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United States · Official source
3,350 records where Rep. Stenholm, Charles W. [D-TX-17] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 1991
Repeals a provision of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 that imposed certain testing requirements on ability-to-benefit students for purposes of student aid under the Higher Education Act of 1965.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 1991
Agent Orange Act of 1991 - Presumes the following diseases to be service-connected and resulting from exposure to dioxins and other herbicide agents during service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era unless there is affirmative evidence to the contrary: (1) non-Hodgkins lymphoma, each soft-tissue sarcoma (with certain exceptions), and chloracne or other consistent acneform diseases becoming manifest to a degree of disability of ten percent or more; and (2) those additional diseases that the Secretary determines warrant such a presumption by reason of having a positive association with a herbicide agent, if they become manifest within the appropriate period. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to prescribe regulations providing that a presumption of service connection is warranted whenever it is determined by the Secretary that a positive association exists between the exposure of humans to a herbicide agent and the occurrence of a disease in humans. Requires the Secretary to take into account reports received from the National Academy of Sciences, as well as other sound medical and scientific information. Outlines procedures to be followed by the Secretary in weighing evidence and report information and making conclusions for or against the positive association and, therefore, the service-connection presumption. Provides for the issuance of final regulations listing the diseases for which positive associations have been found or removing the presumption for a disease. Directs the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) under which NAS shall review and summarize the scientific evidence (and its strength) concerning the association between exposure to a herbicide agent during service in Vietnam and each disease suspected to be associated with such exposure. Provides for NAS: (1) scientific determinations concerning diseases; (2) recommendations for additional studies to resolve areas of uncertainty relating to herbicide exposure; (3) subsequent reviews; and (4) reports, at least biennially, to the Secretary and the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees (the veterans' committees). Terminates the agreement ten years after the fiscal year of the first report from NAS. Directs the Secretary to enter into an agreement with another body if the Secretary cannot reach an agreement with NAS within two months after enactment of this Act. Amends the Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 1988 to direct the Secretary to annually furnish updated information on health risks associated with exposure to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era. Extends through 1993 the eligibility for hospital, nursing home, or domiciliary care and medical treatment of individuals who served in Vietnam and who have been determined to have been exposed to dioxin or a toxic substance in a herbicide as the result of such service and of veterans exposed to ionizing radiation while serving between September 11, 1945 and July 1, 1946. Directs the Secretary to compile and analyze, on a continuing basis, all clinical data obtained by the Department of Veterans Affairs in connection with examinations and treatment furnished to veterans by the Department after November 3, 1981, for exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam and which is likely to be useful in determining the exposure to such agents and the disabilities suffered. Requires an annual report on such compilations and provides funding. Directs the Secretary, for facilitating research on the effects of exposure to herbicides used in Vietnam, to establish and maintain a system for the collection and storage of voluntarily contributed blood and tissue samples of veterans who served there. Provides for: (1) specimen security; (2) authorized uses; (3) limitations on acceptance of samples; and (4) authority based on specific funding. Directs the Secretary to establish a scientific research feasibility studies program for conducting research on health hazards resulting from: (1) exposure to dioxin; (2) exposure to other toxic agents in herbicides used in Vietnam; and (3) active military service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era. Outlines program and report requirements. Directs the Secretary to consult with NAS. Directs the Secretary, upon the request of a Vietnam veteran who has applied for Department medical care and filed a claim for, or is in receipt of, disability compensation, to obtain a blood sample to conduct a test for the presence of a specified dioxin. Provides for notification to the veteran of test results and requires such blood sample to be maintained as part of the collection of blood and tissue samples required under this Act. Makes conforming amendments and provides for alternative effective dates.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 1991
Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution - Authorizes the President to use U.S. armed forces against Iraq pursuant to United Nations Security Council Resolution 678 to implement Resolutions 660, 661, 662, 664, 665, 666, 667, 669, 670, 674, and 677 (summarized below) after making available to the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate his determination that: (1) the United States has used all appropriate diplomatic and other peaceful means to obtain compliance by Iraq with such resolutions; and (2) those means have not been and would not be successful. Declares that this Act constitutes specific statutory authorization for the use of U.S. armed forces required under the War Powers Resolution. Requires the President to report to the Congress every 60 days on the status of efforts to obtain compliance by Iraq with the U.N. resolutions. RESOLUTION 660-AUGUST 2, 1990: Condemns Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and demands immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Iraqi forces. RESOLUTION 661-AUGUST 6, 1990: Imposes trade embargo and financial sanctions against Iraq and Iraqi-occupied Kuwait. (Medical supplies and humanitarian foodstuffs are exempt from the trade embargo.) RESOLUTION 662-AUGUST 9, 1990: Declares Iraq's annexation of Kuwait null and void and demands that Iraq rescind the annexation. RESOLUTION 664-AUGUST 18, 1990: Demands that Iraq permit immediate safe departure of foreign nationals from Iraq and Kuwait. Demands rescindment of Iraq's orders to withdraw diplomatic immunity and close diplomatic missions in Kuwait. RESOLUTION 665-AUGUST 25, 1990: Calls upon states to enforce the trade embargo against Iraq and Iraqi-occupied Kuwait. RESOLUTION 666-SEPTEMBER 14, 1990: Provides for humanitarian provision of any necessary food and medical supplies to Iraq and Kuwait. RESOLUTION 667-SEPTEMBER 16, 1990: Demands that Iraq protect diplomatic personnel and premises and take no action that hinders the performance of their duties. RESOLUTION 669-SEPTEMBER 24, 1990: Authorizes Sanctions Committee to examine requests for assistance from states confronted with special economic problems related to the sanctions. RESOLUTION 670-SEPTEMBER 25, 1990: Requires states to cooperate with air embargo and to detain any ships that are being used to violate the sanctions. (Food and medical supplies being shipped for humanitarian reasons are exempt, but subject to authorization.) RESOLUTION 674-OCTOBER 29, 1990: Reminds Iraq that it is liable under international law for any loss, damage, or injury arising in regard to Kuwait and third states and their nationals as a result of Iraq's invasion and occupation of Kuwait. RESOLUTION 677-NOVEMBER 28, 1990: Condemns Iraqi attempts to alter Kuwait's demographic composition and destroy Kuwaiti civil records. Mandates steps to be taken by the U.N. to safeguard the demographic composition of Kuwait. RESOLUTION 678-NOVEMBER 29, 1990: Authorizes member states to use all means necessary to uphold the above resolutions and restore international peace and security in the region, unless Iraq fully complies with the above resolutions on or before January 15, 1991.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the gross income of an individual up to $10,000 of distributions from an individual retirement account or qualified pension plan used within 180 days to purchase a residence that will be the first residence in which the taxpayer has a present ownership interest. Reduces the excludible amount for taxpayers with adjusted gross income above $30,000 ($50,000 for joint returns). Exempts from the penalty tax on early distributions from qualified retirement plans comparable withdrawals used to purchase the first residence in which the taxpayer's child has a present ownership interest.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 1991
Designates December 7, 1991, as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 1991
Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution - Authorizes the President to use U.S. armed forces pursuant to United Nations Security Council Resolution 678 to achieve the implementation of specified other Security Council resolutions concerning Iraq's aggression against Kuwait. Requires the President, prior to exercising such authority, to make available to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate his determination that: (1) the United States has used all appropriate diplomatic and other peaceful means to obtain compliance by Iraq with such resolutions; and (2) those efforts have not been and would not be successful in obtaining such compliance. Declares that this Act grants specific statutory authorization to use such forces pursuant to the War Powers Act. Requires the President, at least every 60 days, to submit to the Congress a summary on the status of efforts to obtain compliance by Iraq with such resolutions.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 1991
Extends the time for performing certain tax-related acts postponed by reason of service in a combat zone to individuals in the Armed Forces serving in the Persian Gulf region as part of Operation Desert Shield.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 1991
