United States · United States Congress · 29 September 1995
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to place the burden of proof on the taxpayer in the case of any administrative proceeding and on the Secretary in the case of any court proceeding. Requires a 30-day notice before lien. Prohibits the Secretary from collecting any tax (or other sum) by levy without judicial consent. Requires a 30-day notice before seizure. Increases the limit on the recovery of civil damages for certain unauthorized collection actions to $1 million and excludes such damages from gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 1995
Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to exclude from the definition of "solid waste" any solid or dissolved materials contained, collected, and reused in an on-site production process that prevents releases to the environment.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 1995
Amends titles II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) and XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act to provide for payments to State and local prisons for monthly reports on the identities of inmates ineligible for benefits, especially those erroneously paid such a benefit. Denies SSI benefits for ten years to a person found to have fraudulently obtained such benefits while in prison.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 1995
Requires that any markup in the committees or subcommittees of the House of Representatives of any legislation changing existing law concerning Medicare or Medicaid pursuant to the reconciliation instructions of the concurrent resolution on the budget for FY 1996 be preceded by a minimum of four weeks for public disclosure of and public hearings on the legislative text of such changes. Prohibits such legislation from being considered in the House until such requirements have been met. Expresses the sense of the House that the Senate should adopt a similar schedule for public disclosure and hearings on the legislative text of any such changes.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 1995
Prohibits a Member of Congress from receiving basic pay for any period in which: (1) there is a lapse in appropriations for any Federal agency or department as a result of a failure to enact a regular appropriations bill or continuing resolution; or (2) the Government is unable to make payments or meet obligations because the public debt limit has been reached. Provides that no pay forfeited in accordance with this Act may be paid retroactively.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1995
Leave Equity for Adoptive Families Act of 1995 - Entitles any employee who needs it, because of the placement of a child with that employee for adoption or foster care, to any leave benefit provided by the employer for care of an employee's newborn biological child or for recovery from the employee's own illness, injury, or disability. Requires that such leave commence no later than 12 months after such placement. Authorizes civil actions to enforce this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1995
Medical Nutrition Therapy Act of 1995 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare coverage of medical nutrition therapy services of registered dieticians and nutrition professionals.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1995
Restricts the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency to control the production, importation, or export of methyl bromide for pesticide use consistent with requirements and obligations of the Montreal Protocol.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1995
Continues existing average fuel economy standards for passenger and non-passenger automobiles until such standards are specifically amended or changed by law.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1995
Equine Tax Fairness Act of 1995- Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions limiting passive activity losses and credits to modify the definition of material participation with respect to the treatment of equine activities (breeding, racing, or showing horses).
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 1995
Amends the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 to revise peanut poundage quota, acreage allotment, and marketing provisions. Extends peanut experimental and research programs. Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to revise and extend the peanut price support program.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 1995
Medicare Bone Mass Measurement Standardization Act of 1995 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare coverage of bone mass measurements.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 1995
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to make such corrections to specified Coastal Barrier Resources System maps as necessary to ensure consistency with the depictions of areas on maps on file with the Secretary.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 1995
Permits the American Iron and Steel Institute to sponsor a free public event on the Capitol grounds on September 1, 1995, to demonstrate the use of steel building materials in the construction of residential homes.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 1995
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to pay a specified sum to a named individual in full satisfaction of all unsettled claims against the United States for reimbursement of civil service annuity benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1995
George Washington Commemorative Coin Act of 1995 - Requires the Secretary of Treasury to mint and issue five-dollar gold coins emblematic of George Washington. Mandates that the design for the coins be: (1) selected by the Secretary after consultation with the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association and the Commission of Fine Arts; and (2) reviewed by the Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory Committee. Provides for the distribution of coin sale surcharges to the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Rechargeable Battery Recycling Act Title II: Mercury-Containing Battery Management Act Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a program to provide information on the proper handling and disposal of used regulated batteries and rechargeable consumer products with nonremovable batteries. Defines a "regulated battery" as a rechargeable battery that contains a cadmium or lead electrode or contains other electrode chemistries and is the subject of a specified determination by the Administrator. Establishes