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United States · Official source
2,741 records where Rep. Tauzin, W. J. (Billy) [R-LA-3] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1990
Designates September 21, 1990, as National POW/MIA Recognition Day. Recognizes the National League of Families POW/MIA flag as the official symbol of the United States' commitment to resolving the fates of Americans still prisoner or missing in action in Southeast Asia.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1990
Provides for all Federal civilian and military retirees to receive the full cost-of-living adjustment in annuities payable under Federal retirement systems for FY 1991. (Includes benefits payable under the Civil Service Retirement and Disability System, military retirement and survivor benefit programs, the Foreign Service Retirement and Disability System, the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System, and railroad retirement programs.)
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1990
Designates July 3, 1990, as Idaho Centennial Day.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1990
Designates April 22 through April 28, 1990, as National Crime Victims' Rights Week.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1990
Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to declare that duties imposed under such Act shall not apply to: (1) the cost of equipment or expense of repairs made in a foreign country with respect to LASH (Lighter Aboard Ship) barges documented under U.S. law; or (2) the cost of foreign-made repair parts for installation on such vessels in the United States or in a foreign country where they cannot be obtained from U.S. manufacturers and are imported into the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 1990
Department of Environmental Protection Act - Title I: Establishment of Department of Environmental Protection - Redesignates the Environmental Protection Agency as the Department of Environmental Protection, an executive department to be administered by a Secretary of Environmental Protection. Establishes within the Department: (1) an Office of International Environmental Affairs; (2) an Office of Enforcement; and (3) a Center for Environmental Statistics (Center). Encourages the Secretary to assist the Secretary of State in negotiating and administering international environmental protection agreements and participating in the work of international environmental protection organizations. Encourages the Secretary to continue the Department's role in conducting international environmental research and providing technical assistance to other nations to improve environmental quality. Requires the Secretary to establish an Advisory Committee on Environmental Statistics to advise the Center and the Congress on the collection and dissemination of statistical data. Directs the Secretary to maintain a comprehensive guide to the Department's environmental and public health information services. Requires the Secretary to establish an Advisory Committee on Public Access to provide recommendations on improving public access to departmental information. Directs the Secretary to: (1) study the use of computer telecommunications and other means to provide for access to such information; and (2) permit the reduction or waiver of user fees for such access. Title II: Commission on Environmental Administration - Establishes the Commission on Environmental Administration to analyze and make recommendations on specified reorganization and management issues in the Department. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 1990
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the U.S. Government should be prohibited from donating any equipment or supplies to Vietnam and that the Administration should be held accountable for the circumstances that allowed any such donation to occur.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 1989
Federal Fire Service Pay Schedule Act of 1989 - Establishes a pay schedule for Federal fire service personnel. Excludes employees of the District of Columbia from such schedule. Provides for periodic and additional step increases, minimum hours of work, the computation of overtime, educational incentive service step increases, retirement, pay comparability, and additional compensation for technicians.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 1989
Expedited Consideration of Proposed Rescissions Act of 1990 - Amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to require a special message, in the case of budget authority proposed to be rescinded or reserved, to include language amending the law authorizing such programs to allow them to continue to function at the proposed new level of budget authority. Allows the President to transmit to both Houses of the Congress, for expedited consideration, one or more special messages proposing to rescind all or part of any item of budget authority provided in an appropriation bill. Requires that such special message be transmitted not later than three days after the President approves the appropriation bill and be accompanied by a draft bill or joint resolution that would, if enacted, rescind the budget authority proposed to be rescinded. Sets forth House and Senate procedures for the expedited consideration of such a proposal.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 1989
Sea Turtle Conservation Assistance Act - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish a comprehensive headstart program for endangered and threatened species of sea turtles found in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic seaboard. Requires the focus of such program to be the release of sea turtles into the Gulf of Mexico and other locations, as necessary, for the conservation of such turtles. Directs the Secretary to construct captive maintenance facilities, monitor the results of the headstart program, and expand and accelerate ongoing research on sea turtle ecology. Limits the Federal share of such program to 75 percent of the total cost. Permits State, local governments, or private entities to contribute to the non-Federal share of such program. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 1989
Designates May 1990 as National Digestive Disease Awareness Month.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 1989
Designates the week of June 10 through June 16, 1990, as State-Supported Homes for Veterans Week.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 1989
