Person

Rep. Torres, Esteban Edward [D-CA-34]

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2,748 records where Rep. Torres, Esteban Edward [D-CA-34] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years

Bill· HRH.R. 2188 (102nd)open

To deny the People's Republic of China most-favored-nation trade treatment.

United States · United States Congress · 1 May 1991

Prohibits most-favored-nation treatment for Chinese products.

Bill· HRH.R. 2175 (102nd)referred

To amend the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to narrow the circumstances under which the Export-Import Bank of the United States may participate in financing the sale of defense articles or services to foreign countries, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 1 May 1991

Amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to prohibit, except under specified circumstances, the Export-Import Bank from guaranteeing or extending credit for the sale of defense articles and services to any country (currently, only to economically less developed countries). Requires the Comptroller General to study the participation of the Bank in financing sales of such items to foreign countries and to submit the results of such study to specified congressional committees.

Bill· HJRESH.J.Res. 239 (102nd)referred

Morris K. Udall Wilderness Act of 1991

United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1991

Morris K. Udall Wilderness Act of 1991 - Designates specified lands in Alaska as the Arctic Coastal Plain Wilderness and a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System.

Bill· HRH.R. 2095 (102nd)passed

Federal Recycling Incentive Act

United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1991

Federal Recycling Incentive Act - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to direct the Administrator of General Services to: (1) establish, and periodically modify, a program requiring each Federal department, agency, or instrumentality to separate and collect solid waste (including high-grade paper, newspapers, aluminum, bottles, and containers) for recycling; (2) establish and implement a system for monitoring and enforcing the provisions of this Act; and (3) report periodically to the Congress as to the extent of compliance for the preceding 12-month period. Authorizes any such entity to retain any moneys received from the sale of such waste for use in carrying out its functions. Authorizes appropriations.

Bill· HRH.R. 2098 (102nd)referred

Nuclear Facilities Occupational Safety Improvement Act of 1991

United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1991

Nuclear Facilities Occupational Safety Improvement Act of 1991 - Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA) to apply it to certain Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear facilities (including specified defense, production, utilization, and waste storage or disposal facilities). Directs the Secretary of Labor to promulgate specific regulations and standards to govern the application of OSHA to such facilities. Requires the Secretary of Energy and each contractor operating such a facility to: (1) cooperate with the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Health and Human Services in the conduct of an inspection or investigation under OSHA at such facility; (2) grant access to it to enable the conduct of such inspection or investigation; and (3) provide all information necessary for such inspection or investigation. Authorizes the Secretary of Energy, to protect the confidentiality of information, to deny access to any person who has not been granted a security clearance or access authorization. Provides for transfer and allocation of appropriations and personnel. Directs the Secretary of Labor, by specified deadlines, to promulgate interim regulations and propose and promulgate final regulations to provide for specified types of health and safety training of employees at such DOE nuclear facilities. Requires the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and its Director to: (1) perform functions authorized by OSHA at such facilities; and (2) conduct health hazard evaluations, including ionizing radiation evaluations, at such facilities. Requires medical examinations of employees at such DOE nuclear facilities. Requires all such employees to be given baseline medical examinations in accordance with guidelines developed by the Health Advisory Committee, and subsequent examinations, as recommended by the Committee, for their lifetime. Requires, where appropriate, such examinations for family members determined to be at high risk of disease because of an employee's exposure at the workplace. Requires that all former employees at such facilities and their families be offered participation in a medical surveillance program designed to focus on work-related exposure to toxic substances and radiation, including treatment for occupationally related illness. Requires all contractors with such facilities to maintain a full-time occupational health physician and supporting medical staff, in accordance with Committee guidelines. Establishes a Health Advisory Committee to: (1) review existing medical studies relating to the administration of such medical examination program; and (2) issue the aforementioned guidelines and standards for such program. Requires that all information from such medical examinations be available to individual employees and their representatives and that aggregate information from such examinations be available to the public. Requires that program costs be borne by DOE. Directs the Secretary of Labor, in coordination with the Secretary of Energy, to promulgate necessary regulations. Requires each such DOE nuclear facility to establish a labor-management health and safety committee in accordance with specified guidelines.

Bill· HRH.R. 2115 (102nd)referred

To amend title XI of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 to extend the phase-in period under such title by 1 year, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1991

Amends the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1991 to extend the phase-in period for State licensed appraisals. Prohibits the Appraisal Subcommittee from establishing a minimum experience requirement in excess of 500 hours as a licensing standard or qualification for State licensed appraisers.

