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United States · Official source
2,652 records where Rep. Skeen, Joe [R-NM-2] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1989
Amends rule IV of the Rules of the House of Representatives to direct the Sergeant-at-Arms to obtain and distribute the customary metal tags provided for under the District of Columbia Traffic Act, 1925 which identify congressional vehicles.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1989
Amends accounting provisions of the Internal Revenue Code to permit licensed used automobile dealers to use the installment method in connection with retail sales of any automobile that is more than three years old at the time of the sale if: (1) the sales price is $6,000 or less; and (2) the installment obligation arises solely from the sale in question and has a term of 36 months or less.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1989
Title I: Repeal of Certain Provisions in Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act of 1988 - Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Amendments of 1989 - Repeals provisions of the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act of 1988 (the Act) establishing a Supplemental Medicare Premium and providing Medicare coverage (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) of prescription drugs and insulin, home intravenous drug therapy services, screening mammographies, and in-home care for chronically dependent individuals. Amends the Medicare program to increase the limit on Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) out-of-pocket expenses incurred by beneficiaries for 1990. Gears future adjustments of such limit to changes in expenses of the Medicare trust funds. Modifies the Act's premium financing mechanisms. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require States to establish the family income eligibility level for Medicaid coverage of Medicare cost-sharing amounts at at least 85 percent of the Federal poverty level. (Currently, States must phase-in such coverage for all families whose income is below the Federal poverty level.) Requires Medicaid coverage of prescription drugs for individuals who are at least 65 years old and whose income does not exceed 150 percent of the Federal poverty level. Directs the Boards of Trustees of the Medicare trust funds to include in their reports to the Congress in April 1990 an analysis, performed by the Secretary of the Treasury, of options to strengthen the long-term solvency of such trust funds. Title II: Tax Provisions Related to Long-Term Care Insurance - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to treat certain long-term care insurance which the Secretary certifies is providing coverage to each covered person who is age 50 or older for at least one year for diagnostic, preventive, therapeutic, rehabilitation, maintenance, or personal care services provided in a setting other than the acute care unit of a hospital as accident or health insurance when taxing issuers of such insurance (hereafter referred to as qualified long-term care insurance). Provides that for the purpose of determining whether a tax exclusion applies to an employee's receipt of benefits from qualified long-term care insurance such benefits shall be considered to be for personal injury or sickness, and medical care. Excludes from taxation: (1) the portion of distributions from individual retirement plans which is used during the year to pay the premiums for qualified long-term care coverage of individuals who are age 59 1/2 or older on the date of distribution; and (2) amounts received when an individual who has attained age 65 surrenders, cancels, or exchanges a life insurance contract and used during such year to pay the premiums for qualified long-term care insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1989
Holloway-Schulze Toddler Tax Credit Act of 1989 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow the custodial parent a refundable income tax credit for each dependent child under the age of six (five in 1990 through 1993). Establishes the credit amount as the lesser of $1,000 or 12 percent of income below $10,000 for a single qualified dependent. Limits application of the credit to two eligible dependents. Reduces the credit for taxpayers earning more than $10,000. Makes this credit and the employment-related dependent care credit mutually exclusive. Applies phase-in amounts for tax years beginning in 1990 through 1993. Indexes post-1994 credit amounts. Provides for advance toddler tax credit payments by employers to employees who provide certification of eligibility. Requires taxpayers to file information returns to reflect these payments. Reduces the amount of the employment-related dependent care credit for taxpayers with adjusted gross income above $50,000. Disallows application of the credit with respect to a taxpayer's dependent under age 13 who is physically and mentally capable of self-care. Repeals the income tax exclusion applied in connection with amounts furnished to an employee in accordance with an employer dependent care assistance program.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1989
Drug-Free Housing Act of 1989 - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to make ineligible for public housing assistance, and expedite procedure for evicting, persons involved in drug-related criminal activity.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1989
Designates the week of September 24, 1989, as Religious Freedom Week.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1989
Child Care Assistance Act - Title I: Amendments to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 - Subtitle A: Young Child Tax Credit - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a new refundable tax credit, the Young Child Tax Credit. Allows families with incomes not exceeding $10,000 the credit of 12 percent of their earned income for one of their children under age five, plus six percent for each of up to two additional children under age five. Sets the maximum credit at $1,000 per year for one qualifying child, $1,500 for two, and $2,000 for three or more. Phases out the credit by reducing it by ten percent of so much of the adjusted gross income (or, if greater, the earned income) as exceeds $10,000. Allows advance payments of the credit. Subtitle B: Incentives for Employer Provided Child Care - Establishes a new business-related tax credit, the Dependent Care Assistance Program Credit. Allows the credit to employers for ten percent of their expenditures for payment or provision of services under a qualified dependent care assistance program for their employees. Directs the Secretary of Labor to: (1) study barriers to employers providing child care services for their employees; and (2) report within 540 days to specified congressional committees on such study, with recommendations on removal of barriers and on incentives for employers to provide such services. Title II: Block Grants to States for Activities Relating to Dependent Care Services - Amends the State Dependent Care Development Grants Act to increase the authorization of appropriations for FY 1990 and to extend it through FY 1992, for grants to States for planning and development of dependent care programs. Revises and expands the authorized uses of allotments of such block grants to States. