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United States · Official source
1,580 records where Sen. Adams, Brock [D-WA] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1989
Designates August 8, 1989, as National Neighborhood Crime Watch Day.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1989
Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to exclude the malting barley price from 1989 and 1990 barley deficiency payment rate determinations.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1989
Designates the month of November 1989 as National Diabetes Month.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1989
Designates October 1989 as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1989
Designates September 1989 as National Alcohol and Drug Treatment Month.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1989
Radiation Victims Fair Treatment Act - Amends the Department of Defense Authorization Act, 1985 to repeal provisions which: (1) substitute the United States as defendant in all suits against private contractors for radiation injuries arising from atomic weapons testing programs; and (2) make the Federal Tort Claims Act the sole remedy for those injuries. Details the applicability of statutes of limitations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1989
Designates the week of February 11 through February 17, 1990, as Vocational-Technical Education Week.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1989
Radiation Research Reorganization Act of 1989 - Transfers to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Health Secretary) the authority of the Secretary of Energy (Energy Secretary) to conduct, under specified provisions of the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 and any other law, epidemiological studies of the effects of exposure to radiation. Transfers related positions, property, records, obligations, commitments, and unexpended appropriations. Directs the Health Secretary to undertake a comprehensive program of epidemiological research into the health effects of exposure to radiation with the aim of identifying the nature and magnitude of the risk to the public and to the workforce of the Department of Energy (DOE) resulting from DOE activities. Directs the Energy Secretary to submit to the Health Secretary and the Congress: (1) a complete listing of data and records held or maintained by the DOE and of potential use in the conduct and evaluation of epidemiological and related studies; and (2) a complete record of funds expended by that department on research related to the health effects of radiation during each of the five years preceding enactment of this Act. Directs the Energy Secretary to provide to the Health Secretary access to all data and records not transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under other provisions of this Act if the records are deemed by the Health Secretary to be useful to epidemiological research, health risk assessments, radiation release studies, or dose reconstruction studies, and if confidentiality requirements are met. Directs the Health Secretary to grant access to the public to data held or developed by HHS, including data obtained from DOE, in accordance with the established practices of HHS. Prohibits the annual funding provided to HHS for carrying out the responsibilities transferred in specified provisions of this Act from being less than the greatest of the annual amounts reported by DOE under other provisions of this Act. Allows funds provided to HHS for the purposes of this Act to be used to support: (1) a program of epidemiological research into the health effects of exposure to radiation, and for other uses as the Secretary deems appropriate; and (2) activities of State public health agencies that are compatible with the purposes of this Act. Authorizes the Health Secretary to: (1) undertake such research into radiation releases and dose reconstruction, and health risk assessments, as necessary to carry out the duties transferred under specified provisions of this Act; and (2) review research conducted by DOE, after enactment of this Act, relating to such matters. Directs the Health Secretary to conduct a comprehensive review of: (1) existing epidemiological studies relating to health effects of exposure to radiation; and (2) existing and ongoing health risk assessments and studies relating to radiation releases and dose reconstruction efforts. Establishes the Advisory Panel on Radiation Research to advise the Health Secretary in carrying out the function transferred from the Energy Secretary under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1989
National American Indian Museum Act - Establishes within the Smithsonian Institution a memorial to Native Americans to be known as the National Museum of the American Indian to provide for the study, research, collection, and exhibition of Native Americans and their culture. Designates specified areas in the District of Columbia and New York City as the sites of facilities for the Museum. Requires establishment of a facility for the conservation and storage of Museum collections at the Museum Support Center in Suitland, Maryland. Authorizes the Smithsonian to: (1) provide for the transfer of certain assets of the Heye Foundation for the benefit and use of the Museum; (2) construct such facilities; (3) provide for acquisition of Native American objects and artifacts from museums or private collections; and (4) maintain or loan objects and artifacts in the Museum collection. Establishes the Board of Trustees of the Museum. Directs the Board to: (1) recommend annual budgets for the Museum; and (2) assist the Board of Regents on matters relating to the Museum. Grants the Trustees sole authority to: (1) dispose of and acquire additional Museum property; and (2) establish policy with respect to the utilization of the Museum collections. Grants the Trustees authority to: (1) establish policy with respect to restoration, preservation, and maintenance of Museum collections; (2) solicit funds for the Museum; (3) approve expenditures from the Museum's endowment; (4) advise the Museum's Director; (5) provide for the exhibition of Native American objects and artifacts; and (6) conduct research and evaluation and educational programs with respect to the Museum collections. Requires the Trustees to submit annual reports to the Board of Regents and the Congress. Requires the Foundation's employees serving at the time of the transfer to be offered employment by the Smithsonian. Authorizes the Board of Regents to: (1) designate affiliate museums of the Museum in certain U.S. regions and in Alaska and Hawaii; and (2) establish an advisory council within each such region or State to oversee Museum curation and acquisitions and to provide necessary technical assistance for such affiliate museums. Directs the Board of Regents to: (1) identify the geographic and tribal origins of the skeletal remains of Indians and Alaska Natives in the Smithsonian; (2) conduct a study and make recommendations as to the final disposition of such remains; (3) consult with Native American traditional religious leaders in making such recommendations; and (4) report to the Congress within three years after this Act's enactment on the identity of such skeletal remains and the findings and recommendation of such study. Pledges that the United States will provide the funds needed to maintain and operate the Museum. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1989
