United States · United States Congress · 8 June 1993
Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) establish a program for qualified military and Department of Energy (DOE) personnel to enable such individuals to acquire career training in environmental engineering, environmental sciences, or environmental project management in fields related to hazardous waste management and cleanup; and (2) implement, as part of such program, an academic program at institutions of higher education at undergraduate and graduate levels. Requires the Administrator to award grants to the hazardous substance research centers described under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) to pay the full cost of the academic program. Provides funding for the program, subject to certain limitations, from amounts allocated for: (1) the EPA under CERCLA; (2) the Defense Environmental Restoration Account; and (3) DOE environmental cleanup activities.
United States · United States Congress · 28 May 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Investment and Savings Incentives Subtitle A: Reductions in Cost of Capital and Tax Penalties on Investment Subtitle B: Investment in Business Subtitle C: Increased Savings Through Individual Retirement Accounts Subtitle D: Incentives for Private Businesses to Hire New Employees Title II: Deficit Reductions Subtitle A: Extension of the Caps on Discretionary Spending Subtitle B: Spending Cuts Real Jobs for America Act of 1993 - Title I: Investment and Savings Incentives - Subtitle A: Reductions in Cost of Capital and Tax Penalties on Investment - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require indexing of certain assets (corporate stock, certain tangible property, and a principal residence) that have been held for more than three years at the time of sale or other transfer, solely for the purpose of determining gain or loss. Modifies the method of determining the depreciation deduction for certain personal property placed in service after June 30, 1993. Eliminates the depreciation adjustment for computing adjusted current earnings for such property. Subtitle B: Investment in Small Business - Increases the dollar limitation, with an inflation adjustment, on the deduction for expensing depreciable business assets. Subtitle C: Increased Savings Through Individual Retirement Accounts - Removes the limitation on the retirement savings deduction for active participants in certain pension plans. Provides a cost-of-living adjustment for such deduction. Allows individuals to establish individual retirement plus accounts with tax treatment similar to that for individual retirement plans. Makes contributions to such accounts nondeductible. Allows distributions from certain retirement plans without penalty to purchase first homes, pay higher education expenses and financially devastating medical expenses, and assist certain unemployed individuals. Treats certain disaster victims as first-time homebuyers. Requires contributions to an individual retirement plan (other than an individual retirement plus account) to be held for five years prior to distribution. Subtitle D: Incentives for Private Businesses to Hire New Employees - Allows employers a refundable credit for the employment taxes paid on the qualified wages of new employees hired during July 1, 1993, and June 30, 1994. Repeals the luxury excise tax on passenger vehicles, boats, aircraft, jewelry, and furs. Exempts from such tax parts for accessories installed for use on passenger vehicles by disabled individuals. Provides for the treatment of rental and nonrental real estate activities under the limitation on losses from passive activities. Title II: Deficit Reductions - Subtitle A: Extension of the Caps on Discretionary Spending - Reduces discretionary spending limits for the defense, international, and domestic categories for FY 1993 through 1995. Establishes the level of such limits for FY 1996 through 1998. Subtitle B: Spending Cuts - Rescinds a specified amount of budgetary resources for Federal administrative expenses. Eliminates the lump sum retirement benefit for Federal employees unless such employees have a life-threatening affliction or other critical medical condition. Requires employers to report group health plan information on wage forms. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish a data bank for the collection of information on Medicare secondary payer situations and health insurance information. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the reductions in discretionary spending required by this Act be achieved by reducing, modifying, eliminating, closing, or terminating specified Federal programs.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 1993
Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize States to identify unimmunized infants and children enrolled in a specified program and ensure that they are immunized. Requires States to determine the vaccinations that are appropriate for the age of an infant or child. Allows States to use amounts made available under specified Federal law to carry out this Act. Authorizes grants to States to assist in the vaccination of children enrolled in such program at local program offices where no health care providers are available. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 1993
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit an individual taxpayer an income tax deduction for travel, meals, lodging, transportation, and uniform expenses paid or incurred in connection with the taxpayer's performance of services as a member of the armed forces reserves or the National Guard.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 1993
Amends the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 and certain military cargo preference laws to: (1) provide that specified cargo shall be carried by U.S. flag vessels only if their rates are competitive with those of their foreign-flag counterparts; and (2) authorize the President to waive such requirement only for reasons of national security.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 1993
National Mentor Corps Act of 1993 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Act of 1965 to include intergenerational mentoring programs among innovative projects which are local targeted assistance programs. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make a grant to or contract with one organization to establish and operate the National Resource Center for Intergenerational Mentoring.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1993
