United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1992
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the United States should: (1) press for the inclusion of an Albanian representative from Kosovo in the European Community Peace Conference on Yugoslavia; (2) condemn the Government of Serbia on the third anniversary of the imposition of martial law on the people of Kosovo; (3) urge the United Nations to send observers to Kosovo to monitor the human rights situation; and (4) support the aspirations of the Albanian people in Kosovo for democracy and self-determination.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1992
Expresses the sense of the Senate that dairy products, including nonfat dry milk, from U.S. stocks should be used as part of the humanitarian assistance provided to the republics of the former Soviet Union.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1992
Commonwealth Scientists Immigration and Exchange Act of 1992 - Authorizes the special admission into the United States of certain scientists of the Commonwealth of Independent States (Commonwealth) as employment-based immigrants under the Immigration and Nationality Act for a four-year period. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) Commonwealth scientists should be given priority consideration for U.S. international exchange programs; and (2) in making available Soviet threat reduction funds priority should be given to retraining and employing Commonwealth scientists in areas that would enhance the objectives of nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1992
Cancer Registries Amendment Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants or contracts to operate population-based, statewide cancer registries in order to collect certain data for each form of in-situ and invasive cancer except basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma of the skin. Authorizes grants for planning the registries. Mandates a study on factors contributing to elevated rates of breast cancer mortality in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and the District of Columbia. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services, directly or through grants and contracts, or both, to provide technical assistance to the States in the establishment and operation of statewide registries. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1992
Interstate Banking and Branching Act of 1992 - Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 to authorize the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve Board (the Board) to approve applications by adequately managed and capitalized bank holding companies or subsidiaries to: (1) acquire banking interests across State lines; and (2) establish new banks across State lines. Permits a bank holding company to consolidate or merge its subsidiary banks (if the host State so permits). Amends Federal banking law to authorize the Comptroller of the Currency to approve interstate branching applications by national banks that are adequately managed and capitalized. Provides for State election to permit or prohibit interstate branching in express statutory language. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to permit interstate branching by insured State banks, subject to host State restrictions. Permits: (1) a host State's supervisory authority to examine such guest banks for purposes of determining compliance with its laws; (2) State enforcement proceedings to secure compliance; (3) interstate cooperative agreements to facilitate State regulatory supervision; and (4) concurrent Federal regulatory authority over interstate banks. Amends the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 to set forth evaluation guidelines for branches of interstate banks. Amends the International Banking Act of 1978 to permit interstate banking operations by foreign banks. Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 to set forth guidelines for the use of names by interstate banks.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1992
Cuban Democracy Act of 1992 - Sets forth U.S. policy with respect to Cuba. Requires the President to direct the U.S. Trade Representative to enter into negotiations with governments that conduct trade with Cuba for purposes of securing the agreement of such countries to restrict trade and credit relations with Cuba in a manner consistent with U.S. policy. Makes countries that provide assistance to Cuba ineligible for: (1) assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 or the Arms Export Control Act; (2) agreements with the United States for the establishment of free trade areas; (3) participation in the Enterprise for the Americas Initiative; and (4) forgiveness or reduction of debt owed to the U.S. Government. Terminates such sanctions if the President reports to the Congress that Cuba has established democratic institutions through free and fair elections. Prohibits restrictions on the export to Cuba of medicines for humanitarian purposes. 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. 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 Castro regime as a means of gaining access to U.S. currency. Authorizes food, medicine, and medical supplies for humanitarian purposes to 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 has established democratic institutions through free and fair elections. Declares that it shall be U.S. policy to take the following actions with respect to a freely-elected Cuban Government: (1) grant full diplomatic recognition to such government and 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) encourage rescheduling or cancellation of Cuba's external debt; (4) end the U.S. trade embargo of Cuba; and (5) 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. 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 · 5 February 1992
