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United States · Official source
2,097 records where Rep. Valentine, Tim [D-NC-2] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 1991
Nuclear Testing Moratorium Act - Prohibits the Secretary of Energy from conducting any explosive nuclear weapons test during the one-year period following the enactment of this Act unless the President certifies to the Congress that the Soviet Union has conducted such a test during such period.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 1991
Designates November 24 through 30, 1991, and November 22 through 28, 1992, as National Adoption Week.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 1991
Designates October 30, 1991, as National Stay in School Awareness Day.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 1991
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the United States Trade Representative should take action under the Trade Act of 1974 to compensate for any trade losses caused by the European Community's (EC) failure to adopt by October 31, 1991, a new oilseeds regime that conforms with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) panel oilseed ruling; and (2) such actions should remain in effect until the EC's oilseed regime conforms with its GATT obligations.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 1991
Intermodal Safe Container Transportation Act of 1991 - Requires any person initially tendering, to a carrier of property, any container or trailer in interstate or foreign commerce having a gross weight of more than 10,000 pounds to give the carrier verification of the total cargo weight and a description of the cargo. Makes such requirement applicable only to intermodal transportation. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to adopt rules to enforce this Act and provides for State enforcement.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 1991
Designates 1992 as the Year of Reconciliation Between American Indians and Non-Indians.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 1991
Designates December 1991 as Bicentennial of the District of Columbia Month.
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 1991
Designates January 4 through 10, 1992, as Braille Literacy Week.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 1991
Foreign Aid Reporting Reform Act of 1991 - Directs the President, in conjunction with the submission of annual requests for enactment of authorizations and appropriations for foreign assistance programs, to submit to the Congress a single report containing: (1) an integrated justification for all foreign assistance programs proposed for the coming fiscal year; and (2) an assessment of when the objectives of those programs will be achieved so that the assistance can be terminated. Requires the President to include in such report general information regarding the foreign assistance program, as well as information concerning specific assistance recipients and centrally-funded programs. Directs congressional committees reporting legislation authorizing the enactment of or providing new budget authority for foreign assistance programs to include in reports accompanying such legislation an explanation for any change proposed in: (1) the total amount of new budget authority authorized or provided for any program as compared to the amount proposed by the President; or (2) the amount of assistance for any specific recipient or for any centrally-funded program as compared to the amount proposed by the President.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 1991
Designates the week beginning February 23, 1992, as National Manufacturing Week.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 1991
American Industrial Quality and Training Act of 1991 - Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce, through the Technology Administration, to make competitive matching grants to establish and operate American workforce quality partnership programs for workforce training consortia of industry and higher education institutions. Requires such programs to establish partnerships between one or more technology-based or manufacturing sector firms and a local community or technical college to train and educate a significant portion of the industrial partners' employees at all organizational levels through workplace and classroom training programs. Requires each partnership to establish an advisory board. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish, in the Technology Administration, the American Industrial Quality Foundation to further the ability of U.S. industry to compete internationally. Sets forth the Foundation's functions, including identifying and disseminating information on best practices. Sets forth provisions for a Director and staff, an advisory committee, and user fees. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to make competitive grants to develop and operate youth technical apprenticeship programs. Gives special consideration to applications providing for non-Federal contributions. Provides planning grants for such programs. Requires each grant recipient to establish an advisory board. Directs the Secretary of Labor, together with other appropriate entities, to establish and maintain a clearinghouse of youth apprenticeship programs in the United States. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make competitive matching grants to States for statewide technical education and training networks to develop plans or strategies to establish statewide systems to provide technical, technician, or technological skills and education by building upon Federal, State, and local programs through various methods. Requires State Governors to submit evaluation reports within three years of award of such grants. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary of Labor, in conjunction with the Small Business Administration and other relevant agencies, to compile information and statistics on the total annual expenditure of U.S. industry on formal worker training programs, quantity of training, and other relevant worker training information, by firm size, sector, industry, job classification, and purpose of training (as well as any other available and appropriate data such as international comparative data). Requires a biennial report to the Congress on such information in a useful format. Requires making such information available to U.S. industry. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary of Education, in conjunction with the Secretary of Commerce, to report to the Congress on the feasibility of adopting principles of total quality management, as embodied in the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, to improve the quality and relevance of secondary and postsecondary education.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 1991
Designates March 12, 1992, as Girl Scouts of the United States of America 80th Anniversary Day.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 1991
Amends rule XXXIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives to require that a portion of the House gallery be set aside for use by scholars of the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 1991
Qualified Medicare Beneficiary Enrollment Improvement and Protection Act of 1991 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to include in the annual mailing to Medicare beneficiaries: (1) a clear and simple explanation of the availability of and the requirements to qualify for Medicaid (title XIX of the Social Security Act) payment of their premiums, deductibles, and copayments under Medicare; (2) the toll-free telephone number to be established by the Secretary for information on such assistance; and (3) an initial application for such assistance. Directs the Secretary to develop a poster containing the information listed above and distribute it to service providers in order to publicize the availability of such assistance. Amends the Medicaid program to direct the Secretary to: (1) establish a process for using local Social Security Administration offices for the distribution and receipt of applications for such assistance; (2) transmit such applications to the appropriate State agency; (3) develop a form to be available at such offices which individuals may use to request additional information on or an application for such assistance; and (4) distribute such form to entities receiving grants for programs to provide services to older individuals. Requires States to provide for a process for receiving, distributing, and processing applications for such assistance and for responding to requests for information on or applications for such assistance. Allows individuals who qualified during a certain period for Medicaid payment of Medicare costs to temporarily apply for retroactive payment of any medical costs incurred but not paid under a State plan required to provide for making Medicaid payment of Medicare costs available to Medicare beneficiaries. Allows States, in determining the income level for individuals who seek to qualify for Medicaid payment of Medicare costs, to exclude expenses for medical care incurred by the individual that are not reimbursed under a public program of the State or political subdivision thereof, a health plan, or Medicare. Directs the Secretary to establish a grant program to provide outreach services to enable individuals who are entitled to receive Medicaid payment of Medicare costs to receive such assistance. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 1991
