United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Urban School Improvement Title II: School Building Repair And Renovation Title III: Urban School Research Title IV: General Provisions Urban Schools of America (USA) Act of 1993 - Title I: Urban School Improvement - Authorizes appropriations and sets forth funds allocation factors. Requires LEAs to use funds under this title to meet national education goals through programs designed to: (1) increase the academic achievement and graduation rates of urban school children to at least the national average; (2) prepare urban school graduates to enter higher education, pursue careers, and exercise their responsibilities as citizens; (3) recruit and retain qualified teachers; and (4) decrease the use of drugs and alcohol by urban students, and enhance their physical and emotional health. Sets forth program accountability requirements. Authorizes the Secretary to make competitive incentive awards to individual participating schools that demonstrate exemplary progress in meeting specified program requirements. Directs the Secretary to report on the impact of Federal regulations, guidelines, and policies on urban public schools. Requires LEAs desiring to receive an allotment to establish (or designate) a local advisory group. Sets forth special rules relating to ranking of schools to determine relative need, in general, on the basis of achievement, poverty, and racial isolation. Requires each LEA receiving a grant to serve between ten and 20 percent of its schools. Requires eligible LEAs to have flexibility to serve homeless children, desegregating students, immigrants, migrants, or other highly mobile populations, within the program assisted under this title. Title II: School Building Repair and Renovation - Authorizes appropriations to assist eligible LEAs in repairing and renovating instructional facilities in city schools and for programs for school environmental concerns and safety improvement. Limits the period covered by a grant application to three years, and requires annual review by the Secretary. Title III: Urban School Research - Authorizes appropriations for the National Institute for Urban Education (the Institute), established in the Department of Education by this title. Amends the Department of Education Organization Act to create an Assistant Secretary for Urban Education (the Assistant Secretary), who is to establish the Institute in the Department. Requires the Institute and allows LEAs to use funds for specified functions involving research, information, and evaluation relating to urban education and title I programs. Title IV: General Provisions - Establishes the Interagency Council on Urban Schools to: (1) review Federal programs to determine effects on urban schools' ability to meet national education goals; (2) track school progress toward such goals; (3) solicit advice and information from urban education experts and urban school representatives on improvement of Federal programs; (4) review Federal regulations for duplication or contradiction; (5) report annually to the Congress and the President on urban school progress; (6) review and recommend improvement or streamlinig of Federal data collection in urban schools; and (7) conduct research to help urban school practitioners improve school performance. Directs the President to conduct a White House Conference on Urban Education. Authorizes appropriations. Establishes a National Commission on Urban Education, which shall: (1) study specified issues relating to urban schools; and (2) report, and recommend changes in Federal legislation, to the President and appropriate congressional committees. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1993
Forest Biodiversity and Clearcutting Prohibition Act of 1993 - 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 other 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.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1993
Justice for Wards Cove Workers Act - Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1991 to remove a provision excluding from application of the Act any disparate impact case filed before March 1, 1975, and decided after October 30, 1983. (Wards Cove Packing Co. v. Atonio, 1989, held that, in cases brought under title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the burden is on the plaintiff to prove an employer had no business necessity for a practice with discriminatory effects.)
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1993
Declares that it is the sense of the Congress that: (1) access to health care services is a fundamental human right; (2) all legislative proposals by the President and the Congress concerning national health care reform and any initiatives to improve the delivery of health care should be based upon recognition of such right; and (3) legislative proposals should be specifically developed which make policy changes necessary to protect and guarantee such right.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1993
Low-Income Housing Revitalization Act - Amends Internal Revenue Code (IRC) provisions relating to the low-income housing credit to increase the credit from four percent to nine percent with respect to new buildings that are federally subsidized. Extends the low-income housing credit permanently. Amends IRC accounting provisions to exempt low-income housing credit activities from limitations on passive losses. Revises the accelerated cost recovery system in connection with low-income residential rental property to reduce the applicable recovery period from 27.5 to 20 years. Disallows an income tax deduction for any expense relating to residential rental units unless such units are suitable for occupancy. Excludes deductions for business expenses, interest on indebtedness, and taxes from calculations to determine the passive loss limitation in connection with rental real estate activity relating to a qualified low-income housing project in which a noncorporate taxpayer actively or materially participates.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1993
Declares that it is the sense of the Congress that any legislation enacted to reform the health care system must: (1) ensure that every person has access to coverage for medically and psychologically necessary treatments for mental disorders that is equitable to the coverage provided for treatments of physical illnesses; and (2) meet specified requirements concerning coverage, consumer choice, financial protection, financing policies, and coordination across Federal, State, and local programs.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 1993
Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit (until the Attorney General certifies that a national instant criminal background check system (System) is established pursuant to this Act) any licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer from selling, delivering, or transferring a handgun to an unlicensed individual unless: (1) after the most recent proposal of such transfer by the individual, the transferor has received a statement of eligibility from the individual, verified the identity of such individual, provided notice of the contents, and transmitted a copy of the statement to the chief law enforcement officer (chief) of the place of residence of the individual within one day after the individual furnishes the statement; and five business days have elapsed from the date the transferor furnished notice of the contents of the statement to the chief, during which period the transferor has not received information from the chief that receipt or possession of the handgun by the individual would be in violation of Federal, State, or local law or has received notice from the chief that the chief has no information indicating that such receipt or possession would violate such law; (2) the individual has presented to the transferor a statement from the chief, issued in the past ten days, stating that the individual requires a handgun because of a threat to such individual or such individual's family; (3) the individual has presented to the transferor a permit to possess a handgun that has been issued in the past five years by the State in which the transfer is to take place under a State law which requires law enforcement verification of the individual's legal qualification to possess a handgun; (4) State law requires that an authorized government official verifies that the information available to such official does not indicate that possession of a handgun by the purchaser would be unlawful, with exceptions; (5) the Secretary of the Treasury has approved the transfer under provisions of the Internal Revenue Code; or (6) the Secretary has certified, on application of the transferor, that compliance with the notice requirement is impracticable for specified reasons. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) establish the System; (2) expedite the upgrading and indexing of State criminal history records in the Federal criminal records system maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the development of hardware and software systems to link State criminal history check systems into the System, and the current revitalization initiatives by the FBI for technologically advanced fingerprint and criminal records identification; and (3) ensure the privacy and security of System information. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the use of justice system improvement formula grants for the improvement of State record systems and the sharing with the Attorney General of specified records for the purpose of implementing this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 February 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Amendments to Fair Credit Reporting Act Title II: Credit Repair Organizations Title I: Amendments to Fair Credit Reporting Act - Consumer Reporting Reform Act of 1993 - Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act (the Act) to specify that the term "credit transaction which is not initiated by the consumer" does not include use of a consumer report (CR) by a person with which the consumer has an account for purposes of reviewing or collecting the account. Allows the furnishing of a CR for: (1) a legitimate business need in connection with a business transaction that is initiated by the consumer; and (2) employment purposes only if certain disclosures are made, the consumer consents, and the information will not be used in violation of any Federal or State equal employment opportunity law or regulation. Prohibits: (1) using or obtaining information from a CR unless it is obtained for an authorized purpose and the purpose is certified under certain provisions of the Act; (2) a consumer reporting agency (CRA) from prohibiting a CR user from disclosing the CR to the consumer if adverse action against the consumer is contemplated; and (3) the furnishing of a CR for use in direct marketing not initiated by the consumer. Requires CRAs to maintain a notification system, including a toll-free telephone number, which permits any consumer to elect to be excluded from lists provided in connection with solicitations of credit not initiated by the consumer. Removes exceptions to prohibitions on reporting obsolete information. (Current law prohibits reporting information which is over a specified number of years old, except for credit transactions, life insurance, or employment involving amounts over specified limits.) Regulates the beginning of the seven-year reporting period for certain types of information. Requires CRAs to: (1) include information received that an account was closed by a consumer in good standing when when closed by the consumer with no outstanding balance; and (2) notify regular information suppliers of the suppliers' responsibilities under the Act. Prohibits a person who procures a CR from reselling the information unless the identity of the end user and the purpose is disclosed to the CRA. Requires a CRA to: (1) disclose to a consumer all information in the consumer's file, certain information about the recipients of a CR, the permissible purpose for which each recipient procured a CR, a record of inquiries in the last six months that identified the consumer in connection with a credit transaction which was not initiated by the consumer, and, with any such disclosures, a summary of the consumer's rights under the Act; and (2) unless the dispute is frivolous or irrelevant to reinvestigate disputed information free of charge or delete the item from the file, to notify the information furnisher, to delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information, and to notify the consumer of the results of the reinvestigation. Regulates charges by CRAs for certain disclosures. Requires any person who takes an adverse action with respect to a consumer in connection with a transaction initiated by the consumer or an employment determination to notify the consumer, disclose the identity of the CRA furnishing the report, advise the consumer of certain rights, and give certain information on any credit scoring system or other predictor of credit wothiness used. Subjects any person (currently, any CRA or user of information) to civil liability for willful or negligent noncompliance with the Act. Sets forth: (1) duties of furnishers of information to CRAs, including a prohibition on furnishing information which the furnisher has reasonable cause to believe is incomplete or inaccurate; and (2) provisions regarding investigative consumer reports. Increases criminal penalties for obtaining information under false pretenses. Authorizes State civil actions to enforce the Act, subject to a specified limitation. Requires each CRA which compiles and maintains consumer reports nationwide to maintain a toll-free telephone number. Title II: Credit Repair Organizations - Amends the Consumer Credit Protection Act to provide that specified provisions of that Act may be cited as the Credit Repair Organizations Act. Prohibits: (1) advising any consumer to make an untrue or misleading statement, or to alter the consumer's identification to prevent the display of the consumer's credit record; (2) other fraud or deception; and (3) a credit repair organization (CRO) from charging or receiving valuable consideration for any service before such service is fully performed. Specifies a statement which a CRO must provide to consumers before an agreement is executed regarding the consumer, the CRO, and related rights, powers, and obligations. Requires written, signed contracts covering specified matters in order for a CRO to provide services. Allows a consumer to cancel a contract with a CRO within three business days of making the contract. Declares void any consumer waiver of any protection under this title. Makes an attempt to obtain a waiver a violation of this title. Voids any contract not in compliance with this title. Provides for civil liability for failing to comply with this title, including allowing punitive damages and class actions. Requires enforcement of this title under the Federal Trade Commission Act (FTCA) by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Makes: (1) a violation of this title an unfair or deceptive act or practice in violation of specified provisions of the FTCA; and (2) all functions and powers of the FTC available for enforcement of this title. Allows State enforcement through Federal or State courts.
