United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1991
Student Counseling and Assistance Network Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to award two-year technical assistance grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to obtain specialized training for guidance counselors, teachers, and principals to counsel students about college opportunities, precollege requirements, college admissions procedures, and financial aid opportunities. Gives priority to LEAs serving school districts with significantly high proportions of students who do not continue on to higher education and who are educationally disadvantaged. Sets forth planning, evaluation, and reporting requirements. Directs the Secretary to award grants to develop model programs for: (1) counseling students about college opportunities, precollege requirements, college admissions procedures, and financial aid opportunities, in ways designed or customized for use in specific geographic, social, and cultural environments; or (2) stimulating community partnerships with schools by providing tutoring, mentoring, work experiences, and other support services to make postsecondary education a realistic goal for all students. Gives priority to model programs directed at areas with a high proportion of minority, economically disadvantaged, or at-risk students. Sets forth requirements for: (1) either tailoring to a specific environment or community partnership with local businesses, labor organizations, or community groups; and (2) measurement of goals and outcomes. Directs the Secretary to collect, and disseminate through the National Diffusion Network, information on: (1) successful programs for counseling students about college and for early intervention to help them stay in school and pursue postsecondary education; and (2) model programs for counseling students in specific environments and for community partnership support services to make postsecondary education a realistic goal. Directs the Secretary to award a contract to establish and maintain: (1) a computerized database of all public and private student financial assistance programs, accessible to schools and libraries through modems or toll-free telephone lines; and (2) a toll-free information line to provide individualized student financial assistance information. Directs the Secretary to encourage private nonprofit agencies and organizations to work with video producers to develop and deliver public service announcements and paid advertising messages encouraging economicaly disadvantaged, minority, or at-risk individuals to seek higher education and education and student aid counseling at public schools and libraries. Directs the Secretary to keep the appropriate congressional committees informed of such efforts and recommend any additional legislative authority to serve such purposes. Sets forth administrative authority under this Act. Authorizes appropriations for technical assistance grants, model program grants, dissemination activities, and the data base and information line.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1991
Authorizes the States to waive application of the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986 to vehicles used either for transporting farm supplies from retail dealers to or from a farm, for custom harvesting, or in commercial feed yard operations, regardless of whether or not they are controlled or operated by a farmer.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1991
Authorizes the Secretary of Defense, during each fiscal year, to assign up to 12,000 civilian officers and employees of the Department of Defense and members of the armed forces to temporary duty with: (1) the Immigration and Naturalization Service to assist in preventing the entry into the United States of terrorists, drug traffickers, and illegal aliens; and (2) the U.S. Customs Service to assist in the inspection of cargo, vehicles, and aircraft at points of entry into the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 1991
Medicaid State Share Protection Amendments of 1991 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to allow State Medicaid matching payments to include private funds donated by hospitals to the State.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1991
Horn of Africa Recovery and Food Security Act of 1991 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to provide assistance for civil strife relief and rehabilitation in the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan). Amends the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 to authorize the President to provide supplemental emergency food assistance for civilian victims of civil strife in the Horn of Africa. Permits the President to transfer funds from unobligated amounts in the economic support fund (ESF) and military assistance to carry out this Act. Makes available a percentage of assistance for management support activities of the Agency for International Development. Requires the President to consult with other nations, armed and unarmed parties in the Horn of Africa, and the United Nations Secretary General to bring about negotiated settlements of the wars in the region. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should: (1) direct the U.S. representative to the United Nations to take specified steps with respect to peace and the implementation of an arms embargo in the region; (2) play an active role in other fora in pressing for settlements to such wars; and (3) participate in regional and international peace consultations. Declares that development assistance in the Horn of Africa should be targeted to aid the poor. States that U.S. Government aid institutions should seek to: (1) build upon the capabilities and experiences of organizations active in local grassroots relief, rehabilitation, and development efforts; (2) consult with such organizations and incorporate their views into the policymaking process; and (3) support the expansion of their activities without compromising their private nature. Declares that current legislative provisions that restrict assistance to Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan should be retained until concrete steps toward peace, democracy, and human rights are achieved. States that development assistance should be: (1) targeted to the voluntary relocation and repatriation of displaced persons and refugees; and (2) carried out in coordination with strategies for debt relief of countries in the region and with efforts to establish an International Fund for Reconstruction of developing nations which settle civil wars. Prohibits assistance appropriated under this Act from being available for involuntary or forced resettlement of persons. Prohibits development assistance to Ethiopia, Somalia, or Sudan unless the President certifies that the government of the country has: (1) begun to implement peace or national reconciliation agreements; (2) demonstrated a commitment to human rights; (3) manifested a commitment to democracy and has held or scheduled free and fair elections; and (4) agreed to distribute development assistance without discrimination. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the U.S. executive directors of the multilateral development banks to oppose any loan or other funds, except to meet basic human needs, to or for Ethiopia, Somalia, or Sudan until the President makes such certification. Prohibits ESF assistance, grant military assistance, or international military education and training assistance to Ethiopia, Somalia, or Sudan unless the President certifies that the government of the country has: (1) begun to implement peace or national reconciliation agreements; (2) demonstrated a commitment to human rights; and (3) held or scheduled free and fair elections.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1991
Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to exclude from the definition of "owner or operator," for purposes of limiting liability for releases of hazardous substances, a person who, without participating in the management of a vessel or facility, holds indicia of ownership primarily to protect a security interest in such vessel or facility. Defines "indicia of ownership" as an interest in a vessel or facility acquired either for: (1) securing payment of a loan or indebtedness or the performance of an obligation; or (2) protecting a security interest. Makes liable for any release or threatened release of a hazardous substance attributable to their activities: (1) any person who causes the transfer of a vessel or facility subject to a security interest; or (2) a fiduciary or trustee who acquires ownership or control of a vessel or facility. Makes conforming amendments to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the treatment of rental and nonrental real estate activities under the limitations on losses from passive activities.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1991
Medicaid Breast and Cervical Cancer Amendments of 1991 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require States to provide Medicaid coverage of: (1) screening mammograms for women who are at least 35, but under 65, years of age according to frequency guidelines similar to those imposed by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 under the Medicare program (title XVIII of the Social Security Act); and (2) screening pap smears. Provides for Federal assumption of 100 percent of the cost of providing such screening services.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1991
Medicaid Child Health Amendments of 1991 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to permit States to provide Medicaid coverage to all children who have attained age six but not age 19 and whose family income does not exceed 185 percent of the Federal poverty level. (Currently, States are required to cover only certain children between such ages, and only those whose family income does not exceed 133 percent of the Federal poverty level.) Permits States to provide an additional 12 months (currently, 12 months total) of extended Medicaid coverage to families whose AFDC eligibility ends due to the caretaker relative's employment. Requires States which provide prospective Medicaid payments to hospitals to reimburse hospitals which serve a disproportionate share of low-income patients for exceptionally costly or lengthy stays by children up to age 19. Directs States to provide Medicaid coverage for disabled children under age 19 but who are not eligible for benefits under title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) of the Social Security Act. Prohibits the discontinuance of the Medicaid benefits of a child under age 19 until he or she is determined to be ineligible for such benefits on any basis. Allows States to extend Medicaid coverage to: (1) foster care children under age 19 whose incomes are above State cash assistance eligibility levels but below the Federal poverty level; and (2) migratory agricultural workers and their families.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1991
Plastic Recycling Assistance Act of 1991 - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to require plastic containers manufactured or offered for sale in the United States to be coded to identify the principal plastic resin used in such containers. Establishes a symbol and numbers identifying specific types of resins, including degradable resins, for such codes. Prohibits States or political subdivisions from: (1) enforcing any law applicable to plastic coding unless requirements are the same as requirements under this Act; and (2) enforcing any ban on plastic containers coded in compliance with this Act unless such ban is equally applicable to containers made from other materials. Prescribes civil and criminal penalties for violations of this Act. Requires the Administrator to study and report to the Congress on technology to facilitate the automated sorting of recyclable and nonrecyclable plastics in municipal solid waste and to separate such plastics by resin type. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1991
Collision Damage Waiver Act - Prohibits rental car companies, in private passenger automobile rental agreements of 30 days or less, from: (1) holding any authorized driver liable for any damage, with specified exceptions; (2) requiring or requesting a security deposit for damage during the rental period or pending resolution of any dispute; or (3) offering or selling any collision damage waivers for any of the the specified exceptions or any applicable deductible. Subjects rental car companies to a penalty of from $500 to $1,000 for each violation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1991
Authorizes the President to present a gold medal to General H. Norman Schwarzkopf in recognition of his exemplary performance in coordinating the planning, strategy, and execution of U.S. combat action and his invaluable contributions to the United States and to the liberation of Kuwait. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1991
Disapproves the President's request for the extension of fast track procedures under the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 with respect to the implementation of trade agreements entered into after May 31, 1991, because sufficient progress has not been made in trade negotiations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1991
Requests the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to publish, within one year, proposed amended regulations that specify the components of an adequate operator training program and certification system for operators of powered industrial trucks.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Amends the Federal criminal code to make it a Federal criminal offense to leave or remain outside a State for the purpose of avoiding payment of arrearages in child support.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to revise its application. Revises minimum wage and maximum hours provisions (as well as provisions for special industry committees for American Samoa) to apply such requirements specifically to employers of employees who in any workweek are engaged in industrial homework and who are either engaged in commerce or in the production of goods in commerce (in addition to any other employees so employed). Revises the scope of the application of requirements relating to: (1) wage rate orders for employers in American Samoa; (2) prohibition of sex discrimination in wage rates; and (3) handicapped workers.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the personal exemption for a dependent child who has not attained age 18 from $2,000 to $3,500. Provides for rounding inflation adjustments to tax tables to the nearest multiple of $10 (currently rounded to the next lowest multiple of $50).
