United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1987
Child Labor Exploitation Prevention Act of 1987 - Prohibits the importation of products which have been produced by child labor in violation of internationally recognized child labor rights. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to maintain and annually revise a list of such products. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to notify any foreign manufacturer of such products of such prohibition. Grants U.S. district courts jurisdiction over civil actions brought by persons to enjoin the importation of such products. Requires the Secretary of State to assess the status of internationally recognized child labor rights as part of the annual country report on human rights. Requires the Secretary of State to identify which countries enforce, and which producers fail to comply with, internationally recognized child labor rights.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1987
Recognizes specified identical plaques as significant symbols of the Year of New Sweden. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to accept one of the plaques as a gift and, with the consent of the owner of Fort Christina in Delaware, place the plaque at the Fort to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the establishment of New Sweden.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 1987
AIDS Federal Policy Act of 1987 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to create a new title on acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control, to make grants for counseling and testing regarding the etiologic agent for AIDS. Specifies eligibility requirements for grants. Directs the Secretary, in making the grants, to give preference to applicants who will provide the counseling and testing in any geographic area with a significant incidence of AIDS. Prohibits the Secretary from making a grant unless the applicant submits an application containing agreements in accordance with specified provisions of this Act. Prohibits the Secretary from making a grant unless the applicant agrees to: (1) ensure the confidentiality of information and records; (2) test individuals only after obtaining informed consent; (3) provide counseling regarding certain matters before testing any individual; (4) provide counseling both for individuals testing negative and for individuals testing positive; (5) offer, to the extent permitted under State law, opportunities for an individual to undergo counseling and testing without the individual being required either to provide information regarding the individual's identity or using a pseudonym; (6) not require the individual to undergo testing as a condition of receiving health services, unless the testing is medically necessary in the provision of the health services; (7) use funds from the grant to significantly increase the availability of counseling and testing above the level previously provided by the applicant; (8) provide the counseling and testing without regard to the ability of the individual to pay charges imposed by the applicant, if any; (9) establish fiscal control and fund accounting regarding the grant; and (10) expend not more than ten percent of the amounts received for administering the grant. Authorizes the Secretary, on request of a grantee, to provide supplies and services in lieu of grant funds. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 through 1990. Prohibits, except as provided in this Act, disclosure of identifying information with respect to a protected individual or a contact of such individual. Describes persons subject to such prohibition. Provides for civil and criminal penalties for violation of the prohibition, and for injunctive relief. Authorizes disclosure of identifying information regarding a protected individual and a contact of the individual with consent of the protected individual. Authorizes certain persons subject to prohibition of disclosure to disclose identifying information without consent of the protected individual, in certain circumstances and for certain purposes, to: (1) health care professionals and providers; (2) the protected individual; (3) State public health officers; (4) medical facilities receiving blood, semen, breast milk, or an organ from the individual; and (5) others, as medically necessary. Authorizes redisclosure by recipients of information disclosed under the same terms and conditions as the original disclosure. Authorizes a court of competent jurisdiction to order disclosure of identifying information if the court determines, after due process, that the disclosure is necessary to prevent a clear and imminent danger of transmission of the etiologic agent for AIDS. Provides for confidentiality of court records. Authorizes physicians or professional counselors to disclose identifying information with respect to a protected individual to the individual's spouse or sexual partner, if the physician or counselor believes the disclosure is medically appropriate and that the protected individual will not inform the spouse or sexual contact with regard to the identifying information involved. Requires any person who discloses identifying information permitted by this Act, subject to exception, to: (1) accompany disclosure with a statement declaring that subsequent disclosure of the information may be prohibited by law; and (2) notify a living protected individual of the disclosure. Prohibits discrimination against an otherwise qualified individual, solely by reason of the fact that the individual is, or is regarded as being, infected with the etiologic agent for AIDS: (1) in employment, housing, public accommodations, or governmental services; and (2) in the provision of benefits under any program or activity that receives or benefits from Federal financial assistance. Provides guidelines for the construction of the term "otherwise qualified individual." Provides for civil penalties for violation of the prohibition against discrimination, and for injunctive relief. States that the prohibition of discrimination shall not be construed to prohibit life or health insurance organizations from requiring applicants for insurance to undergo testing for the purpose of determining whether the applicant is infected with such etiologic agent.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 1987
Requires the suspension of U.S. escort services for reflagged Kuwaiti tankers in the Persian Gulf and the revocation of the certificates of documentation issued for such reflagged tankers unless the Government of Kuwait agrees to allow the United States to base mine-sweeping helicopters in Kuwait and provides assurances that it is willing to provide whatever cooperation is necessary to ensure the safety and security of U.S. armed forces involved in the escort operation and the success of the escort operation.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 1987
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should instruct the Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations to urge the Secretary General and Security Council to: (1) permit nonbelligerent ships in the Persian Gulf to fly the United Nations flag if such ships submit to inspection by United Nations observers to guarantee that no war material is being carried; (2) authorize United Nations peacekeeping vessels to escort such ships; and (3) determine what enforcement action should be taken in the event of an attack on ships under the United Nations flag. States that any such escort vessels and their crews should be provided by countries other than the Soviet Union and the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1987
Marine Science, Technology and Policy Development Act of 1987 - Amends the National Sea Grant College Program Act to declare the need for a national ocean strategy and to revise definitions under such Act. Expands coverage of the Act to include Great Lakes resources. (Current law covers ocean and coastal resources.) Authorizes the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to make grants and enter into contracts to carry out a sea grant strategic research plan. Requires the Under Secretary to develop and publish the plan every three years. Requires the plan to identify and describe a limited number of priority areas for strategic marine research. Requires consultation with Federal agencies, representatives of sea grant colleges, programs, and consortia, and other public and private interested parties. Requires the plan to be submitted to specified congressional committees. Describes the priority areas on which the plan is required to concentrate, including: (1) critical resource and environmental areas of national, international, or global scope where adequate funding is otherwise precluded under other provisions of the National Sea Grant College Program Act; and (2) areas where sustained programmatic research and technology transfer can be utilized. Describes graduate, post-graduate, Federal, congressional, and postdoctoral fellowships which the Under Secretary is required or permitted to support. Adds to the duties of the sea grant review panel the responsibility of giving advice with respect to applications, proposals, performance, grants, and contracts awarded under the sea grant strategic research plan. Makes changes regarding membership and terms of the panel. Authorizes the Under Secretary to provide annual grants to certain sea grant colleges, sea grant regional consortiums, or institutions of higher education having a sea grant program to improve and support curriculum offerings at the graduate level, support graduate students through scholarships and fellowships, and increase multidisciplinary research, all with regard to marine resource management. Limits the amount of any grant to any such institution in any year. Requires each institution receiving a grant to report annually and upon termination of the grant to the Under Secretary regarding the results of the activities to which the institution applied the grant. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 through 1990. Amends provisions of the Sea Grant Program Improvement Act of 1976 relating to the purposes of the Sea Grant International program to authorize grants and contracts to enhance international research, promote marine activities with foreign universities, encourage technology transfer, promote foreign data exchanges, or enhance regional collaboration regarding marine research between foreign nations and the United States. Permits the following organizations to apply for and receive financial assistance under this provision: (1) any sea grant college, sea grant program, and sea grant regional consortium; and (2) any institution of higher education, laboratory, or institution which is located within a State. Requires the Under Secretary, before approving an application under this provision, to consult with the Secretary of State.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1987
