United States · United States Congress · 26 November 1991
Physician Assistant Incentive Act of 1991 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide increased Medicare reimbursement for physician assistants at 97 percent of the physician fee schedule amount for services performed without regard to location or practice setting. Provides for bonus payments for services provided by physician assistants in health professional shortage areas.
United States · United States Congress · 26 November 1991
Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Act of 1991 - Title I: Renewable Energy Tax Incentives - Subtitle A: Generation of Electricity From Renewable Sources - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the energy investment tax credit until December 31, 2001 (currently, such credit expires December 31, 1991). Increases such credit from ten percent to 20 percent. Makes public utility property eligible for such credit. Allows the energy credit against all regular and minimum taxes. Allows a tax credit for the production of electricity with qualified technologies property. Describes such property to include the use of solar thermal, photovoltaic, wind, geothermal, biomass, and other renewable energy technologies. Subtitle B: Alternative Transportation Fuels Tax Incentives - Allows a tax deduction for the costs of qualified clean-burning (natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, or alcohol) motor vehicle fuel property or refueling property. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to make equivalent payments to States and local governments in connection with qualified property. Allows a deduction for 25 percent of the costs incurred in purchasing a qualified electric-powered automobile. Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend the duty on fuel-use methanols until October 1, 2000. Title II: Energy Conservation Tax Incentives - Subtitle A: Alternatives to Single-Passenger Automobiles - Excludes from gross income parking provided to an employee at a qualified parking facility and qualified employer-provided commuter services between an employee's residence and workplace. Includes as qualified services: (1) transportation furnished in a commuter highway vehicle (such as a van); and (2) transportation on public buses, trains, or subways that is paid for or reimbursed by the employer. Limits the exclusion from gross income for parking to parking on (not "on or near," as under current law) the employer's premises, with further specified qualifications. Subtitle B: Other Conservation Incentives - Excludes from gross income the amount or value of any subsidy provided by a public utility to a customer in connection with the purchase, installation, use, or maintenance of any energy or water conservation measure or for energy savings delivered by such measures. Denies the use of any tax credit or deduction to the extent such subsidy is excluded from gross income. Subtitle C: Fuel Efficient and Safe Automobiles - Safe and Efficient Vehicles Incentives Act of 1991 - Amends Federal law to establish: (1) taxes on the sale of any new motor vehicle (light- and medium-duty vehicles and trucks) whose fuel economy is less than the sales-weighted average fuel economy or whose composite safety factor is greater (sic) than the sales-weighted average composite safety factor of all new motor vehicles within the same class; and (2) rebates for the purchase of any new motor vehicle whose fuel economy is greater than the sales-weighted average fuel economy or whose composite safety factor is greater than the sales-weighted average composite safety factor of all new motor vehicles within the same class. Sets forth formulae for determining the fuel economy tax (or rebate) and the safety tax (or rebate). Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to publish in the Federal Register and send to each manufacturer or importer of motor vehicles the applicable formulae for each class of vehicle in the next model year. Requires each manufacturer or importer of new light- or medium-duty motor vehicles to calculate according to the applicable formulae the fuel economy and safety taxes and rebates for each vehicle. Requires them to include such information on labels affixed to such vehicles. Provides for the collection of such taxes and the disbursement of such rebates. Authorizes appropriations. Requires, not later than July 1, 1992, and each July 1, thereafter, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to calculate the sales-weighted average fuel consumption and the Secretary of Transportation to calculate the composite safety factor and the sales-weighted average composite safety factor for all light- and medium-duty vehicles and trucks with respect to the determination of fuel economy and safety taxes and rebates. Requires each manufacturer or importer of such vehicles to conduct crash tests necessary to determine the composite safety factor of such vehicle whenever such crash test data does not result from the Secretary of Transportation's crash tests.
United States · United States Congress · 26 November 1991
Primary Care Health Practitioner Incentive Act of 1991 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide increased Medicare reimbursement for nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and certified nurse midwives (practitioners) at 97 percent of the physician fee schedule amount for services performed without regard to location or practice setting. Provides for bonus payments for services provided by such practitioners in health professional shortage areas. Defines "clinical nurse specialist" as an individual who is a registered nurse and is licensed to practice nursing in the State in which the clinical nurse specialist services are performed and holds a master's degree in a defined clinical area of nursing from an accredited educational institution.