Fairness in Medicaid Funding Act of 1991 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to change the Federal medical assistance percentage used under the Medicaid program.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to provide that, after FY 1990, 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. Provides that, as of October 1, 1990, 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 before October 1, 1993. Repeals the current December 31, 1990, termination date of such property management provisions. Extends through December 31, 1991, current provisions relating to default procedures and the procedure for real estate appraisals to be followed by the Secretary. Directs the Secretary, at the request of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), to certify whether an applicant for assistance under laws administered by HUD is a veteran. Provides that an applicant for a loan made, guaranteed, or insured by the Department of Veterans Affairs 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 those requirements are provided for in, or by the Secretary pursuant to, the veterans' housing loan guaranty program. Revises procedures concerning the application made by a veteran to the Secretary for waiver of repayment of any overpayment of benefits made by the Department to a veteran when it is determined that such recovery would be against equity and good conscience. Strikes a $144,000 limit on the amount of a housing loan automatically guaranteed by the United States for an eligible veteran's housing loan. Authorizes the Secretary, during FY 1991 through 1994, to carry out a compensated work therapy and therapeutic transitional housing demonstration program (program). Makes eligible for the program veterans who are furnishing therapeutic and rehabilitative activities through the Department or who are furnished therapeutic work pursuant to activities provided through the Department for such purpose. Authorizes the Secretary, under such program, to operate residences as therapeutic transitional housing solely for such eligible veterans. Limits to 50 the number of such residences authorized to be operated. Authorizes the Secretary to contract with non-profit corporations to conduct compensated work therapy programs under the program. Outlines contracting conditions. Authorizes the contract to allow for the Secretary to furnish the corporation with in-kind services. Allows the Secretary to use procurement procedures to purchase or lease residential housing for the purposes of the program. 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 of loans under the veterans' home loan guaranty program. Requires the Secretary to prescribe: (1) a procedure for establishing reasonable rental rates for veterans residing in such housing; and (2) appropriate limits on the period such veterans may reside in such housing. Authorizes the Secretary to dispose of property after use as such housing and to deposit the proceeds into the General Post Fund of the Department. Requires the Secretary to report on the operation of such program after two years of its existence. 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 of such loan program. Requires the Secretary to report on the Department's experience with the program 15 months after the first loan under the program is granted. 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 default on a loan made, insured, or guaranteed by the Secretary under the veterans' home loan guaranty program. Sets the following conditions for 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 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 or any other Federal entity. (Current law allows such contractual arrangements with private industry or other sources outside the Department.) Authorizes the Secretary to provide for flat grave markers in the section of the Florida National Cemetery in which preplaced grave liners were installed before July 30, 1988. Provides for credits to the Guaranty and Indemnity Fund in specified amounts depending on the fiscal year made in the case of a guaranteed or insured loan for a home purchase or for construction with respect to which a veteran has made a down payment of ten percent or more of the total purchase price. Ratifies certain actions and inactions taken by the Secretary or the Secretary of the Treasury with respect to such loans and their fees when taken between October 1, 1990, and the date of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Amends Federal law to prohibit any State from imposing an income tax on the pension income of any individual who is not a resident or domiciliary of that State.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Interstate Greyhound Racing Act of 1990 - Allows the acceptance of interstate off-track wagers on greyhound races by off-track betting systems. Allows such wagers only after consent is obtained from the host racing association (making certain exceptions with regard to existing contracts), the host racing commission, and the off-track commission. Requires any off-track betting office to obtain the approval of all currently operating tracks within 60 miles of the office (or, if there are none, then of the closest currently operating track in an adjoining State). Allows off-track betting offices in a State with at least 250 days of on-track parimutuel greyhound racing a year to accept interstate off-track wagers for 60 racing days and 25 special events per year without approval if there is no similar racing being conducted within the off-track State within 60 miles of the office accepting the wager. Prohibits a parimutuel off-track betting system from employing a takeout for an interstate wager which is greater than the takeout for corresponding wagering pools of off-track wagers on races run within the off-track State except where the greater takeout is authorized by State law in the off-track State. Makes persons accepting interstate off-track wagers in violation of this Act civilly liable to the host State, the host racing association, and the greyhound owners' group.