Title I: Accelerated Growth - Economic Growth Acceleration Act of 1992 - Subtitle A: Provisions Relating to Capital Gains - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a capital gains deduction for noncorporate taxpayers for assets held from one to three years. Provides special rules for the gain or loss from the sale or exchange of collectibles and sales of interest in partnerships. Disallows such deduction in computing the alternative minimum tax. Revises the formula for determining gain from the dispositions of certain depreciable realty to take into account depreciation adjustments (adjustments allowed or allowable for exhaustion, wear and tear, obsolescence, or certain amortization). Subtitle B: Provisions Relating to Passive Losses and Depreciation - Treats the real estate development activity of a taxpayer as a single trade or business activity that is not a rental activity. Allows an additional depreciation allowance for the purchase of new equipment as investment property on or after February 1, 1992, which is placed in service before July 1, 1993. Reduces the basis of adjustment of such property by the amount of the additional allowance. Requires application of such allowance in determining the alternative minimum tax. Restricts the determination of adjusted current earnings for purposes of computing alternative minimum taxable income to property placed in service after 1989 and before February 1, 1992. Subtitle C: Provisions Relating to Real Estate Investments by Pension Funds - Modifies exceptions to the exclusion of real property acquired by a qualified organization from the meaning of acquisition indebtedness. Makes certain exceptions inapplicable to sales out of foreclosure by a financial institution. Applies the meaning of acquisition indebtedness investments in certain large partnerships where the principal purpose of partnership allocations is not tax avoidance. Repeals the special rule for publicly traded partnerships with respect to the treatment of unrelated business taxable income. Subtitle D: Provisions Affecting Homebuyers - Allows a first-time homebuyer who purchases a principal residence a tax credit of ten percent of the purchase price, not to exceed $5,000. Limits such credit to one residence and requires acquisition between February 1, 1992, and January 1, 1993. Allows penalty-free withdrawals from individual retirement plans for a first-home purchase. Limits such distribution to $10,000, or other applicable amount if previous distributions have been made.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1992
Suspends the nonvoluntary repatriation of Haitian nationals until a specified date or until certain conditions are met and so certified by the President (international monitoring, reduction of violence in Haiti, danger to repatriated Haitians, and a specific U.S. refugee and asylum administrative system).
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1992
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should: (1) play a strong and active role in cooperating with other governments to prepare for a successful United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (set to convene in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 1992); (2) seek to develop specific and effective international agreements to enhance global environmental protection and encourage the use of sustainable development practices for signature at the Conference; and (3) support specified global environmental conservation efforts, including an international convention to reduce the threat of global climatic change, acceleration of international efforts to reduce (and ultimately phase out) the emission of chemicals that deplete the ozone layer, and development of a schedule for the adoption of a reform system of national accounting that reflects full environmental costs.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1992
Restrictions on Azerbaijan Act - Requires the United States to continue to deny the following trade and economic benefits to the Republic of Azerbaijan: (1) most-favored-nation status (nondiscriminatory treatment); (2) loans, guarantees, or insurance with respect to U.S. exports to it; (3) beneficiary status under the Generalized System of Preferences; (4) treatment as a country subject to provisions of the Trade Act of 1974 relating to market disruption; (5) treatment as a member of Country Group Y (countries with which the United States has diplomatic or trading relations); (6) any benefit bestowed under the Agreement on Trade Relations Between the United States and the Soviet Union, signed on June 1, 1990; and (7) U.S. assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. Requires the United States to impose as a condition to making contributions to any international organizations providing activities in the former Soviet Union that none of the funds be available for such activities in Azerbaijan. Authorizes the President to waive such restrictions. Terminates such restrictions if the President determines and reports to the Congress that Azerbaijan: (1) has ceased all blockades and uses of force against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh; (2) improves the human rights of Armenians, Russians, Jews, and other minorities; and (3) has committed to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict peacefully.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1992
Recognizes and commemorates the centennial of the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Requests the President to issue a proclamation observing the centennial from January 1 through December 31, 1992.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 1992
Urges the Government of Syria to: (1) provide the strictest accounting of all Israeli prisoners of war (POWs) and missing in action; (2) immediately release and repatriate any living Israeli POWs in its custody or the custody of its proxies in Lebanon; and (3) recover and return to Israel the bodies of Israeli soldiers interred in Syria or in formerly Syrian-controlled areas of Lebanon.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 1992
Expresses the sense of the Senate: (1) acknowledging the cooperation of the Soviet and now Russian authorities in providing records and personal effects of Raoul Wallenberg to his family; (2) requesting that the President, through diplomatic discussions with the Government of the Russian Federation, pursue an investigation into the whereabouts and fate of Raoul Wallenberg; and (3) requesting that the results of such investigation be made public.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 1992
Congratulates the Governments and people of Croatia and Slovenia on the occasion of the recognition of their independence by 38 countries. Urges the President to immediately extend diplomatic recognition to, and establish mutually beneficial relations with, Croatia and Slovenia.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1992
Amends the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act to include refinancing of a loan in the definition of "federally related mortgage loan." Amends the Consumer Credit Cost Disclosure Act to include refinancing of a transaction in the definition of "residential mortgage transaction."