Encourages the President to execute a line-item veto to determine its constitutionality.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 1989
Provides for taking from the Speaker's table H.R. 2459 (Coast Guard) and agreeing to the Senate amendment thereto with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1989
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the treatment of rental and nonrental real estate activities under the limitations on losses from passive activities.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 1989
Designates April 1990 as National Prevent-A-Litter Month.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 1989
Urges the Congress to make it a priority to examine the contribution which magnetically levitated and propelled transportation could make to U.S. transportation and international competitiveness.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 1989
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the future of Taiwan should be settled peacefully, free from coercion, and in a manner acceptable to the people of Taiwan; and (2) good relations between the United States and the People's Republic of China depend upon the Chinese authorities' willingness to refrain from the use or threat of force in resolving Taiwan's future.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 1989
Competitive Wholesale Electric Generation Act of 1989 - Authorizes public utility holding companies that are exempt from the provisions of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 to acquire business interests in generators used exclusively for selling electric energy at wholesale (exempt wholesale generators). Declares that the ownership of exempt wholesale generators shall not result in the owner's being considered as primarily engaged in the sale or generation of electric power under the Federal Power Act. Preserves the ratemaking authority of the States. Defines circumstances under which electric energy charges by a public utility exempt wholesale generator will be considered unjust and unreasonable.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 1989
Amends the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to require the Council on Environmental Quality to promulgate regulations governing the implementation of such Act by Federal agencies, to include requirements for notification procedures for, and public review and cost-effective preparation and dissemination of, environmental impact statements.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 1989
Amends the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act to direct the Secretary of Transportation to promulgate regulations with respect to the isolation in transportation of hazardous materials, solid waste, and certain other commodities from food, food additives, drugs, devices, and cosmetics and packages containing such items.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1989
Declares that no person who is a retired regular officer of the U.S. armed forces shall be considered as holding a public office for purposes of provisions that require anyone who destroys public records to forfeit public office and be disqualified from holding office.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1989
Directs the heads of Federal departments or agencies which hold or receive records and information which have or could possibly have been correlated to U.S. personnel listed as prisoners of war or missing in action in World War II and the Korean and Vietnam conflicts to publicly disclose such records and information, except where such disclosure would compromise national security. Requires the Department of Defense to publicly disclose a complete list of such personnel including those killed in action (body not returned) in such hostilities with each service member's current classification as well as any changes in such classification occurring during or after such hostilities.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 1989
Solid and Liquid Waste Transportation Act of 1989 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to prohibit the transport for disposal of solid or liquid waste in excess of 100 pounds from one State to another, or the disposal of such quantity of waste in any State other than that in which the waste was generated, without the consent of the State in which such waste is to be disposed. Sets penalties for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 1989
Recommends that the President: (1) invite President-elect Guillermo Endara and Vice-Presidents-elect Ricardo Arias Calderon and Guillermo Ford of Panama to seek full diplomatic recognition from the United States; (2) upon receipt of such a request, accord such recognition; (3) encourage other nations, particularly members of the Organization of American States, to confer such recognition; and (4) accord such Government all appropriate diplomatic, political, economic, and moral support in its efforts to achieve full governing authority over Panama.
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 1989
Designates the week of December 10 through December 16, 1989, as National Drunk and Drugged Driving Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 1989
Hazardous Materials Transportation Act Uniform Safety Amendments Act of 1989 - Amends the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act to direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations for the safe transportation of hazardous materials in domestic and foreign commerce (including route designations). Cites the area in which Federal regulations preempt State hazardous materials transportation requirements. Authorizes the Secretary to promulgate regulations for dispute resolution among the States or Indian tribes regarding hazardous materials highway route designations. Permits States or Indian tribes to petition for judicial review of the dispute resolution decision. Grants the Secretary discretion to either adopt or reject hazardous materials transportation standards adopted by international bodies according to the Secretary's perception of the public interest. Requires a person who offers a hazardous material for transportation in commerce to disclose to the carrier specified information on such material. Prohibits a person from altering any required marking or packaging of hazardous materials. Prohibits a person who receives a package containing a hazardous material from removing any such markings from the package until the material has been removed. Directs the Secretary to issue regulations governing the number, content, and placement of documents with respect to the transportation of hazardous materials. Provides for: (1) filing of registration statements with the Secretary by persons who transport hazardous materials; (2) the issuance of safety permits to motor carriers who transport specified hazardous materials; and registration statements and safety permit fees. Increases the penalties for persons who commit violations in the transport of hazardous materials. Prescribes guidelines under which the preemption of State laws or Indian laws conflicting with this Act shall be determined. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1992. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study on a State-by-State basis of the flow of hazardous materials in commerce and the capability of emergency response to unintentional releases of them in the United States. Requires the Secretary to issue guidelines for the preparation and submission of a hazardous materials transportation emergency preparedness assessment of each State. Requires the Secretary to issue regulations with respect to the safe transportation of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel (including mode and route designations). Prohibits any railroad tank car constructed before a specified date from being used for the transportation of certain explosives or hazardous materials unless its air brake equipment support attachments comply with minimum Federal standards. Requires the Secretary to conduct a study of the present system of identifying hazardous materials and of means to improve such identification while in transit. Provides for State participation in the regulation of the transportation of hazardous materials by rail carriers. Requires the Secretary to issue regulations for the safe operation of trains that transport specified hazardous materials. Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations to prohibit the transportation in commerce of hazardous materials or solid waste in any motor vehicle which is also used to transport any food, food additive, drug, cosmetic, or device, or any package containing such items. Requires the Secretary to issue regulations with respect to making safety ratings of motor carriers available to the public. Requires the Federal Railroad Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, and the Research and Special Programs Administration to employ an additional number of safety inspectors. Provides for State participation in the regulation of hazardous materials transported by rail carriers.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 1989
Designates May 1990 as National Trauma Awareness Month.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 1989
Disaster Relief Employment Assistance Act of 1989 - Amends the Job Training Partnership Act to provide emergency disaster relief employment assistance for the reconstruction of areas affected by natural disasters.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 1989
Designates February 4 through February 10, 1990, as National Burn Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 1989
Designates the week of November 12 through November 18, 1989, as Community Foundation Week.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 1989
Declares it is in the interests of the United States to support efforts to protect South Pacific marine resources (including albacore tuna, porpoises, whales, seals and other marine mammals, birds, sea turtles, and fish) from the slaughter of driftnet fishing. Supports the Tarawa Declaration and the South Pacific Commission resolution calling for an immediate ban on driftnet fishing in the South Pacific. Urges the Secretary of State to work toward an international convention banning driftnet fishing in the South Pacific. Urges Japan and Taiwan to immediately cease the use of driftnets in international South Pacific waters.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 1989
Budget Simplification and Reform Act of 1989 - Title I: Biennial Budget Cycle - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, the Rules of the House of Representatives and other Federal law to revise the Federal budget process by establishing a two-year timetable. Title II: Restricted Uses of Continuing Resolutions - Amends rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives to prohibit the consideration of any joint resolution continuing appropriations which: (1) covers a period of more than 30 calendar days; (2) exceeds the rate it would have been at assuming the continuation of current law; or (3) changes existing law. Title III: Expedited Rescissions - Modifies the rescission process and provides for expedited consideration in the House and Senate of certain proposed rescissions. Title IV: Budget Baseline Reform - Requires the President to draft a budget based on estimates of current fiscal year spending, proposing increases or decreases based on this level (rather than on an estimated baseline). Requires the Congressional Budget Office to use such a current fiscal year baseline in its report to the congressional budget committees, projecting growth for entitlement and discretionary spending based on current fiscal year spending. Title V: Binding Budget Resolution - Replaces the concurrent resolution on the budget with a joint resolution on the budget. Title VI: Treatment of Social Security Trust Funds Under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 - Excludes Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund receipts and outlays from Federal deficit determinations. Increases the permissible maximum deficit amounts for FY 1990 through 1993. Establishes allowable maximum deficits for FY 1994 and 1995, to reach zero with respect to FY 1996. Title VII: Effect of Post-Sequestration Legislation - Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to require certain revised reports by the Congressional Budget Office to include an analysis of post-sequestration legislation. Title VIII: - Truth in Legislating - Amends rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives to require each report or joint explanatory statement accompanying each bill or joint resolution to contain: (1) an identification of each provision which benefits only ten or fewer beneficiaries; (2) the name of each beneficiary; (3) the name of the Member who sponsored such provision and an identification