Low-Income Housing Credit Act of 1989 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the low-income housing income tax credit (under current law the credit will expire after tax year 1989). Permits States a one-year carryover of unused credit authority. Assigns carryovers to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to allocate to eligible States applying for excess credit. Allows the credit only if an extended low-income housing commitment (beyond the current 15-year period) is in effect with respect to any building for the relevant taxable year. Describes procedures to effect transition to a non-low-income use in connection with such extensions. Permits the credit in connection with the acquisition of an existing building only if the taxpayer incurs rehabilitation expenditures of at least $3,000 per unit. Revises rent restrictions to: (1) declare unnecessary a required rent reduction below the initial rent if the median gross income of the area decreases; (2) permit higher rent if units are occupied by higher income individuals and the project has an operating deficit; (3) base income limitations on the number of bedrooms in a unit; and (4) use State median gross income in certain low-income housing status determinations. Broadens categories of existing buildings eligible for a waiver of the ten-year requirement for the low-income housing credit. Revises credit provisions relating to single-room occupancy units and special needs housing. Revises restrictions that limit credit benefits in connection with buildings financed with tax-exempt bonds and below market loans. Permits the credit to be allocated: (1) on a project basis; and (2) in connection with owner-occupied buildings of four units or less if a development plan is submitted. Directs housing credit agencies to adopt plans for allocating credit amounts among projects, prohibiting the credit with respect to any building not included in such a plan. Modifies at-risk rules in connection with buildings subject to the historic rehabilitation credit and those associated with financing provided by certain nonprofit organizations. Sets the tax credit rate on a semiannual basis rather than monthly. Increases the credit in connection with buildings in high cost areas (low-income census tracts or difficult development areas). Establishes special rules for determining the eligible basis and applying at-risk rules in connection with qualified buildings acquired in foreclosures.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1989
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1989 - Title I: General Prohibition Against Discrimination - Declares that it shall be discriminatory, on the basis of disability, to deny opportunities or to afford them unequally, to provide opportunities less effectively (or differently or separately, unless necessary for effectiveness), to assist an organization or individual that discriminates, or to otherwise limit opportunities enjoyed by others. Prohibits the use of standards, criteria, or administrative methods that have the purpose or effect of discrimination or perpetuate discrimination. Declares it discriminatory to deny equal opportunities because of the relationship or association of an individual with another individual with a disability. Allows as a defense to a charge of discrimination that an application of standards or criteria has been demonstrated to be both necessary and substantially related to the ability of an individual to take advantage of the essential components of the opportunity, and that the taking advantage cannot be accomplished by reasonable accommodations, modifications, or the provision of auxiliary aids or services. Title II: Employment - Prohibits discrimination by any employer, employment agency, labor organization, or joint labor-management committee against any qualified individual with a disability in job application procedures, hiring or discharge, compensation, advancement, training, and other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment. Lists types of actions construed to be discrimination. Makes the remedies set forth in specified provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other specified Federal law available to any individual who believes that he or she is being or is about to be subjected to discrimination in violation of this Act. Title III: Public Services - Declares that no qualified individual with a disability shall be excluded from the participation in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination by a State, or by an agency, political subdivision, or other instrumentality of a State. Lists types of actions deemed, for purposes of this Act and specified provisions of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to be discrimination with regard to public transportation. Makes the remedies and rights set forth in specified provisions of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 available to any individual who believes that he or she is being or is about to be subjected to discrimination in violation of this Act. Title IV: Public Accommodations and Services Operated by Private Entities - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in the enjoyment of any place of public accommodation. Lists types of actions construed to be discrimination. Prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in public transportation services provided by a private entity that is primarily engaged in transporting people, but that is not in the principal business of air transportation. Lists types of actions construed to be discrimination. Makes specified provisions of the Fair Housing Act relating to enforcement available, subject to exception, to any aggrieved individual. Title V: Telecommunications Relay Services - Defines "telecommunications relay services" to mean services that enable simultaneous communication between individuals who use telecommunications devices for the deaf (TDDs) or other nonvoice terminal devices and individuals who do not use such devices. Declares it discriminatory for any common carrier that offers telephone services to the public to fail to provide interstate or intrastate telecommunication relay services that are equal to those provided to their customers who are able to use voice services, except in any State in which services are provided through an entity designated by the State. Declares it discrimination by a State that makes such a designation if the State fails to provide interstate or intrastate relay services that are equal to those provided to their voice customers. Makes specified provisions of the Fair Housing Act relating to enforcement available, subject to exception, to any aggrieved individual. Requires the Federal Communications Commission to enforce this title. Makes specified provisions of the Communication Act of 1934 apply with respect to the enforcement of this title. Provides for cease and desist orders by the Commission and for monetary penalties. Title VI: Miscellaneous Provisions - Prohibits retaliatory discrimination against any individual because of actions related to this Act. Declares that a State shall not be immune under the 11th Amendment to the Constitution from an action in Federal court for a violation of this Act. Requires the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board to issue minimum guidelines to supplement the existing Minimum Guidelines and Requirements for Accessible Design. Allows the awarding of reasonable attorney's fees, in certain circumstances, in any action or proceeding under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1989
Designates October 1989 and 1990 as National Down Syndrome Month.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1989
Designates October as National Quality Month.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 1989
