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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 · 9 June 1994
Grants congressional consent to the Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact entered into among the States of Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts to assure the viability of dairy farming in the northeast and to assure consumers of an adequate, local supply of milk.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1994
Designates August 2, 1994, as National Neighborhood Crime Watch Day.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 1994
Striped Bass Act of 1994 - Title I: Amendments to the Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act - Amends the Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act to extend the authorization of appropriations to carry out such Act through FY 1996. Title II: Amendments to the Anadromous Fish Conservation Act - Amends the Anadromous Fish Conservation Act to extend the authorization of appropriations for studies regarding anadromous stocks of Atlantic striped bass through FY 1997.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 1994
Firefighters Pay Fairness Act of 1994 - Amends Federal law to extend existing biweekly pay period and pay computation requirements to Federal fire fighters and employees of the judicial branch. Repeals the current exception from such requirements of employees on the Isthmus of Panama in the service of the Panama Canal Commission. States that, for fire fighters, the annual rate of basic pay shall be calculated on the basis of 26 administrative biweekly work periods of up to 106 hours each. Prescribes a formula for computing the basic biweekly pay of Federal employees who are not fire fighters but perform fire fighting duties. Requires compensation at time-and-a-half per hour for any hours worked in excess of 106 during a biweekly pay period by fire fighters subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. Specifies limits on the payment of other premium pay to such fire fighters. Prescribes basic rates of pay for fire fighters: (1) promoted to a supervisory position; and (2) selected and assigned for training. Authorizes a Federal agency to pay cash awards of up to five percent of basic pay to fire fighters or other employees performing fire fighting duties who possess and make substantial use of special skills or certifications, including handling hazardous materials or certification as an emergency medical technician.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1994
Amends the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act to increase the amounts transferred from State fish restoration and management project appropriations for grants for recreational boating safety programs. Revises funding from the same appropriations for grants to coastal and inland States for: (1) the construction and renovation of pumpout stations and waste reception facilities; and (2) education of recreational boaters about the problems of human body waste discharges from vessels.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1994
National Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Act of 1994 - Declares that it is U.S. policy that: (1) Federal, State, and local agencies should plan and implement aquatic ecosystem restoration projects resulting in achievement of the interim goals of a net restoration of ten million acres of wetlands, 400,000 miles of streams and rivers, and one million acres of lakes (excluding the Great Lakes) by the year 2010, and long-term goals published by the National Aquatic Restoration Council (established by this Act); and (2) the Federal Government should provide leadership and technical and financial assistance to State and local governments, tribal organizations, other management entities, and private citizens to plan, implement, monitor, and evaluate aquatic ecosystem restoration. Directs the Council to: (1) monitor achievement of the interim goals; and (2) upon determining that such goals have been achieved, establish and publish long-term goals in the Federal Register. Requires: (1) the President to establish an Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Task Force to develop a National Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Strategy; and (2) the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to seek to implement the Strategy. Sets forth the contents of the Strategy. Directs the Task Force, in developing the Strategy, to consider the national policy and recommendations contained in the National Research Council's 1992 report on Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystems and the 1994 National Science Foundation's Freshwater Initiative. Directs the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, subject to the availability of amounts deposited into the Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Fund (established by this Act), to provide financial assistance to a management entity to carry out each aquatic restoration project approved by the Council. Sets forth requirements regarding applications for assistance and review and approval of proposed projects. Requires the Task Force to submit to the President and publish in the Federal Register recommendations for sources of amounts for deposit into the Fund, consisting of fees imposed for use or degradation of water resources. Sets forth provisions regarding presidential and congressional review of the recommendations. Directs that amounts received by the United States pursuant to such recommendations be deposited into the Fund. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1994
Designates September 16, 1994, as National POW/MIA Recognition Day. Requires the display of the National League of Families POW/MIA flag at: (1) all national cemeteries and the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial on May 30, 1994 (Memorial Day), September 16, 1994 (National POW/MIA Recognition Day), and November 11, 1994 (Veterans Day); and (2) the White House and the buildings containing the primary offices of the Secretaries of State, Defense, and Veterans Affairs and the Director of the Selective Service System on September 16, 1994 (National POW/MIA Recognition Day).
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1994
National Community Service Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue one-dollar silver coins to commemorate students who volunteer to perform community service. Mandates that all surcharges received from such coin sales be paid to the National Community Service Trust to fund innovative community service programs at American universities, including the service, research, and teaching activities of the faculty and students involved in such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1994
Health Care Reform Assessment Act of 1994 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to seek to enter into an agreement with the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences (or another nonprofit, nongovernmental organization or consortium of institutions) to study and report on the impact of health care reform legislation at the national, regional, and State levels. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) the purpose of the study (to develop a detailed framework to assess the impact of health care reforms on national goals, such as assuring security of coverage, promoting simplicity of administration, achieving health care savings, encouraging individual responsibility, improving quality of care, promoting choice, and improving health status); and (2) reporting requirements (including recommendations regarding appropriate indicators of national progress towards meeting such goals, appropriate study designs, data elements and public and private sources of information for measuring such indicators, the nature, scope, and frequency of reports that would best serve in evaluating health reform efforts, overall cost estimates associated with obtaining and evaluating this information, and ways that health care reform assessment findings could be used by various groups). Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to seek to enter into such agreement to develop and report on baseline information to measure access to, and quality and cost of, health care and the individual and public health status of permanent residents of the United States. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1994
