United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1991
Nursing School Clinics Act of 1991 - Title I: Amendment to the Indian Health Care Improvement Act - Amends the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to authorize grants to schools of nursing to establish clinics to: (1) address the health care needs of Indians; and (2) provide primary health care services to Indians who reside in or near Indian country or in medically underserved rural areas. Allows the grants to be used for clinical training program development, clinical faculty enhancement, and scholarships. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Amendment to the Public Health Service Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the use of a limited amount of funds appropriated to carry out provisions relating to health professional student assistance for grants to schools of nursing to: (1) establish clinics to provide primary care services in medically underserved rural areas or in areas on or near Indian country; and (2) clinical training program development, faculty enhancement, and student scholarships. Title III: Amendments to the Social Security Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to include nursing clinic services in the definition of "medical and other health services." Adds nursing clinic services to the scope of covered benefits under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits for the Aged and Disabled) of the Social Security Act. Excludes such services from the application of provisions requiring a deductible. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require Medicaid coverage of nursing clinic services.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1991
Farm Debt Tax Reform Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income up to $300,000 (lifetime total) of capital gain from the transfer of property in complete or partial satisfaction of qualified farm indebtedness of a taxpayer: (1) whose modified gross income is below the national median adjusted gross income median; (2) whose gross receipts for six of the preceding ten years are at least 50 percent attributable to farming; and (3) whose equity in all property held after the transfer in question is less than the greater of $25,000 or 150 percent of income tax liability. Applies a comparable exclusion with respect to the discharge of qualified farm indebtedness of solvent farmers who meet these requirements and whose indebtedness both before and after the relevant transfer equals at least 70 percent or more of equity. Permits both tax exclusions retroactively with respect to taxable years 1987 and thereafter. Grants a one-year period after enactment of this Act for claims of credit or refund of overpayment of tax resulting from such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1991
Wetlands and Green Space Preservation Assistance Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for determining the environmental use value of sensitive environmental areas for estate tax purposes. Requires the estate to grant an environmental preservation easement for a period of ten years after the death of the decedent. Imposes an additional estate tax if an heir fails to maintain the easement.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1991
Children's Security Trust Fund Act - Establishes the Children's Security Trust Fund (the Fund) in the Treasury, to be used to expand certain Federal programs that provide assistance to children. Provides that all funds transferred to the Fund shall be voluntary contributions by retirees from their Federal retirement benefits (from Social Security, civil service, military, or railroad retirement programs). Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to invest the portion of the Fund not required for current withdrawals, and to credit the Fund with interest and proceeds from such investments. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to obligate available amounts in the Fund, including any not obligated in previous fiscal years, for programs and services under: (1) the Head Start Act; (2) the supplemental food program under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966; or (3) the Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant Act. Directs the Secretary of HHS to refer individuals receiving Federal retirement benefits (of the types described in provisions for voluntary contributions) who desire to volunteer to provide services under the children's programs that receive assistance under this Act to the appropriate State and local officials and community organizations responsible for such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the tax-exempt status of a cooperative telephone company to provide for the tax treatment of income received from a nonmember telephone company for services by the cooperative which are indirectly paid for by members of the cooperative. Includes billing and collection services for a nonmember telephone company under such treatment.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1991
World Summit for Children Implementation Act of 1991 - Provides for assistance in implementing the plan of action adopted by the World Summit for Children. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the U.S. Government should commit to increasing participation in the special supplemental food program for women, infants, and children under the Child Nutrition Act (the WIC program) by 20 percent per year in FY 1992 through 1996, to reach full participation by the end of FY 1996; and (2) specified amounts should be appropriated for the WIC program in FY 1992 and 1993 to reach such full participation goal. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the commitment to provide full funding for the Head Start Program, contained in the Human Services Reauthorization Act of 1990, should be implemented in order that the goal of full participation of all eligible three- to five- year-old children can be reached by FY 1994; and (2) specified amounts should be authorized for such funding in FY 1992 through 1994. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to undertake a Children's Vaccine Initiative. Requires that the Director of the National Vaccine Program: (1) plan and coordinate the Initiative; and (2) ensure that the Public Health Service conducts vaccine research, production, and delivery activities under the Initiative in collaboration with non-governmental institutions and with other Federal agencies to ensure the full use of U.S. scientific and industrial capacity to prevent infectious disease. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 and 1993. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 and 1993 for contributions to the United Nations Children's Fund for activities to promote child health and other assistance programs for children (to carry out specified provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961). Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (the Act) to authorize appropriations for FY 1992 and 1993 for special health needs of children and mothers under the Child Survival Fund. Requires that specified amounts of funds under various provisions for FY 1992 and 1993 be reserved only for such specified child survival activities. Expresses the sense of the Congress that authorization, in such amounts as may be required, should be granted to the President to exercise the (Public Law 480) debt authority with respect to least developed countries that are pursuing reforms to promote long-term economic development (as provided in specified provisions of the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954, as amended by the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990). Amends the Act to establish a Vitamin A Deficiency Program. Reserves for such Program specified amounts in FY 1992 and 1993 from funds for development assistance for agriculture, rural development, and nutrition. Requires that specified amounts from certain funds authorized for health-related activities under the Act in FY 1992 and 1993 be reserved for replicable community-based comprehensive reproductive health service programs that broaden other health programs by including strategies that specifically address women's reproductive health needs. Sets forth examples of such strategies, as well as congressional intent that such programs be planned and designed in consultation and participation with those whose needs they serve, and congressional encouragement for using international private voluntary organizations in building such programs. Amends the Act to direct the President, in carrying out provisions for development assistance for health-related activities to promote, encourage, and undertake activities relating to research on, and treatment and control of, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in developing countries. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 and 1993, for such purpose, to the International AIDS Prevention and Control Fund. Provides that such amounts shall be in addition to other amounts available for such purpose. Amends the Act to reserve specified amounts in FY 1992 and 1993, from funds for development assistance for education and under the provisions of the Act, for international basic education, including early childhood education, primary education, teacher training, other support activities, and adult literacy training. Expresses the sense of the Congress that at least specified minimum amounts should be appropriated for the Migration and Refugee Assistance account, and that at least specified minimum portions of such funds should be reserved for programs of refugee assistance overseas (in addition to amounts available for programs for Soviet, Eastern European, and other refugees resettling in Israel). Amends the Act to replace provisions for certain disadvantaged children in Asia with provisions for assistance to children in exceptionally difficult circumstances. Includes among such children street children, AIDS orphans, other orphaned and abandoned children, and children displaced by armed conflict, poverty, famine, or other disasters. Reserves specified minimum portions of certain funds under the Act in FY 1992 and 1993 for assistance for such children. Requires that such assistance be made available in accordance with policies and general authorities under certain disaster assistance provisions. Directs the President to report annually to the Congress on U.S. contributions to the achievement of the goals of the World Summit for Children, including U.S. efforts to achieve such goals in the United States and in other countries, with an analysis of past, current, and planned funding levels.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1991
Declares that the Senate expresses its: (1) regret that Senator Pryor's illness will require his absence from the Senate Chamber; and (2) heartfelt wishes to him for a speedy and complete recovery, and that he return to his duties, serving the people of Arkansas, in the near future.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1991
Long-Term Care Insurance Consumer Protection Act of 1991 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to afford Federal consumer protection to purchasers of long-term care insurance policies by requiring that before such policies may be issued or sold they must have been either certified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services as meeting the minimum Federal standards and requirements outlined below or approved by the State commissioner or superintendent of insurance under a regulatory program each State may establish that: (1) incorporates such standards and requirements; (2) provides consumers with access to basic information on issuers and policies; and (3) provides for an approval process for proposed premium increases. Outlines Federal standards for long-term care insurance policies, including requirements that such policies: (1) offer optional inflation protection features, nonforfeitable benefits after a certain vesting period should the policy lapse, and limited premium increases; (2) be guaranteed renewable except for nonpayment of premiums or material misrepresentation; (3) use standard language and uniform format with certain variations in language permitted; (4) disclose a detailed outline of coverage; (5) allow purchasers 30 days to rescind their purchase of the policy and to have the premium refunded; (6) not condition or limit eligibility for benefits, including non-institutional benefits, except in cases of preexisting conditions; (7) use functional assessment tools for determining home care eligibility; (8) provide a right to appeal denials for home care eligibility; (9) provide a six-month period of contestability after issuance of the policy; (10) prohibit discrimination in cases of individuals with Alzheimer's disease; and (11) provide benefits over a period of at least 12 consecutive months. Regulates the marketing of long-term care insurance policies by establishing prohibitions on certain sales practices, such as high pressure tactics, and on sales to Medicaid beneficiaries and sales of duplicate service benefit policies. Imposes additional requirements on issuers of long-term care insurance policies with respect to: (1) the prompt mailing of new policies after approval; (2) the furnishing of information to policyholders regarding denied claims and to the Secretary and appropriate State officials regarding policies, premiums, denied claims, lapse, replacement, and rescission rates; and (3) the obtaining of medical assessments for elderly applicants if the policy is not guaranteed to be issued. Sets forth civil penalties for issuing unapproved or uncertified policies and for violating prohibited sales practices and the requirements imposed on issuers of long-term care insurance policies. Requires reports on functional ability assessment tools and on solvency protections for such issuers. Requires a study to develop a standard measure of value for long-term care insurance policies. Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 to increase funding for long-term care insurance information, counseling, and assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1991
Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act to require that imported meat be subject to the same inspection, sanitary, quality, species verification, and residue standards applied to products produced in the United States. Requires that inspections of imports be carried out by U.S. inspectors. Amends the Poultry Products Inspection Act to require that inspections of imports be done by U.S. inspectors.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1991
Transportation Improvement Act of 1991 - Title I: Completion of Interstate System and Interstate Substitute Highway Projects - Amends Federal-aid highway provisions to approve the Federal interstate highway cost estimate for 1991. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to apportion funds for FY 1993 through 1998 for expenditure on the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways. Extends the authorization of appropriations for the Interstate System through 1998. Makes States that have not completed construction of their portions of the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways by the end of FY 1995 ineligible to receive or apply for Federal-aid highway funds until such construction is completed. Extends the authorization of appropriations for Interstate Substitute highway projects through FY 1995. Title II: Obligation Authority - Limits total obligations for Federal-aid highways and highway safety construction programs during FY 1992 through 1996. Exempts specified obligations (including discretionary interstate 4-R and bridge projects) from such limits. Sets forth provisions concerning the distribution, limitation, and redistribution of obligation authorities. Title III: Authorization of Appropriations Out of the Highway Trust Fund - Authorizes and allocates appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund through FY 1996 for: (1) the Interstate 4R program; (2) the Federal-aid primary, secondary, and urban systems; (3) bridge replacement and rehabilitation; (4) space elimination of hazards; (5) railroad highway crossings; (6) forest, public lands, and park highways; (7) Indian reservation roads; (8) access highways to public recreation areas; (9) highway safety programs; (10) highway research projects; and (11) highway use tax evasion projects. Authorizes additional appropriations for Interstate 4R discretionary projects and for the discretionary bridge program. Subjects funds appropriated for FY 1991 through 1993 for off-system bridges to the existing limitation on expenditures for bridges on public roads. Authorizes appropriations for the following State apportionment bonuses: (1) the high level of effort bonus (based on a percentage of the amount by which State per capita highway spending exceeds the national average); (2) the adverse weather bonus (based on a percentage of the amount by which the number of days of temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit and non-frost free days exceeds the national average); (3) the Federal lands bonus (based on the amount of Federal lands within a State); and (4) the low density bonus (based on a State's population density). Limits total bonuses to a State to ten percent of the State's annual apportionment. Title IV: Program Flexibility - Authorizes States, upon notification of the Secretary, to transfer up to 30 percent of: (1) their apportionments for specified highway projects between project categories; and (2) their apportionments for Federal-aid urban systems to activities eligible for assistance under the Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964. Subjects additional transfers to the Secretary's approval. Limits total transfers from a category to 50 percent of the apportionment. Permits States, subject to the Secretary's approval and under certain conditions, to transfer funds apportioned pursuant to this Act for the completion of the System of Interstate and Defense Highways to other specified categories. Title V: Additional Provisions - Continues the current Federal-aid primary apportionment formula through FY 1996. Revises provisions concerning Federal participation in toll facilities to remove limitations on the number and types of facilities in which the Federal Government may participate. Permits tolls on a facility to be continued indefinitely, without sanction imposed by the Secretary, if tolls are used for eligible purposes. Authorizes appropriations for the right-of-way revolving fund. Permits States, in any case where sufficient land exists within rights-of-way of a Federal-aid highway to accommodate rail or nonhighway public mass transit facilities and where such accommodation can be accomplished without impairing automotive safety or highway improvements, to make such lands available to a mass transit authority or company. Federal Rural Tourism and Recreational Development Act of 1991 - Declares it a national goal to provide and improve safe access to public lands to encourage the development of travel and tourism opportunities in support of rural area economic development. Authorizes the use of funds under the Federal lands highways program for purposes such as: (1) transportation planning for tourism and recreational travel; (2) interpretive signage and development of public road facilities for areas of historical, archeological, cultural, and scenic interests; (3) construction and reconstruction of roadside rest areas; and (4) other appropriate facilities as determined by the Secretary. Specifies that funds available for forest development roads and trails may be made available for such purposes, as well. Requires the Secretary to authorize Federal aid highway projects for pedestrian and bicycle facilities to encourage alternative modes of transportation for tourism and recreational purposes. Authorizes the motorized use of trails and walkways, subject to State and local regulations. (Under current law, motorized vehicles are prohibited except for maintenance purposes and, when snow conditions and State or local regulations permit, snowmobiles.) Directs the Secretary to: (1) annually allocate sums authorized to be appropriated for access highways to public recreation areas on certain lakes; and (2) establish and carry out a tourism and recreational travel technical assistance program in non-urbanized areas. Makes funds available from forest and public lands highways funds for recreational travel and tourism projects. Requires each State using funds provided in this Act to have a multipurpose land use statewide driving and recreation travel plan. Permits Federal participation in the construction, refurbishment, and operation (currently, construction) of ferry boats. Requires increases in the Federal share payable on highway projects if a State certifies to the Secretary that it has developed comprehensive plans with mandatory land use and transportation elements.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1991
Elementary School Counseling Demonstration Act - Authorizes appropriations for the Secretary of Education to make demonstration grants to local education agencies to establish effective and innovative elementary school counseling programs that can serve as national models. Directs the Secretary to establish an Office of School Counseling, headed by a Director, in the Department of Education.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1991
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) Antarctica should be subject to a new agreement among the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties that would provide for comprehensive environmental protection of Antarctica, grant Antarctica protective status as a world park, and close Antarctica to commercial minerals development unless a consensus is reached to modify the terms of the Antarctic Treaty for such purposes; and (2) the President, at the upcoming meeting of the Parties in Madrid, Spain, should support efforts to conclude such agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 1991
Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require the Administrator of the Agency for International Development to: (1) furnish humanitarian assistance for the Kurdish people; (2) solicit private sector donations of humanitarian assistance for Kurdish and other refugees fleeing Iraq; and (3) cooperate with private relief agencies attempting to provide such aid. Authorizes the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Transportation Command to provide all airlift and sealift necessary to transport medical supplies. Authorizes appropriations. Urges the President to begin discussions with the nations surrounding Iraq as may be necessary regarding the importation of humanitarian assistance. Permits such assistance to be provided to civilian refugees in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the Allied occupied areas of southern Iraq. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the attacks upon Iraqi civilians constitute a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of August 12, 1949, and a threat to peace and stability in the region; and (2) the United States should request the United Nations Security Council to take measures to prevent these attacks pursuant to the United Nations Charter.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 1991
Authorizes the Indian American Forum for Political Education to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia or its environs to honor Mahatma Gandhi. Prohibits the United States from paying any expense of establishing the memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 1991
Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to: (1) accelerate the scheduled phaseout of production of ozone-destroying substances and provide for complete phaseout as early as possible, but not later than 1997 for chlorofluorocarbons and methyl chloroform; and (2) issue regulations providing for the recapture and recycling of ozone-destroying substances used in appliances and motor-vehicle air-conditioners and for the elimination of such substances used in nonessential consumer products. Declares that the President should: (1) urge the United Nations to call a special session of the Contracting Parties to the Montreal Protocol to conclude an agreement accelerating the phaseout of ozone-destroying chlorofluorocarbons and methyl chloroform and providing for such phaseout by 1997; (2) urge the Contracting Parties to provide for the phaseout of hydrochlorofluorocarbons by 2010; and (3) urge the Contracting Parties to accelerate the compliance of developing countries with the Protocol.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1991
Veterans Compensation Improvement Act of 1991 - Increases the rates of: (1) veterans' disability compensation; (2) additional compensation for veterans' dependents; (3) the clothing allowance for certain disabled veterans; (4) dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children; and (5) supplemental dependency and indemnity compensation for disabled adult children. Requires such increases to be the same percentage as the increase in benefit amounts payable under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act. Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make consistent adjustments administratively to the rates of disability compensation payable to certain persons who are not in receipt of compensation for service-connected disability or death. Requires the Secretary to publish such increases in the Federal Register at the same time that OASDI benefit increases are required to be published.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1991
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to establish a part B (Health Services Access) under such title to fund grants to federally-qualified health centers (FQHCs) and other entities and organizations for the expansion and development of primary health care service programs for medically underserved populations. Sets forth the eligibility criteria for such grants and the requirements applications for such grants most meet. Outlines limitations on the use of grant funds. Establishes different priorities for the awarding of grants, with the highest priority for those FQHCs and other entities proposing to expand operations to serve medically unserved populations with the highest degree of unmet need in the most efficient manner. Requires entities and organizations receiving program funds to return excess revenues to the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to terminate grants to entities which fail to meet certain requirements. Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on the relationship between community health centers and hospitals in providing such services.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1991
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States and the Soviet Union should lead an effort to promptly repeal United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3379 (equating Zionism with racism.)
