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United States · Official source
1,690 records where Rep. Schneider, Claudine [R-RI-2] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 1988
Directs the President to: (1) exert U.S. leadership to achieve negotiation of an international convention to preserve biological diversity; and (2) report to the Congress on the progress toward such negotiation.
United States · United States Congress · 11 August 1988
Medical Waste Sanctions Act of 1988 - Amends the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 to prohibit the dumping of medical waste into the ocean. Increases the criminal penalties imposed against persons who knowingly violate such Act's provisions, regulations, or permits pertaining to waste disposal in the ocean. Makes any person involved in the unlawful disposal of material which affects ocean waters liable for the removal costs and damages caused by such disposal. Sets forth defenses to such liability.
United States · United States Congress · 11 August 1988
Health Waste Anti-Dumping Act of 1988 - Amends the Federal criminal code to establish criminal penalties for knowingly and without lawful authority dumping any health care facility waste: (1) upon the high seas or any waters within the admiralty and maritime jurisdiction of the United States; or (2) in any other place within the United States if interstate or foreign commerce is affected. Provides for forfeiture of property of violators. Includes wastes of veterinary services and laboratory services under the prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 11 August 1988
National Commission on Human Resources Act - Establishes a National Commission on Human Resources. Directs the Commission to: (1) advise the Congress, the President, and the U.S. public on policies and programs designed to facilitate the attainment of fuller human potential; (2) solicit views from the public on the role of the individual, family, community, and government in researching, educating, and implementing techniques designed to increase human potential in body, mind, and spirit; (3) identify private and foundation financial resources to fund the Commission's operation; (4) establish a scientific advisory panel to assist in the evaluation of technologies and procedures calculated to develop fuller human potential; and (5) after consultation with the Secretary of State, communicate with foreign governments and international organizations on the establishment of counterpart commissions, and prepare for an international meeting of such commissions (if they are established) prior to the preparation of its final report. Directs the Commission to prepare and transmit to the President and the Congress: (1) a report on its activities and recommendations within 18 months after the effective date of this joint resolution; and (2) a proposal for implementation of its recommendations within 24 months after such effective date. Sets forth provisions for Commission members. Directs the President and specified congressional officers to appoint such members, from representatives of an appropriate executive department, both Houses of the Congress, the field of extraordinary human performance research, physicians, the field of higher education, the clergy, organized labor, business management, retired individuals, high school students, and the general public. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 August 1988
States that the U.S. delegation to the United Nations Environment Program working group meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, for the purpose of drafting a global convention on the transboundary movement of hazardous waste should support inclusion in the convention of: (1) a global ban on all transboundary movements of hazardous waste; (2) a definition of hazardous waste that includes all wastes potentially adversely affecting human health; (3) provisions fostering environmentally sound technologies; and (4) a requirement that the ban apply even if the receiving country is not a party to the convention.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 1988
Information Dissemination and Research Accountability Act - Establishes in the National Library of Medicine a National Center for Research Accountability to assist in eliminating duplication of effort in Federal research proposals involving live animals. Directs the President to appoint as members of the Center 20 experts in the biomedical information sciences who are currently employed by a Federal agency in a capacity that qualifies them to make determinations as to whether research proposals involving live animals are duplicative of other research efforts. Sets forth provisions for a Director of the Center. Prohibits Federal agencies from carrying out or funding any research proposal involving live animals unless the proposal is submitted to the Center following agency approval. Prohibits Federal funding of any proposal the Center determines would duplicate other research completed or in process. Authorizes the Center to contract with private entities to assist in conducting comprehensive full-text literature searches. Directs the President to establish rules to preclude any conflict of interest in the awarding of these contracts. Directs the Center to report annually to the President and the Congress. Provides for modernization of biomedical information storage and dissemination by the National Library of Medicine. Directs the Library to: (1) acquire, in full-text form, all biomedical information owned or available for use by Federal agencies (except information already in the Library or classified for national security reasons); (2) transcribe and store in full-text all such information acquired by the Library after January 1, 1960; (3) make available to medical libraries, through modern technologies, all full-text biomedical information in its collection; (4) support, by grants and contracts, the creation of new information for teaching and demonstrations, including audiovisual aids and computer graphics technologies; (5) make available such new information to research and teaching institutions, at cost; and (6) increase the number of persons trained in modern methods of biomedical information storage and dissemination technologies by making available stipends, awards, and grants to persons engaged in such training. Provides that the cost to those requesting biomedical or teaching and demonstration information shall include the Federal expenses incurred in acquiring and making it available. Authorizes the Library to award contracts to the private-sector data recording industry to improve: (1) the development of technologies for storage and dissemination of full-text biomedical information; and (2) dissemination of such information to medical libraries for research use. Requires the Library to report annually to the Congress on its progress. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1988
Standardization of Measurement Act of 1988 - Directs the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) (now the National Institute of Standards and Technology): (1) within 60 days of this Act's enactment, to survey and evaluate existing standards for high strength steel bolts, and other fasteners, if appropriate; and (2) to submit to the appropriate congressional committees and implement, in coordination with voluntary standardization and testing organizations, recommendations for new tests and subgrades for improving standardization of bolt measurement. Directs the Secretary of Commerce, within 180 days of enactment, to establish within the NBS (NIST) a program for accreditation of bolt testing laboratories. Mandates that, effective January 1, 1991, only bolts meeting these standards may be certified as high strength steel bolts.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 1988
Condemns the Romanian Government's systematic violation of human rights. Protests the planned program of destruction of traditional settlements in violation of human rights, minority cultural rights, and property rights. Urges institutional reforms by the Romanian Government to comply with international agreements, including the Helsinki Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Urges continued presidential and Secretary of State action to bring about reforms. Urges the President not to consider providing any special benefit for Romania until a thorough human rights reform is instituted, including substantial actual improvement in the right of emigration, the rights of national minorities, and freedom of religion.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1988
