United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1989
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 · 4 May 1989
Construction Safety, Health, and Education Improvement Act of 1989 - Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 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. Provides that the Office shall be headed by a Director appointed by the Secretary of Labor (the Secretary). Directs the Secretary to employ additional OSHA inspectors to carry out Office duties. Requires the Director to designate an Office employee to serve as small business liaison. Authorizes the Secretary to issue regulations providing for certain exemptions from this Act for specified types of construction projects, operations, or construction contractors, conditioned on compliance with alternative requirements capable of promoting employee safety and health. Directs the Secretary to establish an effective and fair system for construction worksite inspections, concentrating resources on construction worksites and operations with a high potential for fatalities or serious injuries and illnesses. Requires, when establishing inspection priorities, that due weight be given to employer compliance with standards and recordkeeping and reporting requirements. Gives priority to inspection of projects and worksites of owners and employers having a higher than average incidence or severity of injuries or illnesses for the type of construction involved. Requires each construction contractor to maintain accurate records of accidents and injuries at a construction worksite. Requires an employer to report to the appropriate regional office of OSHA by telephone or telegraph, within 24 hours after its occurrence, any incident involving construction work that results in: (1) a serious injury; (2) a fatality; (3) a structural failure that leads to the collapse of a place of employment; or (4) a potential collapse of a place of employment. Requires the employer to submit a written followup report with specified information. Directs the Secretary to conduct site inspections to investigate all such reports, as well as all reports of those categories of serious injuries the Secretary prescribes. Requires such inspections within 24 hours after receipt of the telephone or telegraph report, unless site conditions would make inspection dangerous. Requires the construction contractor to prevent destruction of evidence. Directs the Secretary to make public a narrative description of the occurrence. Requires the construction safety specialist to provide the Secretary a notice containing specified information on a construction project prior to commencement of work, unless it is necessary to perform such work immediately to prevent injury to persons, and notice is given to the Secretary as soon as practicable. Requires the construction safety specialist, at project completion at one-year intervals during the project, to report to the Secretary all fatalities and serious injuries and illnesses and all structural failures. Directs the Secretary to issue standard forms for such purposes. Requires a construction contractor to establish a written safety and health program, to be managed by a construction safety specialist or other employee of the contractor. Sets forth the requirements of such a program, including evaluations of perceived hazardous conditions and analyses of perceived harmful material or substance. Requires such evaluations and analyses to be conducted, upon an employee's or employee representative's request by a construction safety professional and to be reported or denied in writing. Requires a construction contractor to develop and maintain an onsite project safety and health plan for each construction project that: (1) includes a construction process plan; (2) includes a hazard analysis; and (3) meets other specified requirements. Requires the construction safety specialist to provide a copy of the plan to each employer on the project before work commences. Requires the construction safety specialist to notify the responsible contractors of, and direct them to correct, any hazards, violations of safety or health law, or failure to comply with the program. Requires such notification to be reduced to writing as soon as practicable, and copies provided to the responsible contractors and, upon request, to all affected employers, employees, employee representatives, and the Secretary. Requires a construction contractor to ensure that a construction safety specialist is hired and retained and performs the duties prescribed by the Act at a construction worksite. Gives the construction contractor overall responsibility for the safety of the construction worksite with respect to construction safety, rules, and practices. Requires the contractor to ensure that subcontractors and supervisors are informed of the construction safety specialist's identity and duties, and to require them to comply with the specialist's health and safety policies at the worksite. Requires a construction safety specialist to: (1) ensure worksite compliance with the onsite plan and with guidelines of the Secretary and the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health; (2) maintain a detailed worksite safety report; and (3) upon discovery of a hazard, order the contractor to eliminate it and inform the contractor, owner, and Secretary of any imminent dangers. Sets forth required qualifications of a construction safety specialist. Sets forth other responsibilities of a specialist. Establishes in OSHA a Construction Safety and Health Training Academy, to be headed by a Director appointed by the Secretary. Directs the Academy to: (1) train employees of the Office who conduct construction worksite inspections; and (2) train and certify construction safety specialists who have fulfilled requirements of a standardized training course and testing program. Revises Federal law relating to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Increases criminal penalties for any employer's willful violations of such Act which result in serious injury or death to an employee. Makes employers who cause such results through specified criminal negligence also liable to such penalties. Amends the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act to grant the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health specified powers to carry out its functions. Directs the President, in the budget message, to separate the appropriation account for construction industry safety activities from that of nonconstruction activities under such Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 1989