United States · United States Congress · 26 November 1991
State Export Program Assistance and Development Act of 1991 - Amends the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 to direct the Secretary of Commerce to provide assistance to States (that so request it) in developing and implementing an effective export program. Describes the form and scope of such assistance. Authorizes appropriations and terminates authorities under this Act three years after its enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 26 November 1991
Constitutional Amendment - Provides that the Congress shall make no law affecting the compensation for services for Members of Congress. Requires the compensation of Members of Congress to be adjusted to correspond to any increase or decrease in the median income of all U.S. citizens on January 1 of each year of the first session of a Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 26 November 1991
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should closely examine the proposed sale of 40 percent of McDonnell Douglas' commercial aircraft division to the Taiwan Aerospace Corporation.
United States · United States Congress · 25 November 1991
Establishes a Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States' Democratic Party to coordinate ceremonial events and related activities during 1992. Requires the Commission to submit periodic reports and a final one to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro tempore of the Senate on its activities. Terminates the Commission on February 13, 1993, unless otherwise provided by law.
United States · United States Congress · 23 November 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code and title II of the Social Security Act (Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) with respect to the social security exemption for election officials and election workers employed by State and local governments to increase the allowed remuneration paid to such workers. Grants States the authority to modify coverage agreements with respect to such election employees to reflect such increase. Makes conforming changes relating to Medicare coverage of the services of such election employees.
United States · United States Congress · 22 November 1991
Wetlands Simplification Act - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 (FSA) to provide that: (1) a technical determination with respect to wetland or converted wetland on agricultural lands (including the identification of wetland and the development of a wetland restoration or mitigation plan) shall be used in the administration of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA) (thus giving the Soil Conservation Service sole Federal responsibility for making such determination); and (2) any area of agricultural land or any activities related to the land determined to be exempt from the requirements of FSA shall also be exempt from FWPCA requirements as long as such lands are used as agricultural lands.
United States · United States Congress · 22 November 1991
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to eliminate the annual cap on the amount of payment for outpatient physical therapy and occupational therapy services under (Medicare) part B (Supplemental Medical Insurance).
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 1991
Requires a consignee of imported foreign grain to: (1) include an end-use certificate in the documentation covering the entry of such grain; and (2) submit to the Secretary of Agriculture certain quarterly reports regarding the use of such grain. Sets forth civil penalties. Prohibits the Commissioner of Customs from permitting the entry of such grain unless the importer of record presents such certificate at the time of entry.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 1991
Medicare Cancer Coverage Improvement Act of 1991 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover: (1) any use of a drug in an anticancer chemotherapeutic regimen if such use has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, published in peer-review medical literature, or included in one or more of three specified medical compendia; and (2) an oral form of a drug prescribed for such a use in an anticancer chemotherapeutic regimen if the drug contains the same active ingredients as a drug that would be covered if administered as incident to a physician's service. Requires a study and report to specified congressional committees on Medicare coverage of patient care costs associated with clinical trials of new cancer therapies.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 1991
State Care: State-Based Comprehensive Health Care Act of 1991 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish the Universal Health Care Advisory Board. Conditions demonstration grants under this Act on establishment by a State of a State Health Care Authority and approval by the State legislature of a State plan under this Act. Authorizes health care planning grants to no more than 15 States. Authorizes appropriations. Mandates demonstration grants to ten States for design and implementation of State Care projects to provide health coverage to individuals residing in such States. Mandates waiver of Federal laws in certain circumstances as necessary to conduct each project and transfers funds which would have been expended under those laws to the State project. Requires payment to each State of a specified percentage of costs not covered by those transfers, covering those payments by issuance of notes to the Secretary of the Treasury. Declares that: (1) it shall not be a violation of antitrust laws for a State grant recipient under this Act to implement a single-payer health care plan; and (2) provisions of State plans supersede the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 1991
Authorizes the U.S. Postal Service to issue and sell a postage stamp to honor the Women's Army Corps and to commemorate the date it officially became a part of the U.S. Army.
United States · United States Congress · 12 November 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend for one year the following expiring provisions: (1) the credit for increasing research activities; (2) the targeted jobs credit; (3) the tax exclusion for employer-provided educational assistance; (4) the authority to issue qualified small issue bonds to finance manufacturing facilities and farm property; (5) the itemized deduction for health insurance costs of self-employed individuals; (6) the authority to issue mortgage revenue bonds and mortgage credit certificates; (7) the rules on allocating research and experimental expenditures in determining income from sources within or without the United States; (8) the low-income housing credit; (9) the energy investment credit for solar and geothermal property; (10) the credit for clinical testing expenses for certain drugs for rare diseases or conditions; and (11) the minimum tax exception for gifts of appreciated tangible property.
