United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1991
United States One-Dollar Coin Act of 1991 - Amends Federal currency law to prescribe the color and features (including features to aid the visually handicapped) of one-dollar coins. Mandates that the obverse side of the one-dollar coin have a design recognizing the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus. Requires such coins to be placed in circulation within 18 months of enactment of this Act. Mandates that the seigniorage of the new one-dollar coins be used to offset the reverse seigniorage resulting from the destruction of Susan B. Anthony dollar coins in Government storage.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1991
Day Care Provider Tax Simplification Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a revised allocation formula for determining deductions allowable to home day care providers for the business use of their homes.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1991
Great Lakes Sediment Reduction Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary of the Army (acting through the Army Corps of Engineers), for each major river system or set of river systems depositing sediment into a Great Lakes federally authorized commercial harbor, channel maintenance project site, or area of concern, to develop a Materials Balance Model which: (1) includes all subwatershed areas of such river systems that contribute significant upstream loadings of sediment and related pollutants to such regions; (2) measures the stream discharge rate, total suspended solids loadings, and bedload transport; (3) measures additional parameters, such as nitrate, phosphate, persistent toxic substances, and heavy metals on a river-by-river basis; (4) estimates the percent of total sediment loadings in such regions; and (5) characterizes the physical nature of the sediment materials. Establishes a schedule requiring the development of: (1) models for river systems feeding ports with high levels of sediment within 36 months of this Act's enactment; and (2) models for river systems feeding all remaining federally authorized commercial harbors and channel maintenance project sites within 72 months of this Act's enactment. Requires evaluations of additional modeling parameters to be carried out on a 50 percent cost share basis with a non-Federal entity. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop an analytical method to project the effectiveness and efficiency of sediment source reduction approaches in reducing upstream sediment loadings into specific Great Lakes federally authorized commercial harbors, channel maintenance project sites, and areas of concern; and (2) utilize such method to conduct sediment load reduction analyses in conjunction with each model to estimate the effectiveness and efficiency of such approaches. Requires the Secretary to make grants available to States for projects to reduce erosion and runoff that leads to sedimentation of federally authorized commercial harbors, channel maintenance project sites, and areas of concern. Lists requirements for funded projects. Provides that in making such grants, priority shall be placed on projects that: (1) will reduce sedimentation of materials containing persistent toxic pollutants; and (2) are located in watersheds of areas of concern. Requires the Secretary to enter into a memorandum of agreement with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding the coordination of Corps of Engineers and EPA activities pursuant to this Act. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1991
Declares that the Arab League should terminate its boycott against Israel and that the President should encourage U.S. allies and trading partners to enact laws prohibiting businesses from complying with such boycott and penalizing businesses that do comply.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 1991
Indoor Radon Abatement Reauthorization Act of 1991 - Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act to extend through FY 1994 the authorization of appropriations for: (1) an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publication entitled "A Citizen's Guide to Radon"; (2) model construction standards and techniques for controlling radon levels in new buildings; (3) technical assistance and grants to States for radon programs; and (4) regional radon training centers. Makes eligible for State grant assistance activities that: (1) assist public and Indian housing authorities in establishing radon programs; and (2) target outreach and technical assistance to licensed child care facilities in low-income Priority Radon Areas. Requires regional radon training centers to provide training to State and local building code officials on model construction standards and techniques for controlling radon levels. Directs the EPA Administrator, by January 1, 1992, to designate as Priority Radon Areas areas in which the average radon level is likely to exceed the national average by more than a de minimis amount. Requires homes owned by Federal agencies or Government corporations in Priority Radon Areas to be tested for radon before sales contracts to sell such homes are signed. Provides that such testing shall be undertaken on or below the second floor and supervised by a person who has received instruction pursuant to an EPA or approved State program and who uses approved radon measurement devices and methods. Makes test results available to potential buyers of such homes. Requires Federal agencies to adopt procedures to assure that new Federal buildings or schools constructed with Federal funds in Priority Radon Areas conform to model construction standards for controlling radon levels. Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to disseminate information on health threats posed by radon, proper radon testing methods, radon mitigation techniques, and Priority Radon Areas to: (1) public housing and Indian housing assisted under the United States Housing Act of 1937 in Priority Radon Areas; and (2) tenants in housing funded by the Secretary in Priority Radon Areas. Authorizes the Administrator to establish a national educational campaign to increase public awareness about radon health risks and to motivate public action to reduce radon levels. Requires the Administrator to study and report to the Congress on the extent of radon contamination in work places. Authorizes the Administrator to undertake diagnostic and remedial efforts to reduce radon in high-risk work places. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Administrator to: (1) evaluate existing efforts to promote radon testing in homes and ways to increase such testing; and (2) report to the Congress on the effectiveness of alternative strategies to promote such testing.
