United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1991
Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to exclude from the definition of "owner or operator," for purposes of limiting liability for releases of hazardous substances, a person who, without participating in the management of a vessel or facility, holds indicia of ownership primarily to protect a security interest in such vessel or facility. Defines "indicia of ownership" as an interest in a vessel or facility acquired either for: (1) securing payment of a loan or indebtedness or the performance of an obligation; or (2) protecting a security interest. Makes liable for any release or threatened release of a hazardous substance attributable to their activities: (1) any person who causes the transfer of a vessel or facility subject to a security interest; or (2) a fiduciary or trustee who acquires ownership or control of a vessel or facility. Makes conforming amendments to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1991
Biotechnology Patent Protection Act of 1991 - Amends Federal patent law to provide for the patentability of certain processes which are sought to be patented in the same application as the machine, manufacture, or composition of matter with which they are associated.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1991
Felon Handgun Purchase Prevention Act of 1991 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer from transferring a handgun from business inventory to any other person unless: (1) before the completion of the transfer the licensee contacts the hotline established under this Act; and (2) the hotline notifies the licensee that the information available does not demonstrate that the receipt of a handgun by such other person would violate provisions of the Federal criminal code (Federal provisions), or that the hotline will not be able to respond to the licensee before the end of the next business day; or (3) at least 24 hours have elapsed since the licensee first contacted the hotline with respect to the transfer and the hotline has not notified the licensee that the information available to the hotline demonstrates that the receipt of a handgun by such other person would violate such provisions. Makes such prohibition inapplicable to a handgun transfer between a licensee and another person if: (1) such other person presents to the licensee a valid permit or license, issued by the State or political subdivision in which the transfer is to occur, that authorizes such other person to purchase, possess, or carry a firearm; (2) the Secretary has approved the transfer under provisions of the Internal Revenue Code; (3) telephone service is not provided to the premises where the licensee conducts business subject to such license and is not generally available to the public in the area in which such premises are located; (4) the ability of the licensee to exchange information with the hotline is impaired due to circumstances beyond the control of the licensee; or (5) the licensee, pursuant to State law, notifies State law enforcement authorities of the proposed transfer and such authorities approve the transfer or determine that receipt of a handgun by such other person would not violate State law. Requires the licensee to include in the record of transfer the identification number provided by the hotline with respect to the transfer where the hotline notifies the licensee that the information available to the hotline does not demonstrate that the receipt of a handgun by such other person would violate Federal provisions. Establishes penalties against the licensee for knowingly failing to comply with provisions of this Act. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) establish such hotline; (2) arrange for a toll-free telephone number; (3) ensure that the hotline operates continuously; (4) ensure that not more than two percent of the initial telephone responses of the hotline contain erroneous determinations; and (5) notify each licensee of the existence, purpose, and toll-free number of the hotline. Specifies that the hotline shall not provide information to any caller with respect to another person unless: (1) the hotline verifies that the caller is a licensee; and (2) the caller states that such other person seeks to obtain a handgun and the caller provides the name and social security number (or other identifying information for a person with no number) of such other person. Directs that, if such requirements are met, the hotline: (1) inform the caller whether the information available to the hotline demonstrates that the receipt of a handgun by the person would violate Federal provisions; and (2) if such receipt would not violate such provisions, assign a unique identification number to the transfer, provide the caller with the number, and destroy all records of the hotline with respect to the call (other than the identifying number and the date the call was received) and all records of the hotline relating to the person. Requires the hotline: (1) to make every effort to provide the caller with the information required immediately or by return telephone call without delay; and (2) if it is unable to comply with such requirement due to circumstances beyond the hotline's control, to advise the caller that the response of the hotline will be delayed and the reasons for, and probable length of, the delay, and make every effort to provide the information required within 24 hours of the initial call. Authorizes the Attorney General to secure directly from any U.S. department or agency such information as necessary to enable the hotline to operate in accordance with this Act. Directs the head of such department or agency, on request of the Attorney General, to furnish such information to the hotline. Requires the Attorney General to develop such computer software, design and obtain such telecommunications and computer hardware, and employ such personnel as necessary to establish and operate the hotline. Sets forth procedures for the correction of erroneous hotline information. Creates a private cause of action where a person is denied a handgun based on erroneous information provided by the hotline. Bars any U.S. department, agency, officer, or employee from: (1) requiring that any record or portion thereof maintained by the hotline be recorded at or transferred to a facility owned, managed, or controlled by the United States or any State or political subdivision; or (2) using the hotline to establish any system for the registration of handguns, handgun owners, or handgun transactions or dispositions, except with respect to persons prohibited by Federal provisions from receiving a handgun. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to: (1) increase the percentage of funds (from five to ten percent) to be allocated by each State for the improvement of criminal justice records; and (2) include in such improvement the sharing of such records with the Attorney General for use by the hotline established under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the treatment of rental and nonrental real estate activities under the limitations on losses from passive activities.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1991
Savings and Investment Incentive Act of 1991 - Title I: Retirement Savings Incentives - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to remove the limitations on deductions for individual retirement plans and provides a cost-of-living adjustment for deductible amounts. Establishes special individual retirement accounts that are nondeductible. Makes such accounts nontaxable if earnings on contributions are held for at least five years. Applies the early withdrawal penalty to distributions made before the end of the five year-period. Title II: Penalty-Free Distributions - Provides exemptions from the ten-percent penalty on early withdrawals from individual retirement plans for: (1) first home purchases; (2) higher education expenses; and (2) financially devastating medical expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1991
Comprehensive Wetlands Conservation and Management Act of 1991 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to revise provisions concerning permits for dredged or fill material. Prohibits, unless such activity is undertaken pursuant to a permit issued by the Secretary of the Army: (1) the discharge of dredged or fill material into U.S. waters; or (2) the draining, channelization, or excavation of wetlands. Authorizes the Secretary to issue permits for such activities. Sets forth permit application procedures. Requires the Secretary, upon receiving applications, to: (1) classify as Type A wetlands wetlands that are of critical significance to the long-term conservation of the ecosystem of which they are a part and which meet specified requirements; (2) classify as Type B wetlands wetlands that provide habitat for a significant population of avian, aquatic, or wetland dependent wildlife or provide other significant wetlands functions; and (3) classify as Type C wetlands wetlands that serve marginal functions but exist in such abundance that regulation of activities is not necessary to conserve wetlands values and functions, or are prior converted cropland, fastlands, or wetlands within intensely developed areas that do not serve significant wetlands functions. Directs the Secretary to notify a permit applicant of the classification. Permits owners of interests in Type A wetlands to seek compensation for the fair market value of such lands. Provides that title for such lands shall pass to the United States upon acceptance of an offer for compensation. Deems such takings to be takings of surface interests in lands only or water rights allocated under State law unless the Secretary determines that the exploration for, or development of, oil and gas or mineral interests is not compatible with conservation of the surface interests in lands that have been classified as Type A wetlands. Authorizes the Secretary to classify such interests as Type A wetlands and to notify the owner that he may receive compensation. Sets forth provisions concerning court jurisdiction and remedies for taking of interests. Requires the Secretary to deny a permit authorizing activities in Type A wetlands unless: (1) such activities can be undertaken with minimal alteration or surface disturbance; (2) there are overriding public interest concerns that require use of the lands for purposes other than conservation; or (3) the proposed use of the land will result in overall environmental benefits. Authorizes the Secretary to issue a permit for activities in Type B wetlands subject to conditions that ensure that the watershed or aquatic ecosystem of which such wetlands are a part does not suffer loss or degradation of wetlands values or functions. Imposes requirements for mitigation when such activities result in the permanent loss or degradation of Type B wetlands where such loss or degradation is not a temporary or incidental impact. Directs the Secretary to establish a mitigation banking program in each State to ensure compensation for loss and degradation of wetlands. Requires the primary objective of such programs to be to provide for the restoration, enhancement, or creation of ecologically significant wetlands on an ecosystem basis. Sets forth requirements of such programs. Permits activities in Type C wetlands to be undertaken without specified authorization. Authorizes the Secretary to issue general permits on a State, regional, or nationwide basis for activities in wetlands if such activities are similar in nature and will not result in the significant loss of ecologically significant wetlands values and functions. Exempts specified activities from this Act's requirements. Permits States or political subdivisions to submit land management plans for identified wetlands for the Secretary's approval. Authorizes and directs the Secretary to establish standards that govern the delineation of lands as wetlands. Prohibits more than 20 percent of any county, parish, or borough from being classified as Type A wetlands. Requires the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to undertake a project to identify and classify U.S. wetlands. Provides for public participation in such project and makes information concerning identification and classification available to the public. Authorizes the Secretary to commence civil actions for permit violations. Prescribes civil penalties for such violations. Authorizes States to administer permit programs for activities covered by this Act, subject to the Secretary's approval.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1991
