United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1991
Establishes a Joint Committee on the Organization of the Congress to: (1) make a full and complete study of the organization and operation of the Congress; and (2) recommend improvements in such organization and operation with a view toward strengthening its effectiveness, simplifying its operations, improving its relationships with other branches of the Government, and improving the orderly consideration of legislation. Requires a report to the Senate and the House of Representatives not later than the adjournment sine die of the 102d Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1991
Fairness in Product Liability Act of 1991 - Governs any product liability action brought in either State or Federal court against a manufacturer or product seller on any theory for harm caused by a product, superseding State law in specified ways and degrees. Makes a product seller liable only if the seller: (1) failed to exercise reasonable care regarding the product, and the failure was the proximate cause of the harm; (2) made an express warranty, independent of any express warranty by the manufacturer, the product failed to conform to the warranty and the failure caused the harm; or (3) engaged in international wrongdoing which was a proximate cause of the harm. Makes a product seller liable as if the seller were the manufacturer if: (1) the manufacturer is not subject to service of process under State laws; or (2) a court determines the claimant would be unable to enforce a judgment against the manufacturer. Allows, in certain circumstances, a complete defense of alcohol or controlled substance use. Reduces damages by the percentage of harm attributable to misuse or alteration of a product by any person, subject to exception involving misuse or alteration by the claimant's employer or coemployees. Allows punitive damages against a manufacturer or seller for conscious, flagrant indifference to user safety. Prohibits, in certain circumstances, punitive damages regarding a drug or device, as defined in the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, unless packaging of a drug is substantially out of compliance with tamper-resistant packaging regulations. Declares manufacturer or seller liability to be several and not joint for noneconomic damages. Requires a product liability action to be brought within two years after the harm and its cause is, or with reasonable diligence should have been, discovered. Sets the time limit at 25 years for products which are capital goods. Requires offset of workers' compensation benefits. Sets forth rules regarding subrogation, contribution, indemnity, and liens. Provides for tort actions against employers. Prohibits U.S. district courts from having jurisdiction under specified provisions of Federal law over any civil action arising under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1991
Condemns Syria's denial of Syrian Jews' right to travel freely and calls upon the Syrian Government to: (1) immediately grant Syrian Jews the right to travel freely without imposing a fee; and (2) release all Jewish prisoners who were charged or suspected of traveling illegally. Urges the President to encourage U.S. allies and trading partners to make similar pleas to the Syrian Government. Calls upon the United Nations to send an official delegation to Syria to investigate the present condition of Syrian Jews.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1991
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the people of the United States should recognize: (1) the tenth anniversary of "An Artistic Discovery" (the Congressional High School Art Competition); and (2) its success in encouraging the creative endeavors of our Nation's young artists and forging strong working relationships among the Congress, businesses, and the arts community towards the ultimate goal of providing opportunities for high school students to express their artistic talents.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 1991
Petroleum Marketing Competition Enhancement Act - Amends the Petroleum Marketing Practices Act to prohibit a refiner from: (1) selling motor fuel to a customer for resale (customer) at a price higher than the refiner's adjusted retail price for the same or a similar grade or quality of motor fuel sold from a direct operated outlet in the same geographic area (sale of fuel at higher prices); and (2) entering into a scheme or agreement to set, change, or maintain maximum retail prices of motor fuel, except with respect to a refiner's retail sales at its direct operated outlets. Requires that: (1) in comparing a refiner's adjusted retail price to a refiner's price to other customers, adjustments be made to account for differences in freight, taxes, and inspection fees, whether or not the items are separately listed as part of the price; and (2) if a refiner includes consumer credit as part of its price, an adjustment for the cost of such credit be made in comparing the prices. Sets forth enforcement provisions, including: (1) proceedings by the Attorney General (establishes fines ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 for each violation, and authorizes civil actions and equitable relief); (2) private civil actions, including class actions, (and establishes a right to jury trial); and (3) proceedings by State attorneys general. Allows a person bringing an action to enforce provisions concerning the sale of fuel at higher prices to establish a prima facie case by showing that the refiner has sold motor fuel to a customer at a price that is higher than: (1) 94 percent of its consumer retail price per gallon (or, in the event of a sale to a branded wholesaler, 90 percent); or (2) the refiner's consumer retail price per gallon less the most recently available average retail operating expenses per gallon (and, in the event of a sale by a refiner to a branded wholesaler, also less the most recently available average wholesale operating expenses per gallon for the State in which the consumer retail price was charged). Specifies that: (1) in the event that the relevant State has not conducted an annual survey (pursuant to this Act) to determine the average retail or average wholesale operating expenses, the average operating expenses for the retail and wholesale petroleum industry, as determined by the Secretary of Energy, shall be used; and (2) such prima facie case may be overcome by a preponderance of evidence that the refiner's actual retail and average wholesale operating expenses, if applicable, are less than the evidence presented by the plaintiff to establish such prima facie case. Directs the Secretary to conduct an annual survey to determine the average retail and average wholesale operating expenses per gallon for the petroleum industry. Permits a State or State agency to authorize an annual State survey to reflect local conditions with respect to motor fuels sold to the public in that State. Directs that any such survey regarding: (1) retail operating expenses and actual wholesale operating expenses be based upon all direct and indirect expenses attributable to the sale of a gallon of motor fuel to the public by direct and nondirect operated outlets; and (2) wholesale operating expenses be based on all direct and indirect expenses attributable to the wholesale sale of a gallon of motor fuel by a refiner or a branded wholesaler to a branded dealer.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 1991
Prohibits the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from making any payment for covered drugs and biologicals unless the price charged by the manufacturer is determined in accordance with an agreement between the Secretary and the manufacturer pursuant to the Social Security Act, under which the price charged cannot exceed the price charged as of September 1, 1990, increased by the sum of the covered drug updates. States that such pricing agreement shall apply to any drug or biological product procured by the Department of Veterans Affairs that is: (1) purchased under a depot contracting system; or (2) listed under the Federal Supply Schedule of the General Services Administration on or after January 1, 1990. Amends the Social Security Act to exclude the prices for prescription drugs procured by the Federal Government from the calculation of best price procurement for purposes of application of Medicaid rebate agreements. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study of, and report to the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Commitees on, the costs and availability of drugs and biological products for programs of the Department as they relate to exemptions and limitations under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue code to exempt from income tax withholding the wages of agricultural workers for services that are not described as exempt from minimum wage and maximum hour provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 1991
Milk Inventory Management Act of 1991 - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to set milk price support levels at: (1) $10.10 per hundredweight for 1991; (2) $12.60 per hundredweight for 1992 and 1993; (3) $12.10 per hundredweight for 1994; and (4) $11.60 per hundredweight for 1995. Establishes manufacturing allowances for milk manufactured into: (1) butter and nonfat dry milk; and (2) cheese. Reduces support prices, including imposing a two-tiered pricing program, if estimated Commodity Credit Corportation (CCC) milk purchases exceed specified levels. Establishes: (1) a National Dairy Inventory Management Board; and (2) a milk inventory management program to handle excess inventory if estimated annual CCC milk prices exceed a specified level. Authorizes the Board to develop a dairy heifer export program. Limits CCC purchases of excess milk inventory, with specified exceptions. Prohibits price supports in a State which supports milk in excess of Federal levels. Amends the Agricultural Adjustment Act, as reenacted with amendments by the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, to establish marketing order milk solid percentages for whole, lowfat, and skim milk. Amends the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 to establish milk producer and handler trusts. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to require: (1) annual CCC milk purchase estimates to include estimates of dairy cattle slaughtering; and (2) additional Department of Agriculture, beef purchases if any year in which dairy cattle slaughtering exceeds specified levels.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1991