civil penalties for violations of this Act. Sets forth recordkeeping requirements and establishes access authorities for the Administrator. Authorizes appropriations. Title I: Rechargeable Battery Recycling Act - Rechargeable Battery Recycling Act - Prohibits any person from selling for use in the United States a regulated battery or a rechargeable consumer product ready for retail sale and manufactured on or after 12 months after this Act's enactment date unless the battery is easily removable from the product or is sold separately. Sets forth labeling requirements, including that the label contain a statement that the battery must be recycled or disposed of properly. Authorizes the Administrator, upon determining that other rechargeable batteries having electrode chemistries different from regulated batteries are toxic and may cause substantial harm if discarded for land disposal or incineration, to promulgate requirements for: (1) labeling such batteries and related products; and (2) easy removability of regulated batteries from rechargeable consumer products designed to contain such batteries. Provides for exemptions from this Act's requirements under certain conditions. Title II: Mercury-Containing Battery Management Act - Mercury-Containing Battery Management Act - Prohibits the sale or offering for sale or promotional purposes of: (1) alkaline-manganese batteries manufactured on or after January 1, 1996, with a mercury content that was intentionally introduced (limits the content in alkaline-manganese button cells to 25 milligrams of mercury per button cell); (2) zinc carbon batteries manufactured on or after January 1, 1996, that contain mercury that was intentionally introduced; (3) button cell mercuric-oxide batteries for use in the United States on or after January 1, 1996; and (4) any mercuric-oxide battery on or after January 1, 1996, unless the manufacturer identifies a collection site that has all required Federal, State, and local government approvals, to which persons may send such batteries for recycling or disposal and informs its purchasers of such site and of a telephone number to get information about sending such batteries for recycling or disposal. Authorizes the Administrator, upon the petition of a person that proposes a new use for a battery technology or the use of a battery described in this title in a new product, to exempt such new use or product from this title if there exist safeguards to ensure that the battery or product will not be disposed of in an incinerator, composting facility, or landfill (other than a facility regulated under subtitle C of the Solid Waste Disposal Act).
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 1995
Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1992 and 1993 to authorize the display of the POW-MIA flag on the grounds of each Department of Veterans Affairs medical center. Directs the Administrator of General Services to procure and distribute POW-MIA flags to the medical centers within 30 days of this Act's enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 1995
Access to Emergency Medical Services Act of 1995 - Requires a health plan that provides any emergency services coverage to cover emergency services furnished to a plan enrollee without regard to: (1) whether the provider has an arrangement with the plan; and (2) prior authorization. Mandates prompt payment in a reasonable and appropriate amount and prohibits cost-sharing greater for hospital emergency services than for other settings. Requires specified measures relating to the timeliness of prior authorization determinations regarding needed care identified in initial evaluations. Prohibits plans from discouraging appropriate use of the 911 emergency telephone number or from denying coverage or payment for an item or service solely on the basis that an enrollee uses the number. Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require health maintenance organizations, competitive medical plans, and managed care plans to meet the requirements of this paragraph. Allows State laws that provide protections exceeding those of this Act. Provides for civil money penalties for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1995
Amends Federal law making appropriations to improve the Suwannee River, Florida, to authorize the Secretary of the Army to dredge the McGriff Pass instead of the East Pass and Alligator (West) Pass in accordance with the terms and conditions which apply to the dredging of the East and Alligator Passes.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1995
Postmark Prompt Payment Act of 1995 - Deems any payment delivered by the Postal Service to be received by the payee on the date of the U.S. postmark stamped on the envelope or other cover in which such payment is mailed. Exempts any payment: (1) other than a payment on a bill, invoice, or statement of account due; (2) which is required by law, regulation, or contract to be delivered by any method other than by mail; or (3) which is subject to any other provision of Federal law specifying how a postmark date shall be used in determining the date on which such payment shall be deemed to have been delivered or made. Applies the provisions of this Act only if: (1) the postmark date falls on or before the prescribed date for making the payment; and (2) the payment was, on or before such date, deposited in the mail in the United States in an envelope or under other appropriate cover, postage prepaid, and properly addressed to the payee.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1995
Mother-Infant Health Protection Act of 1995 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to require group health plans to provide certain minimum obstetrical benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1995
Mothers' and Infants' Good Health Act of 1995 - Requires a health plan that provides maternity benefits that include benefits for child birth to provide coverage for a minimum amount of time following delivery in: (1) a health care facility; and (2) the home or other outpatient setting. Prohibits a health plan from modifying the terms and conditions of coverage, if an enrollee requests less than the minimum coverage required in this Act. Requires a health plan to provide notice, as specified, to each enrollee regarding the coverage required in this Act. Establishes civil penalties for failure to provide coverage and failure to provide notice.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1995
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit diesel motorboat fuel excise taxes for two years after enactment of this Act. Mandates a study and report to specified congressional committees on procedures for collecting excise taxes on diesel fuel for noncommercial motorboats.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1995