Construction Safety, Health, and Education Improvement Act of 1989 - Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to establish in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) an Office of Construction Safety, Health, and Education (the Office) to ensure safe and healthy working conditions in the performance of construction work. Provides that the Office shall be headed by a Director appointed by the Secretary of Labor (the Secretary). Directs the Secretary to employ additional OSHA inspectors to carry out Office duties. Requires the Director to designate an Office employee to serve as small business liaison. Authorizes the Secretary to issue regulations providing for certain exemptions from this Act for specified types of construction projects, operations, or construction contractors, conditioned on compliance with alternative requirements capable of promoting employee safety and health. Directs the Secretary to establish an effective and fair system for construction worksite inspections, concentrating resources on construction worksites and operations with a high potential for fatalities or serious injuries and illnesses. Requires, when establishing inspection priorities, that due weight be given to employer compliance with standards and recordkeeping and reporting requirements. Gives priority to inspection of projects and worksites of owners and employers having a higher than average incidence or severity of injuries or illnesses for the type of construction involved. Requires each construction contractor to maintain accurate records of accidents and injuries at a construction worksite. Requires an employer to report to the appropriate regional office of OSHA by telephone or telegraph, within 24 hours after its occurrence, any incident involving construction work that results in: (1) a serious injury; (2) a fatality; (3) a structural failure that leads to the collapse of a place of employment; or (4) a potential collapse of a place of employment. Requires the employer to submit a written followup report with specified information. Directs the Secretary to conduct site inspections to investigate all such reports, as well as all reports of those categories of serious injuries the Secretary prescribes. Requires such inspections within 24 hours after receipt of the telephone or telegraph report, unless site conditions would make inspection dangerous. Requires the construction contractor to prevent destruction of evidence. Directs the Secretary to make public a narrative description of the occurrence. Requires the construction safety specialist to provide the Secretary with a notice containing specified information on a construction project prior to commencement of work, unless it is necessary to perform such work immediately to prevent injury to persons and notice is given to the Secretary as soon as practicable. Requires the construction safety specialist, at project completion at one-year intervals during the project, to report to the Secretary all fatalities and serious injuries and illnesses and all structural failures. Directs the Secretary to issue standard forms for such purposes. Requires a construction contractor to establish a written safety and health program, to be managed by a construction safety specialist or other employee of the contractor. Sets forth the requirements of such a program, including evaluations of perceived hazardous conditions and analyses of perceived harmful material or substances. Requires such evaluations and analyses to be conducted, upon an employee's or employee representative's request, by a construction safety professional and to be reported or denied in writing. Requires a construction contractor to develop and maintain an onsite project safety and health plan for each construction project that: (1) includes a construction process plan; (2) includes a hazard analysis; and (3) meets other specified requirements. Requires the construction safety specialist to provide a copy of the plan to each employer on the project before work commences. Requires the construction safety specialist to notify the responsible contractors of, and direct them to correct, any hazards, violations of safety or health law, or failure to comply with the program. Requires such notification to be reduced to writing as soon as practicable, with copies provided to the responsible contractors and, upon request, to all affected employers, employees, employee representatives, and the Secretary. Requires a construction contractor to ensure that a construction safety specialist is hired and retained and performs the duties prescribed by the Act at a construction worksite. Gives the construction contractor overall responsibility for the safety of the construction worksite with respect to construction safety, rules, and practices. Requires the contractor to ensure that subcontractors and supervisors are informed of the construction safety specialist's identity and duties, and to require them to comply with the specialist's health and safety policies at the worksite. Requires a construction safety specialist to: (1) ensure worksite compliance with the onsite plan and with guidelines of the Secretary and the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health; (2) maintain a detailed worksite safety report; and (3) upon discovery of a hazard, order the contractor to eliminate it and inform the contractor, owner, and Secretary of any imminent dangers. Sets forth required qualifications of a construction safety specialist. Sets forth other responsibilities of a specialist. Establishes in OSHA a Construction Safety and Health Training Academy, to be headed by a Director appointed by the Secretary. Directs the Academy to: (1) train employees of the Office who conduct construction worksite inspections; and (2) train and certify construction safety specialists who have fulfilled requirements of a standardized training course and testing program. Revises Federal law relating to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Increases criminal penalties for any employer's willful violations of such Act which result in serious injury or death to an employee. Makes employers who cause such results through specified criminal negligence also liable to such penalties. Amends the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act to grant the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health specified powers to carry out its functions. Directs the President, in the budget message, to separate the appropriation account for construction industry safety activities from that of nonconstruction activities under such Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 1989
International Narcotics and Terrorism Control Act of 1989 - Authorizes the President to impose additional specified transportation, immigration, and customs sanctions on certain countries if he determines that to do so would contribute to the reduction in the importation into the United States of narcotics from such countries. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require that the President's annual report to the Congress on U.S. policy with respect to an international strategy to prevent the cultivation and manufacture of, and traffic in, controlled substances include: (1) comments and recommendations regarding the war on drugs by the Departments of State, Justice, Defense, the Treasury, and Health and Human Services, the Agency for International Development, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Customs Service, and other enforcement agencies; and (2) the results of a review of the connections between international narcotics trafficking, money laundering, and international terrorism. Directs the Director of National Drug Control Policy to include in the National Drug Control Strategy to be submitted to the Congress on February 1, 1990: (1) a study of current Federal personnel practices affecting all persons engaged in the war on drugs; and (2) a determination as to whether adequate resources are being devoted to the hiring, training, promotion, and retention of Federal employees responsible for fighting drugs. Requires the Secretary of State to report to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee not later than ten days after denying a request from a law enforcement agency for assistance by the Department of State, setting forth the reasons for such denial. Makes it unlawful for any person who was employed by the executive branch or by the Congress and who performed duties with respect to narcotics-related issues, to represent a foreign government on narcotics matters for three years after leaving such employment. Provides penalties for a violation. Requires the Secretary of State and any other officer or employee of the Department of State to submit the name of any individual or entity to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Customs Service, and the Drug Enforcement Administration for their determination that such individual or entity is not under indictment or has