Designates the week of October 19 through 27, 1991, as National Red Ribbon Week for a Drug Free America.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 1991
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the Congress and the President should reexamine and reduce the defense budget based on changing national security needs in the post-Cold War era; and (2) savings should be used to reduce the Federal budget deficit.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 1991
Satellite Viewers' Rights Act of 1991 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to repeal provisions requiring the Federal Communications Commission to initiate an inquiry concerning the need for a universal encryption standard that permits decryption of satellite cable programming intended for private viewing. Requires that any person who encrypts satellite delivered programming make such programming available for private viewing by home satellite antenna users and, when making such programming available through any other person for distribution through any medium, establish: (1) reasonable and non-discriminatory financial, character, technical, and service criteria and requirements under which non-cable distributors qualify to distribute such programming for private viewing by home satellite antenna users; and (2) price, terms, and conditions for the wholesale distribution of such programming which do not discriminate between the distribution of such programming to distributors for cable subscribers and distributors to home satellite antenna users, nor among different distributors to home satellite antenna users, with exceptions. Specifies that, where a person who encrypts satellite delivered programming: (1) has established a separate subsidiary for distribution to satellite antenna users, such person shall not be required to establish or license any entity on the same terms and conditions as such subsidiary (but permits an aggrieved party, for purposes of any claim of discrimination under this provision, to compare the prices, terms, and conditions established by the person who encrypts as evidence of discrimination); and (2) authorizes or licenses a distributor for a secondary satellite retransmission of such programming, such person shall establish criteria (consistent with requirements under this Act) to qualify to distribute such programming through such retransmission and establish nondiscriminatory price, terms, and conditions for such distribution. Specifies that nothing in this Act shall require any person who encrypts satellite delivered programming to: (1) authorize or license any distributor for a secondary satellite retransmission; and (2) make such programming available in any geographic area beyond which such programming has been authorized or licensed for distribution. Authorizes: (1) persons aggrieved by violations of this Act to bring a civil action; and (2) the court to grant specified relief.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 1991
Defense Manufacturing and Critical Technologies Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary of Defense to conduct a program providing for the establishment of cooperative arrangements (partnerships) between the Department of Defense (DOD) and certain entities in order to encourage and provide for R&D of dual-use critical technologies (technologies having both military and nonmilitary commercial applications). Allows such entities (at least two participating jointly with DOD) to include one or more Federal laboratories, institutions of higher education, State governmental agencies, and other appropriate participants, as determined by the Secretary. Requires the joint participants to have a lead institution other than DOD to direct the activities of the partnership. Requires the non-DOD participants to contribute at least 50 percent of the total cost of the partnership activities. Provides for the protection of information disclosed concerning the R&D activities of the participants. Requires the Secretary to evaluate proposals for partnerships on a merit basis using a competitive selection process. Outlines selection criteria. Directs the Secretary, in consultation and coordination with the Secretary of Commerce, to conduct a program to provide assistance for the activities of eligible regional critical technology application centers (centers) in the United States. Outlines provisions concerning eligible centers, program participants, and assistance authorized, including financial and technical assistance for authorized center activities. Limits such assistance period to six years. Requires: (1) the sponsoring agency of a center to pay at least 30 percent of the total costs incurred for center activities; and (2) the eligible firms participating in a center to pay at least 40 percent of such costs. Requires a center to operate under a management plan that requires participating firms to have the primary responsibility for directing the activities of the center and to exercise such responsibility through majority voting membership of such firms on the board of directors of the center. Outlines provisions concerning program administration as well as selection criteria for centers receiving such assistance. Establishes within the Office of the Director of Defense Research and Engineering the Clearinghouse of Foreign Defense Technology Monitoring and Assessment (Clearinghouse) to: (1) maintain within DOD a central library for the compilation and dissemination of information and assessments regarding significant foreign activities in the R&D and applications of defense critical technologies; (2) establish and maintain data bases on such information and assessments; (3) perform certain liaison activities; (4) provide for public availability of such information and assessments; and (5) cooperate with the Department of Commerce in the dissemination of information and assessments regarding defense critical technologies having potential commercial uses. Directs the Secretary to establish a foreign critical technology monitoring and assessment grant program for the awarding of grants to participating organizations for the establishment of foreign critical technology monitoring and assessment offices in Europe, Pacific Ocean border foreign countries, and other countries as considered appropriate by the Secretary. Makes eligible for such grants any nonprofit industrial or professional organization that has economic and scientific interests in R&D and applications of commercial critical technologies. Requires each grantee to collect, evaluate, and disseminate to its organization and to the Departments of Defense and Commerce assessments of significant activities in R&D and applications of critical technologies that are conducted in the geographic area in which the office is located. Provides funding for FY 1992 and 1993 for critical technology programs and activities. Directs the Secretary to submit to the Congress at least biennially a multiyear strategic road map for each critical technology. Requires each road map to: (1) cover at least four fiscal years; (2) provide an assessment of current strengths and weaknesses in the national capability to develop and apply the technologies covered in the road map, and the sources of such strengths and weaknesses which enhance or hinder the development and application of such technologies; (3) ensure that results of federally-funded and conducted R&D of national critical technologies covered by the road map are appropriately disseminated to U.S. industry; and (4) include a discussion of the achievements of the activities conducted pursuant to the road map. Requires the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to establish one or more national critical technologies advisory committees. Directs the President to establish a schedule for the submission of such road maps at regular intervals between the enactment of this Act and October 1, 1996. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative arrangements (partnerships) with certain entities to encourage and provide for R&D of advanced manufacturing technologies with the potential for having a broad range of applications. Requires each partnership to be composed of participants from two or more eligible firms. Allows the inclusion of one or more Federal laboratories, institutions of higher education, State entities, and other participants as deemed appropriate by the Secretary. Outlines provisions concerning program administration and participant selection criteria. Requires the Secretary to establish three or more partnerships within one year after the enactment of this Act. Provides FY 1992 and 1993 funding for such partnerships. Directs the Secretary to establish a program: (1) to support manufacturing extension programs of States, local governments, and private, non-profit organizations; (2) to promote the development of a broad range of such extension programs, including programs that provide for productivity and quality improvement activities; and (3) to increase the involvement of appropriate segments of the private sector in such programs. Establishes a Council on Manufacturing Extension to: (1) prescribe policies and procedures for the implementation of the program; (2) serve as a means for coordinating such program with related programs conducted by various Federal departments and agencies; and (3) develop a long-range strategic plan for the manufacturing extension activities of the Federal Government. Outlines application procedures for persons wishing to receive financial assistance for participation in the program, as well as criteria for choosing program participants. Limits the amount of financial assistance awarded to 50 percent of the cost of the program for the period in which the assistance is provided. Provides such assistance for at least five years, unless it is terminated earlier for good cause as determined by the Secretary. Allows a program participant to reapply after a terminated period of assistance. Provides FY 1992 and 1993 funding for such program. Directs the Secretary, in consultation with the Directors of the National Science Foundation (NSC) and the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), to establish a program for making grants to institutions of higher education to support the: (1) enhancement of existing programs in manufacturing engineering education that are conducted by grantee institutions and meet specified requirements; and (2) establishment of new programs in manufacturing engineering education that meet such requirements. Requires at least one-third of the grants to be awarded for the latter purpose. Directs the Secretary to avoid geographical concentration of such awards. Directs the Secretary and the Director of NSC to enter into an agreement for carrying out the grant program. Outlines grant program requirements. Directs the Secretary to solicit from institutions of higher education proposals for grants to be awarded for the support of programs of manufacturing engineering education. Requires applications to be evaluated on a merit basis under competitive procedures. Outlines grantee selection criteria. Limits the Federal contribution of such assistance to 50 percent of the estimated cost of the activities involved. Directs the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce, to conduct a program to support specified activities of one or more manufacturing managers and experts at the institution of higher education involved. Outlines provisions concerning program administration and applicant selection criteria. Limits the Federal support of such program to 50 percent of the costs of activities to be supported by such assistance. Requires the Secretary to award at least ten such grants within one year after enactment of this Act. Provides FY 1992 and 1993 funding. Allows the Secretary to authorize the Secretaries of the military departments to enter into cooperative agreements and other transactions for advanced research projects. (Currently, only the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is authorized to enter into such agreements or transactions.) Makes permanent (currently expires September 30, 1991) the authority to enter into such agreements. Directs the Secretary to report to the defense committees a plan for collecting and assessing information on the extent to which the defense industrial base of the United States: (1) procures weapons systems, subsystems, and components of such systems from foreign sources; and (2) is dependent upon such foreign sources for such procurement. Directs the Secretary to report to the defense committees a plan for the removal of barriers to the effective integration of the commercial and defense sectors of the U.S. industrial base. Requires the Secretary to designate an official within his Office to develop the plan. Requires annual development and submission to the Congress by the Secretary of a National Defense Manufacturing Technology Plan. Places FY 1992 and 1993 funding limitations on manufacturing technology-related R&D not specifically included in such annual Plan. Directs the Secretary to conduct a program for the development and use of advanced flexible computer integrated manufacturing capabilities in each of the military departments and the U.S. defense industrial base. Requires the continued development of Rapid Acquisition of Manufactured Parts technologies and applications as part of such program. Provides FY 1992 and 1993 funding for such program, with a specified capabilities-duplication prohibition within the military departments. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, to establish a program to award grants on a competitive basis to U.S. institutions of higher education and other nonprofit organizations for the conduct of programs for U.S. scientists, engineers, and managers to learn Japanese language and culture.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 1991
Children and Pregnant Women Health Insurance Act of 1991 - Title I: Requiring Employers To Provide Health Insurance Coverage For Pregnant Women And Children - Amends the Social Security Act to: (1) add a new title XXI under which employers are required to either enroll their employees and family members in a qualified employer health plan or provide information to the State in which such individuals reside for enrollment instead in the new universal State health insurance plan (the State plan) created below. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) impose a premium tax on employers who fail to enroll their employees and family members in a qualified employer health plan and on such employers' employees, with employers paying as their portion of such tax 3.2 percent of each individual employee's wages and employees paying as their portion one percent of their wages for coverage provided under the State plan; (2) impose an excise tax (set at $100 per day) on those employers who fail to provide to the applicable State the information for enrollment under the State plan; and (3) set forth special rules and exceptions applicable in the imposition of such premium and excise taxes. Sets forth, under new title XXI of the Social Security Act, the rules for the enrollment of full- and part-time, seasonal, and temporary employees, including rules applicable in cases of families with more than one worker and where both employers offer enrollment under a qualified employer health plan. Phases in implementation of enrollment requirements and tax payments beginning on January 1, 1993 for employers with more than 100 employees. Requires that as of January 1, 1996 all employers must provide coverage or pay the premium tax for coverage under the State plan. Allows the qualified employer health plan under which the employer must provide coverage to be either a private health plan or a self-insured plan, dependent upon the employer's size. Outlines requirements for qualified employer health plan premiums and cost-sharing, including limitations on the amount that may be charged for premiums. Sets forth in the next two paragraphs below the requirements for which the Secretary must develop standards to certify a health plan as a qualified employer health plan. Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish procedures for the periodic review and recertification of plans as qualified employer health plans; and (2) terminate the certification of any such plan that no longer meets such requirements. Requires employers to provide their employees and family members with a health benefit package that at least mirrors the services mandated under the State plan. Outlines plan requirements respecting: (1) treatment of employee families; (2) period of coverage; (3) health plan cards; (4) limits on pre-existing condition exclusions and coverage standards for required health services; (5) limits on cost-sharing; (6) payment rates; (7) coordination and portability of health insurance coverage; (8) notification of premium subsidies for low-income individuals and other disclosures for consumers; (9) expense accounting; (10) grievance procedures; (11) certain physician incentive plans; (12) enrollee financial protection; and (13) use of uniform claims forms. Prohibits certain State benefit and coverage rules under a qualified employer health plan. Sets forth the definitions of terms used in this title. Makes the provisions of this title inapplicable to an employee who is not a resident of one of the 50 States or the District of Columbia. Title II: Provision of Health Insurance For Pregnant Women And Children Through State Children And Pregnant Women Health Plans - Amends the Social Security Act to add a new title XXII under which each State is required to establish and maintain a health insurance plan (the State plan) under which pregnant women and children and other individuals lawfully residing in the State who have not already been enrolled as a result of their connection to the work force or are not already covered under a qualified employer or Federal health plan are eligible to enroll for the health and other services outlined below. Requires each State to also establish and maintain a program under which low-income individuals enrolled in any of the health plans mentioned above will be eligible to apply for assistance to limit or eliminate their financial obligations for premiums, deductibles, and co-payments, depending upon the type of plan in which such individuals are enrolled. Provides that if a State fails to establish and maintain the plan mandated above under new title XXII, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall establish and maintain one for it and the State shall be liable to the Secretary for a specified portion of the amount the Secretary determines the State would have been required to expend to establish and maintain such a health insurance plan. Sets forth provisions detailing the application process for enrollment under the State plan. Requires the State plan to provide for a coverage period that mirrors the coverage period specified for qualified employer health plans. Requires individuals who are eligible to enroll in the State plan but have not applied for enrollment by January 1, 1996 to be automatically enrolled on a retroactive basis and subjected to a penalty of twice any premiums otherwise due. Requires the State plan to provide for payments for the following services: (1) specified preventive care services, including routine immunizations and prenatal care, for children and pregnant women, furnished in accordance with applicable periodicity schedules to be established by the Secretary and without application of deductibles or co-payments; (2) specified major medical services, subject to such deductibles and co-payments as the State may impose in accordance with specified limitations; (3) specified extended medical services, including mental health services, provided only in accordance with a plan of care and subject to such deductibles and co-payments as the State may impose in accordance with specified limitations; (4) outreach services to link low-income enrolled individuals with such required health services without application of deductibles or copayments; and (5) at the option of the State, social services without application of deductibles or co-payments. Directs the Secretary to establish standards with respect to such required health services for application under new titles XXI and XXII of the Social Security Act. Prohibits a State from imposing any limitation on the amount, duration, or scope for such required health services. Allows individuals covered under the State plan to choose any qualified plan provider or practitioner to obtain such required health services. Incorporates the use of Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) payment rates for reimbursing providers for required health services and requires the Secretary to adjust such rates to take into account differences in the Medicare population and the population receiving benefits under State or qualified employer plans. Provides that in the case of required health services for which payment may not be made under Medicare, the Secretary shall establish payment rules similar to those used under Medicare for application under State plans. Requires each State to establish adequate payment rates with respect to outreach and social services. Sets the maximum annual deductible and co-payment amount for major medical services and extended medical services. Sets an overall annual limit on cost-sharing for such medical services. Applies new title XXI qualified employer health plan requirements relating to the treatment of family members, coverage period, health plan cards, and coordination and portability of health care coverage to State plans in the same manner as they apply to qualified employer plans. Sets forth provisions for: (1) determining the amount of premiums to be charged individuals not connected to the work force and individuals who are employed on a part-time, seasonal, or temporary basis; and (2) collecting current and delinquent premium payments. Creates in the Treasury the Federal Children and Pregnant Women Health Insurance Trust Fund (the Fund) to receive the funds generated from the premium and excise taxes imposed above as well as from other specified revenues dedicated to the support of the State plan. Outlines provisions regarding Fund transfer payments in the case of multiple employers. Requires each State plan to provide for submission of claims based on uniform forms developed by the Secretary. Requires that payments from the Fund to reimburse States for health and other service and administrative expenditures be made in accordance with rules similar to those used for reimbursement under Medicaid (title XIX of the Social Security Act). Details the assistance mentioned above to be provided to low-income individuals and the application process to obtain such assistance. Sets forth administrative provisions applicable to the State plan, including provisions authorizing States, subject to the approval of the Secretary, to conduct demonstration projects to: (1) improve the delivery and quality of health care services under new title XXII; and (2) increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the methods for paying for such services. Sets forth the definitions of terms used in this title. Makes the provisions of this title inapplicable to an individual who is not a resident of one of the 50 States or the District of Columbia. Amends the Medicaid program to provide for coordination between State plans and Medicaid plans. Title III: Health Insurance Reform For Small Employers - Amends the Social Security Act and the Internal Revenue Code to, respectively: (1) add a new title XXIII under which health insurance plans provided by small employers (small employer plans) must be ascertained as meeting the standards established below in order to be issued, avoid loss of their qualified status under new title XXI, and escape disqualification from State plan administration under new title XXII; and (2) impose an excise tax (set at 50 percent of all gross health plan premiums received during the taxable year) on the issuer of a small employer plan which fails to meet such standard, with specified exceptions. Directs the Secretary to request the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) to: (1) develop specific standards to implement the requirements set forth in the next paragraph below which small employer plans must be certified by the Secretary as meeting if the State has not established a regulatory program for applying such standards to such plans (program); and (2) report to the Secretary on such development. Provides that if NAIC fails to develop and report on such standards or the Secretary finds that such standards do not implement such requirements, the Secretary must develop such standards. Specifies additional program elements. Subjects programs to periodic review by the Secretary for determining their compliance with such elements and in applying such NAIC standards. Requires periodic program audits by the General Accounting Office. Requires any carrier which offers a small employer plan to register with the applicable State regulatory authority. Requires that such carriers offer the same plans to all small employers within their individual service areas. Details separate requirements with respect to the treatment of health maintenance organizations. Prohibits a carrier from offering to, or issuing with respect to, a small employer a small employer plan with a term of less than 12 months. Requires that small employer plans be guaranteed renewable, with specified exceptions. Details notice and other requirements applicable to renewals, including the requirement that the period of renewal for each small employer plan shall be for a period of not less than 12 months. Declares that no small employer plans may discriminate on the basis of health status, claims experience, receipt of health care, medical history, or lack of evidence of insurability of an individual. Requires that the premiums for all small employer plans of the same entity be: (1) established based on a single cohesive rating system which is applied consistently for all employer groups and is designed not to treat groups differently based on health or risk status; and (2) actuarially certified each year. Requires small employer plan premiums within a block of business to be community-rated for a given geographical area. Sets limits on premium reference rate variation among blocks of business, with specified exceptions. Allows a small employer plan carrier, for purposes of establishing premiums for small employer plans with similar coverage, to establish blocks of business only on the basis of specified criteria. States that no small employer plan may be issued unless it: (1) provides for a minimum benefit package that mirrors the health services required under new title XXII; (2) prohibits cost-sharing with respect to such benefits in excess of allowable limits; and (3) includes such additional items and services as the carrier can demonstrate will facilitate appropriate hospital discharges or avoid unnecessary hospitalization. Sets forth miscellaneous disclosure and recordkeeping requirements for small employer health plans. Makes this title inapplicable outside the 50 States or the District of Columbia. Sets forth the definitions of terms used in this title.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 1991