Domestic Violence Victims Insurance Protection Act of 1995 - Prohibits insurers from denying or cancelling insurance coverage for individuals solely on the basis that the individual is or has been the subject of an act of domestic violence.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 1995
Declares that it is the sense of the Congress that: (1) Social Security should be maintained; and (2) any changes to the program should be made only to preserve benefits and strengthen its long-term solvency and integrity.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 1995
Organ Donation Insert Card Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to include specified organ donation information with income tax refund payments made during a specified period.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 1995
Natural Disaster Protection Partnership Act of 1995 - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (the Act) to: (1) require a State to pay or agree to pay at least five dollars per resident, as determined by the latest official census, before such State or local government receives Federal assistance for the repair, restoration, reconstruction, or replacement of public facilities damaged or destroyed by a major disaster in the State; and (2) revise the formula used to determine the Federal share of such assistance as well as the Federal share for debris and wreckage removal from publicly and privately owned lands resulting from such disaster. Allows an increase of such assistance only upon the enactment of a joint resolution not designated as an emergency under provisions of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act). (Sec. 5) Adds provisions concerning disaster mitigation. Requires the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to establish and carry out natural disaster hazard mitigation (mitigation) programs that support natural disaster research, technology, and education. Gives the effect of law to a specified executive order relating to earthquake design and construction standards for federally leased, assisted, or regulated buildings. Requires the Director to enter into an arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences to study and report to the Congress on the feasibility of establishing: (1) national minimum building construction standards for residential and commercial building construction; and (2) standards for the training and licensing of home inspectors and for using such inspections as a means of promoting mitigation for residential property. Requires the Director to define which States should be classified as natural disaster-prone for purposes of the Act. Requires each natural disaster-prone State to either: (1) adopt multihazard building and safety codes for all new and substantially modified building construction in that State; or (2) certify that the State's local communities have adopted and are enforcing building codes which meet the appropriate minimum mitigation requirements of that State. Requires each State designated as flood-prone to either adopt relevant flood protection standards or certify that its flood-prone local communities are in compliance with appropriate State flood protection standards. Requires each natural disaster-prone State to either develop a multihazard mitigation plan or designate an existing plan which includes specified compliance and response requirements. Outlines provisions concerning State compliance with the establishment, adoption, and implementation of appropriate mitigation plans. Provides penalties for noncompliance. Requires the Director, after crediting premiums from the Natural Disaster Insurance Corporation (established under this Act), to allocate funds from a Mitigation Account (established under this Act) to States which comply with all mitigation requirements under this Act. Provides an allocation formula. Requires such funds to be used to support mitigation activities, especially those necessary to bring a State into compliance with building and safety code requirements enumerated under this Act. Requires audits of fund uses. Exempts a State, under specified conditions, from a particular mitigation requirement if it receives inadequate funds from the Account to cover the costs of complying with such requirement. Encourages each private insurer that participates in the Natural Disaster Insurance Corporation to take mitigation measures into account in setting rates and deductibles for its property insurance. Establishes the Natural Disaster Insurance Corporation as a not-for-profit membership corporation to provide primary insurance coverages and reinsurance coverage for hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis. Requires the Corporation's Board of Directors (Board) to: (1) develop a plan of operation describing the Corporation's administration and the provision of the insurance coverages it provides; and (2) develop and adjust, when necessary, actuarially sound rates for such coverages. Establishes an independent Natural Disaster Insurance Board of Actuaries (Independent Board) to review and approve such plan and rates. Requires the Board to file with each State insurance regulator information copies of the initial material and future revisions to its insurance rates, terms, or conditions. Requires the Corporation to establish and maintain a: (1) primary insurance coverage trust account to pay qualifying claims and loss adjustments expenses to private insurers acting as service providers of the primary insurance coverages; and (2) reinsurance coverage trust account to pay qualifying claims to private insurers which purchased such coverage. Outlines provisions concerning the Corporation's use of funds from other accounts and funds to pay for losses in excess of trust account funds or funds raised by issuing obligations in the private market (requiring repayment of funds borrowed from such accounts or funds). Requires the trust accounts to be kept separate. Prohibits: (1) the borrowing of monies between such accounts; and (2) the authorization or appropriation of Federal funds for Corporation activities. Requires the Comptroller General to audit and report to the Congress on Corporation and Independent Board activities. Requires the Corporation to: (1) issue primary insurance coverages that insure against physical damages and losses to residential property, including debris removal, additional living expenses incurred as a result of direct damage to such property, and ordinance and law