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Educational Grant Reform Act of 1991 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to delay initial disbursement of Pell Grants to first-year undergraduate students. Makes ineligible for participation in the Pell Grant program any institution with a high default rate on student loans. Directs the Secretary of Education to study the accreditation system for proprietary institutions of higher education. Requires such study to: (1) examine conflicts of interest with respect to such institutions' board members; and (2) determine if the current system represents public interest by accrediting institutions that educate students adequately and use public funds responsibly. Requires a report to the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Sport Hunting Safety and Preservation Act of 1991 - Prescribes civil penalties for knowingly interfering with the conduct of a lawful hunt in a national forest or on other Federal lands. Authorizes injunctive relief, the recovery of actual and punitive damages, and the awarding of attorney's fees. Grants hunting and sportsman's organizations standing to sue under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Authorizes the Secretaries of Veterans Affairs and Defense to make joint grants to qualifying medical schools to assist in the establishment of new medical research centers. Outlines qualifications for medical schools eligible for such grants, including: (1) being primarily State-supported; (2) having no established research center in the field for which application is made; (3) being located in proximity to a Department of Veterans Affairs medical facility which has an affiliation with a medical facility of the Department of Defense; and (4) having demonstrable potential for successful development of such a new research center. Requires the Secretaries to ensure that centers for which grants are made are geographically dispersed within the United States. Requires the Secretaries to establish an advisory committee to advise a medical school with respect to activities of the center for which a grant is made. Prohibits the Secretaries from entering into an agreement to make a grant unless the Secretaries find that the school will maintain arrangements with the Department medical facility with which it is affiliated as to be mutually beneficial in carrying out the mission of the respective medical facilities and the school. Requires facilities of such research centers to be made available on a competitive basis. Requires the Secretaries to ensure that Federal funding for such centers be acknowledged in the activities and publications of the center. Requires one-half of the grant amounts to be provided by each Secretary. Specifies fund sources which may be used for such grants. Requires an agreement for such grants to include certain assurances with respect to the sufficiency of non-Federal funding for such research centers. Authorizes the Secretaries to increase grant amounts due to cost increases, within specified limits. Sets forth application requirements for medical schools desiring to receive such grants. Requires the Secretaries, in considering such applications, to give priority to applications which emphasize research in one or more of the following areas: (1) diabetes and metabolic diseases; (2) prosthetics and rehabilitation medicine; (3) mental health, behavioral medicine, and neurological disease; (4) acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and related diseases; (5) Alzheimer and dementia; (6) degenerative cardiopulmonary disease; (7) cancer; (8) technology assessment; and (9) toxicology. Requires the Secretaries to use a merit review process in considering applications and awarding grants under this Act. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 1995. Entitles the Secretaries to recover from grant recipients any amount not used for appropriate grant purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Designates the clinical wing at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salem, Virginia, as the Hugh Davis Memorial Wing.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Transfers custody and control of Pershing Hall, a memorial in Paris, France, owned by the United States, to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to administer, develop, and improve Pershing Hall and its site, as appropriate. Directs the Secretary, after consultation with the American Battle Monuments Commission, to dedicate a portion of the Hall to the memory of the commander-in-chief, men, and services of the American Expeditionary Forces in France during World War I. Requires the establishment and continuing supervision of the memorial to be carried out by the Commission. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into leases for the operation, development, and improvement of the Hall and its site. Outlines lease terms and conditions. Establishes the Pershing Hall Revolving Fund. Provides for the transfer of monies to the Fund for the construction of major projects. Abolishes the Pershing Hall Memorial Fund and transfers the corpus of the Memorial Fund to the Revolving Fund. Limits the amount that may be expended from the Fund in any fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act of 1991 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from diminishing existing allocations of spectrum (available radio frequencies) to the amateur radio service after January 1, 1991. Requires the FCC to provide replacement spectrum to the service for any frequency reallocation after such date.