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) expert testimony concerning the nature and effect of domestic violence, including descriptions of the experiences of battered women, should be admissible when offered in a State court by a defendent in a criminal case to assist the trier of fact in understanding the behavior, beliefs, or perceptions of such defendent in a domestic relationship in which abuse has occurred; (2) a witness should be qualified to testify as an expert witness based upon her or his knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education, and should be permitted to testify in the form of an opinion or otherwise; and (3) a domestic relationship about which such expert testimony should be admissible includes relationships between spouses, former spouses, cohabitants, former cohabitants, partners or former partners, and between persons who are in, or have been in, a dating courtship, or intimate relationship.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1991
Long-Term Care Insurance for the Elderly Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax-free distributions from an individual retirement account or an individual retirement annuity for the purchase of long-term care insurance coverage when: (1) the entire amount received is used to buy such insurance for the individual or individual's spouse within 90 days of its receipt; and (2) the individual or individual's spouse has reached age 59 and one-half by the date of the distribution. Describes the method, based on the taxpayer's adjusted gross income for the taxable year, for determining the applicable percentage of the distribution or payment amount to which tax-free treatment will be accorded. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to submit to the Congress, within one year after this Act's enactment, a proposal for the regulation of long-term care insurance policies, including minimum standards and an evaluation of the various catastrophic and long-term care policies currently available.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the tax exemption for qualified small issue industrial bonds (bonds issued to finance manufacturing facilities and farm property) through 1996.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1991
Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility and Home Health Benefit Act of 1991 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) eliminate the requirement that extended care services be provided within a certain period following hospitalization in order to be covered under the Hospital Insurance Program; and (2) cover nursing care and home health aide services provided or needed on an intermittent basis.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1991
Allows a technician employed in a position in which National Guard membership is required as a condition of employment who is separated from the National Guard, to continue to be employed as a technician under the following circumstances: (1) such technician has no less than 20 years of credible service for military retirement purposes; (2) such technician is involuntarily separated from the National Guard; and (3) the circumstances of the involuntary separation are other than for cause. Allows such technician to convert to competitive career status in the civil service.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1991
State Thrift Deposit Insurance Premium Act of 1991 - Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to direct the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to determine and apportion among the States the cumulative cost of Federal assistance provided to State-chartered savings associations for case resolutions. Declares as "high risk" any State whose share of State resolution costs exceeds twice its share of 1980 State deposits. Mandates that each high risk State pay to the Savings Association Insurance Fund (SAIF) prescribed premiums reflecting such risk. Sets forth insurance termination procedures if a State fails to pay the required premium. Requires depositor notification of such insurance termination. Mandates that the premium paid by high-risk States into the SAIF shall be available to pay the thrift resolution costs incurred by the FSLIC Resolution Fund or the Resolution Trust Corporation, as appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1991
Federal Reserve Reform Act of 1991 - Amends the Federal Reserve Act to require the Federal Open Market Committee to consult with the Secretary of the Treasury, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers during a specified period preceding the President's submission of the budget. Directs the President to appoint, with the advice and consent of the Senate, the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Board). Mandates that any change in the intermediate targets for monetary policy adopted by the Federal Open Market Committee shall be publicly disclosed on the date of its adoption. Prohibits the Comptroller General from auditing written communications among members of the Board including Federal Reserve System personnel with respect to transactions with a foreign central bank, foreign government, or nonprivate international financing organization. Mandates that the estimated receipts and proposed expenditures of the Board and all Federal Reserve Banks be transmitted by the President (without change) with the budget submitted to the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1991
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to design and strike a silver commemorative medal for members of the U.S. armed forces who serve in a combat zone in connection with the Persian Gulf conflict.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1991
Veterans' Compensation Rate Amendments of 1991 - Increases the rates of: (1) veterans' disability compensation; (2) additional compensation for veterans' dependents; (3) the clothing allowance for certain disabled veterans; (4) dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children; and (5) supplemental dependency and indemnity compensation for disabled adult children. Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to adjust administratively the rates of disability compensation payable to persons who are not in receipt of compensation for service-connected disability or death.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1991