coverages, resulting from the natural disasters enumerated in this Act that meet specified terms and conditions; and (2) make, under certain conditions, excess reinsurance coverage available to private insurers and State insurance pools for residential losses (including quota-share amounts retained by the private insurers under this Act not already insured by the Corporation under the primary insurance coverage policies) and commercial losses that are proximately caused by specified natural disaster perils. Prohibits making or renewing any federally-related mortgage loan secured by residential property located in an earthquake, volcanic eruption, tsunami, or hurricane-prone State unless the property is covered by: (1) primary insurance coverages; or (2) coverage issued by a private insurer which has equivalent terms, conditions, and rates as such coverages for seismic perils and that meets such terms and conditions as those required for the hurricane peril. Provides an escrow requirement with respect to insurance premiums for such coverage. Outlines requirements that must be met by residential property owners in natural disaster-prone States before the owners can receive any financial assistance under the Act or any similar Federal disaster assistance. Requires the Director and the Corporation to jointly report to the Congress on any additional sanctions or other measures deemed necessary to assure that policyholders purchase Federal flood insurance pursuant to the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968. Requires private insurers which exclude coverage for physical damage caused by flooding to include in the contract a specified warning statement to that effect (or an appropriate alternative warning statement). Establishes in the Treasury the Natural Disaster Protection Fund. Establishes within the Fund a separate Private Loss Account, Public Loss Account, and Mitigation Account. Requires the three accounts to be kept separate and prohibits the borrowing of monies between them. Requires the Private Loss Account to provide direct Federal loans to cover shortfalls in the Corporation's primary insurance and reinsurance accounts. Requires the Public Loss Account to: (1) retain reserve funds sufficient to cover the anticipated costs resulting from natural disasters up to the annual ten-year historical average of disaster relief provided by the Director; and (2) provide grants to States for the repair or restoration of critical facilities and lifelines, public facilities, and infrastructure damaged or destroyed by natural disasters and for pre-natural disaster mitigation. Allows the Federal share of such grants to be increased only upon the enactment of a joint resolution not designated as an emergency under provisions of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985. Requires: (1) the Mitigation Account to provide funds to States for appropriate mitigation efforts described in this Act; and (2) the Corporation to pay a specified percentage of the annual net premiums collected for the primary insurance coverages and the reinsurance coverages for mitigation purposes. Provides for appropriate transfers and credits to the Public Loss Account and the Mitigation Account. Authorizes appropriations to such Accounts.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 1995
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to add use in diesel-powered boats to the list of nontaxable uses for diesel fuel, effective on the enactment of this Act. Prohibits imposing a penalty on a person who sells or holds for sale dyed fuel for use in, or uses dyed fuel in, any diesel-powered boat and pays the tax imposed on such sale or use, effective on the date of the enactment of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 1995
Medicaid Certification Act of 1995 - Makes certain technical corrections to title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act, allowing, among other changes, for physician reimbursement for certified osteopathic physician services provided to children and pregnant women enrolled in Medicaid. Makes this Act effective as if included in the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 1995
Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to repeal the saccharin notice requirement for products that contain saccharin that are not for immediate consumption.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1995
Black Revolutionary War Patriots Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue one-dollar silver coins emblematic of the Black Revolutionary War Patriots Memorial in Washington, D.C. Directs that coin sale surcharges be paid to the Black Revolutionary War Patriots Foundation for raising an endowment to support construction of the Memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Health Care Fraud Prosecution Title II: Health Care Fraud and Abuse Commission Title I: Health Care Fraud Prosecution - Health Care Fraud Prosecution Act of 1995 - Amends the Federal criminal code to provide penalties for fraud by health care providers in connection with the provision of, or payments or reimbursement for, health care services or supplies, when: (1) the loss caused by the fraudulent conduct exceeds $10,000; or (2) the offender has previously been convicted of fraud in Federal or State court. Limits such penalties to ten years' imprisonment, unless the offense caused serious physical injury to, or endangered the life of, a patient (up to 20 years' imprisonment) or caused the death of a patient (up to life imprisonment). Specifies that the sentencing court shall order a person convicted of an offense under this title to pay restitution to the patient and any payor for losses sustained as a result of the offense. Provides for criminal forfeiture of the proceeds of health care fraud. Authorizes appropriations for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Attorneys, and the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services to hire, equip, and train personnel in connection with the investigation and prosecution of health care fraud cases. Title II: Health Care Fraud and Abuse Commission - Health Care Fraud and Abuse Commission Act of 1995 - Establishes the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Commission to investigate the nature, magnitude, and cost of health care fraud and abuse and develop methods for its prevention, detection, and prosecution or litigation. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1995
Community Ambulance Support Act of 1995 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of paramedic intercept services under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance).