Bill· HRH.R. 2083 (102nd)open

Circle of Poison Prevention Act of 1991

United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1991

Circle of Poison Prevention Act of 1991 - Title I: Exported Pesticides - Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to require pesticide producers operating registered establishments to inform the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency of: (1) the types and quantities of pesticides and active ingredients used in producing pesticides for export to a foreign country; and (2) the date of export and quantity of such materials exported to each foreign country to which the producer has exported during the past 365-day period. Provides that specified information on exported pesticides shall not be entitled to confidential trade secret treatment. Makes it unlawful to export a pesticide or device in violation of FIFRA export requirements. Prohibits the exportation of a pesticide or device unless: (1) such materials are prepared and packaged according to the specifications of the foreign purchaser and the legal requirements of the country of use; and (2) the label of the pesticide is written in the official language of the country of use and contains all information required to be included in the labeling for such pesticide in the United States. Prohibits the exportation of a pesticide to a country of use if: (1) the registrations for pesticides containing an active ingredient that is included in such pesticide that account for nearly all of the uses of such ingredient have been canceled; (2) the tolerances for an active ingredient in such pesticide that account for nearly all the uses of such ingredient have been revoked; or (3) an active ingredient of the pesticide is ineligible for reregistration. Prohibits such exports (including pesticides used for agricultural production) unless: (1) the pesticide is registered; or (2) all of the active ingredients in the pesticide are the subject of a food tolerance. Requires exporters, prior to the shipment of certain pesticides, to provide specified information to the Administrator. Prohibits the exportation of any pesticide to a country of use that: (1) has refused consent; or (2) has given conditional consent unless the conditions on which the consent was given are met. Prohibits refusals to consent unless the country certifies that it is not producing or importing and will not produce or import the pesticide or a similar product with the same active ingredient. Waives certain requirements, upon the request of a country of use and subject to certain determinations by the Administrator, to permit the export of pesticides not meeting FIFRA requirements to: (1) prevent or arrest the spread of a communicable disease; or (2) stop or prevent the spread of a pest that is destroying or will destroy quantities of the country's food supply so as to result in widespread famine. Permits the export of pesticides for experimental use in foreign countries if specified conditions are met. Directs the Administrator to submit information to the Secretary of Health and Human Services concerning inspections for pesticide residues in imported foods conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services. Requires the Administrator to notify foreign countries and the International Register of Potentially Toxic Chemicals whenever regulatory action is taken with respect to a pesticide. Directs the Administrator to: (1) convene meetings with foreign governments and other interested parties to promote the implementation of improved research and regulatory programs for pest management and strategies for sustainable agriculture and to encourage the adoption of a multilateral convention requiring standard notice and pesticide export control measures; and (2) provide foreign countries with technical assistance to develop pesticide regulatory programs. Permits persons to bring civil actions to secure the imposition of penalties on persons who violate pesticide export requirements. Prohibits civil actions from being initiated on the basis of the same unlawful acts that form the basis of existing proceedings for criminal violations. Requires the Comptroller General to report to the Congress every four years on: (1) the operation and effect of this Act; and (2) how exported pesticides and their containers are used and disposed of and on their impact on the public health and the environment of countries of use. Title II: Pesticide Residue Monitoring - Amends the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 to direct the Food and Drug Administration to summarize the volume of each food product subject to the requirements of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act imported into the United States in quantities determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to be commercial quantities (currently, products having an entry value exceeding an amount established by the Secretary). Requires the summary to: (1) be made by food product, country of origin, port of entry, pesticides monitored by the Secretary, pesticide residues detected, and the quantity of each pesticide exported from the United States for agricultural use; and (2) indicate the volume of each type of food tested for pesticide residues, arranged by pesticide, food, and country of origin. Title III: Pesticide Tolerances - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Administrator, if a registration under FIFRA for a pesticide to be used on food is canceled or modified to prohibit its use in connection with food, to revoke any tolerance or exemption that permits the presence of the pesticide on the food. Suspends tolerances or exemptions for pesticides used on food if such use is suspended under FIFRA. Authorizes the Administrator, if a residue of a canceled or suspended pesticide will persist in the environment and be present on a food, to establish a tolerance for the pesticide at a level that permits the residue to remain and will protect public health. Requires the Administrator to reduce the tolerance for any suspended or canceled pesticide annually if any decrease in the pesticide's residual environmental contamination or residues on food has occurred. Prohibits the Administrator from establishing or continuing a tolerance for a pesticide chemical residue unless the best available, practical method for detecting and measuring the levels of the residue on a food exists. Title IV: Pesticide Information - Prohibits the importation of a raw agricultural commodity into U.S. customs territory unless the commodity importer files with the Secretary and the Secretary of the Treasury a document identifying each pesticide chemical used in connection with the commodity. Requires such importers, if unreported pesticides are detected in such commodities, to submit residue analyses for such pesticides. Waives reporting requirements for unreported pesticides if the presence of such pesticides is attributable to long-term environmental persistence and does not pose a health risk. Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act, and the Egg Products Inspection Act to apply such requirements to importers of meat, poultry, and eggs. Amends the Agricultural Act of 1954 to add to the list of annual reporting requirements of agricultural attaches a report on the customary use of pesticides in the production of agricultural commodities in foreign countries. Title V: Effective Dates - Sets forth the effective dates for provisions of this Act.

Bill· HRH.R. 2075 (102nd)referred

To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to prohibit discrimination in the provision of home and community-based services under a waiver based on whether an individual has received institutional services.

United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1991

Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services from approving or renewing a waiver under a State Medicaid program of Medicaid's home health care exclusion if such program requires a patient to be or have been an inpatient of a hospital or a resident of a nursing facility in order to be eligible for home health care services.