Elephant Protection Act - Directs the President to propose to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species that all trade in elephant products be suspended until accurate data demonstrate the stability of healthy elephant populations. Prohibits the knowing import, export, or sale of such products by any person subject to U.S. jurisdiction. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to administer this Act. Authorizes exceptions for scientific or survival purposes. Establishes civil and criminal penalties for violations of this Act. Grants enforcement authority to the Secretary, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Coast Guard. Subjects to forfeiture items possessed, sold, shipped, received, imported, exported, or carried in violation of this Act and vehicles used to aid such activities. Authorizes the charging of permit fees. Authorizes citizen suits to enforce this Act. Preempts State law.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 1987
Retiree Benefit Protection Act of 1987 - Amends Federal bankruptcy provisions to provide a definition of retiree benefits covered by provisions relating to reorganization plans. Defines "retiree benefits" as benefits provided to retirees or their dependents (by insurance or otherwise) for medical, surgical, or hospital care; benefits provided in the event of sickness, accident, or disability; or a benefit (having no cash-value during life and not to exceed $50,000) payable in the event of death. Authorizes the allowance of administrative expenses for committees serving as the authorized representatives of retirees in a reorganization case. Amends provisions relating to the priority of expenses and claims in a bankruptcy proceeding that provide that retiree benefits will be given fifth priority to the extent that the aggregate amount represents $1,500 for each former employee entitled to such benefits. Makes technical and conforming amendments regarding collective bargaining agreements. Requires a trustee in a reorganization case to pay any retiree benefit to the extent such retiree benefit may be paid without impairing any secured claim. Sets forth the procedures a trustee must follow and the standards that must be satisfied in order for the trustee to modify or terminate retiree benefits. Provides that the bankruptcy court must approve any such modification or termination of retiree benefits. Permits the placement of retiree benefit claims in one or more separate classes in the plan of reorganization. Provides that a reorganization plan must provide for the aggregate treatment of retiree benefit claims rather than specify treatment on an individual basis. Specifies that a reorganization plan shall be approved by a class of claims for retiree benefits if approved by at least two-thirds of the number of the allowed claims of such class. Provides that in cases where claims for retiree benefits are not placed in a separate class, then for approval purposes the amount of each allowed claim for a retiree benefit in a class shall be considered to be a pro rata share of the aggregate amount of all allowed claims for retiree benefits in such class. Provides that any payments made for retiree benefits prior to confirmation of a reorganization plan shall be credited against the amount to be provided for retiree benefits under the plan. Provides that in judicial districts where a U.S. Trustee has not yet been appointed, the bankruptcy court shall perform the functions of a trustee.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1987
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) guerrillas in Peru should be condemned for their brutality and nihilistic ends; (2) the Shining Path should end its opposition to the Andean development plan of President Garcia of Peru and should engage in the existing political debate of Peru; (3) the President should convey to President Garcia and the people of Peru the United States' commitment to Peruvian democracy; and (4) the President should urge the cooperation of our allies in efforts to promote a democratic and peaceful Peru.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1987
Truck and Bus Safety Act of 1987 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to include within the purview of Federal motor carrier safety regulations those motor carriers and drivers operating wholly within a municipality or the commercial zone of a municipality. Sets forth conditions under which drivers operating wholly within such areas are exempt from certain Federal regulations regarding physical qualifications and examinations. Directs the Secretary to initiate within three months after the date of enactment of this Act rulemaking proceedings regarding methods for improving safety (such as truck monitoring devices and truck braking performance standards).
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 1987
Urges the administration to continue to reject efforts by Canadian negotiators to: (1) have the U.S. cabotage trades, including the transport of energy resources, opened to Canadian vessels; and (2) eliminate the ad valorem duty on vessel repairs performed in Canadian shipyards.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1987
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to remove certain restrictions on the making of guaranteed loans to their students by institutions of higher education. Permits such institutions to make loans to their students if the institutions continue to hold such loans until the beginning of the loan repayment period.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1987
Art and Craft Materials Labeling Act - Amends the Federal Hazardous Substances Act to make the art materials labeling requirements of the American Society for Testing and Materials effective as a regulation of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Requires manufacturers or repackagers of such materials to provide the Commission with the criteria used to determine whether or not such materials could cause chronic adverse health effects along with a list of materials that require hazard warning labels. Requires updates and revisions in labeling and standards as necessary. Directs the Commission to issue guidelines specifying criteria for determining when customary or foreseeable uses of such materials could result in a chronic hazard. Requires the Commission to review and amend such guidelines as appropriate. Directs the Commission to develop a list of art materials which are hazardous substances and require chronic hazard labeling based upon information submitted by producers or repackagers. Requires the Commission to develop a label statement for such materials and to distribute such list so that it is available to schools, day care centers, recreation facilities, and other institutions at which children use art materials.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1987
Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Act - States the findings of the Congress and declares the policy of the United States concerning chemical and biological weapons. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to issue such regulations, licenses, and orders as may be required to control the export of materials, equipment, and technology having significance for the manufacture or use of chemical and biological weapons. Makes subject to the penalties imposed by the Export Administration Act of 1979 any person who violates any regulation, license, or order issued by the Secretary. Requires the Secretary of State to assess the risk of the proliferation of chemical and biological weapons. Specifies particular matters to be considered by such assessment and specifies that such assessment shall give particular attention to the materials, equipment, and technology that have direct significance for the production and use of chemical and biological weapons. Requires the Secretary of State to submit to the Congress a biannual report describing the status of: (1) control of the proliferation of chemical and biological weapons; (2) efforts to prevent the spread of such weapons; and (3) programs to control the export of materials, equipment, and technology having direct significance for the production of chemical and biological weapons. Requires the Secretary of State to establish a Chemical Industry Advisory Group to provide advice to the Secretary concerning such assessment and such biannual report. Requires to Secretary of State to inform the appropriate committees of the Congress of developments of significance to the proliferation and control of chemical and biological weapons.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1987
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to transfer specified monkeys used in research at the Institute for Behavioral Research in Silver Spring, Marylands, to Primarily Primates, Inc., an animal sanctuary in San Antonio, Texas.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1987
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President and the Secretary of State should express to the Soviets: (1) U.S. opposition to the Soviet Union's treatment of Leonid Brailovsky and all those who have applied to emigrate from the Soviet Union; (2) the U.S. desire that the Soviets allow Leonid Brailovsky and his family to emigrate to the United States; and (3) the U.S. desire that the Soviet Union cease the harassment of Soviet Jews and Christians seeking to emigrate.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1987