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct ten demonstration projects to examine the feasibility of broader use of arrangements for the sharing of health-care resources with other Federal health-care providers. Requires the Secretary to enter into agreements for such demonstration projects with the Secretaries of Defense and Health and Human Services with respect to facilities, providers, and beneficiaries of health care. Requires each demonstration project to be carried out through a sharing agreement between the Secretary and one of the other named Secretaries with respect to care and services provided by a particular Department of Veterans Affairs medical facility. Requires medical centers selected for the demonstration projects to be located in rural and urban areas in different regions of the country. Provides for the reciprocal provision of health-care services by medical centers participating in the project, as well as for reciprocal reimbursement for services provided. Directs the Secretary to evaluate the demonstration projects on an ongoing basis and to submit two annual reports on such evaluation to the Congress. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1991
National Aquaculture Development Act of 1991 - Designates the Department of Agriculture as the lead Federal agency for the coordination and implementation of national policy for private aquaculture. Establishes in the Department of Agriculture the Office of Aquaculture Policy Coordination and Development. Requires the Department to treat private aquaculture as a form of agriculture and aquaculture products as agricultural commodities. Amends the National Aquaculture Act of 1980 to add specified tasks to the aquaculture duties of the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Secretary of the Interior (the Secretaries). Sets forth requirements regarding the location and functioning of the National Aquaculture Information Center. Requires the interagency aquaculture coordinating group to establish a working relationship with the industry advisory councils of regional aquaculture centers and with national organizations and commodity associations. Mandates reports to the Congress regarding: (1) the application of the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to aquaculture; and (2) actions taken to revise the National Aquaculture Development Plan. Removes provisions requiring the concurrence of the Secretaries in order to specify which of the Secretaries has responsibility for implementing each action in the Plan. Shifts certain requirements and powers from the Secretaries to the Secretary of Agriculture.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1991
Constitutional Amendment - Requires the Congress and the President, prior to each fiscal year, to agree on an estimate of total receipts (except those derived from borrowing) for that fiscal year by enactment of a law devoted solely to that subject. Prohibits outlays for that year (except those for repayment of debt principal) from exceeding this amount unless the Congress, by a three-fifths roll call vote of each House, authorizes a specific excess of outlays over receipts. Requires a three-fifths roll call vote of each House to increase the public debt. Directs the President to submit a balanced budget to the Congress. Requires the approval of a majority of the total membership of each House by roll call vote before any bill to increase revenue may become law. Waives these provisions when a declaration of war is in effect. Makes this article effective beginning with FY 1995 or with the second fiscal year after its ratification, whichever is later.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1991
Anti-Forced Labor Act of 1991 - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to prohibit the importation, or the transportation in interstate commerce, of products manufactured by forced labor. Declares that such prohibition shall not apply to products vital to U.S. national security. Prohibits U.S. nationals from investing in, or making loans to, a foreign joint venture involving the use of forced labor. Sets forth civil penalties for violating such prohibitions. Provides for the administrative review of orders imposing such penalties. Authorizes private persons to: (1) bring civil actions to enforce such prohibitions in an appropriate U.S. district court; and (2) sue for treble damages business competitors which violate such prohibitions if the plaintiff is injured as a result of such violation.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1991
Prohibits the importation of Chinese products unless: (1) the Secretary of the Treasury determines that they are not manufactured with the use of forced labor; and (2) such determination is based on certain consultations with international organizations conducting inspections, and a certification to the Secretary that a product was not manufactured with the use of forced labor. Requires the United States to use all diplomatic efforts to persuade China to permit representatives of certain international organizations to inspect all facilities holding detainees to assure that products for export are not being produced with the use of forced labor. Sets forth civil penalties for violations of such prohibition and the making of a false certification.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1991
Office of Federal Management Act of 1991 - Establishes in the Executive Office of the President the Office of Federal Management to coordinate, audit, oversee, and improve management practices within the Government. Places the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs and the Office of Federal Procurement Policy within the Office of Federal Management. Establishes within the Office of Federal Management the Office of Federal Financial Management to oversee the financial management activities of the Government. Requires the Director of the Office of Federal Management, the principal advisor to the President on matters concerning the management of the Government, to: (1) submit an annual management report to the Congress along with appropriate recommendations at the same time the President submits his budget; and (2) develop all presidential directives except those relating to budgetary matters. Redesignates the Office of Management and Budget as the Office of Federal Budget with responsibility over the budget functions of the Government.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1991
Expresses the sense of the Congress commending and encouraging President-elect Yeltsin to continue his leadership on behalf of democratic, pluralistic, and free-market principles as a basis for local and national government and society in the Russian national republic and in other republics and nations.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 1991
Expresses the sense of the Congress commending and encouraging President-elect Yeltsin to continue his leadership on behalf of democratic, pluralistic, and free-market principles as a basis for local and national government and society in the Russian national republic and in all the Soviet Union national republics as presently constituted.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 1991
Spending Priority Reform Act of 1991 - Expresses the sense of the Congress that any money returned to the Treasury as a result of this Act should be deposited in the General Fund of the Treasury to be applied against servicing the national debt. Title I: Interior Appropriations - Rescinds unauthorized FY 1991 appropriations to the Department of the Interior for: (1) certain National Park Service studies; (2) projects for historic landmarks; and (3) grants for miscellaneous local projects. Title II: Commerce, Justice, State Appropriations - Rescinds unauthorized FY 1991 appropriations to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for: (1) a specified fresh-water fish hatchery; (2) a certain seafood consumer center in Oregon; (3) a project for fish oil research; (4) special area management planning in Charleston, South Carolina; and (5) the purchase of a research vessel for the University of Massachusetts. Amends the Small Business Act to repeal the authorization for a tree planting program. Rescinds unauthorized FY 1991 appropriations to the Small Business Administration for such program and for direct grants for miscellaneous projects. Title III: Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government Appropriations - Rescinds unauthorized FY 1991 appropriations to the General Services Administration for certain projects funded through the Federal Buildings Fund. Title IV: Agriculture Appropriations - Rescinds unauthorized FY 1991 appropriations to the Department of Agriculture for certain special research grants and the rural development grant for the restoration of the birthplace of Lawrence Welk or the construction, alteration, or repair of a Lawrence Welk museum. Title V: Transportation Appropriations - Rescinds unauthorized FY 1991 appropriations to the Department of Transportation for specified Federal Highway Administration demonstration projects. Title VI: Housing and Urban Development Appropriations - Rescinds unauthorized FY 1991 appropriations to the Department of Housing and Urban Development for certain housing projects. Title VII: Defense Appropriations - Rescinds unauthorized FY 1991 appropriations made under the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 1991, for certain universities and certain miscellaneous projects. Title VIII: Foreign Operations Appropriations - Rescinds unauthorized FY 1991 appropriations for a specified grant relating to foreign development and development assistance made to a university. Title IX: Legislative Branch Appropriations - Rescinds unauthorized appropriations to study the location for a new staff gymnasium for the House of Representatives. Title X: Supplemental Appropriations (Public Law 102-27) - Rescinds unauthorized appropriations made under the Dire Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Consequences of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Food Stamps, Unemployment Compensation Administration, Veterans Compensation and Pensions, and Other Urgent Needs Act of 1991 for: (1) the service life extension program for the U.S.S. Kennedy at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard; and (2) the costs of establishing a Center for Commerce and Industrial Expansion at Loyola University of Chicago.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 1991