not been convicted of any narcotics or narcotics-related offense before they may enter into a contract on behalf of the Department with such individual or entity. States that no funds made available for the Department may be available for payment on any contract entered into with an individual or entity listed by such agency. Provides that no funds made available to any element of the U.S. Government authorized to conduct intelligence activities may be available for payment to any individual who has been convicted of narcotics trafficking or money laundering, with an exception. States that it is not a defense to prosecution for certain offenses in the Federal criminal code related to foreign relations that an individual was acting pursuant to the authority or direction of any department, agency, or officer of the U.S. Government, unless: (1) such action was taken pursuant to the specific authority or direction of the Secretary of State; and (2) the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House and the Foreign Relations Committee and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate were notified by the Secretary within 48 hours after the conferral of such authority or the giving of such direction.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 1989
Designates September 14, 1989, as National DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Day.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1989
Authorizes and requests the President to designate the weeks of November 19 through November 25, 1989, and November 18 through November 24, 1990, as National Family Week.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1989
Designates the week of September 9 through September 15, 1989, as National Nursing Home Residents' Rights Week.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 1989
National Voter Registration Act of 1989 - Requires each State 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, and private sector locations. Declares that this Act does not apply to any State that has no voter registration requirement with respect to presidential and congressional elections. Requires each State to: (1) assure that any eligible applicant who submits his or her application 25 days before the election is registered to vote in the election; (2) require the appropriate State election official to notify each applicant of the disposition of the application; and (3) provide that the name of a voter may not be removed from the official list of eligible voters except by reason of death, criminal conviction, mental incapacity, change in residence, failure to vote in two consecutive elections, or voter request. Requires each State to designate a chief State election official to coordinate State functions under this Act. Provides a private right of action for an individual aggrieved by a violation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 1989
Prohibits the proposed export of technology and defense articles and services to codevelop the FSX aircraft with Japan.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1989
Consumer Protection Against Price-Fixing Act of 1989 - Amends the Sherman Act to set forth evidentiary standards for price-fixing actions. Requires the court to allow the issue of concerted action to fix prices to be decided by the trier of fact if there is sufficient evidence from which a trier of fact could reasonably conclude that: (1) the supplier of a good or service received from a competitor of a reseller an express or implied suggestion, request, or demand that the supplier take steps to curtail or eliminate price competition; and (2) sales or supplies to the reseller were terminated by the supplier because of such communication. Prohibits the court from allowing the trier of fact to consider whether an individual and a competitor engaged in concerted action to set prices in violation of this Act if the court determines that the trier of fact could only find concerted action by making implausible inferences. Provides that the fact that a supplier and a reseller entered into an agreement to establish the resale price of a good or service shall be sufficient to constitute a price fixing violation, except when the agreement is to establish the maximum resale price of a good or service. Specifies that an agreement between the seller and the purchaser of a good or service to terminate another purchaser as a dealer or to refuse to supply such other purchaser because of that purchaser's pricing policies violates this Act, regardless of whether or not a specific price or price level is agreed upon.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1989
Puget Sound Tanker Safety Act of 1989 - Requires certain new oil tankers to have a double hull on their sides and bottoms throughout their cargo length. Directs the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to: (1) enter into discussions with the International Maritime Organization on requiring additional safety standards for tankers operating in environmentally sensitive areas; (2) submit reports to specified committees of the Congress regarding recent oil spills in Puget Sound and safety measures such as double hulls and double bottoms on barges, additional safety lines between towing vessels, and limits on the size of individual tanks within tankers; (3) issue a final rule requiring certain oil tank vessels carrying or transferring oil in Puget Sound to prepare an individualized spill prevention and countermeasure plan; (4) issue a final rule listing the equipment that must be carried by vessels to carry out the plan; and (5) implement regulations providing for annual inspection of vessels covered by provisions of this Act relating to oil tankers in Puget Sound. Directs the Secretary to issue a final rule requiring owners or operators of certain oil tank vessels carrying or transferring oil in Puget Sound, and owners or operators of oil-producing, refining, or transportation facilities that reasonably could be expected to spill oil into Puget Sound or adjoining shorelines, to submit to the Secretary for approval a contingency plan for the prevention, containment, and cleanup of oil spills. Authorizes the owner or operator of a vessel or facility to rely on his participation in a cooperative effort with other owners or operators who are subject to the same provisions in developing the contingency plans. Sets forth plan approval criteria. Allows the Secretary to enter into a cooperative agreement with the State of Washington to delegate contingency plan approval to that State. Directs the Secretary to publish guidelines for the determination of the maximum probable spill from a vessel or facility. Directs the Secretary to annually: (1) publish a description of the contingency plans and an inventory of available equipment; and (2) conduct practice drills of the contingency plans and publish a report on the drills. Provides for in rem liability and for civil and criminal penalties for violating this Act or a regulation prescribed under it.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1989
Increases the authorization of appropriations for the Indian Claims Commission Expert Witness Loan Fund. Permits the use of such Fund to provide assistance for the trial of claims pending before the United States Claims Court.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1989
Designates the week of October 8 through October 14, 1989, as National Week of Commitment to Helping the Homeless.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1989
Designates October 5, 1989, as Raoul Wallenberg Recognition Day.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1989
Designates October 3, 1989, as National Teacher Appreciation Day.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1989
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Bankruptcy Court and all involved parties should facilitate the prompt restoration of Eastern Airlines to full operations through appropriate action which may include appointment of a trustee, pending the sale of the company.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1989