Establishes the grade of General of the Army, appointments to which shall be made by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Defines the rank and compensation of such grade. Authorizes the President to appoint Generals Colin L. Powell and H. Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr., to that grade.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1991
Environmental Tax Credit Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for a three-year credit period for a percentage of the investment in acid rain control property installed to comply with sulfur dioxide emission limitations under the Clean Air Act. Allows the use of tax-exempt facility bonds to finance acid rain control property. Allows a business credit for a percentage of the expenditures incurred for coal cleaning minerals used to remove or reduce the sulfur content of coal. Excludes from gross income the value of clean air allowances allocated to the taxpayer under the Clean Air Act. Allows a 60-month amortization of acid rain control property.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permanently extend the period during which qualified mortgage bonds and mortgage credit certificates may be issued.
United States · United States Congress · 19 February 1991
Older Americans' Freedom to Work Act of 1991 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to remove the limitation on the amount of outside income which beneficiaries who have attained retirement age may earn without incurring a reduction in benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt distributions from qualified retirement plans to members of the Armed Forces reserves while such members are on active duty from the ten percent additional tax on early distributions.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Provides eligibility for the veterans' home loan program (whereby home loans are made, insured, or guaranteed to veterans through the Department of Veterans Affairs) for members of the Selected Reserve who have completed at least six years of service in the Selected Reserve and who: (1) were discharged honorably, were placed on the retired list, or were transferred to an element of the Ready Reserve other than the Selected Reserve; or (2) continue to serve in the Selected Reserve. Prescribes the amounts of home loan fees to be paid to the Department by such individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Volunteer Protection Act of 1991 - Prescribes circumstances under which volunteers working for nonprofit organizations or government entities shall be immune from personal financial liability for acts on behalf of the organization or entity. Sets forth exceptions and conditions that a State may impose on the granting of such immunity. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to increase by one percent the fiscal year allotment which would otherwise be made to a State to carry out the Social Services Block Grant Program under title XX of the Social Security Act if such State has, within two years, certified to the Secretary that it has enacted a State law which provides such immunity. Provides for the continuation of such increase based on an annual recertification.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Persian Gulf War Veterans Benefits Act of 1991 - Title I: General Veterans Benefits - Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to include the Persian Gulf War under the definition of "period of war" for purposes of eligibility for various veterans' benefits for war veterans, their spouses, and their dependents. Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide standby inpatient hospital care and medical services to those veterans authorized to receive hospital, nursing home, or domiciliary care and medical treatment within the Department of Veterans Affairs. Authorizes the Secretary to furnish counseling services in any Department facility to any veteran: (1) who is a former prisoner of war; and (2) while in active military service in a theater of combat operations during a period in which hostilities occurred in such theater. Makes veterans who serve on active duty during the Persian Gulf War for at least 90 days eligible for dental benefits provided to veterans through the Department. Makes veterans of the Persian Gulf War suffering from war-related psychosis within two years of the end of such War eligible for treatment through the Department for a service-connected disability. Presumes such psychosis to be service-connected for purposes of eligibility for such treatment). Makes veterans of any war (currently, specified wars and conflicts) eligible for payment for certain drugs and medicine required as a result of being permanently housebound or in need of regular aid and attendance. Bases the payment of dependency and indemnity compensation to surviving spouses on the age of the surviving spouse, with the amount decreasing as the age increases. States that such amounts shall be based on the pay grades of veterans dying between January 1, 1957, and the last day of the month in which the Persian Gulf War ends if such is larger than the amount provided when based solely upon the age of the surviving spouse. Increases from $50,000 to $75,000 the amount of life insurance available to veterans under the Servicemen's Group Life Insurance and the Veterans' Group Life Insurance programs. Makes Persian Gulf War veterans eligible for such increased coverage. Title II: Veterans Education Benefits - Increases the monthly stipend available to members of the all-volunteer active-duty armed forces and the Selected Reserve for educational assistance provided under the Montgomery GI Bill armed forces and veterans' educational assistance programs. Increases such stipend annually by the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for such year. Directs the Secretary of the military department concerned, and the Secretary of Transportation with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service of the Navy, to provide educational