Medicare EKG Payment Restoration Act of 1991 - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) reestablish separate payment for the interpretation of electrocardiograms (EKGs) that are ordered or performed during an office visit or consultation with a physician; and (2) require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish separate fee schedule amounts for EKG interpretations and to adjust the relative values established for office visits to or consultations with a physician to reflect the establishment of such separate fee schedule amounts. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish practice guidelines for the use of EKGs for dissemination along with other educational information relating to the use of EKGs to physicians; (2) develop a profile of the use of EKGs by physicians; and (3) conduct a study and report to the Congress on the utilization and costs of EKGs.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 1991
Directs the Sergeant at Arms of the House of Representatives, after consultation with the Speaker of the House and the Comptroller General, to establish procedures to assure that check cashing at the Sergeant at Arms Bank is conducted in a manner consistent with standard banking practices. Requires such procedures to: (1) provide for overdraft protection, suspension or termination of check privileges, or other means of protection against returned checks; and (2) be strictly and uniformly applied to all users with public disclosure. Requires a report to the Speaker by January 3, 1992, on carrying out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 1991
Federal Fire Safety Act of 1991 - Amends the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to prohibit the use of Federal funds to: (1) construct, purchase, or lease a newly constructed Federal office building, other than housing, having more than 25 full-time Federal employees nor to renovate one with five or more stories unless the entire building includes automatic sprinkler systems or an equivalent level of safety, with specified exceptions; and (2) increase the number of employees in such building by more than 100 employees over that as of enactment of this Act without such system or level of safety. Prohibits the use of such funds after the enactment of this Act: (1) to construct, purchase, lease, rebuild, or operate Federal Government housing for Federal employees and their dependents; (2) multifamily housing for Federal employees subsidized by the Federal Government; and (3) rental assistance housing, without automatic sprinkler systems and smoke detectors (in some cases smoke detectors alone). Directs the: (1) Administrator of the National Fire Prevention and Control Administration (Administrator) to promulgate regulations implementing this Act; and (2) head of any Federal agency that owns, leases, or operates a federally-funded building or housing unit, to invite the local agency or voluntary organization with fire protection responsibility in the jurisdiction of such building or housing unit to prepare, and biennially review, a prefire plan for it.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 1991
Designates 1992 as the Year of the Gulf of Mexico. Directs all Federal and State agencies which have responsibility for matters affecting the Gulf to work to increase public awareness regarding the immeasurable value of this resource and current conditions which threaten its aesthetic and economic value.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 1991
1992 White House Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue one dollar silver coins emblematic of the White House. Mandates that the total surcharges received from the sale of such coins shall be promptly paid to the White House Endowment Fund to assist its efforts to raise an endowment as a permanent source of support for the White House Collection of fine art and historic furnishings, and for the maintenance of the historic public rooms of the White House.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 1991
Designates October 30, 1991, as Refugee Day.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require presidential or vice-presidential candidates to prepare television commercials with closed captioning of the oral content as a condition of their eligibility for funding from the Presidential Election Campaign Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 1991
Area Health Education Centers Reauthorization Act of 1991 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to specify a term of six years for agreements establishing area health education centers (AHECs). Modifies the purposes of AHECs, including serving high-impact areas and States as well as border areas close to Mexico. Mandates, if available in the area, participation of a school of public health. Authorizes agreements for the planning, development, and operation of State-supported AHECs. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1991
Amends the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 to direct the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to publish and update clearly defined arrival and departure routes leading to and from airports located within and in close proximity to terminal control areas and airport radar service areas for the optional use of pilots operating under visual flight rules.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1991
National Energy Efficient Lighting Education Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary of Energy (the Secretary), within 12 months after enactment of this Act, to make grants to nonprofit institutions and universities (or a consortium of such entities) to establish one regional energy efficient lighting education and demonstration center (centers) in each of the ten regions served by a Department of Energy regional support office. Sets forth such centers' responsibilities, including functions relating to training of lighting professionals, information dissemination, and assistance for lighting engineering and technical programs and curricula. Sets forth requirements for grant applications, selection criteria, and matching funds. Directs the Secretary to establish a task force to: (1) oversee research and training carried out by grant recipients; (2) disseminate such research results; (3) review such programs; and (4) make recommendations for possible future programs. Directs the Secretary to report annually to the Congress on the activities of such centers. Authorizes appropriations for grants for such centers. Authorizes the Secretary to make matching grants to States to encourage State energy offices to supplement the activities of such centers in providing educational workshops to train local building owners, developers, and facility energy and financial managers regarding energy efficient lighting options. Requires such workshops to be conducted in cooperation with the center for the region in which the State is located and with technical assistance and educational material from such center. Gives preference for such grants to States in which a center has not been established. Sets limits on the amount of such a grant to any State. Directs the Secretary to report annually to the Congress on such educational workshops supported by State energy offices. Authorizes appropriations for such grants to States.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1991
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to eliminate the annual cap on the amount of payment for outpatient physical therapy and occupational therapy services under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance).
