United States · United States Congress · 18 June 1991
James Madison-Bill of Rights Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury (the Secretary) to mint and issue five-dollar gold coins emblematic of the Bill of Rights, and one-dollar silver coins emblematic of James Madison. Sets forth guidelines for their sale and issuance, and for financial assurances. Mandates that the surcharges received by the Secretary shall be transmitted to the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Trust Fund. Authorizes audits by the Comptroller General. Provides a general waiver of procurement regulations when implementing this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 1991
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should ask the United Nations (UN) to release through UNICEF a portion of Iraq's frozen assets to provide medical and humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people, particularly children, with release of the funds contingent on Iraqi Government acceptance of UN oversight and control.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 1991
Medicare Preventive Benefits Act of 1991 - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of fecal-occult blood tests (FOBTs) and screening flexible sigmoidoscopies for the early detection of colorectal cancer. Covers FOBTs on an annual basis for individuals aged 50 or over. Covers screening sigmoidoscopies provided every five years for individuals aged 50 or over. Provides payment for FOBTs under the laboratory fee schedule, subject to a five dollar limit in 1992. Provides payment for screening sigmoidoscopies under the relative value scale in 1992. Permits the Secretary to modify the frequency criteria after 1994. Provides for Medicare coverage of annual influenza vaccinations and for tetanus-diptheria vaccinations administered every ten years. Provides for Medicare coverage up to age seven according to a frequency schedule to be established by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) in consultation with appropriate entities. Provides for Medicare coverage of annual screening mammography for the early detection of breast cancer for women over age 64. (Currently, such women are covered for such screening performed every other year.) Requires HHS demonstration projects for the coverage of additional specified preventive care services and reports to specified congressional committees on such projects. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes an Office of Technology Assessment study and report to the Congress on the development of a process evaluating possible Medicare coverage of other preventive care services.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 1991
Directs the Administrator of General Services to convey specified lands in the District of Columbia to the Columbia Hospital for Women. Requires that such lands be used for medical purposes, unless use for such other purpose is approved by the Administrator or by Act of Congress. Retains for the United States the right to use the building and parking lot on such lands until the Hospital provides one-year notice of its need for such facilities. Directs the Hospital to establish at least three satellite health centers to provide health and counseling services for teenagers, pregnant women, and mothers and children.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 1991
National Child Abuser Registration Act of 1991 - Authorizes a State child abuse information repository (State repository) to report child abuser information to the National Crime Information Center. Directs the Attorney General to establish guidelines for the reporting of such information. Specifies that such guidelines shall require that: (1) a reporting State ensure that reports of all convictions under the criminal child abuse law of the State are maintained by a State repository; and (2) a State repository maintain close liaison with the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for the exchange of information and technical assistance in cases of child abuse. Requires the Attorney General to publish an annual statistical summary of the child abuser information reported under this Act. Makes compliance with this Act a condition to the receipt by a State of any grant, cooperative agreement, or other assistance under the Victims of Crime Act and the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1991
Authorizes the President to present a gold medal, on behalf of the Congress, to each of the following individuals in recognition of their contributions to this Nation's cultural heritage: (1) Frank Capra; (2) James Stewart; and (3) Fred Zinnemann. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to design a different gold medal for each such individual. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to strike and sell bronze duplicates of such medals at a price sufficient to cover the costs of such duplicates and the gold medals. Requires the appropriations to be reimbursed out of the sales proceeds. Designates all such medals as National Medals.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1991
Older Americans Long-Term Care Insurance Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require that, for the purpose of determining the income tax liability of issuers of qualified long-term insurance, the contracts be treated as accident or health insurance. Applies this provision to policies covering at least 12 consecutive months of necessary diagnostic, preventive, therapeutic, rehabilitative, or personal care services that are provided in a setting other than an acute care unit of a hospital. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) submit to the Congress before 1993 a study on long-term insurance policies; and (2) report annually to the Congress regarding the certification of qualified long-term care insurance. Treats qualified long-term care insurance as accident or health insurance and its benefits as benefits for personal injuries or sickness for purposes of determining appropriate tax exclusions for employer contributions or employee benefits. Permits qualified long-term care insurance to be offered in cafeteria plans. Excludes from gross income: (1) distributions or payments from individual retirement plans that are used during the year to pay the premiums for qualified long-term care coverage of individuals aged 59 1/2 or older; and (2) amounts received upon surrender, cancellation, or exchange of a life insurance contract and used during the year to pay the premiums for qualified long-term care insurance. Provides that payments under a life insurance contract to an individual who is terminally ill or permanently confined to a nursing home shall be treated as death benefits, making such payments eligible for exclusion from gross income. Requires any reference to a life insurance contract to be treated as including a reference to a qualified accelerated death benefit rider on such contract. Describes such a rider as one which provides for payments to a terminally ill individual or one who is permanently confined to a nursing home.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 1991
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the American public should observe the 100th anniversary of filmmaking; and (2) the American Film Institute has a leadership role in preserving the art of film.
