United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
Children's Education Opportunity Act - Amends part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) (AFDC) of title IV of the Social Security Act to give States the option of linking the receipt of AFDC benefits to school attendance through the establishment of learnfare programs.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
Amends the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to direct the Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of the House of Representatives, when any general or special appropriation bill or any bill or joint resolution making supplemental, deficiency, or continuing appropriations passes both Houses of the Congress in the same form, to cause the enrolling clerk of the appropriate House to enroll each item of the bill or joint resolution as a separate bill or joint resolution. Applies this Act to bills and joint resolutions agreed to by the Congress during the two-year period beginning on this Act's enactment date.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
Older Americans' Freedom to Work Act of 1993 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to remove the limitation on the amount of outside income (earnings test) which beneficiaries who have attained retirement age may earn without incurring a reduction in benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
Flexible Family Leave Tax Credit Act of 1993 - Title I: Family Leave Credit - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an employer an income tax credit for 20 percent of qualified employee compensation with respect to an employee who is on family leave. Limits such credit to employers with 500 or fewer employees, the amount of qualified compensation, and the maximum period for the use of such leave. Provides that employees qualify for such program if they have no unused sick, disability, or similar leave. Title II: Deficit Neutral Revenue Offset - Increases corporate estimated tax payments for corporations that do not use the previous year's liability safe harbor. Modifies the rules for income annualization for such tax payments.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS Title I: Sexual Violence Subtitle A: Penalties and Remedies Subtitle B: Rules of Evidence, Practice, and Procedure Subtitle C: Safe Campuses Subtitle D: Assistance to States and Localities Title II: Domestic Violence, Stalking, and Offenses Against the Family Title III: National Task Force on Violence Against Women Sexual Assault Prevention Act of 1993 - Title I: Sexual Violence - Subtitle A: Penalties and Remedies - Amends the Federal criminal code to provide for: (1) pretrial detention in sex offense cases; and (2) the death penalty for murders committed by sex offenders. Increases penalties for: (1) recidivist sex offenders; and (2) sex offenses against victims under age 16. Amends: (1) the Victims' Rights and Restitution Act of 1990 to require a governmental department or agency to pay for up to two tests for a sexual assault victim in the 12 months following the assault and a counseling session; (2) the Controlled Substances Act to provide for increased penalties for distribution of a controlled substance to a woman while she is pregnant; and (3) the Federal criminal code to authorize the restitution of victims of sex offenses. Establishes a civil remedy for victims of sexual violence. Subtitle B: Rules of Evidence, Practice, and Procedure - Amends the Federal Rules of Evidence to allow evidence of similar offenses in criminal or civil sexual assault and child molestation cases. Revises Federal Rule of Evidence 412 (rape victim shield law). Adds a Federal Rule of Evidence that, in a criminal case in which a person is accused of a sex offense, evidence is not admissible to show that the alleged victim invited or provoked the commission of the offense. Enacts rules to be known as the Rules of Professional Conduct for Lawyers in Federal Practice. Subtitle C: Safe Campuses - Requires the Attorney General to provide for a national baseline study on campus sexual assault. Subtitle D: Assistance to States and Localities - Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to support projects and programs relating to sexual violence. Title II: Domestic Violence, Stalking, and Offenses Against the Family - Amends the Federal criminal code to establish penalties for interstate travel to commit spouse abuse or to violate a protective order. Establishes penalties (including restitution) for noncompliance with child support obligations in interstate cases. Provides for full faith and credit of protective orders among the States. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) prepare a report on the status of battered women's syndrome as a medical and psychological condition and on its effect in criminal trials; (2) conduct a study of the means by which abusive spouses may obtain information concerning the addresses or locations of estranged or former spouses; and (3) complete a study of problems of recordkeeping of criminal complaints involving domestic violence. Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to support projects and programs relating to domestic violence and other criminal and unlawful acts that particularly affect women. Title III: National Task Force on Violence Against Women - Establishes the National Task Force on Violence Against Women to develop a uniform Federal, State, and local law enforcement strategy aimed at protecting women against violent crimes, punishing persons who commit such crimes, and enhancing the rights of the victims.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
Legislative Line Item Veto Act of 1993 - Amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to grant the President legislative line item veto rescission authority. Makes such a rescission effective unless the Congress, during a review period of 20 calendar days, enacts a rescission disapproval bill.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
Constitutional Amendment - Declares that nothing in the Constitution shall be construed to prohibit individual or group prayer in public schools or other public institutions. States that no person shall be required by the United States or any State to participate in prayer. Provides that neither the United States nor any State shall compose prayers to be said in public schools.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: General Provisions Title II: Manufacturing Subtitle A: Manufacturing Technology and Extension Subtitle B: National Science Foundation Manfuacturing Program Title III: Critical Technologies Subtitle A: Advanced Technology Program and Related Subtitle B: Technology Financing Pilot Programs Title IV: Additional Commerce Department Provisions Title V: Authorization of Appropriations Title VI: Information Infrastructure and Technology Title I: General Provisions - National Competitiveness Act of 1993 - Sets forth the purposes and goals of this Act. Title II: Manufacturing - Manufacturing Technology and Extension Act of 1993. Subtitle A: Manufacturing Technology and Extension - (Sec. 212) Amends the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 to establish a Twenty-First Century Manufacturing Infrastructure Program, which shall include (as established by this Act): (1) an Advanced Manufacturing Technology Development Program; and (2) a National Manufacturing Outreach Program, which shall include outreach centers and a technology extension communications network. Establishes a Manufacturing Advisory Committee within the Office of Science and Technology Policy. (Sec. 215) Amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to establish within the National Institute of Standards and Technology (Institute) a State Technology Extension Program. Directs the Program to make awards to States for planning and coordination of technology extension activities. (Sec. 216) Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) to make awards to establish workforce training consortia between industry and institutions of higher education. Subtitle B: National Science Foundation Manufacturing Programs - (Sec. 223) Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation to expand the number of Engineering Research Centers and