United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1995
Calls on France to abide by the international moratorium on nuclear testing, refrain from conducting its announced testing, and prepare to close its underground nuclear testing sites at the Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1995
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the Maternal and Child Health Bureau and other concerned organizations should encourage well-designed studies to identify safe neonatal practices with regard to the hospital discharge of mothers and infants and establish appropriate medical care procedures during the perinatal period; (2) decisions on hospital stays of mothers and newborns after delivery should be made by doctors and patients and not by hospitals, health insurers, and health service organizations; and (3) hospitals, health insurers, health service organizations, and health benefit plans should abide by the current Guidelines for Perinatal Care of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists regarding discharge.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Fraud and Abuse Subtitle A: Amendments to Anti-Fraud and Abuse Provisions Applicable to Medicare, Medicaid, and State Health Care Programs Subtitle B: Establishment of All-Payer Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program Subtitle C: Application of Fraud and Abuse Authorities Under the Social Security Act to Other Payers Subtitle D: Advisory Opinions on Kickbacks and Self-Referral Subtitle E: Preemption of State Corporate Practice Laws Title II: Information Systems and Administrative Simplification Health Care Fraud Prevention and Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 - Title I: Fraud and Abuse - Subtitle A: Amendments to Anti-Fraud and Abuse Provisions Applicable to Medicare, Medicaid, and State Health Care Programs - Amends the Social Security Act (SSA) title XI anti-fraud and abuse provisions applicable to Medicare, Medicaid, and State health care programs and concerning penalties and exclusionary matters, among other changes providing for: (1) civil monetary penalties for additional specified violations, including anti-kickback violations; (2) modifications to anti-kickback exceptions; (3) revisions in civil and criminal penalties; (4) deposit of penalties collected into the account established below; (5) private right of action in certain cases; and (6) mandatory exclusion from Medicare and State health care program participation for certain individuals convicted of a criminal felony relating to health care fraud. Subtitle B: Establishment of All-Payer Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General to establish a program to coordinate their functions, as well as those of other organizations, with respect to the prevention, detection, and control of health care fraud and abuse. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 112) Establishes in the Treasury the All-Payer Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Account for use in the program established above. Subtitle C: Application of Fraud and Abuse Authorities Under the Social Security Act to Other Payers - Applies civil monetary penalty provisions under SSA title XI (as amended by this Act), as well as certain criminal penalty provisions, to similar specified violations with respect to all payers. Subtitle D: Advisory Opinions on Kickbacks and Self-Referral - Directs the Secretary to establish a process for issuing certain advisory opinions, for a fee, to requesting individuals or entities concerning whether their conduct constitutes grounds for imposition of a sanction or denial of payment for a service rendered. Subtitle E: Preemption of State Corporate Practice Laws - Preempts State and local laws prohibiting corporate practice of medicine. Title II: Information Systems and Administrative Simplification - Requires issuance to health benefit plan beneficiaries, including Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, of a uniform card similar to a credit card with encoded electronic information for use in obtaining entitled items or services verified along with beneficiary enrollment under a new system the Secretary shall establish for facilitating electronic claims payment, in addition to enrollment verification. Requires submission of claims in a uniform format pursuant to standards the Secretary shall also establish, including standards for electronic reporting of specific claim elements, that incorporate specified requirements, taking into account certain task force and other specified recommendations. Provides for uniform electronic hospital cost reporting under Medicare, with civil money penalties to ensure appropriate enrollment reporting and claims submission.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 1995
Organ Donation Insert Card Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to include specified organ donation information with income tax refund payments made during a specified period.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1995
Landmine Use Moratorium Act of 1995 - Directs the President to support, at the 1995 United Nations review conference, proposals to modify Protocol II to the 1980 Conventional Weapons Convention to implement the U.S. goal of the elimination of antipersonnel landmines. Declares a U.S. moratorium, for a one year period beginning three years after enactment of this Act, on the use of such landmines except along internationally recognized national borders within a perimeter marked area monitored by military personnel and protected by adequate means to ensure the exclusion of civilians. Urges the President to encourage other nations to join in such moratorium. Prohibits the United States from selling, licensing for export, or transferring any defense article or service to a foreign country that sells, exports, or transfers antipersonnel landmines. Authorizes the President to waive such prohibition, after notice to the Congress, if an emergency exists which makes such waiver vital to the interest of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 1995
Natural Disaster Protection Partnership Act of 1995 - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (the Act) to: (1) require a State to pay or agree to pay at least five dollars per resident, as determined by the latest official census, before such State or local government receives Federal assistance for the repair, restoration, reconstruction, or replacement of public facilities damaged or destroyed by a major disaster in the State; and (2) revise the formula used to determine the Federal share of such assistance as well as the Federal share for debris and wreckage removal from publicly and privately owned lands resulting from such disaster. Allows an increase of such assistance only upon the enactment of a joint resolution not designated as an emergency under provisions of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act). (Sec. 5) Adds provisions concerning disaster mitigation. Requires the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to establish and carry out natural disaster hazard mitigation (mitigation) programs that support natural disaster research, technology, and education. Gives the effect of law to a specified executive order relating to earthquake design and construction standards for federally leased, assisted, or regulated buildings. Requires the Director to enter into an arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences to study and report to the Congress on the feasibility of establishing: (1) national minimum building construction standards for residential and commercial building construction; and (2) standards for the training and licensing of home inspectors and for using such inspections as a means of promoting mitigation for residential property. Requires the Director to define which States should be classified as natural disaster-prone for purposes of the Act. Requires each natural disaster-prone State to either: (1) adopt multihazard building and safety codes for all new and substantially modified building construction in that State; or (2) certify that the State's local communities have adopted and are enforcing building codes which meet the appropriate minimum mitigation requirements of that State. Requires each State designated as flood-prone to either adopt relevant flood protection standards or certify that its flood-prone local communities are in compliance with appropriate State flood protection standards. Requires each natural disaster-prone State to either develop a multihazard mitigation plan or designate an existing plan which includes specified compliance and response requirements. Outlines provisions concerning State compliance with the establishment, adoption, and implementation of appropriate mitigation plans. Provides penalties for noncompliance. Requires the Director, after crediting premiums from the Natural Disaster Insurance Corporation (established under this Act), to allocate funds from a Mitigation Account (established under this Act) to States which comply with all mitigation requirements under this Act. Provides an allocation formula. Requires such funds to be used to support mitigation activities, especially those necessary to bring a State into compliance with building and safety code requirements enumerated under this Act. Requires audits of fund uses. Exempts a State, under specified conditions, from a particular mitigation requirement if it receives inadequate funds from the Account to cover the costs of complying with such requirement. Encourages each private insurer that participates in the Natural Disaster Insurance Corporation to take mitigation measures into account in setting rates and deductibles for its property insurance. Establishes the Natural Disaster Insurance Corporation as a not-for-profit membership corporation to provide primary insurance coverages and reinsurance coverage for hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis. Requires the Corporation's Board of Directors (Board) to: (1) develop a plan of operation describing the Corporation's administration and the provision of the insurance coverages it provides; and (2) develop and adjust, when necessary, actuarially sound rates for such coverages. Establishes an independent Natural Disaster Insurance Board of Actuaries (Independent Board) to review and approve such plan and rates. Requires the Board to file with each State insurance regulator information copies of the initial material and future revisions to its insurance rates, terms, or conditions. Requires the Corporation to establish and maintain a: (1) primary insurance coverage trust account to pay qualifying claims and loss adjustments expenses to private insurers acting as service providers of the primary insurance coverages; and (2) reinsurance coverage trust account to pay qualifying claims to private insurers which purchased such coverage. Outlines provisions concerning the Corporation's use of funds from other accounts and funds to pay for losses in excess of trust account funds or funds raised by issuing obligations in the private market (requiring repayment of funds borrowed from such accounts or funds). Requires the trust accounts to be kept separate. Prohibits: (1) the borrowing of monies between such accounts; and (2) the authorization or appropriation of Federal funds for Corporation activities. Requires the Comptroller General to audit and report to the Congress on Corporation and Independent Board activities. Requires the Corporation to: (1) issue primary insurance coverages that insure against physical damages and losses to residential property, including debris removal, additional living expenses incurred as a result of direct damage to such property, and ordinance and law coverages, resulting from the natural disasters enumerated in this Act that meet specified terms and conditions; and (2) make, under certain conditions, excess reinsurance coverage available to private insurers and State insurance pools for residential losses (including quota-share amounts retained by the private insurers under this Act not already insured by the Corporation under the primary insurance coverage policies) and commercial losses that are proximately caused by specified natural disaster perils. Prohibits making or renewing any federally-related mortgage loan secured by residential property located in an earthquake, volcanic eruption, tsunami, or hurricane-prone State unless the property is covered by: (1) primary insurance coverages; or (2) coverage issued by a private insurer which has equivalent terms, conditions, and rates as such coverages for seismic perils and that meets such terms and conditions as those required for the hurricane peril. Provides an escrow requirement with respect to insurance premiums for such coverage. Outlines requirements that must be met by residential property owners in natural disaster-prone States before the owners can receive any financial