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1991
Food Quality Protection Act of 1991 - Title I: Cancellation and Suspension - Amends provisions of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) relating to cancellation and changes in classification or other terms or conditions 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. Sets forth procedural requirements for such a rulemaking. Provides for amendment of a rule and for judicial review. Allows the Administrator, in the case of a suspension, to waive certain requirements. Allows the Administrator to elect to proceed with a special review proceeding or a public interim administrative review proceeding, if published before a specified date, under the law in effect before enactment of this Act. Requires the Administrator to reassess each tolerance and exemption from the requirement for a tolerance at certain times in connection with reregistration of pesticides. Establishes the Science Review Board to assist the Scientific Advisory Panel in reviews conducted by the Panel. Revises procedures applicable after denial of an application for registration. Allows the Administrator to deny an application for registration because it does not comply with the requirements of a rule issued under provisions of this Act. Repeals provisions regulating the authority of the Administrator to initiate a public interim administrative review process. Declares a decision made after a hearing in certain circumstances during phase three of reregistration to be final. Amends provisions regulating: (1) review by district courts of suspension of registrations; and (2) public hearings. Title II: Data Collection - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to collect pesticide use data of Statewide or regional significance for all the major crops and crops of dietary significance. Mandates research, development, and dissemination of integrated pest management techniques and other pest control methods that enable producers to reduce or eliminate application of pesticides which pose a greater than negligible dietary risk to humans. Title III: Amendments to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) to define, subject to exception, "pesticide chemical" as it is defined in the FIFRA. Adds to the list of prohibited acts under the FDCA violation of provisions relating to confidentiality of data, as amended by this Act. Deems a food adulterated if it bears or contains: (1) a pesticide chemical residue that is unsafe; or (2) a new animal drug, or conversion product thereof, that is unsafe. Sets forth requirements relating to tolerances and exemptions from the requirement of a tolerance for pesticide chemical residues in food, including residues of degradation products. Prohibits establishment of a tolerance higher than a level the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency determines is adequate to protect the public health. Sets forth the factors the Administrator must consider. 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, and the adverse effects from the reduction would outweigh the risk posed by the residue. Allows the Administrator to issue an exemption from the requirement for a tolerance only if the Administrator determines that a tolerance is not needed to protect the public health, in view of the levels of dietary exposure that could reasonably be expected to occur. Sets forth the factors the Administrator must consider. Sets forth procedures and requirements in connection with: (1) petitions for tolerances or exemptions; (2) certain actions authorized on the Administrator's own initiative; (3) the required submission of additional data to support the continuation of a tolerance or exemption; and (4) confidentiality of data submitted to the Administrator. Provides for continuation of previously issued regulations. Sets forth transitional provisions. Prohibits a final rule that revokes, modifies, or suspends a tolerance or exemption until the Administrator has taken any necessary action under the FIFRA with respect to the registration of the pesticide involved. Requires the Administrator, if the Administrator takes certain actions with respect to the registration of a pesticide, to revoke any tolerance or exemption that allows the presence of the chemical or chemical residue. Requires the suspension of any tolerance or exemption upon the suspension of the use of an associated registered pesticide. 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 thereby be present in or on a food; and (2) residues resulting from an application which was lawful at the time of the application. Directs the Administrator to require the payment of fees sufficient for the Administrator's functions under these provisions. Prohibits, subject to exception, a State from establishing or enforcing any limit on a qualifying pesticide chemical residue in or on any food which is not identical to Federal requirements. Prohibits a State from enforcing a residue limit which was lawful at the time of application. Authorizes appropriations for increased monitoring by the Secretary of Health and Human Services of pesticide residues in imported and domestic food.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1991
Semiconductor Investment Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to classify the depreciable life for semiconductor manufacturing equipment as three-year property.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1991
Inter-American Scientific Cooperation Act of 1991 - Directs the National Science Foundation to establish the Inter-American Scientific Cooperation Program aimed at increasing science and technology cooperation between the United States and Latin America. Requires the Program to identify and cooperate with private and governmental funding bodies. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Program to encourage the use of debt-for-science exchanges to finance cooperative scientific research projects. Requires the Program Director to make funds available, in accordance with the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, to non-Federal organizations for such exchanges. Requires intent by a debtor nation to contribute at least 75 percent of the full face value of the discounted debt, or at least 20 percent over the current market purchase price of the debt. Requires the Director to appoint a Board of Governors for the U.S. side of a United States-Mexico Binational Science Endowment. Requires that the Endowment be an independent, nongovernmental, nonadvocacy, not-for-profit organization operated exclusively for scientific and educational purposes, receiving funds and supporting projects of potential benefit to both nations. Authorizes the use of a limited amount of funds authorized under specified Acts to carry out this Act. Authorizes and encourages the Administrator of the Agency for International Development to provide a specified amount from the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for certain purposes of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1991
Designates October 1991 as Ending Hunger Month.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1991
Veterans Dignity in Health Care Act of 1991 - Grants veterans who are patients or residents in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers, nursing homes, and domiciliaries the right to purchase and use tobacco products. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ensure that: (1) each VA facility that maintains a commissary or canteen makes tobacco products available through, and provides patients or residents access to, the commissary or canteen; and (2) each VA facility maintains and provides patients or residents access to an indoor patient smoking area.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1991
Military Retirement Equity Act of 1991 - Permits retired members of the armed forces to be paid retirement pay concurrently with compensation for any service-connected disability if the person's entitlement to such retirement pay is based solely on: (1) age; (2) length of service; or (3) both. Reduces the amount of retirement pay, in the case of individuals receiving both types of pay, by a specified percentage of the disability compensation which decreases as the disability rating increases. Prohibits any reduction in the retirement pay of a disabled person when the disability rating is total. Expresses the sense of the Congress that, once the Federal budget deficit has been reduced, the Congress should reexamine and eliminate any offset of retired pay by a veteran's disability compensation.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1991
Designates May 1992 as National Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1991
Establishes a Joint Committee on the Organization of the Congress to: (1) make a full and complete study of the organization and operation of the Congress; and (2) recommend improvements in such organization and operation with a view toward strengthening its effectiveness, simplifying its operations, improving its relationships with other branches of the Government, and improving the orderly consideration of legislation. Requires a report to the Senate and the House of Representatives not later than the adjournment sine die of the 102d Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 1991
Designates September 18, 1991, as National Biomedical Research Day.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 1991