United States · United States Congress · 12 November 1991
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish and operate a demonstration project under which participating suppliers may sell to Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) beneficiaries certain items of durable medical equipment other than the standard versions for which payment may be made under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of Medicare, provided that the beneficiary agrees to pay the difference between the amount charged for the item and the amount Medicare will pay for its standard version.
United States · United States Congress · 12 November 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code regarding estates and trusts to provide rules for the gratuitous transfer of qualified employer securities to an employee stock ownership plan from charitable remainder trusts.
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
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to report to appropriate congressional committees regarding Department of Agriculture lamb price and supply reporting services, including recommendations for an information gathering system reflective of the lamb industry's market structure.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1991
States that the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency should: (1) accelerate the phaseout schedules and final phaseout dates of chlorofluorocarbons, carbon tetrachloride, methyl chloroform, and halons required pursuant to the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990; (2) accelerate the phaseout schedules and final phaseout date of hydrochlorofluorocarbons that have relatively long atmospheric lifetimes, high ozone depletion potentials, or high global warming potentials; and (3) prioritize efforts to issue regulations providing for the recapture and recycling of ozone-destroying substances as used in appliances and motor vehicle air conditioners and the elimination of such substances as used in non-essential consumer products. Declares that the President should urge the contracting parties to the Montreal Protocol to: (1) accelerate the phaseout schedules and final phaseout date of ozone-destroying chemicals covered by the Protocol; (2) include hydrochlorofluorocarbons within the Protocol and provide for the most rapid phaseout of hydrochlorofluorocarbons with relatively long atmospheric lifetimes, high ozone depletion potentials, or high global warming potentials; (3) amend the Protocol to include recapture and recycling provisions and to prohibit the venting or releasing of ozone-destroying chemicals from refrigeration and air conditioning units by a certain date; and (4) accelerate the compliance of developing countries with the terms of the Protocol.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 1991
Tax Fairness and Savings Incentive Act of 1991 - Title I: Tax Credit for Children - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit of $300 per qualifying child. Title II: Retirement Savings Incentives - Subtitle A: Retirement Savings Incentives - Removes the limitations on deductions for individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and provides a cost of living adjustment for deductible amounts. Establishes special individual retirement accounts that are nondeductible. Makes such accounts nontaxable if earnings on contributions are held for at least five years. Applies the early withdrawal penalty to distributions made before the end of the five year-period. Subtitle B: Penalty-Free Distributions - Provides exemptions from the ten-percent penalty on early withdrawals from individual retirement plans for: (1) first home purchases; (2) higher education expenses; and (2) financially devastating medical expenses. Requires contributions to be held in certain IRAs (other than special IRAs) for at least five years prior to distributions. Title III: Reduction in Defense Spending - Sets forth limits on budget outlays and authority for defense spending for FY 1993 through 1997. Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to prohibit the Congress from exceeding such limits. Provides for reducing maximum deficit amounts. Prohibits sequestration under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act).
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 1991
Makes the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in each even numbered year a legal public holiday known as Democracy Day (except for purposes of statutes relating to pay and leave of Federal employees).