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the President, the Secretary of Commerce, and specified other officials should cooperate in providing assistance to U.S. small businesses seeking to become involved in the rebuilding of Kuwait; (2) the Administrator of the Small Business Administration should conduct a public information campaign to advise U.S. small and minority businesses about becoming involved in such rebuilding; (3) U.S. companies that have been awarded contracts pertaining to such rebuilding should seek to subcontract with U.S. small and minority businesses; and (4) all businesses that have been awarded such contracts should seek to hire veterans of the armed forces.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1991
Authorizes the President to present a gold medal to General H. Norman Schwarzkopf in recognition of his exemplary performance in coordinating the planning, strategy, and execution of U.S. combat action and his invaluable contributions to the United States and to the liberation of Kuwait. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate the age (55 or older) and dollar ($125,000) restrictions with respect to the one-time income tax exclusion of gain on the sale of a principal residence.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to revise its application. Revises minimum wage and maximum hours provisions (as well as provisions for special industry committees for American Samoa) to apply such requirements specifically to employers of employees who in any workweek are engaged in industrial homework and who are either engaged in commerce or in the production of goods in commerce (in addition to any other employees so employed). Revises the scope of the application of requirements relating to: (1) wage rate orders for employers in American Samoa; (2) prohibition of sex discrimination in wage rates; and (3) handicapped workers.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the personal exemption for a dependent child who has not attained age 18 from $2,000 to $3,500. Provides for rounding inflation adjustments to tax tables to the nearest multiple of $10 (currently rounded to the next lowest multiple of $50).
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Makes permanent a provision of the Internal Revenue Code that allows the income tax deduction of 25 percent of the health insurance costs of self-employed individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Endorses a National Victory Parade in Washington, D.C., and regional victory parades throughout the United States to honor servicemen and women who participated in Operation Desert Storm. Encourages Federal, State, and local governments and private industry to get involved in supporting such parades.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Supports and endorses Operation Homefront as a national grassroots effort to support our servicemen and women who participated in Operation Desert Storm and their families. Encourages Federal, State, and local governments and private business and industry to organize Operation Homefront task forces to support the families of such deployed troops and to plan and organize welcome home celebrations for the troops.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the tax exemption for qualified small issue industrial bonds (bonds issued to finance manufacturing facilities and farm property) through 1996.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1991
Acclaims the President for his decisive leadership, unerring judgment, and sound decisions with respect to the Persian Gulf crisis. Commends and expresses appreciation to the members of the U.S. armed forces and other members of the international coalition who participated in Operation Desert Storm. Conveys sympathy and condolences to the families and friends of coalition and U.S. forces who were injured or killed during such operation. Expresses compassion for the families of noncombatants who suffered hardship and personal losses during the Persian Gulf War. Supports continued efforts to promote peace and stability in the Persian Gulf.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1991
Requires that, for pre-1980 tax years, the Federal income tax deductibility of flight training expenses be determined without considering whether the taxpayer received reimbursement through veterans' educational programs.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permanently extend the period during which qualified mortgage bonds and mortgage credit certificates may be issued.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1991
Constitutional Amendment - Prohibits Federal expenditures from exceeding revenues for any fiscal year and from exceeding 19 percent of the gross national product for the last calendar year ending before the beginning of such fiscal year. Provides for a suspension of such prohibitions for any fiscal year for which three-fifths of the House of the Congress provides, by rollcall vote, for a specific excess of outlays over estimated revenues.
