United States · United States Congress · 20 February 1991
Defense Production Act Extension and Amendments of 1991 - Amends the Defense Production Act of 1950 to extend its expiration date to October 20, 1991. Authorizes appropriations and sets spending limits under such Act through FY 1991. Repeals provisions of such Act granting immunity from civil and criminal suits and a defense to antitrust actions for persons engaging in voluntary agreements for defense preparedness programs and expansion of production capacity and supply. Authorizes the President, with respect to certain Defense Production Act activities, to exempt persons participating in a voluntary agreement or plan of action on behalf of the United States from Federal antitrust laws or any similar State law for activities engaged in as part of such voluntary agreement or plan. Requires an individual designated by the President to administer such an agreement or plan to provide prior written notice of the time, place, and nature of any meeting to carry out such agreement or plan to the Attorney General, the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, and the Congress. Outlines requirements for, and limitations to, the antitrust defense for participants in such agreements or plans. Exempts any activity or provision of such agreements or plans from the Federal Advisory Committee Act and other Federal law relating to advisory committees. Authorizes the President to order a priority in the allocation of materials, facilities, and services (currently, only materials and facilities) when requirements of national defense cannot otherwise be met. Requires the President to reach certain determinations concerning the critical shortages of such materials, facilities, and services before exercising such authority. Makes this Act effective (retroactively) on October 20, 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 19 February 1991
Older Americans' Freedom to Work Act of 1991 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to remove the limitation on the amount of outside income which beneficiaries who have attained retirement age may earn without incurring a reduction in benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Money Laundering Control Act of 1991 - Amends the Bank Conservation Act, the Home Owners' Loan Act, the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, and the Federal Credit Union Act to authorize the appointment of a conservator for a depository institution convicted of money laundering offenses (including insured Federal and State savings associations and State banks). Exempts from conservatorship any such institution whose ownership or control has changed after commission of the offense and whose new owner or controlling person was not affiliated with it at the time of the offense. Amends the Revised Statutes, the Home Owners' Loan Act, and the Federal Credit Union Act to prescribe guidelines for the revocation of depository institutions' charters and forfeiture of franchises upon conviction for money laundering offenses (including the conviction of senior level management for such offenses). Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the Federal Credit Union Act to prescribe guidelines for: (1) the termination of the insured status of State depository institutions, including State chartered credit unions convicted of money laundering; and (2) to authorize the removal of any party from office or its suspension from participation in the affairs of the institution if the party is determined to have committed certain currency reporting violations. Amends the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 to require specified regulatory agencies to include in their annual reports to the Congress the identification of depository institutions convicted of money laundering offenses and the agencies' enforcement activities. Amends the Federal criminal code to require the Attorney General to notify the appropriate regulatory agency in writing if any financial institution or its personnel has been convicted of certain money laundering offenses. Amends Federal law regarding monetary transactions to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) impose civil money penalties upon a financial institution for negligent violations of this Act or for a pattern of negligent violations; and (2) order a depository institution to request that its customers submit cash transaction reports. Amends Federal law regarding money transactions to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) prescribe regulations requiring each depository institution to file identification reports regarding certain financial institution customers; and (2) make such reports available to State financial institution supervisory agencies for supervisory purposes. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the States should: (1) establish uniform regulations and licensing requirements (meeting specified criteria) for non-depository institutions engaged in check cashing businesses; and (2) develop a model statute incorporating such uniform regulations. Requires the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on the progress made by the States in enacting uniform legislation. Amends the Federal criminal code to establish criminal penalties for persons participating in an illegal money transmitting business. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to direct the Secretary to promulgate final regulations requiring insured depository institutions and businesses involved in funds transfers to maintain records of certain kinds of payment orders involving international transactions as will have a high degree of usefulness in criminal, tax, or regulatory investigations or proceedings. Mandates that such records be made available to the Secretary upon request. Prohibits a financial institution or its personnel from disclosing the existence of a Federal information targeting order except as prescribed by the Secretary. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury and the Attorney General to issue civil enforcement and prosecutorial guidelines for currency transactions. Amends the Bank Secrecy Act to require a person to certify to the relevant financial institution in writing under penalty of perjury the basis for requesting an exemption from cash transaction reporting requirements. Requires an annual certification update. Requires the Secretary to make currency transaction reports (CTRs) available to any State depository institution's supervisory agency. Requires the Secretary to establish an Advisory Group on Reports on Monetary Instruments Transactions to serve as a conduit between the Federal and private sectors regarding the status of currency transaction reporting activities. Requires the Advisory Group to recommend changes in CTR forms that balance law enforcement needs with the burden on financial institutions in using them. Requires the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to provide, at the Attorney General's request, information regarding the cash surplus reports of the Federal Reserve banks which may be relevant to investigations under this Act. Amends the Right to Financial Privacy Act to provide that financial records transferred by a regulatory agency to the Secretary of the Treasury for possible criminal violations shall be used only for criminal investigative or prosecutive purposes relating to money laundering. Subjects to certain cash reporting requirements any officer or office of either House of the Congress which provides check cashing or deposit services for Members of Congress. Amends Federal law relating to international monetary instrument transaction reporting requirements to prohibit: (1) failure to file the requisite reports; (2) filing material omissions or misstatements of facts in such reports; and (3) participation in structuring any importation or exportation of monetary instruments. Amends the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 to require the Secretary to enter into discussions with officials of foreign countries whose financial institutions are engaged in substantial activities involving proceeds from narcotics sales in the United States, and which have not instituted comprehensive anti-money laundering programs. Directs the Secretary to encourage such countries to develop such programs, and to cooperate with U.S. law enforcement officials in obtaining financial records in drug money laundering cases. Requires biennial reports to certain congressional committees on the status of international initiatives against drug money laundering. Amends the Right to Financial Privacy Act of 1978 to authorize the transfer of financial records without customer notice to the Secretary for analysis by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network proposed to be established by Secretary. Amends the Federal criminal code to set forth guidelines for: (1) civil forfeiture of fungible property of a monetary nature; (2) administrative subpoenas and bank record subpoenas; and (3) punishment for conspirary to commit a money laundering offense. Authorizes the use of the Asset Forfeiture Fund to pay awards in money laundering cases. Amends the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 to authorize warrantless searches of: (1) envelopes or containers that are not sealed against inspection or have a customs declaration affixed by the sender; and (2) letters sealed against inspection if a customs officer has reasonable cause to suspect that monetary instruments are being transported in such letters. Requires the Comptroller General to report to the Congress about the manner in which the Secretary has implemented and enforced compliance with Federal recordkeeping and reporting requirements regarding monetary instruments. Requires the Secretary to initiate a feasibility study of electronic scanning of certain united States currency.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Provides eligibility for the veterans' home loan program (whereby home loans are made, insured, or guaranteed to veterans through the Department of Veterans Affairs) for members of the Selected Reserve who have completed at least six years of service in the Selected Reserve and who: (1) were discharged honorably, were placed on the retired list, or were transferred to an element of the Ready Reserve other than the Selected Reserve; or (2) continue to serve in the Selected Reserve. Prescribes the amounts of home loan fees to be paid to the Department by such individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Social Security Notch Adjustment Act of 1991 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to establish a new formula for computing the primary insurance amount of individuals who attain age 65 in or after 1982 and would otherwise be subject to the benefit computation rules of the Social Security Amendments of 1977. Extends the application of such transitional benefit computation rules to those who become eligible for benefits before 1989. (Currently those who become eligible after 1983 are subject to the benefit computation rules of the Social Security Amendments of 1977.)
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1991
Authorizes the President, on behalf of the Congress, to present a gold medal to William F. Rickenbacker in recognition of Edward Vernon (Eddie) Rickenbacker's: (1) success as an internationally famous race car driver; (2) service in his country as a pilot (with the first U.S. flying unit to participate actively at the front during the First World War); (3) service as a commercial aviation pioneer; and (4) service to his country in the Pacific theater in the Second World War. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates of such medal at a price sufficient to cover costs.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an income tax deduction for interest on certain indebtedness incurred to pay the educational expenses of the taxpayer, spouse, or dependent. (Under current law, such a loan must be secured by an interest in real property.)