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 1991
National Institute of Nursing Research Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to redesignate the National Center for Nursing Research as the National Institute of Nursing Research. Includes the Institute in the list of national research institutes of the National Institutes of Health.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 1991
Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to accept title to any non-federally-owned lands located within five miles of the exterior boundaries of the South Dakota portion of the Sioux Ranger District of Custer National Forest in exchange for national forest lands in such Forest.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 1991
Peace and Prosperity Commission Act of 1991 - Establishes the Commission on Peace and Prosperity to review the United States economic relationship with the former Soviet Union, the republics of the former Soviet Union, and the Baltic republics and make recommendations to the President and the Congress based on such review concerning economic cooperation.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 1991
Better Access to Affordable Health Care Act of 1991 - Title I: Improvements in Health Insurance Affordability for Small Employers - Amends the Internal Revenue code to raise from 25 to 100 percent the deduction for self-employed individuals for health insurance premiums and makes the deduction permanent. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) to make grants to up to 15 States for the establishment and operation of small employer health insurance purchasing programs. Permits grant funds to be used to finance administrative costs associated with developing and operating a group purchasing program for small employers. Authorizes appropriations. Requires a report to the Congress from the Secretary concerning the feasibility of establishing a requirement that health insurers must make available plans providing that payments to providers be made using Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) payment rules. Title II: Improvements in Health Insurance for Small Employers - Amends the Social Security Act to add a new title, Title XXI: Standards for Small Employer Health Insurance and Certification of Managed Care Plans. Directs the Secretary to request the National Association of Insurance Commissioners to develop model standards and regulations concerning requirements for health insurance plans for small employers. Requires such plans to provide for: (1) guaranteed eligibility; (2) guaranteed availability; and (3) guaranteed renewability. Prohibits: (1) an insurer from refusing to renew or terminate a plan, except for nonpayment of premiums, fraud, or failure to maintain minimum participation rates; and (2) for certain services, discrimination based on health status. Sets limits controlling the variation of premium charges permitted among all small employers insured by an insurer. Requires the full disclosure of an insurer's rating practices. Requires a health insurance plan for small employers to offer: (1) both a standard and basic benefit package; and (2) a managed care option, if the insurer also offers such an option to other employers. Provides, under both the standard and basic package, for coverage of: (1) inpatient and outpatient hospital care; (2) inpatient and outpatient physician services; (3) diagnostic tests; and (4) preventive services. Provides, in addition, under the standard plan: (1) for the coverage of certain mental health care; (2) that, except as specified, there will be no limits on the amount, scope, or duration of benefits, and (3) for specified limits on deductibles, copayment, coinsurance, and out-of-pocket expenses. Provides under the basic plan that: (1) premiums, deductibles, copayments, or other cost-sharing may be imposed, but does not specify in what amounts; and (2) there shall be an out-of-pocket limit, but does not specify such limit. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an excise tax of 25 percent of gross premiums on the issuer of any health insurance plan to a small employer, if the plan does not meet the requirements of title XXI. Sets forth study and reporting requirements. Title III: Improvements in Portability of Private Health Insurance - Imposes an excise tax of $100 per day, with respect to a covered individual, on a group health plan for its failure to provide coverage for a preexisting condition, subject to stated exceptions. Title IV: Health Care Cost Containment - Establishes a Health Care Cost Commission which shall report annually to the President and the Congress on national health care costs. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, under title XXI of the Social Security Act, to establish a process for the certification of managed care plans and utilization review programs. Sets forth requirements for certification. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Administrator of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research to develop outcomes research and practice parameters for mental health services, including at least the diagnosis and treatment of childhood attention deficit syndrome disorders and manic depression. Amends Part A (General Provisions) of title XI of the Social Security Act to authorize appropriations for research outcomes of health care services and procedures. Title V: Medicare Prevention Benefits - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish frequency and payment limits for screening for fecal-occult blood tests and screening flexible sigmoidoscopies. Amends Medicare part C (Miscellaneous Provisions) to provide coverage for tetanus-diphtheria boosters and their administration. Provides Medicare coverage for well-child services, which include routine office visits, immunizations, laboratory tests, and preventive dental care. Expands the coverage of a screening mammography to provide for one such screening annually for all covered women over age 49. Directs the Secretary to establish and provide for a series of ongoing demonstration projects which provide coverage for specified preventive services, including: (1) glaucoma screening; (2) cholesterol screening; (3) osteoporosis screening and treatment; (4) screening services for pregnant women; (5) assessments for individuals beginning at age 65 or 75; and (5) other appropriate services. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 1991