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1991
Provides that up to $4,000 per year in income (including interest) derived from trust or restricted lands held by individual Indians shall not be considered as income for purposes of determining eligibility for assistance under the Social Security Act or any other Federal or federally assisted program.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1991
Mickey Leland Childhood Hunger Relief Act - Title I: Ensuring Adequate Food Assistance - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to remove the excess shelter deduction cap for purposes of food stamp program (program) eligibility. (Sets forth transitional caps through FY 1995.) Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to adjust the basic benefit level upwards by specified increments at the beginning of each fiscal year until it reaches 105 percent of the cost of the thrifty food plan. Eliminates food stamp reductions for households reapplying for program reinstatement within 30 days. Excludes third party payments for transitional housing for the homeless from consideration as program income. Increases funding for the nutrition assistance program in Puerto Rico. Excludes general assistance vendor payments from consideration as program income. Title II: Promoting Self-Sufficiency - Excludes from consideration as program income: (1) the first $50 a month received as child support; and (2) child support payments to non-household members. Increases annually the fair market value limit of vehicles that program recipients may own. Excludes from financial resources the value of a vehicle a household depends upon to carry heating fuel or water for home use where it has no other access to fuel or water. Increases dependent care deductions and participant and State agency reimbursements in connection with employment and training activities. Title III: Simplifying the Provision of Food Assistance - Permits related adults living in the same household to apply for separate program benefits under specified conditions. Permits a participating family made up of, or including, an elderly or disabled member to own $3,000 in allowable financial resources. (Current law refers to a family member 60 years of age or older.) Makes program authorization of appropriations permanent. Title IV: Implementation and Effective Dates - Sets forth the effective dates for provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1991
National Energy Efficiency and Development Act of 1991 - Title I: Energy Policy Initiatives - Subtitle A: National Energy Strategy - Requires the first National Energy Policy Plan submitted by the President to the Congress after enactment of this Act to include a least-cost energy strategy prepared by the Secretary of Energy (Secretary). Requires such strategy to contain: (1) a comprehensive inventory of available energy and energy efficiency resources and their costs; (2) a proposed two-year program for assuring adequate supplies of such resources, along with identification of actions possible under existing Federal law; and (3) recommendations for any new Federal authority needed to achieve the purposes of this Act. Subtitle B: Director of Climate Protection - Directs the Secretary to appoint a Director of Climate Protection to: (1) serve as the Secretary's representative for interagency and multilateral policy discussions of global climate change; (2) monitor domestic and international policies for their effects on the generation of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases; and (3) have the authority to participate in departmental planning activities. Title II: Measures to Improve the Energy Efficiency of the United States Economy - Subtitle A: Research and Development - Amends the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Technology Competitiveness Act of 1989 (REEETCA) to authorize appropriations for energy efficiency research and development. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress triennially on energy efficiency policy options. Subtitle B: Industrial Energy Efficiency - Directs the Secretary to pursue a research and development program and enter into cost-shared joint ventures to improve efficiency in energy intensive industries (such as steel, chemicals, glass, paper, and aluminum). Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Secretary to develop, directly or by contract, a voluntary national program to devise standards for energy audits and the installation of insulation in industrial facilities. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to establish (and report to the Congress on): (1) a reporting system for industry to supply annual energy use and energy intensity information; and (2) voluntary energy efficiency improvement targets for energy-intensive industries. Directs the Administrator of the Energy Information Administration to expand the scope and frequency of the data it collects on energy use in the United States; and (2) report annually to the Congress on such data. Subtitle C: Efficiency in Commercial and Residential Buildings and Other Products - Amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act (NECPA) to direct the Secretary to establish a program to provide technical assistance to States and localities in updating energy efficiency provisions of residential and commercial building codes. Requires each State or locality, by four years after enactment of this Act, to certify that it has reviewed and updated such codes so that they meet or exceed the requirements of the Council of American Building Officials' Model Energy Code (CABO-MEC). Requires each State or locality, by three years after such certification, to further certify that all new residential commercial buildings built during such period meet updated code requirements. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to promulgate procedural guidelines for, and provide technical assistance to, States which adopt residential energy efficiency rating systems. Requires all residential buildings, by five years after enactment of this Act, to have numerical energy efficiency ratings. Requires disclosure to potential purchasers of such ratings. Makes any residential building which fails to meet CABO-MEC standards ineligible for Federal mortgage financing programs. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Secretary to advise the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development on energy standards for manufactured housing; and (2) test the performance and cost-effectiveness of manufactured housing built to such standards. Creates in the Treasury the State Energy Efficiency Project Fund to provide for grants to States to undertake energy efficiency projects in State- and locally-owned buildings. Requires an annual report to the Congress on Fund activities. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to provide financial and technical assistance to support the voluntary development of a national window rating program to establish energy efficiency ratings for windows and window systems. Requires the Secretary to establish such a system if no voluntary program succeeds within two years after enactment of this Act. Requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to prescribe labeling rules for such rating system, unless labeling is not technologically or economically feasible or is not likely to help consumers make purchasing decisions. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to set minimum energy efficiency standards for certain types of lamps, appliance motors, commercial air conditioning and heating equipment, utility distribution transformers, showerheads, and commercial office equipment. Requires: (1) the FTC to prescribe labeling for such products; and (2) manufacturers to provide labeling meeting FTC requirements. Provides for enforcement of such labeling requirements. Directs the Secretary to establish, for a five-year period, a program to train and certify energy efficiency contractors. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle D: Federal Energy Management - Amends NECPA to require all Federal agencies to install all energy conservation measures which are cost-effective on a ten-year life-cycle cost basis. Permits such agencies to accept gas or electric utility incentives designed to encourage cost-effective energy demand management or energy conservation. Requires the Secretary to develop a simplified method of contracting for shared energy savings contract services that will reduce the administrative effort and cost on the part of the government as well as the private customers. Directs the Administrator of the General Services Administration to analyze significant energy consuming products in the Federal Supply Schedule and develop and implement a method to identify products which offer cost-effective opportunities to reduce energy consumption and costs. Directs the Secretary to establish guidelines for the transfer of up to $1,000,000 per project to encourage Federal agencies to undertake energy efficiency projects in federally owned facilities. Requires annual reports to the Congress on such projects. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to establish a financial bonus program to reward outstanding facility energy managers in Federal agencies. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act to direct the President to promulgate rules prohibiting each executive agency from acquiring any automobile with a fuel economy that is not greater than the average fuel economy for that particular model type for the previous model year. Directs the Secretary to submit to the Congress, and update every two years, a plan for demonstrating energy efficiency and renewable energy resource technologies in federally owned facilities. Amends REEETCA to require the Secretary to finance at least one joint venture for the demonstration of fuel cell technology in Federal facilities in order to accelerate commercial application of such cells. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to study and report on the use of Federal purchasing power to encourage the development of more energy efficient products. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle E: Utility Energy Efficiency - Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) to direct States to require State-regulated utilities to employ a planning and selection process for new energy resources that evaluates the full range of existing and incremental resources in order to meet expected future demand at the lowest possible cost to society. Declares that the rates allowed to be charged by a State-regulated utility shall be such that: (1) the utility's investments in and expenditures for energy conservation, energy efficiency resources, and other demand-side management resources are at least as profitable as those for the construction of new generating equipment or the acquisition of other new supply-side resources; and (2) the utility is encouraged to make investments and expenditures for all cost-effective improvements in the energy efficiency of power generation and supply. States that the full cost of an energy resource shall include specified external costs associated with its use. Requires the Secretary to report annually to the Congress and certify which States have complied with such requirements. Declares that, beginning four years after enactment of this Act, energy efficiency measures shall be considered as "qualifying facilities" eligible for certain PURPA programs in States that have not adopted procedures to meet the requirements of this Act. Directs the Western, Southwestern, and Southeastern Power Marketing Administrations (PMAs) to ensure that they and their customer utilities acquire all cost-effective energy efficiency and renewable energy resources. Requires each long-term firm power contract between a PMA and a customer utility to require the utility to develop and implement an energy efficiency and renewable energy program. Requires such PMAs to implement programs directly to acquire cost-effective conservation and renewable energy resources in the region in conjunction with such utility programs. Requires the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to: (1) develop a similar least-cost plan; and (2) execute similar long-term firm contracts with its customer utilities. Requires the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to: (1) develop an office of energy efficiency to coordinate FERC's energy conservation and efficiency activities; and (2) establish procedures for expedited review of any interstate power sales conducted in accordance with the purchasing utility's least-cost energy plan. Subtitle F: Used Oil Energy Production Act of 1991 - Used Oil Energy Production Act of 1991 - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to require a producer or importer of 100,000 gallons or more per year of lubricating oil to increase annually the percentage (set by the Secretary) of recycled oil either: (1) by refining, rerefining, or reprocessing it into petroleum products (including fuels); or (2) by purchasing certain oil recycling credits. Exempts certain facilities from such requirements. Requires annual reports to specified congressional committees. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) not to list or identify used oil as a hazardous waste for certain purposes. Subtitle G: Tire Recycling Incentives - Tire Recycling Incentives Act - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to require tire producers or importers to increase annually the percentage (set by the EPA Administrator) of scrap tires recycled either: (1) by retreading or processing new tire products; or (2) by purchasing certain tire recycling credits. Requires the EPA Administrator to report to the Congress on scrap tire recycling. Sets forth civil penalties for violations of this subtitle. Directs the EPA Administrator to: (1) publish in the Federal Register minimum requirements for State scrap tire management and procedures under which such requirements shall be incorporated into State solid waste management plans; (2) provide for expedited review of State plans which include specified scrap tire recycling measures; and (3) establish standards to minimize health and environmental damages from the improper disposal and storage of tires. Requires such standards to provide for: (1) bans on the disposal of tires in land disposal facilities and on the intentional infliction of damage on tire casings to preclude casings from being used in retreading; (2) State inventories of scrap tire collection facilities, tire advisory boards, and scrap tire abatement plans; (3) agreements between facilities which distribute more than 1,000 tires annually and licensed tire haulers for the exclusive hauling of scrap tires by licensed haulers; and (4) prohibitions on the transportation of scrap tires by transporters without transportation identification numbers. Specifies exceptions. Directs the Administrator to publish guidelines for States for the issuance of permits to scrap tire collection facilities. Requires the Administrator to promulgate guidelines for States for facility emergency plans. Requires facility owners or operators to notify the State immediately in the event of an emergency with potential offsite impacts. Requires all regulated facilities to have appropriate financial responsibility or insurance to maintain the facility for at least five years after closure. Exempts specified persons from permit requirements. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations for the State to use to issue permits to scrap tire recycling facilities. Requires the Secretary of the Interior, together with the heads of agencies responsible for public lands or military installations, to implement a plan to remediate tire piles. Directs the Administrator to develop a guideline for procuring items that make use of scrap or used tires. Requires Federal departments, if the Administrator fails to promulgate such guideline, to procure items containing at least 75 percent of post-consumer scrap rubber from scrap tires if the rubber is available within a reasonable time at a reasonable price and meets performance standards. Directs the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, to publish standards to determine the life-cycle costs and benefits of items that make use of rubber from scrap or used tires as compared with items that make use of rubber other than from scrap or used tires. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to report to the Congress on: (1) direct worker environmental health effects relating to asphalt made from crumb rubber from scrap tires; (2) the recyclability of asphalt road surfaces made from crumb rubber from scrap tires; and (3) the estimated life of existing asphalt road surfaces made from crumb rubber from scrap tires. Permits States to: (1) enter into consent agreements with owners and operators of scrap tire collection facilities for proper management and abatement of scrap tires; and (2) levy fines on facilities for noncompliance. Imposes fines on tire facilities and landfills for specified violations of this Act. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle H: Insular Areas Energy Assistance - Authorizes the Secretary of Energy (Secretary) to grant financial assistance to Insular area governments to carry out energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Authorizes appropriations. Title III: Measures to Promote the Use of Renewable Energy - Subtitle A: Renewable Energy Technology Transfers - Amends REEETCA to authorize appropriations for: (1) renewable energy research and development programs; (2) State conservation programs; (3) State research and applied technology transfer programs; (4) Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory information and publications; (5) four pilot programs to demonstrate model technology transfer and design assistance programs; (6) an advanced research and development information computer network; and (7) at least ten photovoltaic demonstration projects of at least ten megawatts in size to supply electric power to a power grid. Directs the Secretary to develop a Strategic Technology Transfer Implementation Plan for the national and international transfer of renewable energy and energy efficiency technology information. Amends the Federal Power Act and PURPA to: (1) make small biomass and hydropower production facilities specifically "eligible facilities" under such Act; and (2) define "alternative power production facility." Subtitle B: Amendments to the Committee on Renewable Energy Commerce and Trade (CORECT) - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to require the Committee on Renewable Energy Commerce and Trade (CORECT) to promote the development and application in lesser-developed countries of specified renewable energy and energy efficiency resource technologies. Authorizes CORECT to establish renewable energy industry outreach offices in the Pacific Rim and in the Caribbean Basin. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress on the range of energy efficient and renewable energy technologies available to meet the energy needs of lesser-developed countries. Authorizes appropriations. Earmarks funds to assist U.S. manufacturers of renewable energy and energy efficient technology in exporting their products to lesser-developed countries. Title IV: Measures to Promote the Use of Alternative Motor Vehicles and Fuels - Subtitle A: Alternative Transportation Fuels - Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements and joint ventures to demonstrate the feasibility (including safety of specific vehicle design) of using natural gas or other alternative fuels for mass transit. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to establish a program to provide financial assistance to encourage the development and commercialization of natural gas and other alternative fuel use in passenger fleets, light duty, and heavy duty trucks. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish a training and certification program for technicians who are responsible for vehicle installation of equipment that converts gasoline or diesel-fuel vehicles to the capability to run on natural gas or other alternative fuels. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary of Energy to carry out a program of research, development, and demonstration on techniques related to improving natural gas and other alternative fuel vehicle technology. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to: (1) institute an awareness program to educate potential purchasers of the costs, emission characteristics, and other features of alternative fuels; (2) report to the Congress on Federal purchasing policies which inhibit Federal purchase of alternative-fuel vehicles; (3) report to the Congress on how Federal, State, and local traffic control measures could promote the use of alternative-fuel vehicles; and (4) develop a plan for establishment of Federal and State trust funds to provide loans to convert vehicles to operate on alternative fuels or purchase alternative-fuel vehicles. Amends the Natural Gas Act to exclude the sale of natural gas as a vehicle fuel from the price regulation jurisdiction of FERC. Declares that a company shall not be considered a natural gas company under the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 solely because it distributes or sells natural gas as a motor vehicle fuel. Exempts from State regulation as a public utility (unless otherwise primarily engaged in business as such) any person or entity transporting or selling alternative vehicle fuels. Directs the Secretary to establish a fund to provide 50 percent of the cost of establishing offices of alternative fuels in State governments, as well as alternative fuel programs launched by such offices. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Secretary to study whether the use of alternative fuels in nonroad vehicles and engines would contribute substantially to reduced reliance on imported energy sources. Directs the Secretary to issue regulations requiring, where feasible, nonroad vehicles and engines to use alternative fuels if such study concludes that such use could reduce reliance on imported energy sources by ten percent nationwide within a ten-year period. Subtitle B: Alternative Fuel Fleet Requirement - Requires every person who owns, operates, leases, or otherwise controls a motor vehicle fleet of specified composition in a metropolitan statistical area of over 250,000 population which is also an EPA-classified nonattainment area to increase the percentage of alternative-fueled vehicles in such fleet by specified increments annually until it reaches 90 percent in the year 2000. Directs the Secretary to allocate credits to covered persons who exceed the required quota of alternative-fueled vehicles. Establishes administrative and civil penalties (together with appropriate enforcement procedures) for violations of the requirements or prohibitions of this subtitle. Subtitle C: Electric Vehicle Technology Development and Demonstration - Electric Vehicle Technology Development and Demonstration Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary to identify EPA-classified nonattainment areas in the United States in which the use of conventionally fueled vehicles contributes significantly to that nonattainment and in which the use of electric vehicles could contribute to attainment of applicable National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Directs the Secretary, after identifying such areas, to request applications from, and eventually select, manufacturers to develop, demonstrate, certify, manufacture, sell, warranty, and service electric vehicles in one or more of them. Requires: (1) the selected manufacturers to offer electric vehicle purchasers certain discounts; and (2) the Secretary to reimburse them the amount of such discounts. Requires annual reports to the Congress on such program. Authorizes appropriations. Title V: Transportation and Energy Efficiency - Amends the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act to establish average fuel economy standards for passenger automobiles and automobiles other than passenger automobiles (light trucks) for model years 1996 and thereafter. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to modify such standards, in response to a petition, according to a specified procedure. Requires the EPA Administrator to report annually to specified congressional committees on a study which: (1) examines the accuracy of fuel economy testing of passenger automobiles and light trucks; and (2) assesses the extent to which fuel economy deteriorates during the lifetime of such vehicles. Directs the Secretary of Energy to distribute at least 100 explanatory booklets each year to every dealer and additional numbers if requested. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to provide for a review and report to the Congress by the National Academy of Sciences on the current state of research and development in light truck fuel economy and passenger automobile fuel economy and an assessment of the potential for improving the fuel efficiency and reducing the energy consumption of passenger automobiles and light trucks. Requires the Secretary of Energy to study and report to the Congress on the future options for regulating the fuel efficiency of such vehicles beyond 2001. Provides for the judicial review of average fuel economy standards (including modifications thereof) established under this Act. Doubles the civil penalty for repeated violations of the fuel economy standard. Requires such penalty to be adjusted for inflation. Title VI: Measures to Displace Petroleum as a Vehicle Fuel - Replacement Fuels and Alternative Fuels Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary of Energy (Secretary) to: (1) establish a program to promote the development and use of domestic-produced replacement and alternative fuels; and (2) prescribe the minimum percentage of domestic-produced replacement and alternative fuels, on an energy equivalent basis, to be sold in calendar years 1996 and 1997 by any refiner for use as a motor fuel. Amends the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act to authorize the Secretary of Transportation, if the average fuel economy standard for passenger automobiles is increased above 27.5 miles per gallon for any model year, to increase the maximum increase in average fuel economy for a manufacturer attributable to dual energy and natural gas dual energy automobiles until alternative and replacement motor fuel sales indicate that such fuels are displacing conventional petroleum as a motor fuel. Sets forth civil penalties for violations of this Act and a procedure for appealing such penalties. Authorizes appropriations. Title VII: Measures to Promote the Use of Natural Gas - Directs the Secretary of Energy (Secretary) to conduct a program of research, development, and demonstration of cofiring (of natural gas and pulverized coal), including gas reburn technologies (which reduce nitrogen oxide emissions), in electric utility units and large industrial boilers in order to determine optimal natural gas injection levels for both environmental and operational benefits. Provides for financial assistance to or cooperative agreements with public or private entities under such program. Sets the Federal shares of costs at 50 percent. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to expand the program for research, development, and demonstration for natural gas and electric heating and cooling technologies for residential and commercial buildings. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the Natural Gas Act to direct FERC to develop an incentive formula for rates and charges for the sale or transportation of natural gas. Sets as the development goals for such formula: (1) allowing natural gas companies to earn a fair rate of return; (2) providing proper price signals to the marketplace; and (3) rewarding pipeline efficiency. Repeals FERC's authority to delay decision-making on ratemaking orders beyond the 30-day rehearing requirement without cause. Requires FERC to take final action on a rehearing application within 60 days after it is filed. Permits natural gas companies to file for FERC approval joint rates negotiated by them for the transportation of natural gas through each of their pipelines in sequence on the way to market. Exempts such rates from coverage under specified antitrust law. Declares that, in the setting of natural gas company rates, a plant shall be recognized so long as it is used and useful in discharging the company's utility business (even if it is already completely depreciated). Declares that pipeline sales rates shall be presumed just and reasonable if workably competitive alternatives exist for such sales. Sets forth conditions under which new natural gas company services (where competitive, certified services already exist) do not need a certificate of public convenience and necessity. Amends the Natural Gas Act to provide automatic abandonment of the sales obligation upon contract expiration, subject to a pipeline's right to extend. Declares that any fixed charge paid by an interstate pipeline to a first seller for gas supply security shall be recoverable on an "as-billed basis" in the pipeline's demand charges, unless FERC determines, after a hearing, that the pipeline does not offer a reasonably competitive alternative to its sales service. Requires the Secretary to condition the approval of any natural gas import application upon FERC action to redress any anti-competitive impacts on U.S. gas producers, including competitive disparities resulting from different rate designs applied to the transportation of domestic gas and imported supplies. Directs the Secretary to expand and continue, through joint ventures, a program of research, development, and demonstration on techniques to increase: (1) intensive recovery of natural gas in place in discovered reservoirs or formations; and (2) economic recovery from nonconventional sources, including tight formation, Devonian shales, and geopressurized brines. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1968 to exempt from Natural Gas Act coverage and FERC jurisdiction the construction or operation of any facilities if the natural gas company constructing such facilities: (1) holds a certificate pursuant to which it has agreed to provide open access transportation service; and (2) the company agrees that such certificate shall apply to any transportation service through the new facilities. Requires all such facilities to be constructed in accordance with applicable environmental protection and safety laws and regulations, except the National Environmental Policy Act of 1978 (NEPA). Directs FERC to create an environmental review process under NEPA providing that pipeline construction projects which are confined to existing utility or highway corridors, and do not involve construction in high value wetland areas, shall be afforded a rebuttable presumption of no significant impact. Makes FERC the lead agency with primary authority for compliance with NEPA in any case where FERC authorization of the construction or operation of facilities or projects under the Natural Gas Act may be deemed a major Federal action. Amends the Natural Gas Act to grant FERC the power to issue certificates of public convenience and necessity in a two-phase process: (1) the first phase, which shall constitute a final order, involving all matters requiring FERC review and approval except environmental matters; and (2) the second phase, addressing required environmental matters only. Directs FERC to revise its environmental review procedures to allow pipelines to submit Environmental Assessments (EAs) at the time of filing for approval of proposed facilities, using general standards specified by FERC. Requires the revised procedures to presume EAs valid subject to FERC review for compliance with its own standards. Requires FERC to permit a certificate applicant to elect a contractor, consultant or other FERC designee to prepare the environmental impact statement at the applicant's expense. Requires FERC to develop procedures to ensure against conflicts of interest in such contracting. Directs the Office of Technology Assessment to study and report to the Congress on: (1) the global trends of production, usage, and transportation of natural gas and the ways in which these trends can affect domestic energy policy and the U.S. natural gas industry; and (2) State and locally imposed institutional and regulatory barriers to increase national natural gas usage. Title VIII: Tax Treatment of Energy Resources - Subtitle A: Renewable Energy Production Incentive - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a renewable energy production credit for electric power plants that operate on solar, wind, and geothermal energy. Sets the credit at two cents (inflation-adjusted annually) per kilowatt hour produced and sold by the taxpayer to an unrelated person. Applies such credit only to facilities built during taxable years 1991 through 1996. Sets forth decreasing credit allowances for 1997 through 2001. Sets the credit for geothermal properties at half the credit for other renewable energy properties. Subtitle B: Transportation - Limits the exclusion from gross income of parking provided by the taxpayer's employer to parking located on the employer's premises only. (Currently the parking may be located on or near the premises.) Requires the employer to operate such facility and restrict substantially all its use to employees. Expands the working condition fringe exclusion from gross income to include up to $75 per month of any van pooling or reimbursement for public mass transit use provided by the taxpayer's employer. Subtitle C: Buildings and Housing Tax Credits - Allows an individual a tax credit of up to $100 of qualified oil retrofit conservation expenditures ($50 in the case of a married individual filing a separate return) for the taxpayer's principal residence. Defines oil retrofit component to include: (1) flame retention burners; (2) insulation measures and water-heater wraps; (3) automatic thermostat controls; and (4) window insulation measures. Subtitle D: Utilities - Excludes from gross income the amount (if in cash) or value (if in kind) of any subsidy (rebate) 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 any deduction or credit to the extent of any such subsidy excluded from gross income. Declares that this tax exclusion does not apply to any payment to a qualified cogeneration facility or qualifying small power production facility under PURPA. Subtitle E: Automobiles and Trucks - Safe and Efficient Vehicles Incentives Act of 1991 - Establishes: (1) taxes on the sale of each new motor vehicle whose fuel economy is less, or whose composite safety factor is less, than the respective sales-weighted average fuel economy or average composite safety factor of all new motor vehicles within the same class; and (2) rebates for the purchase of each new motor vehicle whose fuel economy is greater, or whose composite safety factor is greater, than the respective sales-weighted average fuel economy or composite safety factor of all new motor vehicles within the same class. Sets forth formulae for the calculation of such taxes and rebates. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to publish in the Federal Register and notify each manufacturer or importer of such formulae annually. Requires labeling boldly displaying such taxes and rebates on all vehicles for sale. Provides for collection of taxes and disbursement of rebates. Sets forth formulae for the calculation of sales-weighted average fuel economies and composite safety factors. Subtitle F: Domestic Oil and Gas Production Incentives - Removes the net income limitation on the percentage depletion allowance deduction for oil and gas wells. Allows a tax credit for up to ten percent of the qualified cost of each barrel of crude oil produced from an economically marginal well (including certain stripper wells) or recovered through a tertiary recovery method. Provides for carryback or carryforward of unused credit. Allows a tax credit for specified percentages of the taxpayer's qualified investment in crude oil and natural gas exploration and development wells. Eliminates intangible drilling costs as tax preference items. Allows deduction of specified drilling costs from the Alternative Minimum Tax calculation. Repeals the taxable income limitation on the percentage depletion allowance. Allows the carryforward of excess depletion allowances. Repeals a specified Revenue Ruling with respect to mineral sharing arrangements. Allows the nonconventional source fuels credit to offset the Alternative Minimum Tax liability. Repeals the January 1, 1993, termination date for such credit, thus making it permanent.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1991
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to provide total Federal coverage of Medicaid services provided through Indian health facilities, rather than requiring that such services be provided through Indian Health Service facilities to qualify for such coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1991
Small Community Environmental Infrastructure Assistance Act of 1990 - Title I: Small Community Environmental Infrastructure Assistance - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to make grants to States for the establishment of small community environmental infrastructure revolving funds. Makes such funds available to small communities for the construction of wastewater treatment works, public water systems, and solid waste management facilities and for assuring that underground storage tanks are in compliance with the Solid Waste Disposal Act. Sets forth provisions concerning grant payment schedules and allotment and reallotment requirements. Requires States to establish revolving funds to receive such grants. Sets forth specific requirements for the use of such funds and for the loans and grants to be provided to small communities. Permits States to provide assistance only to community wastewater treatment and solid waste management facilities and public water systems that are in compliance with plans under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, and the Solid Waste Disposal Act, as appropriate. Requires States to submit plans to the Administrator that identify the intended use of the revolving funds. Directs States to reserve the greater of one percent of fund sums or $100,000 to carry out planning. Provides for the withholding of grant payments if a State is not in compliance with this Act's requirements. Requires the Administrator to establish an Office of Small Community Environmental Infrastructure Assistance to: (1) oversee and manage the grants and funds made under this title; and (2) provide specified environmental and financial information to small communities. Authorizes the Office to provide grants to States and not-for-profit organizations to assist small communities in assessing issues related to the financing of environmental facilities, compliance with environmental laws, and the construction, operation, and rehabilitation of environmental infrastructure facilities. Requires such grants to be matched by non-Federal funds. Authorizes and allocates appropriations. Title II: Environmental Infrastructure Facilities for Economically Distressed Areas - Establishes an Office of Community Environmental Infrastructure Assistance within the Directorate of Civil Works of the Office of the Chief of Engineers to implement this title. Makes funds provided under this title available for the construction of wastewater treatment works, public water systems, and solid waste management facilities. Provides that such funds shall be available only for environmental infrastructure projects serving less than 25,000 persons that are located in economically distressed areas. Authorizes State Governors to submit State Priority Project Plans to the Secretary of the Army. Directs the Secretary to submit annual Economically Distressed Area Environmental Infrastructure Assistance Plans to the Congress. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into local cooperation agreements to provide for the planning, design, and construction of environmental infrastructure projects. Requires the Secretary to assure that local cooperation agreements are signed for a project from each State submitting a Priority Project Plan. Requires the Administrator to publish guidelines for the design of wastewater treatment, public water supply, and solid waste disposal facilities pursuant to this title. Provides for the review and revision of such guidelines at least every five years. Directs the Secretary to establish an Office of Environmental Infrastructure Assistance. Authorizes appropriations. Title III: Financing of Public Owned Treatment Works - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to authorize owners of publicly owned treatment works to issue debt with respect to any treatment works that has received financial assistance under such Act and to pledge, as security for repayment of such debt obligation, revenues realized from the operation of the treatment works, subject to the prior payment of the costs of proper operation and maintenance. Permits such financing only if at least 95 percent of the proceeds of the debt issuance will be used for: (1) the construction portion of a program for the rehabilitation or expansion of the treatment works; or (2) the establishment of financial mechanisms to subsidize or stabilize rates, provide for equipment repair or replacement, or provide for other uses that benefit the ratepayers of the treatment works. Authorizes such financing only if the owner of the treatment works obtains a prior determination from the State agency responsible for administering the State water pollution control revolving fund that the proceeds will be used for such purposes. Permits State water pollution control revolving funds to be used to guarantee, or purchase insurance or letters of credit for, local obligations for equipment, facilities, or plants to be used in conjunction with treatment works.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1991
Declares that the Senate: (1) extends a warm welcome to His Excellency Lech Walesa, President of the Republic of Poland, upon the occasion of his State Visit to the United States; (2) recalls the historic ties between the people of both countries; (3) applauds his commitment to economic and political reform; (4) reaffirms the Senate's and U.S. people's support for the independence and security of Poland; (5) looks forward to cooperation with Poland on issues relating to security and stability in Europe; and (6) commends the Bush Administration's decision to reduce Poland's debt to the United States, applauds the Paris Club's decision to reduce Poland's foreign debt, and urges Poland's private creditors to do the same.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1991
Mid-Dakota Rural Water System Act of 1991 - Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of the Interior for: (1) the planning and construction of a rural water system in portions of specified counties in South Dakota (to be known as the Mid-Dakota Rural Water System); (2) the South Dakota Wetland Trust; and (3) the Wetland Development and Enhancement Component of the System. Prohibits the Secretary from obligating any Federal funds for the construction of such System until the Secretary finds that non-Federal entities have implemented water conservation programs throughout the System's service area. Provides that mitigation for fish and wildlife losses incurred as a result of the construction and operation of the System shall be on an acre-for-acre basis, based on ecological equivalency, concurrent with project construction. Directs the Western Area Power Administration to make available, from power designated for future irrigation and drainage pumping for the Pick-Sloan Missouri River Basin Program and subject to certain conditions, the capacity and energy required to meet the pumping requirements of such System. Authorizes the use of and connection of facilities at the Oahe powerhouse and pumping plant for purposes of a water supply for the System. Provides for the establishment of a Wetland Trust, to be administered by the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Foundation. States that the Trust shall be operated to preserve, enhance, restore, and manage wetlands in South Dakota. Sets forth authorized uses of Trust income.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1991
