United States · United States Congress · 3 August 1990
Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to exempt payments for home health services under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (Medicare) from reduction under a sequestration order.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1990
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to release the public purpose use condition on certain lands to be exchanged by the State of West Virginia with the Sun Lumber Company for Company lands which will be added to Holly River State Park.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1990
Amends the Public Health Service Act to modify the formula for determining the minimum amount of allotments to States for acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) public information activities to allow the amount to be equal to the amount received by the State from the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control, for FY 1989 for such activities, if those receipts are greater than the amounts under the alternatives specified by existing law.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1990
Airline Passengers Defense Act of 1990 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish in the Department of Transportation an Office of Airline Passenger Advocacy. Establishes the Office of Airline Passenger Advocacy Advisory Group. Amends the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 to prohibit air carriers from cancelling a flight within 72 hours of its scheduled departure time for any reason, except for safety reasons or the absence of any passengers at such departure time. Requires air carriers which cancel such flights for safety-related reasons to report to the Secretary on the cancellation, the reasons for it, and actions taken to resolve the safety-related problem. Requires air carriers to notify their passengers of any delays of 15 minutes or more in the departure or arrival of scheduled flights. Requires an air carrier which cancels a flight in violation of this Act, or alters stopping places of such flight for any reason other than safety, to compensate passengers. Prohibits on-time performance of regularly scheduled flights from being 30 percent or less in any consecutive three-month period. Requires the Secretary to establish in the Office of Airline Passenger Advocacy a toll-free telephone number system for receiving passenger complaints relating to air service. Sets forth requirements relating to: (1) ticket information; and (2) lost or damaged baggage claims. Sets forth civil penalties for economic cancellations and consistently delayed flights by air carriers.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 1990
Banking Law Enforcement Act of 1990 - Title I: Enhanced Criminal Penalties - Amends Federal criminal law to establish criminal penalties (including imprisonment) for the concealment of assets from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) (acting as conservator or receiver), the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC), or the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Board (acting as conservator or liquidating agent). Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the Federal Credit Union Insurance Act to prohibit certain felons convicted of dishonesty or breach of trust from controlling or participating in the affairs of a depository institution for a minimum ten-year period. Amends Federal criminal law to establish criminal penalties (including imprisonment) for obstructing any examination of a financial institution. Increases from 20 years to 30 years the maximum prison term for bank fraud and embezzlement. Establishes a ten-year statute of limitations for the prosecution of racketeering offenses involving financial institutions. Extends money laundering prohibitions to include funds from specified bank crimes. Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to promulgate guidelines for increased penalties for certain bank crime convictions in which the defendant derived more than $1,000,000 in gross receipts from the offense. Provides for restoration of forfeited property and for restitution to bank crime victims. Sets forth maximum criminal fines and minimum imprisonment terms for certain continuing financial crime enterprises (i.e., certain violations committed by at least four persons acting in concert). Title II: Protecting Assets from Wrongful Disposition - Authorizes the Attorney General to obtain a court order enjoining or restraining the alienation or disposition of property obtained as a result of a banking law violation. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the Federal Credit Union Act to set forth attachment procedures. Amends Federal bankruptcy law to provide that the trustee shall be deemed to have assumed a debtor's commitment to a Federal depository institution regulatory agency to maintain the capital of an insured depository institution (thus precluding the trustee from rejecting such commitment as an executory contract which can be avoided as a discharge in bankruptcy). Exempts a Federal depository institution regulatory agency acting as conservator for an insured depository institution from the requirement of proving reasonable reliance upon a false writing supplied by a debtor who is an institution-affiliated party. Prohibits a discharge in bankruptcy for debts resulting from the debtor's failure to fulfill a commitment to a Federal financial institution regulatory agency to maintain the capital of an insured depository institution. Exempts a Federal depository institution regulatory agency acting as conservator for an insured depository institution from the requirement of a timely nondischargeability request (including notice and hearing) when seeking to recover a debt relating to malfeasance. Declares that for specified cases of deceitful conduct, any institution-affiliated party of an insured depository institution (or credit union) shall be deemed to have been acting in a fiduciary capacity with respect to any debt owed to a Federal banking regulatory agency (thus making such debt nondischargeable in bankruptcy). Sets forth as a prerequisite for a bankruptcy reorganization plan that the debtor will: (1) maintain any commitment to a Federal banking regulatory agency to maintain the capital of an insured depository institution; and (2) continue to be obligated for any debt to such agency for failure to fulfill such commitment. Makes certain debts owed by an institution-affiliated party to an insured depository institution under Federal receivership nondischargeable under a consumer debt bankruptcy plan. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the Federal Credit Union Act to empower the FDIC and the NCUA (acting as conservators) to avoid fraudulent conveyances by a debtor institution-affiliated party. Prohibits an insured depository institution or credit union which does not meet minimum Federal capitalization requirements from making golden parachute payments, covered benefit payments, or certain payments in anticipation of insolvency to an institution-affiliated party without prior written Federal agency approval. Cites conditions under which insured depository institutions and credit unions may make golden parachute payments and covered benefits payments with FDIC or NCUAB approval. Amends the Federal criminal code to revise the civil and criminal forfeiture guidelines for: (1) property affecting a financial institution; and (2) fraudulent offenses involving the sale of assets held by Federal banking regulatory agencies. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the Federal Credit Union Act to prohibit certain convicted felony debtors whose default to an insured financial institution in receivership will cause substantial loss from acquiring any asset of the institution (except with respect to repayment). Title III: Improved Procedures for Handling Banking-Related Cases - Amends Federal criminal law to authorize wiretaps for bank fraud and related offenses. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the Federal Credit Union Act to set forth reciprocal assistance guidelines for foreign investigations by Federal banking agencies and investigations on behalf of foreign banking authorities. Amends the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 (FIRREA) to extend from five to ten years the statute of limitations for commencing a civil action for Federal bank law violations. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the National Credit Union Act to grant the FDIC, the RTC, and the NCUA subpoena authority. Title IV: Structural Reforms to Improve the Federal Response to Crimes Affecting Financial Institutions - Establishes within the Office of the Deputy Attorney General in the Department of Justice a Financial Institutions Fraud Unit, headed by a Special Counsel who shall report directly to the Deputy Attorney General. Terminates such Office five years after enactment of this Act. Empowers the Special Counsel to investigate and prosecute criminal activity involving the financial services industry. Directs the Attorney General to establish: (1) financial institutions fraud task forces; and (2) a senior interagency group to assist in identifying the most significant financial institution fraud cases, to allocate investigative and prosecutorial resources, and to expedite interagency coordination and prosecution of financial institutions fraud. Amends Federal criminal law to authorize the Secret Service (under the direction of the Secretary of the Treasury) to detect and arrest persons who violate banking laws with respect to financial institutions and the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC). Title V: Reporting Requirements - Directs the Attorney General to report quarterly to the Congress regarding financial institution crimes. Requires the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts to present annual statistical tables to the Congress on the business imposed on the Federal courts by the savings and loan crisis. Title VI: National Commission on Financial Institution Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement - Establishes the National Commission on Financial Institution Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement to make investigations and recommendations regarding specified aspects of the savings and loan crisis. Requires the Commission to submit a final report to the President and the Congress within one year after enactment of this Act. Terminates the Commission 30 days after the submission of such final report. Authorizes appropriations. Title VII: Authorizations - Amends the FIRREA to authorize appropriations to the Attorney General and the Federal Court System for bank crime cases.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 1990
Nonconventional Fuels Credit Extension and Modification Act of 1990 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the credit for producing fuel from a nonconventional source to wells or facilities in service before January 1, 1993 (currently, January 1, 1991) and sold before January 1, 2001. Redefines gas produced from a tight formation to include only gas: (1) which is committed or dedicated on April 20, 1977, to interstate commerce; or (2) which is produced from a well drilled after the date of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 1990
Veterans' Compensation Amendments of 1990 - Title I: Compensation Rate Increases - Increases the rates of: (1) veterans' disability compensation; (2) additional compensation for veterans' dependents; (3) the clothing allowance for certain disabled veterans; (4) dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children; and (5) supplemental dependency and indemnity compensation for disabled adult children. Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to adjust administratively the rates of disability compensation payable to persons who are not in receipt of compensation for service-connected disability or death. Title II: Miscellaneous Program Amendments - Increases from three to six months the period during which a veteran having neither spouse nor child and being furnished domiciliary care by the Department of Veterans Affairs will be paid a monthly pension by the Secretary. Requires that any amount of pension being withheld from a veteran due to the provision of domiciliary or nursing home care by the Department shall be paid in a lump sum after the veteran's discharge or release. Limits such payment to $5,000. Provides that in order to continue to receive payments of pension, compensation, or emergency officers' retirement pay after being rated incompetent, a veteran receiving Government hospital treatment or domiciliary care may not have an estate the value of which exceeds $4,500 (currently $1,500). Authorizes the Secretary to accept gifts, devises, and bequests which enhance the Secretary's ability to provide services or benefits. Allows the payment of parents dependency and indemnity compensation less frequently than monthly if the amount of the annual benefit is less than four percent of the maximum annual rate payable. Prohibits a readjustment in the rating schedule from causing a veteran's compensation amount to be reduced unless an improvement in the veteran's disability is shown to have occurred. Makes the presumptive period (the period after service in a radiation-risk activity during which a disease must become manifest in order to be considered service-connected and, therefore, compensable as disability compensation) for leukemia 40 years (currently, 30). Creates a 40-year presumptive period for members of the reserves who were exposed to atmospheric detonation of a nuclear device during active duty or inactive duty for training and who contract specified diseases or illnesses within such period. States as an exception the disease of leukemia, which is given a 30-year manifestation period in such reserve members. Increases the amount of Veterans' Mortgage Life Insurance available to a veteran owning a home to the lesser of $90,000 or the amount of the loan outstanding on the home. (Currently, the amount is the lesser of $40,000 or such amount.) Increases from one to two years the required time after discharge or release permitted to qualify for National Service Life Insurance (for service-disabled veterans). Title III: Agent Orange - Veterans Agent Orange Exposure and Vietnam Service Benefits Act of 1990 - Provides that the disease of chloracne in Vietnam veterans shall be considered to have been service-connected if such disease became manifest to a ten percent or more degree of disability within one year after the last date on which the veteran performed such service in Vietnam. Presumes the following diseases to be service-connected for veterans who performed active service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era, notwithstanding that there is no record of evidence of such disease during the period of such service: (1) non-Hodgkins lymphoma; (2) soft-tissue sarcoma; and (3) melanoma and basal cell carcinoma. Provides a presumption of service-connection in the case of a Vietnam