United States · United States Congress · 18 February 1993
Unremunerated Work Act of 1993 - Directs the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics to: (1) conduct time use surveys of unremunerated work performed in the United States (including household, agricultural, and volunteer work and work related to child care and other care services, food production, and family businesses); and (2) calculate the monetary value of such unremunerated work, separately for men and women, and include such value in statistics used to determine the gross national product.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 1993
Immunization Now Act of 1993 - Entitles each infant in the United States under two years old who does not have other health insurance and who meets other requirements to receive immunizations without charge. Requires any licensed health care professional to provide immunizations in exchange for vouchers issued through hospitals or community health centers or on direct application by the parent, with quarterly reimbursements to health care providers in amounts set by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Directs the Secretary to carry out activities to inform the public and health care providers regarding the program. Authorizes appropriations. Establishes a national immunization registry system to provide for national surveillance of childhood immunization status through age six. Mandates grants for research and demonstration projects to identify mechanisms and structures to develop the registry. Requires certain measures to expand the registry from the projects to cover the entire Nation. Requires full implementation of the registry by 1997. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 1993
Repeals provisions of the Tax Reform Act of 1986 that restrict the types of scholarships and fellowship grants that may be excluded from gross income for income tax purposes. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an income tax deduction for interest on a qualified educational loan incurred to pay the educational expenses of the taxpayer, spouse, or dependent.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1993
National African American Museum Act - Establishes within the Smithsonian Institution the National African American Museum (the Museum) to be operated as a center for scholarship and museum training and a location for education, research, events, and collection and display of items and materials relating to the life, art, history, and culture of African Americans. Authorizes the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution (Board of Regents) to plan, design, reconstruct, and renovate the Arts and Industries Building to house the Museum. Establishes a Board of Trustees of the Museum (Board of Trustees) in the Smithsonian Institution. Sets forth various duties of the Board of Trustees, including: (1) establishing and supporting cooperative programs with other museums and institutions; and (2) reporting annually to the Board of Regents. Directs the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution to appoint a Director to manage the Museum (as well as appointing five other Museum employees). Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1993
Community Services Empowerment Amendments of 1993 - Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 to establish the National Community Services Empowerment Partnership Corporation (Corporation). Authorizes the Corporation to appoint a Community Services Empowerment Advisory Committee. Establishes in the Corporation an Office of Inspector General. Authorizes the Corporation to make grants to existing or emerging community services empowerment corporations (corporations) for revolving funds that will provide assistance for business and employment opportunities in low-income urban and rural areas. Obligates at least ten percent of existing corporation annual appropriations for loans and capital investments to locally-owned small enterprises in high unemployment areas. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) eligibility requirements; (2) aggregate grant limits; (3) limitations on capital investment, administrative costs, technical assistance, and training; and (4) limitations on loan repayments and capital investment proceeds. Authorizes the Corporation to make grants for: (1) emerging corporation enhancement, technical assistance, and training; and (2) research and demonstration. Sets forth audit and reporting requirements. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1993
Jefferson Commemorative Coin Act of 1993 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue one-dollar silver coins emblematic of Thomas Jefferson and his home, Monticello. Mandates that all surcharges received from the sale of such coins be paid to the Jefferson Endowment Fund, and to the Corporation for Jefferson's Poplar Forest. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the coin program shall be self-sustaining and that its administration should result in no net cost to the Numismatic Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1993
Trident II (D-5) Missile Production Termination Act - Prohibits funds appropriated to the Department of Defense for fiscal years after 1993 from being obligated or expended for production of additional Trident II (D-5) missiles. Allows amounts appropriated to the Department to be expended for such missile only to complete production of those missiles commenced with funds appropriated before FY 1994.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1993
TITLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Requiring Employers to Provide Health Insurance Coverage for Pregnant Women and Children Title II: Provision of Health Insurance for Pregnant Women and Children Through State Children and Pregnant Women Health Plans Title III: Health Insurance Reform for Small Employers Children and Pregnant Women Health Insurance Act of 1993 - Title I: Requiring Employers to Provide Health Insurance Coverage for Pregnant Women and Children - (Secs. 101 and 102) Amends the Social Security Act to require employers either to enroll their employees and family members in a qualified employer health plan or to provide information to the State in which they reside for enrollment instead in the new universal State health insurance plan (the State plan) created by this Act. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose: (1) a premium tax on employers who fail to enroll their employees and family members in a qualified employer health plan, as well as on such employees; and (2) an excise tax on employers who fail to provide to the applicable State information for enrollment under the State plan. Phases in implementation of enrollment requirements and tax payments over four years. Allows a qualified employer health plan to be either private or self-insured, depending 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. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) develop standards to certify a qualified employer health plan; (2) establish procedures for the periodic review and recertification of plans; and (3) 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. Title II: Provision of Health Insurance for Pregnant Women and Children Through State Children and Pregnant Women Health Plans - (Sec. 201) Amends the Social Security Act to require each State to establish a health insurance plan (the State plan) for pregnant women and children and other lawful State residents who have not been enrolled or covered under a qualified employer or Federal health plan. Requires each State also to establish a program under which low-income individuals enrolled in any such health plan may apply for assistance to limit or eliminate their financial obligations for premiums, deductibles, and co-payments. Provides that if a State fails to establish a mandated plan, the Secretary shall establish one for it, and the State shall be liable for part of the start-up costs. Requires the State plan to provide specified: (1) preventive care services, including routine immunizations and prenatal care; (2) major medical services; (3) extended medical services, including mental health services; (4) outreach services to link low-income enrolled individuals with such health services; and (5) social services (but only at the State's option). Directs the Secretary to establish standards for such health services. Prohibits a State from imposing any limitation on their number, duration, or scope. Allows individuals covered under the State plan to choose any qualified plan provider or practitioner. Incorporates the use of Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) or similar payment rates for reimbursing providers for required health services. Requires each State to establish adequate payment rates for outreach and social services. Sets: (1) the maximum annual deductible and co-payment amount for major medical services and extended medical services; and (2) an overall annual limit on cost-sharing for such services. Applies in the same manner to State plans qualified employer health plan requirements for the treatment of family members, coverage period, health plan cards, and coordination and portability of health care coverage. 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 as well as other specified revenues dedicated to the support of the State plan. Details the assistance to be provided to low-income individuals and the application process to obtain it. Provides for State 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. Title III: Health Insurance Reform for Small Employers - (Sec. 302) Amends the Social Security Act to require health insurance plans provided by small employers (small employer plans) to meet the standards established below in order to be issued, avoid loss of their qualified status, and escape disqualification from State plan administration. (Sec. 301) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an excise tax (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 develop specific standards to implement the requirements which small employer plans must meet if the State has not established a regulatory program for applying such standards to such plans (program). Provides that if NAIC fails to develop such standards or the Secretary finds that they do not implement such requirements, the Secretary must develop them. Subjects programs to periodic review by the Secretary for determining compliance with such NAIC standards. Requires any carrier which offers a small employer plan to register with the applicable State regulatory authority. Requires such carriers to 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. Requires a minimum 12-month term for any small employer plan, guaranteed renewable (with specified exceptions) for additional minimum 12-month terms. 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. Requires the premiums for all small employer plans of the same entity to be: (1) based on a single cohesive rating system applied consistently for all employer groups and designed not to differentiate groups by 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 variations among blocks of business. States that, with respect to premiums for small employer plans with similar coverage, a small employer plan carrier may establish blocks of business only on the basis of specified criteria. Prohibits the issuance of any small employer plan unless it: (1) provides for a minimum benefit package mirroring the health services required under title II of this Act; (2) does not impose cost-sharing in excess of allowable limits; and (3) includes only such additional items and services as the carrier can demonstrate will facilitate appropriate hospital discharges or avoid unnecessary hospitalization.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1993
Liveable Wage Act of 1993 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to: (1) increase the minimum wage to $5.50 an hour in 1994; and (2) provide that the minimum wage rate will be increased by indexing to the cost of living, in the same manner as benefits are indexed under specified provisions of the Social Security Act, for 1995 and thereafter.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
Prisoner-of-War Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue a specified number of one-dollar coins emblematic of the experience of American prisoners of war. Requires that all sales of such coins include a surcharge of $5 per coin. Requires specified proceeds from such surcharges to be paid to the: (1) Secretary of the Interior for construction of the Andersonville Prisoner-of-War Museum in Andersonville, Georgia; (2) endowment fund established by this Act for the maintenance of such Museum; and (3) Secretary of Veterans Affairs to maintain national cemeteries.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