Hazardous Materials Rail Safety Act - Amends the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act to direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations regarding emergency response procedures for rail carriers in accident or emergency situations involving the transportation and storage of hazardous materials. Prohibits railroad tank cars from being used in commercial hazardous materials transportation unless they comply with standards for attachments imposed by the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to enter into a contract with the National Academy of Sciences for a study of railroad tank car design and to report the results of such study to the Congress. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 1989
Equity in Interstate Competition Act of 1989 - Empowers any State and the District of Columbia to require a person to collect a State sales tax imposed with respect to the sale of tangible personal property if: (1) the destination of sale is in such State; and (2) the person engages in regular or systematic soliciting of sales there and has, within a specified one-year period, gross receipts from the sale of such property that exceed either $500,000 within the State or $12,500,000 nationally. Lists requirements that will qualify certain local sales taxes for treatment as State sales taxes. Restricts the authority of a State with respect to accounting and reporting requirements applied to those collecting and paying State sales tax. Applies State law to those collecting the taxes.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1989
Cable Consumer Protection Act of 1989 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to repeal certain limitations on the authority of a State or local government to regulate the rates for cable television service. Authorizes a State or franchising authority to require the alteration of rates following any change in service by a cable operator (such as the rearrangement of cable service tiers). Requires such State or franchising authority to issue a final decision on such an alteration of rates within 60 days of public notice and opportunity for hearing. Authorizes a State or franchising authority to prohibit the ownership or control of a cable system by a person because of such person's ownership or control of media of mass communications or other media interest, but limits the enforcement of such prohibition to either: (1) granting or denying a renewal of the franchise; or (2) granting or denying an application to transfer ownership or control of the cable system. Amends Federal copyright law with respect to compulsory licensing requirements for the secondary transmission by a State or local franchising authority of a primary transmission made by a broadcast station licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to require cable system compliance with certain must-carry requirements. Provides that a cable system complies with the must-carry requirements if the FCC certifies that such cable system: (1) carries, as part of their basic tier of cable service, specified signals of television broadcast stations; and (2) carries each station on the cable channel on which it was carried on July 19, 1985, or on the channel number assigned to such station by the FCC, or on such other cable channel as may be acceptable to the television broadcast station.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1989
Idaho Wilderness Act - Designates the following lands in Idaho as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: (1) the Salmo-Priest Wilderness in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest; (2) the Long Canyon-Selkirk Crest Wilderness in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest; (3) the Scotchman's Peak Wilderness in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest; (4) the Grandmother Mountain Wilderness in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest; (5) the Mallard-Larkins Wilderness in the Idaho Panhandle and Clearwater National Forests; (6) the Great Burn Wilderness in the Clearwater National Forest; (7) the Moose Mountain Wilderness in the Clearwater National Forest; (8) the Elk Summit Wilderness in the Clearwater National Forest; (9) the North Fork Clearwater Wilderness in the Clearwater National Forest; (10) the Lewis and Clark Wilderness in the Clearwater National Forest; (11) the Rapid River Wilderness in the Payette National Forest; (12) the Pot Mountain Wilderness in the Clearwater National Forest; (13) the Snowbank Mountain Wilderness in the Payette and Boise National Forests; (14) Payette Crest and Salmon River Breaks of the South Fork of the Salmon River Wilderness in the Payette National Forest; (15) the French Creek/Patrick Butte Wilderness in the Payette National Forest; (16) the Peace Rock Wilderness in the Boise National Forest; (17) the Deadwood River Wilderness in the Boise National Forest; (18) the Breadwinner Wilderness in the Boise National Forest; (19) the Lime Creek Wilderness in the Boise National Forest; (20) the Red Mountain Wilderness in the Boise National Forest; (21) the Sawtooth Completion Wilderness in the Boise, Sawtooth, and Challis National Forests; (22) the Smoky Mountain Wilderness in the Boise and Sawtooth National Forests; (23) the Trinities Wilderness in the Boise National Forest; (24) the Danskin-South Fork Boise River Wilderness in the Boise National Forest; (25) the Pioneer Wilderness in the Sawtooth and Challis National Forests; (26) the Cache Peak Wilderness in the Sawtooth National Forest; (27) the Boulder-White Clouds Wilderness in the Sawtooth and Challis National Forests and the Salmon District; (28) Borah Peak, King Mountain, and the Pahsimeroi Mountains of the Lost River Wilderness in the Challis National Forest; (29) the North Lemhi's Wilderness in the Salmon and Challis National Forests; (30) the Diamond Peak Wilderness of the Targhee, Salmon, and Challis National Forests; (31) the Winegar Hole Wilderness of the Targhee National Forest; (32) Anderson Mountain and Garfield Mountain of the Continental Divide Wilderness in the Salmon and Targhee National Forests; (33) West Bigholes, Italian Peaks, Centennials, and Lionhead of the Great Divide Wilderness in Targhee, Salmon, and Challis National Forests; (34) Garns Mountain, Palisades, Bear Creek, Caribou, and Poker Peak of the Greater Palisades Wilderness of Targhee and Caribou National Forests; and (35) the Cache Crest Wilderness, Mt. Naomi Wilderness, and Stump Creek Wilderness of the Caribou National Forest. Permits livestock grazing in the North Lemhi's Wilderness. Provides that the RARE II (second roadless area review and evaluation final environmental statement (dated January 1979) with respect to national forest system lands in Idaho shall not be subject to judicial review. Releases national forest system lands in Idaho which were reviewed in the RARE II program from further review by the Department of Agriculture, pending the revision of initial national forest management plans. Releases lands in Idaho reviewed in the RARE II program and not designated as wilderness from management as wilderness areas. Prohibits the Department of Agriculture from conducting any further statewide roadless area review and evaluation of national forest system lands in Idaho without express congressional authorization.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1989