assistance to members of the Selected Reserve who: (1) during the Persian Gulf War, served on active duty for more than 180 days of continuous service; and (2) were discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable. States that such educational assistance may be provided for a program of education beyond the baccalaureate degree level. States that, in the case of a member of the Reserve called to active duty in connection with the Persian Gulf War: (1) the period of such active duty may not be considered in determining the expiration date for eligibility for educational assistance benefits provided under the Montgomery GI Bill; and (2) the member may not be considered to have been separated from the Reserve, for purposes of commencement of the delimiting period for the use of such benefits. Provides that, in the case of an active-duty or Reserve member student who fails to complete a course of study under the armed forces or veterans' educational assistance programs due to being called to active duty in connection with the Persian Gulf War, both the amount of educational assistance received and the time spent pursuing that course of study will not be counted against such student for purposes of general entitlement under such educational assistance program. Restores the full amount available to such student veteran program. Restores the full amount available to such student veteran as if the interrupted course had not been taken. States that such exclusion shall apply to members of the Selected Reserve pursuing courses of study (and similarly interrupted) under the armed forces educational assistance program. Title III: Veterans Housing Programs - Entitles each veteran who served on active duty in the Persian Gulf War for 90 days or more to guaranteed veterans' housing loans provided through the Department. Authorizes the Secretary to provide direct loans for housing purposes to the following veterans: (1) any active-duty or reserve member who meets applicable credit requirements and is unable to obtain a loan from a private lender at the interest rate authorized for guaranteed home loans because of the possibility of service in connection with the Persian Gulf War; and (2) any veteran who applies for such loan within one year after returning from at least 90 days of continual service in the Persian Gulf or within one year after being released from hospitalization incident to such service, is discharged under conditions other than dishonorable, cannot obtain a reasonable loan from a private lender, and meets applicable credit requirements. Title IV: Military Personnel Benefits - Requires the Secretary of Defense to ensure that the Secretaries of the military departments provide appropriate benefits explanations to reserve members who were called to active duty in connection with the Persian Gulf War and are released from such active duty upon completion of their required service period. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to detail Department personnel at each principal site at which such reserve members are released from such duty for preseparation counseling. Directs the Secretary of Defense to prescribe regulations to allow reserve personnel ordered to active duty in connection with the Persian Gulf War to use commissary and exchange stores during the 180-day period following their release from such duty to the same extent as for active-duty members of the armed forces. Entitles reserve members called to active duty in connection with the Persian Gulf War to certain transitional health care benefits after release from such active duty until: (1) 60 days after release from such active duty; or (2) the date such member is covered by a health plan sponsored by a private employer. Title V: Internal Revenue Matters - States that, for purposes of applying the internal revenue laws with respect to the tax liability of individuals performing military service in the Persian Gulf, the period of such services, as well as 60 days thereafter, shall be disregarded in determining whether certain required acts were performed within the required time period as prescribed under the Internal Revenue Code. Includes those hospitalized for injuries attributable to Persian Gulf services under those eligible for such extension. Includes spouses of such personnel, as well as persons in a missing status under such provision. Amends the Internal Revenue Code relating to the permissible time period before the gain from the sale of a principal residence is recognized for tax purposes to extend such period in the case of a reserve member performing active duty in the armed forces to one year after such member is released from such active duty. Amends the Internal Revenue Code relating to the exceptions to the ten-percent additional tax on early distributions from qualified retirement plans to add as an exception to such additional tax any distribution from an individual retirement plan if made to a Persian Gulf War reservist during the qualified distribution period. Defines the qualified distribution period for such personnel as the period which: (1) begins on the date such service is first performed; and (2) ends 180 days after termination of such service. Title VI: Small Business - Veterans Entrepreneurship Promotion Act of 1991 - Defines terms used in this Act. Amends the Small Business Act to direct the President to establish Government-wide goals annually for procurement contracts awarded to small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans, including veterans of the Persian Gulf War. Increases the Government-wide goals for small business participation (including veteran-owned small businesses) from 20 percent to 25 percent of the total value of all prime contract awards for each fiscal year. Mandates that: (1) the Government-wide goal for participation by small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans be at least five percent of such contract and subcontract awards; and (2) certain reports submitted to the Small Business Administration (SBA) and to the Congress include the extent of participation in the Federal procurement process by small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans. Declares it the policy of the United States to grant small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans the maximum opportunity to participate in the performance of Federal contracts and subcontracts. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (the Administrator) to implement an outreach and information dissemination program for small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans. Outlines the parameters of a loan assistance program implemented by the SBA for small businesses owned and controlled by veterans. Requires the Administrator to study and report to the Congress and the President on methods to reduce costs incurred by veterans during the loan application process. Directs the Administrator to take steps to ensure that small businesses owned by veterans have access to SBA programs providing entrepreneurial training, business development assistance, counseling, and management assistance. Authorizes the SBA to make grants for veterans' outreach programs with governmental and private sector entities. Mandates the establishment of an interagency working group to develop a comprehensive outreach program for veterans of the Persian Gulf War and veterans affected by reductions in armed forces personnel. Requires certain Government agencies to collect information on: (1) businesses owned and controlled by veterans; and (2) the number of such businesses that are first-time recipients of Government contracts. Amends the Small Business Economic Policy Act of 1980 to require the President to report annually to the Congress on small businesses owned and controlled by veterans and by veterans with service-connected disabilities. Amends the Small Business Act to provide for an Associate Administrator or Veterans Programs who shall be responsible for programs of assistance to small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans. Requires the SBA to enter into negotiations with any Federal agency to perform any specific Government procurement contract through the services of small businesses owned and controlled by veterans. Outlines contracting procedures. Establishes within the SBA a veterans business opportunity and development assistance program to assist exclusively small business concerns eligible under the program's parameters. Vests responsibility for the coordination and formulation of policies relating to Federal assistance to such concerns with the Associate Administrator for Veterans Programs. Restricts an individual's eligibility under the Program to business concerns only. Establishes a Division of Program Certification and Eligibility in the Office of Veterans Programs. Requires the Administrator to present an annual program status report to the Congress. Establishes the National Veterans Business Council to: (1) review Federal and State initiatives relating to business concerns owned by veterans; and (2) report annually to the President and the Congress regarding private and public sector initiatives and multiyear goals for veteran-owned businesses. Terminates the Council three years after its first meeting. Amends the Small Business Act to authorize appropriations. Title VII: Other Matters - Repeals a Federal provision containing certain limitations on the payment of unemployment compensation (prohibiting such payment before a certain time period and limiting the aggregate amount of such payment) with respect to discharged or released members of the armed forces. Makes military personnel called to active duty in the Persian Gulf eligible for the deferment of student loan repayments in the case of loans made under the Higher Education Act of 1965, such deferment lasting during the continuance of such duty. States that such deferment period shall not be counted against the grace period that is available to all individuals with respect to such loans made under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Elementary School Counseling Demonstration Act - Authorizes appropriations for the Secretary of Education to make demonstration grants to local education agencies to establish effective and innovative elementary school counseling programs that can serve as national models. Directs the Secretary to establish an Office of School Counseling, headed by a Director, in the Department of Education.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Comprehensive Recycling Act of 1991 - Establishes as national goals: (1) the recycling of municipal waste; and (2) the creation and strengthening of markets for recycled materials. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to provide technical assistance and guidance to States on recycling methods and opportunities. Directs States to develop and implement comprehensive multimaterial recycling programs. Requires such programs to be designed to provide at least 20 percent of a State's population with an opportunity to participate in such programs within two years of this Act's enactment. Provides that such programs must be available to an additional 20 percent of a State's population every two years, until the entire population is provided with such opportunity. Sets forth minimum program requirements. Deems a State or its municipalities to be in compliance with this Act if they have in place an alternative program that meets this Act's requirements. Requires States to include recycling programs in the regional solid waste plan required by the Solid Waste Disposal Act. Makes States with approved plans eligible for Federal assistance for recycling infrastructures. Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to require the Administrator to make grants to States for the development of programs to promote the use of recycling techniques by businesses, local governments, or regional waste management authorities.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1991
Provides that service performed by certain civilian employees of the Departments of Transportation or Defense holding positions for which experience as an air traffic controller is a prerequisite shall be creditable for retirement under the Civil Service and Federal Employees' Retirement Systems.
![Official portrait of Rep. Rowland, J. Roy [D-GA-8]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/r000481_200.jpg)