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report annually to specified congressional committees on State programs carried out with such block grants. Requires States to submit such reports on their use of grants as the Secretary may require. Changes the short title of such Act to the State Dependent Care Block Grants Act. Title III: Child Care Liability Risk Retention Group - Authorizes any State to assist in the establishment and operation of a child care liability risk retention group (i.e. a corporation or other limited liability association whose members are child care providers licensed or accredited pursuant to State or local law or standards, and which otherwise satisfies specified criteria for risk retention groups). Sets forth State application requirements. Requires State plans to: (1) identify the lead agency designated and responsible for the administration of funds under this part; (2) provide that all participants in the child care liability risk retention group are child care providers who are licensed or accredited pursuant to State or local law or standards; (3) provide for maximum membership of family-based child care providers in the group; (4) provide that the State shall use at least the amount allotted to establish or maintain a liability risk retention group for child care providers; and (5) specify how any such liability risk retention group will continue to be financed after FY 1992, including by contributions by the State or by members of such pool. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to review and approve State plans and to monitor State compliance with requirements of this title. Provides for suspension of payments upon a finding of noncompliance. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 to carry out this title and to remain available for assistance to States for FY 1990 through 1992. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to reserve specified portions of such funds for payments to specified U.S. territories and for administrative costs. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to allot the remainder to States on the basis of the number of children under 13 years of age. Permits a portion of such allotments to be used for State administrative costs. Sets forth provisions relating to entitlement, method, and State spending of allotment payments. Title IV: Revolving Loan Fund - Provides assistance for State-established revolving loan funds to enable family-based child care providers to meet accreditation or licensing standards. Requires each applicant State to establish a revolving loan fund, along with specified procedures and guidelines. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990, to remain available for assistance to States for FY 1990 through 1992. Directs the Secretary to make allotments to States through a formula based on the number of children under 12 years of age.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1989
Coast Guard License Verification Act - Amends the National Driver Register Act of 1982 to authorize applicants for new and renewed merchant seamen licenses and certificates of registry to serve on or operate a commercial vessel to request the chief State driver licensing official to transmit to the Commandant of the Coast Guard information regarding such applicants' motor vehicle driving records. Prescribes the use of such information by the Commandant. Precludes access to information that was entered more than three years before the date of request unless it relates to revocations or suspensions which are still in effect on the date of request. Directs the Commandant to initiate a rulemaking to require each applicant to make available to the Commandant information regarding the motor vehicle driving record of the applicant.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1989
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit an individual taxpayer who files a timely return to elect to pay part or all of his or her income tax liability in three equal installments. Makes the entire amount of unpaid tax due and payable upon the notice and demand of the Secretary of the Treasury when an installment is not timely paid. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into a written agreement with a taxpayer under which the taxpayer may pay any tax liability in installments when the Secretary determines that the agreement will facilitate collection of the tax.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 1989
Authorizes the President to present a gold medal, on behalf of the Congress, to each of the following individuals in recognition of their contributions to this Nation's cultural heritage: (1) Frank Capra; (2) James Stewart; and (3) Fred Zinnemann. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to design a different gold medal for each such individual. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to strike and sell bronze duplicates of such medals at a price sufficient to cover the costs of such duplicates and the gold medals. Requires the appropriations to be reimbursed out of the sales proceeds. Designates all such medals as National Medals.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 1989
Educational Excellence Act of 1989 - Title I: Improving Elementary and Secondary Education - Part A: Presidential Merit Schools - Presidential Merit Schools Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to establish the Presidential Merit Schools Program to recognize and reward public and private elementary and secondary schools that have made substantial progress in: (1) raising student educational achievement, especially in reading, writing, and mathematics; (2) creating a safe and alcohol- and drug-free school environment; and (3) reducing the dropout rate. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1993. Authorizes State educational agencies (SEAs) to designate as a Merit School any public or private elementary or secondary school nominated through procedures established by the SEA. Sets forth requirements for selection criteria established by the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) and by SEAs. Provides that each Merit School will be awarded a Presidential Certificate of Merit, as well as funds to further its educational program. Prohibits Federal, State or local reduction of other assistance to a school because it receives such an award. Part B: Magnet Schools of Excellence - Magnet Schools of Excellence Act of 1989 - Amends ESEA to establish the Magnet Schools of Excellence Program of grants to support public elementary or secondary schools that: (1) offer the highest quality instruction in an academic or vocational discipline or create a unique and effective learning environment; (2) are open to students from beyond the immediate school attendance area; and (3) are capable of attracting students from a variety of backgrounds. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1993. Sets forth criteria for selection of applications. Limits such grants to any one school to no more than two years, and requires satisfactory progress in order to receive the grant for the second year. Prohibits Federal, State, or local reduction of assistance to a school because it receives such an award. Part C: Alternative Certification for Teachers and Principals - Alternative Certification of Teachers and Principals Assistance Act of 1989 - Amends ESEA to establish a program of assistance for Alternative Certification of Teachers and Principals. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990. Repeals this Part as of October 1, 1990. Part D: Presidential Awards for Excellence in Education - Amends ESEA to establish the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Education Program to recognize and reward outstanding elementary and secondary school teachers. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1993. Makes any full-time public or private elementary or secondary school teacher of academic or vocational subjects eligible for such an award. Makes teachers of religion (other than religion as an academic discipline) ineligible. Allows various individuals, groups, or institutions to nominate teachers for such awards. Requires State panels to select award recipients using criteria approved by the Secretary. Sets the amount of such an award at $5,000, and allows the recipient to use it for any purpose. Part E: Effective Date - Sets the effective date of the amendments made by this title. Title II: National Science Scholars - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to establish the National Science Scholars Program to recognize student excellence and achievement in the physical, life, and computer sciences, mathematics, and engineering. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1993. Authorizes the Secretary to award scholarships to outstanding students selected as National Science Scholars by the President. Allows students who satisfy certain requirements to receive such scholarships for the first year of undergraduate study and, if they satisfy additional requirements, additional scholarships to cover the remaining undergraduate years. Directs the Secretary to appoint a panel of experts to recommend academic achievement criteria for use in the nomination of scholars. Sets forth requirements for initial and continuation awards. Sets the scholarship amount at $10,000 for an academic year, but reduces such amount based on cost of attendance and other grant or scholarship assistance, and adjusts for insufficient appropriations. Requires that scholarship recipients, to the extent they are otherwise qualified, be given priority consideration for federally financed summer employment in research and development centers. Title III: Other Programs - Amends the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1986 to establish a Drug-Free Schools Urban Emergency Grants program. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1993. Directs the Secretary ot use program funds to award a small number of one-time grants to local educational agencies in urban areas with the most severe drug problems to assist them in developing and implementing comprehensive approaches to eliminating such problems. Amends HEA to authorize appropriations for FY 1990 through 1993 for special awards to historically Black colleges and universities. Makes institutions that receive such awards ineligible for other specified awards, and makes institutions that do not receive them eligible for those other awards.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 1989
United States-Mexico Border Regional Development Act of 1989 - Provides Federal assistance for economic and human resource development to the State and local governments in the U.S.-Mexico border region of Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas. Defines such region as the area of the United States within 150 miles of the Mexican border, excluding any standard metropolitan statistical area with a population exceeding 1,000,000. Title I: The United States-Mexico Border Regional Commission - Establishes the United States-Mexico Border Regional Commission (the Commission). Sets forth provisions for Commission membership, voting, and duties. Directs the Commission to: (1) review and approve applications for assistance for development projects in the region; (2) develop comprehensive and coordinated regional development plans and programs and priorities for their implementation; (3) provide for research and assessments of regional development needs and resources; (4) provide for technical assistance, training programs, and development projects to foster regional (and special need area) productivity and growth; (5) provide for construction of necessary facilities; (6) review, study, and recommend appropriate modifications of public and private development plans for the region; (7) provide assistance for the State development planning process in the region and the coordination of such planning with other Federal and State laws; (8) formulate and recommend appropriate interstate compacts and cooperation; (9) work with State and local agencies in developing appropriate model legislation concerning the region; (10) encourage formation of and assist local development districts; (11) encourage private investment in industrial, commercial, and recreational projects in the region; (12) coordinate development projects in the region; and (13) provide a forum for consideration of regional problems and proposed solutions, establishing and using, as part of such forum, citizens and special advisory councils and public conferences. Authorizes the Commission, in carrying out such duties, to designate areas in the region as being in special need of development assistance, specifying the characteristics of each such area that led to such designation. Limits the amount of the Commission's administrative expense payment to a local development district to 75 percent of the district's administrative expenses for a fiscal year. Limits such payment period to three years in the case of a nonprofit agency or instrumentality of a State which is certified as a local development district, or any local development district succeeding such district. Sets forth provisions for public participation and Commission recordkeeping. Authorizes the Commission to make recommendations to the President, the Congress, State Governors, and local governments in the region regarding: (1) expenditure of public funds in fields related to the purposes of this Act, such as natural resources, agriculture, education, training, health and welfare, and housing; and (2) enactment of additional legislation, and issuance of rules, necessary to further the purpose of this Act. Directs the President to provide for liaison between the Commission and other Federal entities. Authorizes the Commission to provide for liaison between the Commission and the Government of the Republic of Mexico. Sets forth provisions for the administrative expenses of the Commission. Requires member States to contribute payments for part of such expenses. Provides for Federal payment of certain salaries. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the President to make grants to the Commission to: (1) undertake or support research and assessment, technical assistance, training, demonstration projects, and construction of necessary facilities; (2) provide funds to member States for up to two years to strengthen the State development planning process for the region and the coordination of such planning with requirements imposed by other Federal and State laws; and (3) pay administrative expenses of local development districts, including expenses for development of economic development plans and programs for the area served and for technical assistance for persons implementing such plans and programs. Sets forth annual reporting requirements for each recipient of Federal assistance under this Act and for the Commission. Title II: Development Programs for the Region - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants for planning, constructing, equipping, and operating demonstration health projects approved by the Commission, including projects for hospitals, regional diagnostic and treatment centers, community health centers, and other health facilities, and for provision of services, including nutrition and child care services, not readily available in the region. Prohibits taking such grants into account in computing any allotment or payment to a State under any other law. Sets forth provisions relating to the amounts, uses, and eligibility for construction and equipment grants, operating grants, and planning grants. Directs the Secretary of the Army to prepare a comprehensive plan for the development and efficient utilization of the water resources of the region for a variety of uses from hydroelectric power to recreation. Authorizes the Secretary to recommend to the Commission demonstration water projects to increase the supply of potable water for people in the region. Directs the Secretary to submit the plan for Commission review. Directs the Commission to submit the plan, with its recommendations, to the President, who shall transmit it with appropriate recommendations, to specified congressional officers. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into contracts necessary to prepare the plan. Authorizes appropriations. Sets forth provisions for assistance for community development and housing in the "colonias" for FY 1990 through 1992. Defines "colonia" as any identifiable community: (1) in a member State; (2) in the U.S.-Mexico border region; (3) designated as a colonia by the State or county; (4) determined to be a colonia on the basis of objective criteria, including the lack of potable water supply, adequate sewage systems, and decent, safe, sanitary housing; and (5) in existence and generally recognized as a colonia before enactment of this Act. Sets forth provisions for community development block grant assistance for colonias. Directs each member State to set aside specified funds for activities designed to meet the needs of residents of colonias in the State relating to water, sewage, and housing. Provides that such funds shall be reserved from each member State's Small Cities Community Development Block Grant allocation under the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as follows: (1) ten percent of such allocation for FY 1990; and (2) an appropriate percentage, up to ten percent, for each of FY 1991 and 1992, as determined by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development after consultation with representatives of the interests of eligible residents of the colonias. Allows such assistance to be used for: (1) various specified planning activities related to community development and housing; and (2) the payment of assessments for public improvements levied against properties owned and occupied by persons of low and moderate income. Requires a distribution plan for such assistance to: (1) give priority to colonias with the greatest need; and (2) be developed by the Commission (or by the State, prior to the Commission's plan) in consultation with colonia residents and representatives of their interests. Sets forth provisions for rural housing assistance for colonias. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to give priority for assistance to colonias when in considering applications for Rural Housing Assistance under title V of the Housing Act of 1949 for any of FY 1990, 1991, or 1992. Makes the definition of rural areas under such Act inapplicable in the case of colonia assistance. Makes specified provisions of this Act relating to applications for assistance and labor standards inapplicable to community development or rural housing assistance to colonias. Directs the Secretary of Education to make grants for demonstration vocational education projects, approved by the Commission, to construct, equip, and operate new and other school facilities needed to provide vocational education in areas of the region where such facilities are not adequate. Directs the Secretary to make grants to public entities for planning, constructing, equipping, and operating approved demonstration education projects to improve education services and programs in the region. Directs the Commission to give priority to any such projects that include; (1) vocational and technical education; (2) career education; (3) adult education; (4) guidance and counseling; and (5) bilingual education. Sets forth limits for construction and equipment grants, operation grants, and planning grants. Prohibits taking such grants into account in computing allotments or payments to a State under any other law. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to make grants to assist projects approved by the Commission to construct sewage treatment works in the region. Prohibits taking such grants into account in computing allotments or payments to a State under any other law. Provides for supplements to certain Federal grants, to enable persons in the region, including local development districts, to receive Federal matching share grants for which they are ineligible solely because they cannot supply the required matching funds or for which insufficient funds are available. Authorizes the President to provide funds to the Commission chairperson to assist: (1) persons in the region to supply required matching funds (which will not be considered Federal funds); and (2) Federal officials to make matching share grants under Federal laws for which insufficient funds are available, for projects in the region. Requires States to maintain their current expenditures for the benefit of areas in the region, with specified exceptions. Declares that this Act does not require a State to participate in or carry out any project under this Act without its consent. Provides for the State developing planning process, including submission of State plans by certain Commission members and requirements for plan preparation and components. Sets forth requirements for entities which State Governors or their designees may certify to the Commission as local development districts. Provides for review and approval by the Commission of applications for assistance under this Act. Bars use of funds under this Act to: (1) assist a person to relocate a business establishment from one State to another; (2) finance the cost of creating industrial facilities, commercial facilities, equipment, or working capital; (3) enable subcontractors to undertake work previously performed in another State by other subcontractors or contractors; or (4) finance the cost of facilities for the generation, transmission, or distribution of electric energy. Prohibits funds under this Act from being expended to assist any scientific or technological research or development project unless such expenditure is conditioned upon provisions to ensure that all information, copyrights, uses, processes, patents, and other developments resulting from such project will be made freely available to the general public. Directs the Attorney General to enforce such requirement in the appropriate U.S. district court. Title III: Authorization of Appropriations and Miscellaneous Provisions - Authorizes appropriations to carry out this Act not otherwise authorized. Sets aside 50 percent of such funds to carry out provisions for research and development projects, assistance to States, and administrative expenses of local development projects, and for supplements to certain Federal grants. Sets forth applicable labor standards. Requires that all laborers and mechanics employed by contractors or subcontractors in any construction, alteration, or repair (including painting and decorating) for which funds are provided under this Act shall be paid wages at the prevailing rate for similar work in the locality, as determined by the Secretary of Labor in accordance with the Davis-Bacon Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 1989
Congressional Districting Reform Act of 1989 - Provides for the establishment of redistricting commissions in States entitled to a reapportionment of Representatives. Sets forth requirements to be met by congressional districts established by redistricting commissions, to the extent possible, including that they shall be composed of a contiguous territory in compact form and that their boundaries shall coincide with the boundaries of local political subdivisions.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 1989
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) there should be a significant increase in Federal funding for programs authorized under the Education of the Handicapped Act; and (2) appropriations made by the 101st Congress to assist States and localities in providing education to children and youth with handicaps should equal at least 15 percent of the national average per pupil expenditure.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 1989
Sets forth a formula, beginning with the 1989 grazing year, for determining fees for domestic livestock grazing on public rangelands. Bases the formula on the base established by the 1966 Western Livestock Grazing Survey, the Forage Value Index, and the adjusted Beef Cattle Price Index. Prohibits annual fee adjustments greater or less than 25 percent.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 1989
Designates the week of September 10 through September 16, 1989, as National Check-Up Week.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1989
Common Sense Budget Act of 1989 - Amends Federal law to require both the President and the Congress to draft a budget based on estimates of current fiscal year spending, proposing increases or decreases based on this level (rather than on an estimated baseline). Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require the Congressional Budget Office to use such a current fiscal year baseline in its report to the congressional budget committees, projecting growth for entitlement and discretionary spending based on current fiscal year spending.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1989
Authorizes and requests the President to designate the third Sunday of August 1989 as National Senior Citizens Day.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1989
Designates the week beginning September 1, 1989, as World War II Remembrance Week in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the outbreak of that War.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1989
Designates September 1989 as National Alcohol and Drug Treatment Month.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1989
Energy Independence Act of 1989 - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to direct the Secretary of Energy (Secretary), for the purpose of obtaining petroleum products for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) and to the extent that amounts are credited to the SPR Petroleum Account (Account), to purchase either U.S. stripper well oil or crude oil exchanged for U.S. stripper well oil. Requires the purchases to be made on a competitive bid basis, subject to a minimum price of $22 per barrel, adjusted annually for inflation. Makes available to the Secretary for SPR development funds from the Account in an amount equal to 25 percent of the aggregate amount of revenue collected during the previous quarter from the excise tax imposed by this Act on imported crude oil and petroleum products. Limits the use of such funds for SPR petroleum acquisition to periods when: (1) the SPR contains less than 1,000,000,000 barrels of crude oil; and (2) the world price of crude oil is $22 or less per barrel, adjusted for inflation. Authorizes alternative energy security uses of the tax revenue when the world oil price exceeds the $22 reference price for a specified time. Directs the President, to the maximum extent practicable, to take the steps necessary to: (1) enter into international voluntary agreements in connection with the international energy program (IEP) in the interest of developing parity with respect to oil import fees; and (2) enforce certain existing agreements with other IEP countries. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose, until 1995, an excise tax on the first sale within the United States of imported crude oil and petroleum products. Sets a variable rate for the tax, as follows: (1) for crude oil, the greater of 50 cents per barrel or the difference between the world price per barrel of crude oil and $22 (the reference price, adjusted annually for inflation); and (2) for petroleum products, in accordance with a specified formula based on the amount of tax per barrel of crude oil, the barrel-of-oil equivalent of the particular product attributable to crude oil, and a three dollar per barrel environmental outlay adjustment. Exempts from the import tax: (1) any sale of crude oil or petroleum product destined for export; and (2) sales during any period when the President determines that it is in the national interest to refrain from such taxation.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1989
Anti-Terrorism Sanctions Act of 1989 - Requires the President to revoke the most-favored-nation trade status of certain foreign countries that repeatedly support international terrorism. Prohibits duty-free treatment for the products of such countries under the Trade Act of 1974 or the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act. Prohibits the Secretary of Commerce from consulting with the governments of such countries regarding international travel and tourism. Allows the President to waive any sanction under this Act with respect to any foreign country if such waiver would be in the best interests of the United States. Requires the President to give 30 days' notice to the Congress concerning any waiver.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1989