Bill· HRH.R. 2076 (102nd)referred

Young Americans Workers' Bill of Rights

United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1991

Young American Workers' Bill of Rights - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (the Act) to add and revise requirements relating to child labor standards. Directs the Secretary of Labor (the Secretary) and the Census Bureau to compile annual data from State employment security agencies on types of industries and occupations employing individuals under age 18, and cases of violations of child labor standards. Requires employers employing individuals under 18 to report to such State agencies information on any lost-time injury or any illness such individual incurred while at work. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in conjunction with the Secretary, to report annually on the status of child labor in the United States and its attendant safety and health hazards. Prohibits employment of any individual under age 18 who is not a high school graduate unless the employer has in effect a certificate for such employment issued annually with the approval of the minor's parents or guardians, family physician, and appropriate local school officials. Sets forth conditions for issuance of such certificates. Requires the State agency to provide a copy of such certificate to the parents or guardians and the local school district. Requires employers to post child labor law provisions at each premise where child labor is employed. Requires State agencies to report annually to the Secretary on such certificates. Directs the Secretary to revise certain child labor orders relating to: (1) certain types of driving; and (2) use and cleaning of machinery at restaurants and fast food establishments. Directs the Secretary to find and declare that poultry processing, seafood processing, paper bailing, power-driven meat slicing, and pesticide handling are particularly hazardous for employment of children between the ages of 16 and 18, for certain purposes under the Act. Revises a specified child labor regulation to: (1) prohibit individuals under 16 from making door-to-door sales for profit, or from using fryers, baking equipment, and cooking equipment in food service establishments; and (2) eliminate an exemption involving soda fountains, lunch counters, snack bars, or cafeteria serving counters. Increases the fine for certain child labor law violations. Adds criminal penalties of fines or imprisonment for willful violations of child labor laws in cases of: (1) repeat offenders; or (2) resultant serious bodily injury or death to the minor employee. Provides that a prior offense is not a prerequisite for imprisonment for willful violations of child labor provisions. Makes willful violators of child labor provisions who are repeat offenders ineligible: (1) for any direct or indirect Federal grant, contract, or loan, for five years after determination; and (2) to pay a special training wage below the minimum wage rate Provides for civil actions for child labor violators. Makes violators liable for appropriate legal or equitable relief. Directs the Secretary to establish and encourage closer working relationships among Federal and State agencies responsible for enforcing labor, safety and health, and immigration laws. Requires establishment of referral systems among Federal and State labor standards and occupational health and safety enforcement personnel, and of those personnel with Immigration and Naturalization Service enforcement personnel. Directs the Secretary to: (1) seek advice from the private and non-Federal public sectors on the Act and its regulations relating to employment of minors; and (2) establish an Advisory Committee for Child Labor for such purpose. Directs the Secretary to: (1) publish and distribute regionally the addresses, and types of violations of willful violators of child labor laws; and (2) post and otherwise make available to affected school districts the name of each violator of child labor laws, with the location and nature of the violation. Applies certain child labor law provisions of the Act to employers regardless of the annual dollar volume of sales whereby certain enterprises are exempted from coverage under the Act. Prohibits, under the definition of oppressive child labor, employing any person under the age of 14 as a migrant or seasonal agricultural worker. Directs the Secretary to issue regulations to carry out this Act. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary to cover additional costs resulting from the reporting, and recordkeeping and the penalty enforcement requirements of this Act.

Resolution· HRESH.Res. 134 (102nd)open

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States implement promptly the recommendations the National Academy of Sciences issued in its report "Policy Implications of Greenhouse Warming".

United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1991

Declares that it is the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States implement the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences in its report "Policy Implications of Greenhouse Warming."

Bill· HRH.R. 1987 (102nd)open

To amend the Act of March 3, 1931 (known as the Davis-Bacon Act), to revise the standard for coverage under that Act, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1991

Amends the Davis-Bacon Act (the Act) to apply it to any contract (relating to public buildings or public works of the United States or the District of Columbia or buildings or works financed in whole or part by Federal loans, grants, or loan guarantees, with specified exceptions) in excess of $100,000 for new construction (including painting and decorating) or in excess of $15,000 for alteration, repair, renovation, rehabilitation, or reconstruction (including painting and decorating). Provides that State, local, or tribal government requirements for wages or fringe benefits applied to such contracts for federally-assisted construction or repair of buildings or works shall not be preempted by the Act unless there is a conflict in compliance with both. Provides that an individual shall be considered a laborer or mechanic if the contractor or subcontractor paid the individual, directly or through a subcontract, for such services performed to carry out the contract. Prohibits the use of multiple contracts to avoid application of the Act. Requires that any two or more contracts shall be treated as a single contract if they: (1) individually do not exceed the minimum amount necessary for the Act to apply; (2) in the aggregate do exceed such amount; and (3) all relate to the same work or related work at the same site. Permits any interested person to seek relief from violations of such provision in U.S. district court. Applies the Act also to contracts for the lease of a facility if construction, alteration, repair, renovation, rehabilitation, or reconstruction is required for a contract's fulfillment. Defines the terms "apprentice," "trainee," and "helper." Prescribes circumstances under which such persons may be paid less than the required wage rate under the Act. Directs the Secretary of Labor (the Secretary) to promulgate regulations defining such persons and prescribing the conditions under which they will not be subject to the required rate, the rate at which they will be employed, and other appropriate conditions. Requires the contractor or subcontractor to post the scale of wages required to be paid under such contract in a prominent and easily accessible place at the contract worksite. Provides that the wages required to be paid under the Act shall be the wages determined by the Secretary to be prevailing within three years of the date the contract was entered into. Provides that, if the Secretary has not made a prevailing wage determination within such three-year limitation, the prevailing wage shall be the highest wage prevailing in a comparable area in the State in which the contract is performed. Directs the Secretary, in making a prevailing wage determination, to consider the wages paid for all projects of the same character in the area under contracts for amounts not less than the minimum amounts necessary for the Act to apply. Provides that a contractor or subcontractor may only include contributions and costs relating to employee fringe benefits, as part of their prevailing wage payment, in an amount not exceeding the aggregate of such contributions and costs prevailing in the area. Authorizes the Secretary to investigate and secure compliance with requirements of the Act. Allows any interested person to petition the Secretary to review the determination of a Secretary of a department or an agency head that a contract entered into is not subject to the Act. Provides for judicial review of such coverage determinations. Permits any laborer, mechanic, or any interested person to petition the Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor to review the wage payments received to determine if they have been made in accordance with the Secretary's prevailing wage determination. Sets forth procedures for such wage review. Provides that the determination of the Administrator, an administrative law judge, or the Secretary on a petition for review of the wage payments may include the award of damages to the petitioner in the amount of twice the amount of wages not paid in accordance with the prevailing wage determination, if it is found that the petitioner was willfully not paid the required wages. Requires the defendant in such cases to pay a reasonable attorney's fee and the cost of the action. Makes any employer who violates the required wage rate provisions of the Act liable to each affected employee in the amount of unpaid wages and, if the violation was willful, in an additional equal amount as liquidated damages. Allows an action to recover such liability to be maintained against any employer in any Federal or State court of competent jurisdiction by any interested party, or by any employee on behalf of affected employees and other employees similarly situated. Prohibits any employee from being a party plaintiff to such an action unless the employee gives consent in writing to become a party and the consent is filed in the court in which the action is brought. Prohibits employees from bringing such a civil action with respect to their wages if they file a petition for review. Directs the court, in addition to any judgment awarded to the plaintiff or plaintiffs, to allow a reasonable attorney's fee and the cost of the action to be paid by the defendant. Requires the Comptroller General to pay directly to laborers and mechanics from any accrued payments withheld under the contract any wages found by the Secretary to be due. Directs the Secretary to distribute to all departments of the Government a list of the names of persons or firms who: (1) are found to have disregarded their obligations to employees and subcontractors; and (2) are debarred from Federal contracts for a specified time. (Removes the Comptroller General from such debarment process.) Declares that employees may bring an action against contractors and their sureties for the payment of unpaid wages. Specifies that the Secretary or the contracting officer may order accrued payments in amounts necessary to cover unpaid wages to be withheld from contractors found to have violated the Act. Requires that contracts subject to the Act contain a provision allowing the Government to terminate the contract if less than the required wage rate has been or is being paid. Makes the contractor and its sureties liable for any excess costs incurred by the Government because of such termination. Directs the Secretary to: (1) enforce the Act; and (2) promulgate standards and procedures to be observed by contracting officers. Amends the Copeland Anti-Kickback Act (which provides for the Secretary of Labor to make reasonable regulations for contractors and subcontractors in the construction or repair of public buildings or public works or buildings or works financed in whole or part by Federal loans or grants) to require such employers to report certain payroll information on a monthly (rather than a weekly) basis. Requires such information to include specified items (including rates of contributions or costs anticipated for bona fide fringe benefits). Requires such employers to maintain payroll and other related basic records for three years after completion of such work. Permits any interested person to obtain from any Federal department or agency a copy of any such payroll statement which has been filed by the contractor or subcontractor with the department or agency under such Act. Directs the Secretary of Labor to: (1) study the feasibility of employers using electronic methods to comply with reporting requirements under such Act; and (2) report to the Congress within one year on actions taken by the Secretary and employers to facilitate electronic reporting of payroll information.