assistance under the Act or any similar Federal disaster assistance. Requires the Director and the Corporation to jointly report to the Congress on any additional sanctions or other measures deemed necessary to assure that policyholders purchase Federal flood insurance pursuant to the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968. Requires private insurers which exclude coverage for physical damage caused by flooding to include in the contract a specified warning statement to that effect (or an appropriate alternative warning statement). Establishes in the Treasury the Natural Disaster Protection Fund. Establishes within the Fund a separate Private Loss Account, Public Loss Account, and Mitigation Account. Requires the three accounts to be kept separate and prohibits the borrowing of monies between them. Requires the Private Loss Account to provide direct Federal loans to cover shortfalls in the Corporation's primary insurance and reinsurance accounts. Requires the Public Loss Account to: (1) retain reserve funds sufficient to cover the anticipated costs resulting from natural disasters up to the annual ten-year historical average of disaster relief provided by the Director; and (2) provide grants to States for the repair or restoration of critical facilities and lifelines, public facilities, and infrastructure damaged or destroyed by natural disasters and for pre-natural disaster mitigation. Allows the Federal share of such grants to be increased only upon the enactment of a joint resolution not designated as an emergency under provisions of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985. Requires: (1) the Mitigation Account to provide funds to States for appropriate mitigation efforts described in this Act; and (2) the Corporation to pay a specified percentage of the annual net premiums collected for the primary insurance coverages and the reinsurance coverages for mitigation purposes. Provides for appropriate transfers and credits to the Public Loss Account and the Mitigation Account. Authorizes appropriations to such Accounts.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Young Driver Programs Title II: High Risk Drivers High Risk Drivers Act of 1995 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to develop and implement effective and comprehensive policies and programs to promote safe driving behavior by younger drivers, older drivers, and repeat violators of traffic safety regulations and laws, including specified safety promotion and driver training research activities. Title I: Young Driver Programs - Directs the Secretary to make basic and supplemental grants to those States that adopt and implement programs for young drivers which include measures to reduce traffic safety problems resulting from young drivers. Sets forth requirements regarding: (1) eligibility for basic grants (including the establishment and maintenance of a graduate licensing program for drivers under age 18 by State grant recipients and State compliance with specified criteria concerning drunk driving and other issues); (2) eligibility for supplemental grants (including provision for readily distinguishable licenses for younger drivers, driver education, recordkeeping of serious convictions, and oversight of alcohol sales to underage drinkers); (3) program evaluation; and (4) reporting requirements. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: High Risk Drivers - Directs the Secretary to: (1) study whether additional or strengthened Federal activities, authority, or regulatory actions are desirable or necessary to improve the driver record and control systems of the States to identify high risk drivers more rapidly and ensure prompt intervention in the licensing of such drivers; (2) evaluate the future of the national information systems that support driver licensing; and (3) encourage and promote State driver evaluation, assistance, or control programs for high risk drivers.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 1995
Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 1995 - Subjects anyone who knowingly performs a partial-birth abortion in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce to a fine or imprisonment for not more than two years or both. Defines "partial-birth abortion" as partial, vaginal delivery of the fetus prior to killing the fetus and completing the delivery. Permits the parents or the maternal grandparents (if the mother has not attained the age of 18 at the time of the abortion) through a civil action to obtain relief which would include money damages for all injuries and statutory damages equal to three times the cost of the partial-birth abortion, even if any party consented to an abortion. Permits the affirmative defense to a prosecution or a civil action, which must be proved by a preponderance of the evidence, that the physician reasonably believed: (1) the procedure was necessary to save the woman's life; and (2) no other form of abortion would have sufficed for that purpose.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1995
Black Revolutionary War Patriots Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue one-dollar silver coins emblematic of the Black Revolutionary War Patriots Memorial in Washington, D.C. Directs that coin sale surcharges be paid to the Black Revolutionary War Patriots Foundation for raising an endowment to support construction of the Memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1995
Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to reimburse a Department of Veterans Affairs health-care facility for care given to a Medicare-eligible veteran who is treated for a non-service-connected disability in the same amounts and manner as the Secretary reimburses other Medicare providers or Medicare HMOs. Mandates that the Secretary of Veteran Affairs (Secretary) certify to the Secretary of Health and Human Services annually a list of all Department health-care facilities that are to be treated as Medicare providers or Medicare HMOs. Requires that when the Secretary provides care for which the Secretary receives reimbursement under this section, the veteran must pay the Department any applicable deductible or copayment for care that is not covered by the Medicare program.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1995
Air Traffic Supervisor Retirement Reform Act of 1995 - Provides that service performed by certain civilian employees of the Departments of Transportation or of Defense holding specified positions for which experience as an air traffic controller is a prerequisite (air traffic second-level supervisors and managers) shall be creditable for retirement under the Civil Service and Federal Employees' Retirement Systems.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Specific Coins Authorized Title II: General Provisions United States Commemorative Coins Act of 1995 - Title I: Specific Coins Authorized - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue ten-dollar gold coins to commemorate the bicentennial of United States gold coinage. (Sec. 102) Requires the Secretary to mint and issue five-dollar gold coins and one-dollar silver coins to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations and the role of President Harry S. Truman. Directs coin sale surcharge distribution to the Harry S. Truman Library Foundation and the U.N. Association. (Sec. 103) Requires the Secretary to mint and issue coins commemorating: (1) the sesquicentennial of the founding of the Smithsonian Institution; (2) the public opening of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, Washington, D.C.; (3) the 125th anniversary of the establishment of the first U.S. National Park, Yellowstone National Park; and (4) the sacrifices of law enforcement officers and their families in preserving public safety, with surcharge proceeds paid to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, Inc. Title II: General Provisions - Mandates that the design for the coins be: (1) selected by the Secretary after consultation with recipient organizations and the Commission of Fine Arts; and (2) reviewed by the Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory Committee.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 1995
Advanced Medical Devices Access Assurance Act of 1995 - Permits coverage under the Medicare program of items and services associated with the use of a medical device in the furnishing of inpatient hospital services, even if the device is not approved, as long as it is an investigational device used instead of an approved device. States that a payment made under the Medicare program for any such item or service may not exceed the amount which would have been paid if the item or service were associated with the use of an approved device.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1995
Sets forth the rule for the consideration H.R. 1535 (revising tax rules on expatriation and to modify the basis rules for nonresident aliens becoming citizens or residents).
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1995
James Madison Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue commemorative one-dollar silver coins emblematic of the 250th anniversary of the birth of James Madison and the life and achievements of the fourth President of the United States. Requires the Secretary to turn over proceeds from surcharges to the National Trust for Historic Preservation to be used to: (1) establish an endowment as a permanent source for Montpelier (home of James Madison and a museum); and (2) fund capital restoration projects at Montpelier.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1995
Historic Homeownership Assistance Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for 20 percent of the qualified rehabilitation expenditures made by a taxpayer with respect to a certified historic structure which has been substantially rehabilitated and which is owned by the taxpayer and used as his or her principal residence. Allows the credit for such expenditures to be taken by a purchaser of the rehabilitated home. Permits, in lieu of the credit, a historic rehabilitation mortgage credit certificate, which shall be transferred to a lender in exchange for a reduction in the rate of interest on the loan secured by the building.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1995
Comprehensive Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Prevention Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish: (1) a program for the conduct and support of research and training, the dissemination of health information, and other programs with respect to the cause, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of fetal alcohol syndrome and fetal alcohol effects; and (2) the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Mandates development of uniform criteria for the collection and reporting of data on fetal alcohol conditions by or through agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Authorizes the Secretary of HHS to require that an activity under these provisions be carried out in collaboration with or through one or more of the other agencies of HHS. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1995
Medigap Consumer Protection Act of 1995 - Amends the Social Security Act to require that private insurers selling Medicare supplemental policies (Medigap policies) do not increase policyholder premiums on the basis of age attained after enrollment.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1995
National Senior Citizens Pet Ownership Protection Act - Amends the Housing and Urban-Rural Recovery Act of 1983 to prohibit owners and managers of federally assisted rental housing from preventing elderly and disabled tenants from owning or having household pets.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1995
False Identification Act of 1995 - Amends the Federal criminal code to reduce the minimum number of documents to three (currently, five) for certain offenses involving fraud and related activity in connection with identification documents. Sets criminal penalties for knowingly sending through the mails or producing, with the intention or knowledge that it will be deposited for mailing, any unverified identification document that bears a birth date showing the individual named in the document to be 21 years of age or older, when in fact that individual has not attained age 21.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1995
Amends Federal air transportation law to require the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to issue an airport operating certificate for an airport that serves any scheduled passenger operation of an air carrier aircraft designed for more than nine passenger seats or any unscheduled passenger operation of an air carrier aircraft designed for more than 30 passenger seats. (Currently the mandate covers only an airport serving an air carrier operating aircraft designed for at least 31 passenger seats.)