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1991
Foreign Acquisitions Study Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to complete and furnish to the Congress a quadrennial report evaluating: (1) whether there is a coordinated strategy by one or more foreign countries or companies to acquire or control U.S. industries involved in research, development, or production of critical technologies for which the U.S. is a leading producer; and (2) whether there are industrial espionage activities directed by foreign governments against private U.S. companies aimed at obtaining commercial secrets relating to critical technologies.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1991
Judicial Taxation Prohibition Act - Amends the Federal judicial code to deny to inferior Federal courts jurisdiction to issue any remedy, order, writ, or other judicial decree requiring the Federal Government or any State or local government to impose any new tax or to increase any existing tax or tax rate.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1991
Defense Production Act Extension and Amendments of 1991 - Amends the Defense Production Act of 1950 to extend its expiration date to October 20, 1991. Authorizes appropriations and sets spending limits on such Act through FY 1991. Repeals a provision of such Act which grants immunity from civil and criminal suits and a defense to antitrust law actions for those persons engaging in voluntary agreements for defense preparedness programs and expansion of production capacity and supply. Authorizes the President, with respect to certain Defense Production Act activities, to exempt persons who are employed without compensation and participating in a voluntary agreement on behalf of the United States from Federal antitrust laws or any similar State law for activities engaged in as part of such voluntary agreement. Requires an individual designated by the President to administer such a voluntary agreement or plan of action to provide prior written notice of the time, place, and nature of any meeting to carry out such agreement or plan to the Attorney General, the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, and the Congress. Outlines requirements for, and limitations to, the antitrust defense for participants in such voluntary agreements or plans of action. Exempts any activity or provision of such agreements or plans from the Federal Advisory Committee Act and other Federal law relating to advisory committees. Authorizes the President to order a priority in the allocation of materials, facilities, and services (currently, only materials and facilities) when requirements of national defense cannot otherwise be met. Requires the President to reach certain determinations concerning the critical shortages of such materials, facilities, and services before exercising such authority.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the targeted jobs credit permanently. Increases the maximum age requirement for economically disadvantaged youth from 23 to 25.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1991
Constitutional Amendment - Proclaims the English language to be the official language of the United States. Prohibits the United States or any State from requiring the use of any other language. Declares that this article shall not prohibit educational instruction in a language other than English for the purpose of making students proficient in English. Authorizes the Congress and the States to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 1991
Agent Orange Act of 1991 - Presumes the following diseases to be service-connected and resulting from exposure to dioxins and other herbicide agents during service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era unless there is affirmative evidence to the contrary: (1) non-Hodgkins lymphoma, each soft-tissue sarcoma (with certain exceptions), and chloracne or other consistent acneform diseases becoming manifest to a degree of disability of ten percent or more; and (2) those additional diseases that the Secretary determines warrant such a presumption by reason of having a positive association with a herbicide agent, if they become manifest within the appropriate period. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to prescribe regulations providing that a presumption of service connection is warranted whenever it is determined by the Secretary that a positive association exists between the exposure of humans to a herbicide agent and the occurrence of a disease in humans. Requires the Secretary to take into account reports received from the National Academy of Sciences, as well as other sound medical and scientific information. Outlines procedures to be followed by the Secretary in weighing evidence and report information and making conclusions for or against the positive association and, therefore, the service-connection presumption. Provides for the issuance of final regulations listing the diseases for which positive associations have been found or removing the presumption for a disease. Directs the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) under which NAS shall review and summarize the scientific evidence (and its strength) concerning the association between exposure to a herbicide agent during service in Vietnam and each disease suspected to be associated with such exposure. Provides for NAS: (1) scientific determinations concerning diseases; (2) recommendations for additional studies to resolve areas of uncertainty relating to herbicide exposure; (3) subsequent reviews; and (4) reports, at least biennially, to the Secretary and the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees (the veterans' committees). Terminates the agreement ten years after the fiscal year of the first report from NAS. Directs the Secretary to enter into an agreement with another body if the Secretary cannot reach an agreement with NAS within two months after enactment of this Act. Amends the Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 1988 to direct the Secretary to annually furnish updated information on health risks associated with exposure to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era. Extends through 1993 the eligibility for hospital, nursing home, or domiciliary care and medical treatment of individuals who served in Vietnam and who have been determined to have been exposed to dioxin or a toxic substance in a herbicide as the result of such service and of veterans exposed to ionizing radiation while serving between September 11, 1945 and July 1, 1946. Directs the Secretary to compile and