Bill· HRH.R. 2029 (102nd)open

Operation Coastal Shield of 1991

United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1991

Title I: General Provisions - Operation Coastal Shield of 1991 - Sets forth congressional findings and purposes with respect to coastal and Great Lakes water quality. Title II: Coastal Water Quality - Amends the Clean Water Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to: (1) issue guidance to States for implementing water quality criteria, developing water and sediment quality-based effluent limitations, and implementing water quality related controls on nonpoint sources; (2) submit a workplan to specified congressional committees on a five-year schedule for developing and revising criteria for pollutants found in coastal waters; (3) issue or revise at least five new criteria and revise at least five existing criteria biennially for pollutants which pose the greatest risk to coastal waters; and (4) publish biological criteria for assessing and protecting coastal water quality and habitat to complement pollutant-specific criteria. Requires a coastal State, whenever the State reviews water quality standards, to adopt coastal water quality standards for pollutants for which water quality criteria and information have been issued. Requires criteria issued by the Administrator to take effect immediately as interim coastal water quality standards for States that fail to adopt approvable standards. Directs the Administrator to publish information on methods for measuring water quality criteria for pollutants that may pose risks to coastal and Great Lakes water quality on bases other than pollutant-by-pollutant criteria. Requires applicants for Federal permits to conduct activities which may result in discharges into navigable waters to obtain a certification from the State in which the discharge will originate that such activities will not contribute to a failure to achieve water quality standards. Directs coastal States to develop coastal water quality protection programs for restoring and protecting coastal water quality. Requires such programs to: (1) incorporate requirements of specified Acts; (2) identify coastal waters for which standards cannot be expected to be maintained and waters that currently meet standards but are threatened by increases in pollution; (3) establish a priority ranking for such waters and implement schedules for developing water quality restoration plans for those waters; (4) provide for a system of allocating and exchanging discharge reduction credits and pollution offsets among sources of conventional pollutants and nutrients into coastal waters; (5) establish a system through which a State authority certifies that the issuance or renewal of a discharge permit or the undertaking of any activity subject to the requirements of a coastal water quality restoration plan complies with such requirements; and (6) ensure public participation in the program and include procedures to ensure compliance with the program. Sets forth: (1) requirements for coastal water quality restoration plans; and (2) approval procedures for such plans and for coastal water quality protection programs. Directs the Administrator to develop water quality restoration plans for States that fail to do so. Requires the Administrator to issue orders to, or commence civil actions against, persons failing to comply with coastal water quality protection program requirements. Authorizes citizen suits against the United States and other governmental authorities for violations of such requirements. Prohibits the issuance or renewal of permits for discharges into estuaries nominated for the National Estuary Program, except in compliance with specified guidelines. Directs the Administrator to review and revise guidelines to prevent the degradation of coastal water quality and to reflect changes made by this Act. Authorizes State Governors to request the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to enter into a cooperative agreement to permit a State and its political subdivisions to enforce requirements for marine sanitation devices. Requires such agreements to authorize States or political subdivisions to assess and retain required penalties. Directs the Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Administrator to notify the fish and game and water pollution control authorities of each coastal State of the funds available under the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act to finance shoreside pumpout stations for marine sanitation devices. Requires the Administrator to review and revise standards for marine sanitation devices to prevent discharges from vessels equipped with Type III marine aviation devices. Directs the Administrator to: (1) identify pollution control measures for controlling the introduction of pollutants into coastal waters from nonpoint sources; (2) develop techniques for evaluating the effectiveness of such measures; and (3) make available to State and local authorities technical guidance for implementing and monitoring such measures. Requires the Administrator, with respect to best management practices for industry, to identify releases of pollutants that may cause risks to human health or the environment and to prohibit or restrict the production of such pollutants to eliminate such risks. Revises provisions concerning the purposes of management conferences under the National Estuary Program. Requires such conferences to be convened for periods of at least five years (currently, up to five years). Permits the extension of a conference for an additional five years if the affected Governors concur in the extension and the extension is necessary to meet requirements. Revises approval and implementation procedures for conservation and management plans under the Program. Authorizes the Administrator to make grants for the implementation of such plans. Extends the authorization of appropriations for Program activities. Authorizes appropriations to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and the Director to participate in the development and implementation of such plans. Requires the Administrator to issue orders to, or commence civil actions against, persons failing to comply with requirements concerning national estuaries. Title III: Coastal and Great Lakes Contaminated Sediments Remediation Program - Directs the Administrator to conduct a survey and report to the Congress on bottom sediment contamination in the Great Lakes and U.S. coastal waters. Declares that the purpose of such survey is to assess the severity of such contamination, identify areas for which additional pollution reduction requirements may be required, and determine the order of priority for undertaking remedial actions. Requires the Administrator to publish: (1) criteria for sediment quality; and (2) information on the factors necessary to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of aquatic ecosystems. Authorizes persons to petition for the development of criteria for pollutants. Requires the Administrator to approve a petition if the pollutant, when present in sediments, is preventing: (1) the attainment of a balanced, indigenous population of fish, shellfish, or wildlife; or (2) recreation in and on the Great Lakes or coastal waters. Directs the Administrator to: (1) issue national sediment remediation standards to govern remediation projects involving contaminated sediments; and (2) issue standards to establish temporary maximum permissible concentrations of pollutants or contaminants during the duration of projects for sediment contamination. Requires the Administrator, when publishing sediment quality criteria for a pollutant, to issue guidance on the imposition by the appropriate permitting authority of sediment-based effluent limits that will prevent the violation of such criteria. Directs the Administrator to publish guidelines to govern projects to clean up contaminated sediments. Provides for the review and revision of such guidelines at least once every five years. Requires the Administrator, with the approval of a State Governor, to implement sediment remediation projects for locations posing the greatest risks to human health and the environment. Prohibits the Administrator, in selecting such sites, from selecting any site listed as a priority under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 and for which there is reasonable likelihood of remediation under such Act. Authorizes approprations. Title IV: Monitoring Coastal Waters - Establishes the National Coastal Water Quality Monitoring Task Force. Requires the Task Force to: (1) implement a national strategy for conducting