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 1995
Tax Fairness for Farmers, Ranchers, and Small Businesses Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit a limited, one-time exclusion from gross income of up to $500,000 ($250,000 in a separate return of a married individual) of the gain from a single sale or exchange to a qualified buyer of qualified property. Defines "qualified property" as property that has been used by a seller over 55 years of age, or a family member, in farming or in a closely held business throughout the ten year period ending on the sale or exchange date. Defines "qualified buyer" as a buyer who is a lineal descendant of the seller, or a beginning farmer or rancher. Requires the seller to pay recapture taxes if within ten years after the sale or exchange the property is no longer used for the same farming or business purpose, unless the buyer is bankrupt or the initial income exclusion failed to reduce the seller's net tax. Increases from 30 percent to 100 percent the deduction for health insurance costs of self-employed individuals. Allows the carryover of unused personal exemptions and standard deductions for an individual whose income for the previous three years is at least 50 percent derived from engaging in continuous and substantial farming. Eliminates the possession tax credit granted income from sources within one of the U.S. territorial possessions. Alters the tax liability of a U.S. citizen who relinquishes his or her citizenship by considering certain property held at the time of relinquishment as sold at fair market value in order to tax any gain on that property. Requires that this additional taxed income: (1) be offset by a $600,000 exclusion from gross income; and (2) not include the value of U.S. real property (other than stock of a U.S. real property holding corporation), or any interest in certain specified domestic or (up to $500,000) foreign retirement and pension plans.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1995
Amends the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act to provide that where State workers' compensation laws are applicable and provide coverage for a migrant or seasonal agricultural worker, workers' compensation benefits shall be the exclusive remedy for actual damages for loss from an injury or death of such a worker for all cases in which a final judgment has not been entered. Provides that this does not preclude recovery for statutory damages or an injunction under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Biomedical and Behavioral Research Title II: Preventive Health Research Title III: Development of Improved Pharmaceuticals and Other Therapeutic Agents Pediatric Research Initiative Act of 1995 - Title I: Biomedical and Behavioral Research - Amends the Public Health Service Act to mandate a comprehensive plan for the conduct and support by the national research institutes of pediatric research. Establishes the National Advisory Council on Pediatric Research. Authorizes appropriations. Requires: (1) guidelines for the inclusion of children as subjects in clinical research projects conducted or supported by the National Institutes of Health; and (2) increasing the percentage of child subjects. Title II: Preventive Health Research - Mandates: (1) a program of research (directly or through grants) regarding preventable diseases, disabilities, and injuries in children; (2) an advisory committee; and (3) a comprehensive plan for the research. Establishes the Pediatric Prevention Research Initiative Fund. Authorizes appropriations. Title III: Development of Improved Pharmaceuticals and Other Therapeutic Agents - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to delay for a specified time (after the approval would otherwise be granted) the approval of new drugs for which the application materials refer to a drug whose approval application materials include pediatric clinical investigations. Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to consider pharmacokinetic studies as clinical investigations. Provides for requests for pediatric studies.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1995
James Madison Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue commemorative one-dollar silver coins emblematic of the 250th anniversary of the birth of James Madison and the life and achievements of the fourth President of the United States. Requires the Secretary to turn over proceeds from surcharges to the National Trust for Historic Preservation to be used to: (1) establish an endowment as a permanent source for Montpelier (home of James Madison and a museum); and (2) fund capital restoration projects at Montpelier.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1995
Waives certain time limitations with respect to the posthumous award of the Congressional Medal of Honor to Doris Miller for acts of heroism while serving in the Navy during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1995
Vietnam POW-MIA Full Disclosure Act of 1995 - Prohibits the usage of Federal funds for the advancement of diplomatic or economic relations with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam unless the President: (1) provides a listing of the Americans unaccounted for from the Vietnam War about whom Vietnam is most likely to be able to provide remains or additional information; (2) certifies that Vietnam is cooperating fully with regard to recovery and repatriation of American remains, resolution of discrepancies, live-sightings and field activities, implementation of trilateral investigations with the Lao, and provision of documents on POW/MIAs; and (3) certifies that Vietnam is being fully forthcoming in providing access to Central Committee-level records pertaining to Americans captured or held during the war in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1995