United States · United States Congress · 19 February 1991
Older Americans' Freedom to Work Act of 1991 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to remove the limitation on the amount of outside income which beneficiaries who have attained retirement age may earn without incurring a reduction in benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to approve projects within urbanized areas with populations of 50,000 or more for expanding the capacity of open-to-traffic routes on the Interstate Highway System, including construction of noise barriers, acquisition of right-of-ways for future construction of mass transit facilities, and acquisition of land for construction of parking lots and for bike paths. Sets forth a formula for apportionment of highway funds for such projects. Specifies: (1) the period of availability of funds apportioned to a State for Interstate System capacity expansion; (2) conditions that must be met in order to use lapsed funds for discretionary projects; and (3) the Federal share (80 percent) of any such expansion projects. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1993 through 1996.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Volunteer Protection Act of 1991 - Prescribes circumstances under which volunteers working for nonprofit organizations or government entities shall be immune from personal financial liability for acts on behalf of the organization or entity. Sets forth exceptions and conditions that a State may impose on the granting of such immunity. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to increase by one percent the fiscal year allotment which would otherwise be made to a State to carry out the Social Services Block Grant Program under title XX of the Social Security Act if such State has, within two years, certified to the Secretary that it has enacted a State law which provides such immunity. Provides for the continuation of such increase based on an annual recertification.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Small Business Desert Storm Loan Relief Act of 1991 - Amends the Small Business Act to direct the Small Business Administration (SBA) to liberally construe this Act to benefit persons called to active duty in the military service of the United States. Authorizes the SBA to: (1) extend the term of any direct loan or debenture for up to five years beyond the maximum legal term; and (2) waive or modify minimum time periods or minimum income declines, if appropriate. Directs the SBA to suspend temporarily the repayment obligation under a direct SBA loan if the borrower or any person jointly liable with the borrower is called to active duty in the military service subsequent to disbursement of the loan proceeds. Directs the SBA to suspend or reduce the repayment obligation of a small business concern under an SBA loan made to a partnership or corporation if it determines that the repayment ability of the borrower has been substantially impaired due to the entry on active duty of any person who is a principal owner, manager, or key employee of such borrower. Authorizes the SBA to: (1) make all or part of any payments due to a person under the terms of an SBA guaranteed loan if it determines that the repayment ability of the borrower has been substantially impaired due to the entry on active duty of any person who is a principal owner, manager, or key employee of such borrower; and (2) extend direct loan terms (including reamortization) and make payments of any amounts due under a guaranteed loan for a maximum of five years. Direct the SBA to issue interim final rules and implementing regulations within ten days of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Chesapeake Bay Restoration Act of 1991 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to maintain within EPA a Chesapeake Bay Liaison Office to support the Chesapeake Executive Council in the following areas: (1) supporting and coordinating Federal, State, and local efforts to improve the water quality and living resources of the Chesapeake Bay; (2) assisting Bay program signatories in implementing specific action plans to carry out responsibilities under the Chesapeake Bay Agreement; (3) collecting and making available information on the Bay's environmental quality and living resources; and (4) coordinating the monitoring and data collection program to assess the impact of environmental changes on the Bay. Requires the Administrator and the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to implement science, research, monitoring, and data collection activities supporting the Chesapeake Bay Program. Sets forth responsibilities of the Administrator of NOAA with respect to the Chesapeake Bay. Directs the Administrators to ensure that projects for which funds are requested have undergone peer review. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the EPA Administrator to implement the Comprehensive Basinwide Toxics Reduction Strategy to achieve a multijurisdictional approach for reducing toxic inputs to the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. Directs the Administrator to: (1) undertake research and monitoring to improve understanding of intermedia transfers and the eventual fate and biological effects of toxics within the Bay watershed; and (2) implement toxics reduction and prevention programs. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the EPA Administrator to expedite the development of a Chesapeake Bay watershed land use data base to provide information to plan for and manage growth and development and associated impacts on the Chesapeake Bay system. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the EPA Administrator to establish a demonstration program to address problems associated with urban and suburban runoff. Sets forth program requirements. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the EPA Administrator, the Administrator of NOAA, and the Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service to implement a living resources program for the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed to meet commitments in the Chesapeake Bay Agreement. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the EPA Administrator to study and report to the Congress on the Chesapeake Bay Agreement, Chesapeake Bay Program management strategies, and the Chesapeake Bay restoration program. Authorizes appropriations. Extends the authorizations of appropriations for the Chesapeake Bay Program and related interstate development plan grants through FY 1994.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1991
Amends the Federal judicial code to transfer Culpeper, Louisa, and Orange counties (currently included in the Eastern judicial district of Virginia) to the Western judicial district of Virginia.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1991
Amends Federal law to continue appropriations automatically if a regular appropriations bill covering a project or activity does not become law by the beginning of a fiscal year. Continues appropriations at the funding level of the preceding fiscal year or, if the relevant Act did not become law, in accordance with criteria prescribed in this Act. Declares it to be out of order in the House of Representatives or in the Senate to consider or to vote on the question of agreeing to any continuing appropriations legislation. Permits a waiver of this restriction in the Senate by a three-fifths vote.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1991
Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions governing the income tax deduction for the health insurance costs of self-employed individuals to: (1) make the deduction permanent (under current law it will expire after tax year 1991); and (2) phase in an increase in the allowable deduction, reaching 100 percent for taxable years beginning in 1994 and thereafter.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an income tax deduction for interest on certain indebtedness incurred to pay the educational expenses of the taxpayer, spouse, or dependent. (Under current law, such a loan must be secured by an interest in real property.)
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 1991
Health Care Savings Account Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow employees and employers, including self-employed individuals, a 60 percent tax credit for contributions to a health care savings account for the benefit of the employee or self-employed individual. Limits total contributions to an account to the aggregate amount of hospital insurance tax paid with respect to the account beneficiary. Describes conditions that must be met by the account. Excludes from the gross income of the beneficiary any account contributions made by an employer. Exempts an account from taxation (except for the tax on unrelated business income of a charitable organization) unless the distributee engages in specified transactions in connection with it. Excludes from gross income any account distributions used to pay the eligible medical expenses of the beneficiary or qualifying spouse. Imposes a ten percent surtax on account distributions used for other than health care purposes or made before the distributee is aged 65 or older. Imposes penalty taxes in connection with: (1) excess contributions or prohibited transactions associated with an account; (2) distributions from an account that reduce a distributee's account level below a specified amount; and (3) failure to effect spousal rollover of an account upon the spouse's death. Imposes penalties for failure to make required reports concerning an account. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to reduce the Medicare benefits of a health care savings account beneficiary by 60 percent of the maximum amount of Medicare-related expenditures that could be reasonably underwritten (by an insurance company) for the average Medicare beneficiary, given certain assumptions. Establishes special rules for individuals who cannot obtain insurance to cover their added deductible at the standard premium rates. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish rules in connection with recalculations of deductibles when a qualifying spouse becomes eligible for Medicare. Establishes catastrophic health care expense protection for certain individuals who qualify for Medicare and have met specified contribution requirements with respect to one or more health care savings accounts. Describes conditions under which a qualifying spouse becomes eligible for this protection.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 1991
Federal Employees Long-Term Care Insurance Act - Directs the Office of Personnel Management to arrange for the optional conversion of a portion of a Government employee's life insurance policy to long-term care insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income any distribution from an individual retirement plan if: (1) the payee has attained age 59 1/2 on or before the date of distribution; and (2) the distribution is used during the taxable year to pay premiums for a long-term health care insurance policy covering necessary diagnostic, preventive, therapeutic, rehabilitative, maintenance, or personal care services for the payee or a spouse meeting the same 59 1/2 year age requirement.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the gross income of an individual otherwise taxable amounts derived from the whole or partial surrender, cancellation, or exchange of any life insurance policy if: (1) the individual is age 65 or older on the date of the transaction; and (2) the amounts in question are used to pay premiums for an insurance policy covering at least 12 months of medically necessary nonemergency care for the individual or a spouse meeting the same 65-year age requirement.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1991