Community Regulatory Relief Act - Provides that any requirement under a Federal statute or regulation which creates a Federal mandate shall apply to State or local government only if all funds necessary to pay the direct costs incurred by the government in conducting the activity are provided by the Federal Government for the fiscal year in which the direct cost is incurred. Requires the Director of the Congressional Budget Office to analyze the effects of each bill or resolution on each state and local government's compliance with a Federal mandate. Requires each measure reported or considered in either House of the Congress to be accompanied by such an analyses. Requires reports by the Director to the President and the Congress estimating the direct costs of such compliance for each fiscal year in which a Federal mandate will be in effect.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1993
Sets limits on the amounts which certain Government entities may obligate or expend over a five-year period for overhead expenses. Reduces discretionary spending limits over such period for purposes of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) as a result of the savings achieved by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1993
Minor Crop Pesticides Act of 1993 - Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to define "minor use" as the use of a pesticide on an animal or a commercial agricultural crop or site or for the protection of public health where: (1) the use does not provide sufficient economic incentive to support registration; and (2) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not determined that the use presents an unreasonable adverse environmental effect. Prohibits data that relates solely to a minor use, without the permission of the original data submitter, from being considered by the Administrator to support a minor use application by another person for ten years following the submission of the data. Requires the Administrator, on the request of a registrant, to extend the deadline for the production of residue chemistry data required solely to support a minor use pesticide up to two years subject to specified conditions. Applies the same extension conditions to data for reregistrations. Permits the Administrator, with respect to the registration of a pesticide for a minor use, to waive applicable data requirements if such use does not have an adverse environmental effect. Provides for expedited review (within 180 days of submission) of applications to support minor use pesticide registrations. Requires the Administrator to conditionally amend a registration to permit additional minor uses even if data is insufficient if the applicant has submitted satisfactory data pertaining to the proposed minor use and amending such registration would not increase environmental risks. Authorizes the Administrator to conditionally register or amend the registration of a pesticide for a minor use if: (1) the active ingredient has been listed for reregistration; (2) the minor use was a registered use of a product that has been canceled, proposed for cancellation, or deleted as a use after December 24, 1988; and (3) the use requires only residue chemistry data for reregistration. Outlines additional requirements for conditional registrations. Directs the Administrator to establish a minor use program within the Office of Pesticide Programs. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a minor use grant program to ensure the availability of a minor use crop protection chemical. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 1993
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a maximum small business tax rate for individuals, partnerships, S corporations, or other pass-through entities with average gross receipts of not more than $5 million for a three-year tax period.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1993
Legislative Branch Budget Reduction Act of 1993 - Limits the budget authority of the legislative branch in FY 1994 through 1998 to 75 percent of the amount appropriated for FY 1993. Prohibits unobligated funds for any fiscal year from being expended in any subsequent fiscal year. Returns such funds to the Treasury to reduce the deficit. Requires a study of the staff needs of the Congress, funded by the House of Representatives and the Senate.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1993
Makes a named individual eligible for public safety officers' disability benefits under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to compensate for injuries sustained while fighting the Pryor Gap fire.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1993
Municipal Solid Waste Landfill Regulatory Extension Act of 1993 - Exempts municipal solid waste landfills existing as of October 8, 1993, which meet criteria under the Solid Waste Disposal Act as in effect on January 1, 1993, from meeting any revised criteria (established for facilities which may receive hazardous wastes) for a period of one year.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1993
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should insist that China purchase a majority of its wheat imports from the United States in order to reduce its trade imbalance with the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1993
Commends radio amateurs for their contributions to technical progress in electronics and for their emergency radio communications in times of disaster. Urges the Federal Communications Commission to continue and enhance the development of the amateur radio service as a public benefit by adopting rules and regulations which encourage the use of new technologies within the amateur radio service. Declares that reasonable accommodation should be made for effective operation of amateur radio from residences, private vehicles and public areas and that regulation at all levels of government should facilitate and encourage amateur radio operation as a public benefit.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 1993
Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Expansion Act of 1993 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the offset for rental real estate activities under passive activity rules to increase the rehabilitation credit under such rules. Allows the rehabilitation investment credit to offset a portion of tentative minimum tax.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 1993
Federal Criminal Records Identification Act of 1993 - Provides for the establishment by each State of an instant criminal check system for handgun purchases. Sets forth requirements with respect to: (1) the privacy and security of the information contained in the system; (2) prohibited uses of such information; (3) identification procedures, once such a system is operational; and (4) penalties for noncompliance. Provides for the establishment by each State of a criminal history system. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) assuring the accuracy of responses; (2) notification of the existence and purpose of the system; (3) operation of the system; and (4) correction of, and remedies for disseminating, erroneous information. Establishes a Federal criminal background check system to which a designated agency in each State is required to report child abuse crime information for purposes of background checks of child care providers. Directs the Attorney General to establish guidelines for the reporting of such information. Requires the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to begin a study to determine various factors relating to potential child abuse crimes and offenders. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) expedite the incorporation of the remaining State criminal history records into the Federal criminal records systems maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the development of hardware and software systems to link State criminal history check systems into the National Crime Information Center; and (2) take specified other steps to improve access to State criminal records. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to permit the use of funds under formula grants for the improvement of State record systems and the sharing of certain records with the Attorney General. Authorizes additional funding for such purposes. Amends the Federal criminal code to increase the special assessment on persons convicted of offenses against the United States, with a portion of each assessment to be used for purposes of carrying out this Act. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 1993
Impact Aid Reauthorization Act of 1993 - Reauthorizes and revises Federal law relating to financial assistance for local educational agencies in areas affected by Federal activity (impact aid). Extends the authorization of appropriations and authorizes additional appropriations for deposit in a contingency fund. Requires certain reservations of funds for: (1) impact aid relating to Federal acquisition of real property; (2) the contingency fund; and (3) heavily impacted need areas. Requires forward funding. Adds a hold harmless provision under impact aid relating to Federal acquisition of real property, whereby no eligible local educational agency (LEA) shall receive less than 90 percent of the preceding year's amount in payment for any fiscal year. Revises impact aid relating to federally connected children with respect to computation of payments, giving various weights in the formula to different categories of such children (with more emphasis given to children living on Indian lands and children in special education programs). Revises provisions for sudden and substantial changes in attendance to include increases resulting from base closure or military realignment activities. Directs the Secretary of Education to report certain expenditures within 30 days and include certain costs in annual budget submissions. Authorizes appropriations. Revises the method of making Federal impact aid payments. Includes a learning opportunity threshold to allow eligible LEAs to provide all their children a basic opportunity to learn. Requires States to meet an adequacy threshold before they can apply for equalization of State aid payments to all LEAs. Establishes a National Advisory Panel on School Finance and Impact Aid Equalization. Directs the Secretary of Defense to reserve certain amounts to provide supplemental impact aid to LEAs in cases of high need related to military changes. Establishes the Department of Education Contingency Fund for special impact aid under certain conditions. Requires negotiated rulemaking under certain conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 1993
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to reauthorize and revise the program for instruction on the history and principles of democracy in the United States. Requires the program to foster civic responsibility and continue and expand the educational activities of the We the People...The Citizen and the Constitution program. Allows the use of funds for advanced training of teachers in civics and government, after the education program has been implemented. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1993
Authorizes the President to: (1) issue a proclamation commemorating the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations at Hot Springs, Virginia; and (2) reaffirm the commitment of the American people to end hunger and malnutrition, both at home and abroad, and to foster the growth of agriculture in every quarter of the globe.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 1993
Wetlands Simplification Act - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 (FSA) to provide that: (1) a technical determination with respect to wetland or converted wetland on agricultural lands (including the identification of wetland and the development of a wetland restoration or mitigation plan) shall be used in the administration of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA) (thus giving the Soil Conservation Service sole Federal responsibility for making such determination); and (2) any area of agricultural land or any activities related to the land determined to be exempt from the requirements of FSA shall also be exempt from FWPCA requirements as long as such lands are used for agriculture.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 1993
Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1993 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to define a "dietary supplement" as a food for special dietary use that includes a vitamin, a mineral, an herb, an amino acid, or another ingredient used to supplement the diet by increasing total dietary intake. Excludes a dietary supplement from the definition of the term "drug" and the term "food additive". Deems a dietary supplement adulterated if it presents a substantial and unreasonable risk of illness or injury. Deems a food misbranded unless the label lists the daily value of specified nutrients which shall reflect the daily intake of each nutrient that will promote optiomal health. Prohibits such value from being less than the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance. Deems a dietary supplement misbranded unless it meets specified guidelines. Establishes an Office of Dietary Supplements within the National Institutes of Health. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 1993
Hardrock Mining Reform Act of 1993 - Renames the Act of July 23, 1955, as the Surface Resources Act of 1955, and the Act of July 31, 1947, as the Materials Act of 1947. Sets forth fees for mining claim location and maintenance, including waivers and reduced fees for claimants holding fewer than 50 claims. Amends certain Federal mining law to limit the requirement that at least $100 worth of labor or improvements be performed annually on claims located after May 1872 to claims that are eligible for a waiver or reduced fee under this Act. Imposes royalties upon the production and sale of locatable minerals from any mining claim located after enactment of this Act. Establishes the Hardrock Mining Royalty Review Commission to review and report to certain congressional committees on the effect of such royalties upon the hardrock mining industry. Sets forth limitations upon federally issued mining patents. Prohibits mineral activities on Federal land that cause more than a minimal disturbance of surface resources unless a plan of operations has been approved by the Secretary of the Interior. Mandates that: (1) all operations under such plan be conducted in accordance with Federal and State environmental laws and be inspected quarterly for compliance and/or enforcement; (2) lands patented after enactment of this Act be subject to State and/or Federal mining reclamation laws; and (3) financial assurances for land reclamation be provided. Proscribes full- or part-time residential occupancy of a mining claim. Amends the Surface Resources Act of 1955 to subject certain mineral deposits to the disposal requirements of the Materials Act of 1947. Prescribes percentage guidelines for allocation of receipts received under this Act between the Federal Treasury and the applicable State treasury. Establishes the Abandoned Hardrock Mine Reclamation program under which grants shall be made to eligible States for reclamation and restoration of land and water resources adversely affected by past hardrock mining. Directs the Secretary to approve any State abandoned minerals mine reclamation program upon finding that it has the means and necessary legislation to implement such program, and the program complies with this Act. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 1993
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act and the Internal Revenue Code to raise the social security payroll tax exemption for State and local election officials and workers and index the exempt amount beginning in 1993.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 1993
United States-Canada Fair Grain Trade Act of 1993 - Title I: Grain Trade Negotiations - Directs the President to negotiate with Canada to: (1) establish a method to determine the price at which the Canadian Wheat Board sells agricultural goods to the United States (as well as the Board's acquisition price) as required under the Statement of Administrative Action of the United States-Canada Free-Trade Agreement Implementation Act of 1988; (2) exclude from the transport rates established under Canada's Western Grain Transportation Act Canadian agricultural goods shipped via east coast ports for U.S. consumption; and (3) clarify the meaning of "acquisition price" so that it includes certain subsidy payments to Canadian producers, handlers, grain storers, and transporters. Sets forth sanctions for failure of such negotiations. Requires Federal agencies (other than the United States International Trade Commission) to provide technical assistance to countervailing duty and antidumping duty petitioners with respect to Canadian subsidies on exports of wheat or barley to the United States. Title II: Agricultural Trade Programs - Amends the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to promote use of a program which permits exporters, users, processors, and foreign purchasers of U.S. grain to compete with exporters, users, processors, and foreign purchasers of Canadian grain and that takes into account: (1) Canadian transportation subsidies to promote grain sales to Mexico; and (2) sale of wheat in foreign markets by the Canadian Wheat Board at a price below its acquisition cost. Amends the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to require an end-use certificate that meets specified requirements to be included in documentation covering the entry of covered foreign commodities (imported wheat, feed grains, or soybeans). Requires a consignee of a covered foreign commodity to report quarterly to the Secretary. Sets forth civil penalties for non-compliance. Requires the Commodity Credit Corporation to provide an opportunity for a hearing before suspending or debarring a person from participation in an agricultural trade program for using a foreign agricultural commodity in violation of the conditions of such program.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 1993