of each such provision requested by a Federal agency or Federal officer; and (4) an estimate by the Congressional Budget Office or the Joint Committee on Taxation of the costs or loss in revenues resulting from such provision. Title IX: Budget Impact on State and Local Governments - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to provide that it shall not be in order for either House of Congress to consider any legislation which would impose any requirement on State or local governments which is likely to result in an annual cost to them of $50,000,000 or more for any particular program, project, or activity, except for legislation which complies with any sequestration order issued under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985. Requires the report of the Committee on the Budget of each House accompanying the concurrent resolution on the budget to identify changes in Federal aid programs for State and local governments on a program-by-program basis. Title X: Pay-As-You-Go-Budget Resolutions - Prohibits the President's budget and that adopted by the Congress in a joint resolution on the budget from including: (1) total budget outlays that exceed those for the preceding fiscal year, unless at least equivalent revenue increases and their sources are identified; and (2) a reduction in revenues from the preceding fiscal year, unless at least equivalent reductions in outlays are identified, along with the affected programs. Authorizes the Congress to waive the prohibition with respect to its budget resolution by a two-thirds vote. Makes it out of order in both the Senate and the House of Representatives to consider a joint budget resolution under which fiscal year revenues exceed outlays, unless the purposes for which the excess is to be allocated are specified.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 1989
Amends the Education of the Handicapped Act to provide that, in exceptional circumstances, the recovery of costs incurred in providing an appropriate education for a child may be included in any award of damages recovered against a State in certain actions, including Federal actions, brought as procedural safeguards for the free and appropriate education of handicapped children.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 1989
Amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to ban the importation into the United States of shrimp or shrimp products originating from nations which: (1) do not require the use of turtle excluder devices by their shrimp fishing vessels; (2) allow the taking of sea turtle eggs on their beaches; or (3) engage in other activities which adversely affect the ability of the sea turtle to survive or reproduce. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to publish and periodically update a list of nations which engage in such activities. Prescribes civil and criminal penalties for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 1989
Designates December 3 through December 9, 1989, as National Cities Fight Back Against Drugs Week.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 1989
Oil Pollution Act of 1989 - Title I: Oil Pollution Liability and Compensation - Imposes joint, several, and strict liability for specified removal costs and damages upon the party responsible for a vessel or facility from which oil is either discharged into certain waters, or which poses a substantial threat of such a discharge. Makes owners of oil carried in bulk as cargo on vessels secondarily liable for such costs and damages. Exempts from such liability certain discharges permitted under Federal, State, and local law or discharges from public vessels. Sets forth defenses to liability under this Act. Sets forth limits to liability under this Act, with specified exceptions. Directs the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to establish by regulation a maximum liability limit. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress from time to time regarding liability adjustments. Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study of the relative operational and environmental risks posed by the transportation of oil by vessels to deepwater ports versus the transportation of oil to other ports; (2) report to the Congress on the results of such study; and (3) lower the limits of liability with respect to deepwater ports and to vessels transporting oil to such ports, if determined that the use of deepwater ports in connection with the transportation of oil results in lower operational or environmental risks than the use of other ports. Declares that the responsible party or his guarantor shall be liable to the claimant for interest on the amount paid in satisfaction of a claim for a specified period. Defines circumstances under which liability for injury to natural resources shall be to either: (1) the United States; (2) the affected State; (3) an Indian tribe; or (4) a foreign government. Sets forth recovery and indemnification procedures. Makes responsible parties subject to certain civil penalties if an oil discharge results in damages to natural resources that cannot be restored. Sets forth the uses of the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund (the Fund). Sets forth defenses to liability for such Fund. Confers rights of subrogation upon the United States for payment of any claim by the Fund. Sets forth a claims procedure for removal costs or damages. Requires the Secretary to designate the source of a discharge and to immediately notify the responsible party or guarantor of such designation. Grants subrogation rights to any person (including the Fund) who pays compensation under this Act to any claimant for costs or damages. Requires the following parties to establish and maintain evidence of financial responsibility to meet maximum liability limits: (1) parties responsible for certain vessels over 300 tons or vessels using the waters of the exclusive economic zone to transship or lighter oil destined for U.S. ports; (2) owners of oil carried in bulk as cargo on vessels; and (3) parties responsible for offshore facilities and deepwater ports. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to withhold or revoke the clearance of any vessel that does not have evidence of financial responsibility. Sets forth circumstances under which such vessels may be denied entry into U.S. ports, or waters, be detained at such ports, or be subject to seizure. Imposes a civil penalty for failure to comply with the financial responsibility requirement. Restricts judicial review of any regulation promulgated under this Act to the Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Grants the district courts original jurisdiction over all actions arising under this Act. Sets forth a limitation period for actions for removal costs, damages, or contribution. Title II: Conforming Amendments - Makes conforming amendments to: (1) the Intervention on the High Seas Act; (2) the Federal Water Pollution Control Act; (3) the Deepwater Port Act; and (4) the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act Amendments of 1978. Title III: Implementation of International Conventions - States that during any period in which the Civil Liability Convention and the Fund Convention are in force with respect to the United States, owner liability for pollution damage arising from a ship-related incident shall be determined according to such Conventions. Requires the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund to indemnify and defend certain persons with respect to recovery of removal costs and damages. Grants recognition to the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund as a legal person under Federal law, and deems the Director of such Fund to have irrevocably appointed the Secretary of State as the Fund's agent for service of process for legal proceedings involving the Fund within the United States. Exempts such Fund and its assets from all direct taxation in the United States. Provides that certain required contributions with respect to oil received in the United States shall be paid to the International Fund from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund. Grants recognition to any final judgment of a court of any country which is a party to either the Civil Liability Convention or the Fund Convention. Sets forth the financial responsibility requirements of shipowners whose vessels are subject to the Civil Liability Convention. Imposes specified sanctions and civil penalties upon persons violating the financial responsibility requirements. Waives all U.S. defenses based upon sovereign immunity with respect to any controversy arising under the Civil Liability Convention or the Fund Convention relating to any ship owned by the United States and used for commercial purposes. Requires the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to prescribe regulations to implement this Act and all Federal obligations under the specified Oil Pollution Conventions. Title IV: Prevention and Removal - Subtitle A: Prevention - Amends Federal law relating to certificates of registry and merchant seamen licenses to prohibit the Secretary from issuing such documents to any individual who fails to make available to the Secretary information in the National Driver Register regarding such individual's driving record. Limits the term of such documents to five years and authorizes renewals for additional five year periods. Applies such terms to new and existing documents. Requires the Secretary to conduct criminal record reviews of certificate of registry applicants and of merchant seamen license renewal applicants. Directs the Secretary to request holders of shipping licenses, certificates of registry, or merchant seamen licenses to make available to the Secretary all information in the National Driver Register regarding such individuals' driving records. Requires the Secretary to temporarily suspend and take possession of such documents if a holder performs a sensitive function on a vessel and there is cause to believe that such individual has: (1) performed such function while under the influence of alcohol or a dangerous drug; (2) been denied a motor vehicle license for cause within the five year period preceding the suspension; or (3) been convicted of an offense for which such documents may be suspended or revoked under Federal law. Authorizes the Secretary to suspend or revoke such documents if a holder: (1) is convicted of an offense preventing the renewal of such documents; or (2) is convicted of an alcohol-related driving offense or an offense involving a fatal traffic accident or reckless driving within the five year period preceding the suspension or revocation. Permits the termination of a revocation only when the Secretary decides that the reissuance of a document is compatible with the requirement of good discipline and safety at sea and the former holder provides satisfactory proof that the bases for revocation are no longer valid. Directs the next two senior members on a vessel, if they believe that the individual in command is under the influence of alcohol or a dangerous drug and is incapable of commanding the vessel, to take command of the vessel, enter details in the vessel log, and report such details to the Secretary as expeditiously as possible. Amends the National Driver Register Act of 1982 to authorize applicants for and holders of merchant seamen licenses or certificates of registry to request the chief State driver licensing official to transmit to the Secretary information regarding such individuals' motor vehicle driving records. Prescribes the use of such information by the Secretary. Precludes access to information that was entered more than five years before the date of request unless it relates to revocations or suspensions which are still in effect on the date of request. Revises standards for foreign tank vessels. Prohibits foreign vessels which fail to enforce standards equivalent to U.S. or customary international law from entering the United States. Allows provisional entry for such vessels under specified circumstances. Amends the Ports and Waterways Safety Act to authorize the Secretary to construct, operate, or improve a vessel traffic system in any U.S. channel or port. Prohibits the appropriation of funds for vessel traffic system projects unless such projects are approved by the House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress on such projects. Directs the Secretary to: (1) study whether the Secretary should be given additional authority to direct vessel movement on navigable waters and should exercise such authority; (2) study and prioritize U.S. ports and channels that are in need of new or improved vessel traffic systems; and (3) report to the Congress on such study, together with recommendations for implementing such study. Authorizes States to require State pilotage for, and levy pilot charges on, tankers having Federal pilots without licenses endorsed for pilotage in State