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United States · Official source
4,407 records where Sen. Cranston, Alan [D-CA] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1989
Designates November 19 through November 25, 1989, as National Family Caregivers Week.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1989
Designates October 16, 1989, and October 16, 1990, as World Food Day.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1989
Welcomes steps taken toward institutionalizing a democratic process in the Soviet Union, with the convening on May 25, 1989, of a Congress of Peoples' Deputies from which members of the Supreme Soviet will be elected. Expresses the hope that this process will ultimately result in a reconstituted Supreme Soviet with access to the information needed to make policy and the power to make laws, approve and alter budgets, appoint and change government officials, and oversee security and military services.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1989
Commends the Flying Tigers for nearly 50 years of service to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1989
Designates June 21, 1989, as Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner Day. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 has helped to fulfill the promise of democracy in this Nation. Reaffirms the goal of removing remaining barriers to full voter participation in this Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1989
Veterans' Educational Assistance Improvements Act of 1989 - Title I: Educational Assistance and Vocational Rehabilitation Program Improvements - Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to repeal a current requirement that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs make separate determinations of whether the achievement of a vocational goal is reasonably feasible for veterans under the age of 50. Provides that a pension being paid to a veteran who, while participating in a veterans' vocational training program, secures employment in an area related to the veteran's vocational training goal, shall not be terminated unless the veteran maintains that employment for 12 consecutive months. Eliminates the reference to a high school equivalency certificate (as a requirement for eligibility for educational benefits under the Montgomery GI Bill), instead requiring that an individual have certain alternate school credentials accepted by the armed forces, pursuant to regulations promulgated by the Secretary of Defense, which are equivalent to a secondary school diploma. Changes the date by which an individual serving on active duty or in the Selected Reserve must elect not to participate in certain educational benefits under the Montgomery GI Bill to within 14 days of the date such individual begins service. Makes permanent the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) program for the provision of independent living services and assistance for severely handicapped veterans. Deletes a provision authorizing the advance payment of a work-study allowance for veteran-students. Expands the eligibility for the provision of work-study benefits to include veterans who: (1) are pursuing programs of rehabilitation on at least a half-time basis; and (2) have disabilities rated at 50 percent or more and are pursuing programs of education or training on at least a half-time basis. Title II: Administrative and Miscellaneous Provisions - Deletes a provision authorizing the advance payment of a veterans' rehabilitation subsistence allowance. Revises provisions allowing for the renewal of educational assistance to a veteran that has been discontinued after unsatisfactory progress to allow such renewal under the following circumstances: (1) the cause of the unsatisfactory conduct or progress has been removed; (2) the program proposed to be pursued is suitable to the veteran's aptitudes, interests, and abilities; or (3) if a program change is involved, the change meets certain requirements of approval established by the Secretary under current Federal law. Revises current Federal provisions which provide for the measurement of certain unit courses or subjects pursued by veterans toward a standard college degree to measure such course enrollment by converting the credit hours being pursued to equivalent clock hours, and combining this number with the actual number of clock hours concurrently being pursued, if any, to determine appropriate training time to be credited to such veterans. Amends a provision of the All-Volunteer Force Educational Assistance Program to provide for a proportionate reduction in the educational assistance entitlement in accordance with the reduction in the monthly educational assistance allowance paid when a veteran pursuing an apprenticeship or other on-the-job training program fails to complete 120 hours of such training in a month. Makes an identical reduction in such assistance under the Post-Vietnam Era Veterans' Educational Assistance Program.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1989
National Cooperative Research Act Extension of 1989 - Amends the National Cooperative Research Act of 1984 to include a joint manufacturing venture within the scope of such Act as an activity that shall not be deemed illegal per se under the antitrust laws.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1989
Amends the Agricultural Adjustment Act, as reenacted by the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, to prohibit the importation of kiwifruit, peaches, pears, nectarines, and plums that do not comply with marketing order grade, size, quality, and maturity requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1989
