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United States · Official source
3,666 records where Rep. Studds, Gerry E. [D-MA-10] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1995
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the $15 million limitation on the amount of private activity tax-exempt bonds that may be issued with respect to an output facility.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 1995
Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Convention Act of 1995 - Provides for the implementation of the Convention on Future Multilateral Cooperation in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) appointment of United States Commissioners and Alternate Commissioners to the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization and United States Representatives and Alternative Representatives to the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization Scientific Council; (2) Representative requests for scientific advice; (3) the authorities of the Secretary of State with respect to the Convention; and (4) cooperation between various agencies, the States, private institutions, and organizations in carrying out the Convention. Specifies prohibited acts, including: (1) violating any regulation issued under this Act or any measure legally binding on the United States under the Convention; (2) resisting, impeding, intimidating, or interfering with certain Convention enforcement actions; and (3) transporting, selling, or possessing fish taken in violation of these provisions. Provides for: (1) civil and criminal penalties, permit sanctions, and forfeiture of vessels, cargo, and fish; (2) enforcement by the Coast Guard; and (3) U.S. district court exclusive jurisdiction. Directs the Secretaries of State and Commerce to jointly establish a consultative committee on issues related to the Convention. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 1995
Church Retirement Benefits Simplification Act of 1995 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to recodify and revise qualifications for church retirement and pension plans. Makes employee contributions to such plans nonforfeitable. Requires the plan to meet minimum vesting requirements. Recodifies the authority of a church or a convention or association of churches to be treated as an employer making contributions to retirement income accounts. Subjects church-related hospitals and universities to certain coverage and related rules in the case of a contract purchased by a church. Requires distributions from retirement income accounts provided by churches to be in accordance with distributions under cash or deferred arrangements. Provides for determining the beginning date for such distributions. Allows self-employed ministers and chaplains who work for non-church employers to participate in their church plans. Provides that certain rules aggregating employees do not apply to churches. Restores qualified voluntary employee contributions to church plans. Treats self-employed ministers as employees for purposes of certain welfare benefit plans and retirement income accounts. Allows a deduction for contributions to retirement income accounts by such ministers. Provides that a church plan maintained by more than one employer shall not be treated as a single plan. Provides that accounting methods of deferred compensation plans of State and local governments and tax-exempt organizations do not apply to a church plan. Exempts a church plan from the requirement to maintain separate accounts for medical benefits for key employees. Provides that the special rules for computing employee contributions to pension plans do not apply to certain foreign missionaries. Repeals the elective deferral catch-up limitation for church retirement income accounts. Allows church plans to annuitize benefits and increase benefit payments. Provides that rules for self-insured medical reimbursement plans are not applicable to church plans. Provides that retirement benefits of ministers are not subject to the tax on net earnings from self-employment.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 1995
Cop-Killer Bullet Ban Act of 1995 - Amends the Federal criminal code to expand the definition of "armor piercing ammunition" to include a projectile that may be used in a handgun and that the Secretary of the Treasury determines to be capable of penetrating body armor. Directs the Secretary to make such determination in accordance with regulations that provide for the uniform testing of projectiles against body armor that meets minimum standards for protection of law enforcement officers (which standards have been developed in cooperation with the U.S. Attorney General and which take into account variations in performance related to the length of the barrel of the handgun and the amount and kind of powder used).
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1995
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) obstetrician-gynecologists should be designated as primary care providers for women in Federal laws relating to the provision of health care; and (2) legislative proposals that define primary care should include services performed by obstetrician-gynecologists in such definition.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1995
Amends provisions of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act that revise Federal patent law to provide that a patent term shall be the later of 17 years from the date the patent is granted or 20 years from the date the application was filed in the United States. Provides that if the application contains a reference to an earlier application, the term shall be 20 years from the date the earliest application was filed. Removes provisions that provide for extensions of patent terms under certain conditions. Provides for public disclosure and inspection of original and continuing patent applications in cases where a continuing patent application is filed that claims the benefit of the filing date of a prior application that was filed more than 60 months earlier. Requires the term of a patent that is in force or results from an application filed within six months after the Uruguay Round Agreements Act enactment date to be the term provided in this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1995
Permits certain veterans with service-connected disabilities who are retired members of the uniformed services to receive compensation concurrently with retired pay, without deduction from either.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1995
Repeals the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1995
Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out projects to reduce the incidence of traumatic brain injury through grants or contracts to public or nonprofit entities. Authorizes the following activities: (1) the conduct of research into identifying effective strategies for the prevention of traumatic brain injury; and (2) the implementation of public information and education programs for the prevention of such injury and for broadening the awareness of the public concerning the public health consequences of such injury. (Sec. 2) Requires the National Institutes of Health research program on trauma to include the authority to award grants or contracts to public or nonprofit entities for the conduct of basic and applied research regarding traumatic brain injury. (Sec. 3) Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States for the purpose of carrying out demonstration projects to improve access to health and other services regarding traumatic brain injury. Permits the Secretary to make a grant only if the State agrees to establish an advisory board within the appropriate health department or another department of the State. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary to conduct: (1) a study concerning traumatic brain injuries; and (2) a national consensus conference on managing traumatic brain injury and related rehabilitation concerns. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1995
Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to permit the export of Alaskan North Slope oil. Mandates that, except in certain cases, such oil be transported by American merchant marine vessels. Retains the President's authority to prohibit exportation of the oil. Repeals certain statutory limitations placed upon crude oil exports.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1995
COLA Equity Act - Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 to: (1) provide that the initial month for which a cost of living increase in military retired pay that becomes effective on December 1 of 1993, 1994, or 1995 is payable shall be March (currently, September) of the following year for persons who first became a member of a uniformed service before August 1, 1986; and (2) provide that such special rule shall apply only through FY 1996 (currently, FY 1998).
