United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1991
Inter-American Scientific Cooperation Act of 1991 - Directs the National Science Foundation to establish the Inter-American Scientific Cooperation Program aimed at increasing science and technology cooperation between the United States and Latin America. Requires the Program to identify and cooperate with private and governmental funding bodies. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Program to encourage the use of debt-for-science exchanges to finance cooperative scientific research projects. Requires the Program Director to make funds available, in accordance with the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, to non-Federal organizations for such exchanges. Requires intent by a debtor nation to contribute at least 75 percent of the full face value of the discounted debt, or at least 20 percent over the current market purchase price of the debt. Requires the Director to appoint a Board of Governors for the U.S. side of a United States-Mexico Binational Science Endowment. Requires that the Endowment be an independent, nongovernmental, nonadvocacy, not-for-profit organization operated exclusively for scientific and educational purposes, receiving funds and supporting projects of potential benefit to both nations. Authorizes the use of a limited amount of funds authorized under specified Acts to carry out this Act. Authorizes and encourages the Administrator of the Agency for International Development to provide a specified amount from the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for certain purposes of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the exclusion from gross income for combat pay of commissioned officers (from $500 to $2,000 monthly). Requires the transfer from the Defense Cooperation Account to the general fund of the Treasury such amounts as determined necessary to offset the revenue loss caused by this amendment during the period of the Persian Gulf conflict.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1991
Military Retirement Equity Act of 1991 - Permits retired members of the armed forces to be paid retirement pay concurrently with compensation for any service-connected disability if the person's entitlement to such retirement pay is based solely on: (1) age; (2) length of service; or (3) both. Reduces the amount of retirement pay, in the case of individuals receiving both types of pay, by a specified percentage of the disability compensation which decreases as the disability rating increases. Prohibits any reduction in the retirement pay of a disabled person when the disability rating is total. Expresses the sense of the Congress that, once the Federal budget deficit has been reduced, the Congress should reexamine and eliminate any offset of retired pay by a veteran's disability compensation.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1991
Police Corps and Law Enforcement Training and Education Act - Establishes within the Department of Justice (DOJ) an Office of the Police Corps and Law Enforcement Education to be headed by a Director. Requires a State that desires to participate in the Police Corps program to designate a lead agency and submit a State plan containing assurances with respect to: (1) lead agency cooperation with other State and local agencies; (2) the State advertising of the assistance available; (3) State screening and selection of law enforcement personnel for participation in the program; and (4) compliance with other specified requirements. Authorizes the Director to award college scholarships (including direct payments to institutions and reimbursement of educational costs) to participants who agree to work for four years in a State or local police force after completion of a baccalaureate program and police corps training, subject to specified conditions. Sets forth provisions with respect to: (1) scholarship assistance for dependent children of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty; (2) the selection of participants; (3) minority recruitment; and (4) leaves of absence. Requires the Director to establish programs to provide basic law enforcement training to State Police Corps program participants. Authorizes such programs to be carried out: (1) at up to three training centers established and administered by the Director; or (2) by contracting with existing State training facilities. Requires participants to attend two eight-week training sessions at such training centers and to meet certain performance standards in order to remain in the Police Corps program. Requires the Director to pay participants a weekly stipend during training. Provides for the swearing in of participants as members of the police force to which they are assigned after completing Federal training and meeting the requirements of that police force. Authorizes the Director, upon a showing of good cause, to permit a participant to complete the service obligation in an equivalent alternative law enforcement service, if the police force of which the participant is a member subjects the participant to discipline which would preclude completion of four years of service on that force. Requires a State, in order to participate in the Police Corps program, to submit a plan for implementing such program to the Director for approval. Requires such plan to: (1) include assurances that participants will receive effective training and leadership; (2) provide that program participants shall be assigned to community and preventive patrol in geographic areas with the greatest need for additional law enforcement personnel; and (3) prohibit participant assignment to any local police force whose size has declined by a specified portion or which has members who have been laid off but not retired. Requires the Director to report annually on the Police Corps program to the Attorney General, the President, and specified congressional officials. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1991
Provides that each party to a sales and service contract that provides for the use of arbitration to resolve controversies shall have the option to reject arbitration as the means of settling a controversy. Requires the arbitrator, in making an award in any controversy arising out of or relating to such a contract, to provide the parties with a written explanation of the reasons for the award. Allows any such award to be vacated by a court order whenever the court finds that the arbitrator disregarded, misapplied, or misinterpreted State law.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1991
Economic Growth Act of 1991 - Title I: Investment and Job Creation Incentives - Subtitle A: Reduction in Capital Gains Tax for Individuals - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a capital gains deduction for individuals for assets held from one to three years. Provides special rules for the gain or loss from the sale or exchange of collectibles and sales of interest in partnerships. Disallows such deduction in computing the alternative minimum tax. Revises the formula for determining gain from the dispositions of certain depreciable realty to take into account depreciation adjustments (adjustments allowed or allowable for exhaustion, wear and tear, obsolescence, or certain amortization). Subtitle B: Inflation Adjustment for Investments - Requires indexing, based on the consumer price index, of the adjusted basis of certain assets (corporate stock and tangible property that is a capital asset of property used in a trade or business after April 15, 1991) that have been held for more than one year at the time of sale or other transfer, solely for the purpose of determining gain or loss. Provides for the inflation adjustment treatment of: (1) short sales; (2) regulated investment companies and real estate investment trusts; and (3) partnerships, S corporations, and common trust funds. Prohibits gain from the sale or other disposition of an indexed asset from being taken into account under the limitation on investment interest. Subtitle C: Enterprise Zones - Part I: Designation - Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Secretary) to designate enterprise zones for purposes of providing tax and regulatory relief and improving local services. Limits choices to areas nominated by States and local governments. Limits the total number of areas that may be designated, and the time period of the designation. Authorizes the Secretary to designate a zone only if the area meets certain locational, demographic, unemployment, and poverty criteria. Requires nominating local governments, as a condition of the Secretary's designation, to agree in writing to follow a course of action that may include reducing tax rates, improving local services, simplifying or streamlining regulation of business, and providing job training to area residents. Describes areas to which the Secretary must give preference in selecting areas for designation. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress every two years on the effects of such enterprise zones' designation in accomplishing the purposes of this Act. Part II: Federal Income Tax Incentives - Allows a nonrefundable income tax credit to enterprise zone employees for five percent of any wages earned as do not exceed a specified amount. Phases out such credit. Provides for the nonrecognition of capital gain on the sale of enterprise zone property. Allows a taxpayer a deduction on the aggregate amount paid for the purchase of enterprise stock on its original issue by a qualified issuer. Requires any gain from the disposition of the stock to be treated as ordinary income. Excludes enterprise zone capital gains from income computation of alternative minimum taxes. Part III: Regulatory Flexibility - Amends Federal law to revise the definition of "small entity" for purposes of the analysis of regulatory functions to include qualified business, government, and nonprofit enterprises operating within enterprise zones. Authorizes Federal agencies, upon request by a designating government, to waive or modify rules and regulations pertaining to the implementation of projects or activities within an enterprise zone. Requires agencies to approve the request if the resulting benefits of job creation, community development, or economic revitalization outweigh the public interest in retaining the rule unchanged. Disallows waiver or modification of a rule that would directly violate a statutory requirement or present a danger to the public health and safety. Part IV: Establishment of Foreign-Trade Zones in Enterprise Zones - Requires the Foreign-Trade Zone Board to consider on a priority basis and to expedite the processing of applications for the establishment of foreign-trade zones within enterprise zones. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to give priority to, and expedite applications for, the establishment of ports of entry necessary to establish such zones. Part V: Repeal of Title VII of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 - Repeals title VII (enterprise zone development) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987. Subtitle D: Research and Experimentation Credit Made Permanent - Makes permanent the tax credit for increasing research activities and the tax credit for clinical testing expenses. Title II: Savings Incentives - Allows individuals to establish individual retirement plus accounts with tax treatment similar to that for individual retirement plans. Makes contributions to such accounts nondeductible. Allows existing individual retirement accounts (IRA) to be rolled over into individual retirement plus accounts with payment of tax on the amount rolled over for which a deduction was once allowable, but no tax when withdrawn. Title III: Homeownership Incentives - Subtitle A: First-Time Homebuyers - Allows a tax credit for the first-time purchase of a principal residence by individuals with incomes of $31,000 or less (phased-out to incomes of up to $41,000). Limits such credit to $1,000. Subtitle B: Penalty-Free IRA Plus Withdrawal for Home Purchase, Higher Education, and Health Costs - Allows penalty-free distributions from IRA Plus accounts of up to 25 percent of the account limit for: (1) first-time homebuyers; (2) medical expenses; and (3) higher education expenses. Title IV: Work Incentives - Subtitle A: Reduction in Social Security Penalty on Working Elderly - Amends title II of the Social Security Act (Federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance Benefits) to raise the earnings limit for retirees. Appropriates to each payor fund amounts equivalent to the aggregate increase in social security benefits payable from such fund which is attributable to such amendment. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to study during 1997 whether further amendments relating to deductions on account of work and the exempt amount under the earnings limit are necessary or appropriate. Subtitle B: Economic Growth Dividend - Requires any economic growth dividend (as determined by the Secretary of the Treasury) to be used to increase the personal exemption amount. Requires, after 1995, all revenues resulting from real growth in the gross national product greater than three percent to fund an increased personal exemption. Requires, for fiscal years beginning on or after October 1, 1992, and before October 1, 1995, that 50 percent of such dividend be used to increase the personal exemption amount and the other 50 percent be used to make a downward adjustment in the maximum deficit amount.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1991
Department of the Environment Act of 1991 - Redesignates the Environmental Protection Agency as the Department of the Environment, an executive agency to be administered by a Secretary of the Environment.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1991
All-Americans Savings and Investment Incentive Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide individuals a deduction for capital gains based on the period the asset is held (up to three years). Excludes collectibles from such assets. Makes such deduction an item of tax preferences. Excludes from gross income interest received during a taxable year up to $350 ($700 in the case of a joint return). Provides a phaseout of such exclusion for incomes over $50,000. Makes such exclusion applicable to distributions from regulated investment companies and real estate investment trusts. Makes certain nonresident aliens ineligible for such exclusion.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1991
Establishes a Joint Committee on the Organization of the Congress to: (1) make a full and complete study of the organization and operation of the Congress; and (2) recommend improvements in such organization and operation with a view toward strengthening its effectiveness, simplifying its operations, improving its relationships with other branches of the Government, and improving the orderly consideration of legislation. Requires a report to the Senate and the House of Representatives not later than the adjournment sine die of the 102d Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 1991
Medicare Physician Payment Reform Amendments of 1991 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise the transition rules for phasing in the resource-based relative value scale (RB RVS) method of payment for physician services to prohibit adjustments for asymmetry in the transition and for behavioral responses. Declares spending under this Act to be an emergency requirement under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) and exempt from sequestration.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 1991
Recognizes and grants a Federal charter to the Military Order of the World Wars, a nonprofit corporation organized under the laws of the District of Columbia.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1991
Condemns Syria's denial of Syrian Jews' right to travel freely and calls upon the Syrian Government to: (1) immediately grant Syrian Jews the right to travel freely without imposing a fee; and (2) release all Jewish prisoners who were charged or suspected of traveling illegally. Urges the President to encourage U.S. allies and trading partners to make similar pleas to the Syrian Government. Calls upon the United Nations to send an official delegation to Syria to investigate the present condition of Syrian Jews.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 1991
Directs the Committee on Appropriations to establish a new Subcommittee on Veterans' Affairs with exclusive subcommittee jurisdiction over the Department of Veterans Affairs and its programs.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 1991
