United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1992
Declares that the President should promptly seek the advice and consent of the Senate to ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly with the support of the United States on November 20, 1989.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 1992
Wind Engineering Program Act of 1992 - Establishes within the National Institute of Standards and Technology (Institute) 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. Authorizes Institute appropriations for purposes of this Act, of which at least 50 percent shall be used for interagency wind research cooperative agreements.
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 · 17 September 1992
Authorizes the President, on behalf of the Congress, to present a gold medal to John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie in recognition of his accomplishments as a musician. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to provide for the sale of bronze duplicates of the medal.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 1992
Treasury Forfeiture Fund Act of 1992 - Amends Federal law to establish the Department of the Treasury Forfeiture Fund (the Fund) for the deposit of proceeds from assets seized and forfeited for violations of Treasury laws. Sets forth limitations on the use of the Fund by the Secretary of the Treasury. Directs the Secretary to make funds available to the U.S. Coast Guard from the Fund for its seizure and law enforcement activities. Sets forth reporting requirements. Authorizes appropriations as necessary to administer the Fund. Sets forth the authorities of the Secretary with respect to the transfer or retention of forfeited property. Provides for the transfer of funds from the Customs Forfeiture Fund to the Fund, subject to specified requirements. Limits U.S. liability with respect to certain property transfers under this Act and under the Tariff Act of 1930. Authorizes the Secretary to warrant clear title to any subsequent purchaser or transferee of forfeited property. Requires the Secretary to transfer from the Fund to the Attorney General for deposit in the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund and to the Postmaster General for deposit in the Postal Service Fund amounts appropriate to reflect the degree of participation of such agencies in the law enforcement effort resulting in the forfeiture. Makes specified legal provisions relating to the seizure, forfeiture, and condemnation of property for violation of Customs laws, the remission or mitigation of such forfeiture, and the compromise of claims applicable to seizures and forfeitures incurred under any applicable law enforced or administered by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. Makes technical and conforming amendments to the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, the Federal criminal and judicial codes, and other Federal provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 1992
Gulf of Mexico Commission Act of 1992 - Requires the President to establish a Gulf Coast Commission, upon receiving the agreement of each Gulf State Governor, for purposes of promoting the environmental and economic interests of the Gulf of Mexico by coordinating the public authorities and private organizations that are engaged in evaluating and responding to problems relating to the Gulf. Directs the Commission to prepare a plan to guide the development, use, management, and conservation of Gulf resources. Requires the Commission, as part of such plan, to make recommendations regarding: (1) improvement in the Gulf's management system; (2) cooperation among governmental entities in the Gulf region, including cooperation between the United States and Mexico; (3) the role of the U.S. Government in management and protection of Gulf resources; (4) laws or regulations relating to such resources; (5) agreements between the United States and Mexico that would positively affect such resources and mutual arrangements in legislation promulgated by the Congress and the Mexican Congress; (6) improvements to the transportation infrastructure in the Gulf; and (7) improvement and maintenance of the productivity of industries doing business in the Gulf. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 1992
Medicaid Technical Corrections and Clarification Act of 1992 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act 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 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 regarding: (1) reimbursement for prescribed drugs; (2) enrollment under group health plans; (3) low-income Medicare beneficiaries; (4) child health; (5) out-reach 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) Medicaid spenddown options; (16) optional State disability determinations; (17) special rules for health maintenance organizations; (18) home- and community-based 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 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1992
Biomedical Research in Space Act of 1992 - Mandates establishment of: (1) a working group to coordinate space-based biomedical research; (2) microgravity biomedical research grants; and (3) graduate research fellowships. Authorizes appropriations. Requires a plan for joint biomedical research with the republics of the former Soviet Union. Provides for a national electronic data archive for space-based biomedical research data. Authorizes appropriations. Mandates an international telemedicine satellite consultation capability to support emergency medical services in disaster areas. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 1992
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to grant, through December 30, 1994, duty-free treatment of certain digital processing units.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1992
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish the National Commission on Private Pension Plans. Requires the Commission to report to the President and congressional leaders on existing Federal incentives and programs that encourage and protect private retirement savings, including recommendations. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1993 and 1994.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1992
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend, through December 31, 1994, the duty on 2-phosphonobutane-1,2, 4-tricarboxylic acid and sodium salts.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1992