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1995
Employee Educational Assistance Act of 1995 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the income tax exclusion of amounts paid under employee educational assistance programs.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1995
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income as death benefits amounts received under a life insurance contract for certain terminally ill individuals. Allows insurance companies to issue accelerated death benefit riders on life insurance contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1995
Merchant Mariners Fairness Act of 1993 - Provides that certain qualified service of a member of the U.S. merchant marine, including a vessel crewmember of the U.S. Army Transport Service, during World War II constituted active military service for purposes of eligibility for various veterans' benefits under the GI Bill Improvement Act of 1977. Requires the Secretary of Defense to issue an honorable discharge under such Act to each merchant marine member whose qualified service warrants such a discharge. Prohibits the payment of any retroactive benefits under this Act. Mandates a processing fee for any benefit application for such qualified service.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 1994
Ryan White CARE Reauthorization Act of 1994 - Amends the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act of 1990 (title XXVI of the Public Health Service Act) to limit the grant program for emergency relief for areas with substantial need for services to eligible areas with a population of at least 500,000 individuals. Requires an HIV health services planning council (which advises on the distribution of such grants) to be reflective of the demographics of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic in an eligible area, with particular consideration given to disproportionately affected and historically underserved groups. Revises the method of distributing such grants and extends authorized appropriations for them until FY 2000. Revises the care grant program that makes funds available for individuals and families with the HIV disease. Authorizes the award of supplemental grants to eligible entities to enhance community-based care, treatment, and supportive services through the development and operation of consortia and innovative approaches. Extends authorized appropriations for such grant program through FY 2000. Requires the establishment of grievance procedures to address allegations of egregious violations of title XXVI of the Public Health Service Act. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to coordinate the planning and implementation of Federal HIV programs to facilitate the development of a complete continuum of HIV-related services for individuals with HIV disease and those at risk of such disease. Extends authorized appropriations for early intervention services until FY 2000. Extends authorized appropriations until FY 2000 for grants for coordinated services and access to research for children, youth, women, and families (formerly known as demonstration grants for research and services for pediatric patients regarding acquired immune deficiency syndrome). Makes appropriations available for special projects of the national significance program to award direct grants to public and nonprofit private entities to fund special programs for the care and treatment of individuals with HIV disease.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1994
Designates October 19, 1994, as National Mammography Day.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1994
Designates the week beginning October 16, 1994, as National Penny Charity Week.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 1994
Designates November 1, 1994, as National Family Literacy Day.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 1994
Declares the sense of the Congress regarding: (1) conservation and management of Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea; (2) U.S. opposition to further quota reductions for nations harvesting Atlantic bluefin tuna in a specified area until the impact of conservation measures can be determined; and (3) the continued harvesting by fishermen from member countries of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas which does not comply with the conservation and management recommendations of the Commission, which will be considered by the Congress to diminish the effectiveness of an international fishery conservation program and to be subject to an embargo under the Atlantic Tunas Convention. Declares that the United States should encourage: (1) other nations with significant markets for Atlantic bluefin tuna to prohibit their importation from harvesting nations which do not comply with the conservation and management recommendations of the Commission; and (2) the Commission to adopt recommendations authorizing the use of discretionary trade actions as enforcement against nations that undermine the effectiveness of such conservation and management recommendations.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 1994
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: NOAA Ocean and Coastal Programs Title II: NOAA Marine Fishery Programs Title III: Administration and Other Accounts Title IV: Miscellaneous NOAA Programs Title V: Great Lakes Improvements Title VI: National Undersea Research Program National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Authorization Act of 1994 - Title I: NOAA Ocean and Coastal Programs - Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Commerce for FY 1995 and 1996 for use by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for the following programs and activities: (1) mapping and charting; (2) geodesy; (3) weather observation and prediction; (4) estuarine and coastal assessment; (5) deep ocean mineral and ocean energy activities; (6) marine prediction research, including research activities at the Great Lakes and the Southeast Florida and Caribbean Areas; and (7) climate and global change research activities. Title II: NOAA Marine Fishery Programs - Amends the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Fisheries Program Authorization Act to authorize appropriations for FY 1995 and 1996 for fisheries information collection and analysis. (Sec. 203) Authorizes appropriations for FY 1995 and 1996 for the establishment and maintenance of a scallop restoration program for Long Island Sound. (Sec. 204) Amends the Saltonstall-Kennedy Act to direct the Secretary to make grants to assist persons in carrying out research and development projects to promote the sustainable use and development of U.S. fisheries. Title III: Administration and Other Accounts - Authorizes appropriations for: (1) executive direction and administrative activities; (2) operation and maintenance of the Systems Acquisition Office; (3) central administrative support activities; (4) retired pay; and (5) marine services activities. Title IV: Miscellaneous NOAA Programs - Directs that one-sixth of the fees collected each fiscal year from the authorized sale and licensing of nautical products by NOAA be: (1) deposited into the Operations, Research, and Facilities account of NOAA; and (2) available for the acquisition and installation of Physical Ocean Real-time (PORT) Systems, the acquisition and maintenance of upgraded hydrographic survey equipment, and other National Ocean Service activities related to the modernization and improvement of maritime safety. Sets forth provisions regarding the budgetary treatment of receipts from nautical products. Directs the Secretary to deploy in Galveston Bay and the Houston Ship Channel a PORT System consisting of current, wind, tide, salinity, and water level measuring devices and necessary computer links. (Sec. 402) Expresses the sense of the Congress that NOAA should expand its efforts to develop interagency agreements to further the use of defense-related technologies, data, and other resources to support its oceanic missions. Directs the Secretary to report to the House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation (the committees) on the feasibility of expanding the use of such technologies, data, and resources to support and enhance such missions. (Sec. 403) Requires the Secretary to report to the committees on the status of NOAA programs related to marine navigation safety. (Sec. 404) Sets forth site selection factors regarding a replacement for the National Marine Fisheries Service Lab at Tiburon, California. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1995 for architecture and engineering studies regarding such replacement. (Sec. 405) Directs the Secretary to: (1) report to the committees on Department of Commerce needs for facilities for the National Marine Sanctuary Program; (2) establish a PORT System for San Francisco Bay after conducting a hydrodynamics study of the Bay (and authorizes appropriations); and (3) convey to Massachusetts the National Marine Fisheries Service Laboratory at Gloucester, Massachusetts, under certain terms and conditions, including continued use of such property by the National Marine Fisheries Service. (Sec. 408) Provides reimbursement from the United States to NOAA after settlement of a collision damage claim involving the NOAA research vessel DISCOVERER, for use in vessel repair. (Sec. 409) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into specified contracts for FY 1995 and 1996 to implement the NOAA fleet modernization plan. Limits expenditures for repairs and maintenance under the NOAA Fleet Modernization Act. (Sec. 410) Directs the Secretary to: (1) contract with the Marine Board of the National Research Council to examine and report on the appropriate role of the NOAA Corps in supporting NOAA missions (and authorizes appropriations); (2) report to the committees on the effects of climate and global change on the Nation's major freshwater systems; (3) promote and coordinate the use of National Estuarine Research Reserves for research, monitoring, and education purposes; and (4) study and report to the committees on the effects of feeding noncaptive dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico and Southern Atlantic Ocean. (Sec. 414) Amends the boundaries of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary to include the Stetson Bank. (Sec. 415) Revises an Act authorizing appropriations to carry out the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to: (1) provide for the administration of the National Coastal Resources Research and Development Institute by the Oregon State System of Higher Education; (2) direct the Institute to promote U.S. economic growth and prosperity by transferring research and technology into applications to improve the economic, environmental, and social well-being of the Nation's coastal communities and the competitiveness of coastal businesses; and (3) make changes with respect to membership of the Board of Governors and the Advisory Council and provide for reports annually to the Congress and biennially to the Secretary. (Sec. 416) Expresses the sense of the Congress that NOAA should develop and promote programs that recruit minorities and women for education in the sciences and take actions to increase the direct involvement of underrepresented minorities in coastal and ocean resource stewardship programs. (Sec. 417) Repeals a provision of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Act of 1992 requiring the establishment of a NOAA Chesapeake Bay Estuarine Resources Office if the Secretary fails to obligate specified funds appropriated for oyster disease research by December 1, 1994. (Sec. 418) Authorizes the Secretary to expend specified sums to acquire, construct, install, and maintain equipment with respect to weather reporting stations in Prince William Sound, Alaska. (Sec. 419) Directs the Secretary to purchase from the private sector remotely sensed science data. (Sec. 420) Expresses the sense of the Congress that equipment and products purchased with funds made available in this Act should be American-made. Title V: Great Lakes Improvements - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Great Lakes Improvements Act - Authorizes the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to establish and maintain within NOAA a Great Lakes Office in the Washington, D.C. area. (Sec. 503) Directs the Under Secretary to prepare and submit to the Congress an annual Great Lakes Report. (Sec. 505) Authorizes appropriations. Title VI: National Undersea Research Program - National Undersea Research Program Act of 1994 - Directs the Under Secretary to establish and maintain in NOAA a National Undersea Research Program, conducted by a National Undersea Research Centers. Establishes in NOAA the Office of Undersea Research. Sets forth provisions regarding duties of the program director and priority research areas. (Sec. 604) Directs the Under Secretary to establish an independent National Undersea Research Advisory Committee. (Sec. 605) Assigns specified regions to certain existing centers. Provides for the establishment of new centers. Allows the Under Secretary to solicit proposals for the establishment of a new Center. Provides for reviews of proposals and of the operation of each Center and the configuration of undersea regions. Directs the Under Secretary to establish a Center to conduct the Program for the Gulf of Mexico undersea region. (Sec. 606) Requires each Center Director to annually solicit individual proposals from the scientific community for research to advance the priority research areas of the Program. Sets forth provisions regarding the proposal review process, the proposed Center Program, and review of proposed Center Programs. (Sec. 607) Directs the Under Secretary to develop procedures for the submittal and joint review of proposals for research in priority research areas and to issue final rules. (Sec. 608) Authorizes the Under Secretary to make grants and enter into contracts and cooperative agreements to fund any Center program if the Under Secretary finds that the program will advance knowledge in the priority research areas. (Sec. 609) Specifies that grants and contracts under the Program shall not be subject to review by the Financial Assistance Review Board. (Sec. 610) Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 20 August 1994
Commends the U.S. rice industry for its decision to establish an industry organization. Recognizes the success such decision will have in promoting the interests of the rice industry and the rice-consuming public.
United States · United States Congress · 19 August 1994
Captive Exotic Animal Protection Act of 1994 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit and set penalties for the transport or possession of a confined exotic animal for purposes of allowing the killing or injuring of that animal for entertainment or the collection of a trophy.
United States · United States Congress · 12 August 1994
Maritime Regulatory Reform Act of 1994 - Amends Federal maritime law to authorize the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard operates, in order to implement the International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention adopted by the International Maritime Organization and to establish alternative compliance programs, to: (1) prescribe regulations governing the U.S. merchant marine, merchant marine personnel, and shore-based management of vessels that affect the safety of vessels and personnel and marine pollution prevention; and (2) establish optional regulatory requirements commensurate with the level of quality control adopted by the shipowner or operator, provided that an equivalent level of safety is maintained. (Sec. 3) Authorizes the Secretary to utilize reports, documents, and certificates issued by persons who may be relied upon with regard to marine safety, security, and environmental protection. (Sec. 4) Authorizes the Secretary to accept approvals of fire and life safety equipment and materials by foreign governments which utilize design and testing standards that meet the requirements of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, and its associated International Maritime Organization guidance documents. (Sec. 5) Requires each in service small passenger vessel carrying more than 12 passengers on an international voyage to be inspected annually. Requires any other vessel to be inspected at least once every five years (currently, every two years). Extends from two to five years the effective validation period of certificates of inspection issued to U.S. vessels that carry oil or hazardous material in bulk. (Sec. 6) Requires the owner or individual in charge of a vessel to submit certain inspection related notices to the Secretary at least 30 days (currently, at least 30 days but not more than 60 days) before the current certificate of inspection issued to a vessel expires. (Sec. 7) Revises provisions regarding the recognition of U.S. classification societies.
United States · United States Congress · 11 August 1994
Designates the months of March 1995 and March 1996 as Irish-American Heritage Month.