veteran suffering from a disease associated with effects of exposure to certain dioxins or other herbicide agents during such service in Vietnam. Directs the Secretary to prescribe regulations listing a positive association between any disease and the biological effects of exposure to an herbicide agent in Vietnam. Requires the Secretary to update such list continually. Requires the Secretary, in prescribing and revising such list, to obtain by contract the determinations and estimates of a contract scientific organization. Requires such organization to: (1) determine which diseases have any degree of association with the biological effects of exposure to an herbicide agent; and (2) estimate the extent of association between each such disease and each such biological effects. Requires the organization to determine such association specifically with respect to non-Hodgkins lymphoma, each soft-tissue sarcoma, lung cancer, and each other cancer. Outlines contract provisions required in such agreements between the Secretary and the scientific organization, including surveys, evaluations, and periodic determinations. Requires such scientific organization to provide reports to the Secretary and the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees regarding its determinations and evaluations. Requires such organization to determine, in the effect of a positive association, whether there is reasonable basis for concluding that a Vietnam veteran with the highest level of exposure to that herbicide agent in Vietnam was exposed to such agent under the circumstances necessary for such biological effects. Requires a report from the organization to the Secretary and the veterans' committees when there is no such reasonable basis found. Requires the Secretary to make certain determinations and follow-up reports after receiving such reports from the contract scientific organization, including the issuance of a report to the veterans' committees and the promulgation of positive associations regulations if necessary. Requires benefits to be continued even though a disease is removed from the regulations listing diseases having positive associations. Terminates such contracting authority ten years after the first day of the fiscal year in which a scientific organization transmits its first report to the Secretary. Provides special effective dates. Directs the Secretary to compile and analyze all clinical data that: (1) is obtained by the Department in connection with examinations and treatment of veterans for disabilities related to exposure to certain herbicides or to service in Vietnam; and (2) is likely to be scientifically useful in determining the association, if any, between the disabilities of such veterans and their exposure to such herbicides and other toxic substances. Requires the Secretary to submit an annual report to the veterans' committees concerning such analysis and its results. Directs the Secretary to consult with the Director of the National Institutes of Health Research and Grants Division (NIH) before compiling and analyzing such information. Requires the Director of NIH to review each annual report submitted by the Secretary and transmit to the Secretary an evaluation of the contents of each report. Directs the Secretary to establish and maintain a system for the collection and storage of voluntarily contributed samples of blood and tissue of veterans who performed active service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era. Outlines provisions concerning the security and authorized uses of such specimens as well as limitations on the acceptance of such samples. Requires the Secretary to consult with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to the extent that an agreement has been reached with the NAS serving as the contract scientific organization for the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to consult with the Director of the Medical Follow-up Agency in the event of no agreement with NAS. Directs the Secretary to establish a program to provide for the conduct of studies of the feasibility of conducting additional scientific research on health hazards resulting from: (1) exposure to dioxin; (2) exposure to other toxic agents in herbicides used in support of U.S. and allied military operations in Vietnam during the Vietnam era; and (3) active military, naval, or air service there. Requires the Secretary to report to the veterans' committees on the results of such studies. Requires the Secretary to consult with the NAS before undertaking such studies and requires the NAS to review such studies and report recommendations to the Secretary and the veterans' committees, to the extent provided under any agreement between the Secretary and NAS. Amends the Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 1988 to require the Secretary to annually furnish updated information to veterans listed in the Department of Veterans Affairs' Agent Orange Registry on health risks resulting from exposure to dioxin or other toxic agents in herbicides as a result of service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report to the veterans' committees on the research being conducted to develop treatments for physiological absorption of dioxin and other toxic agents used in herbicides by the United States in Vietnam, including research relating to exposure to dioxin and other toxic agents outside Vietnam. Extends through December 31, 2000, the eligibility for hospital and nursing home care for veterans exposed to toxic substances in Vietnam. Amends the Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 1988 to authorize direct consultation between the Ranch Hand Advisory Committee and Department of the Air Force scientists conducting the Ranch Hand Study (a study of the long-term health effects of exposure to phenoxy herbicides and contaminants). Requires the preparation and submission of annual reports and a final report in connection with such study.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 1990
Legal Services Reform Act of 1990 - Imposes requirements with respect to funds provided by the Legal Services Corporation. Sets forth prohibitions, with exceptions, on redistricting activities, the solicitation of employment, participation in precomplaint settlement negotiations or litigation involving agricultural entities, lobbying, or the provision of defense assistance in drug-related matters by fund recipients. Directs the Corporation to require each recipient to maintain records of time spent on the cases of matters with respect to which that recipient is engaged in activities. Grants the Board of Directors of nonprofit State legal services organizations which are funded by the Corporation authority over the selection of those matters and cases to which their staffs shall devote their time and resources. Allows fund recipients to use non-Corporation funds to match Federal or State funds provided under the Older Americans Act of 1965 and other government funds. Specifies that funds derived from Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (IOLTA) and other non-Corporation funds shall not be expended for any purposes prohibited under this Act or the Legal Services Corporation Act. Requires all grants and contracts awarded by the Corporation to be awarded under a competitive bidding system. Outlines provisions regarding: (1) termination or denial of funding under such a system; (2) distribution of funds; and (3) approval of attorney members of local boards. Enables the Corporation to sanction individual employees of fund recipients who violate this Act, the Legal Services Corporation Act or its regulations, or State codes of professional responsibility. Prohibits fund recipients from claiming or collecting attorneys' fees from nongovernmental parties to litigation initiated by such recipients. Provides that if the defendant prevails in such a lawsuit, the Corporation is required to pay 90 percent and the fund recipient ten percent of the defendant's attorney fees, except where the court finds that an action was commenced to retaliate or harass the defendant in which case all fees must be paid by the fund recipient. Provides that if the amount recovered is less than ten percent of the amount of damages sought, the court may award attorney's fees to the defendant. Prohibits any attempt, such as the creation or use of "alternative corporations," to evade the provisions of this Act or the Legal Services Corporation Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1990