Human Needs and Mobility Resolution - Expresses the sense of the Congress that a variety of transport options, particularly nonmotorized and low-cost options, should be encouraged as solutions for the mobility needs of the poor in developing nations. Urges the Agency for International Development to: (1) redirect resources to providing low-cost vehicles; and (2) report to the Congress on the effectiveness of multilateral development banks regarding lending for mobility needs of the poor in developing nations. Urges U.S. officials to increase the emphasis multilateral development banks place on nonmotorized, low-cost alternatives to private motor vehicles. Urges the Peace Corps to encourage the use of nonmotorized transport technologies in its projects and by its volunteers.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1988
Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to include estuaries and estuarine zones within the pollutant discharge permit program. Requires that ocean and estuary pollutant discharge guidelines take into account the need for a proposed discharge.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1988
Women's Business Ownership Act of 1988 - Title I: Congressional Findings and Purposes - Sets forth congressional findings and purposes with respect to small businesses owned and controlled by women. Title II: Demonstration Projects - Amends the Small Business Act to direct the Small Business Administration (SBA) to provide financial assistance to private organizations to conduct demonstration projects giving financial, management, and marketing assistance to small businesses, including start-up businesses, owned and controlled by women. Describes application criteria. Requires the SBA to report to the congressional Small Business Committees on the projects. Terminates authority for this pilot program on October 1, 1991. Authorizes appropriations. Title III: Procurement Assistance - Amends the Small Business Act to include small business concerns owned and operated by women as a discrete group for purposes of Government contracts and subcontracts and procurement programs. (Current law governing these programs refers expressly only to small business concerns and small business concerns owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals as groups targeted for assistance.) Instructs the Director of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization of each Federal agency to designate a Women-in-Business Specialist to be responsible for programs designed to assist concerns owned and controlled by women. Directs Federal agencies, in their procurement activities, to engage in affirmative action to identify and solicit offers from small businesses owned and controlled by either women or socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. Title IV: Access to Capital - Amends the Consumer Credit Protection Act to prohibit the Federal Reserve Board, except under limited circumstances, from exempting from such Act's provisions any class of transactions that are primarily for personal, family, or household purposes, or business or commercial loans made available by a financial institution. Limits to five years any exemption authorized under the circumstances specified in this Act, unless a subsequent determination is made that the exemption remains appropriate. Requires lenders to keep records relating to loans and to provide written notice to applicants of their right to receive notice of reasons for a loan denial. Authorizes the SBA to establish a certified loan program for lenders that display knowledge and proficiency with respect to SBA regulations and programs. Directs the SBA to encourage small business loans of $50,000 or less under both this new program and the preferred lenders program in FY 1989 through 1991 by permitting participating lenders to: (1) use their own forms without regard to SBA paperwork; and (2) retain one-half of the loan guarantee fee. Requires SBA reporting to specified congressional committees in connection with the certified loan program. Directs the Federal Reserve Board, the Comptroller of the Currency, the Department of Commerce, and the SBA jointly to study levels of availability of and demand for debt and equity capital by small businesses, as well as innovative financing techniques to meet any unmet demand. Requires reporting to the congressional Small Business Committees. Title V: National Women's Business Council - Establishes the National Women's Business Council to review the status of women-owned businesses nationwide and to develop detailed multiyear plans in connection with both private and public sector actions to assist and promote such businesses. Requires annual reporting to both the President and the Congress. Title VI: Statistical Data and Effect on Other Programs - Directs: (1) the Bureau of Labor Statistics to include in its census reports on women-owned businesses specified information on sole proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations; (2) the Bureau of the Census to include in its Business Census data the number of corporations that are 51 percent or more owned by women; (3) the SBA's Office of the Chief Counsel for Advocacy to report on the most cost-effective and accurate ways to gather and present the statistics required in these census reports; and (4) Federal agencies to report to the Office of Federal Procurement Policy the number of first-time contract recipients that are small businesses owned and controlled either by women or by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. Requires the President's annual Report on Small Business and Competition to include in separate detail information relevant to small businesses owned and controlled either by women or by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1988
Fastener Quality Assurance Act of 1988 - Defines "fastener" as a screw, nut, bolt, or stud having internal or external threads, or a washer commonly used to perform a load indicating or bearing stress distribution function, with a diameter of one-quarter inch or more and containing any steel. Prohibits the offering for sale or sale in interstate commerce of any fastener unless it bears a specified insignia and is part of a lot which: (1) conforms to standards and specifications represented by the manufacturer or ordered by the purchaser; and (2) has been inspected, tested, and certified according to this Act. Requires manufacturers to have a fastener lot sample inspected by a laboratory accredited under an approved system (including one owned or affiliated with the manufacturer if it is so accredited). Sets forth requirements governing sample size. Authorizes the laboratory, upon determination of conformance with the appropriate standards and specifications, to provide the manufacturer certificates with respect to such lot. Sets forth requirements for such certificates, the form of which is to be prescribed by the Secretary of Commerce (the Secretary) within 180 days after enactment of this Act. Directs the Secretary, also within such 180-day period, to issue regulations to establish a program for approval of any system for the accreditation of laboratories engaged in such inspection and testing of fasteners, if such system demonstrates that it has adopted or otherwise adheres to the requirements of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard. Directs the Secretary, if the responsible technical committee withdraws the ASTM Standard, to: (1) approve an alternative standard issued by the ASTM or another voluntary consensus standards organization; or (2) issue a standard which incorporates the ASTM Standard together with any necessary modifications. Directs the Secretary to approve or reapprove any system which demonstrates that it has adopted or otherwise adheres to such a new standard. Prohibits any manufacturer from selling any lot or portion of a lot of fasteners manufactured in the United States unless delivery to the first purchaser is accompanied by an original certificate from an accredited laboratory. Prohibits any person from selling any lot or portion of a lot of fasteners manufactured outside the United States to any importer or end user unless delivery is accompanied by such a certificate. Allows such delivery to an importer or private label distributor without the required certificate if: (1) the manufacturer discloses in writing the appropriate standards and specifications; and (2) the importer or private label distributor assumes responsibility in writing for the inspection and testing (for which purposes they shall be considered a manufacturer, except they must provide the laboratory with the manufacturer's written disclosure). Prohibits further sale or offer of sale unless delivery to the first subsequent purchaser is accompanied by an original certificate from an accredited laboratory. Requires that a copy of the original certificate be provided to subsequent purchasers who purchase at wholesale a lot or a portion from: (1) the purchaser of domestically manufactured fasteners; (2) the importer or end user who purchased foreign manufactured fasteners; (3) a private label distributor; or (4) any subsequent seller. Requires persons who make material physical alterations to a fastener subsequent to its manufacture to have such altered fastener inspected and tested before offering for sale or selling it. Requires manufacturers or private label distributors of fasteners offered for sale or sold in interstate commerce to: (1) be identified by a raised or depressed insignia on the surface or the fastener; and (2) comply with requirements of a program for recordation of such insignias. Directs the Secretary to establish such program, including regulations to ensure traceability, within 180 days after enactment of this Act. Sets forth civil remedies, including declaratory and injunctive relief, and criminal penalties, including fines and imprisonment, for violations of this Act. Sets forth recordkeeping requirements for laboratories, manufacturers, importers private label distributors, and wholesalers. Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to: (1) preempt any rights or causes of action that any buyer may have with respect to any seller of fasteners under the law of any State, except in so far as such State law conflicts with this Act; and (2) limit or otherwise affect the authority of the National Bureau of Standards or any voluntary consensus standards organization to establish, modify, or withdraw any standards and specifications under any other law or authority in effect on the date of enactment of this Act. Applies this Act only to fasteners fabricated more than 240 days after its enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1988
Amends the Export Administration Act of 1979 to prohibit the export of petroleum products (from Alaska and from the rest of the United States) that are domestically produced by oil refineries owned by non-U.S. citizens. Sets forth specified exceptions.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 1988
Waste Export Prohibition Act - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to prohibit the exportation of solid waste from the United States, except as provided for by this Act. Permits the exportation of solid waste in compliance with a bilateral agreement entered into before this Act's enactment between the United States and the country to which the waste is exported. Makes the exportation prohibition inapplicable to materials exported and destined for recycling or reuse unless such material is: (1) a hazardous waste; (2) a substance whose storage, treatment, or disposal is regulated under the Toxic Substances Control Act; (3) mixed municipal solid waste; or (4) ash or other residue from the incineration of solid waste. Subjects persons who violate the solid waste exportation prohibition to a fine and/or imprisonment.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 1988
Prohibits the proposed sale of F/A-18C/D aircraft, Cluster bomb units, and Sidewinder, Sparrow, Harpoon, and Maverick missiles to Kuwait.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 1988
Directs the Federal Communications Commission to establish and implement a telecommunications relay system to increase access to Federal departments and agencies for users of Telecommunications Devices for the Deaf (TDDs). Requires the system and its associated plans to include: (1) expansion of the existing relay system to a prescribed minimum service level; (2) accessibility of TDDs in Federal agencies; (3) publication of a TDD directory of Government access numbers; (4) adoption and display of logos identifying TDD stations; and (5) support for the development of cost-reducing technologies. Directs the FCC to complete its existing inquiry concerning an interstate relay system for TDD users. Requires that the Congress install TDDs and assure their accessibility in congressional offices as soon as practicable. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 1988
Recyclable Materials Science and Technology Development Act of 1988 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to study and report to the Congress concerning: (1) means to increase the use of degradable materials in manufactured goods; (2) technologies for recycling nondurable consumer products; and (3) ways to expand the marketing of recycled products. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to study and report to the Congress concerning the feasibility of recycling nondegradable medical supplies and of substituting degradable for nondegradable materials in medical equipment and supplies. Directs the Secretary of Defense to study and report to the Congress on the national defense and security implications of requiring the use of degradable materials in defense items. Instructs the Secretary of Agriculture to initiate a pilot project to develop and demonstrate viable technology for composting municipal waste and sewage sludge. Prescribes required features of the project. Requires the Secretary to report project results to the Congress. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to appoint a Director of Recycling Research and Information to: (1) make grants to support research into innovative recycling technology; and (2) gather and disseminate information on recycling technology. Describes possible research grant activities. Authorizes appropriations. Prohibits, effective five years after this Act's enactment, the production, manufacture, distribution, sale, or delivery of nonrecycled consumer goods, fast food in nondegradable containers, and packaging for specified purposes that contains any material that is not naturally degradable. Establishes both civil and criminal penalties for violations. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Secretary of Commerce jointly to issue regulations to govern the designation of goods and materials for noncompliance purposes. Prescribes criteria with respect to these regulations, including exemptions. Directs the Secretary to publish and periodically update lists of items and materials affected by the prohibition on activities involving nonrecyclable items.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 1988
Affordable Housing Act - Title I: Housing Assistance - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to provide construction and rehabilitation grants and operating assistance in order to expand and maintain the permanent supply of affordable housing for very low-income and other lower income families. Grants priority to homeless families. Sets forth program requirements, including recipient preferences, tenant rights, and assistance use restrictions. Requires an annual program report to the Congress. Authorizes appropriations beginning in FY 1989. Terminates such authorization upon the acquisition, construction, or rehabilitation of a specified number of housing units. Title II: Revenue Measures - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase to 25 percent the rate of the alternative minimum tax for both corporate and noncorporate taxpayers. (The current corporate rate is 20 percent, 21 percent for noncorporate taxpayers.) Reduces from 80 percent to 50 percent the income tax deduction for business meal and entertainment expenses. Amends provisions relating to the basis for calculating taxes on property a taxpayer acquires from a decedent to: (1) eliminate a special rule with respect to the stock of a domestic international sales corporation (DISC); (2) update the carryover basis rules to refer to property acquired from decedents dying after December 31, 1988 (current law refers to 1979); and (3) permit a tax exclusion of gain when an estate's executor uses certain appreciated carryover basis property to satisfy the right of a person to receive a pecuniary request. Repeals capital gains rules relating to foreign investment company stock acquired from a decedent. Requires estate executors to: (1) file information returns in connection with carryover basis property; and (2) provide written notice to recipients of such property. Prescribes penalties for failure to report. Increases the excise taxes on cigars (from 75 cents to $1.88 per thousand for small cigars), cigarettes (from eight cents to 16 cents per thousand for small cigarettes and from $16.80 to $33.60 per thousand for large cigarettes), cigarette papers and tubes, and smokeless tobacco (from 24 cents to 60 cents per pound for snuff and from eight cents to 20 cents per pound for chewing tobacco).