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act - Makes it unlawful for any licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer to sell, deliver, or transfer a handgun to an unlicensed individual unless: (1) after the most recent proposal of such transfer by the individual, the transferor has received a statement of eligibility from the individual, has notified the chief law enforcement officer for such individual's place of residence about the proposed transfer, and either has received a response indicating that such transfer is not prohibited by law or has not received a response indicating otherwise within seven days; (2) the individual has presented to the transferor a statement from the officer, issued in the past ten days, that the individual requires a handgun because of a threat to him or his family; (3) the individual has presented to the transferor a permit to possess a handgun that has been issued in the past five years by the State in which the transfer is to take place under a State law which requires law enforcement verification of the individual's legal qualification to possess a handgun; (4) State law either requires a waiting period of at least seven days or requires that an authorized government official verifies that the information available to such official does not indicate that possession of a handgun by the purchaser would be unlawful; or (5) the transferor has received a report from any system of felon identification established by the Attorney General under the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 that the individual's possession or receipt of the handgun would not violate Federal, State, or local law. Requires the statement of eligibility to include a statement that the individual: (1) is not under indictment for and has not been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year; (2) is not a fugitive; (3) is not an unlawful user of, or addicted to, a controlled substance; (4) has not been adjudicated as a mental defective or committed to a mental institution; (5) is not an alien who is illegally in the United States; (6) has not been dishonorably discharged from the armed forces; and (7) is not a person who has renounced U.S. citizenship. Requires any transferor who, after a transfer, receives a report from such officer that receipt or possession of the handgun by the individual violates the law, to: (1) furnish information about the transfer and the individual to the chief law enforcement officer of the transferor's place of business and the individual's place of residence; and (2) keep confidential any information received which is not otherwise available to the public, with exceptions. Requires a transferor to retain a copy of the individual's statement. Requires the law enforcement officer to destroy any copy of the individual's sworn statement and any record containing information derived from such statement within 30 days, unless such officer determines that the transaction would violate Federal, State, or local law.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Extends through 1994 (currently 1991) the provision of employment and training assistance for disabled and Vietnam veterans under Federal veterans' benefits provisions. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide educational and vocational counseling and related services to: (1) individuals eligible for educational assistance under the armed forces educational assistance program; (2) individuals discharged or released from active duty under conditions other than dishonorable within the past year; and (3) individuals serving on active duty and within 180 days of being released or discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. Requires the Secretary to make available information concerning the need for general education and for trained personnel in the various crafts, trades, and professions. Requires the Secretary to acquaint all eligible individuals with the availability of counseling services offered under this Act. Provides entitlement for a veterans' rehabilitation program for persons receiving outpatient medical care or treatment for a service-connected disability pending discharge from active military service when the Secretary has determined the hospital providing such care or treatment is under contract with or under the jurisdiction of the Secretary or the Secretary of the military department concerned. Includes the payment of handling fees by the Secretary as part of the scope and services authorized to be provided to a veterans' rehabilitation program. Authorizes the payment of a subsistence allowance to veterans pursuing a vocational rehabilitation program in a Federal, State, or local governmental agency. (Currently, such allowance is offered only to veterans pursuing a program at the Federal level.) Repeals certain reporting requirements concerning post-Vietnam era veterans' educational assistance and education loan defaults. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements with individuals whereby the individual agrees to perform work-study services in return for the elimination of overpayments made by the Department to such individuals during such individual's participation in a Department-sponsored benefits program. Authorizes the Secretary to waive certain hours and length of service limitations, the payment of interest and administrative costs, or deductions from future benefit payments for such individuals. Prohibits any such work-study services agreement from continuing after such indebtedness has been repaid. Requires the Secretary to compensate an individual at an appropriate hourly wage if such individual performs work in excess of his or her indebtedness. Amends the Post-Vietnam Veterans' Educational Assistance Program to authorize the Secretary to approve the pursuit of flight training as a benefit under such Program if: (1) such training is generally accepted as necessary for attaining a recognized vocational objective in aviation; (2) the individual possesses a valid pilot's license and meets medical requirements necessary for a commercial pilot's license; and (3) the flight courses meet Federal Aviation Administration standards and are approved by the FAA and the State approving agency. Provides benefit amounts and charges to be made against an individual's basic educational assistance allotment for the payment of such flight training assistance. Redesignates the Secretary of Labor's Committee on Veterans' Employment as the Advisory Committee on Veterans Employment and Training within the Department of Labor. Requires the Committee to: (1) assess the employment and training needs of veterans; (2) determine the extent to which the programs and activities of the Department of Labor are meeting such needs; and (3) carry out activities necessary to make specified reports and recommendations in connection with the future provision of such employment and training needs to eligible veterans. Requires the Committee to make annual reports and recommendations to the Secretary of Labor, to be forwarded to the Congress together with the Secretary's comments. Extends the provision of veterans' readjustment appointments to disabled veterans and certain veterans of the Vietnam era and of the post-Vietnam era who are qualified for such employment and advancement. (Currently, such appointments are limited to certain veterans of the Vietnam era and post-Vietnam era only.) Allows such appointments to extend through the GS-11 level (currently, GS-9 only with a limited exception). States that veterans shall be eligible for such appointments without regard to the number of years of education completed. Provides that veterans entitled to veterans' disability compensation or whose discharge or release from active duty was for a disability incurred or aggravated in line of duty shall be given a preference over other veterans for such appointments. Provides time limitations for the receiving of such appointments and exempts from such limitations veterans having a service-connected disability rated at 30 percent or more.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Language of Government Act of 1991 - Declares English to be the official language of the U.S. Government. States that the Government has an affirmative obligation to preserve and enhance the role of English as the official language. Prohibits anyone from being denied Government services because they communicate in English. Prohibits a Government entity from making or enforcing an official act requiring the use of a language other than English. Deems anyone discriminated against for communicating to the Government in English to have been discriminated against on the basis of national origin. Makes available to a person so discriminated against all lawful remedies available under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Veterans' Compensation Amendments of 1991 - 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.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
National Commemorative Advisory Act - Establishes the President's Advisory Commission on National Commemoratives to: (1) establish criteria for recommending to the President that a proposed national observance be approved or disapproved; (2) review proposals for national observances submitted in accordance with procedures published by the Commission; and (3) issue recommendations to the President concerning each proposal reviewed.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that payment under a life insurance contract to an insured who is terminally ill be treated as a death benefit, making such payment eligible for exclusion from gross income. Provides that any reference to life insurance shall be treated as referring to a qualified terminal illness rider. Provides for the tax treatment of such riders. Describes such a rider as one which provides for payments to an insured upon the insured's becoming terminally ill.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Authorizes and requests the President to designate May 1991 as Older Americans Month.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 1990
Jobs, Growth, and Competitiveness Act of 1990 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reinstate the ten-percent investment tax credit for property used as an integral part of manufacturing, production, or extraction or of furnishing transportation, communications, electrical energy, gas, water, waste disposal, or pollution control services. Allows such tax credit to offset 100 percent of certain corporation's minimum tax.