Motor Carrier Safety Act of 1989 - Requires the Secretary of Transportation to issue a final rule regarding Federal motor carrier safety regulations to: (1) establish a public information system that periodically updates the safety ratings of motor carriers which have received unsatisfactory safety ratings; (2) provide a rating reassessment within 12 months after receipt of a motor carrier's written request to have an unsatisfactory rating reassessed; and (3) prohibit the operation of certain commercial motor vehicles by motor carriers who have received unsatisfactory safety ratings. Requires the Secretary to submit operational guidelines to the Congress with specific criteria for determining civil penalties for motor carrier safety violations that pose imminent safety hazards. Requires annual reports to the Congress on enforcement actions. Amends the Controlled Substances Act to impose mandatory minimum criminal penalties for the unlawful distribution or possession of controlled substances within 1,000 feet of a truck stop. Precludes the suspension of criminal sentences and denies probation for repeat offenders. Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to establish specified sentencing guidelines for violations of this Act. Amends the Truck and Bus Safety and Regulatory Reform Act of 1988 to direct the Secretary of Transportation to initiate a rulemaking proceeding regarding improved braking performance standards for commercial motor vehicles. Classifies Department of Transportation safety inspectors at GS-12 of the General Schedule. Sets a deadline within which the Secretary must establish procedures ensuring the timely correction of commercial motor carrier safety violations found in a nationwide random reinspection system. Directs the Secretary to establish operational procedures requiring highway safety personnel to initiate enforcement actions whenever certain motor carrier safety violations can be documented. Directs the Secretary to initiate a rulemaking proceeding for enhanced truck visibility.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1989
Designates October 7 through October 14, 1989, as National Week of Outreach to the Rural Disabled.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1989
Designates February 18 through February 24, 1990, as National Visiting Nurse Associations Week.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1989
Declares that it is a shared responsibility of both the public and private sectors at the Federal, State, and local levels to take the necessary steps to remove existing barriers to access to quality health care for every child and pregnant woman.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1989
United States Coinage Reform Act of 1989 - Requires that one dollar coins be gold colored, be at least 90 percent copper, and be fabricated in the United States from natural deposits located in the United States. Redesigns the obverse side of the dollar coin to symbolize the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to place such coins into circulation within 18 months. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study and report to the Congress on the advisability of phasing out production of the one-cent and 50-cent coins and of rounding cash sales to the nearest five cents.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1989
Amends the Food Security Act of 1985, as amended by the Rural Development, Agriculture, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1988 to make permanent the authority of certain school districts to receive school lunch assistance in cash or commodity letters of credit (in lieu of commodities).
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1989
Amends the Interstate Commerce Act to exempt from State income tax laws (other than the laws of the taxpayer's State of residence): (1) railroad employees whose duties are performed in more than one State; and (2) motor carrier employees whose duties are performed in two or more States.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1989
Basic Health Benefits for All Americans Act - Title I: Amendments to Public Health Service Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to add provisions which require each employer to enroll each of its employees and their families in a health benefit plan. Makes State and local employers which do not so enroll their employees and their families ineligible to receive grants, contracts, loans, or loan guarantees under such Act. Title II: Amendments to Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 and Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to add provisions which require each employer to enroll each of its employees and their families in a health benefit plan. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) regarding supersedure of State laws relating to contracts or policies of insurance issued to or under a health benefit plan under title III of this Act. Amends ERISA with regard to the treatment of the Hawaii Prepaid Health Care Act. Title III: Requirements for Health Benefit Plans for Employees and Their Families - Subtitle A: Requirement and Definitions - Applies this title to employers required to enroll employees in health benefit plans under certain provisions of the Public Health Service Act or the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. Requires each small and certain large employers to use a regional insurer, subject to certain exceptions and conditions. Exempts employers in the State of Hawaii so long as the Hawaii Prepaid Health Care Act remains in effect. Requires that enrollment of an employee in a health benefit plan under this title includes enrollment of the employee's family in the plan. Prohibits the employee from waiving personal or family enrollment. Provides exceptions: (1) to avoid duplicate family coverage; and (2) in the case of multiple employers. Prohibits employers from discriminating against any individual because such individual has a spouse or child required under this title to be enrolled in a health benefit plan. Subtitle B: Requirements for Health Benefit Plans - Sets forth general requirements for plans. Permits a health benefit plan to be considered as meeting such requirements provided the actuarial benefits under the plan are not less than would have applied if the plan met the requirements of this subtitle. Sets forth minimum requirements, including a limit on out-of-pocket expenses. Mandates inclusion of certain mental health benefits. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) establish an advisory board to advise the Secretary on development of actuarial equivalency standards; and (2) publish, at least three months before the effective date of this Act, a table of actuarial equivalency describing as many variations as feasible. Declares a plan using variations not included in the table to be in compliance with this Act if it meets certain requirements. Directs the Secretary to establish streamlined procedures regarding employers with multiple plans. Allows new small businesses to use a tailored health benefit plan, as defined in this title. Specifies benefits which a plan must provide, including inpatient and outpatient hospital care and physician services, tests, prenatal and well-baby care, and inpatient and outpatient care for mental disorders. Prohibits placing limits on the amount, scope, or duration of benefits for hospital care, physician services, or tests, but allows plan limits on prenatal and well-baby care under regulations prescribed by the Secretary. Declares that nothing in this Act: (1) prohibits a health plan from providing benefits through a panel or other form of managed care system or establishing a different level of payments for reimbursement for different health care providers furnishing benefits; or (2) requires a plan to use a provider to provide benefits provided before the effective date of this Act other than the providers being utilized by the plan on that date or make payments to any provider that is excluded from participation in any Federal health care program. Allows an insurer to establish a fee