Paperwork Reduction in Health Care Act of 1991 - Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to: (1) identify, inventory, and assess the Federal paperwork burden associated with health care services; and (2) establish a goal for reducing such burden in each of FY 1992 through 1997 by at least five percent of the preceding fiscal year's paperwork burden.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1991
Desert Storm Military Service Academy Eligibility Extension Act of 1991 - Revises the current age limit for admission to the military service academies to allow admission to members of the armed forces between the ages of 22 and 25 who: (1) serve a tour of duty in a combat zone; and (2) are accepted for admission within a one-year period following release from such duty. Provides transition provisions for persons serving a tour of duty in the Persian Gulf.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 1991
Federal Aid Surface Transportation Act of 1991 - Title I: Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1991 - Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1991 - Authorizes appropriations out of the Highway Account of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for: (1) the National Highway and Bridge System; (2) the Urban and Rural Highway and Bridge Program; (3) emergency relief; (4) the Federal Lands Highway Program; (5) the University Transportation Centers Program; (6) the Right-of-Way Revolving Fund; and (7) the Territorial Highway Program. Specifies that unobligated balances of funds apportioned or allocated to a State under Federal highway provisions before October 1, 1991, shall be available for obligation in such State under the law, regulations, policies, and procedures relating to the obligation and expenditure of those funds in effect on September 30, 1991. Repeals the FY 1993 authorization under the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. Authorizes appropriations for Interstate construction to complete the Interstate System out of the Highway Account of the HTF for each of FY 1992 through 1995. Provides for certain allocations for Massachusetts for such fiscal years. Sets forth a formula for the apportionment of authorized funds for such fiscal years among the States. Authorizes appropriations out of the Highway Account of the HTF for highway projects for the Interstate Substitution Program. Sets forth provisions with respect to obligation ceilings for Federal-aid highway programs, distribution of and limitations on obligation authority, and redistribution of unused obligation authority. Declares that national resources should be focused upon preserving the nation's investment in its Interstate systems, that broad national defense, economic, safety, and international policy goals are advanced by efficient transportation systems, that national transportation investments should increasingly encourage domestic and international commerce and trade, and that, based on congressionally established national transportation policy and objectives, a new Federal high priority highway network should be designated. Establishes the National Highway and Bridge System, to consist of all currently designated Interstate highways, an appropriate portion of the rural and urban principal arterial routes, including toll facilities, and national defense highways, and routes which meet specified criteria (including nationally significant truck routes, routes that provide nationally significant commodities with access to markets, access points to significant national parks, facilities that will provide logical connection between major population centers and the National Highway and Bridge System, and major urban corridors). Specifies that the National Highway System shall be based on a functional reclassification of roads and streets in each State which shall be designated not later than September 30, 1993, in accordance with guidelines issued by the Secretary of Transportation, and that the Secretary may add segments to the National Highway System as necessary to meet National Highway Program objectives. Directs the Secretary to establish criteria for reviewing projects to be funded as part of the National Highway and Bridge System which: (1) define eligible projects to include rehabilitation, resurfacing, restoration, capacity expansion, operational improvement, safety, and new highway construction; (2) ensure as a first priority for the use of available funds the protection of investments made in the Interstate highways in each State and the provision of suitable traveling quality by such highways; (3) permit funding in urbanized areas to be used to improve highway and transit systems, where it can be shown that the improvement will increase the level of service within the corridor of the National Highway and Bridge System; and (4) permit the use of such funds for intercity rail projects and projects for access to ports, airports, and related facilities. Sets forth additional provisions with respect to the discharge of responsibilities by the Secretary for National Highway and Bridge System projects. Directs the Secretary to establish an Urban and Rural Highway and Bridge Program to provide a category of funds that minimizes Federal requirements and provides flexibility in the use of available funds for either highway or transit projects. Specifies: (1) that the Urban and Rural Highway and Bridge Program shall consist of all public highways (including bridges) functionally classified as arterials, urban collectors, and rural collectors other than those designated as part of the National Highway and Bridge System; (2) that each State shall establish guidelines for implementing this program; and (3) eligible highways and projects. Sets forth provisions with respect to the obligation of funds, and the Federal share of projects, for the construction of toll roads, bridges, tunnels, and ferries. Requires the Secretary, in each fiscal year, to allocate among the States amounts sufficient to ensure that: (1) the total of apportionments and minimum allocation for each State in each such fiscal year shall not be less than 90 percent (currently, 85 percent) of the percentage of estimated tax payments into the Highway Account of the HTF attributable to highway users in the State of total apportionments in each such fiscal year and allocations for the prior year; and (2) each State's total apportionment from the Highway Account of the HTF for the year is not less than that made during FY 1991 (excluding any Interstate construction funds in excess of FY 1992 one-half percent minimum, Interstate substitution, and amounts for demonstration or discretionary funding programs or projects). Directs the Secretary to cooperate with State and local officials in urbanized areas in the development of transportation plans and programs which are formulated with due consideration to comprehensive long-range land use plans, development objectives, innovative financing mechanisms, overall social, economic, environmental, and system performance, energy conservation goals and objectives and with due consideration to their probable effect on the future development of the area. Specifies that the transportation planning process, at a minimum, shall cover the existing urbanized area and the area expected to become urbanized within the forecast period, and that it may encompass the entire Metropolitan Statistical Area/Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area at the discretion of the Governor and the affected units of local government. Requires that transportation plans and programs in urbanized areas of more than 200,000 population be based on a continuing transportation planning process which: (1) is carried out by a metropolitan planning organization and is comprehensive to the degree appropriate based on the complexity of transportation problems in the area, including transportation-related air quality problems; and (2) considers all modes of transportation, including intermodal connectivity, the balance between future development and transportation needs, and an areawide multimodal congestion management system. Specifies that in nonattainment areas for transportation-related pollutants the multimodal congestion management system shall address air quality considerations and be coordinated with the process for development of the transportation element of the State Implementation Plan required by the Clean Air Act. Requires that the costs and impacts of proposed action on both mobility and air quality be evaluated. Bars the Secretary from approving any highway project in urbanized areas of more than 200,000 population that by reconstruction or new construction significantly increases the vehicle carrying capacity of a transportation corridor unless the project is consistent with the congestion management