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1995
Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Improvement Act of 1995 - Requires each State to obligate for bicycle transportation and pedestrian walkways not less than three percent of the funds: (1) apportioned to the State under the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program and the Surface Transportation Program; (2) apportioned to the State for the National Highway System; and (3) made available for forest development roads and trails, public lands development roads and trails, park roads, parkways, Indian reservation roads, and public lands highways. Allows the Secretary of Transportation to require States to acquire rights-of-way reasonably necessary for bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Prohibits the Secretary from approving Federal-aid system projects, including bridge projects, that will result in the severance, reduction, or destruction of an existing or potential route for nonmotorized transportation traffic and light motorcycles, unless such project provides a reasonable alternative route or such route exists. Requires States to survey all public roads to identify hazardous locations which may constitute a danger to bicyclists and to correct such locations. Permits the use of electric golf carts on trails and walkways, when State and local regulations allow. Requires appointed members of the National Highway Safety Advisory Committee of the Department of Transportation to be selected from, among others, organizations representative of bicyclists and pedestrians.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 1995
Propane Education and Research Act of 1995 - Authorizes the qualified industry organizations (the National Propane Gas Association, the Gas Processors Association, or successor organizations, or a group of retail marketers or producers who collectively represent at least 25 percent of the volume of propane sold or produced in the United States) to conduct, at their own expense, a referendum among producers and retail marketers for the creation of a Propane Education and Research Council. Directs the Council, if established, to develop programs (including programs to enhance consumer and employee safety and training) and enter into contracts for: (1) propane research and development; (2) consumer education; and (3) payment for program costs with funds collected under this Act. Requires the Council to reimburse the Secretary of Energy annually for any costs incurred by the United States, but not to exceed the average annual salary of Department of Energy employees. Prescribes guidelines under which the Council shall set annual assessments on odorized propane to cover program costs. Directs the Council to establish a program to coordinate its operations with any State propane education and research council. Prohibits Council funds from being used for lobbying activities. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to annually prepare and make available to the Council, the Secretary of Energy (Secretary), and the public, an analysis of changes in propane prices relative to other energy resources. Requires the Council to restrict its activities to research and development, training, and safety whenever in any year the five-year average rolling price index of consumer grade propane exceeds by more than 10.1 percent the five-year rolling average price composite index of residential electricity, residential natural gas, and refiner price to end users of Number 2 fuel oil. Requires the price of propane to be determined by market forces in all cases. Prohibits the Council from taking action to pass the cost of the annual assessments to consumers. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to report biennially to the Congress and the Secretary on: (1) whether operation of the Council, in conjunction with the cumulative effects of market changes and Federal programs, has had an effect on propane consumers, including residential, agriculture, process, and nonfuel users; and (2) whether there have been long-term and short-term effects on propane prices as a result of Council activities and Federal programs.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Women Veterans Health Improvements Title II: Care for Veterans Exposed to Toxic Substances Title III: Readjustment Services Title IV: Services for Mentally Ill Veterans Title V: Construction Planning Title VI: General Health Administration Subtitle A: Health Care Administration Subtitle B: Personnel Administration Subtitle C: Health Care Resource Agreements Subtitle D: Miscellaneous Veterans Health Improvements Act of 1995 - Title I: Women Veterans Health Improvements - Women Veterans Health Improvements Act of 1995 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ensure that each health care facility under the direct jurisdiction of the Department of Veterans Affairs is able to provide in a timely and appropriate manner all authorized health care services to women veterans. Requires the provision of women's health services by direct Department care (rather than by contract or other agreement) when cost effective. Includes women's health services within the medical services authorized to be provided through the Department. Extends through 1998 a reporting requirement under the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992 concerning the Department's provision of women's health care services and research and adds to the information required in such report. (Sec. 104) Prohibits mammograms from being performed at a Department facility unless such facility is accredited for such purpose by a private nonprofit organization designated by the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to prescribe mammogram quality assurance and control standards and to perform periodic inspection of Department mammogram equipment and facilities. Requires the Secretary to ensure that mammograms performed for the Department on a contractual basis with a non-Department facility or provider conform to the quality standards for such procedures as prescribed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services under the Public Health Service Act. Provides for: (1) a deadline for prescribing the standards; (2) transition provisions; and (3) a standards implementation report from the Secretary to specified congressional committees. (Sec. 105) Amends the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992 to require each coordinator of women's services to serve in such position on a full-time basis. Requires the Secretary to ensure that: (1) sufficient Department funding is provided to allow such coordinators to fully carry out their responsibilities at such facilities; and (2) each coordinator has direct access to the Chief of Staff at their respective facility. (Sec. 106) Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a survey to identify deficiencies relating to women patient privacy in Department medical centers; (2) correct any such deficiencies; and (3) report to the Congress annually through 1997. Title II: Care for Veterans Exposed to Toxic Substances - Extends eligibility for hospital, nursing home, or outpatient medical care through the Department to: (1) a herbicide-exposed veteran if the National Academy of Sciences has, in a report issued under the Agent Orange Act of 1991, made specified determinations regarding an association between exposure to a herbicide agent and the occurrence of the veteran's disease; (2) a radiation-exposed veteran if the Secretary, based on the advice of the Advisory Committee on Environmental Hazards, determines that there is credible evidence of a positive association between exposure to ionizing radiation and the veteran's disease; and (3) a veteran who the Secretary finds may have been exposed to a toxic substance or environmental hazard during service in the Persian Gulf War, for any disability that becomes manifest before October 1, 1996. Provides time limits to the provision of such services. Title III: Readjustment Services - Authorizes the Secretary to furnish counseling in a vet center to assist any veteran who served in combat during World War II or the Korean conflict in overcoming the effects of such combat experience. Requires a report. (Sec. 302) Establishes in the Department the Advisory Committee on Veterans Readjustment Counseling to perform advisory services with respect to veterans' readjustment, taking into special account Vietnam era veterans. Requires reports. Title IV: Services for Mentally Ill Veterans - Authorizes the Secretary to establish at any Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facility a nonprofit corporation to: (1) arrange for therapeutic work for patients of such facility or other Department facilities; and (2) provide a funding mechanism to achieve such purposes. Outlines provisions concerning: (1) the establishment of a board of directors for each corporation; (2) the deposit of excess corporation funds; (3) annual reports by the corporation and the Secretary; (4) a prohibition against the establishment of such corporations after FY 1999; and (5) required recognition of such corporation within four years as a tax-exempt organization under Internal Revenue Service rules. (Sec. 402) Extends through FY 1998 (currently 1995) the Department compensated work therapy and therapeutic transitional housing demonstration program. (Sec. 403) Directs the Secretary to establish in the VHA a Committee on Care of Severely Chronically Mentally Ill Veterans to carry out a continual assessment of the Department's ability to meet the treatment and rehabilitation needs of severely, chronically mentally ill veterans and to provide appropriate advice and recommendations after such assessment. Requires annual reports. (Sec. 404) Directs the Secretary to establish and operate centers for mental illness research, education, and clinical activities (centers). Directs the Secretary to ensure that designated centers are located in diverse geographic areas. Limits to five the total number of centers authorized for designation. Requires the prior appropriation of funds for such purpose. Requires interested facilities to submit written proposals containing specified requirements, including an arrangement by the facility with an accredited medical school, school of psychology, or medical training facility for appropriate research, education, and clinical activities. Requires the official within the VHA responsible for mental health and behavioral sciences matters (official) to establish a peer review panel to assess the scientific and clinical merit of proposals submitted to the Secretary. Requires the Under Secretary for Health to ensure that: (1) at least three centers designated under this section emphasize research into