National Wildlife Refuge System Management and Policy Act of 1991 - Amends the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 to prohibit the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) (except as the context implies otherwise) from initiating or permitting a new use of a refuge or expanding, renewing, or extending an existing use unless it is determined that it is compatible with the purposes of the System and the refuge. Allows existing uses of such refuge system lands that have been determined to be compatible under this Act or the Refuge Recreation Act to continue under specified conditions. Ceases such use and revokes permits for it within five years after the enactment of this Act unless the Secretary determines that such use is compatible. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to establish and maintain a formal process for governing determinations of whether an existing or proposed new use in a refuge is compatible or incompatible with the purposes of the System and the refuge. Sets forth requirements for such determinations. Requires the head of each Federal agency that has, with respect to a refuge, an equivalent or secondary jurisdiction with the Department of the Interior, or conducts activities within any refuge to ensure that any actions authorized, funded, or carried out in whole or in part by such agency will not impair the resources of the refuge or be incompatible with the purposes of either the System or refuge, unless such action is specifically authorized by law or necessary for national security. Directs the Secretary to: (1) prepare by September 30, 1994, and revise not less that every ten years thereafter, a comprehensive plan for the System; and (2) prepare and revise at least every 15 years, a comprehensive conservation plan for each refuge or ecologically related complex of refuges in the System, except those in Alaska. Authorizes appropriations. Grants the Secretary emergency power to suspend any activity in any refuge in the National Wildlife Refuge System if such activity constitutes an imminent danger to the health and safety of any wildlife population, refuge, or to public health and safety.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 1991
Foreign Capital and Securities Markets Study Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to report to the Congress the results of a study conducted in consultation with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Trade Representative regarding the capital and securities markets of Japan and their implications for the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 1991
Authorizes establishment of the National Voluntary Reunion Registry to facilitate on a voluntary mutual request basis the reunion of adopted persons with birth parents, siblings, and grandparents. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 1991
Amends part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) (AFDC) of title IV of the Social Security Act to: (1) increase the exclusion limit on the net worth of a microenterprise for purposes of AFDC eligibility; (2) require that caseworkers advise AFDC recipients of the option to begin a microenterprise; (3) add definitions of "microenterprise" and "net profits" to the list of definitions under such part; (4) include microenterprise training and activities in the JOBS program; and (5) mandate adjustment of performance standards for microenterprises to take into account the time required for their establishment. Requires a Health and Human Services study to identify administrative barriers to development of microenterprises among interested AFDC recipients.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 1991
Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to perform the planning studies necessary to determine the feasibility and estimated cost of incorporating all or portions of the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota into the service areas of the water systems authorized by the Mni Wiconi Project Act of 1988.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 1991
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicaid coverage of services furnished by all certified nurse practitioners or clinical nurse specialists which are authorized under State law to be performed by such a nurse, regardless of whether or not such services are performed under the supervision of a physician or other health care provider. Defines "clinical nurse specialist" as an individual who: (1) is a registered nurse and is licensed to practice nursing in the State in which the clinical nurse specialist services are performed; and (2) holds a master's degree in a defined clinical area of nursing from an accredited institution.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 1991
Management Corps Act of 1991 - Requires the President to designate a private nonprofit organization which has demonstrated expertise in providing assistance to business enterprises in the republics of the Soviet Union and the Baltic States through United States citizens with expertise in the management of business enterprises who voluntarily donate their time and services to such enterprises in those countries. Designates such organization as the Management Corps. Sets forth administrative provisions for such Corps. Provides for grants to the Corps to be made by the Secretary of State through the Agency for International Development. Requires the Corps to publish an annual report which shall be submitted to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1993 through 1995.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 1991
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the United States Trade Representative should take action under the Trade Act of 1974 to compensate for any trade losses caused by the European Community's (EC) failure to adopt by October 31, 1991, a new oilseeds regime that conforms with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) panel oilseed ruling; and (2) such actions should remain in effect until the EC's oilseed regime conforms with its GATT obligations.
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 1991
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the use of claim sampling to deny claims or recover overpayments under Medicare except when fraud has been determined, in which case claim sampling may be used for the purpose of assessing civil monetary penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 1991
Crop-Sharing Hunger Relief Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a deduction for charitable contributions of agricultural commodities on the surplus commodity list to tax-exempt organizations (other than certain private foundations) if the use of the property by the donee is solely for the purpose of feeding individuals in famine, disaster, or other economically depressed areas and if such use meets other specified requirements. Excludes such contribution from the definition of "capital gain property" for purposes of the alternative minimum tax.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 1991
Amends the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act to provide temporary extended railroad unemployment insurance benefits, to railroad employees who have less than ten years of service, for periods of high national unemployment of six percent or greater. Provides for such extended benefits for up to 13 weeks, through July 4, 1992. Sets forth transition and reachback provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 1991