coastal water quality monitoring programs; (2) identify all Federal water quality monitoring programs and incorporate those programs into the national strategy; (3) develop a memorandum of understanding among appropriate Federal agencies to implement such strategy; (4) develop coastal water quality monitoring guidelines; and (5) select high priority coastal waters and approve, implement, or disapprove coastal water quality monitoring programs for such waters. Directs the Task Force to issue quidelines to assist in the development and implementation of such programs. Amends the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 to require Regional Marine Research Boards to establish monitoring committees comprised of individuals with technical expertise in coastal water quality monitoring programs. Requires the Boards, acting through such committees, to: (1) recommend areas for individual monitoring; (2) submit recommendations to the Task Force; (3) develop coastal water quality monitoring programs for high priority coastal waters selected by the Task Force; (4) provide for public participation in such programs; (5) provide technical guidance for the implementation of such programs; and (6) review the effectiveness of such programs and make necessary modifications. Sets forth requirements for coastal water quality monitoring programs and approval procedures for programs submitted by the committees to the Task Force. Requires the Under Secretary, the Administrator, and State Governors to ensure compliance with such programs. Deems requirements of approved programs to be requirements of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 and requires such programs to be submitted for approval as part of coastal zone management programs under the coastal Zone Management Act of 1972. Directs the Administrator or a State permitting authority to incorporate monitoring requirements into discharge permits. Title V: Compliance and Enforcement - Amends the Clean Water Act to authorize the use of specified civil and administrative penalties for beneficial mitigation projects. Increases the maximum on class II civil penalties authorized to be assessed under such Act. Prohibits Federal agencies from entering into any contract for the procurement of goods or services if the contract is to be performed at any facility owned or operated by a person who has: (1) repeatedly violated a discharge permit or the requirements of a nonpoint source management program or categorical standard with respect to the treatment of pollutants; or (2) been in repeated noncompliance with an estuary conservation and management plan. Authorizes the Administrator to commence administrative enforcement actions against Federal agencies to enforce this Act. Permits partial program withdrawal of State discharge permit programs if the Administrator determines that a State is not administering part of a program in accordance with applicable requirements. Requires permits to take effect upon issuance unless the permittee demonstrates that: (1) he will be irreparably harmed; and (2) there is a likelihood that he will succeed on the merits in an administrative hearing or civil action to review the permit's conditions. Prohibits Federal agencies from undertaking any development project or awarding any grant for an activity that may adversely affect the quality of navigable waters in any State with a pattern of: (1) continuing and chronic violations of coastal water quality standards; or (2) continuing and chronic failure to maintain a designated use under such standards. Requires Federal agencies which own or operate facilities that discharge pollutants into navigable waters (and that would qualify as major dischargers if industrial facilities) to develop and submit to the Administrator environmental auditing plans for such facilities. Directs industrial dischargers and publicly owned treatment works that discharge pollutants into navigable waters and that have repeatedly violated discharge permits or consent decrees to conduct biannual environmental audits of such facilities until they are no longer in violation of applicable requirements. Requires major dischargers, prior to the renewal of a permit, to provide to the Administrator an environmental audit conducted during the six-month period preceding the renewal. Sets forth requirements for audits and auditors. Requires the Administrator to: (1) issue regulations establishing eligibility requirements for certification of environmental auditors and continuing education requirements for maintaining the certification; and (2) issue guidance to States on the development of State programs for certification of environmental auditors. Directs States having navigable waters that do not meet applicable water quality standards to post and maintain signs at each place of public access to such waters indicating the standards such waters fail to meet and the health and environmental effects which may occur as a result of such failure. Title VI: Financing - Subtitle A: Discharge Fees - Establishes the Coastal Defense Fund. Provides for the deposit of specified fines, penalties, and payments collected under the Clean Water Act and the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 into the Fund. Requires the Administrator to use Fund revenues to supplement funding for activities associated with administering the discharge permit program. Directs the Administrator to establish a National Coastal Discharge Permit Fee System to collect fees from coastal dischargers. Declares that the objectives of the System are to: (1) recoup the costs to Federal, State, and local governments of administering coastal discharge permit programs; (2) provide economic incentives to dischargers to eliminate or reduce the volume of toxicities of their effluents; and (3) supplement funding for discharge permitting programs under the Clean Water Act. Provides for the deposit of fees and penalties collected under the System into the Fund. Makes persons failing to pay fees liable for civil penalties. Provides for a hardship exemption to fees under certain conditions. Requires the Administrator, upon the petition of a coastal State, to waive the application of the System to such State if the amount of discharge fees collected under a State system is equivalent to the amount that would be collected by the System. Prohibits such waiver if the State uses fees solely to support State water quality programs. Makes industrial users of publicly owned treatment works liable for fees and requires users to pay fees to the authority responsible for controlling the treatment works. Directs the authority to retain such fees and use them to enforce water quality programs. Requires the Administrator to establish a fee schedule under the System that provides for the assessment of fees at least once a year and for the triennial adjustment of fees. Subtitle B: General Authorizations - Extends through FY 1999 the authorization of appropriations under the Clean Water Act for: (1) specified research, investigations, training, and information; (2) grants to States for pollution control programs; (3) nonpoint source pollution control in rural areas; (4) interagency agreements to maintain water quality; (5) the clean lakes program; and (6) nonpoint source pollution management programs. Extends the general authorization under such Act through FY 1999. Subtitle C: State and Local Financing - Authorizes States to use up to 15 percent of monies available in water pollution control revolving funds under the Clean Water Act to provide financial assistance to financially restricted communities. Permits loans to be made to such communities on terms of up to 40 years. Authorizes a fund to be used to reduce the principal of a debt obligation of a municipality or intermunicipal or interstate agency incurred after April 1, 1991, by up to 34 percent. Adds to the list of projects eligible for revolving fund assistance: (1) approved combined stormwater and sanitary sewer control programs; and (2) Great Lakes protection programs. Provides that: (1) annual principal and interest payments for loans made with revolving fund monies will commence no later than three years (currently, one year) after the completion of the project; and (2) amounts used for administering a fund shall not exceed four percent of amounts allotted to a State, or $400,000, whichever is greater (currently, four percent of all grant awards to such fund). Extends the allotment formula with respect to such funds. Raises the ceiling on the dollar amount to be reserved for planning purposes. Extends the authorization of appropriations for such funds through FY 1999.