United States · United States Congress · 30 May 1991
Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Act of 1991 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide coverage under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of outpatient prescription drugs and insulin (outpatient drugs). Excludes from such coverage any drug that is intraveneously administered in a home setting. Sets the annual deductible for such coverage at $650 in 1993, increased by $50 for each succeeding year. Prohibits application of such deductible to immunosuppressive drugs provided in the first year after an organ transplant. Sets program payments at 80 percent of the lesser of the actual charge for the drug or the applicable payment limit established under this Act. Outlines provisions for determining payment limits. Directs the Secretary to establish a program to identify and to educate physicians and pharmacies concerning: (1) instances and patterns of unnecessary or inappropriate prescribing or dispensing practices; (2) instances or patterns of substandard care; and (3) potential adverse drug reactions. Requires the Secretary to develop and update annually an information guide concerning the comparative average wholesale prices of at least 500 of the most commonly prescribed outpatient drugs and to mail such guide to Medicare hospitals, physicians, social security offices, senior citizen centers, and other appropriate places by January of each year. Sets forth outpatient drug cost reporting and control provisions. Authorizes a pharmacy to enter into an agreement with the Secretary to accept payment under part B of the Medicare program on an assigned basis for outpatient drugs furnished to part B enrollees. Sets forth the obligations of participating pharmacies. Requires the Secretary to establish a point-of-sale electronic system for use by carriers and participating pharmacies in submitting information respecting outpatient drugs dispensed to Medicare beneficiaries. Prohibits part B coverage of an outpatient drug which is dispensed in a quantity exceeding a 30-day supply or such longer supply, not exceeding 90 days, as the Secretary authorizes. Waives the requirement that a Medicare carrier be an insurer of health care services, authorizing the Secretary to contract with other entities for implementation and operation of the electronic point-of-sale claims processing system and for related functions. Requires Medicare carriers which make determinations or payments with respect to outpatient drugs to offer to receive requests from participating pharmacies for payments for such drugs through electronic communications and to respond to requests by such pharmacies as to whether or not an individual has paid the deductible for such drugs. Requires the Director of the Office of Technology Assessment to appoint individuals with expertise in the provision and financing of covered outpatient drugs to a Prescription Drug Payment Review Commission which shall make recommendations to the Congress each year concerning methods of paying for covered outpatient drugs under part B of the Medicare program. Sets forth miscellaneous outpatient drug study and reporting requirements. Increases the part B premium to $42.40 in 1993, $47.70 in 1994, and $53.60 in 1995.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1991
National Institute of Nursing Research Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to redesignate the National Center for Nursing Research as the National Institute of Nursing Research. Includes the Institute in the list of national research institutes of the National Institutes of Health.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1991
Authorizes the Speaker of the House of Representatives to commence, on the first Tuesday of each month, during the present Congress, a two-hour period to question a member of the President's Cabinet, after disposal of such specified business on the Speaker's table and before the Private Calendar. Counts only the time consumed in questions and answers against the two-hour period. Authorizes the Speaker to invite any member of the President's Cabinet to come before the House to answer questions during such period. Directs the Speaker to announce to the House the name of the Cabinet member who will be present to answer questions. Directs the majority and minority leaders to decide the questions to be asked and their order from among questions submitted by Members. Sets forth procedures for Members to submit such questions. Requires the majority and minority leaders to submit a list of questions to the: (1) Congressional Record for printing in a special part of it; and (2) Cabinet Member invited to answer the questions. Establishes procedures for carrying out such question period.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1991
Economic Adjustment Assistance Authorization Act of 1991 - Amends the Defense Economic Adjustment, Diversification, Conversion, and Stabilization Act of 1990 to make permanent and remove the fiscal year dollar limitations on authorizations of appropriations for: (1) economic adjustment assistance to communities substantially and seriously affected by defense contract cancellations or cutbacks; and (2) defense conversion adjustment program grants.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1991
Designates the week beginning July 21, 1991, as Korean War Veterans Remembrance Week. Requires the President to urge that the American flag be flown at half staff on July 27, 1991, in honor of those Americans who died as a result of their service in Korea.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1991
Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Preservation Act of 1991 - Title I: Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park and Wright-Dunbar Historic Preservation District - Establishes the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park as a unit of the National Park System, and the Wright-Dunbar National Historic Preservation District (both located in Ohio). Requires the Commission established by this Act to administer the preservation district. Directs the Secretary of the Interior, with the advice of the Commission, to prepare and submit to the Congress a general management plan for the park. Sets forth provision for the headquarters of the park, a visitors' center, an interpretive center, and a memorial. Title II: Dayton Historic Preservation Commission - Establishes the Dayton Historic Preservation Commission to administer the preservation district to enhance and protect areas that have a direct effect on the operation of the park. Terminates the Commission on January 1, 2004. Requires the Commission to submit to the Secretary a preservation and development plan to be submitted to the Congress upon the Secretary's approval. Authorizes the Secretary to make funds available to the Commission before such plan is approved, upon request. Authorizes the Commission to make loans, grants, provide historical and cultural programs, and to provide technical assistance to carry out its functions under this Act. Title III: General Provisions - Authorizes the Secretary to acquire easements: (1) within the park and preservation district; and (2) for an interurban or bicycle and pedestrian transportation link. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1991
Women's Reproductive Health and Medicine Act of 1991 - Authorizes appropriations, in addition to other authorizations, for research: (1) through the National Cancer Institute (NCI), on early detection and treatment of ovarian cancer; (2) through the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHHD), on the relationship between breast cancer and hormonal forms of birth control; (3) through NICHHD, on the diagnosis and treatment of fibroid tumors in women; (4) through NICHHD, on the diagnosis and treatment of infertility and other disorders associated with endometriosis; (5) through NICHHD, on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of pelvic inflammatory disease; and (6) through the NCI, on the relationship between the human papilloma virus and cervical cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1991
Expresses the gratitude of the Congress to this Nation's Federal civilian employees for their contributions to Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. Commends and congratulates them on a job superbly done.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1991
Provides for the awarding of the Purple Heart to former prisoners of war held captive before April 25, 1962, on the same basis at it may be awarded former prisoners of war captured on or after such date.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1991
Breast Cancer Research Act of 1991 - Authorizes to be appropriated, in addition to sums already authorized, a certain amount to the National Cancer Institute for breast cancer research.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1991
Title I: Preconditions for the Receipt by China of Nondiscriminatory Treatment - Prohibits the President from recommending for a 12-month period in 1992 continuation of a waiver of human rights and emigration requirements for nondiscriminatory treatment (most-favored-nation treatment) for China under the Trade Act of 1974 unless a specified report is submitted to the Congress stating that China has accounted for and released prisoners who dissented in Tiananmen Square on June 3, 1989 and made progress in: (1) preventing gross violations of human rights (including in Tibet); (2) ending religious persecution and releasing members of religious groups who were detained for their religious beliefs; (3) removing restrictions there and in Tibet on freedom of the press and on broadcasts by Voice of America; (4) terminating harassment of Chinese citizens in the United States, including the return and renewal of passports confiscated for prodemocracy activities; (5) ensuring access of international human rights monitoring groups to prisoners; (6) ensuring freedom from torture and from inhumane prison conditions; (7) terminating prohibitions on peaceful assembly and demonstration imposed after June 3, 1989; and (8) adhering to the Joint Declaration on Hong Kong. Requires the President, if he recommends such extension, to include in a specified document to be submitted to the Congress a report on China's progress in implementing the above-mentioned measures.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1991
District of Columbia Budgetary Efficiency Act of 1991 - Amends the District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act to increase the annual Federal payment to the District of Columbia for FY 1985 through 1992. Establishes a formula for determining the amount of such payment for each fiscal year from FY 1993 through 1995. Amends the District of Columbia Code to include in the annual independent audit of the District of Columbia's financial operations, a report on its revenues for the fiscal year, broken down by revenues derived from the Federal Government and those derived from other sources during such fiscal year. Requires the Comptroller General to submit an annual review to specified congressional committees of the annual report of such breakdown of the independently audited revenues of the District of Columbia for the preceding fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1991