Police Officers' Bill of Rights Act of 1991 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to provide that, except when on duty or acting in an official capacity, no law enforcement officer (officer) shall be prohibited from engaging in political activity or denied the right to refrain from engaging in such activity. Sets forth minimum standards that shall apply when an officer is under investigation or is subjected to questioning under circumstances that could lead to disciplinary action, including that: (1) questioning be conducted at a reasonable hour and take place at the offices of those conducting the investigation, with exceptions; (2) the officer under investigation be informed in writing of the nature of the investigation prior to questioning; (3) any questioning be for a reasonable period of time, allowing for reasonable periods for rest and personal necessities; (4) such questioning be recorded in full in writing or by electronic device, and a copy of the transcript be made available to the officer under investigation; and (5) the officer be entitled to the presence of counsel or other individual at the questioning. Requires the law enforcement agency to notify the officer that such officer is entitled to a hearing by a hearing officer or board, with exceptions for summary punishment or emergency suspension for misconduct. Specifies that an emergency suspension shall not affect the officer's health benefits. Sets forth provisions: (1) with respect to the composition of a disciplinary hearing board and procedures for a disciplinary hearing; and (2) limiting the penalty to that which was recommended by the trial board. Provides for notice of disciplinary action. Bars any penalty or threat of penalty against the officer for the exercise of rights under this Act. Prohibits: (1) a law enforcement agency from inserting any adverse material into the file of an officer unless such officer has had an opportunity to review and comment in writing on the adverse material; (2) requiring or requesting an officer to disclose personal property, income, assets, sources of income, debts, or expenditures (including those of any household member) unless the information is necessary in investigating a violation of law, rule, or regulation with respect to the performance of official duties, or where such disclosure is required by Federal, State, or local law; and (3) a State from having more than two legislative sessions to enact a Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights that provides rights substantially similar to those afforded under this Act. Authorizes a cause of action in State court by the officer for recovery of damages and full reinstatement against a law enforcement agency that materially violates rights afforded under this Act. Specifies that the sovereign immunity of a State shall not apply in the case of a violation of such rights. Specifies that this Act does not preempt State law or collective bargining agreements or discussions that provide rights for officers that are substantially similar to those afforded by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce the alternative capital gains tax for corporations by establishing a scale for determining such tax rates based on owning assets for one to three years. Reduces the alternative minimum tax for individuals by establishing alternative rates for capital gains based on a two-year or three-year gain.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 1991
Technical Education and Training Act of 1991 - Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to carry out an advanced technical education and training program under which accredited associate-degree-granting colleges, using matching non-Federal funds, provide training in technical competencies in strategic fields, with emphasis on collaborative programs with local employers and on attracting nontraditional students seeking to upgrade skills, recent high school graduates, and high school dropouts. Sets forth program elements, including: (1) model instructional programs in state-of-the-art competencies in advanced-technology occupations; (2) faculty development in laser technology, robotics, fiber optics, electronics, and other advanced technologies; and (3) private sector participation and provision of work experience opportunities. Requires the Director to: (1) award competitive grants to associate-degree-granting colleges; and (2) establish an inventory of advanced technical education and training programs. Requires the appointment of a National Advisory Council on Advanced Technical Education and Training to ensure the program is consistent with the needs of industries and provide other advice and evaluations. Requires an annual report from the Council to the NSF and the Congress. Requires the program to give emphasis to training to accommodate working people, parents, and the handicapped. Requires the designation of ten centers of excellence among associate-degree-granting colleges to serve as national and regional clearinghouses for educational institutions striving to upgrade their technical education programs and mathematics and science courses. Requires the Director to make: (1) no fewer than 20 grants annually to associate-degree-granting colleges to develop partnerships in mathematics and science education with secondary schools in the community; and (2) grants for partnerships with four-year academic institutions to enable students to achieve bachelor degrees in mathematics, science, engineering, or technology.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 1991
Consumer Protection Against Credit Card Fraud Act of 1991 - Amends the Federal criminal code to establish penalties for knowingly and with intent to defraud: (1) effecting transactions with one or more access devices (ADs) issued to another person to receive payment or any other thing of value during any one-year period the aggregate value of which is equal to or greater than $1,000; (2) without the authorization of the issuer of the AD, soliciting a person for the purpose of offering, or selling information regarding or an application to obtain, an AD; or (3) without the authorization of the credit card system member or its agent, causing or arranging for another person to present to the member or its agent for payment evidence or records of transactions made by an AD.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 1991
Prohibits the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from making any payment for covered drugs and biologicals unless the price charged by the manufacturer is determined in accordance with an agreement between the Secretary and the manufacturer pursuant to the Social Security Act, under which the price charged cannot exceed the price charged as of September 1, 1990, increased by the sum of the covered drug updates. States that such pricing agreement shall apply to any drug or biological product procured by the Department of Veterans Affairs that is: (1) purchased under a depot contracting system; or (2) listed under the Federal Supply Schedule of the General Services Administration on or after January 1, 1990. Amends the Social Security Act to exclude the prices for prescription drugs procured by the Federal Government from the calculation of best price procurement for purposes of application of Medicaid rebate agreements. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study of, and report to the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Commitees on, the costs and availability of drugs and biological products for programs of the Department as they relate to exemptions and limitations under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 1991
Access to Life-Saving Therapies Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Food and Drug Administration, to approve, at the request of the sponsor and on an expedited basis, a drug or biologic needed to treat or prevent a life threatening disease or seriously debilitating illness if the drug or biologic meets certain conditions, including some indications of effectiveness and safety and a lack of alternative satisfactory therapy. Deems an application under the amendments made by this Act approved unless other action is taken within 120 days. Prohibits any health insurance policy or plan from distinguishing, for the purpose of determining whether a drug is eligible for coverage or reimbursement, between a drug approved under the amendments made by this Act and one approved under specified other provisions of the Public Health Service Act. Mandates suspension of approval under the amendments made by this Act if at least two subsequent studies fail to confirm the initial safety and efficacy conclusions. Requires written informed consent for administration of a drug approved under amendments made by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 1991
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should establish a bipartisan commission to investigate the operation of and complaints regarding, the U.S. Postal Service.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 1991