Outer Space Protection Act of 1989 - Reaffirms U.S. policy that activities in space should be devoted to peaceful purposes to benefit mankind. Prohibits the use of funds by Federal agencies for: (1) the testing, production, or deployment of any weapon system designed to be based in outer space; (2) the testing of any weapon system to determine its capability to damage or destroy any object in outer space; or (3) the launch of any spacecraft that carries weapons capable of inflicting death or injury on people. Urges and requests the President to enter into bilateral negotiations with the Soviet Union concerning weapons systems in outer space. Specifies the purposes of such negotiations as: (1) prohibiting the testing, production, and deployment of all weapons based in outer space and the testing of all weapons against objects in outer space; (2) establishing limitations on technologies that could become weapons; (3) determining methods for monitoring compliance with such limitations and with mutually agreed upon prohibitions on weapons in outer space and the testing of antisatellite weapons; and (4) encouraging the effective utilization of the Standing Consultative Commission (established under the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty) to resolve disagreements and to develop limitations and verification procedures for new technologies. Urges and requests the President, in the event that such negotiations result in an agreement, to initiate discussions in the United Nations toward an international agreement to prohibit the testing, production, and deployment of all weapons in outer space and to prohibit the testing of all antisatellite weapons. Requires the Secretary of Defense to manage the long-term basic research on ballistic missile defense technologies so as to provide the United States with expanded options for responding to any future breakout by the Soviet Union from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. Specifies that nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit the obligation or expenditure of funds for non-weapon military operations in outer space. States that the provisions of this Act relating to bilateral negotiations with the Soviet Union and the prohibition on the use of funds for space weapons shall become inapplicable if the President certifies to the Congress that the Soviet Union: (1) has tested, produced, or deployed space weapons; or (2) has launched into orbit any spacecraft that carries a weapon capable of inflicting death or injury on people.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1989
Designates the Labor Day weekend beginning on September 2, 1989, as National Drive for Life Weekend. Calls on people to observe that weekend with a pledge to not drink and drive.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1989
Expresses the sense of the House that: (1) Japan has not lived up to the terms of the 1986 agreement regarding the Japanese semiconductor market; (2) the administration should convey this message to Japan; (3) the President, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of Commerce should seek full access to the Japanese market for semiconductors; and (4) the President and the USTR should take measures to achieve compliance with such agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1989
National Voter Registration Act of 1989 - Requires each State to establish procedures with respect to elections for Federal office to permit voter registration by: (1) application in person simultaneously with application for a motor vehicle driver's license; (2) mail application; and (3) application in person at designated Federal, State, and private sector locations. Declares that this Act does not apply to any State that has no voter registration requirement with respect to elections for Federal office. Requires each State to establish a uniform and nondiscriminatory program to confirm the registration of voters in such State. States that challenges to the qualifications of an individual to vote in an election for Federal office may be made on the day of the election only as provided by State law. Provides for individuals with and without documentary proof of qualification to vote. Sets forth a special procedure to enable an individual to vote when his registration to vote cannot be verified. Requires each State to: (1) assure that any eligible applicant who submits his or her application 30 days before the election is registered to vote in the election; (2) require the appropriate State election official to notify each applicant of the disposition of the application; (3) provide that the name of a voter may not be removed from the official list of eligible voters for failure to vote or any other reason except death, criminal conviction, mental incapacity, change in residence, or voter request; and (4) inform those who register pursuant to this Act of voter eligibility requirements and penalties provided by law for submission of a false voter registration application. Requires the Federal Election Commission to report on the impact of this Act on the administration of elections for Federal office. Requires each State to designate a chief State election official to coordinate State functions under this Act. Provides a private right of action for an individual aggrieved by a violation of this Act. Provides for the awarding of attorney fees to the prevailing party, other than the United States. Imposes criminal penalties upon any person who: (1) intimidates, threatens, or coerces any person for registering or voting or exercising any right under this Act; or (2) deprives or defrauds the inhabitants of a State of a fair and impartially conducted election process. Authorizes appropriations necessary to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1989