means of improving the quality of care for veterans suffering from mental illness through the development of community-based alternatives to institutional treatment; and (2) information produced through such centers that may be useful for other VHA activities is appropriately disseminated. Requires the official to supervise the operation of the centers and provide for ongoing center evaluations. Authorizes appropriations to the Department for the centers for FY 1997 through 2000. Authorizes the Under Secretary to allocate other Department funds for such purpose. Requires annual reports. Requires at least one center to be so designated by January 1, 1997. (Sec. 405) Authorizes the Secretary to provide to homeless, chronically mentally ill veterans currently eligible for hospital and nursing home care additional care and treatment and rehabilitative services in halfway houses, therapeutic communities, psychiatric residential treatment centers, and other community-based treatment facilities. Authorizes the Secretary to also provide such care and services to: (1) veterans being furnished hospital or nursing home care by the Secretary for a chronic mental illness disability; and (2) veterans with service-connected chronic mental illness disabilities. Requires approval by the Secretary of the quality and effectiveness of a program providing such services through non-Department facilities. Authorizes the Secretary to provide in-kind and other forms of assistance to non-Department facilities providing such care, treatment, and services. Title V: Construction Planning - Directs the Secretary to develop and implement a plan to promote the efficient delivery of health care services and to reduce unnecessary duplication of health care resources. Requires an implementation report. (Sec. 502) Adds additional information to be required in a prospectus sent from the Secretary to specified congressional committees concerning proposed medical facilities to be constructed, leased, or acquired by the Department for the provision of Department medical care and services. (Sec. 503) Requires the Secretary to submit to specified congressional committees a report showing the current Department priorities for proposed major medical construction projects. (Sec. 504) Prohibits the appropriation or obligation of funds for the design of major medical facility projects (projects in excess of $5 million) unless such funds have been specifically authorized by law. Title VI: General Health Administration - Subtitle A: Health Care Administration - Includes within authorized Department medical services overnight lodging in Department facilities when necessary for the provision of services on an outpatient basis. (Sec. 602) Extends through FY 1997 the pilot program for noninstitutional alternatives to nursing home care. Extends similarly certain reporting dates with respect to such program. (Sec. 603) Extends through December 31, 1997, the authority of the Secretary to provide treatment and rehabilitation to veterans for alcohol or drug dependence or abuse disabilities. (Sec. 604) Increases the amounts required to be paid by the Secretary to a State per diem for each veteran receiving domiciliary, nursing home, hospital, or adult day health care. (Sec. 605) Includes the provision of adult day health care within authorized purposes for Department assistance to States for the construction of medical facilities for the care of veterans. Subtitle B: Personnel Administration - Places an additional limitation on authorized Department reductions in the number of full-time equivalent positions in the Department before the end of FY 1999. (Sec. 612) Extends permanently (currently expired as of December 31, 1994) the authority of the Secretary to waive certain reductions in retirement pay for Department registered nurses. (Sec. 613) Authorizes the Secretary to employ in the VHA certain persons in health care positions as the Secretary considers necessary. (Sec. 614) Extends to individuals appointed as employees in the VHA certain Federal provisions (whistleblower laws) providing protection against certain prohibited personnel practices. (Sec. 615) Extends through December 31, 1998, the Department's health professional scholarship program (offering educational scholarships to certain health care students in return for post-graduate service in the VHA). Subtitle C: Health Care Resource Agreements - Repeals a provision of the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992 which terminates at the end of FY 1995 the authority of the Department to expand the availability of health-sharing arrangements between the Department and the Department of Defense. (Sec. 622) Authorizes the director of a Department health care facility located in a State that has established a State health care reform plan to contract with any entity or individual to procure or furnish any health care resource for veterans. Authorizes such director to contract for the procurement of such resources for non-veterans only under specified conditions. Terminates the authority to enter into such contracts at the end of FY 2000. (Sec. 623) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements with medical schools, health-care facilities, and research centers for the shared use of health care resources for the treatment of veterans. (Currently, the Secretary is authorized to enter into such agreements with such entities for the shared use of specialized medical resources.) Changes the payment method under such agreements from reciprocal reimbursement to one which provides appropriate flexibility to negotiate payment which is in the best interest of the Government. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into such agreements for the furnishing of health care services to non-veterans only in certain limited circumstances. Subtitle D: Miscellaneous - Designates various current veterans' committees and boards as veterans' research advisory committees. Prohibits the Secretary from terminating any such committee unless the Secretary: (1) finds that such committee is no longer needed; and (2) notifies specified congressional committees of such intention at least 120 days prior to such termination. (Sec. 633) Changes from December 1 to April 1 of each fiscal year a reporting date concerning Department admission policies with respect to veterans' hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care. (Sec. 634) Authorizes the Secretary to provide for the operation of child care centers at Department facilities when practicable and in the best interests of the Department. Requires priority to be given, in the provision of such services, to employees of: (1) the Department; (2) other Federal departments and agencies; and (3) schools affiliated with the Department and Department research corporations. Allows the Secretary, after such priorities, to provide such services to members of the public when necessary to assure the financial success of the center. Requires the Secretary to establish reasonable charges for all child care services provided, with conditions. (Sec. 635) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into contracts for the provision of utilities (including steam and chilled water) to the Audie L. Murphy Memorial Hospital in San Antonio, Texas. Requires available appropriations. (Sec. 636) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into a long-term lease or similar agreement with The Caring Place at Loyola, Inc., a nonprofit organization, to allow such organization to establish on the grounds of the Edward Hines, Jr., Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital, Hines, Illinois, a facility to provide temporary accommodations for family members of severely ill children who are being treated at the Loyola University of Chicago Medical Center and other hospitals.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 1995
Prostate Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Act of 1995 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of services for the early detection of prostate cancer and certain drug treatments for such cancer. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish fee schedules for such services. Amends Federal law to cover such detection and treatment services for veterans as a preventive health service. Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for certain public health programs related to prostate cancer research and education. Directs the Administrator of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research to: (1) conduct and support prostate cancer health services and screening and treatment procedures; and (2) provide for the development, periodic review, and updating of clinically relevant guidelines, standards of quality, performance measures, and medical review criteria.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 1995
Public Safety Employer-Employee Relations Act of 1995 - Provides collective bargaining rights for public safety officers employed by States or local governments. (Sec. 4) Declares that fire fighters and law enforcement officers have the right to self-organize, to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing, and to engage in other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection. Applies this Act to any State and its local governments if such entity does not have a law or ordinance that provides greater or equal protection for the rights of fire fighters and law enforcement officers as established under this Act. Grants employers or employee labor organizations the right to petition the Director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) to determine whether a State or local government is in compliance. Provides that existing collective bargaining units and agreements shall not be invalidated by this Act. Provides for conciliation of labor disputes involving fire fighters and law enforcement officers. Requires the Director, when the FMCS certifies an impasse, to establish a Board of Inquiry to investigate the issues in the dispute and report its findings and recommendations. Provides for enforcement of this Act through the appropriate U.S. District Court. Provides that a State is not immune from an action in Federal or State court of competent jurisdiction for a violation of this Act. (Sec. 5) Prohibits public safety employers and employees from engaging in lockouts or strikes. (Sec. 6) Sets forth provisions for suits by and against labor organizations representing public safety officers. (Sec. 7) Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 1995
Directs the Secretary of the military department concerned, for purposes of eligibility for the award of the Purple Heart, to treat a former prisoner of war (POW) who was wounded before April 25, 1962, while held as a POW (or while being taken captive) in the same manner as a former POW who is wounded on or after such date.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 1995
Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Research, Assistance, and Education Act of 1995 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to mandate a program for the conduct and support of research and training, the dissemination of health information, and other programs regarding Parkinson's disease. Establishes the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Parkinson's Disease. Requires Core Center Grants to encourage the development of innovative multidisciplinary research and provide training concerning Parkinson's, designating each grant recipient as a Morris K. Udall Center for Research on Parkinson's Disease. Authorizes establishment of the National Parkinson's Disease Data System to collect, store, analyze, retrieve, and disseminate data. Establishes: (1) the National Parkinson's Disease Information Clearinghouse; (2) a grant program to support scientists who have distinguished themselves in Parkinson's research; and (3) a national education program to foster a national focus on Parkinson's and the care of those with Parkinson's. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 1995
Tobacco Health Tax and Agricultural Conversion Act of 1995 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the excise tax on: (1) cigars; (2) cigarettes; (3) cigarette papers and tubes; (4) snuff; and (5) chewing and pipe tobacco. Imposes an additional tax on packs of cigarettes containing fewer than 20 cigarettes. Provides an inflation adjustment of such tax rates. Imposes a tax on the floor stocks of such tobacco products which are removed before October 1, 1995. Imposes such tax on such products entered into the United States from foreign trade zones before such date. Requires tobacco products and cigarette papers and tubes transferred or removed in bond from domestic factories and export warehouses (and thereby exempt from tax) to be appropriately labeled for export. Imposes a civil penalty on any person who sells, relands, or receives tobacco products labeled for export. Restricts the importation of previously exported tobacco products. Repeals the following exemptions from tax: (1) sales to employees of tobacco products manufacturers; (2) sales to the United States; and (3) books of cigarette papers containing 25 or fewer papers. Imposes minimum capacity or activity requirements (prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury) for granting of a permit to commence business as a tobacco products manufacturer or export warehouse proprietor. Imposes an excise tax on the manufacture or importation of roll-your-own tobacco. Establishes in the Treasury the Tobacco Conversion and Health Education Trust Fund (consisting of a Tobacco Conversion Account and a Health Education Account), to which the Secretary shall transfer an amount equivalent to three percent of the net increase in revenues attributable to the tax increases imposed by this Act. Makes funds in the Tobacco Conversion Account available to: (1) assist farmers in converting from tobacco to other crops; and (2) provide grants and loans, including assistance to convert from tobacco production, to communities and persons involved in tobacco growing and tobacco product manufacture who are adversely affected by the tax increases in this Act. Makes funds in the Health Education Account available for expenditures to increase public awareness of health risks, including those of tobacco use. Establishes in the Treasury the National Fund for Medical Research, to which nine percent of the revenues resulting from the tax increases imposed by this Act shall be transferred for distribution to the member institutes and centers of the National Institutes of Health. Transfers the balance of the revenues from these increases to the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 1995
United States Peace Tax Fund Act - Establishes the United States Peace Tax Fund to receive payments designated by 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 every taxpayer who makes such a designation for any taxable year to file a questionnaire return for the purpose of determining eligibility for such status. Permits the setting aside of criminal or civil penalties imposed upon a taxpayer for nonpayment of tax prior to enactment of this Act 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. 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. Authorizes a portion of the Fund (corresponding to amounts expended for military purposes) to be appropriated each fiscal year for the following programs and activities: (1) the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC); (2) Head Start; (3) the United States Institute of Peace; and (4) the Peace Corps.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 1995
Torture Victims Relief Act of 1995 - States that the United States shall not involuntarily return a person to a country where such person would be subject to torture. Establishes an expedited procedure for processing refugee, asylum, withholding of deportation, and parole entry claims of torture victims. Expresses the sense of the Congress that sufficient funds should be allocated to the Immigration and Naturalization Service's Resource Information Center to maintain information on foreign torture. Provides for specialized training in torture identification and handling of torture victims for consular, immigration, and asylum personnel. Directs the Center for Disease Control to study and report on torture victims residing in the United States. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act and the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to provide for respective domestic and foreign treatment centers for torture victims. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes appropriations from specified funds for the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture. Expresses the sense of the Congress in support of international means to protect torture victims and investigate human rights violations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 1995
George C. Marshall Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue one-dollar silver coins and half-dollar clad coins in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Marshall Plan and George C. Marshall, its author. Directs the Secretary to pay surcharges received from coin sales to: (1) the George C. Marshall Foundation to be used to support its educational and outreach programs; and (2) the Friends of George C. Marshall to be used solely for the construction of the George C. Marshall Memorial and Vistor Center in Uniontown, Pennsylvania.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 1995
Veterans Health Care Reform Act of 1995 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct within the Department of Veterans Affairs a program of reformed health care to: (1) expand the Department's capacity to provide outpatient care to eligible veterans; and (2) allocate resources to enable Department facilities to provide access to health care which is reasonably similar, regardless of the State of residence, to: (a) veterans with a compensable service-connected disability; (b) veterans discharged or released from active duty due to a disability incurred in the line of duty; (c) certain veterans in receipt of veterans' disability compensation; (d) former prisoners of war; (e) veterans of the Mexican border period or World War I; or (f) veterans unable to defray the expenses of necessary care. Directs the Secretary, through September 30, 1999, to manage Department health care facilities so as to provide to such veterans and all other veterans (subject to certain limitations) necessary hospital care and outpatient medical treatment, including preventive health care and prosthetic appliances. Allows home care services to be included. Directs the Secretary to ensure that the Department maintains its capacity to provide for the specialized treatment and rehabilitative needs of disabled veterans. Directs the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on the Department's experience in establishing and administering the program. Terminates the program at the end of FY 1999. Adds to the authorized uses of health care reimbursement funds recovered by the Department from third party payers the expenses of establishing new outpatient care clinics or altering or remodeling current facilities to provide additional space for such care. Establishes within the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical-Care Cost Recovery Fund a reserve for such purposes. Directs the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on medical care cost recovery.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 1995
Disadvantaged Minority Health Improvement Authorization Extension Act of 1995 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for: (1) the Office of Minority Health in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health; (2) health statistical and epidemiological activities of the National Center for Health Statistics; (3) grants for surveys or studies, data analysis, and research regarding ethnic and racial populations; (4) grants to States for demonstration programs to increase the availability of primary health care in health professional shortage areas; (5) grants to provide public housing residents with primary health services and health counseling and education services; (6) Federal capital contributions to student loan funds for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds; (7) grants to schools of medicine, osteopathic medicine, and dentistry for scholarships for students of exceptional financial need; (8) grants to health professions schools for scholarships; (9) educational loan repayments for those agreeing to serve as members of the faculties of specified types of health professions schools; (10) grants and contracts with health or educational entities to assist in increasing the number of underrepresented minority faculty members; (11) grants to health professions schools to support programs of excellence in health professions education for minority individuals; and (12) grants and contracts to assist individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds to undertake education to enter a health profession. Declares that provisions of the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program, except as inconsistent, shall apply to provisions regarding educational loan repayments of health professionals who agree to conduct clinical research as employees of the National Institutes of Health. (Current law applies some but not all of the provisions that would be applied under the amendment made by this Act.)