strengthen the Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers Program. Authorizes the Director to establish: (1) graduate traineeships; (2) a manufacturing managers in the classroom program; and (3) a quality management program. Title III: Critical Technologies - Subtitle A: Advanced Technology Program and Related (sic) - (Sec. 311) Directs the Secretary to submit to the Congress an expansion plan for the Advanced Technology Program. Authorizes Program support of large-scale joint ventures. (Secs. 314, 315) Amends the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 to establish: (1) within the Technology Administration an Office of Technology Monitoring and Competitive Assessment; and (2) a Commerce Technology Advisory Board. (Sec. 316) Directs the Critical Technologies Institute to study semiconductor lithography technologies. Subtitle B: Technology Financing Pilot Programs - (Secs. 322 through 324) Authorizes the Secretary to provide assistance for: (1) civilian technology loans; (2) critical technology investment companies; and (3) State technology development programs. Title IV: Additional Commerce Department Provisions - Amends the American Technology Preeminence Act of 1991 to expand the Institute's standard pilot program to permit contracts with non-Federal organizations to promote U.S. technical standards dissemination activities abroad. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress on the appropriate Federal role in developing and promulgating domestic and global product and quality standards. (Sec. 402) Amends the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 to prohibit the making of a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award within a category or subcategory if there are no qualifying enterprises in that category or subcategory. Makes educational institutions an Award category. (Sec.405) Prohibits the fraudulent use of "Made in America" labels. Provides for compliance with the Buy American Act. (Sec. 407) Wind Engineering Program Act of 1992 - Establishes within the National Institute of Standards and Technology a Wind Engineering Program which shall: (1) provide for wind engineering research; (2) serve as an information clearinghouse; and (3) improve interagency coordination on wind engineering research. Title V: Authorization of Appropriations - (Secs. 501 through 504) Authorizes appropriations for: (1) the Under Secretary of Commerce for Technology; (2) the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Technology Policy; (3) Japanese Technical Literature; (4) the Office of Technology Monitoring and Competitive Assessment; (5) the Institute, including intramural scientific and technical research, facilities, and extramural industrial technology services; (6) wind engineering; (7) the Civilian Technology Loan Program; (8) the Civilian Technologies Venture Capital Program; (9) State Technology Assistance programs; (10) the American workforce quality partnership program; and (11) the National Science Foundation. Title VI: Information Infrastructure and Technology - Information Infrastructure and Technology Act of 1992 - (Secs. 603 through 608) Amends the National Science and Technology Policy, Organization, and Priorities Act of 1976 to require the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, through the Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology, to establish an Information Infrastructure Program and five-year implementation plan that shall provide a coordinated interagency effort to develop technologies needed to apply high-performance computing and high-speed networking in education, libraries, health care, manufacturing, and other appropriate fields. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Safe Streets for Women Subtitle A: Federal Penalties for Sex Crimes Subtitle B: Law Enforcement and Prosecution Grants to Reduce Violent Crimes Against Women Subtitle C: Safety for Women in Public Transit and Public Parks Subtitle D: National Commission on Violence Against Women Subtitle E: New Evidentiary Rules Subtitle F: Assistance to Victims of Sexual Assault Title II: Safe Homes for Women Subtitle A: Family Violence Prevention and Services Act Amendments Subtitle B: Interstate Enforcement Subtitle C: Arrest in Spousal Abuse Cases Subtitle D: Funding for Shelters Subtitle E: Family Violence Prevention and Services Act Amendments Subtitle F: Youth Education and Domestic Violence Subtitle G: Confidentiality for Abused Persons Subtitle H: Technical Amendments Subtitle I: Data and Research Title III: Civil Rights Title IV: Safe Campuses for Women Title V: Equal Justice for Women in the Courts Act Subtitle A: Education and Training for Judges and Court Personnel in State Courts Subtitle B: Education and Training for Judges and Court Personnel in Federal Courts Violence Against Women Act of 1993 - Title I: Safe Streets for Women - Safe Streets for Women Act of 1993 - Subtitle A: Federal Penalties for Sex Crimes - Amends the Federal criminal code to: (1) authorize judges to increase sentences for repeat sex offenders to up to twice that otherwise authorized by statute; and (2) require the U.S. Sentencing Commission to amend sentencing guidelines to increase the base offense level applicable to criminal sexual abuse. (Sec. 113) Requires that a court order restitution for violations of Federal sexual abuse laws. (Sec. 114) Authorizes appropriations to U.S. Attorneys to appoint victim/witness counselors for the prosecution of sex crimes and domestic violence crimes. Subtitle B: Law Enforcement and Prosecution Grants to Reduce Violent Crimes Against Women - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to require the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance to make grants to areas of high intensity crime against women. Authorizes the Director to make general grants to: (1) States to reduce violent crimes against women; and (2) Indian tribes to reduce violent crimes against women in Indian country. Subtitle C: Safety for Women in Public Transit and Public Parks - Amends the Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964 to direct the Secretary of Transportation, from funds authorized under existing provisions, to make capital grants for the prevention of crime and to increase security in existing and future public transportation systems. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants and loans to States and local public bodies to increase the safety of public transportation through lighting, camera surveillance, security phones, or other projects. Directs the Secretary to provide grants and loans to study ways to reduce violent crimes against women in public transit through better design or operation of public transit systems. (Sec. 132) Amends: (1) the National Park System Improvements in Administration Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance to reduce violent crime in the National Park System; and (2) the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to direct such Secretary to provide grants for capital improvements and other measures to increase safety in urban parks and recreation areas. Subtitle D: National Commission on Violence Against Women - Establishes the National Commission on Violence Against Women to promote a national policy on violent crime against women and to make recommendations on reducing such crime. Subtitle E: New Evidentiary Rules - Amends the Federal Rules of Evidence to exclude, in criminal cases other than sex offense cases, reputation or opinion evidence of the past sexual behavior of a victim from admission into evidence. Allows other types of evidence of a victim's past sexual behavior in accordance with specified procedures if its probative value outweighs the danger of unfair prejudice. (Sec. 152) Makes reputation or opinion evidence of the plaintiff's past sexual behavior inadmissible in a civil action involving allegations of actionable sexual misconduct. Makes other types of evidence of a plaintiff's past sexual behavior admissible in accordance with specified procedures if its probative value outweighs the danger of unfair prejudice. (Sec. 154) Makes evidence of an alleged victim's clothing, in a criminal case under Federal laws relating to sexual abuse, inadmissible to show that the victim incited or invited