Nuclear Facilities Occupational Safety Improvement Act of 1991 - Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA) to apply it to certain Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear facilities (including specified defense, production, utilization, and waste storage or disposal facilities). Directs the Secretary of Labor to promulgate specific regulations and standards to govern the application of OSHA to such facilities. Requires the Secretary of Energy and each contractor operating such a facility to: (1) cooperate with the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Health and Human Services in the conduct of an inspection or investigation under OSHA at such facility; (2) grant access to it to enable the conduct of such inspection or investigation; and (3) provide all information necessary for such inspection or investigation. Authorizes the Secretary of Energy, to protect the confidentiality of information, to deny access to any person who has not been granted a security clearance or access authorization. Provides for transfer and allocation of appropriations and personnel. Directs the Secretary of Labor, by specified deadlines, to promulgate interim regulations and propose and promulgate final regulations to provide for specified types of health and safety training of employees at such DOE nuclear facilities. Requires the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and its Director to: (1) perform functions authorized by OSHA at such facilities; and (2) conduct health hazard evaluations, including ionizing radiation evaluations, at such facilities. Requires medical examinations of employees at such DOE nuclear facilities. Requires all such employees to be given baseline medical examinations in accordance with guidelines developed by the Health Advisory Committee, and subsequent examinations, as recommended by the Committee, for their lifetime. Requires, where appropriate, such examinations for family members determined to be at high risk of disease because of an employee's exposure at the workplace. Requires that all former employees at such facilities and their families be offered participation in a medical surveillance program designed to focus on work-related exposure to toxic substances and radiation, including treatment for occupationally related illness. Requires all contractors with such facilities to maintain a full-time occupational health physician and supporting medical staff, in accordance with Committee guidelines. Establishes a Health Advisory Committee to: (1) review existing medical studies relating to the administration of such medical examination program; and (2) issue the aforementioned guidelines and standards for such program. Requires that all information from such medical examinations be available to individual employees and their representatives and that aggregate information from such examinations be available to the public. Requires that program costs be borne by DOE. Directs the Secretary of Labor, in coordination with the Secretary of Energy, to promulgate necessary regulations. Requires each such DOE nuclear facility to establish a labor-management health and safety committee in accordance with specified guidelines.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1991
Amends the Davis-Bacon Act (the Act) to apply it to any contract (relating to public buildings or public works of the United States or the District of Columbia or buildings or works financed in whole or part by Federal loans, grants, or loan guarantees, with specified exceptions) in excess of $100,000 for new construction (including painting and decorating) or in excess of $15,000 for alteration, repair, renovation, rehabilitation, or reconstruction (including painting and decorating). Provides that State, local, or tribal government requirements for wages or fringe benefits applied to such contracts for federally-assisted construction or repair of buildings or works shall not be preempted by the Act unless there is a conflict in compliance with both. Provides that an individual shall be considered a laborer or mechanic if the contractor or subcontractor paid the individual, directly or through a subcontract, for such services performed to carry out the contract. Prohibits the use of multiple contracts to avoid application of the Act. Requires that any two or more contracts shall be treated as a single contract if they: (1) individually do not exceed the minimum amount necessary for the Act to apply; (2) in the aggregate do exceed such amount; and (3) all relate to the same work or related work at the same site. Permits any interested person to seek relief from violations of such provision in U.S. district court. Applies the Act also to contracts for the lease of a facility if construction, alteration, repair, renovation, rehabilitation, or reconstruction is required for a contract's fulfillment. Defines the terms "apprentice," "trainee," and "helper." Prescribes circumstances under which such persons may be paid less than the required wage rate under the Act. Directs the Secretary of Labor (the Secretary) to promulgate regulations defining such persons and prescribing the conditions under which they will not be subject to the required rate, the rate at which they will be employed, and other appropriate conditions. Requires the contractor or subcontractor to post the scale of wages required to be paid under such contract in a prominent and