Medicare Skilled Nursing Home Quality Care Amendments of 1987 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to set forth requirements for skilled nursing facilities (other than facilities for the mentally retarded), including requirements that such facilities: (1) primarily engage in providing residents with nursing care or rehabilitation services directed toward residents' mental, psychosocial, and physical well-being; (2) provide such care in accordance with a written plan of care initially prepared and periodically reviewed and revised, by a team which includes the attending physician and a professional registered nurse, on the basis of assessments of a resident's functional capacity conducted upon the resident's admission and after a significant change in the resident's physical or mental condition, but in no case less often than annually; (3) provide, in addition to nursing and rehabilitative services, such physicians' services, medically-related social services, pharmaceutical services, dietician services, and dental services as are required to fulfill each resident's plan of care; (4) require nurse aides to complete a State-approved training or retraining program before participating in resident care, and have an ongoing program of nurse aide training and performance review; (5) require a physician's supervision of each resident's care, the maintenance of clinical records on all residents, and 24-hour nursing services; (6) protect specified resident rights, including the right to appeal an involuntary transfer or discharge from the facility; (7) safeguard a resident's funds upon the resident's authorization; (8) notify the State agency responsible for licensing the facility of changes in the ownership, control, or administration of the facility; (9) adopt certain measures to preserve facility safety and sanitation; (10) meet such other conditions which the Secretary of Health and Human Services deems necessary for resident's health and safety. Subjects nursing facilities which participate in the falsification of resident assessments to civil money penalties and the required use of independent assessors thereafter. Requires States to: (1) specify, by September 1, 1988, State-approved nurse aide training and testing programs which meet minimum standards to be established by the Secretary by March 1, 1988; and (2) maintain a registry of nurse aides who have successfully completed such programs. Prohibits State approval of a training program offered by a facility that has been out of compliance with the Act's requirements within the preceding two years. Requires States to: (1) establish a fair mechanism which meets Federal guidelines to be established by October 1, 1988, for hearing appeals on involuntary transfers of residents from nursing facilities; and (2) implement and enforce standards which are to be developed by the Secretary by March 1, 1988, regarding the qualifications of nursing facility administrators. Reimburses nursing facilities for the reasonable costs of complying with this Act's requirements. Directs the Secretary to report to the Congress by January 1, 1992, on the implementation of the nursing facility resident assessment process. Requires States to conduct periodic educational programs for the staff and residents of nursing facilities on current regulations, procedures, and policies concerning the quality of care provided at such facilities. Makes the Secretary responsible for certifying that State nursing facilities comply, and States responsible for certifying that other nursing facilities comply, with Medicare nursing facility requirements. Bases such certifications on standard surveys to be conducted within two months of any change in the ownership or administration of such a facility and, on an unannounced basis, at least every 15 months. Prohibits the Statewide average interval between surveys from exceeding one year. Subjects facilities with poor compliance records to extended surveys. Requires that surveys be conducted by a multidisciplinary team of professionals who receive preservice and continuing training from the State. Directs States to use specialized survey teams to survey and carry out enforcement actions against chronically substandard facilities. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop and test a protocol for conducting surveys; (2) establish minimum qualifications for surveyors; and (3) conduct sample surveys of nursing facilities, within two months of State surveys, to test the adequacy of State surveys, and, if the State surveys prove inadequate, train the State survey team or designate another State to perform such survey and certification activities. Authorizes the Secretary to conduct a special survey of a facility when there is reason to question its compliance with this Act. Requires States to investigate complaints against, and monitor the compliance of, a facility with this Act's requirements if the facility was previously found to be out of compliance with such requirements or the State has reason to question its compliance. Requires that certain information regarding nursing facilities and their compliance with this Act's requirements be made available to the public. Provides residents' physicians and the State board which licenses facility administrators with notice of a facility's poor quality of care. Gives State Medicaid (title XIX of the Act) fraud and abuse control units access to facility survey and certification information. Requires that survey results be posted in a place which is readily accessible to residents and their representatives. Requires the Secretary or a State, upon determining that a nursing facility's deficiencies immediately jeopardize residents' health and safety, to terminate such facility's Medicare participation or take immediate action to remove the jeopardy and correct the deficiencies. Authorizes the Secretary and States to apply certain other remedies, which States must establish by October 1, 1989, where the health and safety of facility residents is not immediately jeopardized. Provides that if a facility is out of compliance with any of this Act's requirements six months after having been found out of compliance with such requirements, Medicare payments for newly admitted residents shall be denied. Sets forth special rules which are to be applied where a State and the Secretary disagree on a finding of noncompliance or the remedies which should be prescribed.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1987
Medicare Long-Term Home Care Catastrophic Protection Act of 1987 - Amends part A (Hospital Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide part A coverage of long-term home care furnished through home health agencies to chronically ill individuals who are under a physician's care. Requires physicians to establish and periodically review a written plan of long-term home care for each of their patients who receive such coverage. Lists the services which comprise long-term home care. Defines a "chronically ill individual" as an individual who requires assistance with at least two daily living activities or has a similar level of dependency due to cognitive impairment. Holds monthly payments for long-term home care to 75 percent of the average monthly payment under the Medicaid program (title XIX of the Act) for skilled nursing facility services. Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of such Act to cover, under part A of the Medicare program, long-term home care provided to children who: (1) are chronically ill and require assistance with at least two daily living activities; or (2) require a medical device to compensate for the loss of a vital body function and substantial and ongoing nursing care to avert death or further disability. Holds monthly payments for the latter category of children to the amount which would be payable under the Medicaid program if such children were institutionalized. Adds a new title XXI to the Social Security Act entitled "Home Care Quality Assurance." Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate a home care consumers' bill of rights which includes rights: (1) facilitating consumer participation in the planning and delivery of services; (2) requiring consumer notification regarding services, charges for services, and the termination or reduction of services; (3) protecting consumer dignity, privacy, and property; and (4) ensuring service from properly trained and competent individuals. Requires home health agencies to: (1) satisfy Medicare home care agency requirements; (2) provide consumers with copies of the home care bill of rights; (3) implement grievance review procedures and provide copies of such procedures to consumers; (4) provide consumers with schedules of the services to be provided; (5) have methods for identifying and reviewing a home care consumer's needs and coordinating the provision of services with other home health agencies; (6) ensure that each home care provider whom they employ or have under contract receives training; and (7) evaluate annually and supervise each home care provider whom they employ or have under contract. Conditions coverage of durable medical equipment services on providers: (1) issuing written instructions to and training the home care consumer and staff in the operation of such equipment; and (2) formulating an emergency plan for providing services to the consumer. Directs the Secretary to establish procedures for conducting an equal number of announced and unannounced surveys of a home health agency's compliance with title XXI participation conditions, with more frequent surveys required for agencies with poor compliance records. Authorizes the Secretary to contract with States having survey procedures equivalent to those the Secretary would otherwise apply to conduct such compliance surveys and transmit their results to the Secretary annually. Directs the Secretary to develop procedures for reviewing State surveys, with more frequent review required if peer review organizations (PROs) find at least ten percent of State-surveyed agencies to have serious or chronic quality of care problems. Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations, within one year of this Act's enactment, pursuant to which PROs shall monitor the provision of home health services, devoting at least 75 percent of their efforts to quality assurance. Requires the inclusion of: (1) both documentary review and personal interviews of home care consumers and providers in the PRO review process; and (2) representatives of home care providers and consumers in PRO membership. Requires the Secretary to establish a Consumer Board to oversee the review activities of PROs. Directs the Board to report to the Secretary and the State's chief executive on October 1 of each year regarding such review activities. Requires the Secretary to develop methods for monitoring continuity in the provision of health care and outcome-orientated criteria for monitoring the quality of home care. Requires that PROs: (1) establish and operate statewide toll-free hotlines for receiving home care questions and complaints; and (2) assist consumers in resolving home care quality problems. Directs Consumer Boards and PROs to cooperate with State and local officials in educating consumers regarding quality assurance programs and the assistance available for consumers with quality assurance problems. Requires the Secretary to issue regulations which impose sanctions against agencies and providers failing to comply with this Act. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress on January 1 of each year regarding the availability, adequacy, and use of sanctions. Requires the Secretary to develop incentives to contractor compliance with title XXI participation conditions, including an annual directory of home care agencies having a consistent record of compliance with such conditions. Directs the Secretary to: (1) encourage States to develop home care provider licensing and certification policies; and (2) issue a biennial report on State implementation of such policies. Establishes a Home Care Quality Assurance Council with which the Secretary must consult in implementing and administering title XXI of the Social Security Act. Directs the Secretary to award grants for home care agency and provider training programs and to furnish States and home health agencies and providers with training materials. Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct, and issue a report regarding, studies on home care quality assurance measures; and (2) report to the Congress on January 1 of each year regarding the nature and performance during the preceding fiscal year of the home care quality assurance system. Authorizes appropriations from the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund to carry out title XXI. Directs the Secretary to issue regulations by 1988 for implementing title XXI. Permits disabled individuals to purchase part A (Hospital Insurance) Medicare coverage during the 24-month waiting period preceding their entitlement to such coverage. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to subject all of an individual's wages and self-employment income to the Hospital Insurance tax.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1987
States that it shall not be in order for the House of Representatives to consider any legislation which would provide for assistance for the Nicaraguan democratic resistance or any report from the Committee on Rules on any rule or order of business waiving this resolution until after the House Select Committee To Investigate Covert Arms Transactions With Iran and the Senate Select Committee on Secret Military Assistance to Iran and the Nicaraguan Opposition have reported the final results of their investigation and study to their respective Houses.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1987
States that the Congress: (1) congratulates President Oscar Arias Sanchez of Costa Rica on the contribution he has made by his initiative toward ending armed conflict, and reinforcing democracy, in Central America; and (2) supports the purpose of the initiative and urging all Central American countries to actively participate in a rescheduled summit meeting to discuss the initiative and to cooperate in the effort to reach a negotiated settlement of the conflict in Central America.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 1987
Federal Election Campaign Amendments of 1987 - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to provide for voluntary expenditure limitations and partial public financing for House of Representatives general elections. Sets forth eligibility requirements for public financing, including that a candidate: (1) has not and will not make expenditures in excess of limitations; (2) has not and will not accept contributions in excess of limitations; (3) will deposit all payments in a separate checking account; (4) will furnish campaign records, evidence of contributions, and other appropriate information to the Federal Election Commission; and (5) will cooperate in any audit and examination conducted by the Commission. Requires eligible candidates to certify to the Commission that: (1) during the period beginning on January 1 of the calendar year preceding the year of a general election, such candidate and the authorized committees of the candidate have received contributions aggregating ten percent of the spending limitation; (2) 80 percent of such contributions have come from individuals residing in the candidate's State; and (3) at least one other candidate has qualified for the ballot. Makes special rules for special elections. Provides that a contribution may not be counted unless: (1) it is made on a written instrument identifying the person making the contribution; (2) it is not considered a contribution by an intermediary or conduit; (3) it is made by an individual and does not exceed the aggregate of $250; and (4) it was received after January 1 of the year preceding the election. Makes special rules for special elections. Prohibits candidates who receive payments from spending more than $40,000 from personal funds during the election cycle. Prohibits such candidates from spending more than $400,000 in the aggregate during the election cycle, or additional expenditures of not more than $150,000 in a primary runoff election. Declares that if independent expenditures are made during an election cycle in opposition to an eligible candidate, or for the opponent of a eligible candidate, which exceed $10,000, the eligible candidate may make additional expenditures above the spending limit in an equal amount. Entitles eligible candidates to: (1) matching payments up to 50 percent of the spending limit in amounts equal to contributions from individuals, not given through intermediaries or conduits, in amounts of $250 or less; (2) additional payments when $10,000 or more of independent expenditures are made in the general election in opposition to, or on behalf of an opponent of, such candidate; (3) additional payments if any candidate in the general election receives contributions or makes expenditures in excess of limitations; and (4) reduced rates for mailings made during the general election period. Declares that payments to eligible candidates may only be used to defray expenditures incurred with respect to the general election period. Requires the Commission to certify the eligibility of a candidate to the Secretary of the Treasury for payments under this Act. Directs the Secretary to maintain the House of Representatives Election Campaign Account in the Presidential Election Campaign Fund to make payments of certified amounts. Requires the Commission, after each general election, to audit ten percent of the eligible candidates by random selection. Requires the Commission to audit each eligible candidate after a special election. Provides for candidates to repay the Commission for excess expenditures. Provides for judicial review of Commission actions by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, and for the Commission to participate in judicial proceedings. Directs the Commission to report to the House of Representatives after each election setting forth: (1) expenditures made by the candidates and their authorized committees; (2) payments made by the Commission; (3) the amounts of any repayments; and (4) the balance in the Presidential Election Campaign Fund and any account maintained in such Fund. Authorizes appropriations. Requires each candidate to file a declaration with the Commission on whether or not such candidate intends to make expenditures in excess of limitations. Requires each candidate who is not an eligible candidate and who receives aggregate contributions or makes aggregate expenditures which would exceed the spending limits to report to the Commission within a specified time schedule. Directs the Commission to notify each eligible candidate about such report and certify to the Secretary any additional payments to which an eligible candidate is entitled. Authorizes the Commission to make its own determinations on whether or not a candidate has exceeded spending limitations. Requires any person who makes independent expenditures in excess of $5,000 to report to the Commission within 24 hours after making them. Requires the Commission to notify each eligible candidate of such expenditures. Requires, when two or more persons make an independent expenditure in coordination, consultation, or concert with regard to a House election, that each person report to the Commission when such amount exceeds $5,000. Requires each political committee which maintains a separate account for activities in non-Federal elections to file with the Commission reports of funds received into and disbursements made from such account for activities which may influence an election to a Federal office. Describes such activities as: (1) voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives; (2) general public political advertising; and (3) any other activities which require an allocation of costs between a political committee's Federal and non-Federal accounts. Prohibits a person other than a multicandidate political committee from making contributions to a House candidate in excess of $2,000 with respect to a single election cycle. Revises