waters. Authorizes a member of a vessel to serve as the pilot required in Great Lakes waters not designated by the President if such member is: (1) a U.S. citizen who has a pilot license; or (2) a Canadian citizen who has an equivalent pilot license. Authorizes a vessel (except for specified regulated vessels) to operate in waters of the Great Lakes without a U.S. or Canadian registered pilot when the Secretary of Transportation notifies the master that a registered pilot is not available. Makes vessels liable in rem for rates and charges for pilotage services and any costs of collection. Increases the penalties for owners of vessels who permit such a vessel to navigate in the waters of the Great Lakes without a U.S. or Canadian registered pilot. Requires the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to report and make recommendations to the Congress on whether existing laws and regulations are adequate to ensure the safe navigation of vessels transporting oil and hazardous substances on the navigable waters and the exclusive economic zone. Directs the Secretary of the Army to report and make recommendations to the Congress on the feasibility of modifying dredges to make them usable in removing discharges of oil and hazardous substances. Requires the President to report and make recommendations to the Congress on whether liners or other secondary means of containment should be used to prevent leaking or aid in leak detection at onshore oil storage facilities located near navigable waters. Subtitle B: Removal - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require the President to ensure an effective and immediate removal of an oil or hazardous substance discharge: (1) into navigable waters; (2) on adjoining shorelines to such waters; (3) on waters of the exclusive economic zone; or (4) that may affect U.S. natural resources. Authorizes the President to direct and monitor all removal actions. Requires the President to: (1) designate areas for which new or improved local contingency plans must be prepared to respond to discharges, or threats of discharges, of oil or hazardous substances; and (2) specify the Federal, State, and local officials required to prepare such plans. Outlines plan requirements. Provides for the periodic review of such plans by the President. Authorizes the President to provide technical assistance for the preparation of such plans. Requires owners or operators of tank vessels or facilities that could reasonably discharge on the navigable waters, adjoining shorelines, or the exclusive economic zone to prepare contingency plans. Outlines plan requirements. Prohibits such vessels or facilities from handling or transporting oil unless the owner or operator has submitted an approved contingency plan and is in compliance with such plan. Requires the President to review such plans. Directs the President to require: (1) periodic inspection of major equipment used to remove discharges of oil and hazardous substances; and (2) vessels operating on the navigable waters and carrying such substances to have removal equipment that employs the best technology available and is compatible with the safe operation of the vessel. Requires the President, acting through the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating, to conduct periodic drills of removal capability in major port areas under local and relevant vessel and facility contingency plans. Directs the Secretary to publish annual reports on such drills. Requires the Secretary to ensure that vessels designed to replace Coast Guard buoy tenders are equipped with oil skimming systems that are available, operable, and complement the mission of servicing aids to navigation. Directs the Secretary to establish and maintain a comprehensive nationwide computer listing of emergency removal resources available and appropriate for use in responding to oil discharges. Requires the President to encourage appropriate international organizations to establish an international inventory of emergency response resources. Subtitle C: Miscellaneous - Amends specified Acts to increase and expand the scope of penalties for specified violations, including those concerning: (1) discharges of oil or hazardous substances; (2) negligent shipping operations; (3) ship inspections; (4) liquid dangerous cargoes; (4) load lines; (5) complements of inspected vessels; (6) deck watches; (7) pilotage and crew requirements; and (8) vessel navigation. Provides for the deposit into the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund of penalties collected for oil discharges under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. Title V: Prince William Sound Oil Spill Removal - Prince William Sound Oil Spill Removal Act of 1989 - Directs the Secretary to require: (1) tank vessels transporting oil from the Trans-Alaska Pipeline within Prince William Sound to be escorted by at least one towing or other appropriate vessel; and (2) the use of a pilot licensed by the State of Alaska for all tank vessels navigating between the Port of Valdez, Alaska, and a certain point in the Sound. Requires the Secretary to prepare a plan to modify surveillance coverage of the Sound. Requires such plan to include construction of new radar sites to cover the vessel traffic system within the Sound and a review of existing radar surveillance and maintenance policies. Directs the Secretary to require: (1) prepositioned oil spill containment and removal equipment in the Port of Valdez, the city of Cordova, and other locations within the Sound; (2) the establishment of an oil spill removal organization at appropriate locations within the Sound to consist of trained personnel capable of immediately removing a discharge of 200,000 barrels of oil; (3) tank vessels operating in the Sound to carry equipment or materials sufficient to remove an oil discharge and minimize environmental damage; and (4) biannual practice exercises for equipment and personnel testing and training in oil removal techniques for local residents and individuals engaged in fish cultivation or production in the Sound. Requires the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere of the Department of Commerce to expend at least $5,000,000 annually in FY 1990 through 1992 to conduct living marine resource damage assessments in Arctic waters from the Exxon Valdez oil spill in the Sound. Directs the Under Secretary, whenever possible, to recover such sums from the owner or operator of the Exxon Valdez. Requires such sums to be