Diabetes Research Act of 1995 - Authorizes appropriations, in addition to any other authorization of appropriations, for the conduct and support of diabetes research by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Requires that, of the amounts appropriated under this authorization, the NIH reserve a specified amount for the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and the remainder for the other national research institutes.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Findings and Purposes Title II: Reserve Component Structure Title III: Reserve Component Accessibility Title IV: Reserve Component Resources Title V: Reserve Forces Sustainment Reserve Forces Revitalization Act of 1995 - Title I: Findings and Purposes - States that the purpose of this Act is to revise statutory authorities governing the reserve components of the armed forces in order to recognize the realities of reserve component partnership in the Total Force and to better prepare the American citizen-soldier in peace for duties in war. Title II: Reserve Component Structure - Establishes within the appropriate military departments the Army, Naval, and Air Force Reserve Command, as well as the Marine Forces Reserve. Provides for a commander and deputy commander within each of the Commands and Reserve. Requires the Secretary of each military department (Commandant, with respect to the Marine Corps) to assign to the Command or Reserve all of their reserve forces (specified portions with respect to the Marine Corps). Requires an implementation report and schedule. Establishes in each military department an Office of Army, Naval, Marine Forces, and Air Force Reserve, as well as a Chief of each such Reserve. Outlines administrative provisions with respect to each such office, including terms of office, budgets, and a required annual report to the Congress. (Sec. 203) Requires the Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau to serve in the grade of lieutenant general (currently, major general). (Sec. 204) Provides the grades of the commanders of the reserve personnel centers. (Sec. 205) Exempts from annual active-duty officer end strength limitations general officers responsible for reserve affairs within the military departments. (Sec. 206) Limits the total reduction in the number of positions authorized for military (civilian) technicians of the Army and Air National Guard and the Army and Air Force Reserve. Title III: Reserve Component Accessibility - Authorizes the President to order to active duty members of the Ready Reserve: (1) in time of national emergency declared by the Congress; (2) when necessary to provide Federal disaster relief to a State upon request; and (3) when otherwise authorized by law. Requires 48 hours' prior notification to the Congress before exercising such authority. Provides time limitations with respect to such activations. Requires quarterly reports to the Congress by the President with respect to the exercise of such authority and the necessity for retention of the reserves on active duty. Limits to one million the total number of personnel authorized to be on such duty at any one time without their consent. Directs the Secretary of Defense to prescribe policies and procedures for the release of such members from such duty. Prohibits any member of the Ready Reserve from being ordered to such duty more than once in any 24-month period, with a waiver by the President when it is determined that such service is urgently required and not otherwise available. (Sec. 302) Directs the Secretary to report to the Congress concerning possible legislation: (1) providing tax incentives to employers of reserve personnel to compensate for employee absences due to the performance of involuntary training or required or involuntary active duty; (2) to establish an income insurance program to provide replacement income to reserve personnel called to active duty or active Federal service; and (3) to establish a small business loan program to provide to reserve personnel ordered to active duty or active Federal service during a contingency operation low-cost loans to assist such members in retaining or rebuilding businesses affected by such service. Title IV: Reserve Component Resources - Directs the Secretary to include in the annual budget report to the Congress a report on any actual or anticipated shortfall in funding for reserve component personnel, operations and maintenance, equipment, or military construction in the budget for that fiscal year. (Sec. 402) Requires funds appropriated to the reserve components to be allocated by the Secretary to the use of that component for the purposes provided by the Congress. Requires amounts intended for military or civilian active personnel performing service in support of the reserves to be shown separately in budget justification documents. Title V: Reserve Forces Sustainment - Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress concerning possible legislation to restore the tax deductibility of nonreimbursable expenses incurred by reserve personnel in connection with military service. (Sec. 502) Authorizes the Secretary to pay transient housing charges for reserve personnel performing active duty for training at locations which are more than 50 miles from their current residence. (Currently, such authority is limited to annual training duty performed at such locations.) (Sec. 503) Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the United States should continue to pay reserve personnel appropriate quarters allowances during periods of service on active duty for training; and (2) current reserve component military leave policies should not be changed. (Sec. 505) Directs the Secretary to seek to arrange for the establishment by a private insurance carrier of a group dental plan for members of the Selected Reserve and their dependents which would enable such individuals to obtain dental care at a low cost. (Sec. 506) Directs the Secretary to seek to enter into an agreement with a national organization representing retail merchants under which such organization would sponsor a program for the provision of price discounts by participating retail merchants to members of the armed forces. (Sec. 507) Commends the Reserve Forces Policy Board for its past work as an independent source of advice to the Secretary on all matters pertaining to the reserves. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Board and the reserve forces policy committees for the individual military departments should continue to perform the vital role of providing the civilian leadership of the Department of Defense with independent advice on such matters.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1995