Product Liability Fairness Act - Declares that this Act applies to any civil action brought against a manufacturer or product seller, on any theory, for harm caused by a product. Excludes actions brought for loss or damage to a product or for commercial loss. States that: (1) this Act supersedes any State law only to the extent that this Act establishes an applicable rule of law; and (2) the provisions of title I shall not supersede or preempt any applicable State or Federal law. Title I: Expedited Judgments and Alternative Dispute Resolution Procedures - Sets forth expedited settlement procedures, including: (1) the option of allowing either the claimant or the defendant to offer a judgment for a specific dollar amount as complete satisfaction of the claim; and (2) alternative dispute resolution (ADR) procedures. Establishes penalties for: (1) parties who refused an offer and did worse at trial; and (2) a defendant who refuses ADR and then loses at trial. Title II: Standards for Civil Actions - States that a person seeking to recover for harm caused by a product may bring a civil action against the product's manufacturer or product seller pursuant to applicable State or Federal law, except to the extent such law is inconsistent with this Act. Sets forth uniform standards for: (1) product seller liability; (2) the award of punitive damages; and (3) time limitations on liability. Bars punitive damages if the requirements of specified Federal laws have been met. Entitles an employer or workers' compensation insurer to the right of subrogation against a manufacturer or product seller to recover workers' compensation for harm caused to an employee by a product if a civil suit has been brought under this Act. Provides that each defendant shall only be liable for the amount of noneconomic loss proportionally caused. Provides a complete defense, in any civil action in which all defendants are manufacturers or product sellers, in cases where the claimant was under the influence of alcohol or drugs and was more than 50 percent responsible for the harm.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 1993
Equitable Health Care for Severe Mental Illnesses Act of 1993 - Declares that it is the policy of the United States that: (1) persons with severe mental illnesses must not be discriminated against in health care; and (2) health care coverage, provided through any financing, must provide for the treatment of severe mental illnesses in a way that is equitable and commensurate with that provided for other major illnesses. Requires health care coverage, in order to be considered nondiscriminatory and equitable under this Act, to cover services that are essential to the effective treatment of severe mental illnesses in a manner that: (1) is not more restrictive than coverage provided for other major physical illnesses; (2) provides adequate financial protection to the person requiring the medical treatment for a severe mental illness; and (3) is consistent with effective and common methods of controlling health care costs for other major physical illnesses.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 1993
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) expert testimony concerning the nature and effect of domestic violence, including descriptions of the experiences of battered women, should be admissible when offered in a State court by a defendant in a criminal case to assist the trier of fact in understanding the behavior, beliefs, or perceptions of such defendant in a domestic relationship in which abuse has occurred; (2) a witness should be qualified to testify as an expert witness, with respect to a case in which abuse has occurred, based upon the witness's knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education, and should be permitted to testify in the form of an opinion or otherwise; and (3) domestic relationships about which such expert testimony should be admissible include relationships between spouses, former spouses, cohabitants, former cohabitants, partners or former partners, and between persons who are in, or have been in, a dating, courtship, or intimate relationship.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Improving Enrollment Title II: Application of Other Medicaid Eligibility Rules Title III: Report Medicare Enrollment Improvement and Protection Act of 1993 - Title I: Improving Enrollment - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services' annual notice to Medicare beneficiaries to inform certain low-income Medicare beneficiaries of the requirements to qualify for Medicaid (SSA title XIX) payment of their Medicare out-of-pocket expenses and how to apply for such cost-sharing benefit. Requires such notice to be suitable for posting and distributed to physicians, medical facilities, and others receiving grants to provide services to older individuals. Mandates direct enrollment of Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) eligibles by the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to establish a toll-free telephone number for information about such cost-sharing benefit. Amends the Medicaid program to: (1) require the Secretary to develop a simplified form for applying for such cost-sharing benefit for processing at social security offices; and (2) provide for a period of presumptive eligibility for medical assistance for individuals who qualify for such cost-sharing benefit without regard to whether a final determination of eligibility for such assistance has been made. Directs the Secretary to make grants to State agencies and organizations for the provision of outreach assistance to older individuals who may be eligible for such cost-sharing benefit. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Application of Other Medicaid Eligibility Rules - Amends the Medicaid program to permit retroactive payments of medical costs incurred by certain low-income Medicare beneficiaries in or after the third month before the month in which such an individual applied for such cost-sharing benefit. Title III: Report - Directs the Secretary to report to the Congress on Department activities to ensure enrollment in and full implementation of such cost-sharing program.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1993
Declares that it is a shared interest of the public and private sectors at the Federal, State, and local levels to provide access to high quality, affordable health care coverage and services for every man, woman, and child in the United States, and that collectively we commit outselves to take the necessary steps towards that goal.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1993
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make the targeted jobs credit permanent. Increases the maximum age requirement for an economically disadvantaged youth from 23 years to 25 years. Establishes economically disadvantaged veterans as members of targeted groups for purposes of the credit.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1993