FHA Protection and Homeownership Preservation Act of 1990 - Amends the National Housing Act to limit the maximum amount of a Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insured mortgage principal to a property's appraised value. Sets forth periodic premium payment schedules. Limits FHA rebates on unearned premiums. Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to: (1) insure that the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund attains specified capital ratios; (2) conduct annual Fund audits; and (3) adjust premiums as necessary. Authorizes periodic mortgage insurance safety premiums.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 1990
Designates September 16 through 22, 1990, as National Rehabilitation Week. Urges each State Governor and local government chief executive to issue proclamations calling upon their citizens to observe such week with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1990
Provides that attorneys' fees may not be charged in the case of an individual applying for benefits under laws administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs before the date on which the Board of Veterans' Appeals first makes a final decision in the case. States that there shall be no limit upon attorneys' fees charged at any stage of a proceeding involving the Department in: (1) any case in which the United States is seeking to collect an indebtedness, which involves waiver of overpayments; or (2) proceedings before a court.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1990
Requires Members of the House of Representatives to file a semi-annual report with the Clerk of the House and Senators a semi-annual report with the Secretary of the Senate on: (1) the number of mass mailings under the frank by such Member during the period covered by the report; and (2) the number of pieces of mail in each such mass mailing.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 1990
Title I: National Writing Program - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to enter into a contract with the National Writing Project (a nonprofit educational organization) to support costs of programs of teacher training and classroom research to improve the teaching of writing and the quality of student writing and learning. Directs the Project to establish a National Advisory Board. Title II: Research and Development - Directs the Secretary, through the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, to make grants to individuals and higher education institutions for research on the teaching of writing. Title III: Authorization of Appropriations - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1991 through 1996.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 1990
Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to assist in the construction of an Appalachian highway system and local access roads serving the Appalachian region. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary for such assistance out of the Highway Trust Fund. Exempts such assistance from any Federal-aid highway and highway safety construction program ceilings. Limits to 80 percent the Federal share of the cost of any construction project under this Act. Provides an apportionment formula to be followed by the Secretary in making funds available to States for such assistance. Requires the Appalachian Regional Commission to submit to the Secretary a list of estimated project costs. States that, beginning with FY 1993, projects eligible for assistance under this Act shall be eligible for funds available under law applicable to the construction and maintenance of Federal-aid primary highways.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 1990
Department of Veterans Affairs Codification Act - Revises provisions of Federal law which established the Department of Veterans Affairs as an executive department. Redesignates the Veterans Health Services and Research Administration as the Veterans Health Administration. Includes the Veterans' Canteen Service and the Board of Contract Appeals within the Department. Establishes within the Department an Under Secretary for Health, who shall be the head of the Veterans Health Administration. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a commission to recommend individuals to the President whenever a vacancy occurs in the position of the Under Secretary. Redesignates the Chief Benefits Director of the Veterans Benefits Administration as the Under Secretary for Benefits Administration. Requires the Secretary to establish a commission to recommend individuals to the President whenever a vacancy occurs in the position of the Under Secretary. Revises and codifies provisions relating to the authority and various duties of the Secretary. Authorizes the Secretary to prescribe all rules and regulations necessary or appropriate to carry out the laws administered by the Department. Provides for judicial review of such rules and regulations. States that the Veterans Benefits Administration shall be operated by the Under Secretary for Benefits Administration and that the Administration shall be responsible for the following programs: compensation and pension; vocational rehabilitation and educational assistance; veterans' home loan; veterans' and service members' life insurance programs; and outreach and other veterans' services programs. Revises and reorganizes provisions relating to the organization and functions of the Veterans Health Administration. Directs the Under Secretary of the Administration to prescribe all regulations necessary for its administration. Provides specific experience criteria for several of the Assistant Under Secretaries appointed to the Administration. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish and conduct a comprehensive program to monitor and evaluate the quality of health care furnished by the Administration; and (2) delineate the responsibilities of the Under Secretary with respect to the quality-assurance program. Requires the Under Secretary to periodically evaluate the mortality and morbidity rates for surgical procedures performed by the Administration against prevailing national standards and to explain and report on any significant deviations. Provides that a person may not serve as Chief of Staff of a Department health-care facility if the person is not serving on a full-time basis. Makes technical and conforming amendments. Adds savings provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1990
Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to assist in the construction of an Appalachian highway system and local access roads serving the Appalachian region. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary for such assistance out of the Highway Trust Fund. Exempts such assistance from any Federal-aid highway and highway safety construction program ceilings. Limits to 80 percent the Federal share of the cost of any construction project under this Act. Provides an apportionment formula to be followed by the Secretary in making funds available to States for such assistance. Requires the Appalachian Regional Commission to submit to the Secretary a list of estimated project costs. States that, beginning with FY 1993, projects eligible for assistance under this Act shall be eligible for funds available under law applicable to the construction and maintenance of Federal-aid primary highways.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1990
Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to contract for the provision of rehabilitative and therapeutic services to veterans with any appropriate source, whether or not such source is an element of the Department of Veterans Affairs or any other Federal entity. (Current law allows such contractual arrangements with private industry or other sources outside the Department.) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a three-year demonstration program for the provision of transitional housing for veterans receiving therapeutic or rehabilitative services through the Department and who are furnished therapeutic work as part of such services. Allows the Secretary to purchase, lease, or otherwise acquire residential housing for such purposes. Limits the operation of such transitional housing to no more than 50 residences. Outlines conditions for such transitional housing, including the payment of rent for resident veterans. Requires a house manager for each residence used for such housing. Authorizes the Secretary to use any suitable residential property for such housing, including property acquired through default under the veterans' home loan guaranty program. Authorizes the Secretary to dispose of property after use as transitional housing and to deposit the proceeds into the General Post Fund of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Authorizes the Secretary to make loans to assist nonprofit organizations in providing transitional housing for veterans who are or recently have been in a program for the treatment of substance abuse. Outlines terms, conditions, and limitations to such loan program. Authorizes the Secretary to provide loans to veterans for the purpose of avoiding foreclosure of a housing loan made under the veterans' home loan guaranty program. Conditions such assistance on the following: (1) that the dwelling securing the loan is the current residence of the veteran; (2) that the veteran is at least six months' delinquent in payments on the original guaranteed loan; (3) that the veteran has lost employment or has had a substantial reduction in income through no fault of the veteran; and (4) the Secretary determines that there is a reasonable prospect that the veteran will be able to resume payment on the original loan within six months after receiving such loan assistance. Limits to $10,000 the total amount of such loans made to any veteran. Requires a veteran to enter into an agreement to repay such a loan within a reasonable period not to exceed 15 years. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements with nonprofit organizations and States or political subdivisions to sell real property acquired as the result of a loan made, insured, or guaranteed by the Secretary under the veterans' home loan guaranty program. Provides the following conditions to such agreements: (1) that the Secretary determines that such action will not adversely affect the ability of the Department to fulfill its statutory mission with respect to the veterans' home loan guaranty program; (2) that the entity to which the property is sold agrees to utilize such property solely as a shelter primarily for homeless veterans and their families, to comply with all zoning laws, and to make no use of the property that is incompatible with the area; and (3) that the Secretary determines that there is no significant likelihood of the property being sold for a price sufficient to reduce the liability of the Department or the veteran who defaulted on the loan. Authorizes the Secretary, in order to assist veterans who are participants in a compensated work therapy program, to convey to nonprofit organizations and States and political subdivisions real property acquired by the Secretary as the result of default on a loan made or guaranteed by the Secretary under the veterans' home loan program. Allows conveyance of such property only to persons who enter into an agreement with the Secretary to employ veterans who are participants in a compensated work therapy program. Terminates such agreement authority as of September 30, 1993.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1990
Made in America United States Flag Protection Act - Amends the Federal criminal code to establish criminal penalties for mutilating, burning, trampling upon, or otherwise damaging or altering an official U.S. flag, with an exception for destroying a flag as prescribed by law when it is no longer suitable for display. Creates the United States Flag Commission to: (1) establish an official seal and the proper method of affixing the seal to U.S. flags which become official flags; (2) enter into licensing agreements with manufacturers to produce official U.S. flags; (3) set a reasonable licensing fee for such manufacturers and to collect and deposit such fees in the Treasury to reduce the public debt; and (4) study, periodically, the rules and customs pertaining to the U.S. flag and make recommendations regarding whether such rules and customs should be modified or repealed or whether new rules and customs should be adopted. Specifies that a U.S. flag shall be official if it is manufactured under a license issued by the Commission and has the official seal affixed to the hoist in such a way as not to cover any part of the flag. Requires each Government department or agency to utilize only official U.S. flags. Deems flags manufactured or displayed by any such department or agency prior to enactment of this Act to be official U.S. flags. Requires each prospective licensee, as a condition of receiving a license to manufacture official flags, to agree to include a copy of the Bill of Rights with each flag sold. Authorizes: (1) individuals to submit U.S. flags to the Commission for designation as official; and (2) the Commission to grant a license to manufacture official U.S. flags only if such flags will be manufactured in the United States. Makes issuance of a license to a flag manufacturer conditional upon the manufacturer agreeing to provide notice that such flag is official and is protected by the Federal criminal code which subjects any person who damages or alters an official U.S. flag to specified penalties. Sets penalties for the unauthorized manufacture, reproduction, or use of the official seal. Makes it unlawful to sell a U.S. flag that is not manufactured in the United States and subjects violators to a civil fine. Excludes affixing of the official seal to a U.S. flag from provisions: (1) establishing penalties for the use in advertising and mutilation of the U.S. flag within the District of Columbia; and (2) with respect to the placing of markings on the U.S. flag.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 1990