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 1990
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should declare November 2, 1990, a national day of prayer for: (1) members of American military forces and American citizens stationed or held hostage in the Middle East, and for their families; and (2) American and Iraqi authorities to bring about a just resolution of the Persian Gulf crisis.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 1990
Salutes and congratulates the people of Poland as they commemorate the 200th anniversary of the adoption of the Polish Constitution on May 3, 1991. Directs the Library of Congress to commemorate the anniversary with appropriate ceremonies.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 1990
Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act Amendments of 1990 - Amends the Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act of 1940 (the Act) to provide that an application for a stay of proceedings in a court action involving the military service of an individual shall not constitute an appearance for any purpose. Prohibits an eviction or distress from being made during a period of military service with respect to premises for which the agreed rent does not exceed $1,200 (currently, $150) per month, when such premises are occupied chiefly by the dependents of the person in military service, except upon leave of the court granted upon application or in a proceeding affecting the rights of possession. Extends the power of attorney coverage under the Act to include a power of attorney that by its terms expires after August 2, 1990. Amends the Act to provide professional liability protection for persons ordered to active duty after August 2, 1990, who, prior to such date, were engaged in furnishing health care or other services determined by the Secretary of Defense to be professional services, and who had in effect a professional liability insurance policy that does not continue coverage during the period of active duty. Requires an insurance carrier to suspend and to reinstate coverage of such affected person upon receipt of a written request from such person. Requires such person to request reinstatement within 30 days after release from active duty. Provides a minimum period of required coverage by the carrier following reinstatement, without an increase in the insurance premiums charged. Provides for the stay of a civil or administrative action for damages on the basis of professional liability of a person whose insurance has been suspended under these provisions if: (1) the action is based on an act or omission that occurred before the suspension was effective; and (2) the suspended insurance would, on its face, cover the alleged professional misconduct. States that the period of such stay shall not be included in any statute-of-limitations period. Outlines provisions concerning the death of a person whose professional liability insurance has been suspended and the consequences with respect to the suspended insurance coverage on previous or suspended (stayed) claims. Provides that any person employed and covered under a health insurance policy who goes to active military service or training and upon return is reemployed may not be subject to a waiting period or exclusion of coverage upon such return for a preexisting health or physical condition that occurred before or during the period of service or training. Provides that any person who, by reason of entry into military service, is entitled to the rights and benefits of the Act shall be entitled upon release from such service to reimbursement of any health insurance coverage which: (1) was in effect on the day before such service commenced; and (2) was terminated during the period of such service. Prohibits any health or physical condition occurring before or during the period of such service from being subject to a waiting period or exclusion of coverage upon return from such service. Provides reemployment rights for all reservists (currently, only those serving on active duty for not more than 90 days) upon their return from any active duty other than for training.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1990
Veterans' Health-Care Amendments of 1990 - Title I: Health-Care Benefits - Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to authorize the provision of dental care for a dental condition: (1) from which a veteran of World War I is suffering; and (2) when medically necessary in preparation for hospital admission or for a veteran otherwise receiving medical care and services. Increases from $500 to $1,000 the annual per-person limitation on the provision of such dental care. Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to periodically review and adjust such yearly limit. Authorizes the Secretary to contract with non-Department of Veterans Affairs facilities for the treatment of any veteran who has a total and permanent service-connected disability. 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. Extends through FY 1991 the authority for the operation of the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in the Philippines. Title II: Health-Care Personnel - Provides the qualifications required for social workers employed by the Veterans Health Services and Research Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 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. Authorizes a person appointed as a part-time employee of the Administration to receive and retain amounts paid for appearances, speeches, and articles that do not create a conflict of interest. Title III: Health-Care Management - Requires a 60-day congressional notification period before the Secretary may undertake an administrative reorganization within the Department. Revises the definition of "administrative reorganization" for purposes of such provision to include a reduction in force during any fiscal year at a covered field office or facility of 15 percent or more, or of a percentage which, when added to other reductions at such field office or facility, is 25 percent or more of the total number of employees at such office or facility. Revises reporting requirements and definitions with respect to such administrative reorganizations. 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. Title IV: Miscellaneous - Requires the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the Secretary of the Navy to facilitate the transfer of all medical follow-up data in possession of the Secretary of the Navy regarding Vietnam-era prisoners of war which has been collected by the Center for Prisoner of War Studies and the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute. Requires a report from the Secretary on such data. Provides funding. Requires the Secretary to report on the implementation of certain benefits notice requirements with respect to health benefits claims decisions. Authorizes the Secretary to use general operating funds to pay for leases for the collocation of at least three regional offices of the Department with Department medical centers.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1990