Lead Contamination Control Act Amendments of 1991 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise provisions concerning grants for lead poisoning prevention programs to authorize grants to public and nonprofit entities (currently, State and local governments). Requires priority in making grants to be given to applications for programs that will serve areas with a high incidence of elevated blood-lead levels in infants and children. Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services from making such grants unless, in the case of any service that is made available pursuant to the State plan approved under title XIX of the Social Security Act (Medicaid) for the State involved, the grant applicant: (1) will provide the service directly and has entered into a participation agreement under the State plan and is qualified to receive payments under the plan; or (2) will enter into an agreement with a Medicaid provider under which the provider will provide the service and the provider has entered into a participation agreement and is qualified to receive such payments. Waives the requirement to enter into an agreement for such providers if the provider does not impose a charge or accept reimbursement from a third-party payor with respect to health care services. Prohibits grant recipients from making payments from the grant for any service to the extent that payment can reasonably be expected to be made for such service: (1) under any State compensation program, under an insurance policy, or under any Federal or State health benefits program; or (2) by an entity that provides health services on a prepaid basis. Waives such prohibition in the case of those providers through which the grantee provides services if the Secretary has provided a waiver with respect to secondary participation agreements. Extends the authorization of appropriations for the grant program through FY 1996. Sets forth the requirements for the national primary drinking water regulation for lead. Applies such requirements to community and noncommunity water systems. Establishes a limit for lead in tap water. Provides that the maximum contaminant level goal for lead in drinking water is zero. Requires requirements set forth in this Act to supersede requirements concerning lead in drinking water promulgated by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on May 6, 1991, except for requirements relating to analytical methods. Permits the Administrator to promulgate regulations concerning lead in drinking water only if they are more protective of human health than corresponding requirements of this Act. Provides that the maximum contaminant level for lead in effect before May 6, 1991, shall be effective upon this Act's enactment date. Sets forth deadlines by which water systems shall complete applicable corrosion control treatment requirements. Deems a system to have optimized corrosion control and exempts a system from completion of corrosion control treatment steps if the system satisfies one of the following criteria: (1) in the case of a small- or medium-sized system, the system meets the tap water lead limit during two consecutive six-month monitoring periods; or (2) in the case of any water system, the system demonstrates to the State that it has conducted activities equivalent to applicable corrosion control steps required by this Act or it submits monitoring results that demonstrate for two consecutive six-month monitoring periods that the difference between the highest tap water lead concentration and the highest source water lead concentration is not detectable. Permits a small-or medium-sized water system to cease completion of treatment steps whenever such systems meet tap water lead limits during two consecutive monitoring periods and submit the results to the State. Sets forth corrosion control treatment steps and deadlines for large-, medium-, and small-sized systems. Requires small- and medium-sized systems exceeding the tap water lead limit to recommend installation of at least one of the following corrosion control treatments: (1) alkalinity and pH adjustment; (2) calcium hardness adjustment; and (3) the addition of a phosphate or silicate corrosion inhibitor to maintain an effective residual concentration in test tap samples. Authorizes a State to require such systems to perform specified corrosion control studies to identify optimal corrosion control treatment. Sets forth study requirements. Requires a State to approve the option recommended by the system or to designate alternative treatments. Directs systems to install and operate the treatments designated by the State. Requires States to evaluate the results of lead tap and water quality parameter samples submitted by water systems to determine whether a system has properly installed and operated the designated corrosion control treatment. Directs States to designate: (1) a minimum range of values for pH measured at each entry point to the distribution system; (2) a minimum pH value measured in all tap samples; (3) a minimum range of concentrations for a corrosion inhibitor (if used) measured at each entry point to the system and in all tap samples; (4) a minimum range of concentrations for alkalinity (if alkalinity is adjusted) measured at each entry point to the system and in all tap samples; and (5) a minimum range of concentrations for calcium measured in all tap samples (if calcium carbonate stabilization is used as part of corrosion control). Requires systems to maintain water quality parameter values at or above minimum values or within ranges designated by a State. Authorizes States to modify optimal corrosion control treatment or water quality parameters, subject to certain conditions. Establishes a maximum contaminant level for lead in source water. Requires public water systems that fail to meet the tap water lead limit to replace lead service lines. Directs a system to replace such lines at an annual rate that will replace 20 percent of the lead lines or ten percent of all service lines, whichever results in replacement of a greater number of lead service lines. Sets forth a replacement schedule. Provides for extensions of replacement deadlines upon the application of a system with a large number of lead service lines in the distribution system. Exempts a system from replacement requirements if the State determines that the service line does not contribute to tap water lead concentrations in excess of ten parts per billion. Requires a system to replace the entire service line unless it demonstrates to the State that it controls less than the entire service line. Sets forth requirements for replacing portions of service lines. Presumes that a system controls the entire lead service line (up to the building inlet) unless the State determines that it does not have the following forms of control over the entire line: (1) legal authority; (2) authority to set standards for construction or maintenance or to replace, repair, or maintain the line; or (3) ownership of the line. Provides for shorter replacement schedules, where feasible. Permits a system to cease replacing such lines whenever the tap water samples meet lead limits during two consecutive monitoring periods and the results are submitted to the State. Requires States to establish programs to encourage public water systems to: (1) provide a voluntary service of referring building owners in a system's service area to approved contractors to remove lead plumbing, fixtures, or solder from the buildings; and (2) offer to fund such removal and to bill their water customers in a manner that allows easy payment for such removal. Directs the Administrator to distribute a model State program. Requires water systems that exceed the tap water limit to deliver certain public education materials and public service announcements with respect to lead in drinking water. Sets forth required texts of such materials. Provides that in communities where a significant proportion of the population speaks a language other than English, such materials shall be communicated in the appropriate languages. Sets forth delivery requirements with respect to such materials. Permits a system to discontinue delivery if the system has met the tap water lead limit during the most recent six-month monitoring period. Requires systems failing to meet such limit to offer to sample the tap water of any customer who requests such sampling. Directs systems which fail to comply with a maximum contaminant