system. Directs the metropolitan planning organization to cooperate with the State in the development of a congestion management, bridge management, pavement management, safety management, and traffic monitoring system. Requires that: (1) a metropolitan planning organization be designated in each urbanized area by agreement among the units of general purpose local government and the Governor to carry out such transportation planning process; (2) such organization develop a transportation improvement program that includes all projects proposed for funding within the study area under the National Highway and Bridge Program, the Urban and Rural Highway and Bridge Program, and the Bridge Program; and (3) in urbanized areas of 200,000 population or less, such organization, the State, and transit operators, at a minimum, meet the requirements of this Act by the development of such a transportation improvement program (including consideration of transportation-related air quality problems.) Requires the Federal highway research program to include coordinated long-term programs of research: (1) on Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems; and (2) for the development, use, and dissemination of performance indicators to measure the performance of the surface transportation system. Requires such program to continue those portions of the Strategic Highway Research Program that the Secretary deems important. Directs the Secretary to create and administer the Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship Program, a program to attract qualified students to the field of transportation engineering and research. Provides for the funding of such program. Directs the Secretary to cooperate with the States in carrying out: (1) statewide transportation planning; and (2) State highway research. Sets forth provisions regarding State matching fund requirements and waiver of such requirements. Directs the Secretary: (1) in the Secretary's reports regarding future highway needs of the nation, to report as well on the condition and performance of the existing system and on the bridge needs of the nation; and (2) beginning with the report due in January 1995, to include the results of studies of the air quality impacts of transportation programs including the air quality benefits realized from transportation control measures required under the Clear Air Act. Establishes within the Department of Transportation a Bureau of Transportation Statistics, which shall pursue a comprehensive, long-term program for the collection and analysis of data relating to the performance of the national transportation system. Requires the Director of such Bureau to: (1) produce annually unbiased and comparable estimates of factors including productivity in the various portions of the transportation sector, traffic flow, travel times, travel costs of intracity commuting and intercity trips, frequency of vehicle and transportation facility repairs, accidents, and collateral damage to the human and natural environment; and (2) submit reports beginning on October 1, 1992, and every 12 months thereafter, to specified congressional committees describing the status of the U.S. transportation system. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) undertake, on a cost-shared basis, collaborative research and development with non-Federal entities, including State, local, and foreign governments; and (2) enter into cooperative research and development agreements, except that the average Federal share in such agreements shall not exceed 50 percent (but allows the Secretary to approve a higher Federal level of participation where there is substantial public interest or benefit). Authorizes the Secretary to withhold project approvals on National Highway and Bridge Program projects for failure of a State to have a bridge management, pavement management, safety management, and congestion management system. Requires each State to have a traffic monitoring system to provide statistically-based traffic data. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) acquisition of rights-of-way; (2) private, State, and local donations; (3) access to rights-of-way to accommodate needed passenger or commuter rail, high speed ground transportation systems (including magnetic levitation systems), and highway and nonhighway public mass transit facilities; and (4) the definition and scope of the Interstate System. Declares that: (1) the nation must redirect its efforts toward moving people, information, and goods rather than moving vehicles; (2) the new Federal program shall refocus national policies to respond to increasing inter-regional travel, relieving urban congestion, improving rural access, fostering intermodalism, enhancing air quality, conserving energy, and giving priority to projects that offer the best solutions to the transportation problems and environmental considerations of each region; and (3) the essential element for an effective future program is a new Federal, State, and local partnership that provides more funding, greater program flexibility, and greater program management and resource contribution responsibilities at the State and local levels. Sets forth provisions with respect to the apportionment of funds, including apportionment formulas under the: (1) National Highway and Bridge Program, based on the State's rural and urban lane miles, rural vehicle miles traveled, and diesel fuel consumption; and (2) Urban and Rural Highway and Bridge Program, in the ratio of tax payments of the Highway Account of the HTF attributable to the highway users of each State. Sets forth provisions with respect to: (1) project agreements and obligations of funds; (2) availability of funds; (3) the Federal share payable with respect to certain projects; (4) project litigation expenses; and (5) the allocation and administration of Federal lands highways funds, and the establishment of a coordinated Federal Lands Highways Program. Authorizes (subject to specified limitations): (1) States to use Federal highway funds to construct improved lanes, paths, or shoulders, traffic control devices, shelters, and parking facilities for bicycles and pedestrians, and carry out nonconstruction projects related to safe bicycle and pedestrian use; (2) the Secretary, where a highway bridge deck being replaced or rehabilitated with Federal financial participation is located on a highway on which bicycles or pedestrians are permitted to operate at each end of the bridge and the Secretary determines that the safe accommodation of bicycles or pedestrians can be provided at reasonable cost, to replace or rehabilitate such bridge, making such accommodations; (3) Federal lands highways funds to be used for the construction of pedestrian walkways and bicycle routes; and (4) a State to expend Urban and Rural Highway and Bridge Program funds for such construction. Provides for: (1) a functional reclassification of all public roads; (2) the transfer of funds for transit projects to, for administration by, the Urban Mass Transportation Administration; and (3) a recodification of Federal highway-related provisions. Requires that construction standards adopted for the National Highway and Bridge System be those approved by the Secretary in cooperation with the State highway departments and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (currently, with respect to construction standards for the Interstate System, cooperation with such Association is not required). Directs the Secretary to issue guidelines for minimizing soil erosion from highway construction. Bars the Secretary from approving projects that will result in the severance or destruction of an existing major route for nonmotorized transportation traffic and light motorcycles, unless the project provides a reasonable alternative route or an alternative route exists. Requires: (1) projects for resurfacing, restoring, or rehabilitating specified highways to be constructed in accordance with standards to preserve and extend highway service life and enhance highway safety; and (2) States to charge, at a minimum, fair market value for the sale, use, lease, or lease renewals of right-of-way airspace acquired as a result of a project funded in whole or in part with Federal assistance made available from the Highway Account of the HTF, with exceptions. Provides that: (1) Indian contractors certified by State transportation or highway departments shall receive preference in the award of contracts on Indian reservations to the maximum extent practicable; and (2) contracts for Urban and Rural Highway and Bridge Program projects may be entered into with the prior concurrence of the Secretary in the award. Authorizes: (1) the State transportation or highway department to include warranty or guarantee provisions in construction contracts which, if used, shall be for a specified construction product or feature and may not include routine maintenance; and (2) projects (currently, requires projects) approved to include the amount of any interest earned and payable on bonds issued by the State to the extent that the proceeds of the bonds have actually been expended in the construction of the project. Authorizes the Secretary, except for projects administered under the Urban and Rural Highway and Bridge Program, to make payments to a State for costs incurred on a project. (Current law authorizes payment to States for construction.) Specifies that total payments shall not exceed total costs incurred by the State for the project. Requires any State transportation or highway (currently, highway) department which submits plans for a National Highway and Bridge Program or Interstate System project (currently, Interstate System project) to make its certification and report, indicating that consideration was given to the economic, social, environmental, and other effects of the plan, highway location or design, and various alternatives which were raised during the hearing or which were otherwise considered (current law does not