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United States · Official source
5,946 records where Sen. Baucus, Max [D-MT] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1993
Repeals the Assault Weapon Manufacturing Strict Liability Act of 1990, signed by the Mayor of the District of Columbia. Restores or revives any provisions of law amended or repealed by it.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1993
Payments In Lieu of Taxes Act - Increases Federal payments to local governments for entitlement lands and adjusts such payments for inflation. Exempts any lands conveyed to the United States in exchange for Federal lands.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1993
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, during the three-year period beginning on October 1, 1993, to conduct a rural health-care clinic program in States where significant numbers of veterans reside in areas geographically remote from existing health-care facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Directs the Secretary to commence operation of at least three such clinics in each fiscal year of the program. Directs the Secretary to report to the Congress on an evaluation of the program. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1993
Civil Aircraft Trade Enforcement Act of 1993 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) to collect information on: (1) subsidies provided by France, Germany, and the United Kingdom to Airbus Industrie member companies with respect to the manufacture and exportation of large civil aircraft to the United States; and (2) whether the U.S. large civil aircraft manufacturing industry is materially injured, or threatened with material injury, by reason of such imports. Requires the administering authority to initiate a countervailing duty investigation under the Tariff Act of 1930 with respect to such imports.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1993
Aeronautical Technology Consortium Act of 1993 - Directs the President to establish: (1) an Aeronautical Technology Program to coordinate Federal research programs relating to aeronautical and related manufacturing technologies, and promote their civilian transfer and commercial application; and (2) a National Aeronautics Strategy to implement the Program. Declares that the Program shall be administered through an Aeronautical Technology Coordinating Committee, which shall provide assistance to a private sector Aeronautical Technology Consortium. Establishes an Aeronautical Technology Advisory Committee.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1993
Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to exempt semiconductors from the country of origin marking requirements under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 February 1993
Designates the week of March 28 through April 3, 1993, as Distance Learning Week.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1993
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permanently extend the period during which qualified mortgage bonds and mortgage credit certificates may be issued.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1993
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the availability of the deduction for health insurance costs of self-employed individuals for six months (currently, such deduction is inapplicable to tax years after June 30, 1992).
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1993
Fair Trade in Grain Act of 1993 - Requires a consignee of imported foreign grain to: (1) include an end-use certificate in the documentation covering the entry of such grain; and (2) submit to the Secretary of Agriculture certain quarterly reports regarding the use of such grain. Sets forth civil penalties. Prohibits the Commissioner of Customs from permitting the entry of such grain unless the importer of record presents such certificate at the time of entry. Amends the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to require the Secretary to provide agricultural commodities or cash payments, or both, to promote U.S. wheat exports to Mexico. Directs the administering authority to initiate a countervailing duty and antidumping duty investigation with respect to Canadian subsidies for wheat exported to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1993
Designates the week beginning April 18, 1993, as Primary Immune Deficiency Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1993
Declares that the Congress opposes any attempt to lower the estate tax exemption or raise the effective rate of taxes on estates, or impose additional taxes on estates such as a capital gains tax at death, because such measures contradict the fundamental goal of the United States Government of encuraging long-term private saving through which productive investment that promotes economic growth can be realized.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1993
Urges the President to initiate multilateral negotiations toward a comprehensive nuclear weapons test ban.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1993
Repeals penalties imposed upon States that do not have in effect safety belt and motorcycle helmet traffic safety programs.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1993
Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the corporate income tax exclusion of contributions to the capital of the taxpayer. Includes as a qualifying contribution any amount of money or property received by a regulated public utility which provides water or sewage disposal services that: (1) is a contribution in aid of construction; (2) meets certain expenditure requirements; and (3) is not included in the taxpayer's rate base. Excludes amounts paid as service charges for starting or stopping services. Determines the depreciation deduction for such property by using the straight line method and provides for a 25-year recovery period.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1993
Constitutional Amendment - Declares that equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1993
Trade Agreement Compliance Act of 1993 - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to require the United States Trade Representative (USTR), at the request of an interested person, to determine whether a foreign country is complying with any agreement it has with the United States. Requires the USTR to take specified action under the Act if he or she determines that such country is in material noncompliance with any agreement. Requires the amendments made by this Act to be consistent with U.S. international obligations, including the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1993
Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to change the period for the U.S. Trade Representative to identify trade liberalization priorities to no later than September 30 of each of the calendar years 1994 through 1997. Sets forth the procedure for a congressional committee to file a petition with the Trade Representative to investigate barriers and market distorting practices of a foreign country.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1993
Authorizes expenditures by the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works for the 103d Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 1993
Elementary and Secondary School Library Media Act - Amends the Department of Education Organization Act to establish a Division of Elementary and Secondary School Library Media Services within the Office of Educational Research and Improvement. Requires the Director of the Division to award grants to States for acquisition of school library media resources for public elementary and secondary schools. Sets forth requirements for allocation to States, State plans, and State distribution of allocation to local educational agencies. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Director to award grants for projects that: (1) encourage collaboration between public elementary and secondary library media specialists and teachers to develop instructional units that enable students to use a variety of information resources; and (2) expand students' information-gathering abilities and certain cognitive skills. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Director to award grants to encourage collaborative elementary and secondary school library media specialist and teacher programs to: (1) expand use of computers and computer networks in the curriculum; and (2) enable elementary and secondary school library media centers to access information from computerized databases. Authorizes the Director to enter into cooperative agreements with the National Science Foundation and other appropriate nonprofit agencies and organizations in carrying out this grants program. Authorizes appropriations. Requires that funds under this Act supplement and not supplant other Federal, State, or local funds.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Regulatory Impact on Credit Availability Title II: Regulatory Micromanagement Title III: Unnecessary Cost, Paperwork and Regulation Title IV: Consumer Inconvenience, Paperwork, and Cost; Other Non-Supervisory Reforms Title V: Community Investment Economic Growth and Regulatory Paperwork Reduction Act of 1993 - Title I: Regulatory Impact on Credit Availability - Subtitle A: General Provisions - (Sec. 101) Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA) to modify the criteria relating to real estate lending standards. (Sec. 102) Amends the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 (FIRREA) to direct the Appraisal Subcommittee of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council to encourage the States to develop reciprocity agreements with respect to appraisals performed by licensed real estate appraisers in good standing. (Sec. 103) Amends the FDIA to exempt from its proscription against agreements inimical to the interests of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) those agreements governing the deposit custody or collateralization of funds of any public entity. Subtitle B: Impact of Accounting and Capital Issues on Credit Availability - (Secs. 111-113) Amends the FDIA to modify the guidelines regarding: (1) early identification of needed improvements in financial management; (2) accounting objectives, standards, and requirements; (3) recourse agreements; and (4) disclosure by insured depository institutions of the market value of their assets and liabilities. (Secs. 114-115) Requires the Department of the Treasury to report to the Congress on the impact that implementation of risk based capital standards will have upon domestic institutions and credit availability. Modifies the deadline for the promulgation of final regulations regarding certain capital standards that impact upon credit availability. Subtitle C: Disincentives to Risk-taking - (Secs. 121-123) - Amends specified Federal banking laws to modify guidelines with respect to: (1) the attachment of assets; and (2) the culpability standards for civil money penalties and for the directors and officers of an insured depository institution. Subtitle D: Miscellaneous Credit Availability Provisions - (Sec. 131) Requires each appropriate Federal banking agency and the National Credit Union Administration to establish an independent appellate process to review material supervisory determinations made at institutions under their purview. (Sec. 132) Amends the Federal Reserve Act to modify the aggregate limits on insider lending for specified small banks. (Sec. 133) Requires: (1) the Board to study and report to the Congress on certain sterile reserves associated with depository institutions; and (2) the Office of Management and Budget and the Congressional Budget Office to report to the Congress on the budgetary impact of interest payments associated with such reserves. (Sec. 134) Amends the FDIA to prescribe guidelines for the sale by an undercapitalized insured depository institution of credit card accounts receivable. (Sec. 135) Amends the Federal Home Loan Bank Act to modify the guidelines under which Federal Home Loan Banks may make: (1) secured advances to members for housing finance; and (2) investments for the purchase of participating interests in certain