Amends the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act to include among its purposes the advocacy of fishery habitat protection. (Sec. 4) Revises the guidelines governing permits for foreign fishing vessels. (Sec. 5) Repeals the large-scale driftnet fishing reporting requirements. (Sec. 6) Modifies the national standards for fishery conservation and management to include the mandate that conservation and management measures minimize the incidental catch of non-target living marine resources. (Sec. 7) Expands the number of voting members on the Pacific Fishery Management Council to include one appointed from an Indian tribe with federally recognized fishing rights from a member State. Prescribes selection guidelines for such Indian representative. Requires each Regional Fishery Management Council to: (1) submit to the Secretary of Commerce proposed regulations and/or a fishery management plan for the prevention of overfishing of stock; and (2) submit annually for publication by the Secretary a listing of all essential fish habitats for all fishery management plans in effect on that date. Expands the guidelines governing disclosure of the financial interests of Council members. (Sec. 8) Modifies the guidelines governing: (1) the contents of fishery management plans and regulations; (2) pre-rulemaking procedures; and (3) rulemaking procedures. (Sec. 11) Expands the conditions under which a foreign fishing vessel may engage in fish processing within the internal waters of a State to mandate the submission by the vessel operator of specified fish tonnage reports. (Sec. 12) Modifies the guidelines governing: (1) proscriptions under this Act; (2) civil penalty review and permit sanctions; and (3) enforcement actions. (Sec. 15) Declares that claims for observers' wages shall be considered maritime liens against the vessel and be accorded the same priority as seamen's liens under admiralty and general maritime law. (Sec. 17) Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1994
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Authorizations Title II: Personnel Management Improvement Title III: Navigation Safety and Waterway Services Management Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1994 - Title I: Authorizations - Authorizes appropriations for the Coast Guard for FY 1995 for: (1) operation and maintenance; (2) acquisition, construction, rebuilding, and improvement of aids to navigation, shore and offshore facilities, vessels, and aircraft; (3) research, development, test, and evaluation of technologies, materials, and human factors relating to improving the performance of the Coast Guard's mission in support of specified activities; (4) retired pay, payments under the Retired Serviceman's Family Protection and Survivor Benefit Plans, and payments for medical care of retired personnel and their dependents; (5) alteration or removal of bridges over navigable waters of the United States constituting obstructions to navigation, and personnel and administrative costs associated with the Bridge Alteration Program; and (6) environmental compliance and restoration at Coast Guard facilities. (Sec. 102) Authorizes: (1) an end-of-year strength for active duty personnel of 39,000 as of September 30, 1995; (2) specified military training student loads for FY 1995; and (3) appropriations to the Secretary of Transportation for operation and maintenance expenses of Coast Guard drug interdiction activities for FY 1995. Title II: Personnel Management Improvement - Makes provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 1993 regarding homeowners assistance for certain individuals affected by Hurricane Andrew applicable to the military personnel of the Coast Guard who were assigned to, or employed at or in connection with, any Federal facility or installation in the vicinity of Homestead Air Force Base, Florida, subject to specified limitations. (Sec. 202) Repeals a requirement that, upon approval by the President, the names of officers selected by a board for continuation on active duty shall be promptly disseminated to the Coast Guard at large. (Sec. 203) Specifies that reserve members ordered to active duty for emergency augmentation of regular forces shall not be counted in computing the authorized strength of members on active duty or members in grade under any law. (Sec. 204) Authorizes the head of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating (Secretary) to conduct informal investigations of marine casualties, but does not require the Secretary to hold an informal investigation open to the public. (Sec. 205) Authorizes the Commandant of the Coast Guard to: (1) make child development services available to members and civilian employees of the Coast Guard, and, as remaining space is available, to members of the armed forces and Federal civilian employees; (2) require that fees for such services at Coast Guard child development centers be used only for compensation of center employees directly involved in providing child care, with exceptions; (3) use Department of Defense or other training programs to insure that all child development services providers meet minimum standards; and (4) provide assistance to members and civilian employees of the Coast Guard for obtaining services of qualified family home child development services providers. Title III: Navigation Safety and Waterway Services Management - Repeals a provision requiring the Secretary to collect and pay to the Treasury the same fees for the inspection of foreign vessels carrying passengers from the United States that a foreign country charges U.S. vessels trading to the ports of that country. (Sec. 302) Increases civil penalties for violations of provisions regarding documentation of vessels. Revises Federal provisions to make a vessel and its equipment liable to seizure by, and forfeiture to, the U.S. Government if: (1) the owner of the vessel or a representative or agent of the owner knowingly falsifies or conceals a material fact or makes a false statement or representation about the documentation or in applying for documentation of the vessel; (2) a certificate of documentation is knowingly and fraudulently used for the vessel; (3) the vessel is operated after its endorsement has been denied or revoked; (4) the vessel is employed in a trade without an appropriate trade endorsement; or (5) in the case of a documented vessel with only a recreational endorsement, the vessel is operated other than for pleasure. Removes specified limitations on the operation of recreational vessels. (Sec. 304) Directs the Commandant to operate a rescue and patrol vessel on the Mississippi River in the vicinity of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to support Coast Guard rescue, law enforcement, marine safety, marine environmental protection, and port security missions. (Sec. 305) Directs the Secretary, for purposes of altering the Florida Avenue Bridge in Orleans Parish, Louisiana, to treat the drainage siphon that is adjacent to the bridge as an appurtenance of the bridge. (Sec. 306) Amends the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1991 to terminate the Houston-Galveston Navigation Safety Advisory Committee and the Lower Mississippi River Waterway Advisory Committee on October 1, 1999. (Sec. 307) Prohibits the Secretary of Transportation from consolidating the Coast Guard Marine Safety Offices in Galveston and Houston, Texas. (Sec. 308) Directs the Coast Guard to: (1) transfer to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy $500,000 to continue the oil spill simulator activities at the Academy; and (2) designate the Center for Marine Environmental Protection and Safety at the Massachusetts Marine Academy as a regional facility for the conduct and evaluation of annual response area management team exercises for two response areas in the East Coast.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1994
Timber Fair Trade and Forest Conservation Act of 1994- Amends the Export Administration Act of 1979 to require the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary), in order to determine whether a critical shortage exists of unprocessed timber, or of any species or grade of unprocessed timber, for domestic manufacturing, to monitor: (1) exports of, and contracts to export, unprocessed timber; and (2) domestic supplies of such unprocessed timber for domestic manufacturing purposes. Requires the Secretary to impose quantitative restrictions on the export of unprocessed timber in any State or region where a critical shortage exists. Requires the Secretary to submit to the Congress specified quarterly reports. Requires the Secretary, whenever such export restrictions are imposed, to give preference in the allocation of export licenses to persons who own or have ownership interests in fewer than 3,000 acres of forest land. Authorizes the President to suspend such export restrictions if a ruling is issued under the formal dispute resolution procedures of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) finding that they violate GATT Article XI prohibitions on export restrictions and are not allowable under such Article's exceptions. Directs the Secretary to impose quantitative restrictions on exports of unprocessed timber from Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, and Montana.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1994