United States · United States Congress · 26 November 1991
Repeals the Assault Weapon Manufacturing Strict Liability Act of 1990, signed by the Mayor of the District of Columbia. Restores or revives any provisions of law amended or repealed by it.
United States · United States Congress · 26 November 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow certain business entities to elect to use a fiscal year for tax purposes other than the required taxable year. Modifies provisions concerning required payments for such entitites.
United States · United States Congress · 26 November 1991
Kahla Lansing Child Protection Act - Amends the Federal criminal code to provide that whoever commits an act of child abuse after a prior Federal or State criminal conviction for such an act has become final shall be sentenced to a term of 15 to 20 years' imprisonment. Specifies that the first 15 years of such sentence shall not be suspended or revoked. Directs the Bureau of Prisons to provide appropriate counseling and therapy to a defendant convicted under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 26 November 1991
Temporary Protected Status for Haitians Act of 1991 - Provides for temporary protected status for certain Haitian nationals. States that it is U.S. policy to strongly encourage members of the Organization of American States to protect Haitians who have fled their country.
United States · United States Congress · 26 November 1991
Expresses the sense of the Senate that bloodshed must be stopped and that: (1) the United Nations should intervene and send peacekeeping forces to Yugoslavia; (2) Yugoslav army forces and Serbian insurgents should pull back to internationally recognized pre-war borders; (3) destruction of cultural artifacts and buildings must cease; (4) attacks on internationally recognized relief workers and their organizations must cease; (5) warring factions must stop summary executions, torture, abuse, and terrorism; (6) an independent authority should investigate allegations of atrocities by warring factions; and (7) warring factions must respect the rights of all ethnic groups and halt the killing of innocent people.
United States · United States Congress · 22 November 1991
Prohibits all U.S. military and economic assistance for Turkey until the President certifies to the Congress that negotiations have achieved significant progress toward establishing a constitutional democracy in Cyprus and that the Turkish Government: (1) has withdrawn all Turkish military forces, in excess of those permitted by the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee, and all illegal Turkish colonists from Cyprus; (2) has returned the area of Famagusta/Varosha to the Government of Cyprus; (3) has returned the five Americans abducted by the Turkish invasion forces in 1974 and the 1,614 Greek Cypriots who have been missing since the Turkish invasion; and (4) is in compliance with the United Nations Charter and specified United Nations resolutions, the North Atlantic Treaty, and the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.
United States · United States Congress · 22 November 1991
Urges the President to renew the Voluntary Restraint Agreement with Japan and Taiwan for an additional five years in order to continue to protect national security and ensure industrial competitiveness.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 1991
Urges and requests the President to require the Secretary of the appropriate military department to award the bronze star to each member of the Navy or Marine Corps who served under General Wainwright during the defense of Corregidor Island, the Philippines, during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 1991
Condemns the arrest of certain Kenyan opposition leaders for the peaceful expression of their political views and the Government of Kenya's suppression of a specified rally sponsored by the Forum for the Restoration of Democracy. Urges the Kenyan Government to release those arrested and to permit the free expression of political views. Commends the actions of the U.S. Government in support of freedom of expression, democracy, and human rights in Kenya. Calls upon the President to ensure that U.S. development assistance bears a relation to the Kenyan Government's progress toward an open political system and respect for human rights. Urges the President to reassess whether to continue the International Military Educational Training program for Kenya. Suspends economic and military assistance to Kenya. Waives such suspension if the President reports to the appropriate congressional committees that the Kenyan Government has: (1) released political detainees and ended the prosecution of individuals for the expression of their political beliefs; (2) ceased mistreatment of prisoners; and (3) restored judicial independence and freedom of expression.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1991
Consumer Confidence and Financial Flexibility Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow penalty-free withdrawals from qualified retirement plans beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act and ending on December 31, 1992, to purchase or improve real property or to purchase durable goods. Restricts such withdrawals to individuals whose adjusted gross income for 1991 does not exceed: (1) $100,000 in the case of married individuals filing a joint return; (2) $50,000 in the case of a married individual filing a separate return; and (3) $75,000 in the case of any other taxpayer. Limits the aggregate amount which may be treated as qualified withdrawals with respect to all plans of an individual to $10,000. Requires the inclusion of withdrawn amounts in gross income ratably over a four-year period. Provides for one-year extensions of the following: (1) rules governing the allocation of research and experimental expenditures; (2) the low-income housing credit; (3) the authority to issue mortgage revenue bonds and mortgage credit certificates; and (4) the targeted jobs credit.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 1991
Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services from implementing any final regulation prior to September 30, 1992, changing the treatment of voluntary contributions, provider-paid taxes, or transfers of intergovernmental taxes utilized by States to receive Federal matching funds under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act. Provides that such delay in implementation shall not apply with respect to amounts expended as medical assistance in States which did not have a program that uses voluntary contributions, provider-paid taxes, or transfers of intergovernmental taxes as medical assistance under Medicaid as of November 15, 1991.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 1991
National Child Protection Act of 1991 - Establishes a national criminal background check system to which a designated agency in each State is required to report child abuse crime information, for purposes of background checks of child care providers. Directs the Attorney General to establish: (1) guidelines for the reporting of such information; and (2) timetables for each State to report such information to such system (with a three-year deadline for all States to be reporting at a specified level of currency). Requires State agencies to maintain close liason for information exchange and technical assistance in cases of child abuse with the National Centers: (1) on Child Abuse and Neglect; (2) for Missing and Exploited Children; and (3) for the Prosecution of Child Abuse. Directs the Attorney General to publish annually: (1) a Statistical summary of the child abuse crime information reported under this Act; and (2) a summary of each State's progress in reporting child abuse crime information to the national criminal background check system. Requires the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to conduct a study to determine various factors relating to potential child abuse crimes and offenders, based on a statistically significant sample of convicted child abuse offenders and other relevant information. Requires a report on such study to be submitted to specified congressional committee officials. Provides for background check procedures. Allows entities that provide child care or child care placement services (including business or organizations that license or certify others to provide such services) to request State agencies to review State and Federal records through the national system, and other criminal justice recordkeeping systems, to determine if a child care provider is under indictment for, or has been convicted of, a background check crime. (Defines "provider" as one who is now or seeks to be: (1) employed by, or a volunteer with, a qualified entity; (2) an owner or operator of a qualified entity; or (3) having unsupervised access to any child to whom the qualified entity provides child care.) Directs the Attorney General to establish guidelines for such State background check procedures, permitting equivalent procedures under specified conditions. Authorizes the Attorney General to: (1) exchange Federal Bureau of Investigation identification records with authorized agencies for purposes of such background checks; and (2) authorize by regulation further dissemination of such records by authorized agencies for such purposes. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) prescribe by regulation any other measures necessary to carry out this Act; and (2) encourage use of the best technology available in conducting background checks. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to provide for use of certain formula grants to improve State record systems and the sharing of records of child abuse crime information to implement this Act. Directs the Attorney General to make additional grants to States to improve specified aspects of the child abuse crime information system, subject to appropriations and with preference to States having the lowest percent currency of case dispositions in computerized criminal history files. Authorizes appropriations for such additional grants. Authorizes the Attorney General, beginning one year after enactment of this Act, to reduce by up to ten percent the allocation to a State for a fiscal year under title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 if the State is not in compliance with the child abuse crime information timetable established for it under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 1991
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the President should pursue the apprehension for trial in the United States of Lamen Khalifa Fhimah and Abdel Basset Ali Megrahi, by force, if necessary, for their roles in the December 21, 1988, bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 and should offer rewards for information leading to their arrest and return to the United States; and (2) notwithstanding their indictments, the investigation must continue to be vigorously pursued to bring to justice those who ordered, directed, and paid for such bombing.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 1991
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the President should suspend all International Military Educational Training Program funds to the Government of Indonesia, request a report to the UN General Assembly by the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on Torture on the November 12, 1991, massacre of civilians in East Timor by Indonesian security forces, support the introduction of a resolution in the General Assembly instructing the UN Commission on Human Rights to appoint a Special Rapporteur for East Timor, and request that the Indonesian Government permit an investigation by the UN Special Rapporteur on Summary and Arbitrary Executions of the situation in East Timor and elsewhere in Indonesia and establish an independent commission to investigate the cause of the atrocity and to assist the prosecution of those responsible for the massacre; (2) the American Ambassador to Indonesia should immediately visit East Timor to investigate reports of the atrocity and of additional repression by Indonesian authorities; (3) the American policy of de facto acceptance of Indonesia's incorporation of East Timor should be reassessed.