United States · United States Congress · 6 July 1988
Urges the Government of Singapore to: (1) release all political prisoners; (2) respect the rights of lawyers; (3) investigate mistreatment of political detainees; and (4) respect the rights of Singaporeans to openly criticize Government policies and speak freely with representatives of human rights organizations, foreign diplomats, and the media. Commends the State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Singapore for monitoring human rights in Singapore. Calls upon the Secretary of State to: (1) urge the Singaporean Government to release persons imprisoned without trial for the peaceful expression of their beliefs; and (2) communicate to the Government of Singapore that contacts between Singaporean citizens and U.S. Embassy officials are an essential aspect of U.S. foreign policy.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1988
Federal Retirement Applications Processing Act of 1988 - Requires Federal agencies to ensure that employee personnel files include information of all Federal employment for retirement purposes within 180 days after an employee begins service with an agency. Requires an agency, if an employee gives at least four months to one year's notice of intent to retire, to: (1) inform such employee of the agency retirement counselor and applicable seminars; and (2) begin processing disability retirement applications not later than 30 days after the date of the application. Requires the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to compile quarterly information on the number of retirement applications submitted by agencies and their timeliness and accuracy. Requires agencies that are less than 90 percent timely or more than ten percent inaccurate to prepare corrective action plans to achieve compliance. Directs OPM to report to the Congress annually on such compliance. Requires the agency retirement counselor to conduct seminars at least twice a year.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1988
Revises conflict-of-interest provisions concerning Department of Defense procurement to prohibit former Department officers and employees and former or retired members of the armed services who participated in decisionmaking responsibilities concerning defense contractors from accepting compensation from such contractors for a two-year period following separation from the Department. (Present law imposes such prohibitions only on those officials who performed procurement functions for a majority of working days or who participated in negotiations of contracts or claims in excess of $10,000,000.) Imposes criminal penalties for violations of such prohibition. (Present law provides only civil penalties.) Imposes criminal penalties upon any person who knowingly offers or provides such compensation to a former defense procurement official. (Present law imposes only civil penalties.) Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to exempt from such requirements certain persons appointed to sensitive civilian procurement executive positions. Specifies that such an exemption shall be made with the concurrence of the Director of the Office of Government Ethics. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress concerning any such exemptions. Requires the Secretary to provide each defense procurement official separated from service a written notice containing: (1) an explanation of the provisions of this Act; and (2) the name of each contractor from whom such person is prohibited from accepting compensation. Specifies that the provisions of this Act shall not apply to contracts for less than $100,000 or to contractors who did less than $100,000 worth of business with the Department in the preceding fiscal year. Allows any person who is considering the propriety of accepting compensation from a defense contractor to apply to the Director of the Office of Government Ethics for advice on the applicability of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1988
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Federal law governing the taxation of State and local government bonds should not be changed in order to increase Federal revenues.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1988
Title I: Municipal Incinerator Emissions - Amends the Clean Air Act to direct the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate performance standards to control emissions of particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, lead, cadmium, dioxins, dibenzofurans, hydrogen chloride, and mercury from municipal waste incineration units. Requires that such standards reflect the greatest degree of emission limitation achievable through application of the best available control technologies and practices. Deems specified practices and control technologies to be available. Requires that such standards be promulgated within one year of this Act's enactment, take effect within 18 months of enactment, and be reviewed and, if necessary, revised within three years of promulgation and every five years thereafter. Sets forth emission control standards which will be applicable should the EPA fail to promulgate standards. Requires the EPA to promulgate a timetable, within one year of this Act's enactment, for existing municipal waste incineration units to comply with emission control standards, taking into account the remaining useful life of the unit and the threat the unit poses to human health and the environment. Sets forth the maximum number of years which such timetable may allow for the compliance, providing more time as a unit's additional pollution control equipment costs represent a larger proportion of its capital costs. Requires owners or operators of municipal waste incineration units to monitor emissions at the point such emissions move into ambient air and at such other points as necessary to protect human health and the environment and to report the results of such monitoring. Sets monitoring standards, including ones for continuous and periodic monitoring. Sets a 20-year limit on unit permits. Provides for the termination of such a permit if: (1) the unit is not in compliance with permit terms and conditions; (2) compliance with additional conditions is necessary to protect human health and the environment, or will impose minimal costs on the unit owner or operator and reduce air emissions below levels specified in the permit; or (3) enforceable contracts for the treatment or disposal of the unit's ash for the succeeding five years do not exist. Requires that a permit be reviewed at least once every five years. Authorizes concurrent State enforcement of unit emission standards, provided such enforcement is equivalent to Federal enforcement under this Act. Requires that civil penalties imposed against municipalities pursuant to this Act be applied in support of public programs and activities that enhance the protection of the health and environment of their residents. Directs the EPA to establish a model State program, within 18 months of this Act's enactment, for the training and certification of municipal waste incinerator personnel. Requires that incinerator personnel be certified pursuant to a State or EPA training and certification program which is consistent with such program. Subjects any person engaged in the manufacture or sale of municipal waste incineration units or components who misrepresents the performance characteristics of incinerator technology or equipment to a civil monetary penalty plus costs and damages caused by such misrepresentation. Includes as major emitting facilities under the Clean Air Act municipal incinerators capable of charging more than 50 tons of refuse per day. (Currently, only incinerators charging more than 250 tons per day are included.) Title II: Solid Waste Disposal Act Amendment - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to direct the EPA to promulgate regulations, within one year of this Act's enactment, for the safe management of municipal incinerator ash. Requires that landfills into which such ashes are disposed be monofills with groundwater monitoring, two synthetic liners, an additional lower liner, a leachate collection system above all liners, and a leak detection system between the two synthetic liners. Authorizes the disposal of ash in a landfill other than a monofill if requirements more stringent than those imposed on monofills apply. Authorizes the EPA to waive the applicability of this Act's landfill design requirements to solid waste management units receiving incinerator ash if an alternative design will provide at least as effective protection of human health and the environment as such requirements. Prohibits a State from issuing a permit to any new or modified municipal waste incineration unit after 18 months after this Act's enactment unless the State prepares a solid waste management plan which provides cost-effective maximization of resource conservation and the protection of human health and the environment through solid waste reduction, source separation or control, recycling, and other measures. Prohibits the issuance of a permit to a unit unless an ash management plan demonstrating compliance with this Act's requirements has been submitted for the ash from such unit. Requires that before a new or modified unit begins operations it have sufficient capacity to treat or dispose of its ash for the succeeding five years. Directs the EPA, in developing regulations for the management of municipal incinerator ash, to issue criteria and testing procedures for identifying the characteristics of such ash which may pose a hazard to human health or the environment. Authorizes the EPA to require the owner or operator of a municipal incinerator or any facility involved in ash management to test the ash in accordance with such criteria and testing procedures. Requires that any ash which is identified as posing a hazard to human health or the environment be: (1) disposed of pursuant to this Act's requirements; or (2) treated, in accordance with regulations to be promulgated by the EPA, so as to remove the hazards associated with such ash, including the migration of hazardous constituents. Subjects facilities receiving municipal incinerator ash to a permit or other prior approval program and conditions in accordance with a State's solid waste management program. Provides public notice and the opportunity or an informal public hearing prior to the issuance of a permit to an ash management facility. Authorizes the EPA to issue a corrective action order or commence a civil action against the offending facility when there has been a release of a hazardous ash constituent. Directs the EPA to publish guidelines, within one year of this Act's enactment, identifying items or materials that should be removed from municipal waste prior to incineration in order to reduce air emissions.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1988