Korean War Veterans Memorial Thirty-Eighth Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act - Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should recognize the 38th anniversary of the Korean War by minting and issuing a silver dollar coin. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue one-dollar silver coins to commemorate the 38th anniversary of the ending of the Korean War. Terminates such authority after December 31, 1991. Mandates that surcharges from the sale of such coins be used for the Korean War Veterans Memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 1990
Housing and Memorial Affairs Amendments of 1990 - Makes eligible for various veterans' home loan benefits any individual not otherwise eligible for benefits who has completed a total of at least six years of service in the Selected Reserve and who was discharged honorably, placed on the retired list, or transferred to an element of the Ready Reserve other than the Selected Reserve. Defines the amount of loan fee to be paid by a veteran qualifying under the Selected Reserve eligibility provisions. Provides that, as of October 1, 1990: (1) the limitation on the number of homes purchased by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for which loan guaranty defaults occurred which may be financed by a loan made by the Secretary shall cease to have effect; and (2) the Secretary may sell any note evidencing such a loan with or without recourse if the amount received is not less than the unpaid balance of such loan. Prohibits the Secretary from selling any note evidencing a loan for which the Guaranty and Indemnity Fund is available. Extends such property management provisions through December 31, 1993. Makes permanent (current law expires on March 1, 1991) the authority of the Secretary for default procedures for loans made, guaranteed, or insured by the Department. Extends through FY 1993 (currently, FY 1990) the procedure for real estate appraisals to be followed by the Secretary. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out an administrative reorganization that involves closing the loan guaranty division at the Togus Veteran Affairs Medical and Regional Office Center, Togus, Maine, and transferring such functions to the Manchester Veterans Affairs Regional Office, Manchester, New Hampshire. Provides that, in the making of a claim on a manufactured home on which a loan was made or guaranteed by the Department, the holder of the loan shall have the election of submitting a claim to the Secretary based on the value of the property securing the loan as determined by the Secretary, or on the actual proceeds from the liquidation sale of the property securing the loan. Allows payments of a claim on a guaranty to be made only after the filing of an accounting with the Secretary. Authorizes the Secretary to provide for flat grave markers in the section of the Florida National Cemetery in which replaced grave liners were installed before July 30, 1988. Directs the Secretary, at the request of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, to certify whether an applicant for assistance under any law administered by HUD is a veteran. Provides that an applicant for a loan made, guaranteed, or insured by the Department shall not be subject to reporting requirements applicable to requests for, or receipts of, Federal contracts, grants, loans, or cooperative agreements except to the extent that such requirements are provided for in or by the Secretary pursuant to the veterans' housing loan guaranty program. Directs the Secretary to carry out a demonstration project, during FY 1991 and 1992 and in at least two but not more than ten regional offices, for guaranteeing loans in a manner similar to which the Secretary of HUD insures adjustable rate mortgages under applicable provisions of the National Housing Act. Requires a report from the Secretary to the Congress on the implementation of such project.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1990
Designates as South African Freedom Week the week in 1990 coinciding with the first visit of Nelson Mandela to the United States after his release from prison in South Africa.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 1990
Urges the President to instruct the Attorney General to appoint an independent counsel to investigate the involvement of Government officials in the savings and loan scandal.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1990
Increases from 30 to 40 years after a veteran last participated in radiation-risk activities the period during which the manifestation of leukemia shall be presumed to be service-connected for purposes of eligibility for veterans' disability compensation.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1990
Designates June 25, 1990, as Korean War Remembrance Day. Authorizes and requests the President to urge that the American flag be flown at half staff on such day in honor of the Americans who died as a result of their service in the Korean War.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1990
Medicare Bone Mass Measurement Coverage Act of 1990 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide Medicare coverage of bone mass measurements.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1990
Osteoporosis and Related Bone Disorders Research, Education, and Health Services Act of 1990 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMSD) and the Director of the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to expand and intensify research on osteoporosis and related bone disorders. Requires, with respect to osteoporosis and related bone disorders: (1) the NIAMSD Director to increase the number of Specialized Centers of Research; and (2) the NIA Director to increase the number of program project grants devoted to creating centers of excellence. Authorizes appropriations. Establishes in the Department of Health and Human Services the Interagency Council on Osteoporosis and Related Disorders and the Advisory Panel on Osteoporosis and Related Disorders. Authorizes appropriations for the Advisory Panel. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make up to three grants to establish model health promotion projects for community-based education on osteoporosis, with each project targeting one of these groups: young and teenage girls, midlife women, and older men and women. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the NIAMSD Director to make grants or enter into contracts to establish a Resource Center on Osteoporosis and Related Disorders to: (1) disseminate information about research results, services, and educational materials to health professionals, patients, and the public; and (2) coordinate regional training programs for the development of health professional resource networks. Requires grant and contract recipients to establish: (1) a central computerized information system to, among other matters, translate scientific and technical information into information readily understandable by the general public; and (2) a national toll-free telephone information line. Requires the grant or contract recipient to charge fees for providing information, but allows exceptions for individuals and organizations unable to pay. Authorization appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1990