National Science Foundation Antarctic Environmental Protection Act of 1991 - Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to issue regulations designating pollutants and to implement a permit program to prevent harm from pollutant discharges by any U.S. person in Antarctica. Requires the Director, in issuing pollution control regulations and permits under this Act, to: (1) ensure that the waste disposal and environmental protection requirements applicable to Antarctica as adopted by the United States or the Antarctica Treaty Parties are made mandatory minimum requirements for all U.S. persons in Antarctica; and (2) provide the same degree of environmental protection to U.S. activities in Antarctica as would be afforded by U.S. environmental laws. Makes it unlawful for U.S. persons, unless such an action is committed under emergency circumstances or to prevent loss of life, to: (1) discharge hazardous or toxic pollutants; (2) engage in the practice of ice staging; (3) transport hazardous or toxic pollutants to Antarctica for disposal purposes; (4) dump waste at sea in Antarctica, except in accordance with specified permits; (5) engage in open burning of wastes at coastal stations; and (6) discharge sewage or wastewater onto ice free land. Requires the Director to: (1) complete a comprehensive solid and hazardous waste management plan for all U.S. Antarctic Program stations, field camps, and operations; (2) implement a solid waste management program at McMurdo Station which is consistent with the NSF Implementation Plan; (3) establish policies to prevent oils, heavy metals, and hazardous and toxic pollutants from entering station wastewater collection systems; (4) permit the discharge of human wastewater into Antarctica coastal waters only after maceration and dilution; and (5) complete and implement recommendations of a hazardous and toxic pollutant spill prevention, control, and counter-measures plan. Prescribes civil and criminal penalties for violations of this Act. Confers responsibility for enforcement of this Act on the Director. Sets forth provisions concerning seizure of property. Requires an environmental audit of U.S. Antarctic Program stations, field camps, and operations to be concluded by an independent panel of experts. Requires the Director to submit a plan for implementing the panel's recommendations to the Office of Management and Budget. Requires the Director, upon completion of the new science facility laboratory at McMurdo Station, to dedicate appropriate personnel and resources within the laboratory to environmental monitoring, assessment, compliance, investigation, and enforcement activity. Directs NSF's Office of the Inspector General to establish procedures for reporting violations of this Act or of other applicable laws. Requires the Director to implement a long-term environmental monitoring program for Antarctica. Requires the Director to report to the Congress on: (1) the adequacy and effectiveness of efforts to control and reduce adverse effects of tourism on Antarctica wildlife, the environment, and the conduct of scientific research; and (2) the need for expanding the protection of Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Specially Protected Areas to include other areas requiring protection from tourist activities. Requires the Director to issue further regulations to apply to U.S. persons as may be necessary to: (1) minimize and prevent such adverse effects; (2) establish qualifications for guides for tourist expeditions to Antarctica; and (3) implement, with respect to such expeditions, any additional safety standards for vessel and air transportation under the weather conditions of that area. Provides for an environmental assessment of major Federal actions significantly affecting the quality of Antarctica's environment. Applies such requirement to all activities conducted by Federal agencies or by private or governmental entities receiving Federal assistance for such activities.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1991
Tire Recycling and Recovery Act of 1991 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to require States to submit scrap tire management plans to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Sets forth plan approval procedures. Requires the Administrator to: (1) convene a forum of Federal, State, and local authorities and experts in the field of scrap tire management to discuss the requirements of this Act; (2) distribute guidelines and a model plan to States; (3) review approved plans and audit plans periodically; and (4) promulgate plans for States that fail to do so. Sets forth plan requirements and declares that plans must: (1) address the reduction and elimination of existing scrap tire piles that contain more than 3,000 scrap tires; (2) address current and future disposal, recycling, recovery, and reuse of scrap tires; and (3) provide for the issuance of permits to owners or operators of scrap tire collection sites and others who handle scrap tires. Authorizes the Administrator to provide financial assistance to States for purposes of conducting surveys of scrap tire piles and for developing and implementing tire plans. Grants a preference for assistance to applicants who have shown progress in eliminating such piles. Sets forth assistance application procedures. Permits States to apply for assistance in conjunction with neighboring States. Prohibits: (1) the disposal of scrap tires in a landfill, monocell, or monofill; (2) the operation of collection sites, except in compliance with specified regulations; (3) the storage of more than 3,000 scrap tires for more than 60 days at collection sites, unless necessary for further reuse, recovery, or recycling; (4) the commingling of new scrap tires with existing scrap tire piles; (5) the transfer of control over scrap tires for transportation to a collection site to a transporter without a permit; and (6) the operation and maintenance of a pile or collection site, or the delivery or receipt of scrap tires for storage or disposal at a collection site, except in compliance with a permit. Exempts specified persons from such prohibitions if no threat of an adverse effect on human health or the environment will result from the exemption. Authorizes the Administrator to impose alternative requirements as a condition for an exemption. Authorizes civil penalties or civil actions for violations of this Act. Prescribes criminal penalties for knowing violations. Directs the Administrator to prepare guidelines for the Federal procurement of items that make use of rubber from scrap or used tires. Requires the Administrator, together with the heads of appropriate Federal agencies, to: (1) determine the extent of scrap tire piles on Federal property; and (2) implement a plan for, and report to the Congress on, the abatement of such piles. Repeals a provision concerning grants for discarded tire disposal.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1991
Establishes the Scrap Tire Trust Fund in the Treasury. Provides that the Fund shall consist of a Scrap Tire Reduction Account and a Scrap Tire Recycling Account. Appropriates amounts equivalent to fees collected under this Act to the Accounts. Makes amounts in the Accounts available for: (1) financial assistance to States for conducting surveys of scrap tire piles, developing State tire management plans, reducing and eliminating scrap tire piles, and carrying out parts of such plans relating to tire disposal; and (2) administration of such assistance. Imposes fees on new tires sold by manufacturers or importers from January 1, 1993, through December 31, 2004. Provides for the deposit of such fees into the General Fund of the Treasury.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1991
Designates November 1991 as National Red Ribbon Month.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow the targeted jobs credit for hiring an involuntarily discharged economically disadvantaged veteran. Describes such veteran as one who: (1) has served on active duty for more than 180 days, or has been discharged or released from active duty for a service-connected disability; (2) has been involuntarily discharged or released (other than dishonorably) after September 30, 1991; (3) has not had a day of extended active duty during the 28-day period ending on the hiring date; and (4) is a member of an economically disadvantaged family.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 1991