Increases the annual salary rates of the Chief Justice, Associate Justices of the Supreme Court, U.S. Circuit Judges, U.S. District Judges, and judges of the U.S. Court of International Trade by 30 percent of their respective existing rates. Requires that certain judicial salary rates be adjusted on the same date that civil service retirement annuities are increased and by the same percentage amount as such annuities are increased. Repeals a provision of the judicial code that required specific congressional authorization for salary increases for Federal judges and justices of the Supreme Court. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1989
Facsimile Advertising Regulation Act - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 with respect to telephone facsimile machines (equipment which has the capacity to reproduce text or images into an electronic signal, transmit such signal over a regular telephone line, receive such signals, and produce a copy of the transmitted text and images). Makes it unlawful for any person in the District of Columbia or in interstate or foreign communications, by means of a telephone, to use any telephone facsimile machine (fax machine) or other electronic device to send any unsolicited advertisement to the fax machine of any person whose number is on record with a common carrier as the number of one objecting to receipt of such advertisements. Directs each common carrier to maintain a list of persons who notify them of their objection to receiving such unsolicited advertisements by fax machines. Directs the Federal Communications Commission to revise the regulations governing fax machines to require that any such machine which is manufactured six months after the enactment of this Act and used for the distribution of unsolicited advertising be equipped to identify the date and time sent, an identification of the business sending the advertising, and the telephone number of the sending machine.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1989
Foreign Language Competence for the Future Act of 1989 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make: (1) grants to higher education institutions and consortia for summer foreign language institutes for elementary and secondary school foreign language teachers; (2) allotments to State education agencies for revolving loan funds for college students majoring in elementary and secondary foreign language education; (3) matching grants to States and major metropolitan areas for foreign language institutes and world trade council units to provide language training, translation services, and information about other cultures and markets to small- and medium-sized businesses seeking to enter export markets; (4) demonstration grants to State education agencies, higher education institutions, and nonprofit education and professional associations for technology for distance learning; and (5) demonstration grants to eligible consortia for critical languages and area studies programs and other activities to improve and expand elementary and secondary foreign language instruction. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1994.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1989
Elephant Protection Act - Requires the United States Trade Representative (USTR), before January 1, 1990, to identify each foreign country that has enacted sanctions against trading in ivory. Requires the USTR to: (1) determine, for each year after 1989, if each identified country has effectively enforced such sanctions; (2) determine, for each year after 1990, if each foreign country not so identified has enacted such sanctions; and (3) determine, for each year after 1990, if such countries that have implemented sanctions against trading in ivory have enforced them. Directs the USTR to: (1) make such determinations for each year; (2) notify the President of each negative determination; and (3) publish each negative determination in the Federal Register. Requires the President, after receiving a negative determination with respect to any foreign country, to revoke nondiscriminatory treatment (most-favored-nation treatment) for all products of such country that are imported into the United States. Makes it unlawful for any person to import or export ivory products. Sets forth civil and criminal penalties. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny foreign tax credit benefits with respect to income derived from trading in ivory. Provides that ivory-related income shall not be treated as foreign base company income.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1989
Requires a certain percentage of Federal fleets of passenger automobiles and light-duty trucks to be alternative fuel vehicles by specified deadlines if such vehicles are being operated in an area designated under the Clean Air Act as an area of serious health endangerment for ozone and/or carbon monoxide. Requires the Administrator of General Services and the Secretary of Defense, with the concurrence of the Secretary of Energy, to issue regulations ensuring that such vehicles shall: (1) be supplied with alcohol, natural gas, other gaseous hydrocarbons, or electricity in the primary area of operation; and (2) be operated exclusively on such fuel (except when it is impracticable to obtain it). Requires funds appropriated to implement this Act to be expended first in those areas determined by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (the Administrator) to have the most severe air pollution problems. Prescribes circumstances under which such alternative fuels shall be offered for sale to the public. Mandates that the funds appropriated for alternative fuel vehicle acquisition apply only to the portion of costs which exceeds the cost for comparable conventional fuel vehicles. Directs the Secretary of Energy to ensure that the cost to any Federal agency receiving an alternative fuel vehicle under this Act not exceed the cost to such agency of a comparable conventional fueled vehicle. Mandates that gasoline powered Federal vehicles, with specified exceptions, which are operated in an area designated as seriously endangering health for carbon monoxide, and which are not dual energy (or natural gas dual energy), be operated exclusively with fuel which blends oxygenates with gasoline at their primary fueling facility. Requires underground fuel storage equipment installed or replaced at designated Federal facilities to be capable of safely storing alcohol. Requires the Administrator to report to the Congress the results of a comprehensive analysis regarding the public health risk associated with the use of significant amounts of alcohol, natural gas, or other gaseous hydrocarbons as transportation fuels as compared to diesel and gasoline fuels. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1991. Sets forth criteria for alternative fuel vehicles. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1993 through 1996.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1989