Medigap Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act of 1990 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to penalize individuals who issue, sell, or renew Medicare supplemental policies which are in violation of this Act's standards or offer to sell a policy in a State that has not approved such policy. Requires that Medicare supplemental policy issuers: (1) cover a core group of basic benefits and, if they offer other benefits, issue a policy covering only such basic benefits; (2) provide prospective purchasers of a policy with a summary information sheet describing policy benefits and the amount of any premiums attributable to optional benefits; (3) guarantee the renewability of policies; (4) offer each group policyholder terminating their coverage or group membership the right to continued coverage under an individual policy (the policyholder ending his or her group membership may also opt for continued coverage under the group policy) or, if the old group policy is replaced by a new group policy, the right to coverage under a new group policy without exclusion for preexisting conditions; and (5) suspend policy benefits and premiums upon the policyholder's indication that he or she is entitled to Medicaid (title XIX of the Social Security Act) benefits. Requires the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) or, upon the NAIC's default, the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate simplification standards which set the core group of basic benefits policies must provide, limit the additional benefit packages that may be provided, and establish a uniform language and format to be used with respect to policy benefits. Prohibits the sale of policies which do not meet such standards, though permits approved waivers of such standards to test new or innovative benefits. Directs the Secretary to request the NAIC to educate Medicare beneficiaries on the simplification standards. Increases the civil monetary penalty for knowingly selling a policy which duplicates health benefits to which an individual is already entitled. Permits persons aggrieved by duplicative coverage to recover triple damages in a civil suit. Prohibits a policy issuer from selling a policy without: (1) obtaining a written statement of the buyer indicating any health policies of the same type or Medicaid coverage the buyer may have; and (2) notifying the buyer of the possibility and effect of their coverage under the Medicaid program and the address and telephone number of any State Medicare supplemental policy counseling program and the State Medicaid office. Prohibits the issuer from selling a policy to a person who indicates that he or she is covered by the Medicaid program or has duplicative health benefits. Penalizes individuals who sell a policy in violation of such requirements. Increases the percentage of premiums which must be returned to policyholders as benefits. Establishes a process whereby States must approve premium increases prior to their implementation. Requires public hearings for any premium increase request exceeding twice the percentage increase in the medical care component of the consumer price index. Limits Medicare supplemental policy sales commissions. Authorizes appropriations for a matching grant program to assist States in establishing counseling programs to aid Medicare-eligible individuals in choosing Medicare supplemental policies. Prohibits such policies from denying a claim for losses incurred more than six months from the effective date of coverage for a preexisting condition.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1990
Comprehensive Alzheimer's Assistance, Research, and Education Act of 1990 (CARE) - Title I: Amendments to the Public Health Service Act - Replaces provisions of the Public Health Service Act authorizing the establishment and operation of Alzheimer's Disease centers with provisions requiring the Director of the National Institute on Aging to make grants and enter into cooperative agreements for planning, establishing, or strengthening at least 15 Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers to support any part of the full range of research and development from very basic to clinical. Requires the Director to award center core grants or enter into cooperative agreements to support shared resources for categorical research. Requires the Director to award grants or enter into cooperative agreements with entities receiving assistance under the Research Centers and center core provisions of this Act to assist in providing high-quality research and services at locations other than the Research Centers. Requires the Director to make grants or enter into cooperative agreements to: (1) attract new or young investigators to careers involving research on biomedical, behavioral, and social aspects of Alzheimer's disease; and (2) develop institutional training programs emphasizing postdoctoral training and training of women and groups underrepresented in such research. Authorizes appropriations for: (1) the grants and cooperative agreements above in this Act; and (2) under existing provisions, awards for leadership and excellence, research on services to individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias and their families, preparation and revision of a plan for certain research related to Alzheimer's disease, and dissemination of research results. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Commissioner on Aging, to make grants and enter into contracts for family support demonstration projects. Authorizes the Director to make grants and enter into contracts for long-term care research with regard to Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. Authorizes the Secretary, through the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, the Administration on Aging, and the National Center for Nursing Research, to make grants and enter into contracts for research on methods for improving the delivery of supportive services to individuals with Alzheimer's disease or related disorders. Authorizes appropriations for family support demonstration projects, long-term care research, and supportive services delivery research. Directs the Secretary to make competitive grants to States for State Alzheimer's disease programs, including medical, legal, educational, health care financing, and other aspects. Requires that 25 to 50 percent of a grant be used in any fiscal year for respite care. Limits grants to: (1) a minimum dollar amount; and (2) one-half of the costs of the research for which the grant is made. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary, through the Director of the National Institutes of Health and the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), to make grants and enter into contracts for basic and clinical research with respect to Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Amendments to the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Services Research Act of 1986 - Amends the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Services Research Act of 1986 to require the Council on Alzheimer's Disease to make certain annual reports to the Congress and the public regarding matters related to Alzheimer's disease. Authorizes appropriations for the establishment and operation, under existing provisions, of the Advisory Panel on Alzheimer's Disease. Requires grants under specified existing provisions for Alzheimer's research to focus on specialized care as well as on services. Requires the Director of the NIMH to submit a research plan to the Council annually. Modifies the research to be provided for in the plan. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the responsibilities of the NIMH relating to Alzheimer's disease under the Act. Requires the Administrator of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research to submit a research plan to the Chairman of the Council annually. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the responsibilities of the Agency under the Act. Replaces provisions requiring education programs for providers of care for individuals with Alzheimer's disease with provisions authorizing the Director of the National Institute on Aging to make grants: (1) on the basis of merit, for training programs and continuing education programs with respect to health care for individuals with Alzheimer's disease or related disorders; and (2) for the development of curricula for the training programs and continuing education programs. Requires the Director to establish the National Alzheimer's Education Program to: (1) provide coordination and leadership in the Federal education and promotion effort; (2) develop and distribute educational materials; (3) encourage and work with the media to provide information; (4) encourage and work with public and private efforts to develop models for education, training, and assistance programs; and (5) provide technical assistance. Authorizes the Director to make grants for programs to educate health care providers and the families of individuals with Alzheimer's disease or related disorders on caring for such individuals, and on the availability of public and private sources of assistance. Authorizes appropriations to carry out educational activities provisions of the Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1990
Air Traffic Controller Incentive and Retention Act - Increases the premium pay differential for certain air traffic control system employees and other specified employees of the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense from five to 15 percent of the applicable rate of basic pay. Entitles such employees to Sunday premium pay for work performed on Saturday. Eliminates the age limitation on annuity eligibility under the Civil Service and Federal Employees' Retirement Systems for air traffic controllers with 20 years of service.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1990
Provides that interest shall not accrue for a specified five-year period with respect to any repayable advance to the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1990
Provides that members of the Reserve or National Guard who participated in atmospheric nuclear detonation testing during active duty for training or inactive-duty training and who have contracted certain radiation-related diseases within specified periods following such testing shall be deemed to have contracted such diseases during active military services for purposes of eligibility for the following benefits administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs: (1) disability compensation; (2) dependency and indemnity compensation; (3) hospital, nursing home, domiciliary, and medical care; (4) burial, cemetery, and memorial benefits; and (5) survivors' and dependents' educational benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1990
Oil and Gas Small Investor Incentive Act of 1990 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce the amount of excess intangible drilling costs for non-geothermal oil and gas properties as an item of tax preference under the alternative minimum tax. Revises the exception of oil and gas working interests to the passive activity loss rules by including taxpayers who hold any working interest in any oil or gas property through an entity which limits the taxpayer's liability with respect to such interest to a specified extent.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1990
Calls immediately for Greyhound Lines, Inc., and the Amalgamated Transit Union to resume negotiations under the auspices of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service and the Secretary of Labor.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1990
Urges the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to: (1) use "Super 301" under the Trade Act of 1974 to identify Japan as a priority country for purposes of negotiating the elimination of barriers to U.S. exports; (2) identify as trade-liberalization priorities under "Super 301" Japanese practices that are most costly in terms of lost U.S. exports and most resistant to change through market adjustment or prior negotiations; and (3) in determining such practices, give substantial weight to the worsening bilateral trade deficit in any sector where they prevail. Declares that the Congress considers that: (1) the identification of the trade-liberalization priorities in the 1990 "Super 301" report would reinforce other bilateral trade discussions such as the Structural Impediments Initiative talks and the negotiations regarding priorities in the 1989 "Super 301" report; and (2) use of the "Super 301" trade-liberalization incentive would improve prospects for reducing the U.S.-Japanese trade imbalance.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1990
National Cooperative Production Amendments of 1990 - Amends the National Cooperative Research Act of 1984 to: (1) apply such Act to joint ventures for the production of any product, process, or service; and (2) require consideration of the worldwide capacity of suppliers to provide a product, process, or service in determining the relevant market for judging the reasonableness of conduct under a joint venture. Makes this Act inapplicable with respect to any activity in connection with a joint production venture if more than 30 percent of the beneficial ownership of the voting securities and equity of such venture is controlled by foreign entities. Requires any facilities operated by such venture to be located within the United States or its territories.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1990
Title I: Swap Agreements - Amends Federal bankruptcy law to define "swap agreement" and "swap participant." Exempts various transactions in connection with interest rate and currency swap agreements from the automatic stay triggered by the filing of a bankruptcy petition. Prohibits the trustee in bankruptcy from avoiding any transfer made under a swap agreement before commencement of the bankruptcy case or any setoff in connection with a swap agreement if the offset is made within 90 days prior to the bankruptcy filing. Provides that the contractual right of a nonbankrupt party to a swap agreement to terminate the agreement shall not be stayed or otherwise limited under Federal bankruptcy law or by related judicial or administrative proceedings. Title II: Forward Contracts - Amends Federal bankruptcy law to revise the definition of "forward contract" to include commodities enumerated in the Commodity Exchange Act as well as any similar item which is presently or may in the future become the subject of dealing in the forward contract trade. Designates specified transactions within the definition of "forward contract" including repurchase and reverse repurchase transactions, options, and hedge transactions. Defines margin payments and settlement payments for forward contract purposes. Exempts any set-offs involving such payments from: (1) the automatic stay provisions triggered by a bankruptcy petition; and (2) avoidance powers of the bankruptcy trustee. Provides that a swap participant that receives a margin or settlement payment in connection with a swap agreement takes for value to the extent of such transfer (thus exempting such payments from scrutiny as to whether they are actually fair value for the amount used). Revises the scope of contract rights liquidating a forward contract to include rights not evidenced in writing.
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