Authorizes the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to transfer a veteran under the care of the VA to a nursing home in Alaska or Hawaii when the cost to the United States of such care does not exceed 50 percent of the cost furnished by a community general hospital under contract with the VA in such States. Provides for the reimbursement by the VA of certain medical expenses of a veteran who is a participant in a vocational rehabilitation program and is medically determined to have been in need of care or treatment to make possible such veteran's entrance into such a program, to prevent interruption of such program, or to hasten his or her return to such program. Provides a director-scale pay category for physicians or dentists serving in a director position in the central office of the Veterans Health Services and Research Administration. Includes physical therapists, occupational therapists, or pharmacists among positions to which temporary full-time appointments shall not exceed two years. Provides that students who have a temporary appointment and are pursuing a degree in such field may be reappointed for a period not to exceed the duration of such student's academic program. Requires funds from the Veterans' Canteen Service Revolving Fund to be deposited only in checking accounts (currently permitted to be deposited in other interest-bearing accounts). Provides for the investment of amounts in such revolving fund not currently required for current disbursements. Revises provisions concerning the exclusive and independent authority of the Veterans' Canteen Service within the VA. Amends the Veterans' Benefits and Services Act of 1988 to extend through FY 1992 the authority for the pilot program of community-based residential care for homeless chronically mentally ill and other veterans. Extends certain reports concerning such program.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1989
Designates the month of November 1989 as National Diabetes Month.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1989
Designates October 1989 as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1989
Designates September 1989 as National Alcohol and Drug Treatment Month.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1989
Designates October 1 through October 7, 1989, as National Disability Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1989
Radiation Victims Fair Treatment Act - Amends the Department of Defense Authorization Act, 1985 to repeal provisions which: (1) substitute the United States as defendant in all suits against private contractors for radiation injuries arising from atomic weapons testing programs; and (2) make the Federal Tort Claims Act the sole remedy for those injuries. Details the applicability of statutes of limitations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1989
Designates the week of February 11 through February 17, 1990, as Vocational-Technical Education Week.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1989
Nontraditional Employment for Women Act - Amends the Job Training Partnership Act (the Act) to define "nontraditional employment," as applied to women, to refer to occupations or fields of work where women comprise less than 25 percent of the individuals employed. Requires service delivery area (SDA) job training plans to include: (1) goals for the training of women in nontraditional employment and the training-related placement of women in nontraditional employment and apprenticeship; (2) a description of efforts to be undertaken to accomplish such goals, including efforts to increase awareness of such training and placement opportunities; and (3) procedures for annual reporting of the extent to which the SDA has met such goals and of a statistical breakdown of women trained and placed in nontraditional occupations, including specified types of information. Requires the State Governor's coordination and special services plan also to include such goals and descriptions of efforts for training and placement of women in nontraditional employment under the Act and the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act. Directs the State job training coordinating council to: (1) review, summarize, and annually disseminate the results of SDAs' and Governor's efforts to train and place women in nontraditional employment; and (2) obtain from the sex equity coordinator under the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act a summary of activities and an analysis of results under that Act and disseminate them annually. Requires State education coordination grant recipients to provide statewide coordinated approaches, including model programs, to train, place, and retain women in nontraditional employment. Allows the use of funds under title II (Training Services for the Disadvantaged) for outreach activities relating to education, training, work experience, and retention of women in nontraditional employment. Directs the Secretary of Labor to use a specified portion of funds for national activities under the Act for FY 1990 through 1993 to make grants to States to develop demonstration and exemplary programs to train and place women in nontraditional employment. Limits such grants to no more than six per fiscal year. Allows States receiving such assistance to award grants to service providers and SDAs under specified conditions. Directs the Secretary of Labor to report, with recommendations, to the Congress within five years on the extent of success of States and SDAs, and the effectiveness of such demonstration programs, in training, placing, and retaining women in nontraditional employment.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1989
Farm Conservation and Water Protection Act of 1989 - Title I: General Provisions - Sets forth findings and policies regarding low-input agricultural production systems as alternatives to high-input systems. Subtitle A: Production Adjustment Programs - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 with regard to the 1990 crops of wheat, feed grains, upland cotton, and rice to consider as program crop acreage (for purposes of conservation use acreage farm crop acreage bases) the planting of legumes or small grain-legume mixtures as part of a resource-conserving crop rotation (erosion reduction, nitrogen fixing, agricultural chemical reduction). Requires with regard to such crops that vegetative cover be planted on all conservation use acreage. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to pay part of such costs, and requires the Secretary to pay 50 percent of such costs if an approved legume cover resource conserving crop rotation system is used. Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to direct the Secretary to enter into multiyear set-aside contracts with producers participating in production adjustment programs for each of the 1990 through 1995 crops of wheat, feed grains, upland cotton, and rice. Subtitle B: FmHA Programs - Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to expand the scope of soil and water conservation loans. Makes the conversion to and maintenance of low-input agricultural production systems eligible for operating loans. Subtitle C: Crop Insurance - Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to prohibit crop insurance discrimination against producers utilizing low-input agricultural production systems. Directs the Secretary to report to the appropriate congressional committees regarding such producers' crop insurance needs. Subtitle D: Low-Input Agricultural Production System Program - Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a program to assist producers in adopting low-input agricultural production systems; and (2) develop related technical guides and provide grants for such purpose. Authorizes appropriations. Requires: (1) a producer to develop a farm management plan in order to receive such assistance; and (2) the Agricultural Soil Conservation Service and the Agricultural Extension Service to certify plan compliance. Requires the Secretary to make acreage limitation and price support adjustments for participating producers of the 1990 crops of wheat, feed grains, upland cotton, and rice. Provides specified Federal crop insurance premiums for such producers. Directs the Secretary to: (1) submit to the appropriate congressional committees a technical guide report and annual program reports; and (2) disseminate program information through the Agricultural Extension Service and State extension services. Title II: Conservation - Subtitle A: Wetland Protection and Restoration Program - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to direct the Secretary to establish a wetland restoration program based on permanent easement contracts and shared restoration costs. States that eligible land shall be wetland or converted wetland used as cropland not otherwise set aside in another Federal program (except for land in the conservation reserve program). Authorizes appropriations. Sets forth provisions with respect to easement contracts and responsibilities of the Secretary and the owners. Subtitle B: Wetland Conservation, Conservation Reserve Program, and Water Bank Program - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to extend through crop year 1995 and enlarge the conservation reserve program (CRP). Provides for the inclusion of tree acreage in the CRP, including highly erodible pasture land planted with trees. Requires where appropriate (current law authorizes) the Secretary to establish shelterbelts, windbreaks, and other conservation practices including wildlife and riparian corridors. Directs the Secretary to permit specified economic use options (livestock use, timber harvesting) if an owner agrees to permanently retire the cropland base and allotment history or give the Secretary a permanent conservation use easement of CRP land. Expands the scope of the appeals procedure under the highly erodible land conservation, wetland conservation, and the conservation reserve programs. Amends the Water Bank Act to permit the Secretary to enter into permanent conservation easement contracts under such Act. Title III: Water Protection - Subtitle A: Well Testing Program - Directs the Secretary to establish a well testing program to test for pesticide and nitrate contamination. Provides assistance for the development of groundwater protection plans and outreach programs in specified areas with pesticide-contaminated drinking water supplies. Subtitle B: Sinkholes - Directs the Secretary to carry out through the 1991 crop year a pilot program to conserve soil and water resources on cropland containing naturally occurring sinkholes. Title IV: Research and Extension - Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Agricultural Research Service and the Cooperative State Research Service should: (1) make low-input agricultural research a major priority; and (2) increase research in specified areas, including plant varieties, technology transfers, and pesticide residues. Establishes within the Extension Service a Farmers Conservation Service which shall assist producers to implement low-input agricultural production systems. Title V: Certified Organic Food - Directs the Secretary to establish an Organic Food Commission to determine the advisability of establishing a national program for organic food certification. Sets forth certification criteria. Title VI: Farmland Protection - Amends the Farmland Protection Policy Act to direct the Secretary to appoint a Special Assistant to carry out the provisions of such Act. Prohibits the conversion of farmland to nonagricultural uses by a Federal agency unless: (1) the Special Assistant and affected State and local governments review a project's effects on farmland and identify alternatives; and (2) no economically reasonable alternative exists. Requires the Secretary to submit to the appropriate congressional committees an update of the National Agricultural Lands Study.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1989
Low-Income Housing Credit Act of 1989 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the low-income housing income tax credit (under current law the credit will expire after tax year 1989). Permits States a one-year carryover of unused credit authority. Assigns carryovers to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to allocate to eligible States applying for excess credit. Allows the credit only if an extended low-income housing commitment (beyond the current 15-year period) is in effect with respect to any building for the relevant taxable year. Describes procedures to effect transition to a non-low-income use in connection with such extensions. Permits the credit in connection with the acquisition of an existing building only if the taxpayer incurs rehabilitation expenditures of at least $3,000 per unit. Revises rent restrictions to: (1) declare unnecessary a required rent reduction below the initial rent if the median gross income of the area decreases; (2) permit higher rent if units are occupied by higher income individuals and the project has an operating deficit; (3) base income limitations on the number of bedrooms in a unit; and (4) use State median gross income in certain low-income housing status determinations. Broadens categories of existing buildings eligible for a waiver of the ten-year requirement for the low-income housing credit. Revises credit provisions relating to single-room occupancy units and special needs housing. Revises restrictions that limit credit benefits in connection with buildings financed with tax-exempt bonds and below market loans. Permits the credit to be allocated: (1) on a project basis; and (2) in connection with owner-occupied buildings of four units or less if a development plan is submitted. Directs housing credit agencies to adopt plans for allocating credit amounts among projects, prohibiting the credit with respect to any building not included in such a plan. Modifies at-risk rules in connection with buildings subject to the historic rehabilitation credit and those associated with financing provided by certain nonprofit organizations. Sets the tax credit rate on a semiannual basis rather than monthly. Increases the credit in connection with buildings in high cost areas (low-income census tracts or difficult development areas). Establishes special rules for determining the eligible basis and applying at-risk rules in connection with qualified buildings acquired in foreclosures.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 1989