Petroleum Marketing Competition Enhancement Act - Amends the Petroleum Marketing Practices Act to prohibit a refiner from: (1) selling motor fuel to a customer for resale (customer) at a price higher than the refiner's adjusted retail price for the same or a similar grade or quality of motor fuel sold from a direct operated outlet in the same geographic area (sale of fuel at higher prices); and (2) entering into a scheme or agreement to set, change, or maintain maximum retail prices of motor fuel, except with respect to a refiner's retail sales at its direct operated outlets. Requires that: (1) in comparing a refiner's adjusted retail price to a refiner's price to other customers, adjustments be made to account for differences in freight, taxes, and inspection fees, whether or not the items are separately listed as part of the price; and (2) if a refiner includes consumer credit as part of its price, an adjustment for the cost of such credit be made in comparing the prices. Sets forth enforcement provisions, including: (1) proceedings by the Attorney General (establishes fines ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 for each violation, and authorizes civil actions and equitable relief); (2) private civil actions, including class actions, (and establishes a right to jury trial); and (3) proceedings by State attorneys general. Allows a person bringing an action to enforce provisions concerning the sale of fuel at higher prices to establish a prima facie case by showing that the refiner has sold motor fuel to a customer at a price that is higher than: (1) 94 percent of its consumer retail price per gallon (or, in the event of a sale to a branded wholesaler, 90 percent); or (2) the refiner's consumer retail price per gallon less the most recently available average retail operating expenses per gallon (and, in the event of a sale by a refiner to a branded wholesaler, also less the most recently available average wholesale operating expenses per gallon for the State in which the consumer retail price was charged). Specifies that: (1) in the event that the relevant State has not conducted an annual survey (pursuant to this Act) to determine the average retail or average wholesale operating expenses, the average operating expenses for the retail and wholesale petroleum industry, as determined by the Secretary of Energy, shall be used; and (2) such prima facie case may be overcome by a preponderance of evidence that the refiner's actual retail and average wholesale operating expenses, if applicable, are less than the evidence presented by the plaintiff to establish such prima facie case. Directs the Secretary to conduct an annual survey to determine the average retail and average wholesale operating expenses per gallon for the petroleum industry. Permits a State or State agency to authorize an annual State survey to reflect local conditions with respect to motor fuels sold to the public in that State. Directs that any such survey regarding: (1) retail operating expenses and actual wholesale operating expenses be based upon all direct and indirect expenses attributable to the sale of a gallon of motor fuel to the public by direct and nondirect operated outlets; and (2) wholesale operating expenses be based on all direct and indirect expenses attributable to the wholesale sale of a gallon of motor fuel by a refiner or a branded wholesaler to a branded dealer.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 1991
Surface Transportation Research and Development Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to develop a national plan for surface transportation research and development. Requires the Secretary to initiate research and development programs in the areas of: (1) highway vehicle research; (2) automated highway and vehicle systems; (3) high speed rail systems; (4) magnetic levitated train systems; and (5) lightweight, rubber-tired multiple-unit passenger transportation systems. Directs the Secretary to establish an independent surface transportation research advisory committee. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 1991
Rural Crime and Drug Control Act of 1991 - Title I: Fighting Drug Trafficking in Rural Areas - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize appropriations, and increase the base allocation, for rural drug enforcement assistance. Directs the Attorney General to establish a Rural Drug Enforcement Task Force in each of the Federal judicial districts which encompass significant rural lands. Specifies the membership of such task forces. Directs the Attorney General to cross-designate up to 100 Federal officers with jurisdiction to enforce Controlled Substances Act (CSA) provisions on non-Federal lands to the extent necessary to effect the purposes of this title. Requires the Director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center to develop a specialized course of instruction devoted to training law enforcement officers from rural agencies in the investigation of drug trafficking and related crimes. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Federal Law Enforcement Agencies - Authorizes appropriations for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to hire, equip, and train not less than 350 agents and necessary support personnel to expand DEA investigations and operations against drug trafficking organizations in rural areas. Title III: Increasing Penalties for Certain Drug Trafficking Offenses - Ice Enforcement Act of 1991 - Amends the CSA to increase penalties for specified offenses involving crystalline methamphetamine. Title IV: Rural Drug Treatment - Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a program to provide grants to hospitals, community health centers, and other appropriate entities that serve nonmetropolitan areas to assist in developing and implementing projects that provide, or expand the availability of, substance abuse treatment services. Authorizes appropriations. Title V: Rural Drug Prevention - Directs the Secretary to make grants to public and nonprofit private entities that serve nonmetropolitan areas to assist such entities in developing and implementing projects that provide, or expand the availability of, substance abuse prevention services. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the alcohol and drug abuse information clearinghouse required to be established under the PHSA to: (1) gather information pertaining to rural drug abuse treatment and education projects funded by the Administrator of the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration and other such projects operating throughout the United States; and (2) disseminate information to rural hospitals, community health centers, community mental health centers, treatment facilities, community organizations. and other interested individuals. Title VI: Rural Land Recovery Act - Specifies that each of the Rural Drug Enforcement Task Forces shall include one Director of Rural Land Recovery. Directs State and Federal prosecutors, when bringing charges against the operators of such laboratories, to include, in addition to drug-related charges, counts involving infringements of applicable environmental protection laws, including illegal disposal of hazardous waste and knowing endangerment of the environment. Authorizes such prosecutors and private citizens to bring suit against the operators of such laboratories for environmental and health-related damages caused by the operators in their manufacture of illicit substances.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 1991
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to study and evaluate, through the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, the effectiveness of various programs that guarantee disadvantaged children the financial resources needed to pursue a postsecondary education in exchange for the child's commitment to achieving a satisfactory elementary and secondary education. Requires dissemination of such study findings through appropriate agencies and organizations, including business associations. Requires an interim and a final report to specified congressional committees. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 1991
Designates August 29, 1991, as National Sarcoidosis Awareness Day.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 1991
Technical Education and Training Act of 1991 - Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to carry out an advanced technical education and training program under which accredited associate-degree-granting colleges, using matching non-Federal funds, provide training in technical competencies in strategic fields, with emphasis on collaborative programs with local employers and on attracting nontraditional students seeking to upgrade skills, recent high school graduates, and high school dropouts. Sets forth program elements, including: (1) model instructional programs in state-of-the-art competencies in advanced-technology occupations; (2) faculty development in laser technology, robotics, fiber optics, electronics, and other advanced technologies; and (3) private sector participation and provision of work experience opportunities. Requires the Director to: (1) award competitive grants to associate-degree-granting colleges; and (2) establish an inventory of advanced technical education and training programs. Requires the appointment of a National Advisory Council on Advanced Technical Education and Training to ensure the program is consistent with the needs of industries and provide other advice and evaluations. Requires an annual report from the Council to the NSF and the Congress. Requires the program to give emphasis to training to accommodate working people, parents, and the handicapped. Requires the designation of ten centers of excellence among associate-degree-granting colleges to serve as national and regional clearinghouses for educational institutions striving to upgrade their technical education programs and mathematics and science courses. Requires the Director to make: (1) no fewer than 20 grants annually to associate-degree-granting colleges to develop partnerships in mathematics and science education with secondary schools in the community; and (2) grants for partnerships with four-year academic institutions to enable students to achieve bachelor degrees in mathematics, science, engineering, or technology.