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 1995
Calls for: (1) the United States to use its influence with the Turkish Government and as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council to suggest that the Turkish Government ensure the proper protection for the Patriarchate and all Orthodox faithful residing in Turkey, assure that positive steps are taken to reopen the Halki Patriarchal School of Theology, provide for the proper protection and safety of the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Patriarchate personnel, establish conditions that would prevent the recurrence of past terrorist activities and vandalism and other personal threats against the Patriarchate, establish conditions to ensure that the Patriarchate is free to carry out its religious mission, and do everything possible to find and punish the perpetrators of any provocative and terrorist acts against the Patriarchate; and (2) the Administration to report to the Congress the status and progress of such concerns on an annual basis.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1995
Special Purpose Aircraft Safety Act of 1995 - Makes it unlawful, unless specifically authorized by the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, for a person to operate or lease a U.S. registered aircraft with a maximum certificated take-off weight of 12,500 pounds or more, which has been issued a special purpose certificate, and which does not meet a minimum airworthiness code satisfying international agreements for international navigation of aircraft, if it is used for: (1) the carriage of cargo for compensation or hire; (2) non-special purpose operations; or (3) special purpose operations conducted outside of the United States. Sets forth certain exemptions to such prohibition. Establishes penalties for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1995
Amends the Public Buildings Act of 1959 to require that any contract entered into by the Administrator of General Services under the Act to purchase, lease-purchase, or lease a public building approved by the Congress shall be treated in the same manner as if the contract were entered into immediately before FY 1991 for purposes of calculating public building transactions.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1995
Retired Worker Health Security Act of 1995 - Requires employers to notify workers at least 60 days before their health care benefits or retirement benefits are terminated. Defines employer as any business enterprise which has 100 or more employees or 500 or more employees who have retired and receive or will receive health and pension benefits from such enterprise.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1995
Voyageurs National Park Revitalization Act of 1995 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to permit access and use of motorboats, aircraft, hiking, and skiing on all major lakes and bays within Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, and at least the following interior lakes: (1) Beast; (2) Cruiser; (3) Oslo; (4) Locator; (5) War Club; (6) Quill; (7) Loiten; (8) Shoepack; (9) Little Trout; and (10) Mukooda. Permits use of snowmobiles on and recreational fishing within such major and interior lakes. Requires the Secretary to: (1) study and report to the Congress on the cost of constructing and maintaining additional cross-country ski routes, snowmobile trails, hiking trails, camp sites, and overnight ski huts to allow access to, and use of, the lakes; (2) authorize at least 200 houseboats to operate within the Park; (3) submit to the Congress a management plan for the Park; (4) study and report to the Congress on a comparison of the recreational developments and beneficial economic impacts that were expected to those that occurred following the establishment of the Park. Authorizes appropriations. Repeals Federal law requiring the Secretary to study and report to the President on the suitability or nonsuitability of designating any area within the Park as wilderness.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1995
Newborn Infant HIV Notification Act - Requires a State, if it requires that the results of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing of an infant be reported to it (or if the State conducts an HIV test of the infant), to disclose such results to: (1) the biological mother of the infant if the mother is the legal guardian; or (2) specified State agencies if the State is the legal guardian of the infant. Directs the State, in disclosing such results (other than to State agencies), to ensure that appropriate counseling on HIV is provided to the individual.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1995
Capitol Visitor Center Authorization Act of 1995 - Authorizes the Architect of the Capitol (AOC), under the direction of the U.S. Capitol Preservation Commission, to: (1) plan, construct, equip, administer, and maintain a Capitol Visitor Center under the East Plaza of the Capitol; and (2) reconstruct the environs of the East Plaza to enhance its attractiveness, safety, and security. Requires the AOC to complete engineering and architectural designs and cost estimates for construction of the Center and to report to specified congressional committees and the Commission on the results. Prohibits the AOC from beginning the construction of the Center until the cost estimates are approved by resolutions adopted by such committees. Establishes in the Treasury an Architect of the Capitol, Capitol Buildings and Grounds, Capitol Visitor Center, Gifts and Donations account. Authorizes the: (1) AOC to enter into contracts, using noncompetitive procedures, to carry out this Act with respect to the Center; and (2) Commission to establish and delegate its functions under this Act to a Special Committee which shall provide the AOC with all necessary oversight ant direction. Limits funding for the payments of expenditures incurred by the AOC in providing for the Center to amounts in the account established by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1995
Amends the Railway Labor Act to apply its provisions regarding railway labor practices to U.S. air carrier flight operations (excluding ground operations performed by non-flight crew members) conducted in whole or in part outside of the United States, and their flight crew members who perform their duties in whole or in part outside of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1995
Assessment and Remediation of Contaminated Sediments Reauthorization Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, acting through the Great Lakes National Program Office, to conduct at least three demonstration projects involving promising technologies and practices to remedy contaminated sediments at sites in the Great Lakes system. Gives priority for demonstration projects to: (1) the Ashtabula River in Ohio; (2) the Buffalo River in New York; (3) Duluth and Superior Harbor in Minnesota; (4) the Fox River in Wisconsin; (5) the Grand Calumet River in Indiana; and (6) Saginaw Bay in Michigan. Permits the Administrator to conduct additional projects at other sites in the Great Lakes System. Authorizes appropriations. Permits the Administrator to provide technical information and assistance involving the remediation of contaminated sediments upon request. Authorizes appropriations. Extends the authorization of appropriations for the Great Lakes water quality program through 2001.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1995
Voyageurs National Park Revitalization Act of 1995 - Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from taking any action to further the designation of any area within Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, as wilderness. Requires the Secretary to permit access and use of motorboats, aircraft, hiking, and skiing on all major lakes and bays within the Park and at least the following interior lakes: (1) Beast; (2) Cruiser; (3) Oslo; (4) Locator; (5) War Club; (6) Quill; (7) Loiten; (8) Shoepack; (9) Little Trout; and (10) Mukooda. Permits use of snowmobiles on such major and interior lakes. Requires the Secretary to: (1) study and report to the Congress on the cost of constructing and maintaining additional cross-country ski routes, snowmobile trails, hiking trails, camp sites, and overnight ski huts to allow access to, and use of, the lakes; (2) authorize at least 200 houseboats to operate within the Park; and (3) revise the master plan for the Park to incorporate changes mandated by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Establishment of a State-Based American Health Security Program; Universal Entitlement; Enrollment Title II: Comprehensive Benefits, Including Preventive Benefits and Benefits for Long Term Care Title III: Provider Participation Title IV: Administration Subtitle A: General Administrative Provisions Subtitle B: Control Over Fraud and Abuse Title V: Quality Assessment Title VI: National Health Security Budget; Payments; Cost Containment Measures Subtitle A: Budgeting and Payments to States Subtitle B: Payments by States to Providers Subtitle C: Mandatory Assignment and Administrative Provisions Title VII: Promotion of Primary Health Care; Development of Health Service Capacity; Programs to Assist the Medically Underserved Subtitle A: Promotion and Expansion of Primary Care Professional Training Subtitle B: Direct Health Care Delivery Subtitle C: Primary Care and Outcomes Research Subtitle D: School-Related Health Services Title VIII: Financing Provisions; American Health Security Trust Fund Subtitle A: American Health Security Trust Fund Subtitle B: Taxes Based on Income and Wages Subtitle C: Increase in Excise Taxes on Tobacco Products Title IX: Conforming Amendments to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 American Health Security Act of 1995 - Title I: Establishment of a State-Based American Health Security Program; Universal Entitlement; Enrollment - Establishes in the United States an American Health Security Program (AHSP) to be administered by the States (including the District of Columbia and, if they so choose, U.S. territories) in accordance with Federal standards established under this Act. Requires a State to establish a State health security program (program) in accordance with this Act to receive Federal health care funding. (Sec. 102) Entitles every individual who is a resident of the United States and is a U.S. citizen or national or a lawful resident alien to benefits for health care services under this Act under the appropriate State program. Sets forth provisions regarding the treatment of nonimmigrants and other individuals. (Sec. 103) Requires each State program to: (1) provide a mechanism for the enrollment of individuals entitled or eligible for benefits (which includes a process for the automatic enrollment of individuals at the time of birth, immigration, or other acquisition of lawful resident status in the United States and provides for the enrollment of all individuals who are eligible to be enrolled as of January 1, 1995); and (2) issue a health security card to enrolled individuals. (Sec. 104) Makes benefits portable when enrollees move or travel between States. Prohibits imposition of a minimum residence or waiting period in excess of three months for program benefit eligibility. Allows reciprocal arrangements between programs in adjacent States for coverage for enrollees residing in the border region. (Sec. 105) Makes benefits available under this Act for items and services furnished on or after January 1, 1996. (Sec. 106) Supersedes Medicare, Medicaid, the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program, and CHAMPUS, which must pay for completion of services they covered before January 1, 1996. Specifies that nothing in this Act affects the eligibility of veterans for Veterans Administration health benefits and services, or of Indians for benefits and services of the Indian Health Service. Title II: Comprehensive Benefits, Including Preventive Benefits and Benefits for Long Term Care - Entitles all eligible individuals to have payment made (if medically necessary and appropriate for the maintenance of health or for the diagnosis, treatment, or rehabilitation of a health condition) for inpatient and outpatient hospital services, professional services of State-authorized practitioners, community-based primary health services, preventive services, long-term, acute, and chronic care services, prescription drugs, biologicals, insulin, and medical foods, dental services, mental health services and substance abuse treatment services, diagnostic tests, and other specified items and services, including outpatient therapy, durable medical equipment, home dialysis, ambulance, prosthetic devices, and other items and services specified by the American Health Security