Route 66 Study Act of 1989 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National Park Service, to undertake a comprehensive study of U.S. Route 66. Specifies that such study shall include: (1) an evaluation of the significance of the Route; (2) options for preservation and use of remaining segments and of features associated with the highway; and (3) participation by representatives from each of the States traversed by the Route and representatives of associations interested in the Route's preservation. Provides that private sector initiatives are to be fully evaluated. Directs the Secretary to report on such study to specified congressional committees within two years after funds are made available for the study. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 1989
Designates the Labor Day Weekend beginning on September 2, 1989, as National Drive for Life Weekend. Calls on people to observe that weekend with a pledge to be responsible by driving sober.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 1989
Designates September 15, 1989, as National POW/MIA Recognition Day.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 1989
Recognizes the two centuries of service by the U.S. Coast Guard.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1989
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1989 - Title I: General Prohibition Against Discrimination - Declares that it shall be discriminatory, on the basis of disability, to deny opportunities or to afford them unequally, to provide opportunities less effectively (or differently or separately, unless necessary for effectiveness), to assist an organization or individual that discriminates, or to otherwise limit opportunities enjoyed by others. Prohibits the use of standards, criteria, or administrative methods that have the purpose or effect of discrimination or perpetuate discrimination. Declares it discriminatory to deny equal opportunities because of the relationship or association of an individual with another individual with a disability. Allows as a defense to a charge of discrimination that an application of standards or criteria has been demonstrated to be both necessary and substantially related to the ability of an individual to take advantage of the essential components of the opportunity, and that the taking advantage cannot be accomplished by reasonable accommodations, modifications, or the provision of auxiliary aids or services. Title II: Employment - Prohibits discrimination by any employer, employment agency, labor organization, or joint labor-management committee against any qualified individual with a disability in job application procedures, hiring or discharge, compensation, advancement, training, and other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment. Lists types of actions construed to be discrimination. Makes the remedies set forth in specified provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other specified Federal law available to any individual who believes that he or she is being or is about to be subjected to discrimination in violation of this Act. Title III: Public Services - Declares that no qualified individual with a disability shall be excluded from the participation in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination by a State, or by an agency, political subdivision, or other instrumentality of a State. Lists types of actions deemed, for purposes of this Act and specified provisions of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to be discrimination with regard to public transportation. Makes the remedies and rights set forth in specified provisions of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 available to any individual who believes that he or she is being or is about to be subjected to discrimination in violation of this Act. Title IV: Public Accommodations and Services Operated by Private Entities - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in the enjoyment of any place of public accommodation. Lists types of actions construed to be discrimination. Prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in public transportation services provided by a private entity that is primarily engaged in transporting people, but that is not in the principal business of air transportation. Lists types of actions construed to be discrimination. Makes specified provisions of the Fair Housing Act relating to enforcement available, subject to exception, to any aggrieved individual. Title V: Telecommunications Relay Services - Defines "telecommunications relay services" to mean services that enable simultaneous communication between individuals who use telecommunications devices for the deaf (TDDs) or other nonvoice terminal devices and individuals who do not use such devices. Declares it discriminatory for any common carrier that offers telephone services to the public to fail to provide interstate or intrastate telecommunication relay services that are equal to those provided to their customers who are able to use voice services, except in any State in which services are provided through an entity designated by the State. Declares it discrimination by a State that makes such a designation if the State fails to provide interstate or intrastate relay services that are equal to those provided to their voice customers. Makes specified provisions of the Fair Housing Act relating to enforcement available, subject to exception, to any aggrieved individual. Requires the Federal Communications Commission to enforce this title. Makes specified provisions of the Communication Act of 1934 apply with respect to the enforcement of this title. Provides for cease and desist orders by the Commission and for monetary penalties. Title VI: Miscellaneous Provisions - Prohibits retaliatory discrimination against any individual because of actions related to this Act. Declares that a State shall not be immune under the 11th Amendment to the Constitution from an action in Federal court for a violation of this Act. Requires the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board to issue minimum guidelines to supplement the existing Minimum Guidelines and Requirements for Accessible Design. Allows the awarding of reasonable attorney's fees, in certain circumstances, in any action or proceeding under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1989