Link-up for Learning Act - Establishes a program of grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) in partnership with other eligible entities for coordinated educational and other student support services for at-risk youth. Makes eligible to apply for such a grant: (1) an LEA that seeks to plan and implement a coordinated services program for at-risk students with at least one other cooperating public agency; and (2) a consortium, including at least one LEA and one cooperating public service agency, formed to coordinate support services for at-risk students. Allows nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, and private enterprises with experience or expertise in providing services for at-risk students also to participate as cooperating agencies. Allows educationally deprived students and their family members to receive services provided by a project under this Act. Allows an eligible LEA to select any school, grade span, or program area for project services, providing such student eligibility requirements are met and the project design is of adequate size, scope, and quality. Allows such grants to be for up to three years, subject to satisfactory progress. Limits the Federal share of project costs to 80 percent. Establishes a Federal Interagency Task Force to identify means to facilitate interagency collaboration at Federal, State, and local levels to improve support services for at-risk students. Requires the Task Force to: (1) eliminate program regulations or practices impeding coordination and collaboration; and (2) implement plans for jointly funded programs and unified eligibility and application procedures. Directs the Secretary of Education to study and report to the Congregrantees under this Act to identify regulatory and legislative obstacles to coordinated support services and innovative procedures and programs. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
Universal Voter Registration Act of 1993 - Requires States to establish procedures with respect to presidential and congressional elections to permit voter registration by: (1) application in person simultaneously with application for a motor vehicle driver's license; (2) mail application; or (3) application in person at designated Federal, State, or nongovernmental office locations. Declares that this Act does not apply to any State that has no voter registration requirement with respect to Federal elections, or in which voters may register at the polling place at the time of a general election for Federal office. Amends Federal postal rate law to require the Postal Service to make certain lower postal rates available to State or local election officials who certify that a mailing is in furtherance of this Act. Directs the Federal Election Commission to develop a mail voter registration application form for Federal elections. Provides a private right of action for an individual aggrieved by a violation of this Act. Imposes criminal penalties for specified violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
Amends the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act of 1991 (Public Law 102-164) to increase the number of weeks for which emergency unemployment compensation is payable. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce a tax deduction for certain expenses for meals and entertainment.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 1993
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permanently extend the period during which qualified mortgage bonds and mortgage credit certificates may be issued.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Amendments to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Title II: Improved Wetlands Permitting; Revisions to Wetlands Delineation Procedures Title III: Wetlands Restoration Program Title IV: Tax Incentives for Wetlands Conservation Wetlands Reform Act of 1993 - Title I: Amendments to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to make any pollutant discharge or alteration of navigable waters unlawful. Authorizes the issuance of permits for other alterations of navigable waters. Prohibits the issuance of permits if there is a practical alternative to the proposed activity that would have less adverse impact on navigable waters. Title II: Improved Wetlands Permitting; Revisions to Wetlands Delineation Procedures - Directs the Comptroller General to submit to the Congress an analysis of needs of the Corps of Engineers and Environmental Protection Agency for additional personnel, administrative resources, and funding to improve implementation of the wetlands permit program. Requires funds to be used for specified wetlands delineation and education programs. Requires the Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service to use funds for wetlands mapping and for the delineation of wetlands in watersheds and ecosystems for which the need for delineation is particularly acute. Prohibits revisions to or clarifications of any Federal manual for identifying and delineating jurisdictional wetlands or regulations related to the definition, delineation, or identification of wetlands until a specified National Academy of Sciences study has been completed. Title III: Wetlands Restoration Program - Directs the Secretary of the Army to initiate a pilot program of wetlands restoration. Title IV: Tax Incentives for Wetlands Conservation - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to designate a nonprofit organization to be a Wetlands Stewardship Trust if such organization conforms to certain regulations, and includes among its primary purposes the acquisition of interests in wetlands, former wetlands, and associated real property for preservation purposes. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to set forth special rules for charitable contributions of wetlands to such trusts. Excludes from gross income amounts received by the owner of wetlands for allowing any person to use such lands in a compatible use (one that does not degrade the functions or values of such lands).