Amends Federal civil service law to entitle certain honorably discharged veterans who served on active duty to five additional points on examinations for entrance into the competitive service.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Cancellation and Suspension Title II: Minor Use Crop Protection Act of 1995 Title III: Data Collection Activities to Assure the Health of Infants and Children and Other Measures Title IV: Amendments to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act Food Quality Protection Act of 1995 - Title I: Cancellation and Suspension - Amends provisions of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) relating to cancellations, changes in classifications, or other terms of registration with respect to the authority of the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Requires that a rulemaking under such provisions be based on a validated test or other significant evidence raising prudent concerns of unreasonable adverse effects to man or to the environment. Denies registration applications that are not in compliance with this Act. Title II: Minor Use Crop Protection Act of 1995 - Minor Use Crop Protection Act of 1995 - Amends FIFRA to define "minor use" as the use of a pesticide on an animal or commercial agricultural crop or site or for public health protection where: (1) the total U.S. acreage for the crop is less than 300,000 acres; or (2) the Administrator determines that the use does not provide sufficient economic incentive to support the initial or continuing registration of a pesticide for such use and there are insufficient alternatives available for the use, the alternatives pose greater environmental or health risks, or the pesticide plays or will play a significant part in managing pest resistance or in an integrated pest management program. Extends the period of exclusive data use for data submitted to support original registration applications for pesticides for an additional year for each three minor uses registered after this Act's enactment and before the expiration of the period of exclusive use, up to a total of three additional years for all minor uses registered by the Administrator if the Administrator determines that: (1) there are insufficient alternatives available for the use or the alternatives pose greater environmental or health risks; or (2) the pesticide plays or will play a significant part in managing pest resistance or in an integrated pest management program. Requires the Administrator, upon the request of a registrant, to extend the deadline for the production of residue chemistry data required solely to support a minor use subject to specified conditions. Applies the same extension conditions to data for reregistrations. Authorizes the Administrator to modify or revoke such extensions if the use may cause unreasonable adverse environmental effects. Permits the Administrator, in handling the registration of a pesticide for a minor use, to waive applicable data requirements if the absence of data will not prevent the Administrator from determining the risk presented by the pesticide and that the risk would not have an adverse environmental effect. Provides for expedited review (within one year of submission) of applications to support minor use pesticide registrations. Sets forth conditions for extensions of registrations for unsupported minor uses. Provides a procedure for meeting data requirements where a registrant has voluntarily cancelled a registration and another application is pending for registration of a pesticide that is for a minor use and is identical or substantially similar to, or for an identical or substantially similar use as, the cancelled pesticide. Directs the Administrator to establish a minor use program. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a Department of Agriculture minor use program and a separate matching fund program. Requires the matching fund program to be utilized to ensure the continued availability of minor use crop protection chemicals. Authorizes appropriations. Title III: Data Collection Activities to Assure the Health of Infants and Children and Other Measures - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the Administrator and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, to coordinate the development and implementation of survey procedures to ensure collection of adequate data on food consumption patterns of infants and children. Requires residue surveillance activities of the Department of Agriculture to provide for the improved surveillance of pesticide residues, including increased sampling of foods most likely consumed by infants and children. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) collect pesticide use data of statewide or regional significance for all the major crops and crops of dietary significance; and (2) in cooperation with the Administrator, implement research, demonstration, and education programs to support adoption of integrated pest management. Requires Federal agencies to use and promote integrated pest management techniques. Title IV: Amendments to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) to redefine "pesticide chemical," subject to exception, as any substance that is a pesticide, or any active ingredient thereof, within the meaning of FIFRA. Defines "pesticide chemical residue," subject to exception, as a residue in or on a raw agricultural commodity or processed food of a pesticide chemical or any other added substance present as a result of a pesticide chemical's metabolism or other degradation. Deems a processed food not to be adulterated, within the meaning of FDCA, if there are present pesticide chemical residues at tolerance levels not considered unsafe. (Current law treats only raw agricultural commodities in this manner.) Sets forth requirements relating to tolerances and exemptions from tolerances for pesticide chemical residues in food, including residues of degradation products, which allow the presence in processed