level for lead or any related requirement to notify persons served by such systems of the violation. Requires water systems to complete a materials evaluation of their distribution systems to identify a pool of targeted sampling sites sufficiently large to ensure the collection of required lead tap samples. Prohibits faucets with devices designed to remove inorganic contaminants from being included as sampling sites. Requires systems to use information relating to special monitoring for corrosivity characteristics when conducting materials evaluations. Sets forth sources of information to be used when such systems' information is insufficient to locate the requisite number of lead sampling sites. Sets forth required sampling sites. Requires water systems whose distribution systems contain lead service lines to draw 50 percent of samples from sites that contain lead pipes or copper pipes with lead solder and 50 percent of those samples to be from sites served by a lead service line. Designates tap samples collected for lead (except for lead service line samples) as first draw samples. Requires: (1) first draw tap samples for lead to be one liter in volume and to have stood motionless in the plumbing system of each sampling site for at least six hours; and (2) service line samples to be one liter in volume and to have stood motionless in the lead service line for at least six hours. Sets forth collection requirements. Requires systems to collect at least one sample during each monitoring period (at six-month intervals) from the number of sites listed under this Act. Bases the number of sites required to be monitored on the size of the system. Provides for reduced monitoring for systems that meet lead limits during consecutive monitoring periods. Requires water systems that exceed the tap water lead limit to monitor water quality parameters. Provides that tap samples shall be representative of water quality throughout a distribution system, taking into account the number of persons served, the different sources of water, the different treatment methods, and seasonal variability. Requires samples collected at entry points to distribution systems to be from locations representative of sources after treatment. Directs systems to collect two tap samples for water quality parameters at six-month intervals. Bases the number of sites required to be monitored on the size of the system. Sets forth parameters to be measured and general monitoring requirements. Provides for reduced monitoring for systems that maintain the range of values for water quality parameters during consecutive monitoring periods. Requires systems to collect (at six-month intervals) lead source water samples in accordance with requirements specified in regulations of the Administrator relating to inorganic chemical sampling. Provides for reduced monitoring for systems using groundwater, surface water, or a combination of the two which demonstrate that finished drinking water entering distribution systems has been maintained below the source water maximum contaminant level during specified consecutive periods. Requires systems to: (1) report to States on tap water samples, source water monitoring, corrosion control treatment, lead service line replacements, and public education requirements; and (2) submit to States annually a letter certifying the extent of compliance with such requirements. Sets forth recordkeeping and reporting requirements for public water systems. Sets forth provisions concerning EPA review of State determinations concerning drinking water regulation for lead. Provides that issuance of a final order by the Administrator shall constitute requirements of the national primary drinking water regulation for lead and shall supersede any inconsistent State treatment requirements. Withdraws enforcement responsibility from States which fail to implement this Act's requirements for public water systems. Authorizes States to require public water systems to use bottled water or other means as a condition of: (1) granting variances or exemptions from requirements of the national primary drinking water regulations to avoid an unreasonable health risk; or (2) granting an exemption from corrosion control treatment requirements for lead or source water and lead service line replacement requirements to avoid such risk. Requires systems that use bottled water as a condition for receiving a variance or exemption to meet specified requirements, including: (1) a State-approved monitoring program for bottled water or a certification from the bottled water company that the water has been taken from an approved source (as defined by the Administrator of the Food and Drug Administration) and the company has conducted monitoring; and (2) the provision of sufficient quantities of bottled water to every person supplied by the public water system. Prohibits the EPA Administrator from promulgating any national primary drinking water regulations under the Public Health Service Act which are based on an action level in lieu of a maximum contaminant level or a treatment technique prescribed by such Act. Voids any such regulations promulgated before this Act. Requires the Administrator to promulgate drinking water regulations consistent with such Act for any contaminant, other than lead, for which regulations are voided. Directs local educational agencies to complete testing for lead contamination in drinking water from coolers and other drinking water outlets at schools under their jurisdiction. Requires the Administrator to revise a guidance document and protocol concerning lead in school drinking water to provide for follow-up sampling and to recommend remedial steps whenever the lead concentration exceeds a specified level. Directs local educational agencies, if lead concentration in such water exceeds such level, to submit to school personnel, parents of children, and the agency with primary enforcement responsibility for the public water system serving the school a lead disclosure statement and a description of actions to be taken in response to test results. Requires (currently, permits) grants made to States for programs regarding lead in school drinking water to be used to reimburse local educational agencies for expenses incurred in testing and remedial action. Extends the authorization of appropriations for such grants. Imposes civil penalties upon local educational agencies that fail to comply with requirements for testing and remedying lead in school drinking water. Requires pipe fittings and fixtures used in public water systems or in plumbing providing water for human consumption to be lead-free. Makes it unlawful to: (1) introduce into commerce any pipe, pipe fitting, or fixture that is not lead free; (2) sell solder or flux plumbing supplies which are not lead free; or (3) introduce into commerce any solder or flux which is not lead free unless such solder or flux bears a label stating that is illegal to use such materials in the installation or repair of plumbing providing water for human consumption. Revises the definition of "lead free" to provide that four years after this Act's enactment, such term refers to pipes, pipe fittings, fixtures, solder, and flux that have no lead content or that have been certified as lead free by the Administrator. Prescribes civil penalties for violations of such prohibitions. Applies provisions authorizing citizens' civil actions against the Administrator for violations of safety requirements for public water systems to States with primary enforcement responsibility. Applies recordkeeping and inspection provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act to any person subject to requirements of this Act. Directs the Secretary to establish programs to: (1) accredit individuals to train lead inspectors to comply with lead inspection standards and deleaders to comply with lead abatement standards; (2) license lead inspectors and deleaders; and (3) certify laboratories as qualified to test substances for lead. Requires the Secretary to maintain lists (by State or metropolitan area) of licensed lead inspectors and deleaders, accredited instructors, and certified laboratories. Makes such lists available to the public. Provides for annual fees for accreditations, certifications, or licensings. Authorizes suspensions or revocations whenever the Secretary determines that the holder of an accreditation, license, or certification has violated relevant requirements. Directs the Secretary to: (1) report on methods and devices available to inspect for lead paint and lead hazards and to abate lead hazards; and (2) promulgate standards for the performance of lead inspections and lead abatement of covered premises. Sets forth requirements for lead inspection and abatement standards. Permits petitions for the modification of such standards to include or delete an inspection or abatement methods or device. Prohibits: (1) the performance of a lead inspection or lead abatement of a covered premise for compensation, except in compliance with such standards; (2) the sale or distribution in interstate commerce of any device for lead inspection or abatement, unless the device is approved under such standards. Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations for the disclosure of indoor lead paint and lead hazards. Requires persons who sell or lease covered residential premises to provide purchasers or lessees with lead hazard inspection reports (and, in cases where a lead hazard is present, with lead disclosure statements) before such individuals are obligated to purchase or lease the premises. Directs persons who perform renovations of covered premises for compensation to provide lead disclosure statements to owners and occupants prior to commencing renovations. Requires the Secretary to publish and periodically revise a standard lead disclosure statement. Sets forth statement requirements. Requires the Secretary to undertake a public education program to inform the public about the risks of lead poisoning and the requirements for lead inspection, abatement, and disclosure. Directs the Secretary to require local educational agencies to conduct lead inspections for covered schools or day care centers and to provide all school or day care personnel and parents of children attending the school or day care center with a copy of the inspection report and disclosure statement (as well as response actions) in each case in which a lead hazard is detected. Requires the Secretary to make grants to States for assisting such agencies in testing for, and abating, lead hazards in schools and day care centers. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes States which seek to administer the indoor lead contamination program to submit programs to the Secretary. Provides for the approval of programs that are at least as protective of human health and welfare as the Federal program and that provide for adequate enforcement. Requires the Secretary to promulgate a model State program. Prescribes civil penalties and authorizes civil actions for violations of indoor lead contamination inspection and abatement requirements. Applies Federal, State, interstate, and local lead hazard control requirements to Federal facilities in the same manner as such requirements apply to nongovernmental entities. Authorizes the Secretary to promulgate rules under which an Indian tribe may be treated as a State for purposes of such requirements. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to deem a food to be adulterated if: (1) it is packaged in a can or other container that contains solder or flux with lead content; or (2) it contains lead, unless the Secretary of Health and Human Services has determined that the level of lead contained in the food is safe. Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations to establish standards, testing, and certification procedures with respect to lead in ceramic and crystal ware as are necessary to make food that contacts such ware safe. Prohibits the introduction into interstate commerce of any ceramic or crystal ware that has not been certified as safe with respect to lead by the Secretary.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 1991
Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children Registration Act - Directs the Attorney General to establish a State program and guidelines requiring persons convicted of a criminal offense against a minor to register a current address with a designated State law enforcement agency (LEA) for ten years after release from prison, parole, or being placed on supervised release. Sets forth requirements for an approved State registration program, including: (1) requirements that a State prison officer inform a released person of the duty to register and provide a designated State LEA with any new address in writing within ten days, obtain a fingerprint card and photograph if not already obtained, require the person to read and sign a form stating that the duty to register has been explained, and forward such information to a designated State LEA (which shall immediately enter the information into the State law enforcement system and National Crime Information Center computer networks and notify the appropriate LEA having jurisdiction where the person expects to live); (2) annual address verification by the designated State LEA; and (3) notification of LEAs having jurisdiction over a released person's new address. Provides that: (1) a person required to register who violates any requirement of a State program established by this Act shall be subject to criminal penalties in such State (recommends at least six months' imprisonment); and (2) the information provided under this Act is private and may be used for law enforcement purposes, including confidential background checks by child care services providers. Specifies that the allocation of Bureau of Justice Assistance grant funds under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 received by a State not complying with the provisions of this Act three years after the enactment of this Act shall be reduced by 25 percent. Requires such unallocated funds to be reallocated to the States in compliance with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require indexing, based on the gross national product deflator, of the adjusted basis of certain assets (corporate stock and tangible property that is a capital asset of property used in a trade or business) that have been held for more than one year at the time of sale or other transfer, solely for the purpose of determining gain or loss. Establishes special rules for property held less than three years.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 1991
Authorizes States to waive certain requirements under the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986 limiting to one the number of driver's licenses that can be owned by an operator of a commercial vehicle with respect to local government employees who operate snow or ice removal vehicles.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1991
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct ten demonstration projects to examine the feasibility of broader use of arrangements for the sharing of health-care resources with other Federal health-care providers. Requires the Secretary to enter into agreements for such demonstration projects with the Secretaries of Defense and Health and Human Services with respect to facilities, providers, and beneficiaries of health care. Requires each demonstration project to be carried out through a sharing agreement between the Secretary and one of the other named Secretaries with respect to care and services provided by a particular Department of Veterans Affairs medical facility. Requires medical centers selected for the demonstration projects to be located in rural and urban areas in different regions of the country. Provides for the reciprocal provision of health-care services by medical centers participating in the project, as well as for reciprocal reimbursement for services provided. Directs the Secretary to evaluate the demonstration projects on an ongoing basis and to submit two annual reports on such evaluation to the Congress. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1991