Mike Mansfield Fellowship Act - Establishes the Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program. Requires the Director of the U.S. Information Agency (USIA) to make grants to the Mansfield Center for Pacific Affairs to award two-year fellowships to eligible Federal employees. Requires Mansfield Fellows to: (1) study the Japanese language and political economy; and (2) serve in an agency of the Government of Japan, or, subject to Center approval, a nongovernmental Japanese institution associated with the interests. Requires the Center to comply with specified program requirements in order to be eligible for such grants. Authorizes the Director to enter into an arrangement with the Government of Japan to place Fellows. Authorizes the Foreign Service Institute to assist in carrying out Japanese language training by the Center. Authorizes appropriations. 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 at least ten fellowships to be awarded annually. Prohibits Mansfield Fellows from engaging in any intelligence-related activity on behalf of the U.S. Government. Allows Federal agencies to separate Fellows from service for a specified period but provides for reemployment rights and the continuation of certain employee benefits. Establishes the Mansfield Fellowship Review Board.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1993
Equity for Congress Act - Makes applicable to the Congress the following Federal laws: (1) with respect to employment title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the National Labor Relations Act, sections 1977 and 1977A of the Revised Statutes, the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, and the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993; (2) with respect to conduct regarding matters other than employment the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; and (3) with respect to information in its possession, the Privacy Act of 1974; and (4) specified provisions of Federal law relating to independent counsel. Amends the Standing Rules of the Senate and the Rules of the House of Representatives to require a three-fifths vote in each House before it considers legislation that creates a requirement of general applicability but exempts the Congress from such provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1993
Telemarketing and Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act - Requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to prescribe rules regarding telemarketing activities and prohibiting fraudulent telemarketing acts or practices. Sets forth provisions concerning actions by States and by private persons to enforce compliance with such regulations. Provides for the establishment of a clearinghouse for inquiries made to Federal agencies concerning telemarketing. Amends the Right to Financial Privacy Act of 1978 to permit a financial institution, upon application of a Government authority, to delay notifying a customer of the release of a customer's records if, by court order, it is found that notifying the customer will result in the dissipation or destruction of assets subject to seizure under any U.S. law by reason of having been obtained in violation of law. Amends the Federal Trade Commission Act to authorize the FTC to bring a criminal contempt action for violations of orders obtained in false advertising cases under such Act. Directs the FTC to conduct a study of unfair or deceptive acts or practices engaged in by life care homes.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1993
Local Exchange Infrastructure Modernization Act of 1993 - 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. 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.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1993
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for the portion of employer social security taxes paid with respect to employee cash tips. Makes such credit part of the general business credit.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Authorization of Appropriations Title II: Reducing the Burden of Federal Federal Paperwork on the Public Title III: Enhancing Federal Agency Responsibility and Accountability for Reducing the Burden of Federal Paperwork Title IV: Enhancing Government Responsibility and Accountability for Reducing the Burden of Federal Paperwork Title V: Enhancing Agency Responsibility for Sharing and Disseminating Public Information Title VI: Additional Government Information Management Responsibility Title VII: Effective Dates Paperwork Reduction Act of 1993 - Title I: Authorization of Appropriations - Amends the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980 to authorize appropriations to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Title II: Reducing the Burden of Federal Paperwork on the Public - Applies the Act to all federally sponsored paperwork. Requires a Government-wide paperwork reduction goal of at least five percent and individual agency goals that aggregate to the Government-wide goal. Title III: Enhancing Federal Agency Responsibility and Accountability for Reducing the Burden of Federal Paperwork - Makes the senior official charged with carrying out the responsibilities of a Federal agency under the Act the head of a separate office with qualified staff responsible for assuring agency compliance with requirements under the Act. Requires each agency to: (1) prepare estimates of the burden that will result from proposed collections of information; (2) develop a strategic Information Resources Management Plan; and (3) establish oversight procedures for agency information systems. Requires each agency head to establish a certification process for the review of each information collection request before it is submitted to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval. Title IV: Enhancing Government Responsibility and Accountability for Reducing the Burden of Federal Paperwork - Makes the OMB Director responsible for ensuring that all information collection requests display an estimate of the paperwork burden for each response. Requires OMB procedures in order for agencies to estimate such burden. Requires OMB pilot projects to test approaches to improve information management practices and related activities. Reduces the time afforded the OMB Director for approving a routine agency request to collect information. Provides for greater participation by the public and