analyze, on a continuing basis, all clinical data obtained by the Department of Veterans Affairs in connection with examinations and treatment furnished to veterans by the Department after November 3, 1981, for exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam and which is likely to be useful in determining the exposure to such agents and the disabilities suffered. Requires an annual report on such compilations and provides funding. Directs the Secretary, for facilitating research on the effects of exposure to herbicides used in Vietnam, to establish and maintain a system for the collection and storage of voluntarily contributed blood and tissue samples of veterans who served there. Provides for: (1) specimen security; (2) authorized uses; (3) limitations on acceptance of samples; and (4) authority based on specific funding. Directs the Secretary to establish a scientific research feasibility studies program for conducting research on health hazards resulting from: (1) exposure to dioxin; (2) exposure to other toxic agents in herbicides used in Vietnam; and (3) active military service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era. Outlines program and report requirements. Directs the Secretary to consult with NAS. Directs the Secretary, upon the request of a Vietnam veteran who has applied for Department medical care and filed a claim for, or is in receipt of, disability compensation, to obtain a blood sample to conduct a test for the presence of a specified dioxin. Provides for notification to the veteran of test results and requires such blood sample to be maintained as part of the collection of blood and tissue samples required under this Act. Makes conforming amendments and provides for alternative effective dates.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 1991
Authorizes the President to present a gold medal to the family of the late Captain Don S. Gentile in recognition of his service as a fighter pilot ace of World War II. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to provide for the sale of bronze duplicates of the medal.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 1991
Christopher Columbus Coin and Fellowship Act - Title I: Christopher Columbus Quincentenary Coins - Christopher Columbus Quincentenary Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than a specified number of five-dollar gold coins, one-dollar silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the quincentenary of the discovery of America. Sets forth certain features of such coins and provides for their design, issuance, and sale. Terminates the minting of such coins after June 30, 1993. Requires the Secretary to deposit surcharges from the sale of such coins in the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Fund for use by the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation. Declares that no law governing procurement or public contracts shall be applicable to the procurement of goods and services necessary for carrying out this Act, except that this provision shall not relieve any person from complying with any law relating to equal employment opportunity. Mandates that all amounts received from coin sales be deposited in the coinage profit fund. Title II: Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation - Christopher Columbus Fellowship Act - Establishes the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation to award fellowships to outstanding individuals to encourage new discoveries in all fields of endeavor for the benefit of mankind. Establishes the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Fund. Directs the Foundation to report to the President and to the Congress annually on its operations.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 1991
Employee Educational Assistance Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the income tax exclusion of amounts paid under employee educational assistance programs. (Under current law the exclusion expires for taxable years beginning after December 31, 1991.)
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Refuge Wildlife Protection Act of 1991 - Amends the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act to require that any wildlife management or other activity which affects wildlife in any area of the System be conducted in the most humane manner possible. Permits the Secretary of the Interior to authorize any killing of a member of a wildlife species within any area of the System, based upon evidence that such killing is necessary for the health and habitat of wildlife species within the area, to protect public health and safety, and that non-lethal management alternatives are not available. Requires the Secretary to provide the scientific information upon which the authorization is based as well as details such as the numbers to be killed. Authorizes public hearings on such decisions unless an emergency exists. Authorizes the Secretary to contract out such killing. Authorizes the Secretary to donate the carcass to a charitable organization for a charitable purpose.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Dolphin Protection and Fair Fishing Act of 1991 - Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to prohibit, with regard to fishing for yellowfin tuna, promulgation of regulations or issuance of permits allowing the intentional setting of purse seine nets on marine mammals. Revokes previously issued permits. Mandates observers on tuna fishing vessels in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean to ensure that the taking of any marine mammal is reported to the Secretary of the department in which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrtion is operating. Modifies requirements regarding: (1) the level of incidental taking of marine mammals by countries exporting to the United States and by U.S. vessels; and (2) the total take of dolphins in specified years. Authorizes appropriations for research and development of alternative tuna fishing methods and technologies that do not involve intentional encirclement of dolphins or other intentional takings of marine mammals.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Permits certain veterans with service-connected disabilities who are retired members of the uniformed services to receive compensation concurrently with retired pay, without deduction from either.