Earthquake Hazard Reduction Amendments Act - Amends the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 to mandate identification of earthquake-prone States. Establishes the Earthquake Loss Mitigation Advisory Committee. Requires development of comprehensive earthquake loss-reduction criteria for State and local land use and management ordinances, building codes, and other measures. Requires that a percentage of the annual earthquake insurance premiums collected under the Primary Insurance program enacted by this Act be deposited in the Self-Sustaining Mitigation Fund to support specified hazard reduction activities. Requires the Director to support public education programs. Provides for assistance, to the extent provided for in appropriations Acts, to States which are in compliance with the loss-reduction criteria of this Act to support development and implementation of mitigation plans. Prohibits making, increasing, extending, or renewing any federally-related mortgage loan secured by: (1) residential property in an earthquake-prone State unless the property is covered by earthquake insurance coverage under this Act or equivalent private insurance; or (2) improved real estate or a mobile home located in an earthquake-prone State if the State is not in compliance with the loss-reduction criteria of this Act and the property does not meet minimum mitigation criteria. Establishes the Primary Insurance Program against loss from any earthquake. Requires the Director to arrange for participation, on other than a risk-sharing basis, by private insurers, insurance agents and brokers, insurance adjustment organizations, and others. Mandates development of a plan of operation for the Insurance Fund and the Reinsurance Fund. Limits Program coverage to residential property in earthquake-prone States. Establishes an independent advisory committee in the executive branch to be known as the Earthquake Insurance and Reinsurance Advisory Committee. Establishes in the Treasury the Residential Property Insurance Fund to carry out the Primary Insurance Program. Credits to the Insurance Fund premiums received by the Program. Requires, if gross reimbursements to private insurers exceeds amounts in the Insurance Fund, loans from the industry for ten percent of the additional losses, with the remaining amounts borrowed from the Treasury and backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. Requires the Director to make reinsurance and excess reinsurance available to private insurers participating in the Program and their reinsurers. Provides for the excess reinsurance liability of the insurance industry and the Federal Government. Specifies the lines of insurance for which reinsurance coverage must be provided. Establishes in the Treasury the Reinsurance Fund to carry out the excess loss reinsurance program. Credits to the Fund any reinsurance premiums received under the excess loss reinsurance program and amounts borrowed from the Treasury under this Act. Requires the Director, to the extent that the Reinsurance Fund is insufficient to pay claims and expenses, to issue to the Secretary of the Treasury obligations to cover the insufficiency.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1991
Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1991 - Prohibits any agency, department, or official of the United States or any State (the government) from burdening a person's exercise of religion even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability, except that the government may burden a person's exercise of religion only if it demonstrates that application of the burden to the person: (1) is essential to further a compelling governmental interest; and (2) is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest. Sets forth provisions pertaining to judicial relief, attorney's fees, and applicability.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1991
Amends the Federal criminal code to reduce (from three to two) the number of prior convictions for a violent felony or serious drug offense that are required for the imposition of enhanced penalties on persons who unlawfully ship, transport, or receive firearms or ammunition.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1991
Amends Federal law to prohibit the payment of proceeds of United States savings bonds to an individual who kills the individual otherwise entitled to payment where State law prohibits such payment.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1991
Constitutional Amendment - Requires the Congress and the President, prior to each fiscal year, to agree on an estimate of total receipts (except those derived from borrowing) for that fiscal year by enactment of a law devoted solely to that subject. Prohibits outlays for that year (except those for repayment of debt principal) from exceeding this amount unless the Congress, by a three-fifths roll call vote of each House, authorizes a specific excess of outlays over receipts. Requires a three-fifths roll call vote of each House to increase the public debt. Directs the President to submit a balanced budget to the Congress. Requires the approval of a majority of the total membership of each House by roll call vote before any bill to increase revenue may become law. Waives these provisions when a declaration of war is in effect. Makes this article effective beginning with FY 1995 or with the second fiscal year after its ratification, whichever is later.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1991
Amends the Federal judicial code to allow Federal tort claims against a Customs or other law enforcement officer based on the negligent destruction, injury, or loss of goods or merchandise while in the possession of such officer. Extends to the Secretary of the Treasury the authority to settle claims for damages resulting from law enforcement activities of the Customs Service.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1991
Airport and Airway Trust Fund Integrity Act of 1991 - Declares that the receipts and disbursements of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund allocable to transportation-related operations shall not be counted as new budget authority, outlays, receipts, or deficit or surplus for purposes of: (1) the budget of the United States as presented by the President; (2) the congressional budget; or (3) the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act). Exempts the fund from sequestration orders. Amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to prohibit the Senate or the House of Representatives from considering any concurrent resolution on the budget or reconciliation bill that would treat the Airport and Airway Trust Fund as part of the Federal budget. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the increase in taxes on the rates of transportation of persons and property by air and the Airport and Airway Trust Fund financing rate (for the aviation fuel tax). Provides for a credit or refund of excess taxes paid for floor stocks of aviation fuel held prior to the effective date of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 1991
Authorizes the President, on behalf of the Congress, to present to the Secretary of Defense, Richard B. Cheney, a gold medal in recognition of his exemplary performance as a leader in coordinating the planning, strategy, and execution of combat action by U.S. armed forces which led to the liberation of Kuwait. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to provide for the sale of bronze duplicates of the medal.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 1991
Medicare Preventive Benefits Act of 1991 - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of fecal-occult blood tests (FOBTs) and screening flexible sigmoidoscopies for the early detection of colorectal cancer. Covers FOBTs on an annual basis for individuals aged 50 or over. Covers screening sigmoidoscopies provided every five years for individuals aged 50 or over. Provides payment for FOBTs under the laboratory fee schedule, subject to a five dollar limit in 1992. Provides payment for screening sigmoidoscopies under the relative value scale in 1992. Permits the Secretary to modify the frequency criteria after 1994. Provides for Medicare coverage of annual influenza vaccinations and for tetanus-diptheria vaccinations administered every ten years. Provides for Medicare coverage up to age seven according to a frequency schedule to be established by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) in consultation with appropriate entities. Provides for Medicare coverage of annual screening mammography for the early detection of breast cancer for women over age 64. (Currently, such women are covered for such screening performed every other year.) Requires HHS demonstration projects for the coverage of additional specified preventive care services and reports to specified congressional committees on such projects. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes an Office of Technology Assessment study and report to the Congress on the development of a process evaluating possible Medicare coverage of other preventive care services.
United States · United States Congress · 30 May 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to apply the special rule for principal campaign committees on graduated tax rates to candidates for any Federal, State, or local elective public office. (Currently, such rule applies only to congressional candidates.)