credited to the appropriations of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Directs the Secretary to report to the Congress on: (1) a list of oil pollution exercises conducted in the Port of Valdez and the Sound during the operation of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline; and (2) any other matters regarding oil spills in Arctic waters, including faster approval of oil spill removal technology by Federal and State agencies. Title VI: Miscellaneous - Amends Federal law relating to shipping to waive certain inspection, load line, and manning of vessel requirements if the Secretary of Transportation determines that such waivers are needed in a crisis concerning: (1) a discharge or threat of discharge of oil or a hazardous substance; or (2) the national defense. Repeals a named Act to make a conforming amendment. Title VII: Research and Development - Establishes an Interagency Coordinating Committee on Oil Pollution Research. Requires the Committee to submit an oil pollution research plan to the Congress. Directs the Committee to coordinate the establishment of an oil pollution research and development program, including research and development technologies for preventing or mitigating oil discharges and protecting the environment. Requires such program to provide for: (1) technology evaluation; (2) research on the environmental effects of oil discharges; (3) monitoring and research programs by the Secretary of Commerce to determine the effects of specified oil spills in Alaska, Narragansett Bay, the Houston Ship Channel, and the Delaware River; and (4) research on the use of geographic and ship response simulation models. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to recoup costs for the Alaskan monitoring and research program from the owners and operators of the Exxon Valdez, to the extent such costs are directly related to the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Allows the Committee to enter into contracts with, and make grants to, universities, research institutions, and other persons to carry out such program. Requires the Committee to coordinate and cooperate with other nations and foreign research entities in conducting such activities. Directs the Committee to report annually to the Congress on the program. Provides for the establishment of a minimum of six regional research centers through competitive grants to universities or research institutions. Directs such centers to implement oil pollution research and development programs. Requires at least one center to be established in each of the following regions of the United States: (1) the tropical and subtropical coastal environments of Florida and the Gulf Coast; (2) the Atlantic and Pacific temperate coastal environments; (3) the Alaskan coastline and other Arctic and subarctic environments; (4) the Great Lakes; and (5) the inland waters. Sets forth selection criteria for grant applicants. Limits such grants to 80 percent of the total cost of such activities. Prohibits such grants from being used for the acquisition of real property or building construction. Provides for the equitable allocation of funds among the centers. Directs grant applicants to disseminate results of oil pollution research and development through technology transfer, training, and other educational programs. Makes funds available for oil pollution research and development activities. Allocates funds for FY 1990 through 1994 for the regional centers. Title VIII: Provisions Applicable to Alaska Oil - Amends the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act to make holders of right-of-way permits in Alaska who are responsible for pollution damages liable for any administrative costs relating to the removal of a pollutant incurred by the State. Repeals a provision of such Act which establishes the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Liability Fund. Requires the Fund to pay valid claims if an owner or operator of a vessel has not paid a claim within 90 days of the submission of such claim. Subrogates the Fund to the rights of persons entitled to recover under this Act upon payment of any claim. Directs the President, after the settlement of all claims by the Fund, to study and report to the Congress on the final disposition of the unexpended balance in the Fund. Provides that officers and trustees of the Fund shall: (1) be indemnified by the Fund against all claims and liabilities to which they are subject by reason of serving as officers or trustees; and (2) be reimbursed for all legal expenses incurred in connection with such claims or liabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1989
Amends the Rail Passenger Service Act to repeal an exemption from specified communicable disease control requirements of the Public Health Service Act for waste disposal from railroads operating in intercity rail passenger service.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1989
Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to make grants to aid businesses unable to secure credit and create jobs in rural areas. Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to increase annual water and waste facility assistance limits. Authorizes the Secretary to provide water and waste facilities loans to specified rural entities. Authorizes the Farm Credit System to provide loans and other financial assistance to rural sewer and water projects. Establishes in the Farmers Home Administration a national rural waste water circuit rider grant program. Amends the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to establish: (1) a technical assistance unit; and (2) an Assistant Administrator for Economic Development. Amends the Consolidated and Rural Development Act to authorize a rural business development grant program. Directs the Secretary to establish within the National Agricultural Library a National Rural Assistance Information Clearinghouse. Treats a rural county experiencing specified population reduction as a labor surplus area.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1989
Designates March 3, 1990, as United States Naval Reserve Day in recognition of the Reserve's 75th anniversary.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1989
Designates November 11, 1989, as Washington Centennial Day in recognition of the economic, social, and historic contributions of the State of Washington to the United States over the past century.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 1989
Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in any case in which there has been either a disallowance of a veterans benefits claim or a partially awarded claim, to provide to the claimant a written statement setting forth notice of procedural rights of the claimant and the rationale for the disallowance. Requires that such statement: (1) be provided at each procedural stage relating to the disposition of a claim; (2) include a summary of the evidence supporting the disallowance or the partial award; (3) be in such forms as the Secretary prescribes by regulation; (4) include a description of each subsequent procedural stage before the Department of Veterans Affairs; (5) include a description of all rights of the claimant expressly provided for in the veterans' benefits code, the claimant's right to a hearing, to reconsideration, to appeal, and to representation, and any specific procedures necessary to obtain the various forms of review available for consideration of the claim; and (6) include such other information as the Secretary determines would be useful and practical to assist the claimant in obtaining full consideration of the claim. Adds parallel requirements with respect to the Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 1989
Constitutional Amendment - Recognizes the right of the people to preserve, foster, and promote their historic, linguistic, and cultural origins. States that no person shall be denied the equal protection of the laws because of culture or language.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 1989
Budget Act Amendments of 1989 - Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to make its provisions permanent and to eliminate exemptions. Amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to exclude, beginning with FY 1990, Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund receipts and outlays from Federal deficit determinations for purposes of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985. Increases the permissible maximum deficit amounts for FY 1990 through 1992. Establishes allowable maximum deficits for FY 1993 through 1996, to reach zero with respect to FY 1997. Changes the definition of maximum deficit amount for a fiscal year to reflect the amount by which the prior year's actual deficit exceeds that year's maximum deficit amount. Directs the Administrator of the Social Security Administration to report to the President and the Congress on the viability of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Trust Fund. Requires the Director of the General Accounting Office to report to the Congress on methods of implementing the use of common economic assumptions.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 1989
Directs the Secretary of Education to make a grant to Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi, to establish the Margaret Walker Alexander National African-American Research Center on its campus in recognition of, and to commemorate, the literary contributions of Margaret Walker Alexander. Requires the application for the grant to contain provisions to ensure that the Center will serve as a national center for the study, research, and teaching of African-American literature and history and as a repository for papers and memorabilia relating to the lives of individuals noted for their work in African-American literature and history. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 1989
Designates October 1989 as Country Music Month.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 1989
Recognizes and commemorates the centennial of Yosemite National Park, created by Congress in 1890.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 1989
Designates the period of September 11 through September 15, 1989, as National Historically Black Colleges Week.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1989
Older Workers Benefit Protection Act - Amends the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) to specify that it prohibits discrimination against older workers in all employee benefits except when age-based reductions in employee benefit plans are justified by significant cost considerations. Declares that, as used in ADEA, the phrase "compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment" encompasses all employee benefits, including those provided under a bona fide employee benefit plan. Requires that the actual amount of payment made or cost incurred on behalf of an older worker be no less than that made or incurred on behalf of a younger worker, for each benefit or benefit package, in order for an employee benefit plan not to violate ADEA. Places on the employer, employment agency, or labor organization the burden of proving, in any civil enforcement proceeding brought under ADEA, that specified actions are lawful. Requires a seniority system or employee benefit plan to comply with ADEA regardless of the date of adoption of such system or plan. Applies this Act to all actions or proceedings under ADEA that were brought after June 23, 1989, or that were pending on such date (which is the date on which the Supreme Court issued the decision in Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio v. Betts).
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1989
Yosemite National Park Centennial Medal Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell not more than 750,000 gold, silver, and bronze medals in commemoration of the centennial of Yosemite National Park, California, in 1990. Requires that all sales of such medals include a surcharge of $35 per medal for the gold medals, $7 per medal for the silver medals, and $2 per medal for the bronze medals. Requires that all surcharges be paid to an endowment fund for the benefit of the Park to be administered by the National Park Foundation. Requires that the interest from the fund be paid to the Secretary of the Interior to fund special supplemental projects relating to back country trail development and rehabilitation and the preservation of Sequoia groves within the boundaries of the Park. Requires the Secretaries to enter into a memorandum agreement to allow: (1) the Secretary of the Treasury to deliver medals to the Secretary of the Interior; and (2) the Secretary of the Interior to provide for the sale of the medals in National Park facilities. Grants the Comptroller General the right to examine all records of the National Park Foundation which are related to such medals. Provides that no medals may be struck after December 31, 1991.