the total amount of contributions a multicandidate political committee may make: (1) to a candidate for the House to $5,000 per election and $10,000 per election cycle; and (2) to the political committees of a national political party from $15,000 to $30,000 in a calendar year. Applies the limitations on expenditures by national party committees to general public political advertising which clearly identifies by name an individual who is, or is seeking nomination to be, a candidate in the general election for President, Senator, or Representative. Declares that such limitations do not apply to direct mail communications designed primarily for fundraising purposes which only make incidental reference to Federal candidates. Prohibits a candidate for the House from accepting any contribution from a nonparty multicandidate political committee with respect to an election cycle which exceeds $100,000 ($125,000 if at least two candidates qualify for the primary and the general election). Limits such contributions to $40,000 for any primary runoff election. Prohibits a candidate for Federal office from establishing, maintaining, or controlling a political committee, other than the candidate's authorized committees or a committee of a political party. Provides for the accountability of contributions made by intermediaries or conduits. Describes when an independent expenditure is not an independent expenditure if there is any type of arrangement, coordination, direction, advice, or counseling directly or indirectly between a candidate and the person making the expenditure. Requires, when independent expenditures are made for television broadcast communications, that a statement appear continuously during such broadcast showing the name of the person or committee making such expenditure. Requires any type of general public print communication paid for by independent expenditure to include such a statement, plus a statement that the cost of presenting such statement is not subject to contribution limits. Amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to increase the amount an individual may designate to the Presidential Election Campaign Fund from $1 to $2 (and in the case of joint returns, from $2 to $4). Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require House candidates, in order to qualify for special broadcast rates, to be clearly identifiable during substantial portion of the time of broadcast.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 1987
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should express to the Soviets: (1) the U.S. opposition to the Soviet Union's treatment of certain individuals and the Soviets' refusal to permit these individuals, their families, and other families to emigrate to Israel; (2) the U.S. desire that the Soviet Union comply with specified human rights agreements by permitting such individuals to emigrate to Israel; and (3) the U.S. desire that the Soviet Union cease harassing Soviet Jews seeking to emigrate and denying human rights to Soviet Jews.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1987
Designates June 16, 1987, the 11th anniversary of the Soweto demonstrations and Massacre in South Africa, as Soweto Remembrance Day. Encourages Americans to participate in local activities designed to commemorate the martyrs of Soweto and to show solidarity with those who are fighting to end apartheid.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 1987
Acid Deposition Control Act of 1987 - Title I: Stationary Sources - Amends the Clean Air Act to require each Governor to submit to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency for approval a two-phased plan establishing emission limitations and compliance schedules for sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen emissions from fossil fuel fired electric utility steam generating units in the State. Requires reductions in sulfur dioxide emissions by 1993 and reductions in oxides of nitrogen and further reductions in sulfur dioxide by 1997. Directs each Governor to submit to the Administrator for approval an emissions limitations plan for such units, other than electric utilities' units, requiring both sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen emissions reductions by 1997. Requires the Administrator to conduct and update an inventory of such emissions from stationary sources, identifying the total statewide potential reductions in such emissions and transmitting such information to the State by the close of 1990. Requires each Governor to submit to the Administrator by June 1, 1994, a plan for establishing emission limitations from stationary sources of industrial process emissions to achieve such State's potential reductions by 1997. Directs the Administrator to promulgate guidelines for State plans which shall ensure that emissions reductions do not have an unnecessarily disproportionate effect on electric utility ratepayers. Requires the Administrator to study and report to the Congress by June 30, 1993, on the reductions achieved during phase I, granting the Congress an opportunity to legislate by the start of 1994 against the implementation of phase II. Grants States an opportunity to modify disapproved plans. Establishes emissions standards and Administrator-promulgated plans for States without an approved plan. Directs the Administrator to impose a fee on the generation and importation of electric energy if any electric utility is eligible for a sulfur dioxide emissions reduction subsidy. Sets fees in such a way as to raise sufficient subsidy revenue and protect low income residential electric consumers. Establishes civil penalties for violations of fee-related requirements. Establishes in the Treasury the Acid Deposition Control Fund to make subsidy payments to electric utilities to cover a portion of rate increases attributable to emission reduction compliance. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to report annually to the Congress on such Fund. Requires a State to assure that rate increases so attributable are substantially equivalent for ratepayers throughout the State and substantially levelized over the period of their application in order to be eligible for the subsidy. Requires the Administrator to determine subsidy eligibility, based in part on the reasonableness of a utility's compliance costs. Authorizes the Administrator to provide financial assistance to owners and operators of stationary sources to promote innovative emissions technologies which are cost-effective. Requires State plans which include the use of such technologies to meet its emission limitation reductions to include contingent limitations and compliance schedules for stationary sources. Requires such contingent limitations to be at least equivalent to the reductions the innovative technology failed to achieve. Permits States to later modify their plans to include innovative technology. Authorizes the Administrator to impose fees on the generation of electricity in a State at its request to promote the use of innovative technologies. Requires the Administrator to report on the status of such technologies before 1994. Directs the Administrator to revise performance standards for emissions of nitrogen oxides from electric utility steam generating units which burn bituminous or subbituminous coal. Requires the Administrator to promulgate performance standards for oxides of nitrogen emissions from certain fossil-fuel-fired steam generating units. Requires all primary nonferrous smelters to be in compliance with the applicable emission limitation or standard for sulfur oxides by January 2, 1988. Title II: Control of Emissions From Mobile Sources - Amends the Clean Air Act to establish emissions standards for oxides of nitrogen for motor vehicles during and after model year 1989. Establishes hydrocarbon standards for trucks during and after model year 1990. Limits the sulfur content of motor vehicle diesel fuel after January 1, 1989. Requires the Administrator to require either onboard hydrocarbon control technology or the use of gasoline vapor recovery of hydrocarbon emissions emanating from the fueling of motor vehicles.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1987
Fire Fighter Protective Gear Liability Reform Act of 1987 - Creates a presumption of liability against manufacturers of fire fighting equipment or protective clothing which does not comply with certain Federal or State occupational health and safety standards, in cases where a firefighter has been injured or died as a result of using the manufacturer's equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1987
National Economic Commission Act of 1987 - Establishes the National Economic Commission. Directs the Commission to conduct a comprehensive study of: (1) the elements of domestic fiscal, monetary, and trade policies and their effect on various economic indicators; (2) the elements of the fiscal, monetary, and trade policies of major U.S. trading partners and their effect on the U.S. balance of trade in goods and services and U.S. employment; and (3) the debt burden of developing countries and its effect on the U.S. balance of trade in goods and services and U.S. employment. Requires the Commission to submit to the President and the Congress, by November 30, 1988, a final report on the study. Terminates the Commission 60 days after the Commission submits its final report. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1987
Provides that any use of U.S. armed forces to escort, defend, or otherwise protect any reflagged vessel in the Persian Gulf: (1) constitutes the introduction of U.S. armed forces into hostilities or situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances; and (2) requires the submission to the Congress of a report pursuant to the War Powers Resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1987
Voluntary Education Demonstration Program Act - Authorizes the Director of the Peace Corps to carry out a training and educational benefits demonstration program. Provides that eligible students must: (1) have completed two years of study at an institution of higher education; (2) agree to enter the Peace Corps for a period of two years; and (3) be selected pursuant to a competitive process. Describes the selection process, training, and educational benefits. Directs the Secretary to report to the Congress on an evaluation of such program. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 through 1993.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1987