Federal Maritime Commission Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1995 - Authorizes appropriations for the Federal Maritime Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 1994
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit tax-free sales of diesel fuel for use in diesel-powered motorboats. Exempts from penalty dyed fuel used in such motorboats for which a diesel fuel tax has been paid.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1994
Amends the North American Wetlands Conservation Act to extend the authorization of appropriations to carry out such Act through FY 2000.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1994
Risk Assessment Improvement Act of 1994 - Establishes a Risk Assessment Program in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Requires the Director of the Program to: (1) develop a process to conduct scientific peer review of all risk assessment guidelines developed by EPA; and (2) provide recommendations to the EPA Administrator on risk assessment, research needs, and development of guidelines. Directs the Director to regularly develop, issue, and, not less than every three years for each guideline, review the need to update guidelines that establish methods for conducting scientifically sound risk assessment. Sets forth contents of such guidelines. Requires the Director to oversee the use of risk assessment guidelines by EPA Program and Regional Offices and ensure consistency in the use of such guidelines as is appropriate in application to various environmental media or hazards. Permits departures from guidelines under specified conditions. Requires the Director to regularly develop, issue, and update guidance within EPA for any risk characterizations that may be conducted by EPA. Sets forth contents of such guidance. Requires the Director to: (1) promote open dialogue to improve the use of risk assessments by decisionmakers and to accurately and clearly communicate risk characterizations; and (2) regularly evaluate risk assessment research and training needs of EPA and develop a strategy and schedule for carrying out such research and training. Provides for, as part of the Program, a two-year pilot project using comparative risk analysis to rank dissimilar environmental risks and provide a common basis for evaluating strategies for reducing or preventing such risks. Requires the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to: (1) periodically survey the manner in which Federal agencies are conducting risk assessment; (2) provide recommendations to the President based on such surveys; and (3) establish interagency mechanisms to promote coordination of Federal risk assessment and mechanisms between Federal and State agencies to communicate state-of-the-art risk assessment practices.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1994
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Welfare Reform Subtitle A: Aid To Families With Dependent Children Subtitle B: Earned Income Tax Credit Subtitle C: Microenterprise and Small Business Development Subtitle D: Effective Date Title II: Federal Job Training Program Reforms Subtitle A: Studies and Reports Subtitle B: Economic Self-Sufficiency Standards for Federal Job Training Programs Subtitle C: Effective Date Title III: Child Support Enforcement Working Off Welfare Act of 1994 - Title I: Welfare Reform - Subtitle A: Aid to Families with Dependent Children - Amends parts A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) (AFDC) and F (Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program) (JOBS) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to make various specified changes with regard to, among other things, income disregards, support services and case management, school attendance and child care, and job training and education in order to enable families on welfare to become self-sufficient. Subtitle B: Earned Income Tax Credit - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury (Secretary) to submit to the Congress recommendations for procedures under which the Federal Government may make quarterly advance payments of earned income credit. Subtitle C: Microenterprise and Small Business Development - Amends SSA title IV part A to give States the option of disregarding certain income and resources related to microenterprise initiatives or designated for education, training, or employability through the use of a qualified asset account. (Sec. 141) Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) study and report to the Congress on the use of such accounts; and (2) report to the Congress on the AFDC asset limit on automobiles. Provides for the inclusion of microenterprise training and activities in the JOBS program. Subtitle D: Effective Date - Sets forth effective dates for this title. Title II: Federal Job Training Program Reforms - Subtitle A: Studies and Reports - Requires the Secretaries of Education, of HHS, and of Labor (Secretaries) each to study the effectiveness of the job training programs under their respective jurisdictions for a report to the Congress. (Sec. 202) Requires the Comptroller General to study and report to the Congress on the effectiveness of such programs, including the extent to which they are successful at placing participants into certain unsubsidized employment. Subtitle B: Economic Self-Sufficiency Standards for Federal Job Training Programs - Requires the Secretaries jointly to develop and publish in the Federal Register proposed standards for measuring the minimum amount of wages and employment benefits that a participant should receive after termination from such program in order to ensure his or her long-term economic self-sufficiency. Subtitle C: Effective Date - Sets forth the effective date for this title. Title III: Child Support Enforcement - Directs the Secretary to establish in the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) a national registry (NR) of all child support orders, maintaining an abstract of each order containing certain specified information. (Sec. 301) Amends SSA title IV part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) to require certain State procedures, including procedures for ensuring that: (1) a copy of each child support order issued, modified, or being enforced in the State is transmitted to the NR; and (2) a notice of court or administrative review and, under certain conditions, a statement of arrears owed are included with each order transmitted. Requires NR, upon the receipt from an employer of a W-4 form completed by an employee, to report to the employer information on: (1) whether the employee is subject to a child support order for wage withholding; and (2) the aggregate amount of support involved. (Sec. 302) Requires the Secretary to establish a system for enabling such information, as well as information identifying the person to whom any child support is owed, to be obtained at the workplace via W-4 form reporting by employees. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) require employers to deduct and withhold child support obligations from employee wages, pay withholdings to the Secretary, forward individual W-4 forms to NR, and include withheld obligations on the employee's W-2 form; (2) require individuals with monthly shortfalls in child support payments because of inadequate wage withholding to make payments directly to the Secretary, with the full amount due by the end of the applicable tax year subject to the same collection process and penalties applicable to back taxes; and (3) provide for a tax credit for withholdings and payments in excess of applicable obligations. (Sec. 304) Directs the Secretary to pay to the appropriate payee on a monthly basis a portion of the amount of child support received on account of an obligation payable to such payee, with interest payable on late payments. (Sec. 305) Amends SSA title IV part D to require: (1) certain individuals applying for child support collection or paternity determination services to use a new Federal application form in applying for such services; (2) State part D plans to provide for ongoing outreach programs to persons eligible for plan services; and (3) the separate organizational unit under the direction of the Secretary of HHS' designee to issue regulations for ensuring State plans for serving underserved populations and accommodations for assisting non-English speaking persons and the hearing impaired. (Sec. 306) Establishes the Commission on Child Support Guidelines to recommend to the Congress national child support guidelines to be followed by State courts and administrative bodies in setting child support award amounts. (Sec. 307) Directs the Secretary of HHS to: (1) establish by a certain deadline the staffing requirements already required for State child support programs; (2) streamline the child support audit process; and (3) jointly issue with the Secretary regulations governing coordination of State child support collection activities with those of the IRS. Provides for: (1) an increase in the Federal matching rate as an incentive for States increasing paternity establishment and meeting staffing requirements for child support programs; and (2) inclusion in consumer credit reports of information on individual consumers' overdue support obligations. Adds: (1) maintenance of effort requirements for State child support and AFDC programs; and (2) additional specified requirements with respect to procedures for paternity establishment and acknowledgment affidavits.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1994