Standards Board (Board) (established by title IV of this Act). Specifies that: (1) no deductibles, coinsurance, or copayments may be charged for acute care benefits, except for specified cost-sharing for long-term care services; (2) no provider may charge a patient for covered services; (3) no private insurance may duplicate program benefits; and (4) States and employers may provide additional benefits at their own expense. (Sec. 203) Covers home and community-based long-term care services for persons unable to perform at least two of five listed activities of daily living without assistance. Limits the cost of such services to 65 percent (or an alternative percentage determined by the Board) of the cost of nursing home care for an individual in the same area in which the services were provided. (Sec. 204) Sets forth special delivery requirements for mental health and substance abuse treatment services provided to at-risk children. Directs the Board to make national determinations on coverage of experimental services, with professional and public input. Specifies that where the Board has recognized practice guidelines, coverage is limited to services provided according to the guidelines or any established exception process. Allows the Board to limit quantities of eyeglasses, contact lenses, hearing aids, and durable medical equipment that will be covered. Excludes from coverage cosmetic procedures, personal comfort items, and services furnished in non-participating facilities. (Sec. 205) Specifies that: (1) States may require providers to certify that covered services were provided according to program requirements; (2) quality review programs must meet Federal standards; and (3) States may require plans of care for coverage of certain services. Title III: Provider Participation - Requires providers, to receive payment, to agree: (1) not to discriminate based on race, national origin, income, religion, age, sex or sexual orientation, disability, handicapping condition, or (subject to the professional qualifications of the provider) illness; (2) not to charge patients for covered services; (3) to furnish necessary information to the Board or program; (4) not to employ other providers whose participation has been terminated for cause; and (5) to submit bills within a specified time frame. (Sec. 302) Considers a health care provider to be qualified if it is licensed or certified and meets State law requirements, applicable Federal requirements, and additional standards that the Board may specify. Requires: (1) the Board to establish, evaluate, and update national minimum standards to assure the quality of services provided and to monitor efforts by programs to assure such quality; (2) a reasonable transition period for any new standards; and (3) the Board to provide for an exchange of information among programs with respect to quality assurance and cost containment. (Sec. 303) Defines a "comprehensive health service organization" (CHSO) as a public or private organization which, in return for a capitated payment amount, furnishes or arranges a full range of health services and out-of-area coverage in the case of urgently needed services to an identified population in a specified service area which enrolls voluntarily in the organization. Sets forth various CHSO requirements regarding enrollment, withdrawal for cause, accessibility of services, continuity of care, consumer and provider representation on the board of directors, a patient grievance program, medical standards committees, premiums, utilization and bonus information, provision of services to enrollees at institutions operating under global budgets, marketing of services, and provision of emergency services to nonenrollees. (Sec. 304) Extends current Medicare prohibitions on physician self-referrals to other services and applies such prohibitions to AHSP. Title IV: Administration - Subtitle A: General Administrative Provisions - Establishes the American Health Security Standards Board to develop policies and procedures for enrollment, benefits, provider participation, national and State funding levels, assisting programs with planning for capital expenditures and service delivery, and other functions and to establish uniform reporting standards for health services and programs. Authorizes the Board to make statistical and other studies, test alternative payment methods, and develop and test information and budget systems. Provides for the appointment of an Executive Director of the Board and an Inspector General. (Sec. 402) Directs the Board to provide for an American Health Security Advisory Council to advise the Board on matters of general policy, in the formulation of regulations, and in the performance of the Board's duties and to study the operation of, and utilization of health services under, this Act. (Sec. 403) Directs the Board and the Secretary to consult with private entities. (Sec. 404) Requires: (1) each State to submit to the Board a plan for a program for providing health care services to residents of the State (but allows neighboring States to join in regional plans); (2) the Board to provide incentives for States to develop regional planning mechanisms to promote the rational distribution of, adequate access to, and efficient use of, tertiary care facilities, equipment, and services; (3) State programs to meet Federal standards, including single-agency administration, a State health security budget, provider payment and quality review methodologies consistent with Federal standards, freedom to choose providers, a consumer ombudsman, an annual report, and a fraud and abuse prevention and control unit; and (4) the Governor of each State to provide for appointment of a State Health Security Advisory Council to advise and make recommendations to the Governor and State regarding program implementation. Allows: (1) programs not meeting Federal requirements, after notice, to be placed in receivership under the Board's jurisdiction; and (2) States to use fiscal agents, after competitive bidding, to process claims. (Sec. 405) Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary) to direct all activities of the Department of Health and Human Services toward contributions to health of the people in a manner complementary to this Act. Subtitle B: Control Over Fraud and Abuse - Authorizes the Board to exclude providers from participation, impose civil monetary penalties, and seek criminal prosecution for fraud or abuse, based on current Medicaid standards. Requires providers to disclose relevant information about their ownership interest in health facilities and services, based on current Medicaid standards. (Sec. 412) Requires the Board: (1) through the Inspector General, to establish a national health care fraud and abuse data base, including the identity of any provider who has been convicted, had a license revoked, has been excluded or suspended from participation, or has been subjected to a civil penalty with respect to a State program, Medicare, Medicaid, or any other federally funded health program; and (2) to establish rules to protect the confidentiality of information in the data base. Requires States to provide relevant information for this purpose and to periodically inquire of the data base to determine provider qualifications to participate in programs. Sets penalties for submitting false information. (Sec. 413) Requires each program to establish and maintain a health care fraud and abuse unit. (Sec. 414) Directs the Board to provide for the assignment of a unique identifier to each participating provider and to each individual eligible for services, which shall be used for claims and payment. Title V: Quality Assessment - Establishes the American Health Security Quality Council in order to: (1) review and evaluate each practice guideline developed under specified provisions of the Public Health Service Act; (2) review and evaluate each standard of quality, performance measure, and medical review criterion developed under specified provisions of the Public Health Service Act; (3) develop criteria for entities conducting quality reviews; (4) report to the Board annually; and (5) perform the functions of the Council described in sections 502 and 505. (Sec. 502) Directs the Council to: (1) adopt methods for profiling the patterns of practice of health care professionals and for identifying outliers; (2) develop guidelines for certain medical procedures to be performed only at tertiary centers; (3) develop standards for education and sanctions with respect to outliers; and (4) disseminate such methods, guidelines, and standards to the States. (Sec. 503) Requires each participating State to establish an entity to conduct quality reviews of persons providing covered services under its program which meet Federal standards for the adoption of practice guidelines, identification of outliers, development of remedial programs and monitoring for outliers, and the application of sanctions. Allows the State to adopt alternative methodologies to those adopted by the Quality Council provided that the State can demonstrate that the efficacy of such review and education programs meets Federal standards. Requires the quality review entity to meet the criteria for competence for such entities developed by the Council. (Sec. 504) Expresses the intent to replace random utilization controls with a systematic review of patterns of practice that compromise the quality of care by January 1, 1998. Supersedes all existing Federal utilization review programs, including random case-by-case reviews and programs requiring pre-certification of medical procedures on a case-by-case basis, with exceptions. Specifies that nothing in this section shall preclude case management of catastrophic, mental health, or substance abuse cases where necessary to achieve appropriate, cost-effective, and beneficial comprehensive medical care. (Sec. 505) Requires: (1) each State program to develop and use a uniform electronic data base in order to perform systematic quality review and support comparative outcomes research and analysis; (2) the Council to establish a set of clinical data derived from patient medical records to be transmitted to State electronic data bases to be used by State health security programs; (3) the Board to designate standards for software in order to assure compatibility; and (4) the Council to establish standards, as specified, for the use and disclosure by a State health security program of such data. Title VI: Health Security Budget; Payments; Cost Containment Measures - Subtitle A: Budgeting and Payments to States - Directs the Board to establish a national health security budget which specifies the total expenditures to be made by the Federal Government and the States for covered health care services, and allocates those expenditures among the States. Prohibits such budget from exceeding the budget for the preceding year increased by the percentage increase in gross domestic product. Divides the budget into quality assessment, professional education, administrative, and operating components. (Sec. 602) Provides for the allocation of funds in the budget by the Board to the States, based on the national average per capita costs of covered services adjusted for differences among the States in costs and the health status of populations. Permits the use of statistical models to estimate State capitation amounts. Sets forth State adjustment factors to reflect differences in relative needs for funds and directs that such factors be applied in a budget-neutral manner resulting in no change in total Federal expenditures from the national per capita average. (Sec. 603) Requires each program to submit to the Board a proposed and final annual budget broken into quality assessment, professional training, administrative, and operating components, with the operating component broken into facility-based services, individual practitioner payments, payments to CHSOs, and payments for other items and services. Sets forth provisions regarding proposed and final budget deadlines, adjustments in allocations, and expenditure limits. Permits programs to provide for a process for the approval of capital expenditures based on information derived from regional planning agencies. (Sec. 604) Provides for programs to receive Federal funds equal to a weighted average of 86 percent of their population-based share of the budget, which the Board may adjust between 81 and 91 percent based on State economic conditions. (Sec. 605) Requires each program to establish a separate budget account for health professional education expenditures and to distribute funds consistent with the achievement of specified national and program goals, including the receipt by the Board of reports to monitor compliance, and taking into account the potentially higher costs of placing