the offense. Subtitle F: Assistance to Victims of Sexual Assault - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow States to use amounts transferred by the State under block grant provisions for rape prevention and education programs conducted by rape crisis centers or similar nongovernmental nonprofit entities. (Sec. 162) Requires grant recipients under this title to incur the full cost of forensic medical exams for victims of sexual assault. (Sec. 163) Amends the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants to private, nonprofit agencies for street-based outreach and education for female runaway, homeless, and street youth who have been subjected to or are at risk of being subjected to sexual abuse. (Sec. 164) Amends the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure to provide for a victim's right to make a statement at the sentencing of a criminal defendant in cases involving a crime of violence or sexual abuse. Title II: Safe Homes for Women - Safe Homes for Women Act of 1993 - Subtitle A: Family Violence Prevention and Services Act Amendments - Amends the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) to authorize the Secretary of HHS to award grants to one or more private, nonprofit entities to provide for the operation of a national, toll-free telephone hotline to provide information and assistance to victims of domestic violence. Subtitle B: Interstate Enforcement - Amends the Federal criminal code to provide for a Federal term of imprisonment or fine, in addition to any State penalties, for any person who: (1) in the course of or as a result of travelling across State lines injures his or her spouse or intimate partner (partner); (2) crosses State lines for the purpose of harassing, intimidating, or injuring a partner and who injures such partner; (3) causes a partner to cross State lines by force, coercion, duress, or fraud and who injures such partner; or (4) commits such acts in violation of a valid protection order issued by a State. Provides for temporary protection orders while a case under these provisions is pending. Mandates that a court order restitution to the victim of an offense under this Act. Requires, provided certain conditions are met, that a protection order issued by the court of one State be accorded full faith and credit by the court of another State. Subtitle C: Arrest in Spousal Abuse Cases - Amends the FVPSA to authorize the Secretary of HHS to make grants, with regard to spousal abuse, to: (1) implement pro-arrest programs and policies in police departments and improve case tracking; (2) centralize police enforcement, prosecution, or judicial responsibility for cases in one group of officers, prosecutors, or judges; (3) coordinate computer tracking systems to ensure communication between police, prosecutors, and both criminal and family courts; and (4) educate judges to improve judicial handling of cases. Subtitle D: Funding for Shelters - Amends the FVPSA to authorize appropriations to carry out that Act. Subtitle E: Family Violence Prevention and Services Act Amendments - Amends the FVPSA to require that: (1) applications for State demonstration grants include a plan to address the needs of underserved populations; and (2) upon completion of activities funded, the State grantee file a performance report explaining the activities carried out together with an assessment of the effectiveness of such activities. Subtitle F: Youth Education and Domestic Violence - Amends the FVPSA to direct the Secretary of Education to select, implement, and evaluate four model programs for education of young people about domestic violence and violence among intimate partners, with one program for each of primary, middle, and secondary schools, and institutions of higher education. Subtitle G: Confidentiality for Abused Persons - Requires the U.S. Postal Service to promulgate regulations to secure the confidentiality of abused persons' addresses. Subtitle H: Technical Amendments - Amends the FVPSA to: (1) include among the duties of State domestic violence coalitions to work with local domestic violence programs and providers of direct services to encourage appropriate responses to domestic violence within the State; and (2) make technical amendments to such Act. Subtitle I: Data and Research - Requires: (1) the Director of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) to request the National Academy of Sciences to enter into a contract to develop a research agenda to increase the understanding and control of violence against women; (2) the NIJ to study and report to the States and the Congress on how the States may collect centralized databases on the incidence of domestic violence offenses within a State; and (3) the Secretary of HHS to conduct a study to obtain a national projection of the incidence of injuries resulting from domestic violence, the cost of injuries to health care facilities, and recommend health care strategies for reducing the incidence and cost of such injuries. Title III: Civil Rights - Civil Rights Remedies for Gender-Motivated Violence Act - Declares that all persons within the United States shall have the right to be free from crimes of violence motivated by the victim's gender. Makes any person, including a person who acts under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage of any State, who deprives another of such right, liable to the injured party in an action for compensatory and punitive damages, injunctive and declaratory relief, and such other relief as the court deems appropriate. (Sec. 303) Allows the awarding of attorney's fees in actions to enforce this title. (Sec. 304) Expresses the sense of the Senate that news media, law enforcement officers, and other persons should exercise restraint, and respect a rape victim's privacy, by not disclosing the victim's identity to the general public or facilitating such disclosure without the victim's consent. Title IV: Safe Campuses for Women - Amends the Higher Education Amendments of 1992 to authorize appropriations for grants for campus sexual offenses education and prevention programs. Title V: Equal Justice for Women in the Courts Act of 1993 - Equal Justice for Women in the Courts Act of 1993 - Subtitle A: Education and Training for Judges and Court Personnel in State Courts - Authorizes the State Justice Institute to make grants for model programs to be used by States in training judges and court personnel in State laws on rape, sexual assault, domestic violence, and other crimes of violence motivated by the victim's gender. Subtitle B: Education and Training for Judges and Court Personnel in Federal Courts - Encourages the circuit judicial councils to conduct studies of any instances of gender bias in legal proceedings in their respective circuits. Authorizes the Federal Judicial Center to include in its educational and training programs information on issues related to gender bias in the courts. (Sec. 522) Directs the Judicial Conference to allocate funds (as specified) to Federal circuit courts that: (1) undertake studies under this subtitle in their circuits; or (2) implement reforms recommended as a result of such studies in their own or other circuits, including education and training.