Safe Drinking Water Reform Act of 1994 - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to enter into agreements with States having primary enforcement responsibility (primacy) for public water systems to make capitalization grants to be deposited in drinking water treatment revolving funds. (Sec. 3) Permits such funds to be used only for providing financial assistance to public water systems for expenditures that will facilitate compliance with national primary drinking water regulations. Allocates 15 percent of amounts in such funds solely for assistance to systems which regularly serve fewer than 10,000 individuals. Permits assistance to systems not owned by governmental agencies, nonprofit organizations, or Indian tribes based on public health and financial needs and repayment ability. Sets forth requirements for agreements, including that no financial assistance will be provided to a public water system if expenses could be avoided or significantly reduced by consolidation of such system with another system. Authorizes the Administrator to make grants for public water system expenditures to Indian tribes and Alaskan Native villages which are ineligible for funding under this section. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 4) Replaces provisions concerning State wellhead protection areas with those requiring State Governors to adopt and submit State Source Water Assessment Programs. Provides for local source water assessment programs as well. Authorizes the Administrator, if a State fails to submit an approved program, to: (1) withhold drinking water capitalization grants; and (2) delineate drinking water protection areas. Permits States with primacy and approved source water assessment programs to apply to the Administrator for approval of State Drinking Water Pollution Prevention Programs. Authorizes States with approved pollution prevention programs to establish tailored monitoring ("monitoring relief") for public water systems whose source waters are covered by local drinking water pollution prevention programs. Permits monitoring relief for a specific contaminant only if monitoring demonstrates that the contaminant is not present in the water supply or, if present, is consistently at levels substantially below the maximum contaminant level (MCL). Prohibits monitoring relief with respect to microbiological contaminants or contaminants caused in part by the treatment or distribution of drinking water. Permits requirements for pollution prevention programs for systems serving fewer than 3,300 persons to vary based on State criteria. Establishes funding for source water and pollution prevention programs. (Sec. 5) Adds to the list of conditions which a public water system must meet to qualify for an exemption from an MCL or treatment technique that the system's source waters are within a drinking water protection area with a local pollution prevention program. Repeals certain procedural requirements regarding exemptions and bases exemptions on a specified analysis of the local pollution prevention program. (Sec. 6) Requires the Administrator to publish an MCL and a national primary drinking water regulation for cryptosporidium. (Sec. 7) Authorizes States with primacy to grant variances from MCL or treatment technique requirements to community water systems that: (1) serve fewer than 3,300 persons; and (2) cannot comply with regulations through restructuring or obtaining alternate drinking water supplies. Permits such variances only if they would protect public health. Makes variances effective for five years and permits renewals for additional five-year periods subject to compliance. (Sec. 9) Directs the Administrator to publish regulations specifying minimum standards for certification of operators of public water systems, laboratories conducting tests, and additional designated personnel. Requires the Administrator, whenever a new national primary drinking water standard is promulgated, to publish information simultaneously on available technologies to meet such standard in the case of public water systems serving 50,000, 10,000, and 3,300 persons, respectively. (Sec. 10) Directs the Administrator to maintain a national drinking water occurrence data base, using monitoring data on the occurrence of both regulated and unregulated contaminants in public water systems. (Sec. 11) Requires the Administrator to review and revise the list of unregulated contaminants every five years. Limits such list to a maximum of 40 contaminants. (Sec. 12) Revises provisions which require the Administrator to establish MCL goals and regulations for at least 25 contaminants every three years. Requires the Administrator to publish a list of at least 15 unregulated contaminants that present the greatest public health concern, with additional lists of at least 12 contaminants every four years until such contaminants have been listed or rejected. Provides for MCL goals and regulations for such contaminants. Requires primary drinking water regulations to be reviewed at least once every five (currently, three) years. Authorizes the Administrator to remove a contaminant from the list and repeal the national standard if the contaminant is known not to occur in public water systems or has not been demonstrated to have adverse health effects. (Sec. 13) Extends the authorization of appropriations for public water system supervision programs through FY 2000. Requires States with primacy to: (1) submit implementation and funding plans to the Administrator on a triennial basis; and (2) establish State Drinking Water Protection Funds to be composed of fees from community water systems. Directs the Administrator to establish permit fee programs in States without primacy. Establishes the Public Drinking Water System Supervision Fund. Authorizes appropriations for grants to States for source water assessment, pollution prevention, and viability programs. (Sec. 14) Requires States to implement State Drinking Water System Viability Programs to assure the capability of public water systems to comply with this Act. Directs States, as a condition of a full capitalization grant, to establish programs for assessing long-term technical, managerial, and financial capabilities of community public water systems to comply with this Act. Places restrictions on grants until such programs are established. (Sec. 16) Requires the Administrator to promulgate a national primary drinking water regulation: (1) requiring all public water systems to routinely inspect distribution systems where they are located in proximity to sewer system lines to detect contamination from leakage in the lines and protect against contamination; and (2) prohibiting any system from recycling into drinking water supplies any untreated material which has been discharged from the system's drinking water filtration devices.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1994
Considers S. 1636 (authorizing appropriations for the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and revising the program to reduce the incidental taking of marine mammals during the course of commercial fishing operations) to be taken from the Speaker's table and the Senate amendment agreed to with an amendment.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1994
Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit the manufacture, transfer, or possession of a semiautomatic assault weapon as defined or listed under this Act. Sets penalties for violations and for use or possession of such a weapon during a crime of violence or drug trafficking crime. Requires the serial number of any such weapon manufactured after enactment of this Act to clearly show the date on which the weapon was manufactured. Makes such provisions inapplicable to: (1) the transfer or possession of any firearm lawfully possessed before the effective date of this Act; (2) certain hunting and sporting firearms; (3) the United States or a department or agency of the United States, or a State or department, agency, or political subdivision of a State; and (4) the manufacture, transfer, or possession of a firearm by a licensed manufacturer or importer for purposes of testing or experimentation authorized by the Secretary of the Treasury. Prohibits: (1) the sale, shipment, or delivery of an assault weapon to a person who does not fill out a form 4473 (prescribed by the Secretary) in connection with the purchase of an assault weapon; and (2) the purchase, possession, or acceptance of delivery of such weapon by a person who has not completed such form. Sets forth: (1) additional recordkeeping requirements; and (2) penalties for violations. Prohibits the transfer or possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device, with exceptions. Treats such devices as firearms. Sets penalties for violations. Requires any such device manufactured after the date of this Act's enactment to be identified by a serial number that clearly shows that the device was manufactured or imported after the effective date of this Act. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) investigate and study the effect of this Act and determine its impact, if any, on violent and drug trafficking crime; and (2) report to the Congress. Itemizes firearms under various categories as an appendix to Federal firearms provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 1994
Waterways Restoration Act of 1994 - Amends the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act to delete the requirement that each watershed improvement under such Act must contain benefits directly related to agriculture that account for at least 20 percent of the total project benefits. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish and implement a Waterways Restoration Program which provides technical assistance and grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities for carrying out waterway restoration projects. Requires such projects to achieve ecological restoration or protection and one or more of the following objectives: (1) flood damage reduction; (2) erosion control; (3) stormwater management; or (4) water quality enhancement. Provides project descriptions and priorities, including the location of projects in low-income or economically depressed areas adversely impacted by poor watershed management. Outlines other project requirements, including a cost-benefit analysis. Requires the Secretary to designate Program administrators for each participating State (including a State agency if approved by the Secretary). Requires program grants to be awarded on an annual basis. Provides project application and selection requirements, including the establishment in each participating State of an interdisciplinary team of specialists to assist in reviewing project applications under the Program. Outlines conditions for receiving assistance under the Program, with sponsor and cosponsor requirements. Requires a non-Federal share of 25 percent of project costs, with a waiver for economically depressed communities. Limits the administrative and technical assistance costs of the Program. Requires the governor of each participating State to establish a citizens oversight committee to evaluate management of the Program in that State. Requires program administrators to issue annual reports summarizing the Program evaluations of the oversight committees. Provides funding.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1994
Panama Canal Commission Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 1995 - Authorizes the Panama Canal Commission (the Commission), to make expenditures, contracts, and commitments for the operation, maintenance, and improvement of the Panama Canal for FY 1995 from the Panama Canal Revolving Fund. Amends the Panama Canal Act of 1979 to permit the use of Commission funds to defray the cost of education services provided by schools in the United States to: (1) Commission employees who are U.S. citizens; and (2) persons who were receiving such services at the expense of the Canal Zone Government.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1994
Designates the week beginning February 12, 1995, as National Random Acts of Kindness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1994
Transportation Employee Equitable Treatment Act of 1994 - Amends Federal maritime law to prohibit an individual who is employed as a master, seaman, or pilot of a vessel in more than one State or local government jurisdiction from being liable for the payment of income taxes in a State or local government jurisdiction other than the one where he or she resides.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 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, 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 · 24 March 1994
Gay and Lesbian Youth Suicide Prevention Act - Establishes the National Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth Suicide Prevention to combat the epidemic of suicide among gay and lesbian youth and to advise the Department of Health and Human Services and other Federal and State youth service agencies concerning how to include the concerns of gay and lesbian youth within existing suicide prevention policies, programs, and research.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1994
Governors Island Reinforcement Act of 1994 - Sets forth trade, assistance, and air transport sanctions against Haiti, and against other nations not cooperating with U.S. or international sanctions. Terminates such sanctions upon the reinstatement of the democratically elected President of Haiti and the military's meeting its obligation under the Governors Island Agreement. States congressional support for: (1) the return of human rights observers to Haiti; (2) the creation of a multinational border patrol between Haiti and the Dominican Republic; and (3) socioeconomic and peacekeeping assistance to Haiti. Directs the President to terminate the bilateral migrant interdiction agreement with Haiti. Provides for the nonrefoulement of Haitians by the United States. Grants temporary protected status under the Immigration and Nationality Act to qualifying Haitians. Excludes from U.S. admission, and blocks U.S. assets of, certain Haitians connected with the military or related activities.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1994
Senior Safe Corridors Act - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance to make grants to States, and to units of local government with populations exceeding 100,000, to fund programs that create corridors of safety for senior citizens in high-density senior citizen areas. Directs that such grants be used to fund programs that seek to decrease violent crime against senior citizens by increasing the numbers, protective presence, and watchfulness of police, community group members, and others, and the watchfulness of business owners and employees, in high-density senior citizen areas. Specifies that such programs may include escorting senior citizens. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) application requirements; (2) criteria for application approval and priorities; (3) limits on grant amounts; and (4) reports by grant recipients. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1994
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) all women should have the opportunity to make decisions about their own reproductive health; (2) any national comprehensive health benefit package should cover the full range of reproductive health services; (3) every woman should be able to decide whether or not to have an abortion; and (4) any health care practitioner should be able to exempt himself or herself from participating in an abortion based on a religious or moral belief.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 1994
Designates April 24 through 30, 1994, as National Crime Victims' Rights Week.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1994