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1991
Benjamin Franklin Memorial Fire Service Bill of Rights Act - Title I: Minting of Benjamin Franklin National Memorial Commemorative Coin - Benjamin Franklin National Memorial Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue: (1) five dollar gold coins emblematic of Benjamin Franklin's contributions to the advancement of science; (2) one dollar silver coins emblematic of Benjamin Franklin's contributions to the American Fire Service. Sets forth sale and issuance guidelines, including a general waiver of procurement regulations and surcharge distributions. Title II: Fire Service Bill of Rights - Fire Service Bill of Rights Act - Amends the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to set forth a fire service bill of rights, including the right of responding fire services to: (1) know the kind of danger presented by hazardous materials they face in emergency responses; and (2) be fully informed of infectious diseases their members face during the course of life safety activities. Declares that the bill of rights does not create any private right of action.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1991
National Institute of Nursing Research Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to redesignate the National Center for Nursing Research as the National Institute of Nursing Research. Includes the Institute in the list of national research institutes of the National Institutes of Health.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 1991
Urges the Government of Iran to extend to the Baha'i community the rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international agreements to which Iran is a party. Calls upon the President to continue to: (1) urge the Government of Iran to emancipate the Baha'i community by granting such rights; (2) emphasize that the United States regards the human rights practices of such Government, particularly its treatment of the Baha'is and other religious minorities, as a significant element in the development of U.S.-Iranian relations; and (3) cooperate with other governments and international organizations in efforts to protect the religious rights of the Baha'is and other minorities in Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1991
Campus Sexual Assault Victims' Bill of Rights Act of 1991 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to require each eligible institution participating in any program under HEA title IV (Student Assistance) to include a statement of policy regarding the rights of victims of sexual assault, that complies with specified requirements, in its disclosure of campus security policy and campus crime statistics. Requires each institution of higher education to establish and implement a written policy establishing a campus sexual assault victims' bill of rights which provides that specified rights shall be accorded to such victims by all campus officers, administrators, and employees of such institution.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1991
Income-Dependent Education Assistance Act of 1991 - Establishes the income-dependent education assistance (IDEA) program of supplemental direct higher education student loans in which a borrower's annual repayment obligation is dependent upon both postschool income level and borrowing history. Title I: System for Making Income-Dependent Education Assistance Loans - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) make IDEA loans to eligible students in accordance with this title; and (2) establish an account for each IDEA loan borrower and collect repayments on such loans using the income tax collection system under specified Internal Revenue Code provisions added by title II of this Act. Sets forth provisions for the terms and enforcement of IDEA program agreements between the Secretary of Education and eligible institutions. Sets forth provisions for the amounts and terms of IDEA loans. Sets annual limits on the amounts of such loans to various categories of students. Sets a limitation on individual borrowing capacity, with adjustments for inflation and with consideration of any outstanding student loan obligations. Limits the duration of individual eligibility for such loans. Sets forth requirements for: (1) agreements to the terms of such loans; and (2) disbursement of the proceeds of such loans. Sets forth the responsibilities of eligible institutions and of the Secretary of the Treasury for certain information requirements relating to the IDEA loan program. Sets forth provisions for interest charges on such loans. Requires such charges to be added to the recipient's obligation account at the end of each calendar year. Bases such charges on an interest rate equal to the lesser of: (1) ten percent; or (2) the sum of the average bond equivalent rates of 91-day Treasury bills auctioned for the previous year, plus two percentage points, rounded to the next higher one-eighth of one percent. Provides for conversion and consolidation of certain other types of student loans as IDEA loans. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury, upon request of borrowers who have received federally insured or guaranteed loans under specified provisions of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) (Stafford loans) or of the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) (HEAL loans), to make new IDEA loans to such borrowers which are equal to the sum of the unpaid principal of those other loans and which discharge the liability on those other loans. Provides for mandatory conversion of certain defaulted student loans to IDEA loans. Requires IDEA collection treatment of any loan made, insured, or guaranteed under specified provisions of HEA or PHSA after enactment of this Act which is assigned after default for collection by the Secretary of Education or the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Directs such Secretaries to notify: (1) the Secretary of the Treasury of the need to establish or adjust an IDEA account for such loan's borrower; and (2) the borrower of the conversion of the defaulted loan to an IDEA loan and the procedures for collection under the income tax system. Terminates the authority to make additional loans under the HEA programs of supplemental loans for students (SLS) and direct loans to students in institutions of higher education, for any academic year beginning after the date regulations are prescribed by the Secretaries of Education and the Treasury to carry out this title. Authorizes appropriations to: (1) make distributions of IDEA loan funds to eligible institutions; and (2) administer and carry out this title. Bases student eligibility for IDEA loans on their eligibility for student assistance under specified HEA provisions and their carrying at least one-half the normal full-time academic workload. Title II: Collection of Income-Dependent Education Assistance Loans - Amends the Internal Code to add provisions for the collection of IDEA loans. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to notify each IDEA loan borrower of their yearly repayment obligation. Sets forth formulas for computation of the annual IDEA loan repayment amount. Makes such amount equal to the lesser of: (1) 20 percent of the excess of the modified adjusted income of the taxpayer for such taxable year over the standard deduction and exemption (twice for joint returns); or (2) the product of a base amortization amount and a progressivity factor based on the taxpayer's modified adjusted gross income. Defines "base amortization amount" as the amount which, if paid at the close of each year for 12 consecutive years, would fully repay (with an eight-percent annual interest rate) the maximum account balance of the borrower. Sets forth progressivity factor tables for various types of taxpayers. Provides that, in general, the repayment obligation of an IDEA loan borrower shall terminate only if there is repaid: (1) in the case of any repayment during the first 12 years for which the borrower is in repayment status, the principal plus interest at an annual rate equal to the otherwise applicable rate plus two and one-half percent; and (2) in the case of any repayment during any subsequent year (or in the case of loans under $3,000 repaid during the first 12 years), the principal plus interest at applicable rates. Requires no repayment after 25 years in repayment status. Sets forth provisions for the determination of years in repayment status. Sets forth the requirements for payment of the amount owing. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to assess and collect any unpaid amount in the same manner as for any delay in the payment of income tax. Provides for discharge, by the Secretary of Education, of the IDEA loan liability of any borrower who dies or becomes permanently and totally disabled. Provides for crediting of amounts paid on a joint return. Sets forth formulas for computation of an alternative annual payment for individuals who have attained age 55. Provides for inflation adjustment in the computation of the progressivity factor. Provides that, in general, an IDEA loan shall not be dischargeable in a case of bankruptcy, but authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to postpone certain portions of the loan liability in such cases. Makes specified provisions relating to finality of assessment and collection applicable to such loans. Includes the amount required to be repaid for IDEA loan uner amounts listed under requirements relating to failure by an individual to pay estimated income tax. Requires individuals who are obligated to make IDEA loan repayments to file income tax returns for the applicable years.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1991
National Science Foundation Authorization Act Amendments of 1991 - Amends the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 1988 to authorize appropriations to the National Science Foundation (NSF) for: (1) research and related activities (including these subcategories: mathematical and physical sciences; engineering; biological, behavioral, and social sciences; geosciences; computer and information science and engineering; and scientific, technological, and international affairs); (2) education and human resources; (3) U.S. Antarctic Program; (4) academic research facilities modernization; (5) Academic Research Instrumentation Program; (6) salaries and expenses; and (7) Office of the Inspector General. Prohibits funds authorized under this Act for FY 1992 from being available for construction of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory. Amends the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 to remove provisions declaring ineffective, after the end of FY 1989, provisions: (1) allowing the National Science Foundation Board to delegate authority to the NSF Director to make grants, contracts, and other arrangements, and allowing the Board to impose conditions on such delegation; and (2) limiting any such delegations and conditions to two years.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1991
Seniors Helping Seniors Act of 1991 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the income an individual who has attained retirement age earns for providing home health care or respite services in the recipient's home from being applied against such individual's OASDI benefits.
![Official portrait of Rep. Schiff, Steven [R-NM-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s000125_200.jpg)