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Reduction of Special Interest Influence Subtitle A: Elimination of Political Action Committees from Federal Election Activities Subtitle B: Ban on Soft Money in Federal Elections Subtitle C: Other Activities Title II: Increase of Competition in Politics Title III: Reduction of Campaign Costs Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions Subtitle A: Federal Election Commission Enforcement Authority Subtitle B: Other Provisions Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform Act of 1993 - Title I: Reduction of Special Interest Influence - Subtitle A: Elimination of Political Action Committees from Federal Election Activities - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) to prohibit Federal election activities by political action committees. Subtitle B: Ban on Soft Money in Federal Elections - (Sec. 111) Bans the use of soft money (any amount raised or contributed outside of source restrictions, contribution limits, and requirements of FECA) to influence any Federal election. (Sec. 112) Imposes information disclosure and mixed activity financial allocation requirements upon party committees. (Sec. 113) Permits a labor organization to make political communications and establish and solicit contributions for a separate segregated political fund only if it meets specified requirements concerning the employees it represents. (Sec. 115) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny tax-exempt status for certain politically active organizations. Subtitle C: Other Activities - (Secs. 121 through 123) Modifies contribution provisions for individuals, political parties, and intermediaries. (Sec. 124) Sets forth requirements for disclosure of independent expenditures through broadcast communications. Title II: Increase of Competition in Politics - (Sec. 201) Allows a congressional or senatorial campaign committee of a national political party to make specified contributions (seed money) to a non-incumbent Federal candidate (other than President or Vice President). (Sec. 202) Requires a candidate to file with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and each other qualifying candidate a declaration of whether or not he or she intends to spend more than $250,000 from personal funds for the primary and general election. Allows the opponents of a candidate intending to exceed such limit to accept larger contributions from individuals. (Sec. 203) Prohibits franked mass mailings during an election year by a Member of Congress. (Sec. 204) Sets forth standards for congressional redistricting and reapportionment. (Sec. 205) Sets forth criminal penalties for using the mail, broadcast media, or interstate commerce to deprive or defraud citizens of the honest services of government officials or for fraudulently conducted elections. Title III: Reduction of Campaign Costs - Sets forth congressional findings regarding discounts for political broadcasts. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit any broadcast licensee from preempting the use of of broadcasting time purchased by a qualified candidate. Title IV: Miscellaenous Provisions - Subtitle A: Federal Election Commission Enforcement Authority - (Secs. 401 through 412) Revises FECA enforcement provisions. Sets forth FEC injunctive relief authority. Increases specified penalties and makes certain discretionary penalties mandatory. Provides a specified private right of action. Subtitle B: Other Provisions - Requires disclosure of debt settlement and loan security agreements.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
Constitutional Amendment - Requires a balanced Federal budget, unless a three-fifths roll call vote of both Houses of Congress provides for a specific excess of outlays over receipts. Prohibits an increase in the public debt limit except by a three-fifths roll call vote by both Houses of Congress. Requires the President to submit a balanced budget to the Congress. Prohibits any bill to increase revenue from becoming law unless by a majority roll call vote of both Houses.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 1992
Agricultural Credit Amendments Act of 1992 - Title I: Farmers Home Administration Loans - Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to state that the interest rate for loans sold into the secondary market may be lower than the interest rate on the retained portion, but may not exceed the average interest rate charged by the lender on loans made to farm and ranch borrowers. Provides for Federal-State coordination of assistance for beginning farmers and ranchers. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to establish an Advisory Committee on Beginning Farmers and Ranchers. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants for rural passenger transportation services or facilities. Directs the Secretary to establish within the farm ownership loan program a ten-year down payment loan program for beginning farmers and ranchers. Sets forth loan terms. Limits the availability of certain agricultural loans and guarantees to beginning farmers and ranchers during specified applicable periods. Directs the Secretary to establish a program of assistance (ten-year maximum) for beginning farmers and ranchers. Requires an applicant to submit a farm operations plan (plan) to the appropriate county committee, which must be approved by the committee and by the Secretary. Provides assistance in the form of operation and equipment loan guarantees. Gives applicants priority for equipment purchases in the Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) inventory. Terminates assistance for avoidable failure to achieve plan goals. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a program to encourage borrowers with operating loans or guarantees to graduate to private commercial credit sources; and (2) provide for the graduation of FmHA direct loan borrowers to FmHA guaranteed loans. Authorizes the leasing or leasing-with-purchase-option of certain FmHA inventory land not otherwise suitable for sale. Sets forth provisions regarding the transfer of Indian lands pledged as FmHA loan collateral, including properties containing a hazardous substance. Sets forth debt service margin requirements, including establishment of a certified lenders program. Defines "qualified beginning farmer or rancher" for assistance purpose. Sets aside specified percentages of operating and ownership loan assistance for beginning farmers or ranchers. Permits a borrower to appeal a loan appraisal determination. Title II: Farm Credit System - Amends the Farm Credit Act of 1971 to repeal the prohibition against guarantees of debt instruments whose income is tax exempt. Authorizes the Farm Credit Administration to approve competitive charters of Farm Credit System institutions under specified circumstances. Title III: Miscellaneous - Amends the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987 to increase the Federal assistance ceiling for State agricultural loan mediation programs. Title IV: Recreational Hunting Safety - Recreational Hunting Safety and Preservation Act of 1991 - Makes it unlawful to intentionally obstruct a lawful hunt (as defined by this Act) within a national forest. Establishes: (1) civil penalties for such violations; (2) procedures for individual and government agent complaints; and (3) permitted uses of collected penalty money. Authorizes injunctive relief. Permits an affected individual or sportsman's organization to bring a civil action to recover actual and punitive damages and attorney's fees.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 1992
Constitutional Amendment - Declares that neither the Supreme Court nor any inferior court of the United States shall have the power to instruct or order a State or political subdivision thereof, or an official of such State or political subdivision, to lay or increase taxes.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 1992
Amends the Internal Revenue Code and the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 to exempt as an employer any person engaged in locomotive and freight car repair services and activities from the railroad retirement tax, but only if such person was so engaged before July 1, 1988, is not subject to the direct jurisdiction of the Interstate Commerce Commission, and is not (and never was) a division or part of a carrier with which such person is currently affiliated. Amends the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act to exempt such employers from the railroad unemployment tax.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 1992
Family Leave Tax Credit Act of 1992 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an employer an income tax credit for 20 percent of qualified employee compensation with respect to an employee who is on family leave. Defines family leave as leave in connection with the birth of a child, the placement of a child with the employee for adoption or foster care, the care of a child, spouse, or parent with a serious health condition, or the treatment of a serious health condition which makes the employee unable to perform the functions of his or her position. Limits such credit to employers with 500 or fewer employees, the amount of qualified compensation, and the maximum period for the use of such leave.