United States · United States Congress · 12 November 1991
Access to Life-Saving Therapies Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Food and Drug Administration, to approve, at the request of the sponsor and on an expedited basis, a drug or biologic needed to treat or prevent a life threatening disease or seriously debilitating illness if the drug or biologic meets certain conditions, including some indications of effectiveness and safety and a lack of alternative satisfactory therapy. Deems an application under the amendments made by this Act approved unless other action is taken within 120 days. Prohibits any health insurance policy or plan from distinguishing, for the purpose of determining whether a drug is eligible for coverage or reimbursement, between a drug approved under the amendments made by this Act and one approved under specified other provisions of the Public Health Service Act. Mandates suspension of approval under the amendments made by this Act if at least two subsequent studies fail to confirm the initial safety and efficacy conclusions. Requires written informed consent for administration of a drug approved under amendments made by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1991
Wood Products Export Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to provide grants to establish international forest products trade development centers at universities offering graduate training in forestry. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1991
Enterprise Capital Formation Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a deduction for gain on investments in new small business stock (seed capital) held for at least five years. Establishes special rules for such investments. Provides for determining the maximum capital gains rate for small business net capital gain or seed capital gain. Treats capital gains on the sale of such stock as a preference item for purposes of the minimum tax.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1991
Authorizes the Air Force Association to establish a commemorative work on Federal land in the District of Columbia and its environs to honor the men and women who have served in the U.S. Air Force.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1991
Health Equity and Access Improvement Act of 1991 - Title I: Tax Incentives for Health Care Access - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a tax credit of up to $600 for an individual ($1,200 for a family) for qualified health expenses. Provides that in the case of a taxpayer whose adjusted gross income exceeds $10,000 ($20,000 for a family) the credit shall be reduced by an amount equal to ten percent of the excess. Permits a tax deduction, for both itemizers and nonitemizers, for the cost of health insurance premiums for which no other compensation is received. Provides an employer health insurance credit for small businesses equal to 25 percent of the qualified health care costs of the employer in the first year the employer offers health coverage to employees and which is then reduced five percentage points annually. Raises from 25 percent to 100 percent the deduction allowed to self-employed individuals for health insurance premiums and makes the deduction permanent. Provides a credit for a qualified primary health services provider who practices in a rural health professional shortage area. Sets forth a formula for determining such credit. Excludes from gross income any payment made on behalf of a taxpayer by the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program. Permits a physician in a rural health professional shortage area to expense up to $25,000 worth of rural health care property. Provides that interest on student loan payments by medical professionals practicing in rural areas shall not be treated as personal interest and will therefore qualify as a tax deduction. Title II: Health Care Reform Provisions - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) to request the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) to develop a model health care insurance benefits plan that shall contain standards that entities offering health care insurance policies should meet with respect to the benefits and coverage provided under such policies and report on such standards to the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to develop such a plan if the NAIC fails to develop such a plan or if the NAIC plan does not meet specified requirements. Sets forth such requirements. Requires the Secretary, taking into account recommendations of the Managed Care Advisory Committee, to develop recommended standards that insurers offering managed care plans should meet with respect to the benefits, coverage, and delivery systems provided under such plans. Establishes the Managed Care Advisory Committee. Provides that, in the case of a managed care plan meeting recommended standards, specified provision of State law will be preempted and will not be enforced against the managed care plan with respect to an insurer offering such plan. Permits a qualified small employer purchasing group, upon application to and approval by the Secretary, to enter into contracts with carriers to provide health insurance coverage to eligible employees. Establishes standards which health care insurers must meet in a contract with a small business. Requires such insurers, among other things, to: (1) provide coverage and benefits consistent with the model health care insurance benefits plan; (2) meet specified registration and disclosure requirements; (3) not exclude from coverage any eligible employee; (4) not extend beyond six months any limitation on any preexisting condition and, with respect to such limitation, apply it only to preexisting conditions which manifested themselves or for which medical care was sought during the three months preceding coverage; (5) guarantee renewability of the contract at the employer's election, unless the contract is terminated for cause; and (6) establish premiums that meet specified standards. Title III: Medical Liability Reform - Sets forth provisions concerning settlement offers in medical malpractice cases. Establishes an Alternative Dispute Resolution Board of Advisers to make recommendations to the Secretary concerning the establishment of a model voluntary alternative dispute resolution program for medical malpractice cases. Sets caps on the payment of future losses, non-economic damages, and attorneys' fees. Prohibits joint liability in a civil action for non-economic damages. Establishes a statute of limitations for a medical malpractice civil action. Requires each State to: (1) allocate its medical licensing fees to the State agency