residential construction loans. Title II: Regulatory Micromanagement - (Sec. 201) Amends the FDIA to repeal the criteria for safety and soundness regarding the operational and managerial standards of insured depository institutions. (Sec. 202) Requires each appropriate Federal banking agency to review, and eliminate where appropriate, regulations requiring insured depository institutions to produce unnecessary internal written policies. (Secs. 203-204) Modifies the guidelines regarding deposit solicitation by insured depository institutions to include within the definition of "deposit broker" an undercapitalized institution. Sets forth a transition period for new Federal regulations which impose additional requirements on an insured depository institution. Title III: Unnecessary Cost, Paperwork and Regulation - Subtitle A: General Provisions - (Secs. 301-302) Amends the FDIA to: (1) extend from 18 months to 24 months the mandatory on-site examination cycle for specified small-sized, insured depository institutions; (2) allow exemption from its examination requirement of insured depository institutions within certain depository institution holding companies; and (3) direct Federal banking regulatory agencies to coordinate their examinations with their State counterparts. (Sec. 304) Modifies the call report requirements affecting insured depository institutions. (Sec. 305) Directs the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council to review and reduce, where appropriate, the burdensome effect upon community banks of compliance requirements associated with risk-based capital rules. (Sec. 307) Amends Federal law to modify the recordkeeping requirements for monetary instruments transactions. (Sec. 308) Amends the FDIA to direct the FDIC to minimize the regulatory burden imposed upon insured depository institutions. (Sec. 309) Amends the Federal Reserve Act and the FDIA to limit the liability of domestic banks with respect to deposits made at foreign branches. Subtitle B: Holding Company Efficiencies - (Sec. 321) Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 to cite circumstances under which a company may acquire control of a bank undergoing a specified kind of reorganization. (Sec. 322) Amends the Securities Act of 1933 to exempt from its registration requirements any acquisitions resulting from such reorganization. (Sec. 323) Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 to: (1) modify the procedures under which bank holding companies acquire the shares of any company whose nonbanking activities are closely related to banking; and (2) provide for reduction of the post-approval waiting period for mergers, acquisition, or consolidation transactions. Title IV: Consumer Inconvenience, Paperwork, and Cost; Other Non-Supervisory Reforms - Subtitle A: Consumer Benefits and Lending Process Improvements - (Sec. 401) Directs the Board to study and report to the Congress on ways to streamline the credit-granting process. (Secs. 402-404) Amends the Truth in Lending Act to: (1) exempt specified credit transactions from its disclosure requirements; (2) repeal the "personal financial emergency" prerequisite to the Board's authority to modify rights relating to certain consumer credit transactions; and (3) modify the disclosure requirements for adjustable rate credit transactions. (Sec. 405) Amends the Truth in Savings Act to exempt business accounts from its purview. (Sec. 406) Amends the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act to repeal certain disclosure requirements regarding federally related mortgage loans that are statutorily mandated elsewhere. Subtitle B: Other Non-Supervisory Reforms Part 1: Expedited Funds Availability and Electronic Transfers - (Secs. 411-413) Amends the Expedited Funds Availability Act to: (1) modify the availability schedules for both depository institution accounts and new accounts; and (2) authorize the Board to establish rules regarding losses and liability among the States and their political subdivisions in connection with any aspect of the payment system. (Sec. 414) Amends the Electronic Fund Transfer Act to increase consumer liability for unauthorized electronic funds transfers where the cardholder has substantially contributed to such use. Part 2: Amendments to The Truth in Lending Act - (Sec. 421) Amends the Truth in Lending Act to increase cardholder liability for unauthorized credit card use where the cardholder does not timely notify the card issuer. Part 3: Homeownership Amendments - (Sec. 431) Amends the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975 to modify the total assets criterion used to exempt depository institutions from its purview. (Sec. 432) Amends the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 to modify its homeownership debt counseling notification requirements. (Sec. 433) Forbids any Federal banking agency from requiring any institution under its purview to engage in data collection practices pursuant to the requirements of the Fair Housing Act other than data required under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975. Part 4: Amendments to the Truth in Savings Act - (Sec. 441) Amends the Truth in Savings Act to limit a depository institution's civil liability for non-compliance with its disclosure requirements regarding: (1) annual percentage yield earned and the amounts of any fees or charges imposed; and (2) interest rates and terms of accounts in advertisements or solicitations. Part 5: Amendments to the Real Estate Settlements Procedures Act - (Sec. 451) Amends the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 to: (1) modify the disclosure requirements for federally related mortgage loans; and (2) exempt from its purview specified credit extension transactions. Title V: Community Investment - (Sec. 501) Amends the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 to: (1) mandate that, in its examination of a financial institution, a Federal financial supervisory agency shall minimize the regulatory paperwork burdens associated with compliance with such Act; (2) delineate the evaluation parameters under which an application for a deposit facility shall be accepted; (3) amend the service area guidelines relating to credit for distressed communities; (4) include "special purpose banks" within its purview; and (5) authorize the Federal financial supervisory agencies to accept State examinations conducted pursuant to comparable State community reinvestment laws in satisfaction of the requirements of such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 1993
Designates March 20, 1993, as National Agriculture Day.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1993
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that cash rental of farmland to a member of the decedent's family for a qualified use will not cause recapture of the special estate tax valuation.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1993
Amends Federal law to: (1) increase Federal payments to local governments for entitlement lands; (2) require the Secretary of the Interior to adjust such payments for inflation; and (3) exempt from such payments any lands conveyed to the United States in exchange for Federal lands.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 1993
Indian Employment and Investment Act of 1993 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish an Indian reservation credit as a tax credit for investment in qualified Indian reservation property. Treats real estate rentals on an Indian reservation as the active conduct of a trade or business on such reservation. Declares that such credit applies only in the event that the Indian unemployment rate on the applicable reservation exceeds 300 percent of the national average unemployment rate at any time during the taxable year or in the immediately preceding taxable year. Provides for the recapture of such credit in the event such reservation property ceases to be investment property. Sets forth rules with respect to adjusting the basis of such property to reflect the investment credit. Allows businesses an employment credit for the qualified wages and qualified employee health insurance costs paid or incurred during a taxable year. Requires employees to perform substantially all services within an Indian reservation and to reside on or near such reservation. Limits such credit to the first seven years of employment and excludes employees earning more than $30,000 per year. Establishes penalties to be imposed if an employee is terminated before the day one year after the day on which the employee began work for the employer. Applies certain rules for computing the targeted jobs credit to such employment credit.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 1993
Designates the Federal Judiciary Building in Washington, D.C., as the Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 1993
Designates the weeks of February 7 through 13, 1993, and February 6 through 12, 1994, as National Burn Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Wilderness Additions Title II: Death Valley National Park Title III: Joshua Tree National Park Title IV: Mojave National Park Title V: National Park Wilderness Title VI: Miscellaneous Provisions Title VII: Definitions Title VIII: Military Lands and Overflights California Desert Protection Act of 1993 - Title I: Wilderness Additions - (Sec. 102, 108) Designates as additions to the National Wilderness Preservation System 74 wilderness areas within the California Desert Conservation Areas (CDCA), the Yuma District, and the Bakersfield District of the Bureau of Land Management. Permits grazing in such areas. States that non-designated areas within the CDCA have been adequately studied for inclusion in the System and releases them from otherwise applicable restrictions. (Sec. 109) Designates certain lands within the CDCA as the White Mountains Wilderness Study Area. (Sec. 111) Designates certain lands in the Havasu National Wildlife Refuge and the Imperial National Wildlife Refuge in California as components of the System. Title II: Death Valley National Park - (Sec. 202) Establishes the Death Valley National Historic Park which subsumes the Death Valley National Monument. Withdraws the additional lands from further exploitation under the mining laws. Preserves grazing privileges on such lands for persons holding permits as of July 1, 1991. Terminates all grazing on July 1, 2016. Title III: Joshua Tree National Park - (Sec. 302) Establishes the Joshua Tree National Park which subsumes the Joshua Tree National Monument. Withdraws the additional lands from further exploitation under the mining laws. (Sec. 306) Continues the validity of certain rights-of-way of the Metropolitan Water District (MWD). Title IV: Mojave National Park - (Sec. 402) Establishes the Mojave National Park which subsumes the East Mojave Scenic Area. (Sec. 407) Withdraws Federal lands within the Park from further exploitation under the mining laws. Authorizes the Secretary to regulate mining in the Park. Preserves grazing privileges on such lands for persons holding permits as of July 1, 1991. Terminates all grazing on July 1, 2016. (Sec. 411) Continues the validity of certain rights-of-way to the Southern California Edison Company and the Southern California Gas Company. (Sec. 413) Designates the Granite Mountains Natural Reserve within the Park. Title V: National Park Wilderness - (Sec. 501) Designates as wilderness the Death Valley National Park Wilderness, the Joshua Tree National Park Wilderness Additions, and the Mojave National Park Wilderness. Title VI: Miscellaneous Provisions - (Sec. 601) Directs the Secretary to transfer Red Rock Canyon State Park Additions in the CDCA to California. (Sec. 602) Establishes the Desert Lily Sanctuary within the CDCA. Withdraws Federal lands within the Sanctuary from further exploitation under the mining laws. (Sec. 604) Prohibits the Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture from: (1) disposing of lands within the boundaries of any wilderness or park designated by this Act; (2) granting rights-of-way in lands within designated wilderness; and (3) making lands within such boundaries available for use by the MWD. (Sec. 606) Directs the Secretary to ensure access to the wilderness areas and parks, designated by this Act for traditional Indian cultural and religious purposes. (Sec. 607) Reserves Federal water rights for wilderness areas designated by this Act. (Sec. 608) Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 609) Directs the Secretary, upon request of the affected parties, to enter into negotiations for agreements to exchange certain Federal lands for California State School Lands and Catellus Development Corporation lands located within the boundaries of the wilderness areas or park units designated by this Act. Title VII: Definitions - (Sec. 701) Sets forth specified definitions. Title VIII: Military Lands and Overflights - California Military Lands Withdrawal and Overflights Act of 1991 - (Sec. 802) States that nothing in this Act shall preclude military overflights over park or wilderness areas designated by this Act. (Sec. 803) Withdraws from appropriation under public land laws, and reserves for defense-related purposes by the Secretary of the Navy, specified lands in California known as the China Lake Naval Weapons Center and Chocolate Mountain. Withdraws such lands from the mining and mineral leasing laws. (Sec. 805) Directs the Secretary of the Navy to take necessary precautions to prevent and suppress brush and range fires occurring on such lands as a result of military activities. (Sec. 805) Assigns management responsibility for the China Lake area to the Secretary of the Navy. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to be responsible for the issuance of any lease, easement, right-of-way, and other authorization with respect to any activity on the withdrawn lands. (Sec. 806) Terminates land withdrawals under this Act 25 years after this Act's enactment. Requires the Secretary of the Navy to publish a draft environmental impact statement on the continued or renewed withdrawal of lands under this Act. (Sec. 807) Requires the Secretary of the Navy to maintain a decontamination program for such lands during their withdrawal. (Sec. 808) Requires the Secretary of the Navy to notify the Secretary of the Interior whether an extension is going to be requested and, if not, to what extent such lands are contaminated with hazardous materials. Requires the Secretary of the Navy to decontaminate relinquished lands, but if such decontamination is not practicable or economically feasible, authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to refuse to accept such lands. Requires the Secretary of the Navy to: (1) warn the public of risks of entry; (2) conduct only decontamination activities on such lands after the expiration of the withdrawal; and (3) report to the Secretary of the Interior and the Congress on the status of such lands. (Sec. 811) Exempts the United States from liability for damages resulting from nonmilitary activity on withdrawn lands. (Sec. 812) Authorizes the Navy's use of the El Centro Ranges in Imperial County, California, through 1995, subject to resource protection requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
Amends the National Labor Relations Act to make it an unfair labor practice for an employer to promise, threaten, or take other action to hire a permanent replacement for an employee who: (1) at the beginning of a labor dispute was in a bargaining unit in which a labor organization either was the certified or recognized exclusive representative or was seeking to be so certified or recognized, on the basis of written authorizations by a majority of unit employees; and (2) in connection with that dispute has engaged in concerted activities for collective bargaining or other mutual aid and protection through that labor organization. Makes it also an unfair labor practice for an employer to withhold or deny any other employment right or privilege to such an employee who is working for or has unconditionally offered to return to work for the employer, out of preference for any other individual based on that individual's performing, having performed, or having indicated a willingness to perform bargaining unit work for the employer during the dispute. Amends the Railway Labor Act to prohibit any carrier or its officer or agent from discriminating against an employee in a craft or class in any of the above ways prohibited to employers under the National Labor Relations Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
Jefferson Commemorative Coin Act of 1993 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue one-dollar silver coins emblematic of Thomas Jefferson and his home, Monticello. Mandates that all surcharges received from the sale of such coins be paid to the Jefferson Endowment Fund and to the Corporation for Jefferson's Poplar Forest. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the coin program shall be self-sustaining and that its administration should result in no net cost to the Numismatic Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Elevation of the Environmental Protection Agency to Cabinet Level Title II: Environmental Role of the United States in International Organizations to Which it Belongs Title III: Establishment of the Commission on Improving Environmental Protection Title IV: Effective Date Department of the Environment Act of 1993- Title I: Elevation of the Environmental Protection Agency to Cabinet Level - Department of the Environment Act - Redesignates the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as the Department of the Environment. Encourages the Secretary of the Environment to: (1) assist the Secretary of State in participating in international environmental protection agreements and organizations; (2) conduct research on and develop responses to international environmental problems; and (3) provide assistance to foreign countries and international bodies to improve the environment. Establishes a Bureau of Environmental Statistics and an Advisory Council on Environmental Statistics. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes grants to, and contracts with, State and local governments to assist in data collection. Directs the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences for a report on the adequacy of the Department's data collection procedures and capabilities. Authorizes appropriations. Sets forth conflict-of-interest disclosure requirements for persons entering into arrangements for services with the Secretary. Requires public notice when the award of a contract may result in a conflict of interests. Title II: Environmental Role of the United States in International Organizations to Which It Belongs - Urges the Secretary of State to convene international conferences to encourage the exchange of information on energy efficiency and environmentally acceptable renewable energy sources. Requires the President to encourage the establishment of an international office to monitor annual generation of carbon dioxide and trace gases on a country-by-country basis. Title III: Establishment of the Commission on Improving Environmental Protection - Establishes the Commission on Improving Environmental Protection to make recommendations on the implementation of Federal environmental laws to protect human health and the environment. Authorizes appropriations. Title IV: Effective Date - Sets forth the effective date.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
Freedom of Choice Act of 1993 - Provides that a State may not restrict the right of a woman to choose to terminate a pregnancy before fetal viability. Allows a State to: (1) restrict the freedom of a woman to chose to terminate a pregnancy after viability unless the termination is necessary to protect the life or health of the woman; and (2) impose requirements on abortions if the requirements are necessary to protect the life or health of the woman. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to prevent a State from: (1) protecting individuals or private health care institutions from having to participate in abortions to which they are conscientiously opposed; (2) declining to pay for abortions; or (3) requiring minors to involve responsible adults before terminating a pregnancy.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
National Writing Project Reauthorization Act of 1993 - Amends the Education Council Act of 1991 (Public Law 102-62) to extend the authorization of appropriations for the National Writing Project. Revises provisions relating to the National Writing Project, including provisions for Federal share, evaluation, and research and development activities.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
Medicare Amendments of 1993 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to: (1) essential access community hospitals; (2) Medicare-dependent, small rural hospitals; (3) payments for electrocardiogram interpretation and new physicians and practitioners; (4) prohibitions on carrier forum shopping; and (5) the treatment of nebulizers and aspirators. Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) of 1987 to reauthorize and extend the rural transition grant program. Amends OBRAs of 1990 and 1994 to, respectively, provide for an extension of rural hospital demonstration projects and regional referral centers.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the tax-exempt status of a cooperative telephone company to provide for the tax treatment of income received from a nonmember telephone company for services by the cooperative which are indirectly paid for by members of the cooperative. Includes billing and collection services for a nonmember telephone company under such treatment. Provides for the tax treatment of account reserve income that does not exceed a specified percentage of the company's total income. Subjects a portion of such investment income to unrelated business income tax.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
Designates a specified portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: General Provisions Title II: Manufacturing Subtitle A: Manufacturing Technology and Extension Subtitle B: National Science Foundation Manfuacturing Program Title III: Critical Technologies Subtitle A: Advanced Technology Program and Related Subtitle B: Technology Financing Pilot Programs Title IV: Additional Commerce Department Provisions Title V: Authorization of Appropriations Title VI: Information Infrastructure and Technology Title I: General Provisions - National Competitiveness Act of 1993 - Sets forth the purposes and goals of this Act. Title II: Manufacturing - Manufacturing Technology and Extension Act of 1993. Subtitle A: Manufacturing Technology and Extension - (Sec. 212) Amends the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 to establish a Twenty-First Century Manufacturing Infrastructure Program, which shall include (as established by this Act): (1) an Advanced Manufacturing Technology Development Program; and (2) a National Manufacturing Outreach Program, which shall include outreach centers and a technology extension communications network. Establishes a Manufacturing Advisory Committee within the Office of Science and Technology Policy. (Sec. 215) Amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to establish within the National Institute of Standards and Technology (Institute) a State Technology Extension Program. Directs the Program to make awards to States for planning and coordination of technology extension activities. (Sec. 216) Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) to make awards to establish workforce training consortia between industry and institutions of higher education. Subtitle B: National Science Foundation Manufacturing Programs - (Sec. 223) Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation to expand the number of Engineering Research Centers and strengthen the Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers Program. Authorizes the Director to establish: (1) graduate traineeships; (2) a manufacturing managers in the classroom program; and (3) a quality management program. Title III: Critical Technologies - Subtitle A: Advanced Technology Program and Related (sic) - (Sec. 311) Directs the Secretary to submit to the Congress an expansion plan for the Advanced Technology Program. Authorizes Program support of large-scale joint ventures. (Secs. 314, 315) Amends the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 to establish: (1) within the Technology Administration an Office of Technology Monitoring and Competitive Assessment; and (2) a Commerce Technology Advisory Board. (Sec. 316) Directs the Critical Technologies Institute to study semiconductor lithography technologies. Subtitle B: Technology Financing Pilot Programs - (Secs. 322 through 324) Authorizes the Secretary to provide assistance for: (1) civilian technology loans; (2) critical technology investment companies; and (3) State technology development programs. Title IV: Additional Commerce Department Provisions - Amends the American Technology Preeminence Act of 1991 to expand the Institute's standard pilot program to permit contracts with non-Federal organizations to promote U.S. technical standards dissemination activities abroad. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress on the appropriate Federal role in developing and promulgating domestic and global product and quality standards. (Sec. 402) Amends the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 to prohibit the making of a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award within a category or subcategory if there are no qualifying enterprises in that category or subcategory. Makes educational institutions an Award category. (Sec.405) Prohibits the fraudulent use of "Made in America" labels. Provides for compliance with the Buy American Act. (Sec. 407) Wind Engineering Program Act of 1992 - Establishes within the National Institute of Standards and Technology a Wind Engineering Program which shall: (1) provide for wind engineering research; (2) serve as an information clearinghouse; and (3) improve interagency coordination on wind engineering research. Title V: Authorization of Appropriations - (Secs. 501 through 504) Authorizes appropriations for: (1) the Under Secretary of Commerce for Technology; (2) the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Technology Policy; (3) Japanese Technical Literature; (4) the Office of Technology Monitoring and Competitive Assessment; (5) the Institute, including intramural scientific and technical research, facilities, and extramural industrial technology services; (6) wind engineering; (7) the Civilian Technology Loan Program; (8) the Civilian Technologies Venture Capital Program; (9) State Technology Assistance programs; (10) the American workforce quality partnership program; and (11) the National Science Foundation. Title VI: Information Infrastructure and Technology - Information Infrastructure and Technology Act of 1992 - (Secs. 603 through 608) Amends the National Science and Technology Policy, Organization, and Priorities Act of 1976 to require the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, through the Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology, to establish an Information Infrastructure Program and five-year implementation plan that shall provide a coordinated interagency effort to develop technologies needed to apply high-performance computing and high-speed networking in education, libraries, health care, manufacturing, and other appropriate fields. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Safe Streets for Women Subtitle A: Federal Penalties for Sex Crimes Subtitle B: Law Enforcement and Prosecution Grants to Reduce Violent Crimes Against Women Subtitle C: Safety for Women in Public Transit and Public Parks Subtitle D: National Commission on Violence Against Women Subtitle E: New Evidentiary Rules Subtitle F: Assistance to Victims of Sexual Assault Title II: Safe Homes for Women Subtitle A: Family Violence Prevention and Services Act Amendments Subtitle B: Interstate Enforcement Subtitle C: Arrest in Spousal Abuse Cases Subtitle D: Funding for Shelters Subtitle E: Family Violence Prevention and Services Act Amendments Subtitle F: Youth Education and Domestic Violence Subtitle G: Confidentiality for Abused Persons Subtitle H: Technical Amendments Subtitle I: Data and Research Title III: Civil Rights Title IV: Safe Campuses for Women Title V: Equal Justice for Women in the Courts Act Subtitle A: Education and Training for Judges and Court Personnel in State Courts Subtitle B: Education and Training for Judges and Court Personnel in Federal Courts Violence Against Women Act of 1993 - Title I: Safe Streets for Women - Safe Streets for Women Act of 1993 - Subtitle A: Federal Penalties for Sex Crimes - Amends the Federal criminal code to: (1) authorize judges to increase sentences for repeat sex offenders to up to twice that otherwise authorized by statute; and (2) require the U.S. Sentencing Commission to amend sentencing guidelines to increase the base offense level applicable to criminal sexual abuse. (Sec. 113) Requires that a court order restitution for violations of Federal sexual abuse laws. (Sec. 114) Authorizes appropriations to U.S. Attorneys to appoint victim/witness counselors for the prosecution of sex crimes and domestic violence crimes. Subtitle B: Law Enforcement and Prosecution Grants to Reduce Violent Crimes Against Women - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to require the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance to make grants to areas of high intensity crime against women. Authorizes the Director to make general grants to: (1) States to reduce violent crimes against women; and (2) Indian tribes to reduce violent crimes against women in Indian country. Subtitle C: Safety for Women in Public Transit and Public Parks - Amends the Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964 to direct the Secretary of Transportation, from funds authorized under existing provisions, to make capital grants for the prevention of crime and to increase security in existing and future public transportation systems. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants and loans to States and local public bodies to increase the safety of public transportation through lighting, camera surveillance, security phones, or other projects. Directs the Secretary to provide grants and loans to study ways to reduce violent crimes against women in public transit through better design or operation of public transit systems. (Sec. 132) Amends: (1) the National Park System Improvements in Administration Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance to reduce violent crime in the National Park System; and (2) the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to direct such Secretary to provide grants for capital improvements and other measures to increase safety in urban parks and recreation areas. Subtitle D: National Commission on Violence Against Women - Establishes the National Commission on Violence Against Women to promote a national policy on violent crime against women and to make recommendations on reducing such crime. Subtitle E: New Evidentiary Rules - Amends the Federal Rules of Evidence to exclude, in criminal cases other than sex offense cases, reputation or opinion evidence of the past sexual behavior of a victim from admission into evidence. Allows other types of evidence of a victim's past sexual behavior in accordance with specified procedures if its probative value outweighs the danger of unfair prejudice. (Sec. 152) Makes reputation or opinion evidence of the plaintiff's past sexual behavior inadmissible in a civil action involving allegations of actionable sexual misconduct. Makes other types of evidence of a plaintiff's past sexual behavior admissible in accordance with specified procedures if its probative value outweighs the danger of unfair prejudice. (Sec. 154) Makes evidence of an alleged victim's clothing, in a criminal case under Federal laws relating to sexual abuse, inadmissible to show that the victim incited or invited the offense. Subtitle F: Assistance to Victims of Sexual Assault - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow States to use amounts transferred by the State under block grant provisions for rape prevention and education programs conducted by rape crisis centers or similar nongovernmental nonprofit entities. (Sec. 162) Requires grant recipients under this title to incur the full cost of forensic medical exams for victims of sexual assault. (Sec. 163) Amends the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants to private, nonprofit agencies for street-based outreach and education for female runaway, homeless, and street youth who have been subjected to or are at risk of being subjected to sexual abuse. (Sec. 164) Amends the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure to provide for a victim's right to make a statement at the sentencing of a criminal defendant in cases involving a crime of violence or sexual abuse. Title II: Safe Homes for Women - Safe Homes for Women Act of 1993 - Subtitle A: Family Violence Prevention and Services Act Amendments - Amends the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) to authorize the Secretary of HHS to award grants to one or more private, nonprofit entities to provide for the operation of a national, toll-free telephone hotline to provide information and assistance to victims of domestic violence. Subtitle B: Interstate Enforcement - Amends the Federal criminal code to provide for a Federal term of imprisonment or fine, in addition to any State penalties, for any person who: (1) in the course of or as a result of travelling across State lines injures his or her spouse or intimate partner (partner); (2) crosses State lines for the purpose of harassing, intimidating, or injuring a partner and who injures such partner; (3) causes a partner to cross State lines by force, coercion, duress, or fraud and who injures such partner; or (4) commits such acts in violation of a valid protection order issued by a State. Provides for temporary protection orders while a case under these provisions is pending. Mandates that a court order restitution to the victim of an offense under this Act. Requires, provided certain conditions are met, that a protection order issued by the court of one State be accorded full faith and credit by the court of another State. Subtitle C: Arrest in Spousal Abuse Cases - Amends the FVPSA to authorize the Secretary of HHS to make grants, with regard to spousal abuse, to: (1) implement pro-arrest programs and policies in police departments and improve case tracking; (2) centralize police enforcement, prosecution, or judicial responsibility for cases in one group of officers, prosecutors, or judges; (3) coordinate computer tracking systems to ensure communication between police, prosecutors, and both criminal and family courts; and (4) educate judges to improve judicial handling of cases. Subtitle D: Funding for Shelters - Amends the FVPSA to authorize appropriations to carry out that Act. Subtitle E: Family Violence Prevention and Services Act Amendments - Amends the FVPSA to require that: (1) applications for State demonstration grants include a plan to address the needs of underserved populations; and (2) upon completion of activities funded, the State grantee file a performance report explaining the activities carried out together with an assessment of the effectiveness of such activities. Subtitle F: Youth Education and Domestic Violence - Amends the FVPSA to direct the Secretary of Education to select, implement, and evaluate four model programs for education of young people about domestic violence and violence among intimate partners, with one program for each of primary, middle, and secondary schools, and institutions of higher education. Subtitle G: Confidentiality for Abused Persons - Requires the U.S. Postal Service to promulgate regulations to secure the confidentiality of abused persons' addresses. Subtitle H: Technical Amendments - Amends the FVPSA to: (1) include among the duties of State domestic violence coalitions to work with local domestic violence programs and providers of direct services to encourage appropriate responses to domestic violence within the State; and (2) make technical amendments to such Act. Subtitle I: Data and Research - Requires: (1) the Director of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) to request the National Academy of Sciences to enter into a contract to develop a research agenda to increase the understanding and control