United States · United States Congress · 12 August 1992
Chief Big Foot National Memorial Park and Wounded Knee National Memorial Establishment Act of 1992 - Establishes the Big Foot National Memorial Park in South Dakota to protect the historical significance of the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre site and to protect and promote Sioux history and culture. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to acquire lands for the Park by: (1) accepting leasehold interests in tribal trust lands located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation offered by the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, under specified conditions; and (2) purchase, donation, or condemnation of all surface and subsurface rights to any tract of fee patented land which the Director of the National Park Service deems necessary to include in the Park. Authorizes and directs the Secretary to provide all assistance necessary (including financial assistance) to the Oglala Sioux Tribe in acquiring lands within the Wounded Knee Massacre site as defined in the 1990 boundaries studies authorized by the National Park Service. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the National Park Service, to manage such leasehold lands as a unit of the National Park System. Exempts all enrolled members of specified tribes from admission fees into the Park. Directs the Secretary to collect such fees from all other persons entering the Park. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements with the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and the Oglala Sioux Tribe to provide training to tribal members on the interpretation, management, protection, and preservation of historical properties and in the provision of public services on their respective Reservation. Directs the Secretary to give preference to employing qualified members of such Tribes in the development, interpretation and management of the Park and in related activities. Requires the Secretary to plan, design, and construct, within the boundaries of the Park, the Wounded Knee National Memorial (a suitable and appropriate memorial dedicated to the Indian victims of the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre). Vests responsibility in the Secretary, acting through the National Park Service, for the operation, maintenance, upkeep, and repair of the memorial and the related structure located on the Cheyenne River Reservation. Authorizes and directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on the feasibility of: (1) establishing and marking the route taken by Chief Big Foot and his band from the Cheyenne River Reservation to Wounded Knee as a national historic trail; (2) establishing an information/orientation center on Interstate 90 at Cactus Flats and a visitor center on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation; and (3) establishing the Crazy Horse Memorial Highway (a scenic two lane highway) from Interstate 90 to Wounded Knee and westward from Wounded Knee to Highway 79. Prohibits a Federal agency from issuing a license or permit to any persons to conduct any activity within the Park which could affect the resources or values of it unless the Secretary determines that such proposed activity will be conducted in a manner consistent with the standards and criteria established pursuant to the general management plan required by this Act and will not have a significant adverse effect on the resources or values of the Park. Makes these provisions applicable only with respect to activities commencing and licenses or permits issued after the enactment of this Act. Establishes the Chief Big Foot National Memorial Park Advisory Commission within the Department of the Interior to advise the Director of the National Park Service on the planning, management, and administration of the Park. Requires the Secretary, acting through the National Park Service, to develop and transmit to specified congressional committees a general management plan for the park describing the appropriate uses and development of it. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into: (1) cooperative agreements with tribal organizations or nonprofit corporations to raise funds from private sources to supplement Federal funds authorized by this Act; and (2) a cooperative agreement with the Tribe or its designated agency or authority or, with the Tribe's approval, a nonprofit corporation to raise private funds to plan, design, construct, operate, and maintain specified projects. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 August 1992
Federal Crop Insurance Fairness Act - Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act with respect to crop insurance yield coverage to: (1) base coverage on a producer's crop yields for a commodity over four-to-ten crop years; (2) establish a minimum yield coverage floor of not less than entry level coverage; (3) limit transitional yield data use to not more than four years; and (4) permit the use of previous yield or transitional yield data for new land. States that late planting coverage shall: (1) extend for up to 25 days after the final planting date; and (2) reduce yield guarantee by one percent per day for the first ten days and two percent per day for the next 15 days. Includes prevented planting coverage (with substitute crop option) as part of the basic crop insurance policy. Provides 50 percent coverage for a natural disaster-caused prevented planting. States that the insured producers shall not have their indemnity payment reduced because of a de minimis yield.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 1992
Omnibus Adoption Assistance and Maternal Health Certificates Act - Establishes the National Advisory Council on Adoption (the Council), to be appointed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Authorizes appropriations for FY 1993 through 1995. Terminates such Council after three years. Directs the Secretary of HHS to: (1) report to the Congress, within 30 days, on the status of the implementation of the adoption data collection system required under specified provisions of the Social Security Act, including specific assurances relating to such system; (2) report monthly to the Congress on the progress made in implementing such system; and (3) consult with the Council in developing regulations to carry out such reporting requirements and assurances. Directs the Secretary to issue regulations as necessary, including appropriate requirements and incentives to ensure that the data collection system functions reliably throughout the United States. Requires the system to: (1) avoid unnecessary diversions of resources from agencies responsible for adoption and foster care; (2) use uniform definitions and methodologies; (3) include data concerning public and private agencies that receive Federal assistance and voluntary information of non-Federal agencies; and (4) provide certain other demographic characteristics. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary to award grants to States to enable them to establish programs to provide maternal health certificates to eligible pregnant women who are residents of a maternity home, or on a waiting list or receiving out-patient services from a maternity home. Limits such women's income to 175 percent of the State poverty level, not including support received from parents, guardians, or the father of the child. Sets forth eligibility requirements for the maternity home, including that it have the capability to serve at least four pregnant women concurrently. Requires the use of certificates to pay the reasonable costs associated with residence in, or services of, the maternity home. Allows the use of certificates to cover expenses incurred during a period that ends not later than one month after the birth of the child. Limits such certificates to $80 per day in the case of a resident and $50 per day in the case of out-patient services. Establishes a matching requirement for the State agency and/or the maternity home equal to the amount of the certificates. Directs the Secretary, in consultation with the Council, to issue regulations to carry out such program. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1993 through 1995. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to establish a program of fellowships for graduate study in social work, in innovative programs concerning the effects of adoption on the adopted children, their adoptive families, and their biological parents who make an adoption plan. Directs the Secretary of Education to award up to 50 such fellowships. Sets forth provisions for student selection procedures, stipends, payments to institutions, fellowship conditions, consultation with the Council, and an authorization of appropriations for FY 1993 through 1995. Directs the Secretary of Education, within one year after enactment of this Act, to make grants to States to carry out adoption education programs. Sets forth provisions for grants amounts, applications and agreements, program guidelines, consultation with the Council, and an authorization of appropriations for FY 1993 through 1995. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to prohibit discrimination by insurance companies in the writing or executing of insurance policies on the basis of whether a child is adopted. Makes it an unlawful employment practice for an employer to discriminate against an employee with respect to a term or condition of any leave benefit on the basis of the fact that a child of an employee is not a biological child. Provides injunctive relief for such discrimination. Amends the Social Security Act to provide payments to States for expenses incurred in placing a child with special needs in adoptive homes if the child is placed within three months of becoming available for adoption. Expresses the sense of the Congress that each State should adopt and enforce specified types of adoption laws, rules, or regulations, which include provisions for: (1) disclosure of all relevant information, including background information (except actual identification of the child or biological parents), to the prospective adoptive parent, with criminal penalties for unauthorized disclosure; (2) pre-placement investigations of the prospective adoptive parent; (3) disclosure to the court of all costs incurred by or on behalf of each party to the adoption; (4) guaranteed adequate legal representation for the biological mother; (5) filing of a petition for adoption with the appropriate court within one year after placement; and (6) coverage by the health plan of the adoptive parent of pregnancy and childbirth expenses (excluding surrogate parenting arrangements) for the child and the biological mother, or for any dependent child of the plan enrollee, and plan coverage of pre-existing conditions of adoptive children.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1992
Declares that the Congress acknowledges and appreciates the commitment, devotion, and sacrifices of present and former military families. Designates November 23, 1992, as National Military Families Recognition Day.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1992
Amends the District of Columbia Code to repeal the prohibition in the District of Columbia on individuals carrying self-defense items containing tear gas or a chemically similar lacrimator or sternutator such as MACE.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 1992
Brain Injury Rehabilitation Quality Act of 1992 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to provide for optional Medicaid coverage of services provided through a State case management program that meets specified requirements to Medicaid-eligible individuals who sustain traumatic brain injuries. Describes the services provided under such a program. Specifies criteria related to the eligibility of individuals and service providers to participate in such a program. Requires that an individual reside in a State that has designated a State coordinator for traumatic brain injuries in order to receive services under this Act. Requires such coordinator to establish policies and standards for providing services, make necessary reports to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, supervise and coordinate services for persons with traumatic brain injuries, and perform other specified duties, including establishing an advisory committee. Makes such coordinator responsible for a program of activities related to preventing and reducing the rate of traumatic brain injuries in the State. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control, to establish standards for the reporting of data on traumatic brain injuries and the operation of registries of traumatic brain injuries for coordinator use. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Administrator for Health Care Policy and Research to conduct a study on the effectiveness of traumatic brain injury interventions. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1992
States that the criminal act of stalking other persons is of deep concern. Directs the Attorney General, acting through the Director of the National Institute of Justice, to: (1) evaluate anti-stalking legislation and proposed legislation in the States; (2) develop model anti-stalking legislation that is constitutional and enforceable; (3) prepare and disseminate to State authorities the findings made as a result of the evaluation; and (4) report to the Congress on the need for further Federal action.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1992
Cuban Democracy Act of 1992 - Sets forth U.S. policy with respect to Cuba. Declares that the President should encourage countries that conduct trade with Cuba to restrict their trade and credit regulations with Cuba in a manner consistent with this Act. Authorizes the President to impose the following sanctions against countries that provide assistance to Cuba: (1) ineligibility for assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 or the Arms Export Control Act; (2) a prohibition on agreements with the United States for the establishment of free trade areas; and (3) ineligibility for forgiveness or reduction of debt owed to the U.S. Government. Terminates such sanctions if the President reports to the Congress that Cuba has met conditions established under this Act concerning democracy, human rights, and a free market economy. Prohibits restrictions on the export to Cuba of medicines, subject to specified conditions and inspection requirements. Permits telecommunications services between the United States and Cuba. Requires the U.S. Postal Service to provide direct mail service to and from Cuba. Authorizes the President to provide assistance to promote nonviolent democratic change in Cuba. Prohibits the issuance of licenses for certain transactions between U.S.-controlled firms in third countries and Cuba. Bars domestic concerns from receiving a tax deduction for the portion of the deductible expenses of such concerns which are allocated or apportioned to income derived from Cuba. Prohibits vessels which enter Cuba to engage in trade from loading or unloading any freight in the United States within 180 days after departure from Cuba. Prohibits: (1) vessels carrying goods or passengers to or from Cuba or carrying goods in which a Cuban national has an interest from entering a U.S. port, except as authorized by the Secretary of the Treasury; and (2) specified commodities authorized to be exported under a general license from being exported under such a license to any such vessels. Directs the President to establish strict limits on remittances to Cuba by U.S. persons for purposes of financing the travel of Cubans to the United States to assure that such remittances are not used by the Cuban Government as a means of gaining access to U.S. currency. Declares that food, medicine, and medical supplies for humanitarian purposes should be made available to Cuba under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 if the President certifies to the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the Government of Cuba: (1) has made a commitment to hold free and fair elections for a new government within six months and is proceeding to implement that decision; (2) has made a commitment to respect and is respecting human rights and basic democratic freedoms; and (3) is not providing weapons or funds to any group in any other country that seeks the violent overthrow of the government of such country. Waives sanctions against Cuba under this Act if the President reports to the Congress that Cuba: (1) has held free and fair elections conducted under internationally recognized observers; (2) has permitted opposition parties ample time to campaign for such elections and has permitted full access to the media to all candidates; (3) is showing respect for basic civil liberties and human rights; (4) is moving toward establishing a free market economic system; and (5) has committed itself to constitutional change that would ensure regular free and fair elections. Requires the President, if he makes such report, to take the following actions with respect to a freely-elected Cuban Government: (1) encourage the admission of such government to international organizations and financial institutions; (2) provide emergency relief during Cuba's transition to a viable economic system; (3) take steps to end the U.S. trade embargo of Cuba; and (4) enter into negotiations for a trade agreement with Cuba. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to exercise the authorities of the Trading With the Enemy Act in enforcing this Act. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the Trading With the Enemy Act to authorize the Secretary to impose a civil penalty on violators of such Act. Provides for forfeiture of any property or vessel that is the subject of a violation. Requires the Department of the Treasury to establish a branch of the Office of Foreign Assets Control in Miami, Florida.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1992