Secure Assurance for Families Everywhere (SAFE) Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish in the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) a national registry of all child support orders maintaining an abstract of each order containing certain specified information. (Sec. 2) Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require certain State procedures, including procedures for ensuring that: (1) a copy of each child support order issued, modified, or being enforced in the State is transmitted to the national registry; and (2) a notice of court or administrative review and, under certain conditions, a statement of arrears owed are included with each order transmitted. Requires the national registry, upon the receipt from an employer of a W-4 form completed by an employee, to report to the employer information on: (1) whether the employee is subject to a child support order for wage withholding; and (2) the aggregate amount of support involved. (Sec. 3) Requires the Secretary to establish a system for enabling such information, as well as information identifying the person to whom any child support is owed, to be obtained at the workplace via W-4 form reporting by employees. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) require employers to deduct and withhold child support obligations from employee wages, pay withholdings to the Secretary, forward individual W-4 forms to the national registry, and include withheld obligations on the employee's W-2 form; (2) require individuals with monthly shortfalls in child support payments because of inadequate wage withholding to make payments directly to the Secretary, with the full amount due by the end of the applicable tax year subject to the same collection process and penalties applicable to back taxes; and (3) provide for a tax credit for withholdings and payments in excess of applicable obligations. (Sec. 5) Directs the Secretary to pay to the appropriate payee on a monthly basis a portion of the amount of child support received on account of an obligation payable to such payee, plus a child support assurance benefit for payees cooperating in establishing the support order and child paternity. Disregards the first $100 of such benefit for purposes of AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) benefits. (Sec. 7) Amends SSA title IV part D to require: (1) individuals applying for child support collection or paternity determination services under the State part D plan who are not otherwise eligible for such services to use a new Federal application form in applying for such services; (2) such plans to provide for ongoing outreach programs to persons eligible for plan services; and (3) the separate organizational unit under the direction of the Secretary of Health and Human Services' designee to issue regulations for ensuring State plans for serving underserved populations and accommodations for assisting non-English speaking persons and the hearing impaired. (Sec. 8) Establishes the Commission on Child Support Guidelines to recommend to the Congress national child support guidelines to be followed by State courts and administrative bodies in setting child support award amounts. (Sec. 9) Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish by a certain deadline the requirements already required to be established under current law for the staffing of State child support programs; (2) streamline the process for conducting child support audits; and (3) jointly issue with the Secretary of the Treasury regulations governing coordination of State child support collection activities with those of the IRS. Provides for an increase in the Federal matching rate as an incentive for States increasing paternity establishment and meeting staffing requirements with regard to their child support programs. Adds: (1) maintenance of effort requirements for State child support and AFDC programs; and (2) additional specified requirements with respect to procedures for paternity establishment and paternity acknowledgment affidavits.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1994
Towing Safety Act - Amends Federal law to subject towing vessels to certain safety inspection requirements. Exempts a vessel from such requirements if it is: (1) used for towing disabled vessels; or (2) not used to pull, push, or haul alongside a barge that is subject to inspection. Requires the Secretary of Transportation (Secretary) to prescribe regulations requiring the installation of certain navigational and safety equipment on towing vessels. (Sec. 3) Requires certain passenger vessels subject to inspection to maintain a minimum number of licensed masters and mates. Authorizes the Secretary to classify merchant seamen licenses and certificates of registry based on, among other factors, barge tonnage, and barge number or configuration. Authorizes the issuance of a license as a master or mate of a towing vessel only to an individual who has demonstrated proficiency in: (1) using certain navigational and safety equipment; and (2) operating such vessel, or has completed a Coast Guard-approved towing vessel simulator course. Sets forth conforming licensing requirements. Requires individuals employed on merchant vessels of at least five (currently, 100) gross tons to have a a merchant mariner's document authorizing service in the capacity for which the individual is employed. Exempts from such licensing requirements individuals employed on small passenger vessels or uninspected passenger vessels. Directs the Secretary to prescribe regulations which exempt employment categories from such licensing requirements. Authorizes: (1) such regulations to exempt an employment category from such licensing requirements only if the responsibilities of such employed individual do not relate to the safe operation of a merchant vessel; and (2) the employment of unlicensed individuals upon such vessel for a 60-day period. Requires a specified percentage of the new crew employed on passenger vessels of at least 100 gross tons to be able seamen. Includes "able seaman-towing vessel" as a classification authorized for endorsement as able seamen. Declares that an individual may be rated as "able seaman-towing vessel" if he has at least 18 months' service on deck on board towing vessels operating in U.S. navigable waters, including the Great Lakes. (Sec. 4) Requires marine casualties to be reported as soon as practicable, but in no case later than within five days. (Currently, within five days.) Increases penalties for an individual in charge of a vessel for failing to report a casualty. Creates a presumption of liability for individuals in charge of a vessel who unreasonably fail to provide assistance to an individual in danger of being lost as a result of a collision between two or more vessels.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1994
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: NOAA Ocean and Coastal Programs Title II: Administration and Other Accounts Title III: Miscellaneous NOAA Programs 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 1994 and 1995 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; and (5) marine prediction research, including research activities at the Great Lakes and the Southeast Florida and Caribbean Areas. Title II: Administration and Other Accounts - Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary for FY 1994 and 1995 for NOAA marine service activities. Title III: Miscellaneous NOAA Programs - Requires one-sixth of the fiscal year fees collected by the NOAA from the sale of nautical products (and from licensing of such products) to be deposited in a specified account and used only for the acquisition, installation, and maintenance of certain systems and equipment, as well as other activities directly related to the modernization and improvement of maritime safety. Provides that such fees shall not be considered to be offsetting receipts and shall not be used for administrative costs of NOAA or the Department of Commerce. (Sec. 301b) Directs the Secretary to deploy in Galveston Bay and the Houston Ship Channel a Physical Ocean Real-Time System (PORTS system). (Sec. 302) Expresses the sense of the Congress that the NOAA should expand its efforts to further the use of defense-related technologies, data, and other resources to support its oceanic missions. (Sec. 303) Directs the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on the status of NOAA marine navigation safety programs. (Sec. 304) Directs the Secretary to give priority consideration to designating Mullica River, New Jersey, as a national estuarine reserve under the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972. (Sec. 305) Directs the Secretary to take into account specified factors in selecting a replacement site for the National Marine Fisheries Service Lab at Tiburon, California. Directs the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees concerning facility needs for the National Marine Sanctuary Program. (Sec. 307) Directs the Secretary to establish a PORTS system for San Francisco Bay after conducting a hydrodynamics study of the Bay. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 308) Directs the Secretary to convey to Massachusetts the National Marine Fisheries Service Laboratory at Gloucester, Massachusetts, under certain terms and conditions, including continued use of such property by such Service. (Sec. 309) 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. 310) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into specified contracts for FY 1995 to implement the NOAA fleet modernization plan. Provides certain limitations on expenditures for repairs and maintenance under the NOAA Fleet Modernization Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1994