Replacement and Alternative Fuels Act of 1991 - Requires the Secretary of Energy to establish a program to: (1) promote the development and use of domestic-produced replacement and alternative fuels to replace conventional petroleum motor fuels; and (2) ensure the availability of those replacement and alternative motor fuels which will have the greatest impact in improving air quality. Prescribes development plan and production goals. Sets a timetable by which the Secretary must prescribe the minimum percentage of domestic-produced replacement and alternative fuels on an energy equivalent basis to be sold in specified calendar years by any refiner for use as a motor fuel. Prescribes minimum percentages of domestically produced replacement fuel to be sold in specified calendar years. Requires the Secretary to promulgate regulations for the exchange of marketable credits among: (1) refiners; (2) distributors of alternative motor fuels sold in commerce for transportation purposes; and (3) manufacturers of electricity-powered automobiles. Requires each refiner to report annually to the Secretary the percentage of domestic-produced replacement fuel, on an energy equivalent basis, contained in the total quantity of motor fuel sold during the preceding calendar year, and the amount of alternative motor fuels, sold or credited to such refiner during such year. Requires each distributor of alternative fuel to report annually to the Secretary the amount of alternative fuel sold into commerce for transportation purposes, and the amount of credits sold to refiners. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to report annually to the Secretary of Energy the number of dual fuel and dedicated alternative fuel vehicles manufactured and sold into commerce by each manufacturer each year. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to report to the Congress on the environmental impact potential of developing replacement fuels and alternative motor fuels. Amends the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act to provide that if the average fuel economy standard applicable to passenger automobiles is increased above a specified level for any model year, the Secretary of Transportation may increase the maximum increase in average fuel economy for a manufacturer attributable to dual energy and natural gas dual energy automobiles to the extent that alternative and replacement motor fuel sales indicate that such fuels are being used to displace the use of conventional petroleum as a motor fuel. Establishes civil penalties for violations of this Act. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations requiring certain gasoline retailers to have available for sale, in addition to replacement motor fuels, other alternative motor fuels.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1991
Authorizes the States to waive application of the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986 to vehicles used either for transporting farm supplies from retail dealers to or from a farm, or for custom harvesting, regardless of whether or not they are controlled or operated by a farmer.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1991
Allied Health Professionals Promotion Act of 1991 - Amends provisions of the Public Health Service Act relating to grants and contracts concerning training of allied health personnel to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to allocate 75 percent of the funds authorized to those allied health fields the Secretary determines to have: (1) the most significant shortages of practitioners; and (2) a significant role in the care and rehabilitation of patients who are elderly or disabled. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants and contracts to assist allied health students in meeting the costs of entry level education, allocating 75 percent of the funds as above. Makes payments of tuition under these provisions to, or on behalf of, a participating student, notwithstanding other law, exempt from taxation. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes appropriations for traineeships for advanced training of allied health personnel, making the traineeships available for postgraduate (currently, doctoral) programs and students. Establishes within the Health Resources and Services Administration the Advisory Council on Allied Health. Excludes registered nurses from the definition of "allied health personnel."
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1991
Expresses the appreciation of the Congress to: (1) all American Indian veterans for their long, proud, and distinguished tradition of service in the U.S. Armed Forces; (2) all American Indian service men and women currently or heretofore deployed in the Persian Gulf region as part of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm; and (3) the families of American Indian service men and women and members of Indian tribes nationwide who have supported their loved ones through traditional ceremonies and have prayed for the safety and continued strength of all American forces and Allied partners. Expresses the condolences of the Congress to the families whose loved ones have made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their nation and in the cause of peace.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1991
Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to require the United States Trade Representative to take specified trade action, and in certain cases has discretionary authority to take such action, against a foreign country whose act, policy, or practice threatens to burden or restrict U.S. commerce. Declares that an act, policy, or practice that threatens to burden or restrict U.S. commerce is an act, policy, or practice that does not currently burden or restrict such commerce, but, if not corrected, is reasonably expected to burden or restrict it.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1991
Federal Deposit Insurance Improvements Act of 1991 - Title I: Amendments to Federal Banking Acts - Subtitle A: Improvements - Federal Banking Agency Improvements Act of 1991 - Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to specify the length of interim appointments to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Board of Directors. Revises conversion authority to authorize the FDIC to approve conversion transactions that affect insubstantial portions of the total deposits of each depository institution acquired as part of the conversion transaction. Repeals the requirement that the FDIC notify other regulators 30 days before suspending deposit insurance in certain emergencies. Grants priority (with certain exceptions) to claims brought by the FDIC against an insured depository institution or its personnel in any proceeding relating to other claims against such an institution or its officers or employees. Repeals the exemption granted to certain State-chartered savings associations with respect to compliance with regulations of the Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision relating to subsidiaries. Mandates that any depository institution (currently, any savings association) whose deposits are not FDIC-insured conspicuously state that its deposits are "not federally insured." Amends the Federal Home Loan Bank Act to direct the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC) to repeal: (1) the prohibition against selling property in certain distressed areas for less than 95 percent of its market value; (2) the requirement to sell certain residential property to low-income buyers, at below market value prices; and (3) the provision for a "net realizable market value" below market value. Imposes criminal penalties upon certain institution-affiliated parties prohibited from participating in the affairs of depository institutions if such parties knowingly participate in any manner in the affairs of: (1) any appropriate Federal depository institution regulatory agency; or (2) the Federal Housing Finance Board and any Federal Home Loan Bank. Amends Federal banking law to authorize the Comptroller of the Currency, without notice or prior hearing, to appoint a receiver to take possession and control of a national bank if it is in an unsafe or unsound condition, including having substantially insufficient capital. (Currently, the Comptroller may appoint a receiver only if the bank is insolvent or has violated the National Bank Act.) Subtitle B: Asset Conservation and Deposit Insurance Protection - Asset Conservation and Deposit Insurance Protection Act of 1991 - Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to limit the liability of an insured depository institution or mortgage lender with respect to Federal law imposing strict liability for the release (or threatened release) of a hazardous substance from property: (1) acquired through foreclosure; (2) held in a fiduciary capacity; or (3) held by a lessor or subject to financial control or oversight pursuant to the terms of a credit extension. Denies such limitation on liability to persons that caused or contributed to a release or failed to take reasonable steps to prevent a continued release. Grants immunity from such strict liability to: (1) Federal banking and lending agencies; and (2) the first subsequent purchaser of property from such Federal entities (except in certain circumstances). Exempts Federal banking and lending agencies from any law requiring them to grant convenants warranting remedial action. Mandates that appropriate Federal financial institutions, regulatory agencies and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development issue regulations requiring insured depository institutions and mortgage lenders, respectively, to develop and implement procedures to evaluate actual and potential environmental risks that may arise from property prior to making an extension of credit secured by such property. Subtitle C: Amendments to Public Law 96-510 - Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Responses, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 with respect to parity of treatment for: (1) the States and Federal Government with respect to property acquired involuntarily; and (2) emergency response actions of a Federal banking or lending agency. Title II: Clarifying Amendments to the Federal Deposit Insurance Act - Prohibits an insured depository institution from indemnifying its personnel (or other institution-related persons) for costs related to actions brought successfully by a Federal banking agency against such institution-related persons. Grants the FDIC the same powers and rights over the assets and liabilities of the FSLIC Resolution Fund as it has over other jurisdictional matters under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act. Declares the FDIC to be the successor receiver or conservator to FSLIC wards. States that if a consolidation or acquisition involves a savings association eligible for assistance and a bank (or bank holding company), the resulting entity (currently, the savings association) may retain and operate any existing branch or facilities. Amends the Federal Home Loan Bank Act to provide that upon the filing of a pleading informing the court that the RTC has been appointed conservator or receiver for a party, the RTC shall be deemed substituted in any legal proceeding involving that party. Title III: Technical Amendments to the Federal Deposit Insurance Act - Makes clerical amendments to the Federal Deposit Insurance Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1991
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to limit Medicare coverage of chiropractic services to diagnostic x-rays, physical examinations, and certain spinal manipulations conducted by State-licensed chiropractors who are legally authorized by the State to provide such services.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1991
Savings and Investment Incentive Act of 1991 - Title I: Retirement Savings Incentives - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to remove the limitations on deductions for individual retirement plans 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. Title II: 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 devasting medical expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1991