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Legislative Line Item Veto Act of 1991 - Amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to grant the President legislative line item veto rescission authority. Authorizes the President to rescind all or part of any budget authority if the President determines that such rescission: (1) would help balance the Federal budget, reduce the Federal budget deficit, or reduce the public debt; (2) will not impair any essential Government functions; and (3) will not harm the national interest. Requires the President to notify the Congress of such a rescission by: (1) special message not later than 20 calendar days after enactment of appropriations legislation; or (2) special message accompanying the budget when such rescissions have not been proposed previously for that fiscal year. Makes such a rescission effective unless the Congress, during a review period of 20 calendar days, enacts a rescission disapproval bill. Describes: (1) information to be included in the President's message; and (2) procedures to govern consideration of rescission disapproval legislation in the Senate and the House of Representatives.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Legislative Line Item Veto Act of 1991 - Amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to grant the President legislative line item veto rescission authority. Authorizes the President to rescind all or part of any budget authority if the President determines that such rescission: (1) would help balance the Federal budget, reduce the Federal budget deficit, or reduce the public debt; (2) will not impair any essential Government functions; and (3) will not harm the national interest. Requires the President to notify the Congress of such a rescission by: (1) special message not later than 20 calendar days after enactment of appropriations legislation; or (2) special message accompanying the budget when such rescissions have not been proposed previously for that fiscal year. Makes such a rescission effective unless the Congress, during a review period of 20 calendar days, enacts a rescission disapproval bill. Describes: (1) information to be included in the President's message; and (2) procedures to govern consideration of rescission disapproval legislation in the Senate and the House of Representatives.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Money Laundering Enforcement Amendments of 1991 - Amends the Bank Conservation Act, the Home Owners' Loan Act, the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, and the Federal Credit Union Act to authorize the appointment of a conservator for a depository institution convicted of money laundering offenses (including insured Federal and State savings associations and State banks). Exempts from conservatorship any such institution whose ownership or control has changed after commission of the offense and whose new owner or controlling person was not affiliated with it at the time of the offense. Amends the Revised Statutes, the Home Owners' Loan Act, and the Federal Credit Union Act to prescribe guidelines for the revocation of depository institutions' charters and forfeiture of franchises upon conviction for money laundering offenses (including the conviction of senior level management for such offenses). Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the Federal Credit Union Act to: (1) prescribe guidelines for the termination of the insured status of State depository institutions, including State chartered credit unions, convicted of money laundering; and (2) authorize the removal of any party from office or its suspension from participation in the affairs of the institution if the party is determined to have committed certain currency reporting violations. Amends the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 to require specified regulatory agencies to include in their annual reports to the Congress the identification of depository institutions convicted of money laundering offenses and the agencies' enforcement activities. Amends the Federal criminal code to require the Attorney General to notify the appropriate regulatory agency in writing if any financial institution or its personnel have been convicted of certain money laundering offenses. Amends Federal law regarding monetary transactions to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) impose civil money penalties upon a financial institution for negligent violations of this Act or for a pattern of negligent violations; and (2) order a depository institution to request that its customers submit cash transaction reports. Amends Federal law regarding money transactions to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) prescribe regulations requiring each depository institution to file identification reports regarding certain financial institution customers; and (2) make such reports available to State financial institution supervisory agencies for supervisory purposes. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the States should: (1) establish uniform regulations and licensing requirements (meeting specified criteria) for non-depository institutions engaged in check cashing businesses; and (2) develop a model statute incorporating such uniform regulations. Requires the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on the progress made by the States in enacting uniform legislation. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the States should consider, in connection with such uniform legislation, whether fee limitations are appropriate with respect to money cashing or redemption activities. Amends the Federal criminal code to establish criminal penalties for persons participating in an illegal money transmitting business. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to direct the Secretary to promulgate final regulations requiring insured depository institutions and businesses involved in funds transfers to maintain records of certain kinds of payment orders involving international transactions as will have a high degree of usefulness in criminal, tax, or regulatory investigations or proceedings. Mandates that such records be made available to the Secretary upon request. Prohibits a financial institution or its personnel from disclosing the existence of a Federal information targeting order except as prescribed by the Secretary. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury and the Attorney General to issue civil enforcement and prosecutorial guidelines for currency transactions. Amends the Bank Secrecy Act to require a person to certify to the relevant financial institution in writing under penalty of perjury the basis for requesting an exemption from cash transaction reporting requirements. Requires an annual update of such certification. Requires the Secretary to make currency transaction reports available to any State depository institution's supervisory agency. Requires the Secretary to establish an Advisory Group on Reports on Monetary Instruments Transactions to serve as a conduit between the Federal and private sectors regarding the status of currency transaction reporting activities. Requires the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to provide, at the Attorney General's or Secretary's request, information regarding the cash surplus reports of the Federal Reserve banks which may be relevant to investigations under this Act. Requires the Comptroller General to study and report to the Congress on the feasibility of a "Financial Crimes Enforcement Network" proposed to be established among Federal agencies and banking agencies. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) collect and maintain information on amounts and denominations of currency confiscated in connection with drug seizures and drug-related money laundering operations, as well as the total dollar amount of each denomination of such notes and currency; (2) develop a plan to collect the same information from State and local agencies; (3) report to the Congress on such plan, together with biannual summaries of the information collected; and (4) report to the Congress on the need for additional information regarding how frequently $50 and $100 notes are used in drug trafficking and other illegal activities, and the possible deterrent effect the withdrawal of such notes would have on such activities. Directs such Secretary to report to certain congressional committees on the advantages and disadvantages of: (1) changing the physical format of U.S. currency for money laundering purposes; or (2) using a different color for U.S. currency in circulation outside the United States. Amends the Right to Financial Privacy Act to provide that financial records transferred by a regulatory agency to the Secretary of the Treasury for possible criminal violations shall be used only for criminal investigative or prosecutive purposes relating to money laundering by the Department of the Treasury. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to establish additional whistleblower protections for employees of depository institutions and Federal regulatory agencies who provide information about possible banking law violations. Subjects to certain cash reporting requirements any officer of either House of the Congress who provides check cashing or deposit services for Members of Congress. Amends Federal law relating to international monetary instrument transaction reporting requirements to prohibit: (1) failure to file the requisite reports; (2) filing material omissions or misstatements of facts in such reports; and (3) participation in structuring any importation or exportation of monetary instruments.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act - Makes it unlawful for any licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer to sell, deliver, or transfer 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, has notified the chief law enforcement officer for such individual's place of residence about the proposed transfer, and either has received a response indicating that such transfer is not prohibited by law or has not received a response indicating otherwise within seven days; (2) the individual has presented to the transferor a statement from the officer, issued in the past ten days, that the individual requires a handgun because of a threat to him or his 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 either requires a waiting period of at least seven days or 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; or (5) the transferor has received a report from any system of felon identification established by the Attorney General under the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 that the individual's possession or receipt of the handgun would not violate Federal, State, or local law. Requires the statement of eligibility to include a statement that the individual: (1) is not under indictment for and has not been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year; (2) is not a fugitive; (3) is not an unlawful user of, or addicted to, a controlled substance; (4) has not been adjudicated as a mental defective or committed to a mental institution; (5) is not an alien who is illegally in the United States; (6) has not been dishonorably discharged from the armed forces; and (7) is not a person who has renounced U.S. citizenship. Requires any transferor who, after a transfer, receives a report from such officer that receipt or possession of the handgun by the individual violates the law, to: (1) furnish information about the transfer and the individual to the chief law enforcement officer of the transferor's place of business and the individual's place of residence; and (2) keep confidential any information received which is not otherwise available to the public, with exceptions. Requires a transferor to retain a copy of the individual's statement. Requires the law enforcement officer to destroy any copy of the individual's sworn statement and any record containing information derived from such statement within 30 days, unless such officer determines that the transaction would violate Federal, State, or local law.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Airline Bankruptcy Passenger Protection Act of 1991 - Amends the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 to direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue an order authorizing a covered air carrier to develop an air transportation plan which protects airline ticket holders in the event it becomes a debtor in bankruptcy proceedings after the ticket purchase date. Provides that if satisfactory plans have not been submitted by a specified deadline, the Secretary must promulgate regulations requiring all covered air carriers to provide air transportation for such ticket holders.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to prohibit Federal expenditures from exceeding revenues during any fiscal year, except in time of war declared by the Congress or in a period of economic necessity declared by congressional joint resolution. States that it shall not be in order in either the House of Representatives or the Senate to consider or adopt a concurrent resolution on the budget that does not meet this standard. Requires the President's budget to comply with the same standard. Directs the President to take action (by placing funds in reserve, by apportionment of funds, or otherwise) necessary to ensure such compliance, notwithstanding obligational authority or appropriations made within the executive branch.