Designates the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center located at 113 Holland Avenue in Albany, New York, as the Samuel S. Stratton Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 1990
Designates March 25, 1991, as National Medal of Honor Day.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 1990
Veterans' Judicial Review Amendments of 1990 - Repeals certain provisions relating to decisions made by the Court of Veterans Appeals in veterans' benefits determinations. Authorizes the Chief Judge of the Court to annually summon the judges of such Court to a judicial conference in order to consider business of the Court and to improve the administration of justice within the Court's jurisdiction. Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to release veterans' medical records to the U.S. Court of Veterans Appeals and any other Federal court for use in connection with veterans' appeals under the jurisdiction of such courts.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 1990
Commission on Energy Independence Act - Establishes the Commission on Energy Independence to determine the policies and actions necessary for the United States to become as nearly energy independent by the year 2000 as possible. Requires the Commission to report to the Congress on its determinations by a specified deadline. Terminates the Commission after submission of such report. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 1990
Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to subject the pay of Members of Congress to sequestration.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 1990
Transfers custody and control of Pershing Hall, a memorial in Paris, France, owned by the United States, to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to administer, develop, and improve Pershing Hall and its site, as appropriate. Establishes the Pershing Hall Revolving Fund. Provides for the transfer of monies to the Fund for the construction of major projects. Abolishes the Pershing Hall Memorial Fund and transfers the corpus of the Memorial Fund to the Revolving Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 1990
Designates September 1991 as National Rice Month.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 1990
Designates October 17, 1990, as National Drug-Free Schools and Communities Education and Awareness Day.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 1990
Designates 1991 as Year of Thanksgiving for the Blessings of Liberty.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1990
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Government of Angola and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) should: (1) reaffirm that deprivation of food and medicine will not be used as a weapon in their political and military conflict; (2) agree to free passage arrangements for the safe delivery of relief assistance; (3) enter into discussions with international relief organizations and countries offering famine relief assistance to develop an agreement for the most efficient and cost-effective means of delivering relief supplies; (4) work toward a cessation of hostilities and conclude negotiations aimed at ending the civil war; and (5) encourage other southern African countries to cooperate in the delivery of famine relief supplies. Declares that: (1) the Agency for International Development should participate in and contribute to any famine relief plan consistent with such agreement; and (2) all entities supplying external military support to the Angolan Government or UNITA should promote an end to the war.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 1990
Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1990 - Prohibits a governmental authority from restricting any person's free exercise of religion unless: (1) the restriction is in the form of a rule of general applicability that doesn't intentionally discriminate against religion or among religions; and (2) the governmental authority demonstrates that application of the restriction to a person is essential to furthering a compelling governmental interest and the least restrictive means of doing so. Authorizes a party aggrieved by a violation of such prohibition to obtain relief, including attorney fees, in a civil action.
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
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 · 19 July 1990
Designates August 6, 1990, as Voting Rights Celebration Day.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 1990
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Federal excise taxes upon emissions from fossil fuels or upon the carbon content of fuels should not be imposed.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 1990
Organic Food Standards Development Act of 1990 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to hold public hearings and conduct a study enabling the Secretary to make recommendations to the House Committee on Agriculture and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry within two years of this Act's enactment concerning: (1) national standards as to what shall constitute organic production of food; (2) the costs and impact of an organic food labeling program; (3) the need for a producer-financed national program of organic food research, promotion, and consumer education; and (4) the most appropriate organic food regulatory mechanisms.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 1990
Designates the week of August 13 through 19, 1990, as Home Health Aide Week.
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 · 28 June 1990
Designates the week of April 7 through 13, 1991, as National County Government Week.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 1990
Designates May 1991 as National Trauma Awareness Month.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 1990
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the memory of Walt Disney should be honored on the 35th anniversary of his contribution to the American dream (the opening of Disneyland).