Law· HJRESH.J.Res. 230 (102nd)enacted

Designating October 16, 1991, and October 16, 1992, each as "World Food Day".

United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1991

Designates October 16, 1991, and October 16, 1992, as World Food Day.

Resolution· HRESH.Res. 130 (102nd)referred

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the United States policy on carbon dioxide emissions.

United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1991

Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that it should be U.S. policy to reduce national emissions of carbon dioxide in the next ten years by 20 percent from the 1988 baseline level and to assume a leadership position in negotiating an international climate protection treaty that includes establishing: (1) agreements by industrialized nations to reduce their current carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent over 1988 levels in the next ten years, by developing nations to reduce their growth in carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion, and by all countries to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases; (2) an international fund and other financial mechanisms to help developing countries achieve such objectives; (3) mechanisms for continuing international cooperation for the development of policies for future emissions reductions; and (4) commitments to cease the destruction of primary forests.

Bill· HRH.R. 1969 (102nd)open

Forest Biodiversity and Clearcutting Prohibition Act of 1991

United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1991

Forest Biodiversity and Clearcutting Prohibition Act of 1991 - Amends the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, the National Indian Forest Resources Management Act, and Federal law to provide for the conservation of native biodiversity in each national forest community. Revises land management guidelines for such forests to prohibit any even-age logging or even-age management after one year of enactment of this Act. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture, on each site already under such management, to: (1) prescribe a shift to selection management within one year; or (2) cease managing for timber purposes and actively restore the native biodiversity, or permit each site to regain its native biodiversity.

Resolution· HRESH.Res. 129 (102nd)referred

Urging the President to call on the President of Syria to permit the extradition of fugitive Nazi War criminal Alois Brunner.

United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1991

Urges the President to call on the President of Syria to permit the extradition of the Nazi war criminal Alois Brunner for trial in Germany.

Resolution· HCONRESH.Con.Res. 131 (102nd)referred

Expressing support for humanitarian, refugee, and emergency relief assistance for the refugees and displaced persons of Iraq.

United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1991

Declares that the Congress: (1) supports humanitarian, refugee, and emergency assistance for Iraqi refugees and displaced persons; and (2) recommends that the United States provide additional assistance for a sustained international humanitarian relief effort.

Bill· HRH.R. 1918 (102nd)referred

World War I Veterans' Service Pension Act

United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1991

World War I Veterans' Service Pension Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay a monthly pension of $100 to each veteran of World War I who meets specified service requirements. Requires such a veteran, if entitled to another pension administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, to elect which pension to receive.

Resolution· HRESH.Res. 128 (102nd)referred

Applauding the Architect of the Capitol and the Committee on House Administration for developing an effective recycling program in the House office buildings, and supporting ongoing efforts to expand and update source separation and recycling in the House office buildings during the 102d Congress.

United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1991

Declares that the House of Representatives: (1) applauds the Architect of the Capitol and the Committee on House Administration for developing an effective recycling program in the House office buildings; and (2) supports ongoing efforts to expand and update source separation and recycling during the 102d Congress.