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1993
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make the targeted jobs credit permanent. Increases the maximum age requirement for employment of economically disadvantaged youth from 23 years to 25 years. Establishes economically disadvantaged veterans as members of targeted groups for purposes of the credit.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1993
Voting Rights Extension Act of 1993 - Amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to revise certain aspects of its coverage and to provide for the recovery of additional litigation expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1993
Equal Remedies Act of 1993 - Amends Federal law relating to damages in cases of intentional employment discrimination to remove provisions limiting the dollar amount of damages awarded for pecuniary and nonpecuniary losses and punitive damages.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1993
Federal and Postal Service Employees Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1993 - Creates a new occupational safety and health program for Federal and Postal Service employees. Outlines the rights and obligations of each executive agency and Postal Service employee regarding workplace safety. Revises agency authority for establishing health and safety programs to require: (1) agency and Postal Service compliance with occupational safety and health standards and rules, regulations, and orders issued pursuant to this Act or the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970; and (2) appointment of an agency and Postal Service Designated Agency Safety and Health Officer and health and safety committees to assist in the agency-wide health and occupational safety programs and worksite inspections mandated under this Act. Directs the Secretary of Labor to conduct random, unannounced health and safety inspections of executive agency and Postal Service workplaces and, upon completion of an inspection, to issue citations if necessary to bring the agency into compliance with this Act or the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. Provides for penalties for agency and Postal Service violations of such Acts. Directs the Secretary to establish within the Department of Labor an Office of Federal Programs which shall have jurisdiction on behalf of the Secretary over this Act and which shall be headed by an Assistant Deputy Secretary of Labor. Directs the President to appoint a Special Counsel for Federal Occupational Safety and Health Enforcement for the Labor Department. Authorizes such official to petition any court of appeals of the United States for the enforcement of any Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission order. Requires the Administrator of the General Services Administration, upon request of an executive agency or the Postal Service, to investigate any report of unsafe or unhealthy conditions in a facility provided by the Administrator. Requires the Administrator to maintain a log of any report by an executive agency of any unsafe or unhealthy condition in a building occupied by the agency and provided by the Administrator. Prohibits the Administrator from providing any agency with space which contains any hazards or conditions which violate this Act or the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. Subjects any lease of a building to an executive agency which is entered into by a private person under the Administrator's direction to the requirements of this paragraph and the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. Establishes in the Treasury the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Training Fund for financing agency training and education programs in occupational safety and health. Outlines specific requirements applicable to Postal Service occupational safety and health programs.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1993
New Columbia Admission Act - Declares the State of New Columbia (presently, the District of Columbia) to be a State of the United States of America. Admits New Columbia into the Union on an equal footing with the other States in all respects. Reserves Federal title to certain lands and property in the National Capital Service Area. Directs the Governor to report to the Congress each fiscal year on the effects on the revenues and expenditures of the State because of the presence of the Federal Government's seat within or adjacent to it. Prohibits the State from changing any provision of its Constitution concerning height limitations on buildings without the consent of the Congress. Declares that nothing in this Act or the Constitution or laws of the State may be construed to permit it to refuse to allow an individual to serve as a qualified registered elector of the State solely because the individual resides in the National Capital Service Area. Sets forth election protocol for popular ratification of statehood. Provides for election of one member of the House of Representatives as well as two Senators. Maintains the laws that were territorially in effect. Continues any lawsuits already pending in District of Columbia courts. Establishes a Statehood Transition Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1993
Federal Employees Political Activities Act of 1993 - Prohibits an employee from using or attempting to use official authority or influence to interfere with or affect the result of any election. Prohibits the use of official authority to intimidate, threaten, coerce, or influence: (1) any individual for the purpose of interfering with the right to vote or not to vote for any candidate or measure in any election; (2) any person to give or withhold any political contribution; or (3) any person to engage, or not to engage, in any form of political activity. Prohibits an employee from: (1) giving or offering to give a political contribution to any individual either to vote or to refrain from voting; (2) soliciting, accepting, or receiving a political contribution to vote or refrain from voting; or (3) giving or handing over a political contribution to a superior. Prohibits an employee from soliciting, accepting, or receiving a political contribution: (1) from another employee (or a member of another employee's immediate family) with respect to whom the employee is a superior; or (2) in any room or building occupied in the discharge of official duties by a Federal employee, official, or contractor. Prohibits an employee from getting involved with political contributions with any person who: (1) has, or is seeking to obtain, contractual or other business relations with the employing agency; (2) conducts operations regulated by that agency; or (3) has interests which may be substantially affected by the performance of the employee's official duties. Prohibits an employee from engaging in political activity: (1) while on duty; (2) in any room or building occupied in the discharge of official duties by a Federal employee or official; (3) while wearing a uniform or official insignia identifying the office or position of the employee; or (4) while using any vehicle owned or leased by the Government. Exempts certain high level political appointees from such prohibitions if the costs associated with the political activity are not paid for by money derived from the Treasury. Authorizes leave without pay or accrued annual leave to an employee who is a candidate, upon request, to allow such employee to engage in activities relating to that candidacy. Applies this Act to postal employees and employees of the Postal Rate Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1993