Independent Defense Inspector General Act - Establishes the Office of the Defense Inspector General (Office) as an independent establishment within the executive branch. Provides that such office shall be headed by an Inspector General appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Specifies that the Inspector General shall not report to, or be subject to supervision by, the Secretary of Defense. Provides that the Inspector General shall appoint an Assistant Inspector General for Auditing and an Assistant Inspector General for Investigations. Specifies the various duties and responsibilities of the Inspector General, including: (1) providing policy direction for, and conducting and supervising audits and investigations relating to, the programs and operations of the Department of Defense; and (2) being the principal adviser to the Secretary of Defense for matters relating to the prevention and detection of fraud, waste, and abuse in the programs and operations of the Department of Defense. Requires the Inspector General, in carrying out the duties and responsibilities established under this Act, to: (1) give regard to the activities of the Comptroller General with a view toward avoiding duplication and insuring coordination and cooperation; (2) report to the Attorney General whenever reasonable grounds exist to believe there has been a violation of criminal law; and (3) carry out such duties and responsibilities in a manner that avoids compromising or endangering the national security. Requires the Inspector General to prepare semiannual reports concerning the activities of the Office and to furnish such reports to the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Sets forth administrative provisions concerning: (1) the authorities of the Inspector General to have access to records and documents of the Department of Defense; (2) the obtaining of information and assistance from other Federal agencies; and (3) office space and equipment. Requires the Inspector General to report to the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the Armed Services Committees whenever any requested information or assistance is unreasonably refused. Authorizes the Inspector General to receive and investigate complaints or information from employees of the Department of Defense concerning violations of law, waste, mismanagement, or dangers to public health or safety. Prohibits the Inspector General from disclosing the identity of such an employee without the consent of the employee, unless the Inspector General determines such disclosure is unavoidable during the course of an investigation. Prohibits taking or threatening to take any action against any such employee as a reprisal for making a complaint or disclosing information to the Inspector General. Prohibits any person from serving as Inspector General if he or she has served as an officer of the armed forces or has been employed by a defense contractor during the five-year period prior to nomination. Prohibits any person who has served as Inspector General from accepting compensation from a defense contractor for a period of five years after leaving office. Sets forth similar rules for employees of the Office for periods of three years before and after employment with the Office. Terminates the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Defense. Transfers all personnel, records, property and assets of such office to the Office established by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 1988
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Secretary of the Treasury should not regulate the donation of articles intended to relieve human suffering in Nicaragua, except as authorized for the President under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 1988
Amends the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 to prohibit the ocean dumping of sewage sludge or industrial waste 30 days after this Act's enactment. Imposes civil monetary penalties against persons who violate such prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 1988
Requires the President to provide the House of Representatives with specified documents (with respect to the assistance for Central America provided for in Public Law 100-276) concerning: (1) interpretations of such Act by the Legal Advisor of the Department of State or the Office of the General Counsel of the Agency for International Development (AID); (2) standards, procedures, and controls for the accountability of funds which have been adopted by AID pursuant to such Act; (3) the procurement outside of the United States, the receipt, and the end-use of any equipment, supplies, or other goods for the Nicaraguan democratic resistance using the funds made available by such Act; (4) funds made available by such Act for the Verification Commission established by the Sapoa Agreement of March 23, 1988; (5) the selection of, and agreements with, organizations to distribute assistance under such Act for children who are victims of the Nicaraguan civil strife; and (6) compliance with the requirements for the distribution to and use of such assistance by children.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1988
Amends the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act to require manufacturers and importers of cigarettes to place warnings on packages and in advertisements that the nicotine in cigarettes is an addictive drug.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 1988
International Cultural Survival Act of 1988 - Directs the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the Agency for International Development (AID) to ensure that: (1) U.S. foreign policy and foreign assistance promote the rights of indigenous and tribal people throughout the world; and (2) U.S. foreign assistance is not provided for any project or program detrimental to indigenous or tribal peoples' rights or livelihood. Requires the Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary, to prepare and submit to the Congress a baseline report on indigenous and tribal peoples in developing countries, including a discussion of the effects of U.S. bilateral and multilateral assistance. Requires the Administrator to consult with U.S.-based nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) with experience in monitoring and reporting on indigenous and tribal peoples, and with other interested persons, throughout the preparation of such report. Requires AID (in consultation with the Department of State) to use such organizations to monitor and analyze the situtation of indigenous and tribal peoples in developing countries on a regular basis. Requires the Administrator to prepare and submit to the Congress annual reports concerning the monitoring of indigenous and tribal peoples and updating of the required baseline report. Requires that a description of proposed activities to address the problems facing indigenous and tribal peoples be included in such report.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 1988
Urges the Government of Iran to uphold the human rights of all its nationals, including members of the Baha'i faith, and to restore fully the rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Calls upon the President to: (1) monitor and report on developments affecting the Baha'i minority in Iran and in other countries; (2) cooperate with other governments in continuing to make appeals to Iran concerning the situation of the Baha'is; (3) initiate and support efforts in the United Nations and its agencies on behalf of the Baha'is; and (4) provide, and urge others to provide, for refugee and humanitarian assistance for those Baha'is fleeing their homelands to escape religious repression.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1988
Debt for Development Act of 1988 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the use of up to $75,000,000 in loan repayments from developing countries in FY 1989 for development activities in those countries.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1988