Veterans Health-Care Personnel Act of 1989 - Title I: Pay Matters - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, for the pay period beginning on or after July 1, 1990, to establish the rates of basic pay for the following health-care personnel employed within the Veterans Health Services and Research Administration (HSRA) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): registered nurses and registered nurse anesthetists, physicians, dentists, podiatrists, optometrists, nurses, physician assistants, dental assistants, certain clinical or counseling psychologists, certain therapists, practical or vocational nurses, pharmacists, and occupational therapists. Requires the director of each VA health-care facility to conduct a survey which will establish the rate of basic pay in each appropriate pay grade by a specified date. Requires the director to conduct an annual review to determine if such basic pay rates need to be adjusted, and to adjust them, if necessary. Requires the director, as part of such survey, to survey the equivalent entry-level positions for such work performed in non-VA health-care facilities in order to determine the amount of basic pay for similar work. Outlines further administrative provisions relating to the determination of a similar labor market area for purposes of making such pay-rate determinations, requiring the director of a VA facility to notify the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the labor market identified of his or her selection of a labor market area, and requiring the CMD to approve or disapprove of such a labor market area selection within a specified time. Provides maximum amounts for such minimum rates of basic pay as established under this Act. Outlines employee exceptions to such basic pay rates. Requires the Secretary to submit an annual report to the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees regarding the exercise of authority under this Act for the preceding fiscal year and to prescribe final regulations setting forth criteria and procedures to carry out this Act. Requires the director of each VA facility to establish and adjust such basic pay rates by a specified date even if such final regulations have not been implemented. Requires each director, within a specified period, to conduct a survey and establish an interim competitive pay rate to be followed until such final regulations and pay rates are determined. Makes conforming amendments. Authorizes overtime pay for nurses who perform in excess of 40 hours in an administrative workweek. (Currently, overtime is authorized only for work performed in excess of eight hours a day.) Authorizes the payment of six percent additional pay per hour for nurses performing work as a head nurse. Provides for the waiver of a mandatory reduction under Federal law for registered nurses working in positions of health-care professionals involved in direct patient care or in positions involving the provision of services incident to direct patient care. Increases the limitation on the amount authorized to be paid as special pay to certain individuals in the HSRA of the VA. Requires increases in such pay of a specified amount or more to be reported by the Secretary to the veterans' committees. Reduces from 90 to 45 days the time in which the Secretary must notify the President of the Secretary's intention to approve such special rates of pay. Authorizes a one-time lump-sum payment of special pay to each nurse who is recertified in the specialty in which the nurse is employed. Title II: Other Personnel Benefits - Directs the Secretary to establish by regulation a program under which the Secretary may pay a cash award to any VA employee who is a supervisor or manager employed in any of the following positions: physician, dentist, podiatrist, optometrist, nurse, physicians' assistant, or expanded-function dental auxiliary. Limits the amount of each award and the total number of recipients in each fiscal year. Directs the Secretary to establish and conduct a dependent care assistance program, which meets certain requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, for the care of dependents of employees of the HSRA. Requires such program to be implemented no later than June 1, 1990. Directs the Secretary to establish a voluntary transfer of leave program for the benefit of health-care professionals of the HSRA. Authorizes the Secretary to establish a voluntary leave bank program for the benefit of such individuals. Requires such programs to be consistent with current Federal voluntary leave programs. Authorizes the Secretary and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to enter into agreements permitting health-care professionals of the HSRA to participate in the current Federal voluntary leave transfer and voluntary leave bank programs. Requires the Secretary to implement such programs no later than October 1, 1990. Title III: Health Care Education - Requires the Secretary, in selecting applicants for the VA Scholarship Program, to ensure an equitable allocation of scholarships to persons enrolled in the second year of a program leading to an associate degree in nursing. Requires such requirement to be implemented beginning with scholarships awarded in 1990. Requires current representatives of the field of paramedics to assist in the establishment of cooperative arrangements to provide for the training of health and paramedical personnel in order to improve the manpower utilization of such personnel. Requires such requirement to be implemented no later than February 1, 1990. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1993 for making grants for such cooperative programs. Title IV: Other Personnel Management Matters - Authorizes the Secretary, upon the recommendation of the CMD, to appoint in the competitive service any individual who: (1) has been awarded a degree or certificate in a health-care profession or occupation by an accredited institution; (2) has been appointed by the Secretary to a clinical education program conducted by an educational institution affiliated with a VA health-care facility; and (3) has successfully completed such program within one year before the individual's appointment into the competitive service. Directs the CMD of the VA to conduct a pilot program at no less than five VA medical facilities during FY 1990 through 1992 in order to determine the effect on employees of VA pay and personnel management practices. Requires the CMD to establish certain alternative pay and personnel management practices, such as increasing certain pay differentials for day versus evening duty, utilizing registered nurses in new ways for the furnishing of direct-patient care, and establishing flexible employment benefits programs for VA employees. Requires various reports between the CMD, the Secretary, and the veterans' committees relating to the results of such pilot program.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1989