Federal agencies in the review of proposed paperwork burdens generated by agency information requests. Requires the OMB Director to make publicly available any decision to disapprove a collection of information requirement contained in an agency rule, together with the reasons for such decision. Provides protection for whistleblowers of unauthorized Federal paperwork burdens. Provides for expedited OMB review of an agency information request with a reduced paperwork burden. Title V: Enhancing Agency Responsibility for Sharing and Disseminating Public Information - Provides for Government-wide standards for sharing and disseminating public information. Imposes certain responsibilities on Federal agencies for sharing and disseminating public information. Abolishes the Federal Information Locator System established in the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs and replaces it with a system in each agency for providing public access via electronic and other means to a comprehensive inventory of agency information dissemination products. Title VI: Additional Government Information Management Responsibility - Revises the statistical policy and coordination functions of the OMB Director. Requires the OMB Director to: (1) establish an interagency working group on statistical policy to coordinate agency statistical activities; and (2) provide training in the statistical policy functions of the chief statistician to Federal employees. Provides for the use of electronic information collection and dissemination techniques to reduce the Federal paperwork burden. Requires the OMB Director's annual report to the Congress to list any increased Federal paperwork burdens and describe each agency's plans to implement the applicable policies, standards, and guidelines under the Act. Requires the OMB Director to develop a plan for meeting the automatic data processing needs of the Federal Government in accordance with the Act and certain requirements of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949. Title VII: Effective Dates - Sets forth the effective dates for this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1993
Title I: Improved Bankruptcy Administration Title II: Commercial Issues in Bankruptcy Title III: Consumer Bankruptcy Issues Title IV: Bankruptcy Review Commission Title V: Technical Corrections Title VI: Severability; Effective Date; Application of Amendments Bankruptcy Amendments Act of 1993 - Title I: Improved Bankruptcy Administration - Amends Federal bankruptcy law with respect to expedited hearings on a motion to lift an automatic stay; (2) the expedited filing of plans under chapters 11 and 12; and (3) expedited procedure for reaffirmation of debts. (Sec. 105) Permits bankruptcy court judges to hold status conferences, and to issue case limitations and conditions at such conferences. Amends the Federal judicial code to mandate that the judicial council of a circuit establish a bankruptcy appellate panel service composed of district bankruptcy judges in the circuit, subject to the consent of all parties. Sets forth appeals guidelines. (Sec. 106) Permits bankruptcy administrators (in a State in which the bankruptcy system is administered by a Bankruptcy Administrator instead of a U.S. Trustee) to preside at meetings of creditors and equity security holders, and to examine the debtor at creditors' meetings. (Sec. 107) Amends the Bankruptcy Code to include within the definition of "person" pension benefit guarantors and legal or beneficial owners of an asset of an eligible deferred compensation plan or of a governmental employee pension benefit plan (thus enabling such persons, State pension funds, and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation to serve on creditors' committees). (Sec. 108) Revises current guidelines to permit increases in the incentive compensation for bankruptcy trustees. (Sec. 109) Increases the dollar limitations and debt limits applicable to specified bankruptcy procedures (thus enlarging the range of debtors eligible to repay debts over a period from regular income Chapter 13 debtors, and accounting for inflation since 1978). (Sec. 110) Conforms the premerger notification provisions of the Bankruptcy Code to the requirements for antitrust review of transactions under the Clayton Act. (Sec. 111) Entitles members of Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization committees to reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses. (Sec. 112) Continues through FY 1998 Chapter 12 bankruptcy provisions concerning family farmers. (Sec. 113) Directs the Judicial Conference of the United States to report to the Congress on efforts to automate and computerize the bankruptcy courts and provide necessary information about the commencement of the case in bankruptcy. (Sec. 115) Treats as an administrative expense of an estate in bankruptcy minimum funding contributions to an employee pension benefit plan for which the debtor is liable which accrue on or after the date of the commencement of the case in bankruptcy. (Sec. 116) Requires the U.S. trustee, at the conclusion of any meeting of creditors or equity security holders, to examine the debtor orally and record his or her knowledge of the consequences of filing for bankruptcy. Title II: Commercial Issues in Bankruptcy - Establishes the legal parameters under which a business debtor (or a party in interest) may elect to convert the case to expedited bankruptcy proceedings customized to small businesses. (Sec. 202) Sets forth automatic stay guidelines regarding proceedings against a debtor's single asset real estate. (Sec. 203) States that the right of a party with a security interest in certain aircraft equipment, maritime vessels, or railroad rolling stock equipment to take possession of such equipment or vessels in compliance with an equipment security agreement is not affected by the automatic stay or property use or sale provisions of the bankruptcy code or by any injunctive power of the bankruptcy court, except in specific circumstances. (Sec. 204) Requires a trustee, under Chapter 11, to perform the debtor's obligations which arise pursuant to an order for relief under an unexpired lease of personal property until the lease is assumed or rejected. (Sec. 205) Sets forth guidelines for: (1) the protection of assignees of executory contracts and unexpired leases approved by court order in cases