of violence against women; (2) the NIJ to study and report to the States and the Congress on how the States may collect centralized databases on the incidence of domestic violence offenses within a State; and (3) the Secretary of HHS to conduct a study to obtain a national projection of the incidence of injuries resulting from domestic violence, the cost of injuries to health care facilities, and recommend health care strategies for reducing the incidence and cost of such injuries. Title III: Civil Rights - Civil Rights Remedies for Gender-Motivated Violence Act - Declares that all persons within the United States shall have the right to be free from crimes of violence motivated by the victim's gender. Makes any person, including a person who acts under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage of any State, who deprives another of such right, liable to the injured party in an action for compensatory and punitive damages, injunctive and declaratory relief, and such other relief as the court deems appropriate. (Sec. 303) Allows the awarding of attorney's fees in actions to enforce this title. (Sec. 304) Expresses the sense of the Senate that news media, law enforcement officers, and other persons should exercise restraint, and respect a rape victim's privacy, by not disclosing the victim's identity to the general public or facilitating such disclosure without the victim's consent. Title IV: Safe Campuses for Women - Amends the Higher Education Amendments of 1992 to authorize appropriations for grants for campus sexual offenses education and prevention programs. Title V: Equal Justice for Women in the Courts Act of 1993 - Equal Justice for Women in the Courts Act of 1993 - Subtitle A: Education and Training for Judges and Court Personnel in State Courts - Authorizes the State Justice Institute to make grants for model programs to be used by States in training judges and court personnel in State laws on rape, sexual assault, domestic violence, and other crimes of violence motivated by the victim's gender. Subtitle B: Education and Training for Judges and Court Personnel in Federal Courts - Encourages the circuit judicial councils to conduct studies of any instances of gender bias in legal proceedings in their respective circuits. Authorizes the Federal Judicial Center to include in its educational and training programs information on issues related to gender bias in the courts. (Sec. 522) Directs the Judicial Conference to allocate funds (as specified) to Federal circuit courts that: (1) undertake studies under this subtitle in their circuits; or (2) implement reforms recommended as a result of such studies in their own or other circuits, including education and training.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: General Requirements for Leave Title II: Leave for Civil Service Employees Title III: Commission on Leave Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions Title V: Coverage of Congressional Employees Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 - Title I: General Requirements for Leave - Establishes requirements for unpaid family and medical leave for permanent employees. (Sec. 101) Makes employees eligible for such leave if they have been employed, by the employer from whom leave is sought, for at least: (1) a total of 12 months; and (2) 1,250 hours of service during the previous 12-month period. (Excludes: (1) employees at worksites at which the employer employs less than 50 persons, if the total number of employees of that employer within 75 miles of that worksite is less than 50; and (2) Federal officers and employees covered under title II of this Act.) (Sec. 102) Entitles employees to 12 workweeks of leave during any 12-month period because of: (1) the birth of their child; (2) the placement of a child for their adoption or foster care; (3) their care of a child, spouse, or parent who has a serious health condition; or (4) their own serious health condition which makes them unable to perform the functions of their position. Conditions such leave for the birth or placement of a child as follows: (1) the entitlement ends 12 months after the birth or placement; and (2) such leave may not be taken intermittently unless employee and employer agree otherwise. Allows intermittent leave for necessary medical treatment of an employee or family member. Allows the employer to require a temporary transfer to an equivalent alternative position that better accommodates such intermittent leave. Allows all leave under this title to: (1) be taken on a reduced leave schedule, upon agreement with the employer; and (2) consist of unpaid leave, except under specified conditions when substitution of certain types of paid leave may be elected or required. Does not require an employer to provide paid sick or medical leave in any situation in which the employer would not normally provide any such paid leave. Provides that such unpaid leave shall not affect an employee's exempt status for purpose of certain wage and hour requirements under the Fair Standards Act of 1938. Requires employees to: (1) give at least 30 days' notice of the need for leave to which they are entitled under this Act, when foreseeable; and (2) make a reasonable effort to schedule medical treatment or supervision so as not to disrupt unduly the employer's operations, subject to approval of the health care provider. Allows limitation of the dual aggregate leave entitlement to 12 weeks in any 12-month period, in the case of spouses employed by the same employer, if such leave is for the birth or placement of a child or for the care of a sick parent. (Sec. 103) Sets forth conditions of certification for leave entitlements under this Act. (Sec. 104) Requires restoration of the employee to his or her position or an equivalent position upon return from such leave. Allows an employer to deny such restoration to certain highly compensated employees, under specified conditions (the highest paid ten percent of the employer's employees within a 75-mile radius of a facility; the denial must be necessary to prevent substantial and grievous economic injury to the employer's operations). Requires maintenance of employee health benefits during such leave. (Sec. 105) Prohibits interference with or discrimination against employees exercising rights under this title. (Sec. 106) Sets forth the investigative authority of the Secretary of Labor under this title. (Sec. 107) Provides for enforcement of this Act. Provides for administrative and civil actions. Makes an employer who violates this title's prohibitions against interference or discrimination liable for damages in the amount of: (1) any wages, salary, employment benefits, or other compensation denied or lost; (2) (where such compensation has not been denied or lost) any actual monetary losses, such as the cost of providing care; (3) interest on such losses; and (4) liquidated damages under certain conditions. Makes such employers also liable for appropriate equitable relief, including, without limitation, employment, reinstatement, and promotion. Sets forth provisions for attorney's fees, limitation of actions, injunctions, other equitable relief, and the Solicitor of Labor's role in such litigation. (Sec. 108) Sets forth special rules concerning employees of local educational agencies and of private elementary and secondary schools. (Sec. 109) Sets forth requirements for posting notice and for fines. Title II: Leave for Civil Service Employees - (Sec. 201) Entitles eligible civil service employees to family and temporary medical leave for specified periods. Allows up to 12 administrative workweeks of leave without pay (or substituted paid leave) in any 12-month period for: (1) family leave (i.e., leave because of the birth or placement of a child or care of a sick spouse, child, or parent); or (2) temporary medical leave for a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the functions of their position. Sets forth: (1) requirements for employees to give prior notice; (2) certification provisions; (3) protections for job position and health insurance benefits; and (4) prohibitions against coercion. Requires the Office of Personnel Management to prescribe regulations for this title which are consistent with the regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Labor under title I of this Act. Title III: Commission on Leave - (Sec. 301) Establishes the Commission on Leave. (Sec. 302) Requires the Commission to conduct a comprehensive study of: (1) existing and proposed leave policies; (2) the potential costs, benefits, and impact on productivity of such policies on employers; and (3) alternative and equivalent State enforcement of this Act with respect to employees of local educational agencies and private schools. Requires the Commission to report on such study to the Congress within two years after the Commission first meets. (Sec. 306) Terminates the Commission within 30 days after its report to the Congress. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - (Sec. 401 and Sec. 402) Sets forth the effect of this Act on other laws and existing employment benefits. (Sec. 403) Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to discourage employers from adopting more generous leave policies. (Sec. 404) Directs the Secretary of Labor to prescribe regulations to carry out this title (except those provisions applicable to the Senate) within 60 days. Title V: Coverage of Congressional Employees - (Sec. 501) Applies the rights and protections established under specified provisions of title I of this Act to Senate employees. Makes specified provisions of the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991 applicable, with certain exceptions. Provides that allegations shall be considered by the Office of Senate Fair Employment Practices or another entity designated by the Senate. Requires such Office to ensure that Senate employees are informed of their rights under this Act. (Sec. 502) Applies the rights and protections under title I of this Act to employees of the House of Representatives, except for the exemption concerning highly compensated employees. Makes the remedies and procedures under the Fair Employment Practices Resolution applicable in administering such coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 1992
Agricultural Credit Amendments Act of 1992 - Title I: Farmers Home Administration Loans - Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to state that the interest rate for loans sold into the secondary market may be lower than the interest rate on the retained portion, but may not exceed the average interest rate charged by the lender on loans made to farm and ranch borrowers. Provides for Federal-State coordination of assistance for beginning farmers and ranchers. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to establish an Advisory Committee on Beginning Farmers and Ranchers. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants for rural passenger transportation services or facilities. Directs the Secretary to establish within the farm ownership loan program a ten-year down payment loan program for beginning farmers and ranchers. Sets forth loan terms. Limits the availability of certain agricultural loans and guarantees to beginning farmers and ranchers during specified applicable periods. Directs the Secretary to establish a program of assistance (ten-year maximum) for beginning farmers and ranchers. Requires an applicant to submit a farm operations plan (plan) to the appropriate county committee, which must be approved by the committee and by the Secretary. Provides assistance in the form of operation and equipment loan guarantees. Gives applicants priority for equipment purchases in the Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) inventory. Terminates assistance for avoidable failure to achieve plan goals. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a program to encourage borrowers with operating loans or guarantees to graduate to private commercial credit sources; and (2) provide for the graduation of FmHA direct loan borrowers to FmHA guaranteed loans. Authorizes the leasing or leasing-with-purchase-option of certain FmHA inventory land not otherwise suitable for sale. Sets forth provisions regarding the transfer of Indian lands pledged as FmHA loan collateral, including properties containing a hazardous substance. Sets forth debt service margin requirements, including establishment of a certified lenders program. Defines "qualified beginning farmer or rancher" for assistance purpose. Sets aside specified percentages of operating and ownership loan assistance for beginning farmers or ranchers. Permits a borrower to appeal a loan appraisal determination. Title II: Farm Credit System - Amends the Farm Credit Act of 1971 to repeal the prohibition against guarantees of debt instruments whose income is tax exempt. Authorizes the Farm Credit Administration to approve competitive charters of Farm Credit System institutions under specified circumstances. Title III: Miscellaneous - Amends the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987 to increase the Federal assistance ceiling for State agricultural loan mediation programs. Title IV: Recreational Hunting Safety - Recreational Hunting Safety and Preservation Act of 1991 - Makes it unlawful to intentionally obstruct a lawful hunt (as defined by this Act) within a national forest. Establishes: (1) civil penalties for such violations; (2) procedures for individual and government agent complaints; and (3) permitted uses of collected penalty money. Authorizes injunctive relief. Permits an affected individual or sportsman's organization to bring a civil action to recover actual and punitive damages and attorney's fees.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 1992