easily accessible place at the contract worksite. Provides that the wages required to be paid under the Act shall be the wages determined by the Secretary to be prevailing within three years of the date the contract was entered into. Provides that, if the Secretary has not made a prevailing wage determination within such three-year limitation, the prevailing wage shall be the highest wage prevailing in a comparable area in the State in which the contract is performed. Directs the Secretary, in making a prevailing wage determination, to consider the wages paid for all projects of the same character in the area under contracts for amounts not less than the minimum amounts necessary for the Act to apply. Provides that a contractor or subcontractor may only include contributions and costs relating to employee fringe benefits, as part of their prevailing wage payment, in an amount not exceeding the aggregate of such contributions and costs prevailing in the area. Authorizes the Secretary to investigate and secure compliance with requirements of the Act. Allows any interested person to petition the Secretary to review the determination of a Secretary of a department or an agency head that a contract entered into is not subject to the Act. Provides for judicial review of such coverage determinations. Permits any laborer, mechanic, or any interested person to petition the Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor to review the wage payments received to determine if they have been made in accordance with the Secretary's prevailing wage determination. Sets forth procedures for such wage review. Provides that the determination of the Administrator, an administrative law judge, or the Secretary on a petition for review of the wage payments may include the award of damages to the petitioner in the amount of twice the amount of wages not paid in accordance with the prevailing wage determination, if it is found that the petitioner was willfully not paid the required wages. Requires the defendant in such cases to pay a reasonable attorney's fee and the cost of the action. Makes any employer who violates the required wage rate provisions of the Act liable to each affected employee in the amount of unpaid wages and, if the violation was willful, in an additional equal amount as liquidated damages. Allows an action to recover such liability to be maintained against any employer in any Federal or State court of competent jurisdiction by any interested party, or by any employee on behalf of affected employees and other employees similarly situated. Prohibits any employee from being a party plaintiff to such an action unless the employee gives consent in writing to become a party and the consent is filed in the court in which the action is brought. Prohibits employees from bringing such a civil action with respect to their wages if they file a petition for review. Directs the court, in addition to any judgment awarded to the plaintiff or plaintiffs, to allow a reasonable attorney's fee and the cost of the action to be paid by the defendant. Requires the Comptroller General to pay directly to laborers and mechanics from any accrued payments withheld under the contract any wages found by the Secretary to be due. Directs the Secretary to distribute to all departments of the Government a list of the names of persons or firms who: (1) are found to have disregarded their obligations to employees and subcontractors; and (2) are debarred from Federal contracts for a specified time. (Removes the Comptroller General from such debarment process.) Declares that employees may bring an action against contractors and their sureties for the payment of unpaid wages. Specifies that the Secretary or the contracting officer may order accrued payments in amounts necessary to cover unpaid wages to be withheld from contractors found to have violated the Act. Requires that contracts subject to the Act contain a provision allowing the Government to terminate the contract if less than the required wage rate has been or is being paid. Makes the contractor and its sureties liable for any excess costs incurred by the Government because of such termination. Directs the Secretary to: (1) enforce the Act; and (2) promulgate standards and procedures to be observed by contracting officers. Amends the Copeland Anti-Kickback Act (which provides for the Secretary of Labor to make reasonable regulations for contractors and subcontractors in the construction or repair of public buildings or public works or buildings or works financed in whole or part by Federal loans or grants) to require such employers to report certain payroll information on a monthly (rather than a weekly) basis. Requires such information to include specified items (including rates of contributions or costs anticipated for bona fide fringe benefits). Requires such employers to maintain payroll and other related basic records for three years after completion of such work. Permits any interested person to obtain from any Federal department or agency a copy of any such payroll statement which has been filed by the contractor or subcontractor with the department or agency under such Act. Directs the Secretary of Labor to: (1) study the feasibility of employers using electronic methods to comply with reporting requirements under such Act; and (2) report to the Congress within one year on actions taken by the Secretary and employers to facilitate electronic reporting of payroll information.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1991
Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to eliminate the coinsurance requirement and prohibit balance billing for screening mammography services.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1991
World War I Veterans' Service Pension Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay a monthly pension of $100 to each veteran of World War I who meets specified service requirements. Requires such a veteran, if entitled to another pension administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, to elect which pension to receive.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1991
Federal Employees Health Benefits Reform Act of 1991 - Revises the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (the Program) to: (1) establish the Federal Employees Health Benefits Board (the Board); (2) replace current service and indemnity health benefit plans with a new Government-wide health insurance plan that offers both a standard and a high option for either self or family coverage; (3) require group- and individual-practice prepayment plans and mixed model prepayment plans to offer the same types of benefits offered under the standard option; (4) allow employee organization sponsored health plans to offer supplementary benefits; (5) establish flexible spending plans to allow employees to set aside a portion of their salary on a pretax basis to pay out-of-pocket health care expenses; and (6) allow annuitants whose annuities are insufficient to cover the full amount of required withholdings to elect to be covered under health benefits plans if they pay an amount equal to such withholdings to the Employees Health Benefits Fund (the Fund) through the retirement system that administers their health benefits enrollment. Directs the Board to: (1) prescribe regulations governing the provision of health insurance benefits to Federal employees, their families, and retirees under the Government-wide plan in consultation with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM); and (2) establish procedures for reviewing the utilization of health care services under such plan and controlling service costs. Declares that the service providers shall not be eligible for payments under the plan unless they comply with such procedures. Specifies the benefits required to be provided under each option of the plan and the extent to which they are covered. Requires such individuals to meet specified annual deductions under each option of the plan before any benefits will be paid, except in the case of a family enrollment when the deduction will be waived once it is met by any two family members. Establishes maximum out-of-pocket expense limitations for self and family coverage under each option. Requires the plan to pay all covered expenses after out-of-pocket expenses have exceeded their appropriate maximum limitation. Revises provisions for computing Government contributions. Establishes different requirements for each respective basic health benefits plan. Provides for the following with respect to the Government-wide plan: (1) establishment of specified biweekly employee contributions for the first administrative year to be increased for later years by the lesser of the increase in the medical care component of the consumer price index or the increase in the average enrollment charges; (2) procedures for determining average annual enrollment charges (the costs for providing benefits and administering the plan and any amounts necessary to maintain an adequate contingency reserve) in consultation with the Board for the first administrative year and for adjusting such charges for later years; (3) allocation of such costs to each option in a manner which is reasonable and equitable; (4) publication of new enrollment charges in the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations; and (5) continued individual and family coverage for employees who are placed in a leave without pay status. Revises provisions regarding contracting authority to establish separate authority for awarding competitive three-year contracts to nongovernmental organizations to administer the Government-wide plan on a regional basis in areas established by OPM. Requires plan administrators to review the utilization of health care services and implement the cost-control procedures established by the Board. Permits certain employee organizations which currently self-insure to serve as the plan administrators for employees within their bargaining unit. Repeals provisions regarding payment or reimbursement for services by: (1) psychologists or optometrists; and (2) any person licensed under State law in a State where a specified percentage of the population is located in primary medical care manpower shortage areas. Revises provisions concerning election of coverage to: (1) provide automatic coverage under the Government-wide plan's standard option for self alone to an employee becoming eligible for Federal health insurance coverage unless the employee elects alternative coverage or to be excluded from coverage; (2) revise criteria for continuation of coverage for annuitants; and (3) extend coverage to unmarried dependent natural or adopted children of the former spouse and the employee who are students over age 22 but under age 23. Allows temporary employees to enroll in the Government-wide plan provided they pay both employee and Government contributions. Provides that if an individual eligible to enroll in a basic health benefits plan has a spouse who is also eligible, either may enroll for self and family or each may enroll as an individual, but no individual may be covered both as an enrollee and as a family member. Sets forth rules to apply