Enclave Fire Protection Act of 1989 - Requires a Federal, State, or regional enclave which relies on the services of the emergency response personnel of a subordinate jurisdiction to cooperate with such personnel when such personnel are planning for and responding to emergencies involving the enclave. Permits such enclaves to take the steps necessary to protect national security information.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1989
Prohibits the U.S. Government from giving its approval to the manufacturing license agreement involving the export of technology relating to the design, development, and production of the FSX aircraft in Japan.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 1989
Victims of Terrorism Judicial Remedy Act - Broadens the definition of property of a foreign state in the United States for purposes of exceptions to the immunity from attachment or execution to include the property of an agency, instrumentality, or political subdivision of such foreign state. Deletes the requirement that such property be used for a commercial activity. Adds as exceptions to the immunity from attachment or execution that: (1) in the case of a claim based upon acts of violence in the United States intended to result or actually resulting in bodily harm, such property is used or intended to be used for a commercial activity in the United States; and (2) such property belongs to a foreign state engaged in a commercial activity in the United States and the judgment relates to a claim for which the foreign state is not immune from jurisdiction by virtue of a general exception to the jurisdictional immunity of a foreign state or as a result of certain counterclaims.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1989
Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act to authorize the distribution of a meat article or animal without charge to nonprofit private entities or to State, local, and Federal entities engaged in the distribution of food without charge to individuals, if the article or animal: (1) is in violation of the Act; (2) has been seized and condemned; (3) is capable of use as a human food; and (4) has been inspected under the Act. Relieves the United States and the person from whom the meat was seized and condemned from legal responsibility for the article or animal if it was found after inspection under the Act to be capable of use as a human food.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1989
Emergency Nurse Shortage Relief Act of 1989 - Amends title VIII (Nurse Education) of the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants for programs to: (1) promote nursing as a career, including promotion in public secondary schools; (2) identify and provide internships to students in such schools who show an interest in health care; and (3) recruit nursing students from groups not traditionally well represented in the profession. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants for programs to: (1) encourage and assist non-practicing nurses to reenter the profession; (2) train nurses as nurse practitioners or nurse midwives or in areas of needed specialized nursing skills; and (3) provide tuition assistance to students in educational programs designed to facilitate reentry. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants for programs to: (1) increase the attractiveness of nursing as a career through changes in wage structures, employment options and benefits, and the role of nurses in health care facilities; and (2) demonstrate innovative methods of providing for career advancement and encourage nurses and nurse assistants to continue nursing education. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary, subject to appropriations, to establish a program to insure educational loans to individuals with a degree as a registered nurse for educational expenses related to training nurses as nurse practitioners or nurse midwives or in areas of needed specialized nursing skills. Makes provisions of the Federal Program of Insured Loans to Graduate Students in Health Professions Schools, established by current law in the Public Health Service Act, apply to this program except as inconsistent. Authorizes the Secretary, subject to appropriations, to enter into agreements with eligible individuals to assist in repaying specified amounts of their eligible educational loans. Sets forth criteria for an individual to be eligible to receive assistance, including a requirement that the individual agree to work full-time as a registered nurse in a nursing crisis area. Sets forth a schedule for loan repayment by the Secretary to the holder of the loans based on the number of years of work completed as agreed. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow C corporations a tax credit for 20 percent of the amount paid or incurred as qualified nursing scholarships. Directs the Attorney General to extend for at least one additional year the status of nonimmigrant alien for those aliens admitted under specified provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act who perform services as registered nurses in a nursing crisis area, provided the Secretary of Labor has certified that the continuing employment of the aliens will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of U.S. registered nurses. Amends title VIII (Nurse Education) of the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to designate areas that have: (1) a severe shortage in the number of nurses as nursing crisis areas; and (2) a shortage of practicing nurses with specialized nursing skills as areas of needed specialized nursing skills. Directs the Secretary to review and, if necessary, redesignate such areas at least annually.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1989
Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Amendments of 1989 - Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act to prohibit persons from having a financial interest in both the contractor who prepares a school asbestos plan and the contractor who implements such plan. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate regulations concerning air monitoring for asbestos to require that: (1) such monitoring be based on electron microscopy with a certain analytical sensitivity; (2) such monitoring be conducted in a manner most likely to detect asbestos; and (3) no person may have a financial interest in both the monitoring contractor and the contractor performing the response action. Requires the model school asbestos contractor accreditation plan for States to include a State-approved contractor training course and require that those who have passed the accreditation exam engage in supervised work experience before achieving accreditation. Directs the Administrator and the States to establish procedures for terminating accreditation. Requires the Administrator to review and report to the Congress on procedures in effect in some States to expedite accreditation reciprocity and the need and feasibility of developing a model procedure. Authorizes the Administrator to distribute an advisory model to States. Directs the Administrator to: (1) develop and implement a plan for conducting random, on-site school inspections to ensure that asbestos response actions are carried out in a manner that protects human health and the environment; (2) promulgate regulations to require school asbestos contractors to provide assurances of financial responsibility for all liabilities resulting from their work; and (3) promulgate regulations to delineate the division of responsibility between the EPA and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for worker safety under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response program. Authorizes school employees who are directed to conduct emergency repairs or operations and maintenance activities which may involve asbestos to refuse to conduct such activities unless they are provided with proper equipment and training and allowed to follow safe work practices. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations requiring owners of Federal, State, and commercial buildings to conduct asbestos inspections and, if asbestos is present, develop and implement asbestos management plans for such buildings. Sets deadlines for the implementation and completion of such activities. Provides for notification of the building occupants and the State Governor or Administrator, as appropriate, prior to undertaking such activities. Imposes civil monetary penalties against building owners who violate such regulations. Directs the Administrator to develop and report to the Congress on a system for monitoring asbestos-containing material removed from schools to assure that it is transported and disposed of in a manner protective of human health and the environment. Establishes an Asbestos Abatement Scientific Commission to assess available asbestos response actions for their effectiveness and appropriateness in protecting human health and the environment. Sets forth reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1989
Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions governing the income tax deduction for the health insurance costs of self-employed individuals to: (1) make the deduction permanent (under current law it will expire after tax year 1989); and (2) phase in an increase in the allowable deduction, reaching 100 percent for taxable years beginning in 1994 and thereafter.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1989
Amends the District of Columbia Code to set an 18-month limit on the term of imprisonment which may be imposed for contempt in child custody cases. Requires the District of Columbia Court of Appeals to hear an appeal from an order of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia holding an individual in contempt and imposing imprisonment on such individual in the course of a child custody case within 60 days after such individual requests such appeal.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1989
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Bankruptcy Court and all involved parties should facilitate the prompt restoration of Eastern Airlines to full operations through appropriate action which may include appointment of a trustee, pending the sale of the company.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1989
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the targeted jobs income tax credit through 1992 (under current law the credit will expire after December 31, 1989). Amends the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 to authorize appropriations through FY 1992 in connection with the targeted jobs credit. Raises from 23 to 25 years the age limitation with respect to economically disadvantaged youth targeted for credit purposes. Adds as a targeted group under the credit economically disadvantaged individuals who have completed a qualified drug rehabilitation program.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1989
Automobile Fuel Efficiency Amendments of 1989 - Title I: Amendments to Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act - Amends the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to consult with the Secretary of Energy before establishing testing and calculation procedures for measuring automobile fuel economy. Authorizes the Administrator to require fuel economy tests in conjunction with emissions tests conducted under the Clean Air Act. (Currently the Administrator must require such tests.) Directs the Administrator to measure a sampling of production passenger automobiles for each model type and year during the first month of manufacture for sale. Requires the adjustment of average fuel economy standards when necessary. Requires manufacturers to reflect any changes in such standards on automobile labels not more than 90 days after such changes are available. Requires that Federal testing and calculation procedures be repeated over a period of years to monitor automobile performance in use to determine the extent of decline in fuel economy. Increases fuel economy standards for model years 1990 through 2004 and thereafter. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation, by rule, to amend such standards to a level determined feasible. Establishes the average fuel economy standard for automobiles which are not passenger automobiles (light trucks) for model year 1993 through 2000 and thereafter. Exempts manufacturers of less than 10,000 light trucks per year from such standards. Conditions such exemption upon the Secretary's establishing alternative standards. Directs the President to promulgate rules requiring light trucks used by the Federal Government to meet average fuel economy standards. Directs the Administrator to update the booklet containing fuel economy data at least twice a year. Directs the Secretary of Energy to distribute at least 100 booklets each year to each dealer and additional numbers if requested. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to award fuel efficiency incentive grants to States which have in effect qualified revenue-raising measures designed to encourage automobile fuel efficiency. Vests jurisdiction in the U.S. district courts for injunctive enforcement of labeling and mileage guide requirements. Directs the Secretary, within two years of enactment of this Act, to submit suggestions to the Congress for additional legislation to carry out its purposes and the purposes of the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act. Requires the Director of the Office of Technology Assessment to determine whether manufacturers are likely to comply with the revised average fuel economy standards without new incentives. Requires the Director to suggest cost-effective incentives if necessary to assure compliance. Requires the Secretary to promulgate test procedures for determining the relative fuel economy of automobile tires. Directs the Secretary to prescribe labeling rules applicable to all tires for which test procedures are established and requires manufacturers to comply with such rules. Sets forth civil penalties for violations of such labeling requirements and vests jurisdiction in the U.S. district courts to restrain such violations. Title II: Amendments to Internal Revenue Code Relating to Compliance With Average Fuel Economy Standards by Automobile Manufacturers - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a low average fuel economy excise tax on automobile manufacturers for model years 1995, 1998, 2003, 2008, and every following year. Allows a credit against such fuel economy tax for manufacturers who exceed the average fuel economy standard.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1989
Authorizes and directs the President to call on representatives of the broadcasting industry, in cooperation with public health organizations, to provide free air time to private and government organizations for antismoking public service announcements which educate the public about the dangers of cigarette smoking.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1989
Amends rule IV of the Rules of the House of Representatives to direct the Sergeant-at-Arms to obtain and distribute the customary metal tags provided for under the District of Columbia Traffic Act, 1925 which identify congressional vehicles.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1989
Provides for the establishment of categories of aliens who are subject to persecution in the Soviet Union or in Indochina (Vietnam, Cambodia, or Laos) and therefore admissible as refugees into the United States. Deems Jews and Evangelical Christians in the Soviet Union as such a category. Provides for the adjustment of status to refugee status for certain Soviet and Indochinese parolees residing in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1989
Live Performing Arts Labor Relations Amendments - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to exclude specified types of employers and performers in the live performing arts from coverage under unfair labor practice provisions: (1) prohibiting specified contracts or agreements between employers and labor organizations; and (2) prohibiting specified actions of labor organizations to force or require cessation of dealings with others, joining of labor or employer organizations, or recognition of or negotiation with labor organizations not certified as representative. Permits such employers to: (1) agree with a labor organization to make membership in it a condition of performing arts employment; and (2) make agreements with a labor organization covering performing artists even if its majority status has not yet been established. Defines "employer" to include purchasers of live musical performance services. Defines "employee" to include independent contractors engaged to perform live musical services.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1989
Employee Educational Assistance Act of 1989 - Repeals provisions of the Internal Revenue Code that: (1) terminated the income tax exclusion of amounts paid under employee educational assistance programs as of tax year 1989; and (2) deny benefits in connection with graduate work.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1989
Prohibits U.S. military or security assistance to Zaire under the Arms Export Control Act or the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. Limits U.S. economic assistance to Zaire under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 to assistance that benefits the majority, is for humanitarian purposes, and is channeled through private and voluntary organizations. Authorizes the President to suspend or modify any prohibition or limitation under this Act 30 days after the President determines, and notifies specified congressional committees, that the Government of Zaire has made progress towards fulfilling certain human and political rights. Requires the U.S. representatives to international financial institutions to raise the issues of human rights violations and misuse of funds in Zaire.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1989
Imposes a retroactive moratorium with respect to: (1) New York State law that takes into account income from outside that State when determining income tax liability of nonresidents; and (2) any State law enacted in response to the New York law. Establishes the Interstate Taxation Commission, including representatives from the States of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, to study and report to the Congress on appropriate methods of taxing interstate income. Terminates the Commission upon submission of the required report.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1989
United States Peace Tax Fund Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish in the Treasury the United States Peace Tax Fund (Fund) to receive payments designated on the tax returns of qualified individuals to be used for nonmilitary purposes. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to report annually to the Congress on amounts transferred into the Fund. Requires the information to be printed in the Congressional Record. Permits conscientious objectors to designate on their income tax returns that any tax liability be paid into the Fund. Makes this designation procedure available to any individual who has demonstrated himself or herself, by reason of religious training and belief, to be opposed to participation in war in any form. Requires that each publication of general instructions accompanying income tax returns include specified information about the Fund, including the purposes of the Fund and the criteria governing one's eligibility to designate tax payments for it. Requires every taxpayer who makes such a designation for any taxable year to file a questionnaire return for the purpose of determining whether the taxpayer is an eligible individual. Permits the setting aside of criminal or civil penalties imposed upon a taxpayer for nonpayment of tax prior to 1990 if the taxpayer pays the tax due (with interest) and establishes to the satisfaction of the Secretary of the Treasury that the nonpayment was due to religious beliefs. Authorizes corresponding procedures in connection with estate and gift tax payments, under conditions prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury. Directs the Comptroller General to determine the percentage of actual appropriations made by the United States from the Federal budget during the preceding year for military purposes. Requires publication of this information in the Congressional Record. Establishes a United States Peace Tax Fund Board of Trustees to distribute funds for eligible nonmilitary activities and research. Directs the Board to publish regulations to govern applications for funds. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1989