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Language of Government Act of 1991 - Declares English to be the official language of the U.S. Government. States that the Government has an affirmative obligation to preserve and enhance the role of English as the official language. Prohibits anyone from being denied Government services because they communicate in English. Prohibits a Government entity from making or enforcing an official act requiring the use of a language other than English. Deems anyone discriminated against for communicating to the Government in English to have been discriminated against on the basis of national origin. Makes available to a person so discriminated against all lawful remedies available under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Veterans' Compensation Amendments of 1991 - Increases the rates of: (1) veterans' disability compensation; (2) additional compensation for veterans' dependents; (3) the clothing allowance for certain disabled veterans; (4) dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children; and (5) supplemental dependency and indemnity compensation for disabled adult children. Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to adjust administratively the rates of disability compensation payable to persons who are not in receipt of compensation for service-connected disability or death.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to eliminate the requirement that the amount of monthly benefits payable to a spouse, surviving spouse, or parent be reduced by the amount such individual receives in monthly payments from a Federal or State pension plan.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Credit Repair Organizations Act - Amends the Consumer Credit Protection Act to prohibit any credit repair organization (any person who provides a service for the purpose of improving a consumer's credit record) from: (1) charging or receiving any money prior to the completion of its services (unless it has obtained a $50,000 surety bond); (2) charging or receiving money solely for the referral of a customer to a retailer if the credit which may be extended to the buyer is upon substantially the same terms as those available to the general public; (3) advising any client to make an untrue or misleading statement; or (4) using any untrue or misleading statement. Requires the organization to provide the consumer with a written disclosure statement which includes a description of: (1) the consumer's rights; (2) the services to be provided by the organization; and (3) the total amount the consumer will be charged. Sets forth contract requirements and the rights of the consumer with regard to cancellation of such contract. Subjects any organization which fails to comply with any provision of this Act to Federal civil liability. Provides for the administrative enforcement of this Act by the Federal Trade Commission, as provided in the Federal Trade Commission Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Depositor Protection Act of 1991 - Title I: FDIC Supplemental Capital and Deposit Insurance Reform - Subtitle A: General Provisions - Amends the Federal Reserve Act to direct the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Board) to: (1) assess each Federal Reserve Bank an amount equal to the imputed earnings on reserves held at such bank after a specified date; and (2) distribute specified proportions of such assessments to the Bank Insurance Fund, the Savings Association Insurance Fund, and the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund. Changes reserve ratio requirements for transaction accounts over $25,000,000 to zero to 12 percent (currently 12 percent, or, at the Board's discretion, from eight to 14 percent). Requires the Board to include in its annual report (Humphrey-Hawkins Report) a detailed justification for the establishment and level of any reserve requirement for monetary purposes in effect at the time of the report. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to require each Bank Insurance Fund (BIF) member to maintain reserves against expenses according to a prescribed formula. Specifies the composition of such reserves. Authorizes the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), under certain circumstances, to require BIF members to make pro rata contributions from such reserves as the FDIC deems appropriate. Directs the FDIC to reduce the reserve requirement of BIF members to the extent necessary to ensure that the sum of the balance in the BIF and the aggregate amount of reserves held by BIF members does not exceed the designated reserve ratio. Authorizes the FDIC to issue preferred stock to BIF members. Declares that for purpose of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act any obligation of a bank or savings association issued to certain pension or profit-sharing plans shall not be deemed a deposit nor included as part of the total or insured deposits of a BIF member. Grants the FDIC authority to prohibit any insured depository institution from accepting brokered deposits. Directs the Comptroller General to study the risks and benefits to deposit insurance funds posed by the dual Federal and State banking systems. Sets forth a graduated penalty assessment scheme for insured depository institutions (including credit unions) which file false assessment reports. Authorizes a Federal banking regulatory agency, upon finding that an insured depository institution does not meet minimum capital requirements, to: (1) prohibit the institution's board of directors or trustees from meeting without an agency representative present in a nonvoting observer capacity; or (2) order the institution's board of directors to submit a complete and accurate transcript of each meeting. Requires the FDIC, upon providing assistance to a troubled insured depository institution, to: (1) remove its board of directors; and (2) treat shareholder claims against the institution as if the institution has been closed. Authorizes the FDIC to assess against each insured depository institution and its affiliates, in proportion to its assets and resources, the cost of conducting examinations of such institution. Subtitle B: Retirement of Federal Reserve Stock - Amends the Federal Reserve Act to repeal Federal reserve bank stock requirements. Declares that any eligible bank may apply for membership in the Federal Reserve System and that upon approval of the application the Federal reserve bank shall issue a