Designates the month of November 1989 as National Diabetes Month.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1989
Designates June 1989 as National Learn to Fly Month.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1989
Utah Public Lands Wilderness Act of 1989 - Designates certain specified lands in Utah as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Provides for continuation of existing grazing on such lands. Requires those areas in Utah administered by the Secretary of the Interior which are not designated as wilderness to be managed for multiple use.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1989
Beeper Abuse Prevention Act of 1989 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to direct the Federal Communications Commission to prescribe regulations to prevent the sale or rental to, or possession by, persons under 21 years of age of paging devices (beepers), except that such regulations shall permit: (1) parents or guardians to allow their children to possess and use such devices under supervision; and (2) a business enterprise to allow its employees under age 21 to possess and use such devices while carrying out a lawful business activity under the supervision of such enterprise. Provides that such regulations shall require: (1) persons engaged in sales or rentals of such devices to verify the identification and age of each person to whom such a device is sold or rented; and (2) parents or guardians who intend to permit their children to use such devices, or any business enterprises that intend to permit employees under age 21 to use such devices to disclose that information at the time of the purchase or rental. Outlines penalties for violations of such regulations. Authorizes the Commission to bring an action in any district court of the United States to enforce such regulations. Directs the Commission, no later than two years after the enactment of this Act, to report to the Congress on the enforcement of its provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1989
Repeals provisions of the Internal Revenue Code that limit the deductibility of contributions to individual retirement plans by active participants in employer-maintained retirement plans.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1989
Designates October 1989 as National Down Syndrome Month.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1989
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to enter into an agreement for the transfer of the Platoro Reservoir to the Conejos Water Conservancy District, Colorado, upon the early payout of the repayment obligation on a lump-sum basis. Defines the Platoro Reservoir as the Platoro Dam and Reservoir Unit of the Conejos Division of the San Luis Valley project. Transfers to the District upon such payment: (1) all lands beneath the Platoro Dam and Reservoir up to the high water line; (2) land and improvements at the operation and maintenance site in the townsite of Platoro, Colorado, including the shop and caretaker house; and (3) all associated structures and all project operating facilities and equipment. Reserves to the United States: (1) the right to make recreational use of the Platoro Reservoir, and all land underlying the high water line when such land is not inundated so long as such use does not interfere with its use for water supply, interstate compacts, and flood control; and (2) a reversionary interest in the transferred land in the event such lands are no longer used for reservoir purposes. Subjects such transfer to the following conditions: (1) the District will use its best efforts to operate the reservoir to provide that releases from the reservoir flush out the channel of the Conejos River periodically to maintain the hydrologic regime of the river subject to operation of the reservoir by the District for water supply use; and interstate compact and flood control purposes; (2) the District will maintain a permanent pool in Platoro Reservoir for fish, wildlife, and recreation purposes; (3) the District will not use or sell any of the lands conveyed to it for private, commercial, or residential development; and (4) the District shall maintain specified releases of water from Platoro Reservoir to preserve fish and wildlife habitats. Relieves the United States of responsibility and liability associated with the operation and maintenance of the project except: (1) recreation with respect to the Reservoir; and (2) flood control administration by the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers. Requires the Secretary of the Army to retain authority for the management of the Platoro Dam and Reservoir for flood control purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1989
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make natural gas found in tight sands formations eligible for the income tax credit for producing fuel from a nonconventional source. Makes this credit permanent with respect to gas found in such formations and to gas produced from Devonian shale. Applies the nonconventional fuels tax credit to alternative minimum tax calculations.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1989
Designates the week beginning January 7, 1990, as National Journalism Education Week.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1989
Eliminates post-1968 service in the National Guard as a prerequisite to civil service retirement credit for former National Guard technicians. Amends the National Guard Technicians Act of 1968 to eliminate post-1968 service as a prerequisite for National Guard technicians for receipt of credit in the determination of length of Federal civil service for purposes of leave, Federal employees' death and disability compensation, group life and health insurance, severance pay, tenure, and status. Sets forth rules for applying provisions of this Act to affected individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1989
Designates October 3, 1989, as National Teacher Appreciation Day.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1989
Designates the month of November in 1989 and 1990 as National Hospice Month.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1989
Cable Rate Disclosure Act of 1989 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require each cable television operator to submit to the Federal Communications Commission a report describing its services and rates. Requires subsequent reports, to be made available for public inspection, whenever the operator implements a change in rates or services. Directs the FCC to use these reports to publish a monthly statistical summary that includes national, regional, and State average rates for various services.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1989
Boots and Saddles Tour Study Act of 1989 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Directors of the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service, to study specified historic military forts occupied during the Civil War and Indian campaigns in New Mexico and to develop alternative means of interpreting and preserving such forts. Requires a report to specified congressional committees. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 1989