Authorizes the Raoul Wallenberg Tribute Committee to establish a work to honor Raoul Wallenberg on Federal land in the District of Columbia or its environs. Prohibits the United States from paying any expense of the establishment of the work.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1989
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should: (1) call for an immediate cease-fire among the parties in Lebanon, the removal of all foreign military forces, and the disbanding of all paramilitary forces there; (2) urge all parties in Lebanon to respond to the international call for an immediate cease-fire and to undertake immediate discussions regarding internal reconciliation; (3) support international efforts to implement a cease-fire and start a process of internal reconciliation; and (4) support actions to encourage the election of a new president in Lebanon.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1989
Welcomes the commitment of General Andres Rodriguez to conduct discussions with Paraguayan political leaders aimed at amending the electoral laws of Paraguay and urges that the dialogue continue. Urges that specified changes be implemented, including universal voter registration, proportional representation in the legislature, removal of the requirement of Colorado political party membership for civil service and military employment, and measures to permit opposition candidates access to the media and freedom of assembly. Calls upon the provisional Government of Paraguay to: (1) permit journalists and foreigners to freely observe the May 1, 1989, elections; (2) verify the validity of current voter registration rolls and encourage open and free registration; (3) set a date for the long pending visit by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights; (4) repeal laws which have been used for arresting and detaining people because of the peaceful expression of their political beliefs; and (5) permit independent, democratic labor unions to organize and operate freely.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1989
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should: (1) give the highest priority to fully accounting for the Americans still missing in Southeast Asia and to negotiating the return of Americans still held captive; (2) maintain an ongoing dialogue with Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Lao officials so that the prisoners of war issue may be resolved; (3) continue joint field investigations with such officials; and (4) heighten public awareness of the prisoners of war issue through the dissemination of factual data.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1989
Amends the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act to repeal the authority of the Secretary of Transportation to reduce the average fuel economy standard below the level set by such Act. Declares certain regulations pertaining to such standards ineffective as of 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1989
Community Housing Partnership Act - Title I: Housing Education and Organizational Support Grants for Community Based Housing Projects - Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to provide housing education and organizational support grants directly to nonprofit organizations or indirectly to States and cities to assist such organizations. Authorizes permanent appropriations beginning with FY 1989. Title II: Community Housing and Partnership Grants - Authorizes the Secretary to provide community partnership grants directly to nonprofit organizations or indirectly to States and cities to assist such organizations. Divides appropriations among: (1) urban community housing partnership grants; (2) State community housing partnership grants; and (3) direct community housing partnership grants. Sets forth the following eligible activities: (1) technical assistance and site control loans; (2) seed-money loans; (3) matching grants or loans; and (4) technical and management assistance for nonprofit sponsors. Sets forth rental project and home ownership eligibility provisions, including: (1) occupancy by lower income families; (2) profit limitations; (3) funding coordination; (4) tax treatment; and (5) affirmative action requirements. Authorizes permanent appropriations beginning with FY 1989. Title III: General Provisions - Defines specified terms for purposes of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1989
Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to increase the eligibility for outpatient medical services to all veterans currently eligible for hospital care. (Currently, the eligibility for outpatient medical services is limited to veterans: (1) for a service-connected disability; or (2) for a disability for a veteran who has a service-connected disability rated at 50 percent or more.) Eliminates the authority of the Secretary to: (1) furnish home health services in connection with such outpatient care; and (2) contract for the provision of outpatient medical services with facilities that are not Department of Veterans Affairs facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 1989
Amends Federal military personnel provisions to exempt retired members of the armed forces who are called to active, full-time duty with the American Battle Monuments Commission from certain number and grade limitations on officers in the armed forces.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 1989
Amends Federal law to prohibit any State from considering out-of-State income when determining the State income tax liability of any individual who is not a resident or domiciliary of the taxing State.
![Official portrait of Rep. Morrison, Bruce A. [D-CT-3]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m000992_200.jpg)