Congressional and Judicial Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1988 - Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require that personnel actions affecting employees or applicants in the legislative and judicial branches of the Government be free from any discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, handicap, or age. Allows Members of Congress to take into consideration an individual's domicile and political affiliation. Establishes within the judicial branch an Employment Review Board. Provides that members of the board be appointed from the retired judges of the Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals. Authorizes an aggrieved individual to file a written complaint with the Board. Establishes procedures for the Board to investigate, settle, hear, and determine the claims alleged. Provides that if a violation is found an order for relief may compel the defendant to: (1) employ or reinstate such individual on such terms and conditions as may be appropriate, except that the Board may not compel any committee or Member of Congress to employ or reinstate, or modify the terms and conditions of employment of, any individual; (2) pay compensatory damages; and (3) pay fees and allowances of witnesses and reasonable attorneys' fees. Authorizes the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to review, enjoin, set aside, suspend, modify, or enforce orders of the Board. Requires members of the Board to submit written reports to the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct of the House of Representatives and the Senate Select Committee on Ethics describing complaints during the reporting period involved.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1988
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1988 - Provides that no person shall be subjected to discrimination on the basis of handicap in: (1) employment practices and training covered by title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; (2) the sale or rental of housing covered by title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968; (3) any public accommodation covered by title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; (4) transportation services; (5) the actions, practices, and operations of State and local governments; and (6) broadcasts, communications, or telecommunications services. Lists the forms of discrimination which are prohibited by this Act, including: (1) denying any person the opportunity to participate in or benefit from a service, program, job, or other opportunity on the basis of his or her handicap; (2) establishing (or failing to remove) any architectural, transportation, or communication barriers that prevent the access or limit the participation of persons because of their handicap; (3) failing or refusing to make a reasonable accommodation to permit a handicapped individual to have access to a program, activity, job, or opportunity; (4) imposing any unnecessary standard or criteria that screens out or places the handicapped at a disadvantage; and (5) denying services, programs, jobs, or other opportunities to any person because of that person's relationship to, or association with, a handicapped person. Permits the exclusion or denial of equal access to services, programs, jobs, or other opportunities to persons: (1) for reasons unrelated to the existence of their handicap; or (2) based upon the application of standards or criteria that are necessary and substantially related to the ability to perform essential components of the job, program, activity, or opportunity, and such performance can not be accomplished by a reasonable accommodation. States that it shall be an act of discrimination, in regard to housing, to discriminate in the sale or rental of a dwelling (or in the terms, conditions, or privileges of such sale or rental) to any buyer or renter because of the physical or mental impairment of: (1) the buyer or renter; (2) a person residing in, or intending to reside in, such dwelling; or (3) any person associated with the buyer or renter. States that it shall be an act of discrimination to: (1) refuse to permit reasonable modifications, at the expense of the handicapped person, to afford such person enjoyment of the premises; (2) refuse to make reasonable accommodation in rules, policies, practices, or services to afford handicapped individuals equal opportunity to use and enjoy the dwelling; or (3) fail to design and construct multifamily dwellings (after a specified date) which are not accessible to the handicapped. Provides certain limitations on the duties of accommodation and barrier removal. Sets forth guidelines for the establishment of requirements and promulgation of regulations by specified Federal entities with respect to: (1) the accessibility of buildings and transportation systems; (2) the implementation and enforcement of the requirements of this Act; (3) employment practices; (4) the sale and rental of housing; and (5) the removal of communication barriers. Establishes procedures for the administrative enforcement of the provisions of this Act. Establishes a civil right of action for individuals who are subjected to discrimination in violation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1988
Defense Savings Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to: (1) close or realign military installations as recommended by the Commission on Base Realignment and Closure in the report transmitted to the Secretary pursuant to the charter establishing such Commission; and (2) initiate all such closures and realignments no later than September 30, 1991, and complete all such closures and realignments no later than September 30, 1995. Outlines certain conditions to such closures or realignments, including timely notice to the Congress of the Secretary's decision to accept and implement all of the closures and realignments recommended by the Commission. Terminates the authority of the Secretary to carry out any closure or realignment as of October 1, 1995. Directs the Commission, no later than December 31, 1988, to transmit its report to the Secretary and to the appropriate congressional committees with a certification that it has identified all the military installations to be closed or realigned by reviewing all military installations inside the United States. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) carry out appropriate action to implement any such closure or realignment; (2) provide appropriate economic adjustment and community planning assistance to communities affected by any such closure or realignment; (3) carry out appropriate activities for the purpose of environmental restoration; (4) sell or exchange any real property under the control of the Department of Defense and located at such an installation; and (5) deposit funds received from any such sale or exchange into the Department of Defense Base Closure Account. Outlines administrative procedures in connection with the sale or transfer of property in connection with a closure or realignment to a Federal, State, or local government entity. Requires the Secretary to include specified information concerning such closures or realignments as part of each annual request to the Congress for authorization of appropriations. Requires the Secretary to conduct a study of actions planned with respect to military installations outside the United States which may affect the recommendations of the Commission and to report the findings and conclusions to the Commission and to the appropriate committees of the Congress no later than September 15, 1988. Requires the Secretary to notify the Congress in writing when a decision is made to carry out a construction project to facilitate a closure or realignment and the amount required for such project is greater than the maximum amount for a minor construction project. Establishes in the Treasury the Department of Defense Base Closure Account and authorizes appropriations to be transferred to such Account. Requires the Secretary, no later than 60 days after the end of each fiscal year in which the Secretary carries out activities under this Act, to report to the appropriate congressional committees on the amount and nature of deposits into, and expenditures from, the Account during such fiscal year. Requires another report from the Secretary, no later than 60 days after the termination of the authority of the Secretary to carry out an alignment or closure under this Act, concerning funds used and remaining in such Account.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 1988
Directs the Attorney General, in coordination with the Secretary of State, to provide visa (H-1) extensions of at least one year for alien nurses whose visas expire between January 1, 1988, and September 30, 1989.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1988
Solar Development Initiative Act of 1988 - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 through 1991 for specified Federal solar energy research and development programs. Directs the Secretary of Energy to develop a complementary solar and renewable energy research program which: (1) has near-term commercial applications; and (2) enhances the international competitiveness of the solar and renewable energy industries. Authorizes appropriations for such program for FY 1989 through 1991. Directs the Secretary of Energy to establish an information-dissemination program for Federal procurement and loan officers regarding the application of solar heating and cooling technology in Federal buildings. Mandates that the renewable energy technologies programs established by the Secretary of Commerce be funded in FY 1989 through 1991 through the Department of Energy at a specified maximum level. Amends the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act to direct the President to take into account, when determining whether to designate a beneficiary country, the degree to which it undertakes self-help measures to promote energy self-sufficiency using locally available renewable energy resources. Mandates that the design for new Federal facilities for specified agencies include consideration of energy systems using solar energy or other renewable energy forms. Amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to mandate that a specified minimum percentage of loan authority be available only for solar and renewable energy loans. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the Overseas Private Investment Corporation to include among its special projects incentives, grants and studies for renewable energy and other small business activities. Prohibits the use of administrative funds for such projects. Amends the Small Business Act to: (1) repeal provisions regarding loans to small business concerns for solar energy and energy conservation measures; (2) mandate that a certain percentage of loan authority be used only for small business energy measures; and (3) direct the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to give due consideration to the export potential of solar and renewable energy products, and to include a list of solar and renewable energy loan guarantees in an annual report to the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1988