Bill· HRH.R. 1782 (102nd)open

National Traffic Fatality and Injury Reduction Act of 1991

United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1991

National Traffic Fatality and Injury Reduction Act of 1991 - Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to make grants for traffic safety programs to States which require any person riding a motorcycle to wear a helmet and any driver or front seat passenger of a passenger car to have seat belts properly fastened. Authorizes appropriations. Requires States receiving grants to agree to maintain at least their average levels of expenditures for traffic safety programs over the preceding two fiscal years. Prohibits a State from receiving such a grant in more than three fiscal years. Specifies the Federal share of grants and the aggregate amount of such grants to each State. Sets forth requirements with respect to: (1) States' eligibility for grants; and (2) measurement of compliance with State safety laws. Eliminates a provision prohibiting a highway safety program approved by the Secretary from requiring that motorcycle operators or passengers 18 years or older wear a safety helmet. Requires any State where it is lawful to operate or ride a motorcycle without wearing a motorcycle helmet or to occupy a front seating position in a passenger car without using a safety belt or child restraint system to expend a specified percentage of its apportioned Federal aid highway funds for highway safety programs.

Bill· HRH.R. 1820 (102nd)open

Federal Employees Retirement Incentive Act

United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1991

Federal Employees Retirement Incentive Act - Allows certain Federal employees serving in entities undergoing a major reorganization, reduction in force, or transfer of functions to elect to have four years added to their age upon separation, their total creditable service, or a combination thereof (not to exceed four years) for purposes of determining retirement eligibility and benefits under the Civil Service and Federal Employees' Retirement Systems. Amends provisions governing early or immediate retirement for Government employees to consider certain requirements for entitlement to annuities to have been met (with respect to agency reorganization, reduction in force, or transfer of functions conditions) if: (1) at least five percent of the employees within the agency and geographic area involved will be separated; or (2) at least 20 percent of such employees will be subject to an immediate reduction in the rate of basic pay. Waives such minimum percentages under certain circumstances.

Bill· HRH.R. 1774 (102nd)open

Federal Employees Health Benefits Reform Act of 1991

United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1991

Federal Employees Health Benefits Reform Act of 1991 - Revises the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (the Program) to: (1) establish the Federal Employees Health Benefits Board (the Board); (2) replace current service and indemnity health benefit plans with a new Government-wide health insurance plan that offers both a standard and a high option for either self or family coverage; (3) require group- and individual-practice prepayment plans and mixed model prepayment plans to offer the same types of benefits offered under the standard option; (4) allow employee organization sponsored health plans to offer supplementary benefits; (5) establish flexible spending plans to allow employees to set aside a portion of their salary on a pretax basis to pay out-of-pocket health care expenses; and (6) allow annuitants whose annuities are insufficient to cover the full amount of required withholdings to elect to be covered under health benefits plans if they pay an amount equal to such withholdings to the Employees Health Benefits Fund (the Fund) through the retirement system that administers their health benefits enrollment. Directs the Board to: (1) prescribe regulations governing the provision of health insurance benefits to Federal employees, their families, and retirees under the Government-wide plan in consultation with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM); and (2) establish procedures for reviewing the utilization of health care services under such plan and controlling service costs. Declares that the service providers shall not be eligible for payments under the plan unless they comply with such procedures. Specifies the benefits required to be provided under each option of the plan and the extent to which they are covered. Requires such individuals to meet specified annual deductions under each option of the plan before any benefits will be paid, except in the case of a family enrollment when the deduction will be waived once it is met by any two family members. Establishes maximum out-of-pocket expense limitations for self and family coverage under each option. Requires the plan to pay all covered expenses after out-of-pocket expenses have exceeded their appropriate maximum limitation. Revises provisions for computing Government contributions. Establishes different requirements for each respective basic health benefits plan. Provides for the following with respect to the Government-wide plan: (1) establishment of specified biweekly employee contributions for the first administrative year to be increased for later years by the lesser of the increase in the medical care component of the consumer price index or the increase in the average enrollment charges; (2) procedures for determining average annual enrollment charges (the costs for providing benefits and administering the plan and any amounts necessary to maintain an adequate contingency reserve) in consultation with the Board for the first administrative year and for adjusting such charges for later years; (3) allocation of such costs to each option in a manner which is reasonable and equitable; (4) publication of new enrollment charges in the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations; and (5) continued individual and family coverage for employees who are placed in a leave without pay status. Revises provisions regarding contracting authority to establish separate authority for awarding competitive three-year contracts to nongovernmental organizations to administer the Government-wide plan on a regional basis in areas established by OPM. Requires plan administrators to review the utilization of health care services and implement the cost-control procedures established by the Board. Permits certain employee organizations which currently self-insure to serve as the plan administrators for employees within their bargaining unit. Repeals provisions regarding payment or reimbursement for services by: (1) psychologists or optometrists; and (2) any person licensed under State law in a State where a specified percentage of the population is located in primary medical care manpower shortage areas. Revises provisions concerning election of coverage to: (1) provide automatic coverage under the Government-wide plan's standard option for self alone to an employee becoming eligible for Federal health insurance coverage unless the employee elects alternative coverage or to be excluded from coverage; (2) revise criteria for continuation of coverage for annuitants; and (3) extend coverage to unmarried dependent natural or adopted children of the former spouse and the employee who are students over age 22 but under age 23. Allows temporary employees to enroll in the Government-wide plan provided they pay both employee and Government contributions. Provides that if an individual eligible to enroll in a basic health benefits plan has a spouse who is also eligible, either may enroll for self and family or each may enroll as an individual, but no individual may be covered both as an enrollee and as a family member. Sets forth rules to apply in administering provisions regarding: (1) election of coverage: (2) continued coverage; (3) coverage of restored employees and survivor or disability annuitants; (4) double coverage; and (5) changes in family status. Requires any amounts forfeited under flexible spending plans to be transferred to a separate account which shall be within the Fund. Allows such amounts to be used for wellness programs for Federal employees. Revises provisions regarding contribution set-asides in the Fund to establish new set-aside requirements for contributions to the basic health benefits plans. Directs OPM to: (1) prescribe regulations to provide eligible individuals with an opportunity to elect coverage under the health benefits plans, to terminate their enrollment, to transfer to another such plan, or to make any other allowable changes in the terms or conditions of their enrollment; (2) on an annual basis compile statistics and submit to the Board a report on the use of the different benefits of the basic and supplemental plans and their costs to the Government as part of a continuing study of the operation and administration of the Program; (3) prescribe Program regulations providing for the establishment of wellness programs for Federal employees; and (4) prescribe regulations to ensure that, for any annuitant eligible to receive Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) and Federal health insurance benefits, deductibles and coinsurance or copayment amounts under the Program shall be waived to the same extent as before the enactment of this Act and that when an individual is eligible for Federal health insurance benefits which would be duplicative of Medicare benefits, the primary payer shall be the same as it would have been before the enactment of this Act.