Terrorist Death Penalty Act of 1991 - Amends the Federal criminal code to authorize the imposition of the death penalty for any individual who kills a U.S. national while such national is outside the United States, if the killing is a first degree murder. Increases penalties for killings other than first degree murders. Sets forth procedures for the imposition of the death penalty. Requires that a defendant be sentenced to death for a death-eligible offense if, after consideration of specified mitigating and aggravating factors, the defendant is found beyond a reasonable doubt, at a special hearing, to have: (1) intentionally killed the victim; (2) intentionally participated in an act, contemplating that the life of a person would be taken or intending that lethal force would be used in connection with a person, other than one of the participants in the offense, and the victim died as a result of the act; or (3) acting with reckless disregard for human life, engaged or substantially participated in conduct which the defendant knew would create a grave risk of death to another person or persons and death resulted from such conduct. Sets forth provisions with respect to notice by the Government that it intends to seek the death penalty if the defendant is convicted, the conduct of a special hearing to determine whether a sentence of death is justified, mitigating and aggravating factors to be considered, proof of such factors, the return of findings, and procedures for appeal and review of a sentence of death. Requires the court, in a hearing held before a jury, to instruct the jury that, in considering whether a death sentence is justified, it shall not consider the race, color, religious beliefs, national origin, or sex of the defendant or any victim. Authorizes the use of State or local facilities and employees to carry out the death penalty. Prohibits requiring any employee of a State department of corrections or the Federal Bureau of Prisons, or an employee providing services to such department or bureau under contract, as a condition of such employment or contractual obligation, to be in attendance at or to participate in any execution carried out under this title if such participation is contrary to the employee's moral or religious convictions. Specifies that where a sentence of death is not imposed, the court may impose a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of release or furlough. Prohibits carrying out a death sentence upon a person who: (1) was under age 18 at the time the crime was committed; (2) is mentally retarded; (3) as a result of mental disability, cannot understand the nature of the pending proceedings, what such person was tried for, or the reason for or nature of the punishment; or who lacks the capacity to recognize or understand facts which would make the punishment unjust or unlawful, or lacks the ability to convey such information to counsel or to the court; or (4) is a pregnant woman. Sets forth provisions with respect to the appointment of counsel for indigent defendants in Federal capital cases. Establishes standards for the competence of counsel. Specifies that the ineffectiveness or incompetence of counsel during habeas corpus proceedings in a capital case shall not be a ground for relief from the judgment or sentence in any proceeding (but does not preclude the appointment of different counsel at any stage of the proceedings). Sets forth additional provisions with respect to: (1) the appointment of counsel in State capital cases; (2) time limits for a collateral attack on a judgment imposing a sentence of death; and (3) stays of execution.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1991
Judicial Taxation Prohibition Act - Amends the Federal judicial code to deny to inferior Federal courts jurisdiction to issue any remedy, order, writ, or other judicial decree requiring the Federal Government or any State or local government to impose any new tax or to increase any existing tax or tax rate.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the provisions permitting small issues of tax-exempt bonds to finance manufacturing facilities and farm property.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1991
Constitutional Amendment - Declares that the Congress and the States shall have power to prohibit the act of physical desecration of the U.S. flag and to set criminal penalties for such act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1991
Constitutional Amendment - Proclaims the English language to be the official language of the United States. Prohibits the United States or any State from requiring the use of any other language. Declares that this article shall not prohibit educational instruction in a language other than English for the purpose of making students proficient in English. Authorizes the Congress and the States to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1991
Expresses the sense of the Congress that, in seeking to reduce the Federal deficit, any proposal which would diminish, defer, or otherwise adversely affect periodic cost-of-living adjustments in Federal retirement benefits should be uniformly applied.
![Official portrait of Rep. Slaughter, D. French, Jr. [R-VA-7]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s000479_200.jpg)