Women in the Armed Forces Commemorative Coins Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) mint and issue coins to commemorate the women who have served in the armed forces of the United States; and (2) transfer the surcharges received from coin sales to the Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation to be used to create, endow, and dedicate the Women in the Armed Forces Memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 1992
Amends the Internal Revenue Code and the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 to exempt as an employer any person engaged in locomotive and freight car repair services and activities from the railroad retirement tax, but only if such person was so engaged before July 1, 1988, is not subject to the direct jurisdiction of the Interstate Commerce Commission, and is not (and never was) a division or part of a carrier with which such person is currently affiliated. Amends the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act to exempt such employers from the railroad unemployment tax.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 1992
Medicare and Medicaid Amendments Act of 1992 - Title I: Amendments to Medicare Program - Subtitle A: Provisions Relating to Part A - Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) of 1989 to provide that all hospitals classified as regional referral centers on September 30, 1992 shall retain such status through September 30, 1994. Provides that hospitals which fail to qualify as regional referral centers for FY 1993 as a result of a decision by the Medicare Geographic Classification Review Board shall be provided by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) with an opportunity to decline the reclassification. Prohibits the Secretary from revising standardized amounts to account for hospitals which decline the reclassification. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to revise Medicare-dependent, small rural hospital payment provisions. Sets forth provisions analogous to those above with respect to Medicare-dependent, small rural hospitals and: (1) reclassification declination; and (2) standardized amount adjustment. Amends the OBRA of 1987 to authorize appropriations for the rural health transition grant program. Amends Medicare to authorize appropriations for the Essential Access Community Hospital program. Modifies the length of stay requirement for State designation of rural primary care hospitals. Amends the OBRA of 1989 to extend additional payments for hemophilia clotting factor furnished through September 30, 1994. Amends the OBRA of 1990 to require the Secretary to continue any rural hospital demonstration project at least through December 31, 1995. Amends Medicare to provide that: (1) a change in classification of hospitals from one area to another may not result in a reduction in the wage index for an urban area if the area has a wage index below the rural wage index for the State, or if the urban area is located in a State without any rural areas; (2) for discharges occurring on or after the effective date of this paragraph and before October 1, 1993, the Secretary shall adjust the urban standardized amount by a factor of 0.999321; and (3) if a hospital was previously reclassified based on standards for Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) (and New England County Metropolitan Areas) published in the Federal Register on January 3, 1980, and the hospital is located in a rural county under the most recently available standards for designating MSAs, the Secretary shall treat the hospital as being located in the urban metropolitan statistical area to which the greatest number of workers in the country commute. Allows the care of hospital inpatients receiving qualified psychologist services to be supervised by a clinical psychologist to the extent such supervision is permitted under State law. Requires the Secretary to: (1) delay until April 1, 1993, recoupment of any amounts paid to hospitals under a State hospital reimbursement control system that exceed amounts that would have otherwise been paid under Medicare payment rules; and (2) make available to the State and the hospitals in it all relevant information used in determining the amount of such excess payments before undertaking a recoupment. Directs the Secretary to begin collecting data on employee compensation and paid hours of employment in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) to compute a wage index to adjust Medicare SNFs payments. Requires the Prospective Payment Assessment Commission to study and report to the Congress on the impact of applying routine cost limits for skilled nursing facilities on a regional basis. Subtitle B: Provisions Relating to Part B - Amends Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) to reinstate separate payment for electrocardiogram (EKG) interpretations performed or ordered to be performed as part of or in conjunction with a visit to or consultation with a physician. Repeals provisions providing reduced Medicare payments to new physicians and other practitioners during their first four years of practice. Prohibits the Secretary from modifying the methodology for determining the amount of time that may be billed for anesthesia services until January 1, 1997. Requires the Comptroller General to conduct a study and report to the Physician Payment Review Commission and specified congressional committees on time reported for anesthesia services. Provides that the initial review and revision of the geographic cost of practice index (GCPI) shall apply to services furnished on or after January 1, 1994 and shall be based on the most recent data on practice and malpractice expenses and physicians' work effort. Authorizes the Secretary to adjust GCPI to account for unique local circumstances. Requires the Secretary to study and report to specified congressional committees on the data necessary to review and revise geographical indices. Requires the Physician Payment Review Commission to study and report to specified congressional committees on the feasibility and desirability of providing for a special adjustment to the index value of the medical equipment and supplies input component of the index used with respect to services: (1) furnished by a physician who practices in an isolated area; (2) requiring the presence of expensive medical equipment and supplies in the physician's office; and (3) with respect to which the cost per service of operating the equipment is increased because of such physician's low volume of patients. Prohibits nonparticipating physicians and suppliers from billing or collecting an actual charge in excess of the Medicare limiting charge. Provides that no person is liable for payment of any amount billed in excess of the limiting charge. Requires that excess charges be refunded on a timely basis. Authorizes sanctions against physicians and suppliers who knowingly and willfully bill in excess of the limiting charge or fail to refund excess charges as required by this Act. Requires carriers to: (1) notify physicians and suppliers within 30 days if they have billed in excess of the limiting charge; and (2) include limiting charge information in the mailing explaining an individual's Medicare benefits after the submission of an unassigned claim on the individual's behalf which exceeds the limiting charge. Specifies the nonphysician practitioners that may only bill for services on an assignment-related basis. Provides that no person is liable for amounts billed in violation of such mandatory assignment rule. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress on the extent to which actual charges exceed Medicare limiting charges, the number and types of services involved, and the average amount of excess charges. Directs the Secretary to appoint a Medicare Beneficiary Advisory Council to discuss proposed regulations, carrier manual instructions, and any other issues with an impact on delivery, cost, quality, or expansion of Medicare services. Requires the Secretary to provide for national standards which suppliers of medical equipment and supplies must meet in order to receive payment for items furnished. Prohibits payment unless a supplier also possesses a valid supplier number. Requires the Secretary to revise such standards to include specified requirements. Requires suppliers to meet such revised standards in order to receive a supplier number. Requires the Secretary to develop one or more standardized certificates of medical necessity for: (1) durable medical equipment (DME); (2) prosthetic devices; (3) orthotics and prosthetics; and (4) surgical dressings, and certain other devices. Modifies the OBRA of 1990 prohibition against the distribution of certificates of medical necessity by DME suppliers to extend its application, with certain exceptions, to suppliers of the other items directly listed above. Requires the Secretary to: (1) develop and establish uniform national coverage and utilization review criteria for 200 items of medical equipment and supplies selected in accordance with standards specified by this Act; (2) publish the criteria as part of the instructions provided to fiscal intermediaries and carriers; (3) review annually the coverage and utilization of such items to determine whether items not included among those selected should be subjected to such criteria (and, if appropriate, develop and apply such criteria to such additional items); and (4) report to specified congressional committees on the effect of uniform criteria on utilization of items. Prohibits the Secretary from issuing more than one supplier number to any supplier of medical equipment and supplies unless such issuance is appropriate to identify subsidiary or regional entities under the supplier's ownership or control. Amends SSA title XI to modify anti-kickback provisions. Amends Medicare to specify the circumstances under which Medicare beneficiaries are not financially liable for covered items furnished by suppliers on an unassigned basis. Removes aspirators and nebulizers from the category of DME items requiring frequent and substantial servicing, and includes supplies relating to aspirators and nebulizers in the category of inexpensive and other routinely purchased equipment. Adds payment rules for ostomy supplies, tracheostomy supplies, urologicals, surgical dressings, and other medical supplies. Provides for a freeze in reasonable charges for parenteral and enteral nutrients, supplies, and equipment during 1993. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to specified congressional committees on: (1) the types, volume, and utilization of services and supplies furnished to Medicare-eligible nursing facility residents; and (2) changes made to descriptions relating to the codes for certain medical equipment and supplies. Modifies the definition of "certified nurse-midwife" by eliminating language that limits reimbursable services to those related to the care of mothers and babies during the maternity cycle. Revises payments provisions for services furnished by a certified registered nurse anesthetist who is medically directed. Amends the OBRA of 1986 to extend Alzheimer's disease demonstration projects for an additional year. Extends eligibility for designation as eye or eye and ear hospitals to hospitals that otherwise meet current law criteria but on October 1, 1987, operated as an eye or eye and ear specialty hospital or as a separate eye or eye and ear unit of a general acute care hospital which operates less than 20 percent of the beds that it operated on such date and has discontinued a substantial portion of its other acute care operations. Extends the OBRA of 1990's cap on payments for intraocular lenses through 1994. Expends the settings in which nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and physicians' assistants may bill Medicare part B for services performed. Provides for Medicare coverage of: (1) off-label cancer drugs that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, appeared in specified medical journals, or are included in one of three specified major medical compendia; and (2) oral cancer drugs that contain the same active ingredients as anticancer drugs covered by Medicare when administered intravenously. Subtitle C: Provisions Relating to Parts A and B - Permits Medicare Select policies to be offered in all States. Revises current law requirements applicable to Medicare Supplemental policies. Provides that a Medicare Select policy may be canceled or not renewed in the case of an individual who leaves the service area of the policy, except that if the individual moves to an area for which the issuer of the Medicare Select policy (or an affiliate) offers a Medicare Supplemental (Medigap) policy, the individual must be permitted to enroll in such policy if the benefits are comparable to or less than the benefits in the canceled or non-renewed policy. Authorizes sanctions against issuers of Medicare Supplemental policies who make misrepresentations or provide false information regarding such policies to the Secretary. Reduces Medicare payments for erythropoietin provided during 1993. Adds renal dialysis facilities to the list of institutions required under Medicare and Medicaid (SSA title XIX) to furnish patients with advanced directive information. Extends the periods during which Medicare: (1) is secondary to other payors for end stage renal disease beneficiaries; and (2) covers immunosuppressive drug therapy following a transplant procedure. Modifies general exceptions to prohibited physician referrals. Requires the Secretary to provide for an approved full-time equivalent (FTE) resident amount as the Secretary determines to be appropriate in the case of hospitals that in FY 1984 operated a primary care residency training program as their only approved residency program and had a base year per FTE resident amount of less than $10,000. Requires home health agencies and skilled nursing facilities to notify Medicare beneficiaries of the hospice benefit under Medicare, under certain conditions. Modifies hospital conditions of participation with respect to discharge planning to include an evaluation of a patient's need for hospice services. Amends the OBRA of 1987 to require the Secretary to extend the waivers for social health maintenance organization (SHMO) demonstration projects for an additional three years. Amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 1984 to expand SHMO demonstrations. Requires, for FY 1993, interest payments on clean claims if payment is not made within 30 days of the claim's receipt. Title II: Amendments to Medicaid Program - Subtitle A: Technical Corrections - Amends Medicaid to make technical corrections and, in certain instances, such as in item 1 of the list below, technical changes as well, to Medicaid provisions included in the OBRA of 1990 regarding: (1) reimbursement for prescribed drugs; (2) enrollment under group health plans; (3) low-income Medicare beneficiaries; (4) child health; (5) outreach locations; (6) payment for hospital services for children under age six; (7) payment adjustments for disproportionate share hospitals; (8) federally-qualified health centers; (9) substitute physicians; (10) home and community care for frail elderly; (11) community supported living arrangements; (12) COBRA continuation coverage; (13) Medicaid transition provisions for family assistance; (14) personal care services; (15) the Medicaid spend-down option; (16) optional State disability determinations; (17) special rules for health maintenance organizations (HMOs); (18) frail elderly waivers; (19) a certain demonstration project for low-income families; (20) coverage of HIV-positive individuals; (21) advanced directives; (22) physician services; and (23) nursing home reform. Makes other technical corrections to various Medicaid and Medicare provisions added or redesignated by the OBRA of 1990. Subtitle B: Other Amendments to Medicaid Provisions - Amends Medicaid to create an exception to the IMD (institution for mental diseases) exclusion for Medicaid-eligible individuals (of any age) who participate in a qualified comprehensive substance abuse treatment program under SSA title IV (thus allowing States to provide medical services to such individuals). Requires the Secretary to waive the requirements that all Medicaid services be provided on a statewide basis and in comparable amount, duration, and scope to all Medicaid beneficiaries where the Secretary determines that a waiver of such requirements is necessary and appropriate to enable a State to establish such a program. Gives State Medicaid programs the option of covering alcoholism and drug dependency residential treatment services for Medicaid-eligible pregnant women, caretaker parents, and their children. Requires States to operate a vaccine replacement system (VRS) under which childhood vaccines are purchased at the Centers for Disease Control price, or a lower price, if available, and provided free of charge to Medicaid providers unless the State already operates a universal vaccine distribution system or demonstrates to the Secretary's satisfaction that a VRS would not be appropriate or cost-effective. Gives States the option of reimbursing vaccine manufacturers directly when the manufacturer distributes childhood vaccines to Medicaid providers free-of-charge under a contract with the State. Requires the Secretary to establish a demonstration program to enable States to establish innovative immunization outreach demonstration programs. Extends the duration of the waivers used by States to establish primary care case-management systems (PCCMSs). Prohibits the Secretary from granting such a waiver to restrict an individual's freedom of choice of provider with respect to a comprehensive risk-based managed care plan unless the individual has a choice of at least two such plans in an area. Modifies the enrollment composition rule (ECR) which permits the Secretary to waive or modify the requirement that Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries constitute less than 75 percent of the membership of any prepaid medical provider to: (1) allow a State to contract with a private (currently only a public) entity; (2) change the circumstances under which the Secretary may waive or modify such requirement; (3) require the Secretary to review annually the financial stability of any private entity that is granted a waiver or modification and revoke it if such entity is not financially stable; and (4) set limits on the duration of such waivers. Provides that if an individual enrolled in a Federally qualified HMO or PCCMS becomes ineligible for Medicaid benefits as a result of excess income or resources, such individual shall, at the option of the State, continue to be eligible for such benefits through the end of the month in which such benefits would have otherwise terminated. Provides that the enhanced match for expenditures related to external reviews of the quality of care furnished by entities with Medicaid managed care contracts shall be made available for external quality reviews performed by any organization approved by the Secretary which is unaffiliated with the State or with any entity with a Medicaid managed care contract. Authorizes the Secretary to approve waivers to authorize a State to approve managed care plans to be operated by political subdivisions of the State. Specifies conditions for approval. Authorizes the Secretary to extend retroactively the waiver of ECR granted to the District of Columbia Chartered Health Plan, Inc., if the Secretary determines that such entity continues to make progress toward achieving compliance with ECR. Provides that habilitation services shall be available for an individual participating in a home- and community-based services waiver program regardless of whether the individual was previously institutionalized. Permits public and nonprofit case management entities to pay providers directly, under certain conditions. Requires such entities to have a contract with the State under which they are required to maintain claims records and provide information to the Secretary or State agency about such claims. Allows States to restrict an individual's freedom of choice of case managers under home- and community-based waiver programs, under certain conditions. Provides that States are no longer required to bill third parties for case management services where the State demonstrates to the Secretary's satisfaction that it is not cost-effective to do so. Changes the inflation factor used in determining State expenditures for medical assistance with respect to home- and community-based services provided under certain waivers. Gives States the option of extending Medicaid coverage to certain children who have been placed in foster care. Directs the Secretary to provide for the establishment of demonstration projects to provide outreach services to individuals who are likely to be eligible for Medicaid payment of their Medicare out-of-pocket expenses. Amends the OBRAs of 1989 and 1990 to provide for the extension of certain demonstration projects extending Medicaid coverage to pregnant women, children, and certain low-income families not otherwise eligible for Medicaid. Requires the Secretary to provide that additional OBRA of 1990 demonstration projects extending Medicaid coverage to certain low-income families are conducted on a substate basis. Makes technical revisions in provisions for determining periods of ineligibility for Medicaid payment of nursing home expenses. Changes the methodology for determining the amount Medicaid pays for prescription drugs. Allows certified nurse midwives to be reimbursed for providing non-maternity related services, to the extent such practitioners are legally authorized under State law to provide such services. Requires HHS' Departmental Appeals Board to adjust the amount of a disallowance based on the nature of the State's violation. Amends SSA title XI to increase the annual cap on Federal Medicaid matching funds for Puerto Rico starting in FY 1994. Amends Medicaid to provide that beginning in FY 1993 any funds for community supported living arrangements services remaining available at the end of a fiscal year shall be available to be expended in the following fiscal year. Makes any Native Hawaiian Health Center a Federally Qualified Health Center under Medicaid. Title III: Miscellaneous Amendments - Amends SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) to increase the authorization of appropriations for FY 1993. Provides for a set-aside for evaluations of SSA title V programs.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 1992
Designates the U.S. courthouse to be constructed in Fargo, North Dakota, as the Quentin N. Burdick United States Courthouse.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 1992
Expresses the profound sorrow of the Senate on the death of the Honorable Quentin N. Burdick of North Dakota.