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Maritime Administration Authorization of Appropriations Title II: Amendments to the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 Title I: Maritime Administration Authorization of Appropriations - Maritime Administration Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1995 - Authorizes appropriations to the Department of Transportation for FY 1995 for certain maritime programs, costs, and expenses. Amends the Merchant Ship Sales Act of 1946 to require a request from the Secretary of Defense (currently, the Secretary of the Navy) to the Secretary of Transportation for use of the National Defense Reserve Fleet for defense readiness, testing, sealift, and deployment functions. Requires a report from the Secretary of Transportation to the Congress on the condition of U.S. public ports to be submitted each even-numbered year (currently, every year). Title II: Amendments to the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 - Maritime Security and Trade Act of 1994 - Amends the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 to allow the Secretary of Transportation to authorize a contractor operating either a liner vessel or a bulk cargo vessel and receiving an operating-differential subsidy (ODS) to construct, reconstruct, or acquire a replacement vessel of over five thousand deadweight tons that would reach the end of its subsidizable life prior to the expiration of the contractor's ODS contract. Requires foreign-built vessels so acquired to be less than five years of age at the time of documentation. Requires any necessary vessel repairs or alterations to be performed in privately owned U.S. shipyards. Prohibits the Secretary, after the date of enactment of this Act, from entering into any new contract for an ODS. Provides transition provisions for ODS contracts in effect before such date while prohibiting any contract renewals or extensions. Directs the Secretary to encourage the establishment of a fleet of active, militarily useful, privately owned liner vessels to maintain an American presence in international commercial shipping and meet national defense and other security requirements. Requires the vessel owner or operator to enter into an operating agreement (OA) with the Secretary which requires operation exclusively in the foreign trade. Limits the total cost of such OAs for FY 1995 through 2004. Appropriates funds for such OAs. Requires certain vessel certifications in order to qualify for annual payments under such OAs. Prohibits any such vessel from being under an ODS contract at the time. Provides a priority for the Secretary in entering into such OAs. Makes such OAs effective for up to ten years, requiring termination no later than the end of FY 2004. Requires all vessels entered into an OA to enroll in an Emergency Preparedness Program as established under this Act. Requires vessel owners and operators entered into an OA, in time of war or national emergency or when otherwise decided by the President, to make available commercial transportation resources pursuant to an Emergency Preparedness Program established by the Secretary in consultation with the Secretary of Defense. Prohibits an owner or operator from receiving any payment under an OA under this Act if such owner or operator or a related party owns or operates a vessel engaged in the transportation of cargo in a noncontiguous trade, with specified waivers. Provides for waiver applications, hearings, and determinations. Provides waivers for owners and operators currently operating in noncontiguous trade, especially with respect to noncontiguous trade with Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Alaska, limiting the annual capacity of such permitted trade. Requires each person granted a waiver to report annually to the Secretary setting forth the service authorized by the waiver. Provides a supplemental duty of 15 cents per ton (not to exceed in the aggregate 75 cents per ton in any one year) for foreign vessels entering a U.S. port during FY 1995 through 2004. Provides certain exceptions to a prohibition against any contractor receiving an ODS from owning or operating any foreign-flag vessels which compete with any American-flag service. Redefines "privately owned United States-flag commercial vessels" for purposes of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936. States that provisions of such Act requiring the use of U.S.-flag vessels in the shipment of cargoes procured, furnished, or financed by the United States shall be deemed fulfilled if the actual ocean transportation is achieved by a combination of U.S. and foreign-flag feeder vessels and the distance achieved by the U.S. flag vessel during such transportation is greater than that achieved by the foreign-flag feeder vessel. Provides a 25-year limitation on certain restrictions and requirements applicable to vessels constructed, reconstructed, or reconditioned with the aid of a construction-differential subsidy.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1994
Designates May 11, 1994, as Vietnam Human Rights Day in support of efforts by the Non-Violent Movement for Human Rights in Vietnam.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1994
Designates May 29 through June 4, 1994, as Pediatric and Adolescent AIDS Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1994
Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994 - Establishes in the Treasury the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund, to be used for conservation project purposes. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to use amounts from the Fund to provide financial assistance for worldwide projects for the conservation of rhinoceroses and tigers. Outlines provisions concerning the submission of projects for such assistance and review and approval by the Secretary. Provides sanctions against countries whose activities adversely affect rhinoceros or tiger conservation (such as the trading of rhinoceros horns), including a moratorium on the importation from such country of any fish and wildlife products. Provides for the review and termination of such moratoriums in appropriate circumstances. Allows additional economic sanctions. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1995 through 1999.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 1994
Ocean Radioactive Dumping Ban Act of 1994 - Amends the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 to remove the definition for, and certain references to, "high-level radioactive waste." Removes provisions which prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from issuing a permit for the disposal of radioactive waste in the ocean until the permit applicant prepares a Radioactive Material Disposal Impact Assessment.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1994
Access to Children's Health Care Act of 1994 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to treat certain clinics operated by children's hospitals as federally-qualified health centers under Medicaid.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1994
Establishes the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to submit to specified congressional committees a general management plan for the Park and to implement such plan. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1994
Prohibits a State from basing its determination to tax military retirement annuities on whether there are employee contributions toward such pay.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1994
Commends: (1) the President of Guatemala, Ramiro de Leon Carpio, and the leaders of the Guatemalan National Revoluntionary Union for establishing a framework for formal negotiations to bring an end to the internal armed conflict and set Guatemala on the road to democracy; and (2) the leaders of the various segments of civilian society, under the leadership of Bishop Rodolfo Quezada Toruno, for their role in articulating the concerns of all sectors of Guatemalan society and for bringing critical issues onto the agenda of the peace negotiations. Calls on: (1) the Group of Friends of the peace negotiations (Colombia, Mexico, Spain, Venezuela, Norway, and the United States) to continue and intensify their support of such negotiations; (2) President de Leon Carpio to develop a measurable and substantive plan to end human rights abuses and disband the Civil Self-Defense Patrols, to ensure the safety of the returnees, and to recognize the civilian character of the Communities of Populations in Resistance; and (3) the executive branch of the U.S. Government to condition all assistance to Guatemala, except for humanitarian and development assistance, on full compliance with recommended measures of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, on continuation of the peace process, on substantive improvement in the protection of human rights, on the dissolution of the Patrols, on the guaranteed safety of refugees, returnees, and the internally displaced, on verifiable resolution of the Devine, Ortiz, and Mack cases, and on the strengthening of the various segments of civilian society.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1994
