfer to the Secretary the authority to administer such lease and collect all receipts due and payable to the United States under it. Amends Federal law to treat any bonuses, royalties or rentals due the United States from mineral leases as money received on account of the leasing of lands acquired by the United States for flood control, navigation, and allied purposes (including hydroelectric power development). Title VI: Coalfield Assistance, Restoration and Enhancement - Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to establish the Coalfield Assistance, Restoration and Enhancement Fund to be administered by the Secretary (acting through the Director, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement) for the purpose of assisting coalfield communities to cope with the impacts associated with coal development, restoring public facilities, and enhancing the coalfield environment. Makes Fund moneys available in the form of grants to eligible States. Authorizes appropriations from the Fund. Title VII: Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Amendments - Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to mandate that: (1) the national minimum acceptable bid be $2.00 per acre; (2) certain leases be in maximum units of 2,560 acres, (except in Alaska where units shall not exceed 5,760 acres); and (3) primary lease terms be for five years.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1991
Amends the Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act of 1940 to allow members of the armed forces on active duty who receive unanticipated military orders for duty requiring relocation to terminate without penalty a housing lease entered into before receiving such orders by giving appropriate notice to the lessor at any time following the date of the unanticipated military orders.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permanently extend the period during which qualified mortgage bonds and mortgage credit certificates may be issued.
United States · United States Congress · 20 February 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income the value of any subsidy provided by an electric utility to a customer for the purchase or installation of energy conservation measures.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Mineral Exploration and Development Act of 1991 - Title I: Mineral Exploration and Development - Sets forth guidelines for mineral exploration on public domain lands. Declares that holders of mining claims executed under this Act have the exclusive right of possession and may use such land only for mining activities. Prescribes rules for mining claim recordation and use of public land surveys. Sets forth rental fees and diligent development requirements. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to make non-mining lands available to record holders of mining claims for mineral milling, processing, and beneficiation activities. Prohibits the issuance of patents for vein, lode, placer, and mill site mining claims unless administrative requirements are met. Amends Federal law to declare that after the date of enactment of this Act, all mineral materials deposits shall only be subject to disposal under the terms of the Materials Act of 1947. Renames specified Federal laws: (1) the Surface Resources Act of 1955; and (2) the Materials Act of 1947. Repeals the Building Stone Act. Declares that all building stone shall be subject to disposal only under the Materials Act of 1947. Title II: Environmental Considerations of Mineral Exploration and Development - Prescribes surface management non-degradation guidelines to which claim holders must adhere or be subject to suspension of operations. Requires claim holders to reclaim mining-affected areas. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to ensure that all management planning decisions treat public domain lands subject to mineral claims according to environmental guidelines. Designates lands which are not open to the location of mining claims under this Act. Title III: Abandoned Minerals Mine Reclamation Fund - Amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to establish the Abandoned Minerals Mine Reclamation Fund to be administered by the Secretary (acting through the Director, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement) for the reclamation and restoration of land and water resources adversely affected by past minerals and mineral materials mining. Designates lands and waters eligible for reclamation expenditures. Sets forth Fund allocation and expenditure guidelines to be distributed as grants among eligible States. Authorizes appropriations. Title IV: Administrative and Miscellaneous Provisions - Sets forth jurisdiction and policy function guidelines for the Secretary and for the Secretary of Agriculture. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to administer Federal mining law activities on National Forest System lands. Authorizes user fees to reimburse the United States for administrative expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Ancient Forest Protection Act of 1991 - Establishes the National Ancient Forest Reserve System. Designates certain lands in California, Oregon, and Washington as components of such System. Declares that all Federal lands in such States which qualify as ancient forest or associated forest and are not designated as components of the System shall be managed as if they are. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to issue regulations with respect to the removal of commercial timber from such lands. Declares it to be U.S. policy to develop and utilize scientific information to study and identify the biological and ecological requirements of ancient forest ecosystems. Directs the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality to study and report to appropriate congressional committees on the biological and physical requirements for the survival of such ecosystems.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Volunteer Protection Act of 1991 - 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 · 6 February 1991