schedule or other basis of payment that is different from actual charges if the schedule meets certain requirements. Specifies requirements regarding the date of initial coverage. Prohibits pre-existing condition provisions. Provides special requirements regarding certain part-time and temporary employees. Allows a plan to require an employee to pay for premiums, deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance not to exceed certain limits. Provides for adjustments for covered spouses with other coverage and for employed retirees. Requires each employer with an employee whose hourly wage is less than a specified amount to offer each such employee at least one plan that does not require a premium for the employee. Prohibits State laws from preventing employers from using payroll withholding for premiums due by employees. Sets forth special rules for the calculation of premiums for part-time employees. Sets limitations on: (1) deductibles, to be increased for increases in the consumer price index; (2) copayments and coinsurance, subject to exception; and (3) out-of-pocket expenses. Subtitle C: Certification of Regional Insurers - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary) to designate six to eight health insurance regions and to establish procedures for the periodic certification of insurers for each region. Sets forth certification eligibility requirements. Specifies requirements for application for and consideration of applications for such certification. Directs the Secretary to periodically evaluate the performance of regional insurers and, under certain circumstances, allows the Secretary to terminate the certification of the insurer. Allows the Secretary, if the Secretary determines that there is a failure of competition among regional insurers in the region and that other conditions are met, to restrict certification, based on a competitive bidding or other system, to those qualified insurers which offer plans at lower rates. Sets forth requirements regarding the types of plans each regional insurer must offer. Requires each regional insurer to fix premiums under a community rating system. Prohibits adjustment of such premiums based on age, gender, other factors relating to the projected or actual use of services, or, subject to exception, on geographical location within the region. Permits regional insurers to enter into subcontracts. Directs the Secretary to encourage regional insurers to enter into arrangements with entities representing groups of small businesses for the provision of administrative services. Requires such insurers to reduce the premiums charged by an amount which reflects the value of such services. Directs the Secretary to provide technical assistance to employers, utilizing to the maximum extent feasible entities with experience in providing health insurance services to small businesses. Subtitle D: Regulations and Enforcement - Directs the Secretary to promulgate rules to carry out this title by specified deadlines. Provides for civil penalties for any nongovernmental employer who does not comply with certain provisions of this Act. Makes nongovernmental employers who knowingly fail to comply with certain provisions of this Act liable for damages, including health care costs incurred, to the employee or the employee's family. Allows any individual injured, adversely affected, or aggrieved by violation of certain requirements of this Act to bring an action for injunctive relief. Subtitle E: Small Business Subsidy - Directs the Secretary of Labor to provide for payment to a small employer, whose compliance cost exceeded a specified percentage of the employer's gross revenues, of 75 percent of such excess. Allows adjustments for industries for which the specified percentage is not an appropriate measure of the financial burden of providing the insurance. Title IV: Assuring Provision of Health Benefits to Under-Poverty, Near-Poverty, and Other Individuals - Amends the Public Health Service Act to create a new title on State-provided health care benefits for poor individuals. Requires each State to operate a health care benefits program under which the State: (1) must offer, starting in 1991, benefits to under-poverty individuals; (2) may offer, starting in 1991, and must offer, starting in 1996, benefits to near-poverty individuals; and (3) may offer, starting in 1996, and must offer, starting in 1999, benefits to all other individuals not covered under a health benefit plan under title III of this Act. Requires the benefits under the State benefits program to be the same as required of health benefit plans under such title plus coverage for items and services relating to early and periodic screening and diagnosis of children under the age of 21. Prohibits the benefits from including any other items or services. Prohibits the imposition of premiums, deductibles, copayments, or cost-sharing on under-poverty individuals. Allows such features, subject to limitations, for near-poverty and other covered individuals. Makes an individual who is enrolled in a health benefit plan under title III of this Act ineligible for benefits under a State benefits program, but requires or permits a State program to pay part or all of the premiums, deductibles, and other cost-sharing imposed by a title III plan on an individual who is under or near poverty. Allows a State to require an under-poverty or near-poverty individual who is eligible for but not required to be enrolled in a plan under title III to enroll in the plan, but only if the individual's premiums and out-of-pocket expenses will be no greater than if the individual had not been required to enroll. Requires the State to determine the eligibility of an individual within 30 days of application. Provides for enrollment periods and effective dates of coverage. Declares that an individual who is determined in a month to be eligible must remain eligible for not less than six months. Requires reimbursement to providers under each State benefits program to be at a level sufficient to achieve access to services covered by the program. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to pay to a State the State's Federal health benefit assistance percentage, determined under a specified formula, for the cost of benefits under the State program. Directs the Secretary to provide for review of State programs to ensure that the programs meet the requirements of this title and provide quality health care. Requires the use of such clinical practice guidelines as the Secretary may develop in determining whether items and services are medically necessary. Prohibits a State from providing benefits through a plan that restricts the provider from whom an individual may obtain items and services unless the plan meets certain requirements. Requires each State to administer its benefits program, unless the State elects to have the Secretary do so and pays for such services. Title V: Effective Date for Titles I through III - Provides for the effective dates of titles I through III of this Act and transition rules for certain circumstances. Declares that no employer will be required under title III of this Act to provide any health benefit in addition to the benefits required to be provided by specified provisions of this Act unless: (1) such additional benefit is for a service which State Medicaid plans (under title XIX of the Social Security Act) are required to cover for certain individuals; and (2) before the enactment of such requirement, the benefits and costs of requiring the provision of such additional health benefit have been analyzed and considered by the Congress, according to certain procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1989