mention the latter requirement). Authorizes the Secretary to approve for Federal financial assistance from National Highway and Bridge Program funds: (1) projects designed to encourage the use of carpools, subject to specified limitations; and (2) the construction of exclusive or preferential high occupacy vehicle (HOV) lanes, highway traffic control devices, intercity and urban bus passenger loading areas and facilities, and fringe and transportation corridor parking to serve HOV, intercity bus, and public transportation passengers. Specifies that if fees are charged for the use of any carpool or other publicly owned parking facility constructed pursuant to Federal highway provisions, the revenue in excess of that required for maintenance and operation of the facility and the cost of providing shuttle service to and from the facility including compensation to any person for operating the facility and for providing shuttle service shall be used for purposes authorized under Federal highway provisions. Requires that National Highway and Bridge System funds be made available to finance the Federal share of projects for exclusive or preferential HOV, truck, and emergency vehicle routes or lanes. Permits such routes on the Interstate System to have less than four lanes of traffic. Prohibits the approval of HOV projects unless the Secretary has received assurances from the owner or operator of the facility that HOV vehicles will fully utilize the proposed project and that essential operations and enforcement support of the facility will be provided. Specifies that, in any case where sufficient land exists within the publicly acquired rights-of-way of the National Highway System to accommodate needed nonhighway public mass transit facilities and where the accommodation can be accomplished without impairing automotive safety or future highway improvements, the Secretary may authorize a State to make those lands and rights-of-way available without charge to a publicly owned mass transit authority for such purposes wherever the public interest will be served. Directs the Secretary to require assurance from any State desiring to avail itself of benefits under Federal highway provisions that employment in connection with proposed projects be provided without discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, or sex (currently, specifies "without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, or sex"). Requires that not to exceed one fourth of one percent of the funds apportioned to a State be available for highway construction training. Prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex under programs or activities receiving Federal assistance. Repeals a requirement that each State certify that it is enforcing all speed limits on public highways and that the Secretary not approve projects in States failing to make such certification. Requires each State to establish a procedure to certify that highway bridge inspectors meet national qualifications. (Current law requires that standards established by the Secretary include a procedure for national certification of such inspectors.) Directs the Secretary to withhold ten percent of the amount to be appropriated to any State on the first day of each fiscal year in which the purchase or public possession in that State of any alcoholic beverage by a person who is less than 21 years of age is lawful (current law specifies five percent on the first day of the fiscal year succeeding the first fiscal year beginning after September 30, 1985, and ten percent after the second fiscal year beginning after such date). Specifies that funds withheld from apportionment shall be apportioned to the other States in compliance and remain available for the period of time applicable to the category of funds withheld (currently, treatment of such funds varies based on whether funds were withheld on or before September 30, 1988). Directs that construction estimated to cost $50,000 (currently, $15,000) or more per mile or per project for projects with a length of less than one mile on forest development roads and trails be advertised and let to contract, and allows projects with less than such cost, if no acceptable bid is received, to be done by the Secretary of Agriculture. Repeals provisions under the Territorial Highway Program: (1) that Federal financial assistance be granted on the basis of a Federal contribution of 100 percent of the cost of any project; and (2) under which the Governor must agree not to impose any toll, or permit any such toll to be charged, for use by vehicles or persons of any portion of the facilities constructed or operated to qualify for funding. Provides that, in addition to a specified percentage, sums provided (currently, two percent) for each fiscal year may be expended upon request of the Governor with the Secretary's approval under such Program. Requires (currently, authorizes the Secretary to make) expenditures with respect to the reconstruction of the Alaska-Canada international highway. Authorizes the Secretary to give priority of approval to, and expedite the construction of, projects that are recommended as important to the national defense. Modifies provisions regarding the National Highway Institute to: (1) require that private agencies and individuals pay the full cost of any education and training received by them; and (2) authorize the Institute to engage in all phases of contract authority for training purposes authorized under Federal highway provisions and to carry out its authority independently or in cooperation with any other branch of Government, authority, association, or person. Authorizes the Institute to establish and collect fees from any entity and place them in a special account.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 1991
Communications Competitiveness and Infrastructure Modernization Act of 1991 - Title I: Communications Infrastructure Modernization Policy - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 (the Act) to establish a new national goal that by 2015 the United States will have established an advanced, interactive, interoperable broadband communications system nationwide. Requires local telephone companies to submit a plan to achieve such goal for approval by the appropriate agency in each State in which they operate. Requires disapproval only when the plan is not in the public interest. Requires such plan to give priority consideration to accelerated deployment of such a system for educational institutions, health care facilities, and small businesses. Requires such plan to provide for deployment to less densely populated and economically disadvantaged areas at a rate reasonably related to the rate of deployment in more populous and affluent areas. Requires the FCC, after final State action, to review the plan to certify compliance with the goals and objectives of this Act. Requires FCC procedures for local telephone companies to ensure coordinated communications network planning in the development of a nationwide communications infrastructure and to assure broad availability of information services. Title II: Regulatory Changes to Promote Efficient Multiple Uses of Communications Technologies - Amends the Act to establish a policy to permit multiple uses of communications technologies and to eliminate restrictions on communications technologies to single lines of services in order to promote communications technology deployment in a manner which secures communication services for the public at reasonable costs. Title III: Modification of Impediments to Convergence of Telephone and Video Technologies - Amends the Act to modify ownership restrictions to permit local telephone companies to provide video programming subject to specified regulatory safeguards to prevent anti-competitive activities only after the FCC makes the certification described under title I and certifies that the company has filed a plan pledging it to comply with such safeguards. Outlines safeguards against telephone company monopolization of the cable service industry, including those: (1) requiring separate video programming subsidiaries for telephone companies; (2) allowing competitors attachment rights to telephone poles and conduits and rights-of-way within telephone company service areas; (3) prohibiting cross-subsidization between local telephone companies and affiliated video programming subsidiaries and marketing by a local telephone company of its subsidiary's video programming; and (4) subjecting local telephone companies to local cable franchise requirements. Requires local telephone companies which distribute affiliated video programming over a broadband communications system to provide video gateway services to facilitate user access to video programming. Exempts from the safeguards outlined above a carrier which provides video programming in rural areas with a population of 10,000 or below in which it also provides local exchange service. Requires periodic FCC evaluation of the effect of the provision of video programming by telephone companies on the video marketplace and recommendations to the Congress concerning any modifications needed as a result of such evaluation. Requires FCC and State rules and regulations to prevent consumers from paying more for telephone services as a result of their local telephone company's provision of video programming. Revises multiple cable franchise provisions. Requires an FCC report to the Congress regarding competition and consumer choice in the delivery of video programming and telephone services. Requires an FCC review of the rural exemption described above to determine how to expedite access to broadband multichannel video programming for all parts of the United States. Sets forth penalties for violations of the safeguards outlined above to prevent telephone company monopolization of the cable service industry.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 1991