White House Commemorative Coin Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) issue up to 500,000 silver one-dollar coins to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of the White House; and (2) obtain silver for such coins from stockpiles established under the Strategic and Critical Mineral Stock Piling Act. Specifies that: (1) all amounts received from the sale of coins issued under this Act shall be deposited in the coinage profit fund; and (2) the Secretary shall pay amounts from a ten-dollar surcharge per coin into the White House Endowment Fund. Directs the Secretary to take such actions as necessary to ensure that the minting and issuance of such coins do not result in any net cost to the Government. Bars the issuance of such coins unless the Secretary has received full payment or adequate security for payment. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 1991
Medicare Physician Payment Reform Implementation Act of 1991 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to increase the conversion factor for physicians' services for each of the years after 1993 through 1996 by one-fourth of the percentage by which the conversion factor may have been decreased due to an adjustment for asymmetry in 1992; (2) prohibit the Secretary, in determining the conversion factor for 1992, from assuming that changes in the volume and intensity of physician services in response to the implementation of the new payment system for such services would increase the estimated aggregate physician expenditures by more than one percent; (3) make any reduction to the conversion factor due to assumed volume and intensity changes equally applicable to the adjusted historical payment base; (4) permit separate payment to physicians for interpretation of electrocardiograms (EKGs) provided during office vists; (5) direct the Secretary to: (a) establish separate fee schedule amounts for the interpretation of EKGs; (b) adjust the relative values in the fee schedule for physician visits to reflect separate payments for EKG interpretation; (c) establish EKG practice guidelines for dissemination to physicians along with other educational information relating to EKG use; (d) develop a profile for EKG use by physicians; and (e) study EKG utilization and costs for a report to the Congress; and (6) make the new payment system for physicians nonapplicable to services furnished on or after January 1, 1992, by a physician who was in his or her first, second, or third year of practice in 1991 and to whom the payment rules under the new system did not apply in that year. Prohibits the Secretary from issuing final regulations before July 1, 1993, which change the methodology for determining: (1) the amount of time that may be billed for anesthesia services; and (2) the amount paid for drugs and biologicals furnished incident to physicians' services. Requires the Director of the Office of Technology Assessment to conduct a study and report to the Congress on whether payments for anesthesia services should be based on a particular unit of time according to the medical procedure with respect to which the service is furnished. Requires the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study and report to the Congress with respect to payment for drugs and biologicals furnished incident to physicians' services and payment for multiple surgical procedures; and (2) provide for pilot projects for developing Medicare volume performance standards other than at the national level. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the pilot projects.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 1991
Declares that the Congress recognizes and supports U.S. leadership in computer software development. Designates March 1992 as National Computing Education Month.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 1991
Breast Cancer Screening Safety Act of 1991 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require certification in order for a facility to perform or interpret mammograms, inspect equipment, perform needle localizations or other procedures using mammography equipment, or conduct quality assurance oversight related to mammography. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue and renew certificates for up to two years. Allows the Secretary to approve a private nonprofit organization to be an accreditation body which meets certain requirements, including inspecting facilities. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish standards for facilities to assure the safety and accuracy of mammography; (2) specify organizations eligible to certify individuals to perform radiological procedures; (3) specify boards eligible to certify individuals to interpret screening mammograms; (4) establish standards regarding the qualifications for individuals to interpret screening mammograms; and (5) specify boards eligible to certify individuals to inspect screening mammography equipment and oversee quality assurance practices. Directs the Secretary to conduct annual announced and unannounced inspections of certified facilities. Provides for: (1) intermediate sanctions for certain violations; (2) suspension, revocation, and limitation of certificates; and (3) injunctions. Requires fees for certificate issuance and renewal, and for inspections, sufficient to cover costs. Requires annual publication of a list of facilities convicted of fraud and abuse, false billings, or kickbacks, facilities that have had certificates revoked, suspended, or limited, and facilities that have been the subject of a sanction or other similar matters. Allows the Secretary to exempt facilities in a State or locality with more stringent requirements from compliance with this Act. Directs the Secretary to: (1) make grants for research on new methods of establishing a Mammography Registry; and (2) based on the research, establish the Registry. Authorizes grants to enhance the capacity of health personnel in the area of breast cancer mortality prevention. Allows grant funds to be used to establish a breast cancer mortality prevention regional training center and develop a training curriculum. Authorizes appropriations. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require that screening mammographies paid for under Medicare be performed by a facility: (1) certified under this Act; and (2) in compliance with specified provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 1991
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to design and strike a silver commemorative medal for members of the U.S. armed forces who serve in a combat zone in connection with the Persian Gulf conflict.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1991
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to convey to the Black Hills Workshop and Training Center, Inc., of Rapid City, South Dakota, certain surplus real property located in the Black Hills National Forest.
![Official portrait of Sen. Daschle, Thomas A. [D-SD]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000064_200.jpg)