Salvadoran Foreign Assistance Reform Resolution - Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the U.S. foreign assistance program for El Salvador should be revised to promote a negotiated settlement and a reduction of human suffering; (2) the ratio of assistance should be reversed in FY 1989 so that the amount spent on the war effort is only one-third of the amount spent for reform and development activities; (3) such assistance should not be distributed in a manner which would promote the interests of any particular political party; (4) such assistance should be distributed through church-related and other nongovernmental organizations and international organizations selected by the Agency for International Development; and (5) the President should report quarterly to the Congress on the restructuring of such assistance, the economic results of such restructuring, and any reports of corruption in its distribution.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 1988
Amends the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 to prohibit any person from dumping sewage sludge into the ocean without having obtained from the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency a permit imposing a special disposal fee for each dry ton dumped. Requires permittees to: (1) deposit 75 percent of such fees in a trust account for subsequent use on projects to eliminate ocean dumping after 1992; (2) pay 15 percent of such fees to the Administrator for sludge disposal research, reporting, and permit activities; and (3) pay ten percent of such fees to the Department in which the Coast Guard is operating for use by the Coast Guard in enforcing sewage sludge ocean dumping laws. Authorizes the Administrator to waive the fee requirement for permittees who have entered into a compliance agreement with the Administrator which phases out and terminates ocean dumping of sewage sludge by 1993 and sets forth a schedule for the implementation of an alternate sludge disposal system. Directs the Administrator to report to the Congress at six-month intervals on land-based disposal options for sewage sludge and the progress made by permittees toward the cessation of ocean dumping of such sludge. Outlaws the ocean dumping of municipal sludge after 1992. Imposes a civil fine for each dry ton of sludge dumped in violation of this Act's requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 1988
National Biological Diversity Conservation and Environmental Research Act - States that the conservation of biological diversity is a national priority. Requires Federal actions to be consistent with such goal. Amends the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to require that environmental impact statements on proposed Federal actions include any impacts on biological diversity. Directs the President's Council on Environmental Quality to: (1) establish guidelines for consideration of biological diversity in the preparation of environmental impact statements; and (2) identify those biotic communities, species, and populations that appear to be in decline, in imminent danger of loss of viability, or otherwise of special concern. Establishes a National Center for Biological Diversity and Environmental Research (Center) responsible for: (1) coordinating the collection of data pertaining to the national biota and supplementing and disseminating such information; (2) arranging and conducting surveys and supplementary research of the national biota; and (3) enhancing the application of biological data to the conservation of biological diversity. Requires the Center to report annually to the President and the Congress regarding its activities. Establishes an Interagency Working Committee on Biological Diversity responsible for preparing and implementing a coordinated Federal strategy for conservation of biological diversity. Sets forth the required contents of such strategy which must be completed within two years of this Act's enactment. Sets forth reporting requirements. Authorizes each agency represented on the Interagency Committee to provide grants to public agencies, private individuals, and organizations for projects to maintain or restore biological diversity. Requires that such grants be matched on at least an equal basis by the grantee, except when the grantee is a State. Directs each agency, other than the Council on Environmental Quality, represented on the Interagency Committee to: (1) give high priority to research and personnel training directed towards implementation of the Strategy; and (2) assess the adequacy of its environmental research and training programs. Establishes, on a permanent basis, a National Scientific Advisory Committee on Biological Diversity which shall: (1) advise the Interagency Committee in the preparation of the Strategy; (2) assist in the coordination of interaction between the Interagency Committee and the Center; (3) assist in the evaluation of the impacts of proposed Federal activities on biological diversity; (4) review Federal progress toward implementing the Strategy; and (5) serve as a general reference and advisory resource for the Nation in matters relating to conservation of biological diversity. Authorizes appropriations for the activities of the Center and the grant program for FY 1989 through 1991.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 1988
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Energy Plan Act - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to report to the Congress within three years (but not earlier than two years) an energy plan which: (1) includes a national energy policy objectives statement; (2) focuses upon petroleum demand over an estimated period of potential production from the Arctic Coastal Plain; and (3) describes a resource portfolio to meet such demand. Outlines the contents of such report. Requires the Secretary to evaluate potential alternatives to meet petroleum demand scenarios on a consistent basis. Requires the Secretary to prepare a study of present and future oil and gas development in the Alaskan Arctic regions, (excluding the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge). Outlines the study contents. Requires that the energy plan and study be accompanied by a certain report incorporating a legislative action recommendation concerning the future management of specified lands under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 (Coastal Plain lands). Prohibits oil or gas exploration or production within the Coastal Plain, including land exchanges or leasing activities leading to production or exploration, until authorized by an Act of Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 1988
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Surgeon General should declare that drunk driving is a national crisis.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 1988
Directs the Agency for International Development (AID) to provide trauma care for victims of the Nicaraguan civil war through a contract with the Brown University Medical School's International Health Institute. Specifies that such care shall include: (1) a medical evacuation system; (2) a trauma care hospital center; and (3) a rehabilitation capability. Directs that such care be provided: (1) in accordance with guidelines specified by the American College of Surgeons; (2) on a nondiscriminatory basis; and (3) consistent with the requirements of the 1977 Protocols to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, the Esquipulas II Accord of August 1987, and the March 23, 1988, Nicaraguan cease fire agreement. Makes assistance under this Act contingent upon the approval of the Government of Nicaragua and the Nicaraguan resistance and upon assurances that no reprisals will be taken against wounded persons and that the trauma center established would not be subject to any harassment. Recommends a hospital in La Trinidad, Nicaragua, as the site of the trauma center. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 1988