Persian Gulf War Veterans Benefits Act of 1991 - Title I: General Veterans Benefits - Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to include the Persian Gulf War under the definition of "period of war" for purposes of eligibility for various veterans' benefits for war veterans, their spouses, and their dependents. Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide standby inpatient hospital care and medical services to those veterans authorized to receive hospital, nursing home, or domiciliary care and medical treatment within the Department of Veterans Affairs. Authorizes the Secretary to furnish counseling services in any Department facility to any veteran: (1) who is a former prisoner of war; and (2) while in active military service in a theater of combat operations during a period in which hostilities occurred in such theater. Makes veterans who serve on active duty during the Persian Gulf War for at least 90 days eligible for dental benefits provided to veterans through the Department. Makes veterans of the Persian Gulf War suffering from war-related psychosis within two years of the end of such War eligible for treatment through the Department for a service-connected disability. Presumes such psychosis to be service-connected for purposes of eligibility for such treatment). Makes veterans of any war (currently, specified wars and conflicts) eligible for payment for certain drugs and medicine required as a result of being permanently housebound or in need of regular aid and attendance. Bases the payment of dependency and indemnity compensation to surviving spouses on the age of the surviving spouse, with the amount decreasing as the age increases. States that such amounts shall be based on the pay grades of veterans dying between January 1, 1957, and the last day of the month in which the Persian Gulf War ends if such is larger than the amount provided when based solely upon the age of the surviving spouse. Increases from $50,000 to $75,000 the amount of life insurance available to veterans under the Servicemen's Group Life Insurance and the Veterans' Group Life Insurance programs. Makes Persian Gulf War veterans eligible for such increased coverage. Title II: Veterans Education Benefits - Increases the monthly stipend available to members of the all-volunteer active-duty armed forces and the Selected Reserve for educational assistance provided under the Montgomery GI Bill armed forces and veterans' educational assistance programs. Increases such stipend annually by the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for such year. Directs the Secretary of the military department concerned, and the Secretary of Transportation with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service of the Navy, to provide educational assistance to members of the Selected Reserve who: (1) during the Persian Gulf War, served on active duty for more than 180 days of continuous service; and (2) were discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable. States that such educational assistance may be provided for a program of education beyond the baccalaureate degree level. States that, in the case of a member of the Reserve called to active duty in connection with the Persian Gulf War: (1) the period of such active duty may not be considered in determining the expiration date for eligibility for educational assistance benefits provided under the Montgomery GI Bill; and (2) the member may not be considered to have been separated from the Reserve, for purposes of commencement of the delimiting period for the use of such benefits. Provides that, in the case of an active-duty or Reserve member student who fails to complete a course of study under the armed forces or veterans' educational assistance programs due to being called to active duty in connection with the Persian Gulf War, both the amount of educational assistance received and the time spent pursuing that course of study will not be counted against such student for purposes of general entitlement under such educational assistance program. Restores the full amount available to such student veteran program. Restores the full amount available to such student veteran as if the interrupted course had not been taken. States that such exclusion shall apply to members of the Selected Reserve pursuing courses of study (and similarly interrupted) under the armed forces educational assistance program. Title III: Veterans Housing Programs - Entitles each veteran who served on active duty in the Persian Gulf War for 90 days or more to guaranteed veterans' housing loans provided through the Department. Authorizes the Secretary to provide direct loans for housing purposes to the following veterans: (1) any active-duty or reserve member who meets applicable credit requirements and is unable to obtain a loan from a private lender at the interest rate authorized for guaranteed home loans because of the possibility of service in connection with the Persian Gulf War; and (2) any veteran who applies for such loan within one year after returning from at least 90 days of continual service in the Persian Gulf or within one year after being released from hospitalization incident to such service, is discharged under conditions other than dishonorable, cannot obtain a reasonable loan from a private lender, and meets applicable credit requirements. Title IV: Military Personnel Benefits - Requires the Secretary of Defense to ensure that the Secretaries of the military departments provide appropriate benefits explanations to reserve members who were called to active duty in connection with the Persian Gulf War and are released from such active duty upon completion of their required service period. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to detail Department personnel at each principal site at which such reserve members are released from such duty for preseparation counseling. Directs the Secretary of Defense to prescribe regulations to allow reserve personnel ordered to active duty in connection with the Persian Gulf War to use commissary and exchange stores during the 180-day period following their release from such duty to the same extent as for active-duty members of the armed forces. Entitles reserve members called to active duty in connection with the Persian Gulf War to certain transitional health care benefits after release from such active duty until: (1) 60 days after release from such active duty; or (2) the date such member is covered by a health plan sponsored by a private employer. Title V: Internal Revenue Matters - States that, for purposes of applying the internal revenue laws with respect to the tax liability of individuals performing military service in the Persian Gulf, the period of such services, as well as 60 days thereafter, shall be disregarded in determining whether certain required acts were performed within the required time period as prescribed under the Internal Revenue Code. Includes those hospitalized for injuries attributable to Persian Gulf services under those eligible for such extension. Includes spouses of such personnel, as well as persons in a missing status under such provision. Amends the Internal Revenue Code relating to the permissible time period before the gain from the sale of a principal residence is recognized for tax purposes to extend such period in the case of a reserve member performing active duty in the armed forces to one year after such member is released from such active duty. Amends the Internal Revenue Code relating to the exceptions to the ten-percent additional tax on early distributions from qualified retirement plans to add as an exception to such additional tax any distribution from an individual retirement plan if made to a Persian Gulf War reservist during the qualified distribution period. Defines the qualified distribution period for such personnel as the period which: (1) begins on the date such service is first performed; and (2) ends 180 days after termination of such service. Title VI: Small Business - Veterans Entrepreneurship Promotion Act of 1991 - Defines terms used in this Act. Amends the Small Business Act to direct the President to establish Government-wide goals annually for procurement contracts awarded to small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans, including veterans of the Persian Gulf War. Increases the Government-wide goals for small business participation (including veteran-owned small businesses) from 20 percent to 25 percent of the total value of all prime contract awards for each fiscal year. Mandates that: (1) the Government-wide goal for participation by small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans be at least five percent of such contract and subcontract awards; and (2) certain reports submitted to the Small Business Administration (SBA) and to the Congress include the extent of participation in the Federal procurement process by small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans. Declares it the policy of the United States to grant small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans the maximum opportunity to participate in the performance of Federal contracts and subcontracts. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (the Administrator) to implement an outreach and information dissemination program for small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans. Outlines the parameters of a loan assistance program implemented by the SBA for small businesses owned and controlled by veterans. Requires the Administrator to study and report to the Congress and the President on methods to reduce costs incurred by veterans during the loan application process. Directs the Administrator to take steps to ensure that small businesses owned by veterans have access to SBA programs providing entrepreneurial training, business development assistance, counseling, and management assistance. Authorizes the SBA to make grants for veterans' outreach programs with governmental and private sector entities. Mandates the establishment of an interagency working group to develop a comprehensive outreach program for veterans of the Persian Gulf War and veterans affected by reductions in armed forces personnel. Requires certain Government agencies to collect information on: (1) businesses owned and controlled by veterans; and (2) the number of such businesses that are first-time recipients of Government contracts. Amends the Small Business Economic Policy Act of 1980 to require the President to report annually to the Congress on small businesses owned and controlled by veterans and by veterans with service-connected disabilities. Amends the Small Business Act to provide for an Associate Administrator or Veterans Programs who shall be responsible for programs of assistance to small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans. Requires the SBA to enter into negotiations with any Federal agency to perform any specific Government procurement contract through the services of small businesses owned and controlled by veterans. Outlines contracting procedures. Establishes within the SBA a veterans business opportunity and development assistance program to assist exclusively small business concerns eligible under the program's parameters. Vests responsibility for the coordination and formulation of policies relating to Federal assistance to such concerns with the Associate Administrator for Veterans Programs. Restricts an individual's eligibility under the Program to business concerns only. Establishes a Division of Program Certification and Eligibility in the Office of Veterans Programs. Requires the Administrator to present an annual program status report to the Congress. Establishes the National Veterans Business Council to: (1) review Federal and State initiatives relating to business concerns owned by veterans; and (2) report annually to the President and the Congress regarding private and public sector initiatives and multiyear goals for veteran-owned businesses. Terminates the Council three years after its first meeting. Amends the Small Business Act to authorize appropriations. Title VII: Other Matters - Repeals a Federal provision containing certain limitations on the payment of unemployment compensation (prohibiting such payment before a certain time period and limiting the aggregate amount of such payment) with respect to discharged or released members of the armed forces. Makes military personnel called to active duty in the Persian Gulf eligible for the deferment of student loan repayments in the case of loans made under the Higher Education Act of 1965, such deferment lasting during the continuance of such duty. States that such deferment period shall not be counted against the grace period that is available to all individuals with respect to such loans made under such Act.
![Official portrait of Rep. McCloskey, Frank [D-IN-8]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m000342_200.jpg)