certificate of membership in the Federal Reserve System and that upon approval of the application the Federal reserve bank shall issue a certificate of membership in the Federal Reserve bank and the Federal Reserve System. Prohibits Federal reserve banks from having any capital stock. Outlines procedures for the redemption and retirement of Federal Reserve bank stock. Revises conditions of eligibility of insured State banks for membership in the Federal Reserve system. Title II: Regulatory Reform - Subtitle A: Office of Thrift Supervision Abolished - Abolishes the Office of Thrift Supervision and the position of Director of such Office. Amends the Home Owners' Loan Act to establish within the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency a separate division to exercise regulatory responsibility for savings associations, including savings and loan holding companies. Vests in the Comptroller of the Currency all former powers of the Directors of the Office of Thrift Supervision. Requires the Comptroller to report annually to the Congress regarding specified actions taken to implement examinations and regulatory functions. States that savings association regulatory activities will be funded only through assessments on savings associations. Subtitle B: Other Regulatory Reform - Amends the Federal Financial Examination Council Act of 1978 to prohibit a Federal financial institutions regulatory agency from accepting or relying upon any examination of a State depository institution if it was conducted by, or under the supervision of, a primary official who was also an elected official. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to prohibit any insured depository institution (or its affiliate) from making any direct or indirect political contribution to the election campaign of anyone seeking the office of State banking regulator. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury and the Comptroller General to report to the Congress the results of a feasibility study undertaken by each of them to ascertain whether, given the changes in the financial services industry since the completion of the Final Report of the 1984 President's Task Group on Regulation of Financial Services, it would still be desirable to implement the Task Group's recommendations for the reorganization of Federal agencies. Sets a deadline for the Secretary and each appropriate Federal banking agency to report to the Congress the results of a comprehensive agency review of banking regulations which need revision and simplification to enhance the capitalization and profitability of insured depository institutions without adversely affecting their safety and soundness. Amends the Federal Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 to direct the Credit Standards Advisory Committee to issue commercial real estate lending guidelines for federally insured depository institutions. Directs each appropriate Federal banking agency and the National Credit Union Administration to establish an annual examination program of federally insured depository institutions within their respective jurisdictions. Title III: Financial Service Industry Modernization - Amends Federal law to authorize national banks to establish branches in any State, without specified existing limitations, upon approval of the Comptroller of the Currency. Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 to repeal the prohibition against acquisition of out-of-State banks by a bank holding company. Permits a bank holding company to acquire shares in a nonbank company if its share position does not exceed 25 percent of the outstanding voting shares and the nonbank company is not under the operational control of the bank holding company. Amends the Home Owners' Loan Act to outline the circumstances under which the application of a national bank that is a Savings Association Insurance Fund member (SAIF) shall be deemed to be a savings association. Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 to exempt from the seven percent growth ceiling imposed on banks controlled by a non-bank holding company those assets which the bank has acquired from either the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC) or the FDIC. Permits a bank holding company to engage in activities determined by regulation or order of the Board to be so closely related to banking as to be: (1) of a financial nature and designed to enable bank holding companies to adjust to technological innovations in the provision of banking-related services; or (2) to be of a financial nature and substantially identical to products or services offered by non-banking companies which are competitive with those provided by banks. Repeals notice and hearing opportunity requirements for such regulations or orders. Sets forth expedited approval procedures for nonbanking activities. Title IV: Technical Amendments Relating to Office of Thrift Supervision - Makes technical amendments relating to the Office of Thrift Supervision in the Home Owners' Loan Act, the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, and Federal law relating to money and finance. Title V: Tax Incentives for the Sale of Distressed Properties - Requires the Comptroller General, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Director of the Congressional Budget Office to submit a detailed report to the Congress regarding conclusions drawn from separate studies on the use of tax incentives to stimulate the sale of property in distressed real estate markets.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1991
Constitutional Amendment - Requires the Congress and the President, prior to each fiscal year, to agree on an estimate of total receipts (except those derived from borrowing) for that fiscal year by enactment of a joint single subject resolution. Prohibits outlays for that year (except those for repayment of debt principal) from exceeding this amount unless the Congress, by a three-fifths rollcall vote of each House, authorizes a specific excess of outlays over receipts. Requires the Congress, whenever actual outlays exceed actual receipts for any fiscal year, to provide by law for the repayment of the excess in the ensuing fiscal year. Requires a three-fifths rollcall vote of each House to increase the public debt. Directs the President to submit a balanced budget to the Congress. Requires the approval of a majority of the total membership of each House by rollcall vote before any bill to increase revenue may become law. Waives these provisions when a declaration of war is in effect.
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