responsible for licensing and disciplinary actions; (2) require that at least 25 percent of a disciplinary board's membership shall be from the general public; (3) have in effect a Statewide risk management program; and (4) establish a health care disciplinary trust fund consisting of all punitive damage awards resulting from medical malpractice and medical product civil actions. Protects a health care producer of a drug or device from punitive damages if the drug or device was subject to approval or premarket approval under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary to make a grant to an entity representing recipients of assistance at migrant and community health centers to develop a business plan and establish a nationwide risk retention group as provided for in the Liability Risk Retention Act of 1986. Authorizes appropriations. Title IV: Public Health Provisions - Amends the Social Security Act to add a new title, Title XXI: BASICARE. Authorizes appropriations under title XXI for the purpose of providing basic health care benefits to low-income uninsured individuals who are not eligible for Medicaid (title XIX of the Social Security Act) coverage. Requires a State, in order to receive funding under title XXI, to submit and have approved by the Secretary a BasiCare assistance plan. Sets forth plan requirements. Requires, for BasiCare eligibility, that: (1) family income be below 200 percent of the poverty line; (2) an individual not be eligible for Medicaid; and (3) an individual not be otherwise covered under a health plan by the individual's employer. Permits the imposition of deductibles, copayments, and premiums if income is between 100 to 200 percent of the poverty line. Establishes the Federal Medical Waiver Demonstration Board to review applications submitted by States to conduct health care-related demonstration projects. Requires the Board to develop at least three different model health care delivery plans. Permits the Board, upon approval of a State's demonstration project, to waive the following provisions of Federal law: (1) the Public Health Service Act; (2) title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act; (3) titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (BASICARE) of the Social Security Act; (4) all health care programs administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; and (5) the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. Title V: Medically Underserved Areas - Authorizes appropriations for the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program and the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program. Directs the Secretary to establish and administer a program to provide allotments to States to enable such States to provide grants for the creation or enhancement of community based primary health care entities that provide services to pregnant women and children up to age three. Requires grant recipients to substantially target populations of pregnant women and children who: (1) lack health care coverage or ability to pay for health care services; or (2) reside in medically underserved or health professional shortage areas. Directs the Secretary to award grants to federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and other entities submitting applications for the purpose of providing access to services for medically underserved populations or in high impact areas not currently served by a FQHC. Limits the expenditure of funds awarded an FQHC to the provision of those services provided under the Medicaid program and any unreimbursed costs of providing services under the community based primary health care grant program. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive grants to eligible entities to enable such entities to develop and implement a plan for mental health outreach programs in rural areas. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary, in awarding grants under the Public Health Service Act relating to the research, teaching, and training activities of health personnel educational entities, to give priority to those entities that have a high permanent rate for placing graduates in settings serving residents of medically underserved communities and that otherwise demonstrate a commitment to serving such communities. Directs the Secretary to award grants to health professions institutions to expand training programs that are targeted at those individuals desiring to practice in or serve the needs of medically underserved communities. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to award grants to eligible regional consortia to enhance and expand coordination among various health professions programs, particularly in medically underserved rural areas. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants, under the area health education center provisions of the Act, to rural communities to enable such communities to provide stipends to physicians, nurses, or other health professional trainees to encourage such individuals to continue to provide health care services in such rural communities. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive grants to eligible entities to enable such entities to facilitate the development of networks among rural and urban health care providers to preserve and share health care resources and enhance the quality and availability of health care in rural areas. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive grants to eligible entities to enable such entities to develop and administer cooperatives in rural areas that will establish an effective case management and reimbursement system designed to support the economic viability of essential public or private health services, facilities, health care systems, and health care resources in such rural areas. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the: (1) Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 to authorize appropriations for the Rural Health Care Transition Grant Program; and (2) Medicare program to authorize appropriations for the Essential Access Community Hospital Program. Title VI: Incentives to Encourage Preventive Services - Provides a tax credit for qualified preventive services of up to $250. Includes on a list of preventive services: (1) cancer screening tests; (2) childhood immunizations; (3) mammograms; (4) pap tests for uterine cancer; and (5) other specified examinations and tests. Authorizes appropriations, under the Public Health Service Act, for grants for preventive health service programs for the provision, without charge, of immunizations.
![Official portrait of Sen. D'Amato, Alfonse [R-NY]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000018_200.jpg)