Resolution· HCONRESH.Con.Res. 126 (102nd)open

Concerning United States sanctions against South Africa.

United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1991

Calls upon the South African Government to: (1) repeal all laws and legislation that maintain the system of apartheid; and (2) release all political prisoners, terminate the policy of detention without trial, cease all executions of political prisoners, and grant all black South African exiles the opportunity to return home. Urges the President: (1) through the Secretary of State, to investigate the South African Government's role in the factional fighting affecting the black townships and reports of official South African death squads; and (2) not to ease or lift sanctions against such Government under the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 until all the preconditions for lifting such Act are met and the process toward the establishment of nonracial democracy is irreversible.

Bill· HRH.R. 1725 (102nd)open

To strengthen the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended.

United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1991

Amends the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 to replace references to: (1) "agent" with "representative"; and (2) "propaganda" with "promotional or informational materials." Includes within the definition of "representative of a foreign principal" any person who engages in political activities for purposes of furthering commercial, industrial, or financial operations with a foreign principal. Excludes from such definition any incorporated, nonprofit membership organization organized under U.S. laws that is registered under the Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act, that has obtained tax-exempt status, and whose activities are directed in whole by U.S. citizens. Provides that a foreign principal shall be considered to control a person in major part if: (1) such principal holds more than 50 percent equitable ownership in such person; or (2) subject to rebuttal evidence, such principal holds from 20 to 50 percent equitable ownership in such person. Includes within the definition of "political consultant" any person who distributes political promotional or informational materials to a Federal officer or employee, in his or her capacity as an officer or employee. Requires representatives of foreign principals who have filed registration statements to file supplements to such statements with the Attorney General on January 31 and July 31 of each year. Authorizes representatives with accounting systems using different fiscal years to petition the Attorney General to permit the filing of statements at the close of the first and seventh month of such fiscal year in lieu of the required dates. Repeals an exemption to registration requirements for persons representing foreign governments whose defense is deemed vital to the defense of the United States. Provides that the exemption from the registration requirement for individuals providing legal representation for a foreign principal before a U.S. agency shall apply only to representation before the Patent and Trademark Office. Requires persons relying on exemptions from registration requirements to notify the Attorney General. Imposes civil penalties upon persons who have: (1) failed to file registration statements; or (2) omitted a material fact or made false statements on registration statements. Authorizes the Attorney General to serve civil investigative demands on persons in control of materials relevant to investigations concerning violations of registration requirements. Redesignates the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 as the Foreign Interests Representation Act.

Law· HJRESH.J.Res. 215 (102nd)enacted

Acknowledging the sacrifices that military families have made on behalf of the Nation and designating November 25, 1991, as "National Military Families Recognition Day".

United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1991

Declares that the Congress acknowledges and appreciates the commitment, devotion, and sacrifices of present and former military families. Designates November 25, 1991, as National Military Families Recognition Day.

Bill· HJRESH.J.Res. 217 (102nd)open

To designate September 12, 1991, as "National DARE Day".

United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1991

Designates September 12, 1991, as National DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Day.

Bill· HRH.R. 1708 (102nd)referred

To prohibit arms transfers to certain countries unless the President certifies that a state of war does not exist between such country and Israel and that such country has accorded formal recognition to the sovereignty of Israel.

United States · United States Congress · 10 April 1991

Prohibits: (1) the sale or transfer of defense articles or services and design and construction services to Bahrain, Yemen, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates; and (2) the transfer to such countries by another foreign country of U.S. defense articles or services. Makes such prohibition inapplicable if the President certifies to the Congress that: (1) a state of war does not exist between the country and Israel; and (2) such country has accorded formal recognition to the sovereignty of Israel.

Law· HJRESH.J.Res. 212 (102nd)enacted

To designate the week beginning February 16, 1992, as "National Visiting Nurse Associations Week".

United States · United States Congress · 10 April 1991

Designates the week beginning February 16, 1992, as National Visiting Nurse Associations Week.

Bill· HRH.R. 1664 (102nd)open

To protect employees who report violations of Federal laws and regulations.

United States · United States Congress · 9 April 1991

Prohibits retaliatory personnel practices against employees who: (1) report, or demonstrate an intent to report, violations of Federal laws and regulations or other specified offenses in connection with Federal programs; (2) assist, or demonstrate an intent to assist, in achieving compliance with such laws or regulations; or (3) refuse to commit such violations. Sets forth complaint and investigation procedures and remedies for violations, to be carried out by the Secretary of Labor (or a judge under judicial review).

Bill· HRH.R. 1662 (102nd)referred

Nutrition Advertising Coordination Act of 1991

United States · United States Congress · 9 April 1991

Nutrition Advertising Coordination Act of 1991 - Amends the Federal Trade Commission Act to deem a food advertisement misleading if it expressly or by implication characterizes the level of any nutrient, the relationship of any nutrient to a disease or a health-related condition, or the amount of any nutrient in a serving or portion of the food, unless the characterization is in accordance with specified provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Deems a food advertisement misleading if it contains a claim that fails to: (1) disclose the level of fat or saturated fat when a claim characterizes the level of cholesterol; (2) disclose the level of cholesterol when a claim characterizes the level of saturated fat; (3) disclose the level of total fat when a claim is made that the food is high in dietary fiber; or (4) include clearly and conspicuously the statement, "See product label for complete nutrition information."

Law· HRH.R. 1628 (102nd)enacted