Designates October as National Quality Month.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 1989
International Narcotics and Terrorism Control Act of 1989 - Authorizes the President to impose additional specified transportation, immigration, and customs sanctions on certain countries if he determines that to do so would contribute to the reduction in the importation into the United States of narcotics from such countries. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require that the President's annual report to the Congress on U.S. policy with respect to an international strategy to prevent the cultivation and manufacture of, and traffic in, controlled substances include: (1) comments and recommendations regarding the war on drugs by the Departments of State, Justice, Defense, the Treasury, and Health and Human Services, the Agency for International Development, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Customs Service, and other enforcement agencies; and (2) the results of a review of the connections between international narcotics trafficking, money laundering, and international terrorism. Directs the Director of National Drug Control Policy to include in the National Drug Control Strategy to be submitted to the Congress on February 1, 1990: (1) a study of current Federal personnel practices affecting all persons engaged in the war on drugs; and (2) a determination as to whether adequate resources are being devoted to the hiring, training, promotion, and retention of Federal employees responsible for fighting drugs. Requires the Secretary of State to report to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee not later than ten days after denying a request from a law enforcement agency for assistance by the Department of State, setting forth the reasons for such denial. Makes it unlawful for any person who was employed by the executive branch or by the Congress and who performed duties with respect to narcotics-related issues, to represent a foreign government on narcotics matters for three years after leaving such employment. Provides penalties for a violation. Requires the Secretary of State and any other officer or employee of the Department of State to submit the name of any individual or entity to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Customs Service, and the Drug Enforcement Administration for their determination that such individual or entity is not under indictment or has not been convicted of any narcotics or narcotics-related offense before they may enter into a contract on behalf of the Department with such individual or entity. States that no funds made available for the Department may be available for payment on any contract entered into with an individual or entity listed by such agency. Provides that no funds made available to any element of the U.S. Government authorized to conduct intelligence activities may be available for payment to any individual who has been convicted of narcotics trafficking or money laundering, with an exception. States that it is not a defense to prosecution for certain offenses in the Federal criminal code related to foreign relations that an individual was acting pursuant to the authority or direction of any department, agency, or officer of the U.S. Government, unless: (1) such action was taken pursuant to the specific authority or direction of the Secretary of State; and (2) the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House and the Foreign Relations Committee and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate were notified by the Secretary within 48 hours after the conferral of such authority or the giving of such direction.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 1989
Designates September 14, 1989, as National DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Day.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 1989
Designates the week of November 12 through November 18, 1989, as Geography Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1989
Fresh Mushroom Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to issue an order (subject to producer and importer referendum) creating a fresh mushroom (domestic and imported) promotion, research, and consumer education program. Requires any such order to provide for the establishment of a Mushroom Council. Funds such program through producer, handler, and importer assessments. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1989
Authorizes and requests the President to designate the weeks of November 19 through November 25, 1989, and November 18 through November 24, 1990, as National Family Week.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1989
Designates October 6, 1989, as German-American Day.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1989
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) Japan has not lived up to the terms of the 1986 agreement regarding the Japanese semiconductor market; (2) the administration should convey this message to Japan; (3) the President, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of Commerce should seek full access to the Japanese market for semiconductors; and (4) the President and the USTR should take measures to achieve compliance with such agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1989
Extends sympathies to the family of Colonel James Nicholas Rowe on his death by hostile forces in the Philippines. Expresses admiration for Colonel Rowe and his service to this country. Condemns the act of terrorism by the New People's Army against an American citizen. Renews support for the democratic struggle in the Philippines. Urges the President to continue his support for the multilateral initiative of aid to the Philippines.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1989
Excludes Agent Orange settlement payments from income or resources in determining eligibility for benefits under certain Federal or federally-assisted programs.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1989
Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish and conduct, for a five-year period, a leave-sharing program for medical emergencies of employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Services and Research Administration. Requires such program to be consistent with the five-year leave-sharing program currently permitted for all Federal employees.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1989
Veterans' Housing Amendments Act of 1989 - Revises the maximum amount of a home loan to be guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for the benefit of eligible veterans. Prescribes maximum amounts to be guaranteed to veterans in the case of a loan made to refinance a construction loan, an installment land sales contract, or a loan obtained by a previous owner of property which was assumed by the veteran as the lesser of the reasonable value of the dwelling or farm residence or the sum of the outstanding balance of the refinanced loan plus closing costs. Limits the maximum amount of the loan to be guaranteed in all other cases to be no more than 90 percent of the reasonable value of the dwelling or farm residence. Grants the Secretary of Veterans Affairs authority to sell vendee loans (to maintain the effective functioning of the loan guarantee program) without recourse after: (1) consulting with a professional financial advisor; (2) reviewing the experience of other Federal agencies that have conducted loan asset sales without recourse; (3) exploring such marketing strategies as overcollateralized loans or private reinsurances; and (4) accepting bids only when they appropriately reflect the prevailing interest rates and characteristics of the loans. Extends through FY 1991 the authority of the Secretary to collect loan fees from veterans being guaranteed housing or other loans through the VA. Repeals provisions relating to the inspection of manufactured homes purchased by veterans, and deems as meeting required standards any manufactured housing unit displaying a certificate of conformance to Federal manufactured home construction and safety standards. Repeals provisions placing certain restrictions on such VA manufactured home loans. Limits the maximum VA liability under such loan guarantees. Repeals provisions which prohibit the VA from guaranteeing loans for newly constructed residences in areas not served by public or community water and sewage systems. Permits the VA to collect debts arising out of the housing loan program by offsetting the debtor's Federal tax refund. Requires any veteran desiring a housing debt waiver to make such request within 180 days of the notification of such indebtedness (unless the Secretary determines that a longer period is reasonable) or by September 30, 1991, if notice of such debt was provided before October 1, 1989. Makes such waiver provisions applicable to active-duty veterans. Makes all former active-duty veterans eligible for basic entitlement to VA-guaranteed housing loans whether or not such a veteran has ever been discharged or released from active duty. Makes VA claim payment and property acquisition procedures in connection with guaranteed housing loans permanent. (Currently, such procedures terminate as of the end of FY 1989.)
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1989
Amends the Veterans' Benefits Improvement and Health-Care Authorization Act of 1986 to extend for one year: (1) the authorization of the Veterans Administration (effective March 1989, Department of Veterans Affairs) to furnish respite care to certain chronically-ill veterans; and (2) the due date for a report on the results of an evaluation of furnishing such care.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1989
Radon Mitigation Clarification Act of 1989 - Treats amounts paid for home improvements necessary to mitigate measured harmful levels of radon gas exposure as medical care expenses for purposes of the medical care expense income tax deduction.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1989
Designates the week of September 9 through September 15, 1989, as National Nursing Home Residents' Rights Week.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 1989
National Voter Registration Act of 1989 - Requires each State to establish procedures with respect to presidential and congressional elections to permit voter registration by: (1) application in person simultaneously with application for a motor vehicle driver's license; (2) mail application; or (3) application in person at designated Federal, State, and private sector locations. Declares that this Act does not apply to any State that has no voter registration requirement with respect to presidential and congressional elections. Requires each State to: (1) assure that any eligible applicant who submits his or her application 25 days before the election is registered to vote in the election; (2) require the appropriate State election official to notify each applicant of the disposition of the application; and (3) provide that the name of a voter may not be removed from the official list of eligible voters except by reason of death, criminal conviction, mental incapacity, change in residence, failure to vote in two consecutive elections, or voter request. Requires each State to designate a chief State election official to coordinate State functions under this Act. Provides a private right of action for an individual aggrieved by a violation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1989
Consumer Protection Against Price-Fixing Act of 1989 - Amends the Sherman Act to set forth evidentiary standards for price-fixing actions. Requires the court to allow the issue of concerted action to fix prices to be decided by the trier of fact if there is sufficient evidence from which a trier of fact could reasonably conclude that: (1) the supplier of a good or service received from a competitor of a reseller an express or implied suggestion, request, or demand that the supplier take steps to curtail or eliminate price competition; and (2) sales or supplies to the reseller were terminated by the supplier because of such communication. Prohibits the court from allowing the trier of fact to consider whether an individual and a competitor engaged in concerted action to set prices in violation of this Act if the court determines that the trier of fact could only find concerted action by making implausible inferences. Provides that the fact that a supplier and a reseller entered into an agreement to establish the resale price of a good or service shall be sufficient to constitute a price fixing violation, except when the agreement is to establish the maximum resale price of a good or service. Specifies that an agreement between the seller and the purchaser of a good or service to terminate another purchaser as a dealer or to refuse to supply such other purchaser because of that purchaser's pricing policies violates this Act, regardless of whether or not a specific price or price level is agreed upon.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1989