in administering provisions regarding: (1) election of coverage: (2) continued coverage; (3) coverage of restored employees and survivor or disability annuitants; (4) double coverage; and (5) changes in family status. Requires any amounts forfeited under flexible spending plans to be transferred to a separate account which shall be within the Fund. Allows such amounts to be used for wellness programs for Federal employees. Revises provisions regarding contribution set-asides in the Fund to establish new set-aside requirements for contributions to the basic health benefits plans. Directs OPM to: (1) prescribe regulations to provide eligible individuals with an opportunity to elect coverage under the health benefits plans, to terminate their enrollment, to transfer to another such plan, or to make any other allowable changes in the terms or conditions of their enrollment; (2) on an annual basis compile statistics and submit to the Board a report on the use of the different benefits of the basic and supplemental plans and their costs to the Government as part of a continuing study of the operation and administration of the Program; (3) prescribe Program regulations providing for the establishment of wellness programs for Federal employees; and (4) prescribe regulations to ensure that, for any annuitant eligible to receive Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) and Federal health insurance benefits, deductibles and coinsurance or copayment amounts under the Program shall be waived to the same extent as before the enactment of this Act and that when an individual is eligible for Federal health insurance benefits which would be duplicative of Medicare benefits, the primary payer shall be the same as it would have been before the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 1991
Social Security Earnings Test Limitation Act of 1991 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to remove the limitation on the amount of outside income which beneficiaries who have attained retirement age may earn without incurring a reduction in benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code and title II of the Social Security Act (Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) with respect to the social security exemption for election officials and election workers employed by State and local governments to increase the allowed remuneration paid to such workers.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1991
Omnibus Adoption Act of 1991 - Title I: National Advisory Council on Adoption - Establishes the National Advisory Council on Adoption (the Council), to be appointed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Terminates such Council after four years. Title II: Adoption Data Collection System - Directs the Secretary of HHS to: (1) report to the Congress, within 30 days, on the status of the implementation of the adoption data collection system required under specified provisions of the Social Security Act, including specific assurances relating to such system; (2) report monthly to the Congress on the progress made in implementing such system; and (3) consult with the Council in developing regulations to carry out such reporting requirements and assurances. Title III: Adoption Education Programs - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to establish a program of fellowships for graduate study in social work, in innovative programs concerning the effects of adoption on the adopted children, their adoptive families, and their biological parents who make an adoption plan. Directs the Secretary of Education to award up to 50 such fellowships. Sets forth provisions for student selection procedures, stipends, payments to institutions, fellowship conditions, consultation with the Council, and an authorization of appropriations for FY 1992 through 1996. Directs the Secretary of Education, within one year after enactment of this Act, to make grants to States to carry out adoption education programs. Sets forth provisions for grants amounts, applications and agreements, program guidelines, consultation with the Council, and an authorization of appropriations for FY 1992 through 1994. Title IV: Adoption Benefits for Federal Employees and Military Personnel - Amends Federal law relating to Federal employees to allow their sick leave (including advance sick leave) to be used for purposes relating to the adoption of a child. Includes prenatal and maternal benefits (other than those relating to a surrogate parenting arrangement) for the biological mother of an adoptive child among the types of benefits which may be provided under Federal employee benefits plans. Directs the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to establish minimum standards for this type of benefits, in accordance with specified guidelines. Amends Federal law relating to members of the uniformed services to require establishment of a program to reimburse them for expenses they incur for prenatal and maternal care provided to the biological mother of a child they legally adopt. Limits such reimbursement to care provided on or after the date on which the member notifies the appropriate administering Secretary. Prohibits such reimbursement for expenses incurred in carrying out a surrogate parenting arrangement. Includes prenatal care among types of authorized care for military dependents. Includes care for preexisting conditions among the types of authorized care for adopted children of uniformed service members. Defines adopted child, for purposes of Federal law relating to members of the uniformed services, as a child with