United States · United States Congress · 12 August 1992
State Care Act of 1992 - Amends the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new title XXI, State Comprehensive Health Coverage And Cost Containment Demonstration Projects, establishing a program under which the State-Based Comprehensive Health Care Commission (established below) is required to select States to participate in health coverage and cost containment demonstration projects (State Care projects). Establishes the State-Based Comprehensive Health Care Commission (the Commission) to review, approve, and oversee State Care projects. Authorizes appropriations. Requires States desiring grants to develop State Care projects to establish a State Health Care Authority through which to develop such projects. Exempts from this requirement States that have enacted comprehensive health care plans (State Care plans) within 12 months of enactment of this Act. Establishes Federal standards for approval of applications for grants for demonstrations in up to ten States. Specifies State Care plan requirements, including those for standard and basic benefit packages, cost-control mechanisms, and quality control procedures. Details the various items and services which constitute each respective package. Sets limits on the amount, scope, and duration of certain benefits under the standard package. Details cost-sharing under the respective packages, and provides for limits on out-of-pocket package expenses. Authorizes the Commission to award grants to States receiving approval of a State Care project grant application for: (1) establishment of a data base infrastructure necessary to measure and evaluate State Care plan success in achieving cost containment and access goals; and (2) consolidation of health care budgeting, regulating, financing, and delivery responsibilities of the State. Authorizes appropriations. Prohibits payments under Medicaid (SSA title XIX) for State Care project services if payment for them may be made under the State Care plan. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to pay to each State participating in a State Care project an amount equal to the amount of any payments that, as a result of such prohibition, were not made under Medicaid because payment was made under the State Care plan. Sets forth provisions governing the application of Medicare (SSA title XVIII) and ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974) with respect to any approved State Care project. Requires periodic reports by the Commission to the Congress on the reforms undertaken in States participating in State Care projects, along with recommendations for increased Federal funding for reform initiatives and project grants. Requires additional Commission reports on continued financing of State Care plans and, if no national comprehensive health care system has been established, on establishing such a system that utilizes the experiences of State Care projects.
United States · United States Congress · 12 August 1992
Amends Federal law to make it unlawful for a senior presidential campaign staff member to engage in political activities as an agent of a foreign principal during the campaign and for 15 years after inauguration of his or her candidate as President. Sets forth penalties for violation of such provision.
United States · United States Congress · 12 August 1992
Designates September 1992 as Childhood Cancer Month.
United States · United States Congress · 7 August 1992
Jobs Through Exports Act of 1992 - Title I: Overseas Private Investment Corporation - Overseas Private Investment Corporation Amendments Act of 1992 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to revise provisions concerning the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). Provides that a country or areas within a country may be eligible for OPIC assistance if: (1) the country has established diplomatic relations with the United States; (2) the country or area is a developing country or area, or a country in transition from a nonmarket to market economy; and (3) the country respects human rights. Raises the ceiling on the per capita income levels of countries established for purposes of granting preferential consideration for, or restricting, OPIC investment projects. Authorizes OPIC, in any case in which a country no longer meets eligibility criteria, to continue its programs in the country but prohibits the extension of new assistance with respect to projects involving the country's government. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to hold OPIC's capital stock. Authorizes OPIC to establish an equity finance program (currently, a four-year pilot program to be conducted only in Subsaharan African countries and Caribbean countries designated as beneficiary countries under the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Program). Requires contracts with investors to include provisions requiring investors to observe specified labor laws and prohibiting the use of forced labor. Prescribes monetary and criminal penalties for fraudulent activities involving OPIC. Raises the ceiling on the maximum contingent liability allowed for OPIC insurance and outstanding guarantees. Authorizes OPIC to transfer amounts from a noncredit account revolving fund to pay subsidy costs of program levels for the loan guarantee and direct loan programs. Permits OPIC to draw specified amounts for FY 1993 through 1995 from such fund for administrative costs of such programs. Eliminates OPIC's exemption from Federal taxation. Title II: Trade and Development Agency - Redesignates the Trade and Development Program as the Trade and Development Agency. Requires the Agency to disseminate information about its activities to the private sector. Sets forth Agency auditing requirements. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 and 1993. Declares that the Agency should increase the amount of funds it provides to multilateral development banks for technical assistance grants in FY 1992 and 1993. Title III: Aid, Trade, and Competitiveness - Aid, Trade, and Competitiveness Act of 1992 - Requires the Administrator of the Agency for International Development (AID) to establish a capital projects office to: (1) develop a program that would focus solely on developmentally sound capital projects; and (2) consider opportunities for U.S. high-technology firms in supporting capital projects for developing countries and countries making the transition from nonmarket to market economies. Sets forth the activities of the capital projects office. Directs the President to report annually to the Congress on the extent to which: (1) U.S. Government resources have been expended to support capital projects in such countries and the extent of interagency coordination; and (2) U.S. Government capital projects and tied-aid credit programs have affected U.S. exports. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury, if negotiations for the implementation of the December 16, 1991, agreement within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development have not been completed by August 1, 1992, to report to the Congress on: (1) the status of negotiations; (2) the causes for the failure to reach an agreement by that date; and (3) the reasons the U.S. Government believes that continued negotiations will result in achieving such objective. Urges the President to use specified types and amounts of assistance for grants for capital projects. Directs the President to report to specified congressional committees on the feasibility of allowing AID to offer credit guarantees for the financing of capital projects. Authorizes additional appropriations for FY 1993 for the Trade and Development Agency. Title IV: United States Commercial Centers - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish, as a five-year pilot program, a United States Commercial Center in one of the independent states of the former Soviet Union or a Baltic State and in one country in Asia and Latin America to provide additional resources for the promotion of exports of U.S. goods and services to such countries. Requires the Centers to make business facilities and services and commercial law information services available on a user fee basis. Directs the Secretary to use the Market Development Cooperator Program to assist in carrying out the purposes of the Centers. Authorizes appropriations. Title V: Other Export Promotion Activities - Requires the Secretary of Commerce to appoint one or more procurement officers to promote exports of U.S. goods and services by: (1) acting as liaisons between the business community and multilateral development banks; and (2) assuring that U.S. businesses are fully informed of bidding opportunities for multilateral development bank projects and that they can focus on projects in which they have a particular interest or competitive advantage. Directs the Secretary to ensure that such officers make special efforts to disseminate information on proposed projects to small- and medium-sized businesses.
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 1992
Designates March 1993 as Irish-American Heritage Month.