General Aviation Standards Act of 1989 - Amends the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 (with respect to aviation accident investigations) to apply such Act, with specified exceptions, to any action for damages for harm arising out of a general aviation accident brought against a manufacturer, owner, or operator of a general aviation aircraft, or a person who supports or maintains such aircraft or any other person or governmental entity. Establishes guidelines for uniform standards of liability of general aviation manufacturers for such accidents. States that all actions for harm arising out of a general aviation accident shall be governed by the principles of comparative responsibility. Establishes, with specified exceptions, a limitation of actions period of 12 years from delivery of aircraft or harm-causing part to the purchaser for general aviation civil liability brought against a general aviation manufacturer. Declares admissible as evidence certain income tax and payroll tax liability for purposes of establishing financial harm arising out of a general aviation accident. Permits the award of punitive damages if a claimant establishes by clear and convincing evidence that the harm suffered was the direct result of conduct manifesting conscious, flagrant indifference to safety. Establishes a two-year limitation of actions period for actions arising out of such an accident. Confers original jurisdiction upon the Federal district courts, concurrently with State courts, for all civil actions for harm arising out of a general aviation accident. Provides procedures for removal from State to Federal district courts of such actions. Declares that this Act supersedes any State law regarding recovery of damages for harm arising out of a general aviation accident. Declares the intent of the Congress that sanctions be strictly enforced for violations of Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, including orders to pay to the other party the reasonable costs of legal fees. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to report to the Congress, within one year after the date of enactment of this Act, the results of a study determining whether persons awarded damages for general aviation accidents under this Act are unable to collect such damages, and the amount of any uncollectible damages.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 1989
Amends the Federal criminal code to impose criminal penalties for displaying the flag of the United States on the floor or ground.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 1989
Designates the square dance as the national folk dance of the United States for 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 1989
Designates September 15, 1989, as National POW/MIA Recognition Day. Recognizes the National League of Families POW/MIA flag as the official symbol of the United States' commitment to resolving the fates of Americans still prisoner or missing in action in Southeast Asia.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1989
Amends the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act to increase the percentage of State vocational education assistance funds reserved for programs for Indians and Native Hawaiians. Requires the Secretary of Education to give special consideration to grants which encourage tribal economic development plans. Directs the Secretary to enter into matching grant contracts with Indian tribes. Earmarks specified amounts for vocational-technical training grants to the Crownpoint Institute of Technology in New Mexico and the United Tribes Technical College in North Dakota. Requires the Secretary, if any reserved funds for vocational education grants remain after reservations are made, to make grants first to institutions of higher education eligible for assistance under the Tribally Controlled Community College Assistance Act of 1978 for tribal economic development programs. Authorizes the Secretary to approve a single application from the American Indian Higher Education Consortium if no such institution applies for a grant. Directs the Secretary to transfer to the Secretary of the Interior a portion of reserved funds for activities (other than construction or alteration of facilities) for the benefit of students attending secondary schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to provide a matching amount for such activities. Establishes the National Indian Center for Research in Vocational-Technical Training. Requires the Secretary to support the Center through an annual grant. Directs the Secretary to designate the entity to be the Center for a period of five years Requires the Center to conduct research and developmental programs on: (1) the involvement of the private sector in vocational-technical training for Indians and Alaska Natives; (2) methods for providing quality vocational-technical training to Indians and Alaska Natives and for enhancing basic academic skills; (3) development of curricula on new technologies and assessments of change in the workplace and its impact on tribal settings and economic development; and (4) identification of institutional, social, and cultural characteristics which improve the preparation of youths and adults for employment. Directs the Center to: (1) research the relationship between training and employment opportunities in tribal economic development; (2) provide leadership development through an advanced study center and inservice vocational-technical activities for tribal and local leaders; (3) disseminate research results; (4) provide information to facilitate national planning and policy; (5) provide technical assistance to programs serving Indians and Alaska Natives; (6) act as a clearinghouse for information on contracts and grants; (7) work with tribal organizations, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and other public agencies to develop planning and evaluation of programs; and (8) report annually to the Congress and the Secretaries of Education, Labor, and the Interior.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1989
High Definition Television Competitiveness Act of 1989 - Title I: Tax Incentives for Research and Development - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal: (1) the termination date of the tax credit for increasing research activities; and (2) provisions denying the tax deduction for amounts allowed as a research credit. Title II: Authority to Engage in Joint Actions to Promote Development - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit the application of antitrust laws to any cooperative high definition television (HDTV) enterprise engaged in a joint research, development, or production venture with respect to which certain notification has been given. Title III: Federal Support for Development Initiatives - Requires the Secretary of Commerce to establish: (1) a program to provide general financial assistance to cooperative HDTV enterprises to promote the discovery, development, and commercialization of HDTV technology; and (2) a separate program to provide financial assistance to support pilot manufacturing projects and experimental community demonstration related to HDTV technology. Requires the Secretary to award such financial assistance competitively. Requires the Secretary to submit to each House of the Congress and the President: (1) quarterly reports on the state of progress of the research, development, and commercialization assisted under this title; and (2) a comprehensive report on the results of the financial assistance provided under this title. Authorizes appropriations. Title IV: Coordination of Federal Procurement of HDTV Technology - Requires the Secretary to submit to each House of the Congress recommendations for establishing a mechanism to coordinate procurements of HDTV technology by specified Federal agencies. Title V: International Trade - Requires the Secretary to submit a report to the President and the Congress on the implications for international trade of HDTV technology. Title VI: HDTV Broadcast Standard - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to authorize to be appropriated to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) $500,000 for FY 1989 to enable the FCC to prescribe a broadcast standard for HDTV.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1989