United States · United States Congress · 9 August 1994
Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to provide financial assistance for conservation of rhinoceros and tiger projects. Authorizes the Convention of International Trade Endangered Species on Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Secretariat, or any other person, to submit to the Secretary a project proposal for the conservation of such animals. Establishes in the Treasury the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit donated and appropriated funds into such fund. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1994
Orphan Drug Act Amendments of 1994 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to change from seven to four years the period of market exclusivity guaranteed to any approved orphan drug. Specifies that orphan drugs of "limited commercial potential," as defined by regulations to be issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) (based on total sales revenue for such drug during the four-year exclusivity period or other factors identified by the Secretary of HHS), would qualify for an additional three years of exclusive marketing rights. Permits more than one company to put a particular orphan drug on the market in instances where both companies were working on the drug in roughly the same time frame. Provides for the withdrawal of exclusive marketing rights if the patient population for the approved treatment exceeds 200,000. Extends the authorization of the research grant program. Replaces the existing Orphan Products Board with an Office for Orphan Diseases and Conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 1994
Declares that the Congress approves the governing international fishery agreement between the United States and the Republic of Lithuania.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 1994
National Aquaculture Development Act of 1994 - Amends the National Aquaculture Act of 1980 to require the National Aquaculture Development Plan to clearly outline and define the authorities of the Departments of Agriculture, Interior, and Commerce and other relevant Federal agencies with respect to the development, promotion, and regulation of all aquaculture in the United States. Requires the interagency aquaculture coordinating group to report to the Congress a report on an evaluation of actions taken under the Plan. (Sec. 4) Authorizes (current law requires) the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to: (1) establish within the National Agricultural Library a National Aquaculture Information Center; and (2) assign new aquaculture programs to the appropriate Federal agencies. (Sec. 5) Provides for coordination with the aquaculture industry. (Sec. 6) Directs the Secretaries to: (1) implement a national strategy for private aquaculture; (2) implement an Aquaculture Strategy; and (3) treat private aquaculture as a form of agriculture. Directs the coordinating group to coordinate strategies, policies, and programs for private aquaculture. (Sec. 7) Directs the Secretaries, through the coordinating group, to: (1) study Federal and State regulations and permits applicable to the United States aquaculture industry; (2) publish a compendium of requirements applicable to marine and fresh water aquaculture operations; and (3) recommend to the Secretaries and the Congress a framework for more consistent regulations on aquaculture operations. (Sec. 8) Amends the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to direct the Secretary to provide disaster assistance to eligible aquaculture farmers for weather-related losses. (Sec. 9) Authorizes the Secretary to establish aquaculture education programs in secondary and postsecondary vocational schools. (Sec. 10) Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to make aquaculture farmers eligible for farm credit assistance. (Sec. 11) Amends the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to authorize the Secretary to establish an international aquaculture information and data collection program. (Sec. 12) Directs the Secretary to report to the Congress with respect to aquaculture information network enhancement. (Sec. 13) Authorizes FY 1994 through 1996 appropriations for aquaculture programs.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 1994
Marine Aquaculture Enhancement Act of 1994 - Amends the National Sea Grant College Program Act to include a marine aquaculture research, development, and technology transfer program. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to make grants, enter into contracts, and engage in specified other activities under such program to further research, development, education, and technology transfer in marine aquaculture and accelerate the development, growth, and commercialization of the domestic marine aquaculture industry. Specifies that the Program shall include research, development, technology transfer, education, and marine advisory programs that address specified issues, such as the application of marine biotechnology to aquaculture. Directs the Secretary to maintain within the Marine Advisory Service the capability to transfer relevant technologies and information to such industry. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) administration; and (2) grants and contracts, including funding. Requires the Director to estalish advisory committees and review panels and provide them with copies of appropriate grant and contract application evaluations prepared by directors of sea grant colleges. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to include among authorized objectives of: (1) coastal resource improvement grants, the development of a coordinated process among State agencies to regulate and issue permits for aquaculture facilities in the coastal zone; and (2) coastal zone enhancement grants, the adoption of procedures and policies to evaluate and facilitate the siting of public and private aquaculture facilities in the coastal zone which will enable States to formulate, administer, and implement strategic plans for marine aquaculture. Prohibits owning, contructing, or operating an offshore marine aquaculture facility except as authorized by permit. Authorizes the Secretary to issue, amend, renew, or transfer permits. Sets the term of a permit at ten years. Sets forth provisions regarding permit prerequisites, public and agency notice and comment, certification of compliance, permit revocation, surrender, renewal, and transfer, fees, civil penalties, and related issues. Directs the Secretary to establish minimum environmental standards for offshore marine aquaculture facilities designed to minimize the potential for inadvertent impacts on the marine environment, including specified safeguards. Establishes within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration a marine aquaculture development program, the Nantucket Program, to expand coastal economic opportunities. Directs the Secretary to provide grants under such Program to eligible coastal communities to develop marine aquaculture training and support activities. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to establish in southern New Jersey a Multispecies Aquaculture Center. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1994
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Programs Under Public Health Improvement Trust Fund Subtitle A: Programs of Public Health Service Act Subtitle B: Comprehensive School Health Education Title II: Amendments to Internal Revenue Code of 1986 Public Health Improvement Act of 1994 - Title I: Programs Under Public Health Improvement Trust Fund - Subtitle A: Programs of Public Health Service Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish a new title regarding public health programs. Establishes the Public Health Improvement Trust Fund to carry out public health programs. Appropriates to such Fund revenues received by the disallowed deduction for certain advertising expenses for tobacco products or alcoholic beverages. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary) to establish the National Public Health Advisory Commission for advice on carrying out this title and on other Federal policies regarding public health. Authorizes appropriations from the Fund for FY 1995 through 2002 for the activities of the Commission. Authorizes appropriations from the Fund for FY 1995 through 2002 for formula grants to States for core functions of public health programs. Declares the purpose of such grants to provide improvements in the health status of the public through attaining the Healthy People 2000 Objectives. Authorizes appropriations from the Fund for FY 1995 through 2000 for grants to eligible entities for comprehensive evaluations of disease prevention and health promotion programs. Authorizes appropriations from the Fund for FY 1995 through 2002 for: (1) scholarship loan repayment programs regarding service in approved public health positions; (2) grants to relevant institutions to expand educational capacities; and (3) grants to States lacking public health training programs. Authorizes appropriations from the Fund for FY 1995 through 1997 for grants to public and nonprofit private entities for regional poison control centers. Authorizes appropriations from the Fund for FY 1996 through 2002 for grants to eligible entities for the development and operation of school health service sites. Authorizes the Secretary to make loans and