Information Infrastructure and Technology Act of 1992 - Amends the National Science and Technology Policy, Organization, and Priorities Act of 1976 to require the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, through the Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology, to establish an Information Infrastructure Program and five-year implementation plan that shall provide a coordinated interagency effort to develop technologies needed to apply high-performance computing and high-speed networking in education, libraries, health care, manufacturing, and other appropriate fields. Requires the plan to take into consideration the activities of the Library of Congress. Directs the establishment of an advisory committee, consisting of qualified industry and academia representatives, on high-performance computing and high-speed networking communications to independently assess plan progress. Requires Federal agency plan participants to report annually on high-performance computing activities. Directs the National Science Foundation and other appropriate agencies to provide for the development of advanced technologies for use in education, including pilot projects connecting primary and secondary schools to the Internet and the National Research and Education Network. Directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology to establish an Advanced Manufacturing Systems and Networking Project to create a collaborative multiyear technology development program. Directs the National Institutes of Health to develop technologies for applications in the health care sector, including application of testbed networks linking medical facilities and schools for the sharing of medical data and imagery. Calls for the development of technologies for digital libraries of electronic information, including the development of advanced data storage systems. Directs the National Science Foundation, working with the supercomputer centers it supports, to develop prototype digital libraries of scientific data, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to develop databases of software and remote-sensing images. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1992
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to repeal the prohibition against separate billing for electrocardiogram interpretations. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make separate payment under the Medicare fee schedule for any such interpretations performed or ordered to be performed as part of or in conjunction with a visit to or a consultation with a physician. Provides for adjustment of medical visit and consultation relative values so as not to include relative value units for electrocardiogram interpretation in the relative value for medical visits and consultations. Sets forth guidelines for the adjustment of Medicare fee schedule amounts to reflect the separate payment for electrocardiogram interpretations.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1992
Prohibits the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from implementing any national primary drinking water regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act (the Act) or any similar regulation until this Act's requirements are met and legislation that extends the authorization of the Act is enacted. Requires the Administrator to study and report to the Congress on: (1) each final regulation that has been promulgated under the Act and regulatory alternatives that reflect a range of levels of safety or direct health benefits; (2) any health effect an alternative would prevent and the system-level incremental cost of each alternative; (3) the contaminants listed pursuant to the Act for purposes of considering revisions to the list, taking into account anticipated adverse health effects of the contaminant, the risk or safety factors associated with the maximum contaminant level, and whether the contaminant may occur in public water systems; (4) compliance deadlines; (5) whether a regulation should apply exclusively to small public water systems; and (6) recommended alternatives to ensure that States and political subdivisions meet funding needs to carry out the Act. Directs the Administrator, if a primary drinking water regulation is justifiable to protect human health, to implement or promulgate such regulation without regard to the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1992
Repeals a Federal prohibition on the payment of compensation to a veteran who has neither spouse, child, nor dependent parent, who is rated by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs as being incompetent, and whose estate exceeds $25,000, until the estate's value is reduced to less than $10,000.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1992
Amends title IV of the Social Security Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to enter into an agreement with the Attorney General under which the Parent Locator Service shall be made available on a no-fee basis, to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention for the purpose of locating missing parents and children.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1992
Medical and Health Insurance Information Reform Act of 1992 - Adds a new title XXII, Medical And Health Insurance Information Reform, to the Social Security Act (SSA). Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in order to assure the availability of comparative value information to health care purchasers, to determine whether each State is developing and implementing a health care value information program. Enumerates the criteria for State programs. Provides that if the Secretary finds that a State has not developed or implemented a health care value information program that comports with such criteria, the Secretary must take necessary actions to implement a comparable program in the State. Allows fees to be charged for the informational materials provided pursuant to such program. Directs the head of any Federal agency with responsibility for the provision of health insurance or health care services to develop and make comparative value information available to States, health care providers, and consumers. Directs the Secretary to promulgate requirements for health insurers to furnish periodically to the Secretary, on a sample basis, health care data relevant to health care services research. Requires the Secretary to make available, under the Freedom of Information Act, all Medicare (SSA title XVIII) claims records, without regard to the consent of the physician or other individual who furnished the item or service in question. Maintains in force Privacy Act protections against the release of information that identifies Medicare beneficiaries. Applies this new requirement for release of records only to information received after the enactment of this Act. Directs the Secretary, directly or through grant or contract, to develop model systems: (1) for gathering health care cost, quality, and outcomes data; and (2) for analyzing such data in a manner that would allow valid comparisons among providers and among health plans. Requires the Secretary to support and evaluate experiments with different approaches to achieve the most cost-effective method. Provides that, when appropriate, the Secretary may establish standards for data gathering in order to facilitate analysis and comparisons across the nation. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States to enable them to plan and initiate implementation of their health care information programs. Authorizes appropriations. Nullifies any State law which requires medical or health insurance records (including billing information) to be kept in written, rather than electronic, form. Directs the Secretary, after taking into consideration the Insurance Information and Privacy Protection Model Act of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), to promulgate requirements concerning health insurance information privacy and confidentiality. Includes among such requirements that information identifying individuals shall not be redisclosed (with such limited exceptions as the Secretary may provide) except to the extent necessary to carry out the purpose for which the information was collected. Requires the Secretary to take into consideration specified principles concerning information that identifies individuals when promulgating such requirements. Directs the Secretary to determine whether problems relating to standards for the electronic receipt and transmission of health insurance information cause significant administrative costs. Requires the Secretary, if such costs are generated, to promulgate standards for the electronic receipt and transmission of claims, payment, eligibility, and enrollment information (including privacy and confidentiality protection requirements). Directs the Secretary to determine whether problems relating to the receipt and transmission of health insurance eligibility verification cause significant administrative costs. Requires the Secretary, if such costs are generated, to promulgate requirements for the receipt and transmission of health insurance eligibility verification. Directs the Secretary to determine whether the proportion of health insurance claims and payment information received and transmitted by paper will continue to cause significant administrative costs. Directs the Secretary, if such costs are generated, to require a specified proportion of (or all of) such information to be received and transmitted electronically (with such exceptions as the Secretary might specify). Directs the Secretary to promulgate requirements for the format and content of basic claim forms under health insurance plans. Directs the Secretary to determine whether the variety of information requested by health insurers (in addition to information requested in basic claims forms) causes administrative costs disproportionate to the benefits derived. Requires the Secretary, if such costs are generated, to publish recommendations concerning what additional information should be allowed to be requested and in what format. Directs the Secretary, after consulting with the NAIC, to promulgate rules for determining the relative liability of insurers and the priority of payment when several health insurance policies cover the same individual. Directs the Secretary to determine whether problems relating to the transfer of information among health insurers that cover the same individual cause significant mistaken payments or administrative costs. Requires the Secretary, if such payments or costs are generated, to promulgate requirements concerning the transfer among insurers (and annual updating) of information (which may include requirements for the use of unique identifiers, and for the listing of all individuals covered under a health insurance plan). Directs the Secretary to determine, for each State, whether there were in effect State requirements substantially the same as those enumerated below and whether the State effectively enforced them. Applies the requirements enumerated below to administrators of self-insured employee plans. Provides for Federal backup authority to be effective in a States (with respect to a section) only if the Secretary makes a negative finding with respect to certain requirements or if the State does not provide sufficient information to enable the Secretary to make the determination. Requires health insurers (in States that do not have an equivalent program) to: (1) meet the Federal requirements concerning the protection of privacy and confidentiality; (2) use social security numbers for their beneficiaries and Medicare unique identifiers for each providers that furnishes items and services; (3) meet the standards and requirements (if any) concerning the receipt and transmission of health insurance information; (4) meet the requirements concerning the form and content of health insurance claim forms; (5) follow the rules determining the priority of payment when several health insurance policies cover the same individual; and (6) meet the requirements (if any) concerning the furnishing of information among insurers. Requires the Secretary, after consulting with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and others, to promulgate requirements for hospitals concerning electronic medical data. Specifies the data sets to be included in such requirements. Permits the Secretary, after consulting with ANSI and others, to promulgate requirements for health care entities other than hospitals concerning electronic medical data. Requires hospitals that participate in the Medicare program to maintain an electronic patient care information system that meets certain data set requirements promulgated by the Secretary for hospitals, and to transmit data electronically to the Secretary, peer review organizations, carriers, and intermediaries, from the appropriate data sets. Permits waivers of such requirements for hospitals in the process of developing an electronic patient care information system, for small rural hospitals, and for certain hospitals that agree to subject their data transfer processes to specified quality assurance procedures. Permits Federal agencies to require electronic transmission of data elements utilized for certain agency health care or research programs. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to subject insurers to an excise tax for any failure to comply with requirements under SSA new title XXII respecting health insurance. Specifies the amount of such tax for administrator of self-insured employee welfare benefit plans and other insurers. Provides that the excise tax generally shall not apply if the violation could not have been discovered through the exercise of reasonable diligence, or if the violation was corrected within 30 days after it had been discovered. Gives the Secretary authority to waive the tax if the violations were due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, to the extent payment of the tax would be excessive relative to the failure involved. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to: (1) community organizations or coalitions of health care providers, insurers, and purchasers to establish, and document the efficacy of, communication links between the information systems of health insurers and of health care providers; and (2) public and private non-profit entities for the development of regional- and community- based clinical information systems, and for the development and testing of certain ambulatory care data sets. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1992
Pacific Yew Act - Directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and of the Interior to pursue a conservation-management policy with respect to National Forest System and other public lands containing Pacific yew that will combine long-term conservation with sustainable yew harvests for the manufacture of taxol (a cancer treatment drug derived from the yew.) Requires timber sales to be conducted in accord with such policy. Directs the Secretaries to: (1) inventory Pacific yew on lands under their jurisdiction; (2) encourage and assist in research regarding the ecology of the Pacific yew, development of alternative methods of procuring taxol, and propagation of Pacific yew and other yew species in agricultural or commercial settings; and (3) ensure collection of Pacific yew resources in a fashion that minimizes illegal harvests and maintains the yew's taxol properties. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to sell Pacific yew to qualifying persons for manufacturing of taxol in the United States. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to determine and notify the appropriate Secretaries when sufficient medical quantities of taxol are available from sources other than Pacific yew harvested from Federal lands. Terminates the requirements of this Act upon such notification.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 1992
Crow Settlement Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to settle contractually the 107th Meridian dispute over the eastern boundary of the Crow Indian Reservation, Montana. Creates the Indian Claims Settlement Trust Fund for making Indian claims settlement payments. Establishes within the Fund the Crow Tribal Trust Account. Requires contracts with the Crow Tribe and the Northern Cheyenne Tribe concerning property issues related to the boundary dispute, including coal, oil, and other mineral ownership. Requires an exchange of Montana public lands for State school lands within the Crow Indian Reservation and the disputed area. Makes special provision for the Yellowtail Afterbay Dam and construction of a powerplant and bypass. Revokes, upon effect of the settlement contract with the Crow Tribe and the Secretary, the authority of the Bureau of Reclamation to operate specified irrigation projects. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 1992
World University Games Commemorative Coin Act of 1992 - Authorizes the minting and issuance of five-dollar gold coins and one-dollar silver coins (at no net cost to the Government) to commemorate American participation in the World University Games. Requires that all surcharges from the sale of such coins be paid to the Greater Buffalo Athletic Corporation to support amateur athletic programs, to erect facilities for the use of such athletes, and to underwrite the cost of sponsoring the World University Games.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1992
Medicare Enrollment Improvement and Protection Act of 1992 - Title I: Improving Enrollment - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act 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 (title XIX of the Social Security Act) payment of their premiums, deductibles, and copayments under Medicare and how to apply for such benefit. Requires the notice described above to be prepared in a manner suitable for posting and distributed to physicians, hospital offices, other medical facilities, and entities receiving grants from the Secretary for programs designed to provide services to individuals age 65 or older. Requires the Secretary to establish a toll-free telephone number for information about such benefit. Amends the Medicaid program to require the Secretary to develop a simplified form for applying for such benefit for processing at social security offices. Amends the Medicare program to mandate direct enrollment of part A (Hospital Insurance) eligibles by the Secretary. 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 benefit. Authorizes appropriations to fund such grant program. 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 to have Medicaid cover such costs. Title III: Report - Directs the Secretary to submit reports to the Congress on Department activities to ensure enrollment and full implementation of the program under the Social Security Act for Medicaid payment of Medicare costs and the effectiveness of each such activity, along with any recommendations for appropriate legislation.
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.