Link-up for Learning Demonstration Grant Act - Establishes a program of grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) in partnership with other eligible entities for coordinated educational and other student support services for at-risk youth. Authorizes the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to award such grants to eligible entities to pay the Federal share of costs of specified activities. Sets forth special considerations in awarding grants. Allows such grants to be for up to three years, subject to satisfactory progress. Makes eligible to apply for such a grant (provided that at least one LEA in the partnership is eligible to receive financial assistance for disadvantaged children under chapter 1 title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965): (1) at least one LEA in partnership with at least one public agency; (2) at least one nonprofit organization, institution of higher education, or private enterprise in partnership with at least one LEA; or (3) an LEA that is receiving assistance under the Head Start Transition Project Act in partnership with any designated Head Start agency. Requires eligible entities, in order to receive such grants, to serve: (1) educationally deprived students, students eligible to be counted under chapter 1, or students in chapter 1 schoolwide projects, and their family members; and (2) any school, grade span, or program area if the project design is of adequate size, scope, and quality. Sets forth: (1) authorized uses of grant funds by LEAs; (2) application requirements; (3) application review coordination; and (4) various limitations. Requires each eligible entity desiring such a grant to establish a coordinated services advisory council to develop its application. Establishes a Federal Interagency Task Force consisting of the Secretaries of Education, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development, and other appropriate Federal agency heads, to identify means to facilitate interagency collaboration at Federal, State, and local levels to improve support services for at-risk students. Requires the Task Force to: (1) identify and eliminate program regulations or practices impeding coordination and collaboration; (2) develop and implement plans for jointly funded programs, unified eligibility and application procedures, and confidentiality regulations that facilitate information sharing; and (3) make recommendations to the Congress on legislative action to facilitate coordination of support services. Directs the Secretary of Education to: (1) conduct a study of grantees under this Act to identify regulatory and legislative obstacles to coordinated support services and innovative procedures and programs; and (2) report study results to the Congress with recommendations for legislative action. Limits the Federal share of project costs to 80 percent. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 1994.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1991
Children of Substance Abusers Act - Title I: Services for Children of Substance Abusers - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to make grants for the Federal share of the cost of community outreach services and services for children of substance abusers. Sets forth program requirements, including providing comprehensive services for the entire family. Sets forth requirements regarding: (1) the distribution of grants among specified types of entities; and (2) information and assurances which must be included in grant applications. Sets the Federal share at 90 percent. Authorizes appropriations. Provides for grants for the training of professionals and other staff who provide services to, or come in contact with, children and families of substance abusers. Requires the Administrator to identify the training needs of such professionals and other staff and develop a strategy for satisfying the needs. Prescribes the uses of the grant funds. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Home-Visiting Services for at-Risk Families - Directs the Secretary to make competitive three- to five-year grants for the Federal share of the costs of home visiting services, including help in obtaining health and social services. Sets forth priorities in awarding grants and information and assurances which must be included in grant applications. Sets the Federal share at 90 percent. Authorizes appropriations. Title III: Treatment - Requires a State to: (1) use at least 20 (currently, at least ten) percent of alcohol and drug abuse and mental health services block grant allotments for alcohol and drug abuse programs and services for women and demonstration projects for residential treatment services to pregnant women; (2) ensure that treatment services are available to each woman who is pregnant and who meets other requirements; and (3) establish, if treatment programs in the State have insufficient capacity, quantitative goals and implement a program for the provision of adequate capacity to meet the needs of each such woman. Modifies requirements regarding the contents of an annual report mandated by existing provisions concerning certain block grant programs.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1991
Childhood Hunger Prevention Act of 1991 - Title I: Food Stamp Program - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to increase the basic food stamp program (program) benefit level by specified annual increments until it reaches 105 percent of the cost of the thrifty food plan. Excludes from consideration as program income the first $50 a month received as child support. Removes the excess shelter deduction cap for purposes of program eligibility. Increases annually the fair market value limit of vehicles that program recipients may own. Directs the Secretary to conduct, and authorizes States to conduct, pilot projects to study program participation barriers in rural areas. Authorizes the Secretary to use specified funds to improve program services for homeless persons. Title II: Nutrition Programs - Amends the National School Lunch Act to: (1) permit certain private residential day care organizations to participate in the child care and adult food program; (2) permit meal supplements (snacks) for children in after school care programs (by eliminating the child care food program requirement); and (3) increase specified funds for food assistance to homeless preschool children. Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to authorize specified appropriations for the supplemental food program for women, infants, and children (WIC) program. Title III: Effective Dates - Sets forth the effective dates for provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1991
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States shall use diplomacy to encourage the Government of El Salvador and the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) to: (1) participate in good-faith negotiations to achieve a cease-fire and permanent settlement of the conflict in El Salvador; (2) adhere to the terms of agreements signed in Geneva, Switzerland, Caracas, Venezuela, and San Jose, Costa Rica; and (3) support the role of the Secretary General of the United Nations in advancing proposals on the outstanding issues defined in the Caracas Accords to resolve the conflict. Withholds from El Salvador unobligated military assistance for FY 1991 and prior fiscal years and military assistance allocated for FY 1992 and 1993 until the Congress enacts a joint resolution authorizing the provision of such assistance and the President reports to the Congress that: (1) those responsible for ordering and carrying out, or obstructing the investigation into, the November 1989 murders of certain priests and civilians have been apprehended and brought to justice; (2) internationally recognized workers' rights have been extended to Salvadoran workers; (3) the El Salvadoran Government has pursued legal avenues to bring to trial and obtain verdicts for those responsible for the murders of Archbishop Romero and certain land reformers and for the bombings of the FENASTRAS headquarters; (4) the El Salvadoran Government is complying with international standards of respect for humanitarian and medical workers; (5) steps have been taken to place the El Salvadoran military under the control of the civilian government; (6) the El Salvadoran Government is negotiating to achieve a cease-fire and a settlement of the conflict and has not rejected a plan for the settlement of the conflict put forth by the United Nations Secretary General; and (7) the El Salvadoran Government, through its military and security forces, has not engaged in assassinations of, or acts of violence against, civilians and has not failed to control such activities by elements subject to the control of such forces. Prohibits funding for: (1) the stationing of U.S. military personnel in El Salvador as trainers or advisors to the El Salvadoran armed forces; and (2) the financing of covert operations in El Salvador or for covert military assistance to the El Salvadoran Government. Establishes the Demobilization, Transition, and Reconstruction Fund to assist with the cost of monitoring a permanent settlement of the conflict, the demobilization of combatants in the conflict and their transition to peaceful pursuits, and the reconstruction of El Salvador. Makes the Fund available only upon the President's notification to the Congress that the El Salvadoran Government and the FMLN have reached a permanent settlement to the conflict. Requires the President, upon notification of a permanent settlement or on September 30, 1992, if no notification has occurred prior to such date, to transfer withheld military assistance to the Fund. Prohibits economic support fund (ESF) assistance from being obligated as balance-of-payments or cash assistance for El Salvador. Makes ESF assistance for El Salvador available only for projects for child nutrition, health, clean water, basic education, agrarian reform, resettling refugees, and other human needs of the people of El Salvador. Requires such assistance to be used only for programs implemented solely by civilian agencies. Subjects ESF assistance for El Salvador to reprogramming notifications under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1991
Federal Facility Compliance Act of 1991 - Requires Federal agencies to perform assessments of hazardous substance releases from solid waste management units at each hazardous substance treatment, storage, or disposal facility owned or operated by such agencies after November 19, 1980. Requires such assessments to indicate whether such facilities are in compliance with specified environmental laws and to be provided to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and to States in which such facilities are located. Directs the EPA Administrator to inspect such facilities annually to enforce compliance with such laws. Requires such inspections to include an analysis of groundwater monitoring. Makes inspection records available to the public. Requires Federal agencies owning or operating such facilities to reimburse the EPA for inspection costs. Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to waive sovereign immunity for Federal agencies with respect to certain requirements under such Act. Makes Federal employees subject to criminal sanctions under Federal or State solid or hazardous waste laws. Permits Federal agencies to: (1) represent or expend funds to represent an employee in State criminal proceedings if the actions for which representation were requested appear to have been performed within the scope of the employee's employment; and (2) reimburse an employee for defense costs in Federal criminal proceedings if actions were performed within such scope. Authorizes the Administrator to commence enforcement actions against Federal agencies pursuant to this Act.
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