Amends the Federal criminal code to make it unlawful for any person to manufacture, assemble, import, sell, possess, receive, ship, or deliver any firearm which is not: (1) as detectable as the Minimum Security Standard Exemplar, after the removal of grips, stocks, and magazines, by walk-through metal detectors calibrated and operated in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) standards for use at U.S. airports; or (2) impregnated with barium sulfate, or a similar compound, to facilitate detectability by cabinet x-ray systems. States that nothing in this Act shall require: (1) the FAA to utilize the Minimum Security Standard Exemplar as a FAA detection standard; or (2) that a firearm be made of any particular material or be of any particular weight as long as the detectability standard is met. States that firearms manufactured before the date of enactment of this Act, and the frame or receiver of any firearm, shall be excluded from coverage under this Act. Prohibits the Secretary of the Treasury from authorizing the importation of undetectable firearms. Provides increased criminal penalties for using or carrying an undetectable firearm during the commission of a crime of violence or a drug trafficking crime. Defines the term "Minimum Security Standard Exemplar" to mean a firearm substitute used for testing that resembles a revolver, is made of material type 17-4 PH stainless, and weighs four ounces. Directs the Administrator of the FAA to conduct research to improve the effectiveness of airport security metal detectors and airport security x-ray systems. Directs the Administrator of the FAA, the Director of the Secret Service, and the Director of the Marshals Service to conduct a study to identify available equipment capable of detecting the Minimum Security Standard Exemplar while distinguishing innocuous metal objects. Allows the Secretary, when appropriate because of changed technology, to submit proposed legislation to amend the definition of Minimum Security Standard Exemplar.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 1988
Provides that restrictions may be applied to information, counseling, or services provided by family planning entities abroad that receive U.S. assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 only to the extent that the same restrictions apply to domestic family planning entities receiving funds under the Public Health Service Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 1988
Global Poverty Reduction Act - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to direct the President to develop a plan to ensure that U.S. development assistance contributes measurably toward eradicating the worst aspects of absolute poverty by the year 2000. Requires that such plan include target dates for reaching specific measurable goals whose attainment would contribute to direct improvements in the living standards of the poorest 40 percent of the population. Specifies that such goals shall include reducing the mortality rate of infants under age five, increasing the female literacy rate, and reducing the percentages of populations below the absolute poverty level by specified amounts by the year 2000. Directs that primary emphasis of development activities to restore the renewable natural resource base shall be on small-scale, affordable, low-risk local projects featuring close consultation with, and involvement of, local people at all stages of project design and implementation. Requires the President to submit the plan to the Congress by July 1, 1989. Requires all U.S. development assistance to be directed at attaining plan goals between October 1, 1989, and December 31, 2000. Requires the President to submit annual reports to the Congress detailing progress toward achieving plan goals. Directs the Comptroller General to review and comment on each report issued. Directs the President to host an international development conference for heads of governments of development assistance donor and recipient countries by October 16, 1989, to conclude an international agreement on eliminating the worst aspects of absolute poverty by the year 2000.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1988
Marine Research Act of 1988 - Amends the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 to authorize the establishment of Regional Marine Research Centers (Centers) to plan, coordinate, and support research, monitoring, and assessment activities concerned with the quality of the marine environment. Authorizes the Governors of a majority of States in a marine research region to develop and submit for approval to the Marine Research Coordination Board (Board) a combined, interstate proposal for a Center which identifies the research organizations which will participate in the Center and the goals of such Center. Identifies the marine research regions as the Gulf of Maine, Greater New York Bight, Mid-Atlantic Bight, Tropical, Gulf of Mexico, Southern California Bight, North Pacific, Gulf of Alaska and Arctic Seas, Insular Pacific, and Great Lakes Regions. Requires each Center to develop and submit for the Board's approval every three years a marine research plan which: (1) identifies research needs and priorities in the region over the next ten years; (2) inventories all federally-funded projects regarding the marine environment expected to be conducted in the region during the three-year term of the plan; (3) explains the means by which the Center will select and supervise projects to be funded under this Act; (4) describes each project expected to be assisted with appropriations authorized pursuant to this Act; and (5) lists the equipment and supplies used commonly for research projects in the region. Authorizes the Board to make annual administrative, research, and equipment grants to Centers which submit applications for such grants. Sets forth reporting requirements. Requires each Center to support baseline monitoring of fundamental marine environmental conditions and submit periodic reports on the status of marine environmental quality and resources in the region to the Board. Requires that such reports be made available to the public, State Governors, and local, State, and Federal agencies. Authorizes the establishment of the Marine Research Coordination Board at the Federal level to manage and coordinate the efforts of the Centers and report periodically to the Congress on the activities and findings of such Centers. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 through 1993.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1988
Includes incurred expenses for medical or remedial care that are not subject to payment by a third party within an individual's income when determining his or her eligibility or level of assistance under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1988
Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Commercialization and Development Act - Requires the Secretary of Energy to establish specific technical research and development performance goals for Department of Energy programs relating to: (1) photovoltaics; (2) wind; (3) solar thermal; (4) biofuels; (5) solar building and energy systems; (6) ocean energy systems; and (7) geothermal energy. Mandates that such goals be designed to promote significant further commercial applications by 1995. Requires the Secretary to report annually to the Congress with respect to biennial technical performance goal reviews and updates. Requires the Secretary to include in the FY 1990 budget request funding for at least three commercial demonstration projects involving renewable energy technologies. States that 50 percent of such project costs shall be funded by the United States and 50 percent shall be funded by the private sector. Cites circumstances under which the United States may fund up to 66 percent of such project costs. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 through 1991 for: (1) specified renewable energy programs; (2) energy conservation research and development programs; and (3) a Federal interagency working group (established under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to make recommendations regarding the coordination of Federal programs affecting commerce in renewable energy products and related services). Requires that each annual submission of the National Energy Policy Plan be accompanied by a three-year strategic plan for energy technology research, including energy efficiency and renewable energy.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1988
Amends the National Ocean Pollution Planning Act of 1978 to: (1) establish an Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere in the Department of Commerce; and (2) eliminate the position of Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Substitutes the Under Secretary for the Administrator for purposes of the Act. Makes the Director of the National Ocean Pollution Program Office responsible for the administration of the National Ocean Pollution Program. Requires the National Ocean Pollution Policy Board to report simultaneously to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Congress on all department and agency budget requests relating to the comprehensive Federal plan on ocean pollution. (Currently such report does not need to be submitted simultaneously to OMB and the Congress.) Extends through FY 1990 the authorization of appropriations to carry out the purposes of the National Ocean Pollution Planning Act of 1978. Requires that certain information regarding ocean pollution research activities associated with the Great Lakes be disseminated by June 1 annually to governmental agencies and other persons interested in such information. (Currently such information must be disseminated in a timely manner.)
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1988
Amends title II (monitoring and research programs for ocean and coastal dumping) of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 to require the Secretary of Commerce to ensure that the comprehensive and continuing program of research into the long-range effects of pollution, overfishing, and man-induced changes of ocean ecosystems is consistent with the comprehensive plan relating to ocean pollution developed under the National Ocean Pollution Planning Act of 1978. Directs the Under Secretary of Commerce to report to the Congress on October 31 of each year on the title II monitoring and research programs carried out by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency and the amount of funds allocated to each of such programs. Authorizes appropriations under title II through FY 1990.