Birth Defects Prevention Act of 1992 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish birth defects prevention and research programs. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), to award grants to, enter into cooperative agreements with, or provide direct technical assistance in lieu of cash to, States, State health authorities, or health agencies of political subdivisions of a State for collection, analysis, and reporting of birth defects statistics from birth certificates, infant death certificates, hospital records, or other sources and to collect and disaggregate such statistics by gender and racial and ethnic group. Directs the Secretary to establish at least five regional birth defects monitoring and research programs to collect and analyze information on the number, incidence, correlation, and causes of birth defects, to include information regarding gender and different racial and ethnic groups, including Hispanics, non-Hispanic whites, African Americans, Native Americans, and Asian Americans. Authorizes the Secretary, acting through the Director of CDC, to award grants or enter into cooperative agreements with specified entities to serve as Centers of Excellence for Birth Defects Prevention Research. Requires one of the Centers to focus on birth defects among ethnic minorities. Requires the CDC to establish a clearinghouse for the collection and storage of data and generated from birth defects monitoring programs developed under this Act. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the CDC, to award grants to or enter into cooperative agreements with State departments of health, universities, or other private, or nonprofit entities to develop, evaluate, and implement prevention strategies designed to reduce the incidence and effects or birth defects. Directs the Secretary to establish an Advisory Committee for Birth Defects Prevention to provide advice and recommendations on prevention and amelioration of birth defects to the Secretary and the Director of the CDC. Requires the Secretary to report biennially to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources regarding the incidence of birth defects, the contribution of birth defects to infant mortality, the outcome of implementation of prevention strategies, and identified needs for research and policy development to include information regarding the various racial and ethnic groups, including Hispanic, non-Hispanic whites, African Americans, Native Americans, and Asian Americans. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1992
Provides, upon a request filed with the appropriate customs officer, for the reliquidation (refund) of duties paid on specified entries filed at the Port of Laredo, Texas, at the rate of duty that would have been assessed if a specified heading of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States applied to such entries.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1992
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to extend, through December 31, 1994, the suspension of duty on furniture seats and parts made of cane, osier, bamboo, or other similar materials, including rattan.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1992
Trade and Technology Competitiveness Act of 1992 - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to establish in the International Trade Commission (ITC) an Office of Trade and Technology Competitiveness (Office) which shall monitor U.S. performance with respect to critical technologies and assess the long-term performance of certain critical technology industries of the United States relative to the industries of key competitor countries. Requires the ITC to report to the President and the Congress a summary all studies assessing the relative international positions of key competitor countries in each of the critical technologies. Requires the Office to report annually to the Congress the ITC's analysis of the international competitive positions of the United States and key competitor nations in each of the critical technologies. Requires other specified reports.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1992
Establishes reemployment rights for Department of Defense (DOD) employees in reduction in force (RIF) actions. Requires DOD and each military department concerned to offer an employee who has been released under a RIF the right of first refusal to a job such entity restores within two years after the employee's release. Prohibits such entities from replacing within two years such an employee with a contract or temporary employee. Provides that if DOD or a military department seeks to staff some positions within two years after a RIF, it must offer reemployment to employees released under the RIF on the basis of seniority. Requires the Office of Personnel Management to keep a Government-wide list of vacant positions and establish a toll-free number which will enable the public to access information on the list. Requires Federal agencies to give qualified displaced DOD employees full consideration before hiring candidates from outside the agency. Codifies existing regulations requiring agencies to issue specific written notices to employees and their representatives at least 60 days prior to a RIF. Requires additionally that an agency also notify the appropriate State dislocated worker unit and chief elected official whenever a significant number of employees will be separated under a RIF. Amends the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 and the Defense Authorization Amendments and Base Closure and Realignment Act to make civilian employees at military installations scheduled for closure or realignment eligible to receive assistance under the defense conversion adjustment program under the Job Training Partnership Act one year in advance of the closure or realignment. Provides that DOD or each military department concerned may offer certain employees the option of receiving a lump sum payment for unused sick leave. Provides that this option is in lieu of adding unused sick leave to length of service for purposes of calculating Federal retirement benefits. Allows DOD and each military department concerned to authorize payment of a lump sum separation benefit to certain civilian employees to encourage voluntary separations. Sets forth rules for determining the amount of such payment. Provides that civilian employees at military bases scheduled for closure between October 1, 1992, and December 31, 1997, will be allowed to have annual leave which was lost as a result of closure operations during such period restored. Provides for continued health benefit coverage for DOD employees involuntarily separated under a RIF. Requires such an employee to continue to pay his or her share of the premium under the health plan involved. Provides that an employee who is involuntarily separated under a RIF will be treated as if entitled to an immediate annuity under the Thrift Saving Plan.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1992
Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to authorize appropriations for FY 1993 and 1994 for the United States International Trade Commission. Amends the Customs Procedural Reform and Simplification Act of 1978 to authorize appropriations for FY 1993 and 1994 for the United States Customs Service for: (1) noncommercial and commercial operations; and (2) the air and marine interdiction programs. Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to authorize appropriations for FY 1993 and 1994 for the Office of the United States Trade Representative. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to authorize appropriations for FY 1993 and 1994 for the Customs Forfeiture Fund. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to report to specified congressional committees on: (1) the causes for the high attrition rates experienced by the United States Customs Service in its Southwest region, with particular focus on border ports of entry; (2) plans for staffing at full capacity on a port-by-port basis each of the facilities that has been or will be improved under the Southwest Border Capital Improvements Program; (3) the feasibility of moving the Customs Service office from downtown Portland, Oregon, to the vicinity of the Portland airport; and (4) the feasibility of placing drug enforcement agents in the Medford/Grants Pass area in Oregon.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 1992
Department of Energy National Laboratory International Energy and Environmental Technology Development Act - Directs the Secretary of Energy (the Secretary) to: (1) establish the Assisting Deployment of Energy and Environmental Practices and Technologies Program (ADEPT) for the development and deployment of energy and environmental practices and technologies; (2) promote, in cooperation with the private sector, international technology cooperation through the participation of the multiprogram national laboratories of the Department of Energy (DOE); and (3) establish within DOE the ADEPT Management Panel to oversee implementation of the ADEPT Program according to prescribed guidelines. Provides that the Program shall be managed by the Secretary independently of other foreign assistance programs of the Federal Government but that it may have cooperative activities and cost-sharing arrangements with certain other Federal agencies. Prescribes guidelines for the establishment of an information clearinghouse under the Program to disseminate energy and environmental technology alternatives. Establishes the Interagency Working Group to assist and advise the Secretary about the priority of projects to be funded under the ADEPT Program and the integration of pertinent information. Requires the Secretary to take into consideration the advice of the ADEPT Management Panel and the Interagency Working Group when making any decision to approve or disapprove an ADEPT Program project proposal. Directs the ADEPT Management Panel, in consultation with the Interagency Working Group, to submit periodically for the Secretary's review and approval a consolidated plan for the ADEPT Program. Directs the Secretary to submit a copy of such plan to the Congress. Prohibits ADEPT Program implementation from affecting the activities and funding of certain DOE cooperative projects. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1992
Local Exchange Infrastructure Modernization Act of 1992 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to exercise its authority to: (1) preserve and enhance universal telephone service at reasonable rates; (2) achieve universal availability of advanced network capabilities and information services; (3) assure a seamless nationwide distribution network through joint network planning, coordination, and service arrangements between and among local exchange carriers (LECs); (4) maintain high standards of quality for advanced network services; and (5) assure adequate communication for the public health, safety, defense, education, national security, and emergency preparedness. Defines "local exchange carrier" for purposes of such Act as a carrier that: (1) is required to provide upon request, under tariff or subject to other government oversight (by the FCC or a State commission), interstate and intrastate access services and telephone exchange service; (2) is, or was, a participant in one or more interstate pools established by the FCC, or would have been required to participate in one or more such pools had the carrier been engaged in interstate and intrastate access and telephone exchange service while such participation was mandatory; (3) is subject to the requirements imposed by the FCC or a State commission related to the provision of equal access; and (4) conforms with the provisions of the North American Numbering Plan applicable to the assignment of numbering resources for telephone exchange service, as defined by the Plan's Administrator. Requires the FCC to prescribe regulations that require: (1) joint coordinated network planning, design, and cooperative implementation among all LECs in the provision of public switched network infrastructure and services; (2) development of standards for interconnection between the LEC public switched network and others by appropriate standard-setting bodies; and (3) a LEC to share public switched network infrastructure and functionality with requesting LECs which serve a geographic area for which they lack economies of scale or scope for the particular required network functionality. Specifies that: (1) no LEC shall be prohibited from transporting or processing signalling and information for another LEC in adjoining or reasonably proximate serving areas upon request of that LEC to the same extent that the providing LEC is permitted to engage in such activities for itself; (2) nothing in such Act shall be construed to alter, limit, or supersede the authority of any State with respect to the regulation of intrastate communication service; and (3) nothing contained in Federal or State antitrust law shall render unlawful any action taken by a LEC or any individual or concerted action taken such as lobbying before the Congress, the FCC, or communicating by any means with other LECs, by any LEC, or its directors, officers, agents, employees, affiliates, subsidiaries, joint ventures, counsel, or other persons purporting to act on behalf of such carrier.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 1992
Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to remove the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics from the list of countries ineligible for designation as a beneficiary developing country under the Generalized System of Preferences.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 1992