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) ASEAN first asylum countries (defined to include any country which is a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and which is the first to receive an individual seeking asylum) should reinstate the practice of providing refuge for all Vietnamese asylum-seekers, while carrying out the screening of such individuals; (2) the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees should be given early access to provide humane care to such asylum-seekers; (3) no repatriation of Vietnamese asylum-seekers should occur until an internationally approved mechanism is in place to guarantee that such individuals will not be subjected to persecution; (4) forced repatriation of refugees to Vietnam should not be considered a viable option; and (5) the United States should remain committed to, and urge its Western allies to implement or continue, a generous and humane Southeast Asian refugee resettlement policy.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1989
Outer Space Protection Act of 1989 - Reaffirms U.S. policy that activities in space should be devoted to peaceful purposes to benefit mankind. Prohibits the use of funds by Federal agencies for: (1) the testing, production, or deployment of any weapon system designed to be based in outer space; (2) the testing of any weapon system to determine its capability to damage or destroy any object in outer space; or (3) the launch of any spacecraft that carries weapons capable of inflicting death or injury on people. Urges and requests the President to enter into bilateral negotiations with the Soviet Union concerning weapons systems in outer space. Specifies the purposes of such negotiations as: (1) prohibiting the testing, production, and deployment of all weapons based in outer space and the testing of all weapons against objects in outer space; (2) establishing limitations on technologies that could become weapons; (3) determining methods for monitoring compliance with such limitations and with mutually agreed upon prohibitions on weapons in outer space and the testing of antisatellite weapons; and (4) encouraging the effective utilization of the Standing Consultative Commission (established under the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty) to resolve disagreements and to develop limitations and verification procedures for new technologies. Urges and requests the President, in the event that such negotiations result in an agreement, to initiate discussions in the United Nations toward an international agreement to prohibit the testing, production, and deployment of all weapons in outer space and to prohibit the testing of all antisatellite weapons. Requires the Secretary of Defense to manage the long-term basic research on ballistic missile defense technologies so as to provide the United States with expanded options for responding to any future breakout by the Soviet Union from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. Specifies that nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit the obligation or expenditure of funds for non-weapon military operations in outer space. States that the provisions of this Act relating to bilateral negotiations with the Soviet Union and the prohibition on the use of funds for space weapons shall become inapplicable if the President certifies to the Congress that the Soviet Union: (1) has tested, produced, or deployed space weapons; or (2) has launched into orbit any spacecraft that carries a weapon capable of inflicting death or injury on people.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1989
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) determine the extent to which the assets of any Federal pension or annuity fund are invested in any U.S. corporation or its subsidiary which engages in business in Northern Ireland; (2) monitor the extent to which such corporations or subsidiaries adhere to the principles of nondiscrimination in employment practices and freedom of opportunity in the workplace established by Sean MacBride to assure employment opportunities for religious minorities; and (3) report his findings to the Congress annually. Requires the Executive Director of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board to initiate and support shareholder petitions or initiatives requiring adherence by such corporations and subsidiaries which are not in full compliance with such principles. Requires each signatory to the MacBride principles to report annually to an independent monitoring agency on its progress in implementing such principles.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1989
Requires the Architect of the Capitol to establish and implement a voluntary program for recycling paper disposed of in the operation of the Senate.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 1989
Authorizes the President to present a gold medal, on behalf of the Congress, to Robert Wise in recognition of his contribution to this Nation's cultural heritage. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to strike and sell bronze duplicates of such medal at a price sufficient to cover the costs of such duplicates and the gold medal. Requires the appropriations to be reimbursed out of the sales proceeds. Designates all such medals as National Medals.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 1989
Authorizes the President to present gold medals, on behalf of the Congress, to each of the following individuals in recognition of their contributions to this Nation's cultural heritage: (1) Frank Capra; (2) James Stewart; and (3) Fred Zinnemann. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to design a different gold medal for each such individual. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to strike and sell bronze duplicates of such medals at a price sufficient to cover the costs of such duplicates and the gold medals. Requires the appropriations to be reimbursed out of the sales proceeds. Designates all such medals as National Medals.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 1989
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the targeted jobs income tax credit through 1992. (Under current law the credit will expire after December 31, 1989.) Amends the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 to authorize appropriations through FY 1992 in connection with the targeted jobs credit. Raises from 23 years to 25 years the age limitation with respect to economically disadvantaged youth targeted for credit purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 1989
Amends the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 to reauthorize the grant program for water resources research and technology institutes on a dollar-for-dollar matching basis for FY 1989 through 1993. Requires that such funds be used only for the reimbursement of direct cost expenditures incurred for the conduct of the water resources research program. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct an evaluation of each institute every five years to determine if it qualifies for further support. (Currently the Secretary must make such determination every four years.) Extends the authorization of appropriations for the grant program from FY 1989 through 1993. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 through 1993 only for the reimbursement of the direct cost expenses of additional research by institutes which focuses on water problems and issues of a regional or interstate nature beyond those of concern only to a single State and which relates to specific program priorities identified jointly by the Secretary and the institutes. Requires such funds when appropriated to be matched on a not less than dollar-for-dollar basis by non-Federal sources. Extends the authorization of appropriations from FY 1989 through 1993 for the matching grant research program concerning any aspect of a water resource-related problem which the Secretary deems to be in the national interest. Authorizes appropriations to extend the technology grant program from FY 1989 through 1993. Requires rules and regulations issued prior to the date of enactment of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 to remain in effect until superseded by new rules and regulations promulgated under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 1989
Expresses the Senate's confidence, hope, and trust for those who will serve in the Senate during its third century.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 1989