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the American public should observe the 100th anniversary of filmmaking; and (2) the American Film Institute has a leadership role in preserving the art of film.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1991
Forests and Families Protection Act of 1991 - Title I: Establishing Long Term Program - Provides for the establishment of a long-term Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service (FS) program to protect old growth forest, the Northern Spotted Owl, and other old growth associated species on areas of ecologically-significant old growth forest on State and Federal lands in Oregon, Washington, and Northern California selected for the Old Growth Forest Reserve to be established by the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior under this Act. Requires the Secretaries to: (1) submit the applicable land management plans for implementing such program for appropriate consultation required under the Endangered Species Act; and (2) review previously applied administrative constraints on resource uses on lands under their jurisdiction to minimize the impact on pre-existing land uses resulting from the establishment of the Reserve. Bars further acquisition of mineral and mining rights in the Reserve. Permits roads, structures, and motorized and nonmotorized recreation and access, and hunting and fishing in the Reserve where consistent with the requirements of this Act and other applicable law. Permits timber harvesting in certain limited circumstances and only if not proscribed for any Reserve area in the applicable forest plan. Title II: Ensuring the Effectiveness of Federal Land Planning - Amends the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 and the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 to provide additional guidance on the implementation, amendment, and revision of plans for Federal lands necessary to ensure the effectiveness of Federal land planning and that the applicable forest plans under title I of this Act and the protections which they afford the Old Growth Forest Reserve and associated species are implemented effectively. Title III: Providing An Interim Program - Provides for an interim program until the Reserve is established and applicable forest plans are adopted under title I of this Act with the same purposes as the long-term program, and for the provision of an adequate supply of timber on FS and BLM lands. Directs the Secretaries to establish an Old Growth Research Program (OGRP) to better understand and manage old growth forest ecosystems. Restricts timber sales, road construction, and mineral leasing on certain FS and BLM lands, including those within a certain radius of a Northern Spotted Owl nest site. Requires environmental impact statements on, and appropriate consultation for, the timber harvested from FS and BLM lands to ensure compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act. Provides for judicial review of agency decisions or actions under this title. Directs the Secretaries to publish in the Federal Register timber harvesting guidelines for Reserve areas based on OGRP work. Title IV: Economic Adjustment - Establishes the Timber Economic Adjustment Commission to provide Federal economic adjustment grants and benefit payments to the communities economically dependent on the timber on FS and BLM lands and the dislocated workers adversely affected by enactment of this Act. Outlines assistance eligibility criteria. Requires the Secretaries to notify the Commission of any Federal action likely to have a substantial impact on employment. Requires a final Commission report to the Congress and applicable State governors on economic conditions and employment in affected areas. Title V: Miscellaneous - Authorizes appropriations to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1991
Benjamin Franklin Memorial Fire Service Bill of Rights Act - Title I: Minting of Benjamin Franklin National Memorial Commemorative Coin - Benjamin Franklin National Memorial Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue: (1) five dollar gold coins emblematic of Benjamin Franklin's contributions to the advancement of science; (2) one dollar silver coins emblematic of Benjamin Franklin's contributions to the American Fire Service. Sets forth sale and issuance guidelines, including a general waiver of procurement regulations and surcharge distributions. Title II: Fire Service Bill of Rights - Fire Service Bill of Rights Act - Amends the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to set forth a fire service bill of rights, including the right of responding fire services to: (1) know the kind of danger presented by hazardous materials they face in emergency responses; and (2) be fully informed of infectious diseases their members face during the course of life safety activities. Declares that the bill of rights does not create any private right of action.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1991
Farm Animal and Research Facilities Protection Act of 1991 - Amends title XIV of the Food Security Act of 1985 to add a new subtitle prohibiting (and establishing criminal penalties for) specified acts of destruction, theft, or damage to farm animal, research, and educational facilities. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture and the Attorney General to jointly conduct a study of the extent and effect of terrorism on animal research, production, and processing facilities. Grants jurisdiction for cases arising under these provisions to U.S. district courts. Establishes a private right of action.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1991
Rural Clinical Laboratory Personnel Shortage Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish a program of contracts under which allied health professionals agree to serve in technical positions as employees in clinical laboratories that serve rural areas with shortages of employees in such positions in consideration of the Federal Government paying a limited amount of the principal and interest of the educational loans of the professionals. Authorizes appropriations. Mandates grants and contracts for the education and training of clinical laboratory personnel. Authorizes appropriations. Requires a program for the accreditation of entities engaged in the certification of clinical laboratory personnel. Provides, until establishment of accreditation standards, for a competency-based examination to determine the proficiency of individuals who do not meet formal educational qualifications.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1991
Hospital Antitrust Fairness Act - Exempts from the antitrust laws combinations of, or contracts to allocate hospital services by, two or more hospitals if: (1) each such hospital is located outside of a city or in a city of less than 125,000 inhabitants; (2) in the most recently concluded calendar year, each such hospital received more than 40 percent of its gross revenue from payments made under Federal programs; and (3) there is in effect with respect to each such hospital a certificate issued by the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) specifying that HCFA has determined that Federal expenditures would be reduced, and consumer costs would not increase, if such hospitals merge or allocate the services specified in the request.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow farmers' cooperatives to elect to treat as ordinary income or loss certain capital gains and losses from the disposition of assets used in conducting business with or for patrons.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1991
Income-Dependent Education Assistance Act of 1991 - Establishes the income-dependent education assistance (IDEA) program of supplemental direct higher education student loans in which a borrower's annual repayment obligation is dependent upon both postschool income level and borrowing history. Title I: System for Making Income-Dependent Education Assistance Loans - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) make IDEA loans to eligible students in accordance with this title; and (2) establish an account for each IDEA loan borrower and collect repayments on such loans using the income tax collection system under specified Internal Revenue Code provisions added by title II of this Act. Sets forth provisions for the terms and enforcement of IDEA program agreements between the Secretary of Education and eligible institutions. Sets forth provisions for the amounts and terms of IDEA loans. Sets annual limits on the amounts of such loans to various categories of students. Sets a limitation on individual borrowing capacity, with adjustments for inflation and with consideration of any outstanding student loan obligations. Limits the duration of individual eligibility for such loans. Sets forth requirements for: (1) agreements to the terms of such loans; and (2) disbursement of the proceeds of such loans. Sets forth the responsibilities of eligible institutions and of the Secretary of the Treasury for certain information requirements relating to the IDEA loan program. Sets forth provisions for interest charges on such loans. Requires such charges to be added to the recipient's obligation account at the end of each calendar year. Bases such charges on an interest rate equal to the lesser of: (1) ten percent; or (2) the sum of the average bond equivalent rates of 91-day Treasury bills auctioned for the previous year, plus two percentage points, rounded to the next higher one-eighth of one percent. Provides for conversion and consolidation of certain other types of student loans as IDEA loans. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury, upon request of borrowers who have received federally insured or guaranteed loans under specified provisions of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) (Stafford loans) or of the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) (HEAL loans), to make new IDEA loans to such borrowers which are equal to the sum of the unpaid principal of those other loans and which discharge the liability on those other loans. Provides for mandatory conversion of certain defaulted student loans to IDEA loans. Requires IDEA collection treatment of any loan made, insured, or guaranteed under specified provisions of HEA or PHSA after enactment of this Act which is assigned after default for collection by the Secretary of Education or the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Directs such Secretaries to notify: (1) the Secretary of the Treasury of the need to establish or adjust an IDEA account for such loan's borrower; and (2) the borrower of the conversion of the defaulted loan to an IDEA loan and the procedures for collection under the income tax system. Terminates the authority to make additional loans under the HEA programs of supplemental loans for students (SLS) and direct loans to students in institutions of higher education, for any academic year beginning after the date regulations are prescribed by the Secretaries of Education and the Treasury to carry out this title. Authorizes appropriations to: (1) make distributions of IDEA loan funds to eligible institutions; and (2) administer and carry out this title. Bases student eligibility for IDEA loans on their eligibility for student assistance under specified HEA provisions and their carrying at least one-half the normal full-time academic workload. Title II: Collection of Income-Dependent Education Assistance Loans - Amends the Internal Code to add provisions for the collection of IDEA loans. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to notify each IDEA loan borrower of their yearly repayment obligation. Sets forth formulas for computation of the annual IDEA loan repayment amount. Makes such amount equal to the lesser of: (1) 20 percent of the excess of the modified adjusted income of the taxpayer for such taxable year over the standard deduction and exemption (twice for joint returns); or (2) the product of a base amortization amount and a progressivity factor based on the taxpayer's modified adjusted gross income. Defines "base amortization amount" as the amount which, if paid at the close of each year for 12 consecutive years, would fully repay (with an eight-percent annual interest rate) the maximum account balance of the borrower. Sets forth progressivity factor tables for various types of taxpayers. Provides that, in general, the repayment obligation of an IDEA loan borrower shall terminate only if there is repaid: (1) in the case of any repayment during the first 12 years for which the borrower is in repayment status, the principal plus interest at an annual rate equal to the otherwise applicable rate plus two and one-half percent; and (2) in the case of any repayment during any subsequent year (or in the case of loans under $3,000 repaid during the first 12 years), the principal plus interest at applicable rates. Requires no repayment after 25 years in repayment status. Sets forth provisions for the determination of years in repayment status. Sets forth the requirements for payment of the amount owing. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to assess and collect any unpaid amount in the same manner as for any delay in the payment of income tax. Provides for discharge, by the Secretary of Education, of the IDEA loan liability of any borrower who dies or becomes permanently and totally disabled. Provides for crediting of amounts paid on a joint return. Sets forth formulas for computation of an alternative annual payment for individuals who have attained age 55. Provides for inflation adjustment in the computation of the progressivity factor. Provides that, in general, an IDEA loan shall not be dischargeable in a case of bankruptcy, but authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to postpone certain portions of the loan liability in such cases. Makes specified provisions relating to finality of assessment and collection applicable to such loans. Includes the amount required to be repaid for IDEA loan uner amounts listed under requirements relating to failure by an individual to pay estimated income tax. Requires individuals who are obligated to make IDEA loan repayments to file income tax returns for the applicable years.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1991
Provides that no State or local government shall be obligated to take any action required by Federal law enacted after the enactment of this Act unless all expenses of such government in taking such action are fully funded by the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1991
Veterans' Health Care and Research Amendments of 1991 - Title I: Health-Care Benefits - Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to contract with non-Department of Veterans Affairs facilities for the treatment of any veteran who has a total and permanent service-connected disability. Authorizes the provision of dental care for a dental condition from which a veteran is suffering and when medically necessary in preparation for hospital admission or for a veteran otherwise receiving medical care and services. Increases from $500 to $1000 the annual per-person limitation on the provision of such dental care. Authorizes the Secretary to periodically review and adjust the yearly limit. Amends the Veterans' Health Care Amendments of 1986 to extend through FY 1992 an annual report requirement under such Act concerning the furnishing of non-service-connected health care to veterans. Increases certain authorized costs for home improvements and structural alterations furnished as part of necessary home health services available to disabled veterans. Extends through FY 1992 the authority for the operation of the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in the Philippines. Authorizes the Secretary to expand the current program of outreach and community-based residential care for homeless chronically mentally ill veterans by: (1) increasing the number of Department employees providing services; and (2) providing such services in at least four cities in which there is a significant unmet need for such assistance. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements with public or nonprofit entities for the contractual provision of such services. Requires the agreeing entity to provide at least 25 percent of the cost of such services. Authorizes appropriations for both the current program and the program authorized by this provision. Allows such additional program to be carried out only if the amount appropriated for the FY 1992 medical care account of the Department is at least $100,000,000 greater than the amount requested in the President's budget for such account for such fiscal year. Title II: Health-Care Personnel - Provides the qualifications required for social workers employed by the Veterans Health Services and Research Administration of the Department. Requires a minimum two-year service requirement in the Department for graduates of the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Professional Scholarship Program. Authorizes the Secretary to purchase promotional items of nominal value for recruitment purposes. Title III: Administrative Provisions - Prohibits funds from being appropriated for any fiscal year, and prohibits the Secretary from obligating or expending funds, for any major medical project or major medical facility lease unless funds have been specifically authorized by law. Defines a "major medical facility lease" as a lease having an average annual rental amount of more than $300,000 (currently $500,000). Requires the Geriatrics and Gerontology Advisory Committee to submit to the Secretary such reports as considered appropriate (currently, only one report is required) on all appropriate matters of geriatrics and gerontology. Adds certain assessments to such report requirements. Directs the Secretary, in order to improve the quality of clinical care at Department health-care facilities, to carry out a pilot program for the conduct of medical research at Department medical centers in the areas of: (1) mental illness; (2) alcohol and substance abuse; or (3) neurological, psychiatric, and geriatric rehabilitation. Allows research under such program to be conducted only at a medical center at which its director has entered into an agreement with a medical school or other institution under which such institution agrees to provide partial funding or in-kind support for the proposed research. Requires the Secretary to solicit from Department employees proposals for research projects to be carried out under the program. Requires the FY 1992 medical and prosthetic research account of the Department to be increased by a specified amount before such research program may be conducted. Provides similar limitations for FY 1993 and 1994 research projects under the program. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 1994. Requires the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, to prescribe standards of performance by Department medical facility laboratories with respect to laboratory examinations and other procedures. Requires an implementation report. Authorizes the Secretary, in certain instances, to acquire and use real property: (1) before title to such property is approved under Federal statutes; and (2) even though the property will be held in other than a fee simple interest, as long as the Secretary determines that the interest acquired is sufficient for its intended purpose. Extends from three to four years the period allowed for a Department research corporation to establish itself as a tax-exempt entity under the Internal Revenue Code in order to avoid dissolution. Extends through FY 1994 the authority of the Department to establish such corporations. Authorizes the Secretary to provide for the operation of child care centers at Department facilities if the Secretary determines, based on employee demand, that such operation is in the best interests of the Department and that it is practicable to do so. Requires priority to be given to employees of: (1) the Department; (2) other Federal departments and agencies; and (3) affiliated schools and corporations, in that order. Authorizes the Secretary to provide such services to members of the public if necessary to ensure the financial success of the center. Directs the Secretary to establish reasonable charges for the provision of child care services at each center, in a sum at least sufficient to meet all operating expenses. Outlines specified actions authorized to be taken by the Secretary in connection with the establishment and operation of such centers. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements for the joint acquisition of medical equipment. Outlines conditions to such joint acquisition, including payment of no more than one half of the purchase price of such equipment by the Secretary, the exchange of use of such equipment between the joint holders, and provision by the institution involved of its share of the purchase price. Authorizes the Secretary to transfer to the other joint holder its interest in the equipment if the Secretary determines that such transfer would be justified by compelling clinical considerations or the economic interest of the Department. Authorizes the Secretary to purchase the interest of the joint holder of such equipment under similar conditions. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into escrow agreements with institutions to facilitate the procurement of medical equipment. Outlines escrow agreement requirements. Requires the Secretary to report on the implementation of such joint acquisition under these provisions. States that Department quality assurance activities shall be deemed to be part of the operation of hospitals, nursing homes, and domiciliary facilities of the Department, without regard to the location of the duty stations of employees carrying out such activities. Title IV: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary to implement the recommendations of the Chief Medical Director's Special Committee on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder with respect to specialized inpatient and outpatient programs of the Department for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Requires the Secretary, during FY 1992, to establish and operate: (1) not less than five new specialized inpatient PTSD units; (2) not less than ten new PTSD clinical treatment teams; and (3) not less than five outpatient programs for the treatment of veterans suffering from both PTSD and substance abuse problems. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 for such purposes. Directs the Secretary, in carrying out medical research and awarding grants, to designate a level of funding support for, and assign a priority to, the conduct of research on mental illness, including research regarding PTSD, PTSD in association with substance abuse, and the treatment of those disorders. Provides for the distribution of funds for such purposes. Requires the Secretary to provide an implementation report. Directs the Secretary to assess the needs for treatment and rehabilitative services of veterans believed to be suffering from PTSD. Requires the Secretary to develop a plan for providing such treatment and services, as well as for expanding and refining services available for the treatment of PTSD. Directs the Secretary to consult with the Special Committee in developing such plan and expansion and refining. Requires a report from the Secretary on the plan developed.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1991
Federally Assisted Health Clinics Legal Protection Act of 1991 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to include entities receiving Federal funds under provisions relating to migrant health centers, community health centers, or health services for the homeless, and officers, employees, or contractors of such entities who are licensed health care practitioners, in the coverage of provisions regulating civil actions for injury resulting from medical or related functions against commissioned officers or employees of the Public Health Service. Subrogates to the United States any insurance claim such an entity or person has. Prohibits grants under provisions relating to migrant or community health centers or health services for the homeless unless the applicant has: (1) implemented policies and procedures to assure against malpractice; and (2) no history of claims against it under such provisions relating to officers and employees of the Public Health Service.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1991
Rural Physicians' Incentives Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a deduction on medical education loan interest of a physician which accrues while the physician is living in and providing primary care to residents of a medically underserved rural area. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to exempt services furnished in a rural area from a special fee schedule applicable to new physicians. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to extend beyond the normal two-year limit, for borrowers serving an internship or residency program in preparation for practice in an area of primary care, the deferral of payments on: (1) insured student loans (Stafford Loans), including those eligible for interest subsidies; and (2) low-interest student loans (Perkins Loans). Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to modify provisions setting forth requirements concerning billing by one physician for services rendered by another physician in specified circumstances.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1991
Rural Health Leadership Education Act of 1991 - Amends the Rural Development Act of 1972, as amended by the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990, to authorize grants for rural health leadership development education programs.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1991
Rural Health Statistics Act of 1991 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require that the geographic area description and analysis in a currently-mandated annual report on the health of the Nation's people include a description and analysis by rural area and urban area.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1991
Rural Medical Emergencies Air Transport Act of 1991 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to at least seven States to assist in the creation or enhancement of air medical transport systems that provide victims of medical emergencies in rural areas with access to treatments. Requires: (1) preference for States with plans to integrate the proposed air medical system into a comprehensive network or plan for regional or statewide emergency medical services; and (2) the grant to be administered by the State agency responsible for medical emergency or trauma services programs. Allows the State to award grant funds to public and private entities. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1991
Rural Mental Health Initiatives Act of 1991 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish, in the National Institute of Mental Health, the Office of Rural Mental Health. Mandates grants for demonstration projects to improve the availability of rural mental health services through providing such services in the same facilities as other health or social services, and otherwise integrating mental health, other health, and social services. Requires reports to the Congress. Requires that funds be made available to carry out these provisions from amounts appropriated under the Act for mental health research. Requires State comprehensive mental health services plans to describe how mental health services will be provided to rural residents.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1991
Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 to allow a consortium including one or more rural hospitals (including at least a small rural hospital and/or one or more rural health clinics) to participate in the rural health medical education demonstration project of the Department of Health and Human Services. Authorizes appropriations as necessary to pay costs of such project which are attributable to travel and living expenses of medical residents and travel expenses of supervising physicians, to the extent such costs are not reimbursed under the Medicare program.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1991
Rural Access to Obstetrical Care Act of 1991 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) provide for demonstration projects to reduce infant mortality by improving access in rural, underserved areas to obstetric services for eligible pregnant women under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act; (2) develop and make available to the public each year a compendium of State initiatives to address the obstetric access crisis in rural areas; and (3) provide funding for a study, and report to the Congress on, obstetrical malpractice claims payment by Medicaid and private insurance companies.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1991
Amends the Public Health Service Act to require that between 25 and 50 percent (currently, at least 50 percent) of certain block grant funds be used for prevention and treatment with respect to intravenous drug abuse.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1991
Primary Care Training Amendments of 1991 - Amends provisions of the Public Health Service Act authorizing grants and contracts for training, traineeships, and fellowships in general internal medicine and general pediatrics to require that a school, hospital, or other entity, in order to receive a grant or contract, provide certain types of training related to family medicine. Adds demonstration of a commitment to family medicine to the criteria for establishing priority in making the grants and contracts.
![Official portrait of Rep. Stenholm, Charles W. [D-TX-17]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s000851_200.jpg)