Freedom of Choice Act of 1993 - Provides that a State may not restrict the right of a woman to choose to terminate a pregnancy: (1) before fetal viability; or (2) at any time, if such termination is necessary to protect the life or health of the woman. Allows a State to impose requirements medically necessary to protect the life or health of such women. Declares that this Act shall not be construed to prevent a State from: (1) requiring minors to involve responsible adults before terminating a pregnancy; and (2) protecting individuals from having to participate in abortions to which they are conscientiously opposed.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1993
Escrow Account Reform Act of 1993 - Amends the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 to modify the limitation placed on advance deposits in escrow accounts. Requires any mortgage lender or servicer that establishes or maintains an escrow account in connection with a federally related mortgage loan to pay interest on the balance in such account at a specified minimum annual rate. Cites conditions under which a borrower in connection with a federally related mortgage may terminate an escrow account by submitting a statement certifying that the borrower agrees to make timely payments of all charges paid from the escrow account. Defines the liability incurred for noncompliance with this Act. Sets forth Federal court jurisdiction over escrow account violations, and identifies the parties with standing to sue (including the borrower). Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to: (1) report to the Congress the results of a study of standard escrow account management procedures; and (2) promulgate regulations implementing this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1993
Amends the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act to direct the Administrator of General Services to prescribe regulations to ensure the participation (except in specified circumstances) of at least five historically Black colleges and universities and nonprofit organizations owned and controlled by Black Americans in research and development (R&D) activities conducted with Federal funds by executive agencies. Outlines the requirements to be imposed on executive agencies through such regulations, including the requirement that each such agency reserve a specified percentage of its FY 1994 through 1997 appropriations for R&D activities to be conducted by the Black colleges it must designate under this Act as federally funded R&D centers. Increases such set-aside on a graduated basis for such fiscal years. Requires each recipient of such set-aside to pay a specified percentage of it to the Parren J. Mitchell Institute for Business Education for entrepreneurial and capital formation programs. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to the Congress annually on the activities of executive agencies in carrying out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1993
Federal Bureau of Investigation First Amendment Protection Act of 1993 - Prohibits the Federal Bureau of Investigation from conducting any investigation that may involve the collection of information about the exercise by a U.S. person of first amendment rights, except in conformance with specified procedures and standards.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: General Requirements for Leave Title II: Leave for Civil Service Employees Title III: Commission on Leave Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions Title V: Coverage of Congressional Employees Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 - Title I: General Requirements for Leave - Establishes certain requirements for family and medical leave for permanent employees. (Sec. 101) Makes employees eligible for such leave if they have been employed, by the employer from whom leave is sought, for at least: (1) 12 months; and (2) 1,250 hours of service during the previous 12-month period. (Excludes from such coverage: (1) employees at worksites at which the employer employs less than 50 persons, if the total number of employees of that employer within 75 miles of that worksite is less than 50; and (2) Federal officers and employees covered under title II of this Act.) (Sec. 102) Entitles employees to 12 workweeks of leave during any 12-month period because of: (1) the birth of their child; (2) the placement of a child for their adoption or foster care; (3) their care of a child, spouse, or parent who has a serious health condition; or (4) their own serious health condition which makes them unable to perform the functions of their position. Conditions such leave for the birth or placement of a child as follows: (1) the entitlement ends 12 months after the birth or placement; and (2) such leave may not be taken intermittently unless employee and employer agree otherwise. Allows intermittent leave for necessary medical treatment of an employee or family member. Allows the employer to require a temporary transfer to an equivalent alternative position that better accommodates such intermittent leave. Allows all leave under this title to: (1) be taken on a reduced leave schedule, upon agreement with the employer; and (2) consist of unpaid leave, except under specified conditions when substitution of certain types of paid leave may be elected or required. Does not require an employer to provide paid sick or medical leave in any situation in which the employer would not normally provide any such paid leave. Requires employees to: (1) give at least 30 days' notice of the need for leave to which they are entitled under this Act, when foreseeable; and (2) make a reasonable effort to schedule medical treatment or supervision so as not to disrupt unduly the employer's operations, subject to approval of the health care provider. Allows limitation of the dual aggregate leave entitlement to 12 weeks in any 12-month period, in the case of spouses employed by the same employer, if such leave is for the birth or placement of a child or for the care of a sick parent. (Sec. 103) Sets forth conditions of certification for leave entitlements under this Act. (Sec. 104) Requires restoration of the employee to his or her position or an equivalent position upon return from such leave. Allows an employer to deny such restoration to certain highly compensated employees, under specified conditions (the highest paid ten