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit institutions of the Farm Credit System an income tax deduction for any reasonable addition to reserves for bad debts. Applies this deduction in lieu of the deduction generally applicable to worthless debts.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 1987
Trucking Productivity Improvement Act of 1987 - Declares that the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) has no jurisdiction over motor carriers of property (except for transactions regarding mergers, consolidations, and acquisition of control). Retains ICC jurisdiction over motor carrier transportation of passengers. Repeals ICC responsibility for issuing certificates of registration for foreign motor carriers operating in the United States (effective six months after the date of enactment of this Act). Repeals provisions regarding: (1) the full applicable commercial rate to be paid for providing transportation services for the Federal Government; and (2) the disclosure of quoted or tendered rates by a carrier for transportation services for the Federal Government. Removes the proscription against the charging of predatory rates by any person providing household goods transportation services for the Federal Government. Authorizes the President to take action to respond to unfair practices against U.S. motor carriers of property by a contiguous foreign country. Authorizes the President to limit foreign-owned trucking operations in the United States if he determines it is in the national interest to do so. Repeals provisions regarding household goods carrier operations. Authorizes the ICC to approve agreements between motor common carriers of passengers with respect to the pooling or division of transportation services. Places under ICC jurisdiction the authorization of mergers, consolidations, and acquisitions of control between rail carriers and motor carriers of property. Prohibits any State regulation relating to interstate or intrastate operations of commercial motor vehicles engaged in interstate commerce. Removes the Federal standards of liability for motor carriers of property no longer under ICC jurisdiction (thus making such carriers subject to liability under State law). Repeals the dispute settlement program for household goods carriers. Transfers ICC jurisdiction over motor carriers of property to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Grants the FTC exclusive powers to enforce ICC regulations regarding household goods. Requires the FTC to review and revise such regulations to ensure that household goods shippers receive adequate protection in their dealings with carriers. Amends the Federal Trade Commission Act to exempt motor carriers of property from ICC jurisdiction regarding unfair and illegal commercial trade practices and interlocking directorates. Prescribes guidelines for the service of notice and process on motor carriers of migrant workers. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to report to the Congress regarding the National Governors' Association Consensus Agenda on uniform State administrative requirements for interstate motor carriers. Declares that all exemptions or immunities from antitrust laws granted by the ICC with respect to motor carriers of property, with certain exceptions, are ineffective as of the effective date of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 1987
Prohibits the proposed enhancement or upgrade in the sensitivity of technology of, or the capacity of, Maverick missiles for Saudi Arabia, as described in the May 29, 1987, certification from the President to the Congress under the Arms Export Control Act.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 1987
Economic Equity Act of 1987 - Title I: Work - Subtitle A: Pay Equity - Federal Equitable Pay Practices Act of 1987 - Establishes the Commission on Equitable Pay Practices to determine whether the Government's position-classification system and prevailing rate system are designed and administered in accordance with the general policy that sex, race, and ethnicity should not be among the factors considered in determining pay rates. Requires the Commission to conduct, by contract with a consultant selected under this Act, a study under which job-content analysis and economic analysis shall be applied to a representative sample of occupations in which: (1) either sex is numerically predominant; or (2) any race or ethnic group is disproportionately represented. Directs the Commission to report to the Congress and the President on the results of such study not later than 18 months after the Commission's date of establishment. Declares that such study shall be considered of an advisory nature only. Terminates the Commission 90 days after its submission of the required report. Makes sums appropriated to the Office of Personnel Management for general operating expenses available to carry out this Act. Establishes the Commission on Employment Discrimination in the Legislative Branch to carry out similar duties with respect to job classification and the personnel policies and practices in the Library of Congress. Requires the Commission to submit its final report to the Congress within 18 months. Terminates the Commission 30 days after submission of the report. Subtitle B: Women in Business - Amends the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to prohibit the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System from exempting from such Act any class of credit transactions that are primarily for personal, family, or household purposes. Permits the Board to exempt (for five years) a type or class of business or commercial transaction only after determining that application of such Act to such transaction would not contribute substantially to effecting the purposes of such Act. Subtitle C: Part-Time and Temporary Workers - Part-Time and Temporary Workers Protection Act of 1987 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to bring certain part-time employees within the participation, vesting, and accrual rules governing pension plans. Addresses any employee who, within a relevant 12-month period: (1) has customarily completed more than 500 but fewer than 1,000 hours of service; or (2) is employed in a type of position in which employment customarily consists of such a number of hours. Provides that completion of such hours of service will be treated as completion of 1,000 hours of service (thereby bringing the employee within the ERISA benefit framework). Permits a reduction in the employer-provided premium under a group health plan in the case of a part-time employee only when such employee: (1) has customarily completed fewer than 30 hours of service per week; or (2) is employed in a type of position in which employment customarily consists of such a number of hours. Limits such a premium reduction, when permissible, to not less than a ratable portion of the premium ordinarily provided in the case of an employee who completes 30 hours of service per week. Revises the ERISA definition of "employee" to include non-employees who, pursuant to a contract or agreement, provide employee-like service to an employer for at least one year at the rate of 500 or more hours per year. Subtitle D: Economic Security - Social Security Modernization Act - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to provide that the combined earnings of a married couple which are attributable to the period of their marriage shall be shared equally between them for purposes of determining the eligibility for, and amount, of OASDI benefits to which each spouse is or may become separately entitled. Credits the survivor of the marriage with 100 percent of the combined total wages for the period of the marriage. Provides that these provisions shall not apply in specified cases when it would result in a reduction of OASDI benefits. Repeals the separate definition of disability applicable to widows and widowers. Permits the months of a widow's or widower's entitlement to Supplemental Security Income benefits (title XVI of the Social Security Act) on the basis of a disability to be counted toward the 24 months needed to become entitled to hospital insurance benefits under Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) on that basis. Pension Reform Act of 1987 - Amends the Tax Reform Act of 1986 to extend to all accrued benefits existing in plan year 1989 and thereafter the amendments made with regard to the nondiscriminatory coordination of defined contribution plans with Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance (OASDI). Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to repeal provisions that permit a certain disparity in simplified employee pension plan contributions with respect to nondiscriminatory coordination with OASDI. Provides for the repeal, effective for plan year 2000 and thereafter, of IRC rules relating to: (1) the nondiscriminatory coordination of defined contribution plans with OASDI; and (2) pension integration exceptions. Amends the IRC to establish distinct minimum employee coverage requirements applicable in cases when an employer with respect to a plan is treated as operating a single line of business. Requires such a plan to benefit all the employer's employees. Limits the exception to minimum coverage requirements available to employers treated as operating separate lines of business for a year. Amends the IRC and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to eliminate the special vesting requirements governing multiemployer plans. Directs the Comptroller General of the United States, as soon as possible after this Act's enactment, to undertake thorough studies with respect to: (1) possible methods of requiring employee pension plans to provide cost of living and other adjustments to plan benefits; and (2) potential pension portability mechanisms, including ways to preserve and enhance the real value of deferred vested pension benefits. Lists specific items to be addressed in each study. Requires submission of the studies to specified congressional committees within two years of this Act's enactment. Medicaid Community Property and Respite Care Act of 1987 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to provide that in determining an institutionalized spouse's Medicaid eligibility the income and resources held by either or both the institutionalized spouse and the community spouse shall (with specified exceptions) be divided equally. Furnishes the community spouse with a monthly income allowance from the institutionalized spouse's income to the extent the community spouse's income falls short of a minimum monthly needs allowance set by the States to equal at least 200 percent of one-twelfth of the Federal poverty level. Gives the institutionalized spouse the right to a hearing to establish that the allowance is not adequate to support the community spouse without duress, so that an adequate amount of support will be substituted for the allowance. Prohibits the allowance from being less than court-ordered support payments. Authorizes the institutionalized spouse to transfer resources to the community spouse to the extent the median net worth of male householders age 65 or older, as determined by the Bureau of the Census, exceeds the amount of resources otherwise available to the community spouse. Authorizes States to provide Medicaid coverage for up to 30 days of respite care per year. Nondiscrimination in Insurance Act - Bans discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in the consideration of applications for, or the granting of, insurance policies and the terms of such policies. Prohibits the use of any statistical table as a basis for action banned by this section, and discrimination in any manner against a person because that person has opposed any practice made unlawful under this section. Grants to States having insurance discrimination laws the primary opportunity to enforce the pertinent prohibitions. Permits a civil action against the insurer to be filed in State or Federal court by or on behalf of an aggrieved person. Authorizes the Attorney General to bring a civil action in district court (without regard to the amount in controversy) when there is reasonable cause to believe that a person or group is engaged in a pattern or practice of violating these rights and that such violation raises an issue of general public importance. Directs the Court to: (1) order the defendant to amend any relevant contract to comply with these provisions; (2) award actual damages for the period of noncompliance; and (3) award the aggrieved person reasonable attorney fees. Authorizes an award of punitive damages, in addition to actual damages. Describes rights, liabilities, premiums, benefits, and insurance coverages that are not to be affected by these antidiscrimination provisions. Federal Council on Women Act - Establishes a Federal Council on Women to: (1) collect and evaluate information with respect to any problems that are particular to women in the United States; (2) review and evaluate Federal policy related to any such problems; (3) coordinate the activities of the Council with similar activities conducted by States, local governments, and concerned organizations; and (4) make recommendations. Directs the Council to report its findings and recommendations to the Congress. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Family and Dependent Care - Subtitle A: Quality of Dependent Care - Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 to: (1) authorize FY 1988 appropriations for allotments to the States for certain dependent care services; and (2) permit grants to eligible non-profit training and technical assistance to family day care providers and associated individuals. Amends the Social Security Act to increase authorizations for FY 1988 and thereafter for block grants to the States for social services. Earmarks a specified portion of such funds for grants to improve State child-care licensing and regulatory systems. Requires as a condition of eligibility for such grants, with limited exceptions specified in this Act, the establishment of a State Advisory Committee on Child-Care Standards to review a State's child-care licensing and regulatory systems. Requires reports by such committees. Establishes a National Advisory Committee on Child-Care Standards to assist and provide guidance to the States in improving the quality of child-care services. Requires the National Advisory Committee to submit to the Secretary of Health and Human Services proposed recommended standards for child-care programs within 14 months after the enactment of this Act. Terminates the National Advisory Committee 90 days after the publication by the Secretary of final recommended standards. Subtitle B: Access to Dependent Care for All Families - Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions relating to the income tax credit for employment-related dependent care expenses to: (1) make the credit refundable; (2) increase the amount of the credit from 30 percent to 50 percent of the relevant expenses, reduced (but not below 20 percent) by one percent for each full $1,000 amount by which the taxpayer's adjusted gross income (AGI) exceeds $15,000, subject to an annual adjustment for inflation (the current reduction is one percent for each $2,000 in excess of $10,000 AGI with no provision for a cost of living adjustment); and (3) apply the credit to expenses for certain respite care of qualifying dependents of the taxpayer. Permits credit for up to $1,200 ($2,400 in cases involving more than one qualifying individual) of respite care expenses incurred in the care of: (1) a dependent of the taxpayer who is under the age of 15; or (2) a spouse or other dependent of the taxpayer who is physically or mentally incapable of self-care. Amends the Federal National Mortgage Association Charter Act and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation Act to bring within their respective frameworks loans or advances secured by a single residential property occupied as a single family residence in which community child care service is provided (thus making such loans eligible for purchase under each Act). Subtitle C: Supply of Dependent Care for Lower-Income Families - Amends the Social Security Act to: (1) increase the amount of funds available for FY 1987 and thereafter for block grants to the States for social services; (2) require States to file annual (rather than biennial) reports on fund use; and (3) detail mandatory contents for such reports. State Dependent Care Grants Amendments Act of 1987 - Amends the State Dependent Care Development Grants Act to require that amounts paid to States for use in the operation of child care services be designed to enable children whose families lack adequate financial resources to participate in before or after school child care programs. Requires State Governors to include specified information in their grant reports. Extends from September 30, 1987, to September 30, 1991, the time until which necessary revisions of grant program descriptions must be submitted. Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Urban Development to: (1) make grants to public housing agencies to contract for lower-income resident child care services; and (2) design such program to determine the extent to which it facilitates resident employability. Requires a report to the Congress within three years. Authorizes FY 1988 appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 1987
Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit any person from engaging in, or furnishing money, goods, or services with the intent of assisting any group to engage in, military or paramilitary operations in a foreign country if there is a statutory prohibition against U.S. covert assistance to military or paramilitary operations in that country.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 1987
Sulfur and Nitrogen Emissions Tax Act of 1987 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an excise tax, at a rate based on the amount of pollutant emitted, on emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from certain fossil fuel-burning boilers. Provides that such tax: (1) be phased in over a two-year period; and (2) be adjusted annually for inflation after 1990. Fixes the liability for the tax on the person owning or operating the taxable boiler. Exempts certain boilers from the tax. Sets forth the methodology for determining the amount of pollutants emitted, generally to be measured by a qualified continuous emissions monitoring device. Permits: (1) a quarterly credit against the emissions tax for costs of the taxpayer's qualified pollution equipment, based on ratable depreciation over ten years; and (2) an income tax deduction for emissions tax payments. Establishes in the Treasury the Sulfur and Nitrogen Emissions Trust Fund (SANE Trust Fund) to receive emissions excise tax revenue. Permits expenditures from this fund to: (1) assist taxpayers subject to the emissions tax in reducing their taxable emissions; and (2) pay administrative costs related to the emissions tax. Authorizes repayable advances to the SANE Fund. Sets limits and conditions to govern such borrowing.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 1987