loan guarantees regarding such projects. Authorizes appropriations from the Fund for FY 1995 through 2002 for a scholarship program and loan repayment program for school nurses. Authorizes appropriations from the Fund for FY 1995 through 2000 for: (1) grants to migrant health centers and community health centers; and (2) grants to public or private health care providers for the development of qualified community health plans and qualified community practice networks. Authorizes the Secretary to make and guarantee loans for the capital costs of developing qualified community health groups. Authorizes appropriations from the Fund for FY 1996 through 2000 for grants with relevant entities for enabling services such as transporation, community and patient outreach, patient education, and translation services. Authorizes appropriations from the Fund for FY 1995 through 2000 for: (1) the National Health Service Corps program and to increase the participation of nurses in scholarship and loan repayment programs; (2) grants to States to assist outpatient health centers (satellite clinics) that are providers of comprehensive health services; and (3) formula grants for the development and operation of community health advisor programs to assist States in attaining the Health People 2000 Objectives. Authorizes appropriations from the Fund for FY 1995 through 2000 for formula grants to States for service activities with respect to mental health and substance abuse. Authorizes the Secretary to make loans to entities for the capital costs incurred in the development of non-acute, residential treatment centers and community-based ambulatory clinics. Subtitle B: Comprehensive School Health Education - Authorizes appropriations from the Fund for FY 1995 through 2000 for planning and implementation grants for State education agencies and local educational agencies for programs of comprehensive school health education. Title II: Amendments to Internal Revenue Code of 1986 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to disallow the deduction for advertising expenses for tobacco products or alcoholic beverages.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 1994
Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit a calling party from being charged for a call to, or information provided by, an 800 number by means of a charge included on, or transmitted with, a bill for telephone exchange service or telephone toll service.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 1994
Fair Pay Act of 1994 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to prohibit discrimination in payment of wages on the basis of sex, race, or national origin. Requires such nondiscriminatory equal pay for equivalent jobs with the same employer, unless the differential payment is made pursuant to a system of seniority, merit, or production quality or quantity based earnings. Prohibits discrimination against an employee for exercising rights under this Act. Directs the court, in actions brought for violations of this Act, to allow expert fees as part of the costs, in addition to any other remedies awarded to prevailing plaintiffs. Allows such actions to be maintained as class actions. Requires employers to keep records and file annual reports with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) necessary for enforcement of this Act. Provides that such reports' contents shall be public information. Directs the EEOC to carry out a research, education, and technical assistance program for employers, labor organizations, and the general public concerning effective means available to implement this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 1994
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: General Provisions Title II: Policy Coordination and Technology Programs Subtitle A: Policy Coordination and Program Planning Subtitle B: Environmental Technology Innovation Initiative Subtitle C: Other Research Activities Title III: Performance Measurements Title IV: Department of Energy Environmental Technology Development Title V: Authorization of Appropriations Title I: General Provisions - Environmental Technologies Act of 1994 - Sets forth congressional findings and purposes. Title II: Policy Coordination and Technology Programs - Subtitle A: Policy Coordination and Program Planning - Requires the President, acting through the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, to develop an interagency strategy that: (1) ensures the coordinated, interagency promotion of the research, development, and demonstration of environmental technologies; and (2) develops priorities for Federal environmental technology efforts. (Sec. 202) Requires the Director to coordinate Federal activities and resources that are applied to life-cycle assessment and other design-for-environment resources in order to maximize the contribution of such assessments and resources to the efficient design, development, and use of such technologies and to sustainable economic development. (Sec. 203) Amends the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 to include goals for sustainable economic development within technology innovation programs. Includes such goals in other existing programs under specified Acts. Subtitle B: Environmental Technology Innovation Initiative - Establishes an Environmental Innovation Initiative, to be administered by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to promote the research, development, and demonstration of technologies that will contribute to sustainable economic development. Includes programs established under this Act in the Initiative. Provides assistance to eligible entities. (Sec. 211) Requires the Administrator to encourage the participation of socially and economically disadvantaged individuals and entities located in economically depressed areas in carrying out the Initiative. (Sec. 212) Directs the Administrator to conduct an interagency innovative environmental technology program to develop or demonstrate advanced precommercial environmental technologies. Makes U.S. companies and partnerships eligible for financial assistance for projects, subject to certain conditions. Provides for recoupment of assistance in connection with projects which have led to the development of a marketed product or process. (Sec. 213) Establishes the President's Total Environmental Quality Award to be awarded periodically to companies and other organizations which have benefited the United States through environmental technologies. Establishes a National Environmentally Sound Technology Award for individuals who have pioneered the development and use of a highly innovative environmental technology. (Sec. 214) Directs the Administrator to use existing information network capabilities to provide access to data on environmental technologies developed, tested, verified, or certified by programs under this Act and by other appropriate sources. (Sec. 215) Requires the Administrator to establish a program to demonstrate the performance of environmental technologies at Federal laboratories and facilities. (Sec. 216) Directs the Administrator to enter into an agreement with the National Research Council to study the influences on technological innovation in environmental technologies of economic, governmental, and other incentives and barriers. Subtitle C: Other Research Activities - Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support research activities that will advance the integration of engineering practices and environmental protection in the development of advanced technologies. Title III: Performance Measurements - Requires the Secretary of Commerce, through the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, to establish a program that provides for performance measurements for environmental technology products (excluding those primarily intended to improve the environment through pollution control, remediation, and monitoring). (Sec. 302) Authorizes the Administrator to designate entities to perform environmental technology verification. (Sec. 303) Requires the President to consider performance measurements for environmental technologies developed pursuant to this title in any program for evaluating and approving Federal purchases of environmental technologies. Title IV: Department of Energy Environmental Technology Development - Directs the Secretary of Energy to conduct programs of research, development, and demonstration on: (1) new and improved technologies for environmental restoration and waste management; (2) training for environmental technicians, engineers, and scientists; and (3) technologies for reducing worker exposure to radioactivity in association with site remediation. (Sec. 402) Requires the Secretary to establish a program to demonstrate the technological and economic feasibility of recycling and reusing radioactively uncontaminated and decontaminated metals and equipment and of other waste minimization techniques. Provides for the recycling and reuse of the metals and equipment at a minimum of three national laboratories or former nuclear weapons production facilities. (Sec. 403) Directs the Secretary to incrementally increase the proportion of the annual budget request for the Environmental Restoration and Waste Management program that is attributable to research and development until such proportion is at least ten percent. Requires the Secretary to ensure that such increase does not affect other Department of Energy programs. Authorizes appropriations for nondefense research and development activities of the Office of Technology Development. Title V: Authorization of Appropriations - Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 1994
Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Research, Education, and Assistance Act of 1994 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health to establish a council to coordinate Parkinson's research activities. Directs: (1) the council to convene a National Consensus Conference on Parkinson's Disease and Related Neuro-degenerative Disorders to aid in the development of a broad-based strategy for identifying the cause of and treating such disorders; and (2) the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and annually submit to specified congressional committees a coordinated research agenda and to provide for the establishment of ten Parkinson's Research Centers. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) award feasibility study grants to support the development of preliminary data sufficient to provide the basis for the submission of applications for independent research support grants or establishment of a Center; and (2) award grants to appropriate institutions for the provision of training and continuing education concerning health and long-term care of individuals with Parkinson's. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) a grant program to support scientists who have distinguished themselves in the field of Parkinson's research; (2) a registry for screening and collecting patient and family data that may be useful in determining incidence and possible risk factors concerning Parkinson's; and (3) a national education program designed to foster a national focus on Parkinson's and the care of those with Parkinson's. Sets forth application requirements. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1994
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a demonstration project to evaluate the effectiveness of health promotion programs in the worksite and appropriate incentives to encourage employers to adopt such programs. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1994
High Seas Fisheries Licensing Act of 1994 - Prohibits a high seas vessel from engaging in harvesting operations on the high seas unless the vessel has on board a valid license issued under this Act. Makes any U.S. vessel eligible to receive such a license unless the vessel was previously authorized to be used for fishing on the high seas by a foreign nation and: (1) such nation suspended such authorization because the vessel undermined the effectiveness of international conservation and management measures; or (2) such nation, within the last three years preceding application for a license, withdrew such authorization because the vessel undermined the effectiveness of international conservation and management measures. Makes such restriction inapplicable in cases where the Secretary of Commerce determines that issuing a license would not subvert the Agreement to Promote Compliance with International Conservation and Management Measures by Fishing Vessels on the High Seas. Sets forth application and fee provisions. Directs the Secretary to maintain a record of high seas fishing vessels issued licenses under this Act and to notify the flag State if a foreign fishing vessel has engaged in activities undermining the effectiveness of international conservation and management measures. Sets forth enforcement and penalty provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1994
Designates the second Sunday in October 1994 as National Children's Day.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1994
Trade and Environment Reporting Act of 1994 - Requires the United States Trade Representative (USTR), before entering into negotiations for any free trade agreement or other major trade actions, to consult with the Congress, appropriate advisory committees, including the Trade and Environment Policy Advisory Committee, Federal agencies, environmental organizations, and other interested persons, for the purpose of: (1) identifying environmental resources that may be affected by such agreements or actions; and (2) determining the scope of a specified environmental assessment in the case of a negotiation for a free trade agreement. Directs the USTR to: (1) consider the results of such consultations with respect to a major trade action before formulating any negotiating position for such action; and (2) review such negotiating position and determine its compatibility with U.S. laws that protect environmental resources or encourage sustainable development. Directs the Council on Environmental Quality, the Secretary of the Interior, the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the USTR to monitor the effects of major trade actions on environmental resources within the United States. Requires such agencies and officials and the Secretary of State to cooperate with other nations to monitor and determine the effects of such actions on such resources outside of the United States. Requires the Council to report every three years to the Congress on the results of such monitoring.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1994
Amends the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 to add as an overall U.S. trade negotiating objective that the United States obtain increased compatibility of trade agreements with environmental protection, conservation, and sustainable development. (Sec. 1) Declares principal U.S. trade negotiating objectives includes ensuring that dispute settlement mechanisms within trade agreements provide for more effective and expeditious resolution of disputes, improve transparency and public participation, and enable better enforcement of U.S. rights, including those relating to environment and conservation; (2) obtaining broader application of the principle of transparency through the observance of open and equitable procedures by GATT Contracting Parties to the GATT in trade matters related to environment and conservation; (3) taking into account the particular needs of developing countries in trade matters relating to environment and conservation; (4) improving the provisions of trade agreements to discipline unfair trade practices having adverse trade effects, including practices potentially harmful to the environment;(5) promoting compatibility of established standards of the World Trade Organization (WTO) relating to intellectual property with existing international biological diversity conventions; and (6) developing internationally agreed rules, including dispute settlement procedures, which will promote environmentally sensitive foreign investment and discourage countries from attracting or maintaining foreign investment by relaxing domestic health, safety, or environmental measures. Declares that the principal U.S. negotiating objectives: (1) regarding environment and conservation issues related to trade and foreign investment are, among other things, to promote compatibility between trade agreements and the protection of the environment and global resources; and (2) regarding trade in wood and wood products are to promote sustainable forestry practices, and to increase market access for value-added wood products and wood products that are produced from timber that is sustainably harvested. (Sec. 2) Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to revise the composition of the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations to include nongovernmental environmental and conservation organizations. Authorizes the President to establish individual general policy and sectoral or functional advisory committees for environment and conservation. Requires a specified report of the appropriate sectoral or functional committees concerning proposed trade agreements to include an advisory opinion as to the significant environmental effects of trade conducted within the sector or functional area. (Sec. 3) Amends the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 to declare that the principal U.S. negotiating objectives regarding environment and conservation in the WTO and the Committee on Trade and Environment of the WTO are, among other things, to promote greater compatibility of the rules and agreements of the WTO with international agreements that rely upon trade sanctions for enforcement. Declares that the principal U.S. negotiating objectives with respect to bilateral trade accession to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) are to establish for the country seeking accession minimum environmental safeguards that are not less than those contained in NAFTA and the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation. Declares that the principal U.S. negotiating objectives with respect to the Asia-pacific Economic Cooperation form (APEC) are to develop a program relating to environment and conservation measures of relevance to member countries of APEC.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 1994
Designates the second week of August 1994 as National U.S. Seafood Week.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1994