Designates the period commencing September 11, 1989, and ending September 15, 1989, as National Historically Black Colleges Week.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1989
Designates the week of October 8 through October 14, 1989, as National Week of Commitment to Helping the Homeless.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1989
Designates October 5, 1989, as Raoul Wallenberg Recognition Day.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1989
Discontinues the use of polystyrene foam products in the Senate restaurant, snack bar, and catering services. Requires the procurement of products that are biodegradable and less dangerous to the environment.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1989
Designates February 18 through February 24, 1990, as National Visiting Nurse Associations Week.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1989
Declares that it is a shared responsibility of both the public and private sectors at the Federal, State, and local levels to take the necessary steps to remove existing barriers to access to quality health care for every child and pregnant woman.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1989
United States Coinage Reform Act of 1989 - Requires that one dollar coins be gold colored, be at least 90 percent copper, and be fabricated in the United States from natural deposits located in the United States. Redesigns the obverse side of the dollar coin to symbolize the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to place such coins into circulation within 18 months. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study and report to the Congress on the advisability of phasing out production of the one-cent and 50-cent coins and of rounding cash sales to the nearest five cents.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1989
Medicaid Home and Community Care Options Act of 1989 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to permit States to provide Medicaid coverage of home and community care for functionally disabled elderly individuals. Defines a functional disability as Alzheimer's disease or the inability, due to physical or cognitive impairment, to perform at least two daily living activities. Defines a covered community care setting as a nonresidential setting or a residential setting in which more than two unrelated adults reside and personal services are provided. Requires that home and community care be provided to each client in accordance with an individual community care plan (ICCP) prepared and periodically reviewed and revised by a case manager on the basis of a comprehensive functional assessment of a client's needs conducted by an interdisciplinary team before his or her receipt of care and at least annually thereafter. Sets a ceiling on Medicaid payments to States for home and community care. Reduces Federal Medicaid payments to States that reduce their Medicaid home and community care expenditures below their FY 1989 expenditures for such care. Requires that such care meet minimum requirements, to be developed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, regarding client rights and the quality of such care. Makes the requirements imposed on nursing facilities regarding patient's rights and facility safety and sanitation applicable to settings in which home or community care is provided. Requires that community care settings: (1) disclose persons having an ownership or control interest in the setting; and (2) exclude a person from such interest if he or she has been excluded from the Medicaid program or had an interest in a community care setting repeatedly found to have provided substandard care. Makes the: (1) Secretary responsible for certifying that State home or community care providers and settings comply with Medicaid requirements; and (2) States responsible for certifying that other home or community care providers and settings comply with Medicaid requirements. Requires that providers and settings be certified annually. Bases community care setting certification on an annual, unannounced survey. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop a protocol for conducting surveys; and (2) conduct sample surveys of community care settings, within two months of State surveys, to test the adequacy of State surveys. Authorizes the Secretary to conduct a special survey of a setting or a review of a provider when there is reason to question its compliance with this Act. Prohibits the use of surveyors who have an interest in the provider or setting being surveyed. Requires States and the Secretary to investigate complaints against community care providers or settings concerning violations of this Act's requirements. Requires each State to provide, through the State agency responsible for the certification of such providers and settings, for the receipt, review, and investigation of allegations of client neglect and abuse, and of misappropriation of client property by providers. Requires that: (1) certain information regarding home or community care providers and settings and their compliance with this Act's requirements be made available to the public; and (2) State Medicaid fraud and abuse control units be given access to provider or setting survey and certification information. Authorizes the Secretary or States to terminate a home or community care provider's participation in the Medicaid program and to impose a civil monetary penalty for failure to meet this Act's requirements. Sets forth the Secretary's responsibilities relating to home and community care requirements. Requires that State Medicaid payment rates for home and community care be reasonable and adequate to meet the costs of providing such care efficiently, and in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and standards. Prohibits the coverage of civil monetary penalties imposed against providers of home and community care.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1989
Amends the Clean Air Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to provide that any source of air pollution resulting from activities in or on the waters above or on the Outer Continental Shelf is subject to the requirements of the Clean Air Act applicable to the adjacent State or local jurisdiction.