Sulfur and Nitrogen Emissions Tax Act of 1987 - Title I: Excise Tax on Emissions from Certain Boilers and Trust Fund for Revenues Therefrom - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an excise tax, at a rate based on the amount of pollutant emitted, on emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from certain fossil fuel-burning boilers. Provides that such tax: (1) be phased in over a two-year period; and (2) be adjusted annually for inflation after 1990. Fixes the liability for the tax on the person owning or operating the taxable boiler. Exempts certain boilers from the tax. Sets forth the methodology for determining the amount of pollutants emitted, generally to be measured by a qualified continuous emissions monitoring device. Permits: (1) a quarterly credit against the emissions tax for costs of the taxpayer's qualified pollution equipment, based on ratable depreciation over ten years; and (2) an income tax deduction for emissions tax payments. Establishes in the Treasury the Sulfur and Nitrogen Emissions Trust Fund (SANE Trust Fund) to receive emissions excise tax revenue. Permits expenditures from this fund to: (1) carry out the acid deposition control assistance program under this Act; and (2) pay specified administrative costs. Authorizes repayable advances to the SANE Fund. Sets limits and conditions to govern such borrowing. Title II: Acid Deposition Control Assistance Program - Amends the Clean Air Act to authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (Administrator) to make loans, from funds available in the SANE Fund, to qualified persons to either: (1) construct a new electric power generating unit to replace an existing fossil-fuel fired unit; or (2) purchase and install pollution abatement equipment at a fossil-fuel fired unit. Sets forth: (1) factors to be considered in selecting loan recipients; (2) limitations and conditions applicable to loans for both pollution abatement and new plants; and (3) the circumstances under which the Administrator is authorized to cancel a portion of either type of loan. Directs the Administrator and the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) complete a study of the effectiveness of the pollutant emissions tax in reducing the targeted emissions; (2) make recommendations concerning emission control and economic growth; and (3) report to the Congress within five years of this Act's enactment. Directs the Administrator to study the tax disincentive approach to pollution control and to report the results to the Congress within five years of this Act's enactment. Authorizes appropriations, for the next fiscal year, of monies remaining in the SANE Fund after loan expenditures. Permits such excess funds to be used for specified purposes, including: (1) research projects relating to clean coal technology, alternative energy, or the environmental effects of pollutant emissions; (2) job retraining programs for workers displaced by the effects of this Act; and (3) programs to mitigate certain environmental damages. Prohibits the authorization of such appropriations of excess funds if the Administrator fails to submit when due the reports required by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1987
Medicare Catastrophic Protection Act of 1987 - Title I: Provisions Relating to Part A of Medicare Program - Amends part A (Hospital Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require that an inpatient hospital deductible be paid only for the first period of continuous hospitalization in a calendar year. (Currently, such deductible must be paid for each "spell of illness" requiring inpatient hospital services.) Removes durational limitations on the coverage of inpatient hospital services, except with respect to inpatient psychiatric hospital services. Eliminates the coinsurance requirement for inpatient hospital services. Sets the inpatient hospital deductible for 1987 at $520, requiring cost-of-living adjustments to such deductible for succeeding years. Establishes the monthly part A premium, required of individuals who wish to buy into the Hospital Insurance program, at the monthly actuarial value of part A services provided to beneficiaries age 65 and over. Imposes a coinsurance rate, equal to 20 percent of the average per diem cost of post-hospital extended care services, for the first seven days of an individual's receipt of such services in a calendar year. Provides coverage for post-hospital extended care services for 150 days in each calendar year. (Currently, such coverage is limited to 100 days for each "spell of illness.") Drops restrictions on the coverage of extended care services which are not post-hospital extended care services. Creates an extension period of hospice care for terminally ill beneficiaries which is to follow the two 90-day periods and the subsequent 30-day period of hospice care coverage currently provided in an individual's lifetime. Reduces the deductible imposed under part A on the first three pints of blood furnished to an individual during a calendar year to the extent such blood is replaced or a blood deductible has been imposed on the individual under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of the Medicare program within such year. Provides part A coverage for home health services only when an individual is not entitled to part B benefits. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an annual supplemental Medicare premium on part A Medicare beneficiaries pursuant to a table which bases the amount of such premium due on the size of a beneficiary's gross income. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make returns setting forth certain information regarding part A Medicare beneficiaries. Title II: Provisions Relating to Part B of the Medicare Program - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of the Medicare program to cover all of the out-of-pocket part B expenses a beneficiary incurs in excess of $1,043 in 1989, adjusting such ceiling annually thereafter to reflect cost-of-living increases. Provides for the adjustment of Medicare payments to organizations providing health care on a prepaid basis so as to reimburse them for such excess out-of-pocket costs incurred on behalf of enrollees. Covers nursing care and home health aide services as home health services if such services are needed less than seven days each week or are needed for an initial period of up to 35 consecutive days and for a subsequent period on a physician's certification of exceptional circumstances. Increases the maximum Medicare payment allowed for outpatient mental health services. Directs the Secretary to: (1) mail a notice annually to Medicare beneficiaries of the extent to which Medicare coverage is provided for health care services and Medicare and Medicaid (title XIX of the Act) coverage is provided for long-term care services; and (2) send participating physician directories to part B enrollees. Amends title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) of the Act to provide Medicaid coverage to part A Medicare beneficiaries whose income does not exceed the Federal poverty level applicable to a family of one or two individuals which includes an individual age 65 or older. Amends the Medicare program to make permanent the provisions authorizing a State to arrange for Medicare coverage of individuals covered by certain other titles of the Act. Provides for the adjustment of Medicare part B premiums to take into account the costs of additional benefits provided by this Act's catastrophic coverage. Directs the Secretary to report to the Congress within 150 days of this Act's enactment on recommended changes in the certification requirements for Medicare supplemental policies. Requires a Medicare supplemental policy to: (1) mail notice to beneficiaries before 1989 of improved Medicare benefits contained in legislation of the 100th Congress and the effect such legislation will have on such policy; and (2) submit a copy of each of its advertisements to the State Commissioner of Insurance for his or her review. Extends, through September 30, 1992, certain projects demonstrating the concept of a social health maintenance organization. Directs the Comptroller General to report to the Congress within six months of this Act's enactment on the need for, and cost of, including within the Medicare program: (1) annual preventive care visits; (2) routine eye care; (3) dental services; (4) hearing aids for those with a significant hearing loss and biannual hearing testing; (5) comprehensive long-term care services; and (6) prescription drugs and biologicals. Requires the Secretary to provide for research on issues relating to the delivery and financing of Medicare long-term care services. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 through 1992 for such research.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1987
Designates August 1, 1987, as Helsinki Human Rights Day. Requests the President to: (1) reassert American commitment to the Helsinki Accords; (2) raise the issue of noncompliance with such Accords with the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Romania; (3) convey to all signatories of such Accords that respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is vital to progress in the ongoing Helsinki process; (4) convey to U.S. allies the necessity of unity regarding such Accords; (5) continue his efforts to achieve the release of political prisoners of the Soviet Union, increase in Soviet emigration, resolution of family reunification cases, and cessation of radio transmission jamming; (6) seek the inclusion, in any concluding document agreed to in Vienna, of a mechanism to sustain human rights progress after the Vienna Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe; and (7) convey to signatory states the desire of the United States for a result at Vienna that will not favor military security at the expense of human rights.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 1987
Amends the Tariff Schedules of the United States to lower the tariff on: (1) non-woven disposal apparel designed for use in hospitals, clinics, laboratories, or contaminated areas; and (2) coveralls, overalls, jumpsuits, certain types of women's dresses, swimming suits, infants' sets, and parts of trousers, slacks, and shorts. Makes permanent the tariff on certain types of surgical gowns and drapes.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 1987
Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to make an exception to the U.S. embargo on trade with Cuba for the export of agricultural commodities, including fats, oils, and animal hides or skins. Prohibits the President from exercising authorities under the Export Administration Act of 1979 and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act restricting the exportation of agricultural commodities to Cuba. Prohibits application of existing restrictions on trade with Cuba from being applied to the export to Cuba of U.S. agricultural commodities.