Child Labor Deterrence Act of 1994 - Urges the President to seek agreement with governments that trade with the United States to secure an international ban on trade in products of child labor. (Sec. 4) Requires the Secretary of Labor (Secretary) to identify foreign industries that: (1) do not comply with national laws prohibiting child labor; (2) utilize child labor in the export of products; and (3) have on a continuing basis exported such products to the United States. Authorizes any person to file a petition with the Secretary requesting that a particular foreign industry and its host country be identified. Requires the Secretary, before making such identification, to: (1) consult with the United States Trade Representative and the Secretaries of State, Commerce, and the Treasury; (2) hold at least one public hearing for public comment; and (3) publish notice in the Federal Register that such identification is being considered and the time and place for public comment. (Sec. 5) Prohibits the importation of products which have been produced by child labor. (Sec. 6) Sets forth civil and criminal penalties. (Sec. 9) Authorizes approriations for a U.S. contribution to: (1) the International Labor Organization for activities of the International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor; and (2) the United Nations Commission on Human Rights for activities relating to bonded child labor that are carried out by the Subcommittee and Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1994
Designates February 2, 1995, and February 1, 1996, as National Women and Girls in Sports Day.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1994
Truth in Tobacco Labeling Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require tobacco product manufacturers to provide to consumers, through labeling, advertising, and promotion: (1) information on additives and constituents in tobacco products and smoke; (2) information on adverse effects; (3) warnings and directions for use; (4) contraindications; (5) warnings against use in pathological conditions; and (6) any other information deemed necessary by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Amends the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act to remove trade secret and confidentiality requirements from provisions regarding a report to the Congress on tobacco additives.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1994
Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 1994 - Prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation by covered entities, including employing authorities of the House of Representatives, employing offices of the Senate, and instrumentalities of the Congress. Declares that: (1) this Act does not apply to the provision of employee benefits for the benefit of an employee's partner; and (2) a disparate impact does not establish a prima facie violation of this Act. Prohibits quotas and preferential treatment. Declares that this Act does not apply to: (1) religious organizations (except in their for-profit activities); (2) the armed forces; or (3) laws creating special rights or preferences for veterans. Provides for enforcement. Disallows State and Federal immunity. Allows recovery of attorney's fees. Prohibits retaliation and coercion. Requires posting notices for employees and applicants.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1994
Gulf of Maine Act of 1994 - Establishes a Gulf of Maine Council to promote the environmental and economic health of the Gulf of Maine. Requires the Council to: (1) facilitate the coordination of governmental and nongovernmental activities related to the Gulf; (2) establish a Gulf of Maine Advisory Group to advise the Council, the Governors of Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, and the Premiers of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick on the implementation of this Act; and (3) adopt a Gulf of Maine Agreement for the protection, assessment, management, and sustainable development of the Gulf. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Council to establish an Economic Development Board to implement a long-term plan for coordinating environmentally sound economic assistance for the Gulf region. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to provide planning and local technical assistance grants to the Council for related projects. Makes a cooperative agreement available through the Economic Development Administration for planning programs to retain or create full-time permanent jobs and income for individuals who are unemployed or underemployed as a result of Federal fishery management regulations. Authorizes appropriations. Permits the Council to submit recommendations to the New England Fishery Management Council (Management Council) on fishery management plans if recommendations are necessary to make such plans reflect the goals and priorities of the Agreement. Requires the Secretary, if in concurrence with such recommendations, to issue a finding that the Management Council review such plans in light of the Council's recommendations. Establishes an Environmental Management and Assessment Program for the Gulf region and provides for a plan for improved environmental management and assessment. Authorizes grants to the Council for such purposes. Authorizes appropriations. Permits the Regional Marine Research Board for the Gulf of Maine, with the Secretary's approval, to revise schedules for the development of research plans under the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 to ensure coordination with activities under this Act. Authorizes the Council to establish a Gulf of Maine Research Advisory Group. Authorizes appropriations. Permits the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to award grants to the St. Croix International Waterway Commission to support its activities. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 1994
Multiple Sclerosis Home Treatment Equity Act of 1994 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide coverage and payment for self-administered betaseron (Interferon beta-1b) for patients with multiple sclerosis.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 1994
Commemorates June 22, 1994, as the 50th anniversary of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 1994
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) June 21, 1994, is designated as Freedom Summer Remembrance Day; and (2) it reaffirms the goal of removing remaining barriers to full voter participation in this Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 1994
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Locate and Case Tracking Title II: Establishment Title III: Parentage Title IV: Enforcement Title V: Collection and Distribution Title VI: Federal Role Title VII: State Role Child Support Responsibility Act of 1994 - Title I: Locate and Case Tracking - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) to establish a Federal registry of child support orders or modifications issued by any State court or administrative order or both. Provides for State access to such registry. (Sec. 102)Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to include among the functions of the Federal Parent Locator System: (1) establishing parentage; and (2) establishing, modifying, enforcing child support obligations. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to provide prompt access to the Secretary of all Federal income tax returns filed by individuals. Instructs the Secretary to expand the Parent Locator Service to establish a national network based on the comprehensive statewide child support enforcement systems to expand State access to the national parent locator network. (Sec. 103) Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a national reporting system on employees and their child support obligations through the mandatory inclusion of certain child support information on W-4 forms (including the availability of health care insurance). (Sec. 104) Requires State plans for child and spousal support to have in effect statutory mechanisms which: (1) establish a child support order registry to transmit abstracts of State child support orders to the Federal Registry and distribute child support proceeds withheld from a delinquent parent's wages; and (2) allow an individual to bring an action against an employer or State official for noncompliance with this Act. Prescribes parameters for direct wage withholding, State agency access to various data bases, and expanded interaction with the National Parent Locator Network. (Sec. 105) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to integrate child support obligations and payments within the structure of income tax returns, including: (1) assessment and collection of child support arrearages; and (2) payment to State registries of child support amounts collected by the Secretary of the Treasury. Title II: Establishment - Amends part D of SSA title IV (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) to set forth procedural guidelines for service of process on Federal employees and members of the armed services in connection with proceedings relating to child support and parentage obligations. (Sec. 204) Establishes the National Child Support Guidelines Commission to: (1) study and report to the Congress on the advisability of a national child support guideline; (2) develop such a guideline, if advisable. (Sec. 205) Includes among the requisite components of approved State plans: (1) a specified duration of child support; (2) electronic transmittal of State documents; (3) telephonic appearance in interstate cases; (4) uniform terms in child