reversed on appeal; (2) the protection of security interests in post-petition rents; (3) the withholding of post-petition debtor's income for certain retirement plan loan repayments; (4) indenture trustee compensation; (5) return of goods; (6) a debtor's interests in the proceeds of money order agreements; (7) liability limitations with respect to noninsider transferees for avoided transfers; (8) executory contracts for airport gate leases and (9) injunctions requiring Chapter 11 debtors to pay insurance benefits to retired employees and (10) the nondischargeability of credit loans to pay nondischargeable taxes. Title III: Consumer Bankruptcy Issues - Permits a Chapter 13 debtor to cure a home mortgage default on its principal residence before its foreclosure sale. (Sec. 302) Declares certain criminal fines nondischargeable under a Chapter 13 proceeding. (Sec. 303) Provides that a petition in bankruptcy does not operate as an automatic stay with respect to an action or proceeding for: (1) the establishment of paternity; or (2) the establishment or modification of an order for child or spousal maintenance or support. Includes within the priority list of expenses and claims that are to be paid by the bankrupt estate any claims for child or spousal support pursuant to a court order. Declares that a debtor in bankruptcy may not avoid a judicial lien that secures a debt for child and spousal support or maintenance. Prohibits a bankruptcy trustee from avoiding a transfer that was a bona fide payment of a debt for child or spousal support or maintenance pursuant to a court order. Permits child support creditors to appear and intervene without charge, and without meeting any special local court requirement for attorney appearances, in any bankruptcy proceeding in any bankruptcy or district court upon filing a court form detailing the status of the child support debt. (Sec. 304) Sets forth civil penalties for the negligent or fraudulent preparation of bankruptcy petitions by bankruptcy petition preparers for compensation. (Sec. 306) Declares that a trustee's plan may not modify the claim of a person holding a primary or a junior security interest in real property or a manufactured home that is the debtor's principal residence, except a junior security interest claim where the interest was undersecured at the time it attached (to the extent that it remains undersecured). (Sec. 307) Sets forth additional conditions on the ability of a creditor to seek satisfaction of a debt from a codebtor or a debt stayed under Chapter 13. (Sec. 309) Authorizes a bankruptcy court to award professional fees according to prescribed guidelines for specified bankruptcy-related services. Title IV: Bankruptcy Review Commission - National Bankruptcy Review Commission Act - Establishes the National Bankruptcy Review Commission to investigate and report to the Congress, the Chief Justice, and the President on issues relating to business bankruptcies. (Sec. 410) Authorizes appropriations. Title V: Technical Corrections - Makes technical and conforming corrections to the Bankruptcy Code. Title VI: Effective Date; Application of Amendments - Sets forth the effective date of this Act. Makes it inapplicable to bankruptcy cases commenced before its enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1993
United States One-Dollar Coin Act of 1993 - Amends Federal currency law to prescribe the color and features (including features to aid the visually handicapped) of one-dollar coins. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to select the obverse side of the coin after consultation with the Commission of Fine Arts.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1993
Declares that it is the sense of the Congress that any legislation enacted to reform the health care system must: (1) ensure that every person has access to coverage for medically and psychologically necessary treatments for mental disorders that is equitable to the coverage provided for treatments of physical illnesses; and (2) meet specified requirements concerning coverage, consumer choice, financial protection, financing policies, and coordination across Federal, State, and local programs.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1993
Lincoln County, Montana, Public Lands Transfer Act of 1993 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to transfer specified U.S. Forest lands in Lincoln County, Montana, to such County.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1993
Federal Crop Insurance Fairness Act - Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act with respect to: (1) yield averages; (2) late planting coverage; (3) prevented planting coverage; and (4) de minimis yield penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1993
Educational Flexibility Act - Amends the General Education Provisions Act to establish a program for flexibility and accountability in education and related services. Directs the Secretary of Education to assist projects for elementary and secondary schools and other service provides to improve achievement of all students and other participants, but particularly disadvantaged individuals, by authorizing waivers for States by which the performance of schools and programs can be improved by increasing their flexibility in use of resources while holding them accountable for achieving educational gains. Authorizes the Secretary to waive a statutory or regulatory requirement only with respect to programs under specified Federal laws relating to elementary, secondary, and vocational education and disadvantaged or homeless students. Authorizes other Federal agency heads, with the Secretary's agreement, to make similar waivers of such requirements applicable to an elementary, secondary, or youth vocational training program they administer. Limits duration of projects and associated waivers. Requires, to the extent possible, project participation by each grade and academic program in a participating school. Prohibits waiver of requirements: (1) in awarding new competitive grants to a service provider within the LEA or other applicant participating in such a project; (2) relating to maintenance of effort, comparability, or equitable participation of private school students; and (3) under specified provisions of certain Federal laws relating to individuals with disabilities.
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