respect to whom a written plan of adoption has been entered into pursuant to the laws of the State in which the child resides. Directs OPM and the Secretary of Defense to coordinate their development of regulations and guidelines to carry out their responsibilities under this title, and to consult with the Council in such development. Title V: Adoption Tax Credit - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to establish a refundable tax credit for certain amounts of adoption expenses, for taxpayers at certain income levels. Title VI: Maternal Health Certificates Program - Directs the Secretary of HHS, within 180 days after enactment of this Act, to establish a program to provide maternal health certificates for eligible pregnant women to use to cover expenses incurred in receiving services at a maternal and housing services facility. Bases eligibility on an individual's having an annual individual income of not greater than 175 percent of the applicable official poverty line income. Determines such income without taking account of: (1) the income of any parent or guardian of the individual; or (2) the income of an estranged spouse who has been living apart from the woman for at least six months. Prohibits finding an individual ineligible for such program solely on the grounds that they do not receive aid under the State plan for aid for families with dependent children (AFDC) under the Social Security Act. Sets limits on the amount of expenses which such program certificates may cover. Directs the Secretary of HHS to consult with the Council in developing regulations for such program. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 1994 for such maternal health certificates program. Title VII: Rehabilitation Grants for Maternity Housing and Services Facilities - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to carry out a program to make grants to eligible nonprofit entities for rehabilitation of existing structures for use as facilities to provide housing and services to pregnant women. Sets forth provisions for such grant program authority, applications, limitations on numbers and amounts of grants, and reporting requirements. Directs the Secretary of HUD to consult with the Council in issuing such program regulations. Authorizes appropriations for such program for FY 1992 through 1994. Title VIII: Sense of Congress Regarding Changes in State Adoption Laws - Expresses the sense of the Congress that each State should adopt and enforce specified types of adoption laws, rules, or regulations, which include provisions for: (1) disclosure of all relevant information, including background information (except actual identification of the child or biological parents), to the prospective adoptive parent, with criminal penalties for unauthorized disclosure, (2) pre-placement investigations of the prospective adoptive parent; (3) disclosure to the court of all costs incurred by or on behalf of each party to the adoption; (4) guaranteed adequate legal representation for the biological mother; (5) filing of a petition for adoption with the appropriate court within one year after placement; and (6) coverage by the health plan of the adoptive parent of pregnancy and childbirth expenses (excluding surrogate parenting arrangements) for the child and the biological mother, or for any dependent child of the plan enrollee, and plan coverage of pre-existing conditions of adopted children.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1991
World War II Cadet Nurse Civil Service Fairness Act - Includes service of at least one year but less than two years in the Cadet Nurse Corps during World War II as creditable service for purposes of civil service retirement. (Current law provides for individuals with two or more years of service.) Requires the retirement annuity of an affected individual to be redetermined provided he or she: (1) files an appropriate written application with the Office of Personnel Management within 14 months of enactment of this Act; and (2) makes required deposits to the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund with respect to service in the Corps.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1991
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover colon cancer preventive screening examinations and an annual physical examination performed by a physician or nurse practitioner if a demonstration project to be conducted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services proves such examinations to be cost-effective or of moderate cost but measurably health-enhancing.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit tax-exempt private foundations and community foundations to establish tax-exempt cooperative service organizations to operate exclusively for charitable purposes. Declares that the excise tax based on investment income applies to such organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1991
Declares that the Congress acknowledges and appreciates the commitment, devotion, and sacrifices of present and former military families. Designates November 25, 1991, as National Military Families Recognition Day.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1991
Authorizes the Thomas Paine National Historical Association U.S.A. Memorial Foundation to construct in the District of Columbia or its environs an appropriate monument honoring the American patriot, Thomas Paine. Prohibits the use of Federal funds for the establishment of the memorial.
![Official portrait of Rep. Oakar, Mary Rose [D-OH-20]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/o000001_200.jpg)