food at the tolerance applicable to the raw agricultural commodity from which the processed food is made. Prohibits establishment of a tolerance that is more stringent than a level the Administrator determines is adequate to protect the public health (i.e., if the dietary risk posed by such level of residues is negligible). Allows a greater than negligible dietary risk if: (1) use protects from greater adverse health effects to humans or the environment; (2) use avoids greater risks from another pesticide; or (3) the unavailability of the pesticide would reduce the availability of an adequate, wholesome, and economical domestic supply of the food. Prohibits issuance of a final rule that revokes, modifies, or suspends a tolerance or exemption until the Administrator has taken any necessary action under FIFRA with respect to the registration of the pesticide involved. Requires the Administrator, where a pesticide is labeled for use on a particular food, to: (1) revoke any tolerance or exemption that allows the presence of a particular chemical or its residue in or on such food if the Administrator cancels the registration of each pesticide that contains the chemical or modifies it to prohibit the pesticide's use in connection with such food; and (2) suspend any such tolerance or exemption upon the suspension of the use of each pesticide that contains the chemical. Provides for: (1) tolerances for unavoidable residues in the case of a residue of a canceled or suspended pesticide chemical that will unavoidably persist in the environment and be present in or on a food; and (2) residues resulting from an application which was lawful at the time of application but with respect to which the tolerance or exemption has since been revoked, suspended, or modified. Prohibits, subject to exception, a State from enforcing any limit on a qualifying pesticide chemical residue (as defined in this Act) in or on any food which is not identical to Federal requirements. Prohibits a State, absent an unreasonable dietary risk, from enforcing a limit on the level of residues in any food if the sale of such food containing such residue level was lawful at the time of application of the pesticide. Authorizes appropriations for increased monitoring of pesticide residues in imported and domestic food.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1995
Requires the rate of duty on tomatoes imported from Mexico to be equal to the column one duty rate under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States as adjusted by the change in value of Mexican currency (stated in U.S. dollars) on January 1, 1994, and its value on the date of enactment of this Act. Provides for periodic three-month adjustments in such rate. (Sec. 3) Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to determine the extent of the harm to the domestic winter tomato industry as a result of the devaluation in the Mexican peso in December 1994 and immediately take steps to remedy such harm. (Sec. 4) States that for purposes of applying standards provisions of the Agricultural Adjustment Act, imports of tomatoes from Mexico shall be prohibited that do not meet specific requirements with respect to grade, size, and containers.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1995
Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make periodic assistance payments on behalf of an eligible veteran for the purpose of buying down the interest rate charged on a housing loan that is guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Outlines veteran eligibility requirements. Limits to three years the interest rate buy-down period. Requires the Secretary to: (1) promulgate underwriting standards for loans for which the interest rate assistance payments may be made; and (2) provide comprehensive prepurchase counseling to eligible veterans explaining the features of the interest rate buy-downs. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary of Defense to reimburse the Secretary for amounts paid to veteran mortgagees for such buy-down assistance. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to indemnify a lender who makes a loan which is subject to the interest rate buy-down provisions. Authorizes the Secretaries to enter into an agreement to carry out this Act. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1995
National Senior Citizens Pet Ownership Protection Act - Amends the Housing and Urban-Rural Recovery Act of 1983 to prohibit owners and managers of federally assisted rental housing from preventing elderly and disabled tenants from owning or having household pets.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1995
Veterans' Employment and Training Bill of Rights Act of 1995 - Entitles a veteran to priority of services under any federally-funded work-force preparation, development, or delivery program if the veteran: (1) otherwise meets the eligibility requirements for such program; and (2) enters such program before the end of the ten-year period beginning on the veteran's date of discharge or release from active duty. Requires the entity administering the program to provide appropriate information and referral assistance to veterans. Gives special disabled veterans first priority in such programs. Directs the Secretary of Labor to report annually to specified congressional committees with information ensuring that veterans are being served by such programs and that the services of such programs are in proportion to the number of veterans in the labor market.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1995
False Identification Act of 1995 - Amends the Federal criminal code to reduce the minimum number of documents to three (currently, five) for certain offenses involving fraud and related activity in connection with identification documents. Sets criminal penalties for knowingly sending through the mails or producing, with the intention or knowledge that it will be deposited for mailing, any unverified identification document that bears a birth date showing the individual named in the document to be 21 years of age or older, when in fact that individual has not attained age 21.
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