Fire Safe Cigarette Act of 1994 - Directs the Consumer Product Safety Commission to issue by rule a fire safety standard for cigarettes. Prohibits stockpiling of cigarettes between the issuing and effective dates of the standard. Provides for judicial review of the standard. Prohibits manufacture or importing of cigarettes unless in compliance with such standard. States that this Act and the standard issued under it does not preempt any law of a State which prescribes a more stringent fire safety standard for cigarettes.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 1994
Urban Watershed Restoration Act of 1994 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a National Urban Watershed Restoration Program to be administered by each State which has a demonstrated successful urban river restoration program or by the Regional EPA Administrator in States without such programs. Allocates at least 25 percent of funds made available for nonpoint source pollution management to the Program. Provides for grants and technical assistance for projects meeting this Act's requirements. Limits the Federal share of a project's cost to 60 percent of the total cost. Sets forth conditions for project selection. Gives priority to projects that assist in the: (1) meeting of municipal stormwater discharge and combined sewer overflow permit program requirements; (2) implementation of national estuary plans; and (3) development and implementation of stream protection measures and monitoring. Establishes other factors with respect to priority consideration, including that a project will be carried out in a low-income area and will correct a problem which contributes to economic, social, and environmental degradation. Lists projects eligible for funding under the Program.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 1994
Designates January 16, 1995, as National Good Teen Day.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 1994
Amends the Interstate Commerce Act to direct the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to require a fair and equitable arrangement for protection of the interests of railroad employees who may be affected by an ICC order approving an application for construction or acquisition and operation of a railroad line. Requires such arrangement to be no less fair and beneficial to the interests of such employees than those established under specified provisions for employee protective arrangements in transactions involving rail carriers.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 1994
Calls upon the Government of France to stop immediately its embargo and harassment of imports of seafood from the United States. Demands that the Government of France compensate U.S. companies that have had seafood products damaged by its actions. Calls upon the President to identify areas in which appropriate forms of retaliation could be taken against the Government of France for its violation of international trade agreements.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 1994
United States Passenger Vessel Development Act - Amends Federal shipping law to authorize endorsement of a certificate of documentation for an eligible passenger vessel with an interim coastwise passenger trade endorsement if it is: (1) owned by, or demise chartered for at least 18 months to, a U.S. citizen; (2) at least 250 gross tons, with at least 175 berths; and (3) not a ferry. Conditions issuance of such an endorsement on the vessel owner's or charterer's entering into one or more contracts for the construction in the United States of one or more vessels having a total berthing capacity at least 80 percent of the capacity of the vessel for which the endorsement is issued. Conditions renewal of such endorsements on specified progress in vessel construction. Requires an interim coastwise passenger trade endorsement to prohibit the operation of the vessel in any trade served by another documented passenger vessel of at least 250 gross tons and having at least 175 berths, unless the owner or operator of the vessel so operated is also the owner or operator of the other vessel having the endorsement. Amends the Shipping Act, 1916 to authorize a person to place under a foreign registry or operate under the authority of a foreign country, without the Secretary of Transportation's approval, any vessel with an interim coastwise passenger trade endorsement if such person notifies the Secretary within certain deadlines. Amends Federal shipping law to require the Secretary to issue the appropriate inspection, load line, and tonnage certificates to any documented vessel with an interim coastwise passenger trade endorsement that meets the standards for passenger vessel construction for safety of life at sea (SOLAS) issued under the International Maritime Organization convention to which the United States is a party. Amends the Shipping Act, 1916 to define U.S. citizenship of a corporation for purposes of documentation with an interim coastwise passenger trade endorsement as the vesting of at least 51 percent of the corporation's stock in U.S. citizens free from any trust or fiduciary obligation in favor of any non-citizen. Prohibits the Secretary of Commerce from permitting a person to operate a vessel in any unit of the National Park System except in accordance with a specified priority giving first place to U.S.-documented vessels. Requires the Secretary to revoke permission for operation of a foreign-documented vessel if: (1) a person requests permission to operate a U.S.-documented vessel; and (2) the permission may not be granted because the number of permits that may be issued is limited.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 1994
United States Passenger Vessel Development Tax Act - Amends the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 to include U.S. documented passenger vessels in all domestic trades in the capital construction fund (CCF) program in order to encourage investment in the replacement of such vessels with U.S. constructed and documented vessels. Makes a passenger vessel with an interim coastwise passenger trade endorsement eligible for the CCF program. Sets forth a formula for the calculation of tax on earnings, including capital gains, derived from investments made with amounts from passenger vessel funds. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) the tax treatment of qualified withdrawals from such funds for certain passenger vessel lease payments; (2) computation of interest with respect to nonqualified withdrawals from the fund; (3) inclusion of passenger vessel design and engineering costs as a permissible qualified withdrawal from the fund; (4) inclusion of income-producing assets, including accounts receivable, as permissible investments for such funds; and (5) tax treatment on interim certificate vessel deposits in and withdrawals from the fund which are not committed to new vessel construction. (Sec. 4) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to set forth similar provisions. (Sec. 5) Provides a three-year recovery period for the depreciation deduction on eligible passenger vessels. (Sec. 6) Modifies requirements governing the deductibility of expenses related to an individual's attendance at conventions, seminars, or other meetings held on cruise ships as a business expense. Requires only the home port of such a ship (currently all ports) to be in the United States or a U.S. possession. Repeals the $2,000 limitation on the deductibility of such expenses. Reduces the number of reporting requirements for such deduction. Provides that for deduction purposes, certain interim documentation of a vessel shall be treated as registration in the United States. (Sec. 7) Permits an employer to take a tax credit of ten percent of a travel reward (up to $200) paid to an employee for travel on domestic cruise ships. Limits the deductible travel expenses incurred by a taxpayer for foreign cruise ship transportation to 90 percent of the otherwise allowable expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 1994
Amends the Fishermen's Protective Act of 1967 to: (1) delete a provision requiring that fees charged to U.S. commercial fishermen to cover reimbursement costs for seized U.S. commercial fishing vessels in foreign ports should be based on at least one-third of the Federal contribution for such costs; (2) allow such fees to be collected whether or not they are needed to replenish the Fishermen's Protective Fund; and (3) extend such reimbursement provisions through October 1, 1996.