Mike Mansfield Fellowship Act - Establishes the Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program. Directs the Secretary of State (Secretary) to make grants to the Mansfield Center for Pacific Affairs (Center) to award two-year fellowships to eligible Federal employees. Requires fellowship recipients (Mansfield Fellows): (1) during their first year, to study, in Washington, D.C., the Japanese language and political economy; and (2) during their second year, to serve as a Fellow in a parliamentary office, ministry, or other agency of the Government of Japan, or, subject to Center approval, a nongovernmental Japanese institution associated with the recipient's interests. Requires the Center to comply with specified program requirements in order to be eligible for such grants. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into an arrangement with the Government of Japan to place Fellows in that Government. Authorizes the Foreign Service Institute to assist in carrying out Japanese language training by the Center through providing classroom space, teaching materials, and facilities, insofar as this is not detrimental to the Institute's other responsibilities. Authorizes the Center to accept and use gifts from private sources for such program, subject to review and approval of the Mansfield Fellowship Review Board. Provides that specified amounts from Department of State funds shall be available to the Secretary to make program grants to the Center for FY 1993 through 1996. Sets forth program requirements. Requires that the Federal employees eligible for such fellowships have: (1) at least two years experience in any branch of the U.S. Government; and (2) a strong career interest in U.S.-Japan relations and a commitment to further Federal service. Requires that at least ten such fellowships be awarded annually. Prohibits Mansfield Fellows from engaging in any intelligence or intelligence-related activity on behalf of the U.S. Government. Allows Federal agencies to separate from service such Fellows for a specified period, but requires that: (1) Fellows be reemployed or reinstated in an appropriate position and with all attendant rights and benefits as they would have acquired if they had not been so separated; and (2) they continue to participate during the fellowship period, as if they were not separated, in specified programs for health and life insurance, workers' compensation leave, and retirement (with employer contributions to be made by the Center, and employee deductions to be taken from fellowship stipends). Establishes the Mansfield Fellowship Review Board to review program administration and submit annual reports. Authorizes appropriations for the Board.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 1992
Designates February 21 through February 27, 1993, as American Wine Appreciation Week. Commends the winegrape and fruit growers and vintners of the United States for the production of high quality agricultural products.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1992
Civil War Battlefield Commemorative Coin Act of 1992 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue a specified number of five-dollar gold coins, one-dollar silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Civil War battlefield preservation. Sets forth certain features of such coins and provides for their design, issuance, and sale. Requires that all sales include a surcharge of $35 per coin for the five-dollar coins, $7 per coin for the one-dollar coins, and $1 per coin for the half-dollar coins. Requires that all surcharges be paid to the Civil War Battlefield Foundation for the preservation of historically significant Civil War battlefields.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1992
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) require the first triennial review and revision of the geographic adjustment factor for Medicare physicians' services to apply to services furnished on or after January 1, 1994; and (2) authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make a special adjustment to the geographical indices to correct for unique local circumstances. Requires a Health and Human Services study and report to the Congress with respect to the triennial review and revision of such indices. Requires the Physician Payment Review Commission to study and report to the Congress with respect to providing a special adjustment for physicians in isolated areas.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 1992
Authorizes the President, on behalf of the Congress, to present a gold medal to a representative of the American Philosophical Society in commemoration of the 250th anniversaries of the founding of the Society and the birth of Thomas Jefferson. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and deliver bronze duplicates of such medal to the Society, upon receipt of full payment for them.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 1992
Congratulates the residents of Jerusalem and the people of Israel on the 25th anniversary of the reunification of that city. Urges that: (1) Jerusalem remain an undivided city in which the rights of every ethnic and religious group are protected; and (2) the President and Secretary of State issue an unequivocal statement in support of such principle.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1992
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to preserve until 1997 the current methodology (based on units of actual time) for determining the amount of time that may be billed for anesthesia services. Requires the General Accounting Office to study and report to the Congress and the Physician Payment Review Commission on any changes over a specified period in billing patterns for anesthesia services. Provides for evaluation of such report by the Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1992
Title I: Interagency Council on the Homeless - Amends the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act to extend the authorization of appropriations for the Interagency Council on the Homeless, and the Council's authority, through October 1, 1994. Title II: Federal Emergency Management Food and Shelter Program - Amends the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act to extend the authorization of appropriations for the Federal emergency management food and shelter program.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 1992
John Heinz Competitive Excellence Award Act of 1992 - Establishes the John Heinz Excellence Award, to be evidenced by a national medal coined and provided to the U.S. Senate by the U.S. Mint. Allows two such separate awards to be presented annually (one to a qualifying individual, including Federal, State, or local government employees, and one to a qualifying organization, institution, or business). Prohibits presentation of an award within a category in a given year if there is no qualified individual, organization, institution, or business recommended by the selection panel established by this Act. Sets forth qualification criteria for such awards. Requires the Senate majority and minority leaders to present such award to an individual and an organization, institution, or business that has demonstrated excellence in promoting U.S. industrial competitiveness in the international marketplace through technological innovation, productivity improvement, or improved competitive strategies. Directs the Office of Technology Assessment to: (1) ensure that all nominees receive a detailed summary of any evaluation conducted of such nominee; and (2) make available to the nominee and the public a summary of each award winner's competitiveness strategy (excluding proprietary information unless the award winner consents).
![Official portrait of Sen. Bentsen, Lloyd M. [D-TX]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b000401_200.jpg)