First Home Act - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to establish a program of first-time homebuyer downpayment savings accounts based on periodic payment schedules. Guarantees the difference, if any, between the actual downpayment and the amount in the downpayment account upon the homebuyer's completion of the savings account's terms. Amends Federal law to establish downpayment savings accounts in the Treasury. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income any interest from downpayment savings accounts.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 1989
Employee Pension Protection Act of 1989 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to revise fiduciary standards applicable to pension plan assets to account for duties with respect to assets of terminated plans. Establishes fiduciary standards to apply to employer reversions upon plan termination, requiring an employer to establish and maintain a complete replacement plan or a substantial replacement plan in connection with the termination. Prescribes requirements to govern both types of plans. Links the establishment of either of these new plans to the amount of any employer reversion, requiring the new plans to have assets sufficient to pay all liabilities to participants and their beneficiaries. Considers any plan fiduciary or sponsor to be jointly and severally liable for violation of ERISA if requirements regarding complete replacement or substantial replacement plans are not met at any time during the five-year period beginning on the date of final distribution of assets from the terminated plan. Describes fiduciary duties to govern the distribution of plan assets to participants and beneficiaries upon plan termination in cases when the employer does not set up a replacement or substantial replacement plan. Institutes fiduciary duties with respect to distributions of plan assets upon termination in direct trustee-to-trustee transfers to individual retirement plans. Directs the Secretary of Labor to prescribe reporting requirements in connection with these transfers.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 1989
Oil Pollution Liability and Compensation Act of 1989 - Title I: Oil Pollution Liability and Compensation - Establishes the Oil Spill Compensation Fund. Makes vessel owners or operators of onshore or offshore facilities liable for removal costs and for economic or natural resource damages, including: (1) injury or loss of real or personal property or natural resources; (2) loss of use (including subsistence use) of natural resources; (3) loss or impairment of income, profits, or earning capacity; and (4) loss of Federal and State tax, royalty, rental, or net profits share revenue for up to one year. Establishes liability limits for: (1) owners and operators of tankers; (2) other vessel owners; (3) lessees and permittees of Outer Continental Shelf facilities; (4) deepwater port facility owners; and (5) other facility owners. Excludes interest (including prejudgment interest) from such limits. Authorizes the President to establish lower liability limits for other onshore or offshore facilities. Requires the periodic adjustment of liability limits to reflect increases in the Consumer Price Index. Makes the President (or the authorized representative of any State or foreign government) the trustee to act on behalf of the public to recover damages for injury to Federal, State, or foreign government natural resources. Requires the President, acting through the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to promulgate regulations within two years of enactment of this Act for the assessment of damages for injury to natural resources resulting from an oil discharge. Requires that such regulations be reviewed and revised (if necessary) every two years. Makes the owner or operator of a vessel liable under: (1) this Act; (2) maritime tort law; and (3) the Clean Water Act. Directs the President to use the money in the Oil Spill Compensation Fund for specified removal costs and damages. Requires the President to publish regulations regarding implementation of the authority to obligate the Fund or enter into agreements. Authorizes States to obligate the Fund for a maximum of $250,000 per discharge or substantial threat of discharge of oil and to enter into agreements with the President for additional Fund monies. Provides that the Attorney General (upon request of the President) shall commence an action against the responsible foreign government or other responsible party to recover any costs paid from the Fund as a result of oil discharge or substantial threat of discharge from a foreign offshore unit. Requires the owner or operator of certain-size vessels and offshore facilities to establish financial responsibility sufficient to meet the maximum amount of liability to which such persons could be subjected under this Act. Provides for judicial review of regulations and actions under this Act. Grants State courts jurisdiction to hear cases under this Act, as well as under State law. Permits the States to impose additional liability or requirements regarding oil discharges within their borders. Retains the rights of the States to maintain a fund for oil pollution compensation. Authorizes States to enforce the financial responsibility requirements of this Act. Requires the President to consult with affected States regarding removal actions. Requires the President to report to the Congress within one year after enactment of this Act regarding a study on improved methods for oil discharge prevention in restricted waters. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to direct (current law authorizes) the President to remove oil at any time unless the President finds that such removal will be done properly and promptly by the owner or operator of the vessel or facility. Title II: Conforming Amendments - Makes conforming amendments to the following Acts: (1) the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act; (2) the Intervention on the High Seas Act; (3) the Clean Water Act; (4) the Deepwater Port Act; and (5) the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. Amends the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act to abolish the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Liability Fund. Replaces the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Liability Fund and the Deepwater Port Liability Fund with the Oil Spill Compensation Fund of this Act. Repeals the oil spill liability provisions of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act Amendments of 1978 (thereby replacing the Offshore Oil Pollution Compensation Fund under that Act with the Oil Spill Compensation Fund established in this Act). Amends the Clean Water Act to: (1) require persons in charge of a vessel or onshore facility who have knowledge of an oil discharge to immediately notify the affected State; and (2) increase from one year to three years the prison term for failure to report such discharge.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 1989
Amends the National Driver Register Act of 1982 to authorize applicants for and holders of a license to be in control and direction of a commercial vessel to request the chief State driver licensing official to transmit to the Commandant of the Coast Guard information regarding such applicants' or holders' motor vehicle driving records. Prescribes the use of such information by the Commandant. Precludes access to information that was entered more than three years before the date of request unless it relates to revocations or suspensions which are still in effect on the date of request. Directs the Commandant to initiate a rulemaking to require each applicant or holder to make available to the Commandant information regarding the motor vehicle driving record of the applicant.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 1989
Designates October 1989 as Polish American Heritage Month.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 1989
Designates the week of September 10 through September 16, 1989, as National Check-Up Week.