Prohibits the Federal Communications Commission from adopting revisions of the rules and policies in the proceeding "Policy and Rules Concerning Rates for Dominant Carrier," CC Docket 87-313, unless the changes expressly provide for: (1) the proper functioning of the long-term support mechanisms for the carrier common line rates administered by the National Exchange Carrier Association; (2) the maintenance of uniform nationwide long distance telephone rates by dominant interexchange carriers; and (3) the use of an industry-wide rate of return to determine costs for access tariffs and to calculate the Universal Service Fund. Requires the FCC to report to the Congress the compliance of revisions with these conditions. Postpones the effectiveness of any rule or policy revisions until 60 days have elapsed during which both Houses of the Congress are in session.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1989
Designates 1989 as the Centennial Year of the National Zoo.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 1989
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Technology Competitiveness Act of 1989 - Sets forth specified national goals for the wind, photovoltaics, and solar thermal energy programs. Requires the President's budget requests for FY 1991 to contain the recommendations of the Secretary of Energy for specified Department of Energy research and development programs for 1993, including biofuels energy systems, solar buildings energy systems, ocean energy systems, and geothermal energy. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1991 through 1993 for: (1) the wind energy research program; (2) the photovoltaic energy systems program; (3) the solar thermal energy systems program; (4) the biofuels energy systems program; (5) the solar buildings energy systems program; (6) the ocean energy systems program; and (7) the geothermal energy program. Requires the Secretary to submit an options analysis to the Congress regarding the accelerated commercialization of specified renewable energy technologies. Requires the President's budget requests for FY 1991 and 1992 to include the Secretary's recommendations of amounts to be set aside for energy efficiency research and development and demonstration initiatives. Authorizes appropriations for specified energy efficiency research and development programs for FY 1991 through 1993. Directs the Secretary to establish joint research and development ventures in specified energy technologies and to report to the Congress on the implementation of such plans. Directs the Secretary to establish the following advisory bodies: (1) Advisory Committee on Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Technology; (2) Advisory Subcommittee on Photovoltaic Energy Technology; (3) Advisory Subcommittee on Wind Energy Technology; (4) Advisory Subcommittee on Solar Thermal Energy Technology; (5) Advisory Subcommittee on Energy Performance in Factory-Made Housing; (6) Advisory Subcommittee on Advanced District Cooling Technology; and (7) Advisory Subcommittee on Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Technology Exports. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1991 through 1993 for such joint ventures. Requires the Committee on Renewable Energy, Commerce and Trade to report annually to the Congress regarding renewable energy technology exports. Authorizes appropriations for such Committee activities for FY 1991 through 1993. Amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act to direct the Secretary to establish an information dissemination program for Federal procurement and loan officers on the benefits of solar heating and cooling technology, including site visits and technical briefings. Requires the Secretary to make annual reports to the Congress regarding the research programs and ventures under this Act. Requires each annual submission of the National Energy Policy Plan to be accompanied by a three-year strategic plan for energy technology research, development, and demonstration, including energy conservation and renewable energy technologies.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 1989
Imposes a civil penalty upon any person who mails to any individual or group of individuals at their place of residence: (1) any unsolicited sexually oriented advertisement; or (2) any unsolicited obscene, lewd, lascivious, indecent, filthy, or vile article, matter, thing, device, or substance.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 1989
Amends Federal law to prohibit any State from imposing an income tax on the pension income of any individual who is not a resident or domiciliary of that State.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 1989
Fairness for Adopting Families Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit an individual income tax deduction for qualified adoption expenses. Includes as deductible all reasonable and necessary expenses that do not violate a Federal or State law and that are directly related to a legal adoption of any child if the adoption has been arranged by a State, local, or other nonprofit agency, or through a private placement. Excludes the deduction from the two percent floor on miscellaneous itemized deductions. Excludes from an employee's gross income any amounts paid on behalf of the employee by an employer pursuant to a qualified adoption assistance program. Limits both the deduction and the exclusion to $5,000 ($7,000 in the case of an international adoption). Reduces the amount when the taxpayer's income exceeds $60,000. Permits an employer to treat an adoption assistance program as a statutory employee benefit plan, thus making the employer's contributions to such a program tax deductible as business expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 1989
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 1992 the period during which qualified mortgage bonds and mortgage credit certificates may be issued. (Under current law, authority for these programs is due to expire as of 1990.)
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 1989
Designates the period beginning the second Saturday and ending the third Saturday of June 1989 as National Dairy Goat Awareness Week.