support orders; (5) social security numbers on marriage licenses, divorce decrees, parentage decrees, and birth certificates; (6) administrative subpoena powers; (7) State-conducted surveys and outreach programs for underserved populations; and (8) State guidelines for child health care insurance. (Sec. 213) Amends the Federal judicial code to set forth rules governing modification of sister State child support orders. Title III: Parentage - Requires approved State plans to include prescribed procedures for paternity acknowledgment. Title IV: Enforcement - Requires approved State plans to include prescribed procedures for garnishment of wages for parents in arrears for child support, including: (1) Federal death benefits; (2) black lung benefits; (3) veterans benefits, and (4) workers' compensation. (Sec. 404) Amends the Consumer Credit Protection Act to provide that: (1) its garnishment restrictions neither pre-empt State law, nor exempt any person from complying with State or Federal laws permitting garnishment for the purpose of securing child support; and (2) a garnishment intended to satisfy a child support debt takes priority over competing debts owed to the Federal government. (Sec. 405) Mandates that approved State plans include procedures to satisfy child support arrearages which: (1) prohibit a State court from applying the doctrine of election of remedies to prevent a custodial parent from collecting child support from the noncustodial parent; (2) prohibit State and Federal occupational licensing or regulating agencies from issuing or renewing occupational, professional or business licenses to individuals who fail to appear or are delinquent in child support cases; (3) prohibit State motor vehicle departments from issuing or renewing a driver's license or vehicle registration to such individuals; (4) require placement of child support liens on certificates of vehicle title; (5) permit attachment of bank accounts; (6) impose liens upon lottery winnings, insurance, court and other settlements; (7) presume fraudulent intent in any property transfer; (8) permit attachment of public and private retirement plans; (9) eliminate statutes of limitations in child support cases; and (10) require child support enforcement agencies to assess and collect interest on child support judgments. (Sec. 418) Amends Federal bankruptcy law to: (1) except from its automatic stay provisions proceedings establishing parentage and debts for child support; (2) require a bankruptcy plan to provide for full payment when due of debts for child support; (3) declare that a debt for child support includes State public debts and assigned child support based on provision of expenditures with respect to aid to families with dependent children (AFDC) and foster care and adoption assistance; (4) include among prioritized claims allowed unsecured claims for child support; (5) preclude a debtor from avoiding the fixing of judicial liens for child support; (6) except from discharge a debt pursuant to divorce or separation; and (7) prohibit trustee avoidance of a transfer that was a bona fide payment of a debt for child support. (Sec. 419) Prescribes procedural mandates for the Secretary of Defense to cooperate with the States in the enforcement of child support obligations of members and former members of the Armed Forces. (Sec. 420) Requires each State to have in effect laws which adopt the officially approved version of the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act. (Sec. 421) Authorizes the Secretary of State to deny or restrict passport privileges to child support debtors subject to State arrest warrants. Denies Federal benefits, loans, guarantees, and employment to debtors with child support arrearages exceeding specified amounts. (Sec. 423) Amends part D of SSA title IV (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) to mandate that approved State plans include procedures to satisfy child support arrearages by permitting State courts to order: (1) assignments of life insurance benefits; and (2) assignment of an interest in jointly held property. (Sec. 425) Expresses the sense of the Congress that the U.S. should ratify the United Nations Convention of 1956. Mandates that the States treat international child support cases in the same manner as interstate child support cases. (Sec. 426) Prescribes guidelines for shielding depository institutions from liability for providing financial records to State enforcement agencies in child support cases. (Sec. 427) Mandates that approved State plans include procedures to ensure: (1) cost-of-living adjustments in child support orders; (2) annual exchange of financial information by parties to a child support order; and (3) criminal penalties for failure to pay child support and the granting of use immunity may be granted to compel testimony in specified civil child support proceedings. Title V: Collection and Distribution - Prescribes priorities in the distribution of collected child support pursuant to an approved State plan. Directs the Comptroller General to report to the Congress on studies and pilot projects of systems under which States would be required to pay child support to the individuals to whom it is owed before making reimbursements to any State for AFDC provided with respect to such child. (Sec. 502) Mandates that approved State plans include procedures which limit State claims against the noncustodial parent to the assistance provided to the child. (Sec. 503) Revises the fee guidelines for State child support collection and paternity determination services. Title VI: Federal Role - Directs the Secretary to establish the Office of Child Support Enforcement under the direction of an Assistant Secretary. Expands the training programs for State child support enforcement programs. (Sec. 604) Directs the Secretary to develop the methodology for determining each State child support and paternity establishment program's staffing requirements. (Sec. 605) Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to revise the definition of "medical child support order". (Sec. 606) Instructs the Secretary to: (1) contract for a study of the audit process of the Office of Child Support Enforcement; and (2) make grants to the States for demonstration projects implementing a system of assured minimum child support payments. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 608) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to create the Children's Trust Fund for making expenditures to implement this Act. (Sec. 609) Instructs the Comptroller General to study and report to the Congress on: (1) the causes for nonpayment of child support; and (2) the efficacy of processing child support and parentage cases in States that use administrative processes as compared to those that use judicial or quasi-judicial processes. (Sec. 611) Directs the Office of Child Support Enforcement to: (1) produce and update a certain compendium entitled "A Guide to State Child Support and Paternity Laws" and (2) establish a permanent advisory committee on child support matters. Title VII: State Role - Mandates that State plans for child and spousal support include: (1) agency advocacy promoting the greatest economic security possible for children; (2) certain information on plan services for dissemination to each custodial parent; (3) an administrative procedure as the sole procedure for change of payee; and (4) conflict-of-interest restrictions upon State modification of a child support order. (Sec. 705) Provides for increased payments to States under the Child Support and Establishment of Paternity program, repealing provisions for State incentive payments.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 1994
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) trafficking in persons violates human dignity and forced prostitution involving physical coercion or debt bondage constitutes a form of forced labor and a slavery-like practice; (2) the U.S. State Department should continue to press the Government of Thailand to strictly enforce all laws that can lead to the prosecution of those involved in trafficking and forced prostitution, ensure that Thai police participants in U.S. Government-sponsored police training programs are systematically vetted to exclude those implicated in such activities, urge the Thai Government to protect the rights and safety of Burmese women and girls in Thailand who are freed from brothels or arrested as illegal immigrants because their status as trafficking victims is unclear, appoint a senior advisor on women's human rights to the Undersecretary for Global Affairs to ensure that U.S. foreign policy addresses women's human rights violations, and report to the Congress; (3) the executive branch should take steps to assure that weapons and equipment provided or sold to the Thai police do not become available to members of those forces who might be involved in trafficking, forced prostitution, or abuse of women who are apprehended; (4) the U.S. Trade Representative should extend the evaluation of a petition on Thailand's labor rights situation that was filed last year to include a review of Thai official involvement in trafficking and forced prostitution; and (5) the U.S. Agency for International Development should target a portion of its assistance to Thailand for AIDS prevention and control to the foreign population in Thailand, particularly Burmese women in the Thai sex industry.