percent of the employer's employees within a 75-mile radius of a facility; the denial must be necessary to prevent substantial and grievous economic injury to the employer's operations). Requires maintenance of employee health benefits during such leave. (Sec. 105) Prohibits interference with or discrimination against employees exercising rights under this title. (Sec. 106) Sets forth the investigative authority of the Secretary of Labor under this title. (Sec. 107) Provides for enforcement of this Act. Provides for administrative and civil actions. Makes an employer who violates this title's prohibitions against interference or discrimination liable for damages in the amount of: (1) any wages, salary, employment benefits, or other compensation denied or lost; (2) (where such compensation has not been denied or lost) any actual monetary losses, such as the cost of providing care; (3) interest on such losses; and (4) liquidated damages under certain conditions. Makes such employers also liable for appropriate equitable relief, including, without limitation, employment, reinstatement, and promotion. Sets forth provisions for attorney's fees, limitation of actions, and injunctions. (Sec. 108) Sets forth special rules concerning employees of local educational agencies and of private elementary and secondary schools. (Sec. 109) Sets forth requirements for posting notice and for fines. (Sec. 110) Directs the Secretary of Labor to prescribe regulations to carry out this title. Title II: Leave for Civil Service Employees - (Sec. 201) Entitles eligible civil service employees to family and temporary medical leave for specified periods. Allows up to 12 administrative workweeks of leave without pay (or substituted paid leave) in any 12-month period for: (1) family leave (i.e., leave because of the birth or placement of a child or care of a sick spouse, child, or parent); or (2) temporary medical leave for a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the functions of their position. Sets forth: (1) requirements for employees to give prior notice; (2) certification provisions; (3) protections for job position and health insurance benefits; and (4) prohibitions against coercion. Requires the Office of Personnel Management to prescribe regulations for this title which are consistent with the regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Labor under title I of this Act. Title III: Commission on Leave - (Sec. 301) Establishes the Commission on Leave. (Sec. 302) Requires the Commission to conduct a comprehensive study of: (1) existing and proposed leave policies; (2) the potential costs, benefits, and impact on productivity of such policies on employers; and (3) alternative and equivalent State enforcement of this Act with respect to employees of local educational agencies and private schools. Requires the Commission to report on such study to the Congress within two years after the Commission first meets. (Sec. 306) Terminates the Commission within 30 days after its report to the Congress. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - (Sec. 401 and Sec. 402) Sets forth the effect of this Act on other laws and existing employment benefits. (Sec. 403) Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to discourage employers from adopting more generous leave policies. (Sec. 404) Directs the Secretary of Labor to prescribe regulations to carry out this title (except those provisions applicable to the Senate) within 60 days. Title V: Coverage of Congressional Employees - (Sec. 501) Applies the rights and protections established under specified provisions of title I of this Act to Senate employees. Makes specified provisions of the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991 applicable, with certain exceptions. Provides that allegations shall be considered by the Office of Senate Fair Employment Practices or another entity designated by the Senate. Requires such Office to ensure that Senate employees are informed of their rights under this Act. (Sec. 502) Applies the rights and protections under title I of this Act to employees of the House of Representatives, except for the exemption concerning highly compensated employees. Requires that the remedies and procedures under the Fair Employment Practices Resolution be applied in administering such coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Temporary Assistance for Community Development Activities Title II: Homeownership Assistance Title III: Rural Housing Assistance Emergency Community Development Act of 1993 - Title I: Temporary Assistance for Community Development Activities - Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make grants to States, local governments, and Indian tribes for community development assistance. Sets forth the following eligible activities under this title: (1) acquisition of real property; (2) construction of public works and facilities; (3) clearance and rehabilitation of buildings and improvements; (4) provision of public services and housing; (5) relocation assistance; (6) accessibility projects for elderly and handicapped persons; (7) services for high-risk youth; and (8) administrative expenses. Title II: Homeownership Assistance - Authorizes additional appropriations for the National Homeownership Trust Demonstration. Title III: Rural Housing Assistance - Authorizes and increases funding for: (1) insured or guaranteed rural housing loans; (2) supplemental grants for remote rural housing; (3) housing improvement loans; (4) rural housing loans for elderly, handicapped, or low-income persons; (5) housing for rural homeless and migrant farmworkers; and (6) rental assistance payment contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1993
Authorizes the President, on behalf of the Congress, to present a gold medal to John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie in recognition of his accomplishments as a musician. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to provide for the sale of bronze duplicates of the medal.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1993
Employee Educational Assistance Act of 1993 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the income tax exclusion of amounts paid under employee educational assistance programs.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1993
Constitutional Amendment - Declares that equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1993
Establishes in the House of Representatives the Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families to conduct a continuing comprehensive study and review of the problems of children, youth, and families.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1993
Establishes in the House of Representatives the Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control to conduct a continuing oversight and review of the problems of narcotics, drug, and polydrug abuse and control.
![Official portrait of Rep. Watt, Melvin L. [D-NC-12]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/w000207_200.jpg)