health professional students in clinical education programs in health professional shortage areas. Subtitle B: Payments by States to Providers - Directs that: (1) payment for operating expenses for institutional and facility- based care under State programs be made directly to each institution or facility under an annual prospective global budget approved under the program; (2) such budgets take into account discharges by diagnosis-related group, prior expenditures, the extent to which debt service for capital expenditures has been included in the proposed operating budget, the extent to which capital expenditures are financed directly or indirectly through reductions in direct care to patients, change in the consumer price index and other price indices, compensation, occupancy levels, past financial and clinical performance, training, technological changes, and incentives to maintain costs without reducing care; and (3) facility budgets be adjusted to reflect payments made by CHSOs. Allows programs to permit institutions and facilities to raise funds from private sources to pay for newly constructed facilities, major renovations, and equipment. (Sec. 612) Requires: (1) State programs to pay individual practitioners on a fee-for-service basis, as negotiated between States and practitioner representatives; (2) the Board to establish models for such payment and for global fee payment methodologies to encourage payment for combinations of services; and (3) practitioners to bill State programs within 30 days of providing services. Permits States to require electronic billing. (Sec. 613) Authorizes programs to pay CHSOs based on annual budgets or risk-adjusted capitation payments, reduced by the costs of covered services not provided by the CHSO. (Sec. 614) Directs that programs pay for community-based primary health services based on global budgets, basic primary care capitation amounts for enrollees, or fee-for-service, taking into account costs of serving non-covered patients, providing case management, transportation, and translation, and providing health professional education programs. (Sec. 615) Requires: (1) the Board to establish a list of approved prescription drugs and to determine maximum prices; and (2) each program to pay for such drugs based on such maximum prices and to pay separate dispensing fees to pharmacies. (Sec. 616) Directs the Board to establish a list of approved durable medical equipment and therapeutic devices and equipment and programs to pay for such items based on maximum prices determined by the Board. (Sec. 617) Requires State programs to pay for other items and services based on methodologies to be adopted by the Board, consistent with the State health security budget. (Sec. 618) Directs the Board to establish model payment methodologies and other incentives to promote the provision of services in medically underserved areas. Permits programs to adjust payments amounts within their budgets to encourage provision of appropriate services in underserved areas. (Sec. 619) Authorizes programs to utilize alternative payment methodologies, provided that such methodologies do not affect the entitlement of individuals to coverage, the weighting of fee schedules to encourage an increase in the number of primary care providers, the ability of individuals to choose among qualified providers, the benefits covered under the Program, or compliance with the State health security budget. Requires States to report on the operation and effectiveness of alternative methodologies to enable the Board to evaluate the appropriateness of applying such methodologies to other States. Subtitle C: Mandatory Assignment and Administrative Provisions - Specifies that participating providers: (1) must accept payment from a program as full payment for covered services; and (2) may not impose additional charges on patients. Permits the Board to exclude from participation and subject to civil penalties violators of such provision. (Sec. 632) Requires programs to establish: (1) procedures for reimbursing providers within 60 days of bill submission; and (2) an appeals process to handle grievances pertaining to provider payments. Title VII: Promotion of Primary Health Care; Development of Health Service Capacity; Programs to Assist the Medically Underserved - Subtitle A: Promotion and Expansion of Primary Care Professional Training - Makes the Board responsible for: (1) coordinating health professional education policies and goals to achieve national goals; (2) overseeing program health professional education expenditures; (3) developing and maintaining a system to monitor the number and specialties of individuals through their health professional education, any postgraduate training, and professional practice; and (4) developing, coordinating, and promoting other policies that expand the number of primary care practitioners. Sets as national goals that: (1) at least 50 percent of graduate medical residencies be in primary care within five years of this Act's enactment; and (2) there be a certain number, specified by the Board, of midlevel primary care practitioners employed in the health care system as of January 1, 2001. Directs the Board to: (1) establish a method of applying such goals to program goals for each medical residency program or consortium of programs and reducing payments for residency programs failing to meet their goals; (2) advise the Public Health Service on allocations of funding under specified programs to increase the supply of midlevel primary care practitioners; and (3) commission a study of the potential benefits and disadvantages of expanding the scope of practice authorized under State laws for any class of midlevel primary care practitioners. (Sec. 702) Requires the Board to establish an Advisory Committee on Health Professional Education to advise the Board concerning graduate medical education policies under this title. (Sec. 703) Directs the Board to transfer specified revenues from the American Health Security Trust Fund (Trust Fund) for specified existing programs supporting health professional education and nursing education and for the National Health Service Corps. Subtitle B: Direct Health Care Delivery - Requires the Board to transfer specified Trust Fund revenues to the Public Health Service for: (1) maternal and child health block grants, prevention and treatment of tuberculosis, prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, preventive health block grants, grants to States for community mental health services and prevention and treatment of substance abuse, grants for HIV health care services, and public health formula grants; and (2) primary care service expansion grants. (Sec. 713) Directs the Board to make primary service expansion grants to primary care centers (i.e., nonprofit community health centers, migrant health centers, and other federally qualified health centers) to serve medically underserved populations in urban and rural areas. Specifies that grant funds may be used to plan, develop, and deliver primary care in such areas. Subtitle C: Primary Care and Outcomes Research - Requires the Board to transfer specified Trust Fund revenues to the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research for health outcomes research. (Sec. 722) Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish within the Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) an Office of Primary Care and Prevention Research to be headed by a Director who shall identify and coordinate research activities relating to primary care and prevention, including care provided by multidisciplinary teams. Requires the Director of NIH to establish a national data system and clearinghouse on primary care and prevention research. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle D: School-Related Health Services - Authorizes appropriations through FY 2002 for this subtitle. (Sec. 734) Directs the Secretary to make grants to State health agencies or to local community partnerships to develop and operate school health service sites. Requires preference in making grants to be given to those communities showing the most substantial level of need. Title VIII: Financing Provisions; American Health Security Trust Fund - Subtitle A: American Health Security Trust Fund - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to create the American Health Security Trust Fund. Appropriates to the trust fund the increase in tax liabilities attributable to the application of amendments made by this title and receipts from the following programs: Medicare, Medicaid, Federal employees' health benefits program, and the CHAMPUS program, Maternal and Child Health program (under title V of the Social Security Act), vocational rehabilitation programs, drug abuse and mental health services programs under the Public Health Service Act, programs providing general hospital or medical assistance, and certain other Federal programs. Transfers to such trust fund amounts in the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund. Subtitle B: Taxes Based on Income and Wages - Creates a health care excise tax on every employer with respect to each employee equal to 8.7 percent of wages paid. Imposes the tax on the self-employed, railroad employers, and railroad employee representatives. Imposes an individual health care income tax equal to 2.2 percent of taxable income. Prohibits credits against the tax and any effect on the minimum tax in relation to the individual health care income tax. Subtitle C: Increase in Excise Taxes on Tobacco Products - Increases the excise taxes on tobacco products. Title IX: Conforming Amendments to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 - Makes ERISA inapplicable to health coverage arrangements under State health security programs. Exempts State health security programs from ERISA preemption. Prohibits employee benefits duplicating State health security program benefits and requires that a liable workers' compensation carrier reimburse the State health security plan. Repeals continuation coverage requirements under ERISA.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1995
Procompetitiveness and Antiboycott Act of 1995 - Directs the U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to discuss with representatives from other OECD member countries and to report to the Congress on: (1) the extent to which business enterprises comply with the boycott of Israel by Arab countries; (2) the effectiveness, with respect to the secondary boycott, of antiboycott laws of countries that have them; (3) the extent to which the secondary boycott has skewed trade and investment globally as well as in the Middle East; (4) the extent to which business enterprises not complying with the boycott are placed at a competitive disadvantage; (5) the extent to which the secondary boycott contradicts OECD trade and investment policy; and (6) the development of guidelines, comparable to the prohibitions set forth under the Export Administration Act of 1979, that OECD countries can agree on to eliminate compliance with the boycott. (Sec. 4) Requires the United States Trade Representative to enter into discussions with representatives from member and prospective member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and to report to the Congress on the extent to which: (1) the secondary boycott of Israel has distorted trade; (2) members and prospective members of the WTO encourage actions, including the furnishing of information or entering into agreements, which support the boycott; (3) the WTO should work to eliminate the secondary boycott; and (4) General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) articles can be used to eliminate compliance with such boycott. (Sec. 5) Requires the President to report to the Congress on progress made to end the boycott. (Sec. 6) Requires the Secretary of Commerce to report to the Congress on OECD countries that encourage or fail to discourage compliance with such boycott. (Sec. 7) Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Office of Antiboycott Compliance of the Department of Commerce should continue exercising its functions for at least two years after the Arab League renounces: (1) the boycott of Israel by Arab countries; (2) the secondary boycott; and (3) any requirement that a business enterprise comply with such boycott.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1995
Amends the Export Administration Act of 1979 to allow any person who is injured in his or her business or property by reason of a violation of the anti-boycott provisions of such Act to bring a civil action against the U.S. person who committed such violation. Provides a civil penalty for each violation.
![Official portrait of Rep. Oberstar, James L. [D-MN-8]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/o000006_200.jpg)