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
Church Retirement Benefits Simplification Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to recodify and revise qualifications for church retirement and pension plans. Makes employee contributions to such plans nonforfeitable. Allows ten-year vesting with a nonforfeitable right to 100 percent of accrued benefits derived from employer contributions. Allows five-to-15 year vesting with a nonforfeitable right to a percentage (25% to 100%) of such accrued benefits. Requires the plan to meet minimum vesting requirements. Provides that no employee shall be considered an officer, shareholder, supervisor, or highly compensated employee if such employee receives less than $50,000 per year. Excludes from such consideration employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement if retirement benefits were a subject of good faith bargaining. Recodifies the authority of a church or a convention or association of churches to be treated as an employer making contributions to retirement income accounts. Subjects church-related hospitals and universities to certain coverage and related rules in the case of a contract purchased by a church. Requires distributions from retirement income accounts provided by churches to be in accordance with distributions under cash or deferred arrangements. Provides for determining the beginning date for such distributions. Allows self-employed ministers and chaplains who work for non-church employers to participate in their church plans. Provides that certain rules aggregating employees do not apply to churches. Restores qualified voluntary employee contributions to church plans. Treats self-employed ministers as employees for purposes of certain welfare benefit plans and retirement income accounts. Allows a deduction for contributions to retirement income accounts by such ministers. Provides that a church plan maintained by more than one employer shall not be treated as a single plan. Provides that accounting methods of deferred compensation plans of State and local governments and tax-exempt organizations do not apply to a church plan. Exempts a church plan from the requirement to maintain separate accounts for medical benefits for key employees. Provides that the special rules for computing employee contributions to pension plans do not apply to certain foreign missionaries. Repeals the elective deferral catch-up limitation for church retirement income accounts. Allows church plans to annuitize benefits and increase benefit payments. Provides that rules for self-insured medical reimbursement plans are not applicable to church plans.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1991
Hazardous Pollution Prevention Planning Act of 1991 - Declares it to be the national policy to achieve a 50 percent reduction in toxic chemical byproduct levels (from 1991 levels) by 1996. Requires owners or operators of facilities required to submit toxic chemical release forms under the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 to prepare Hazardous Pollution Prevention Plans. Requires a Plan to include for each chemical for which forms are required: (1) a statement of the scope and objective of the Plan; (2) an evaluation of the amount of the chemical manufactured, processed, or used for the facility and for each production unit and the quantity of byproduct for each unit; (3) an analysis of the economic impacts of the use of each chemical in the production unit; (4) two- and five-year numerical goals for reductions in the use of the chemical and byproducts of the chemical; (5) an economic and technical evaluation of all methods for achieving reductions; (6) identification of technologies, procedures, and training programs to achieve reduction goals; (7) an evaluation and quantification of the effects of the chosen hazardous pollution prevention methods on emissions to air, water, or land; (8) a schedule of implementation of each technology, procedure, and training program; and (9) a compliance certification by the chief executive officer that the Plan is being implemented and complies with this Act. Sets forth additional Plan requirements for large quantity generators. Provides for Plan updates. Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to grant a facility an extension of up to 12 months to comply with Plan requirements. Permits owners or operators to waive implementation of a Plan measure if the measure: (1) is not technically feasible; or (2) would result in adverse effects on product quality or threaten public health or the environment. Requires owners or operators to make the Plan and other relevant documents available to the Administrator or a State for inspection. Sets forth facility reporting requirements. Requires facilities to file reports with each annual filing of the toxic chemical release form. Makes reports available to the public. Directs the Administrator or a State to issue notices of noncompliance to facilities with deficient reports or Plans. Requires such facilities to submit revised reports or Plans. Authorizes States to submit hazardous pollution prevention programs to the Administrator for approval. Sets forth minimum program requirements. Requires the Administrator to make matching grants to States to provide assistance for hazardous pollution prevention planning. Limits the Federal share of grants to 50 percent of the funds made available to a State. Directs the Administrator to establish toxic chemical reduction research programs at the Hazardous Substance Research Centers operated pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980. Requires the Administrator to establish a demonstration program to provide regulatory incentives for achieving reductions in the use of toxic chemicals and byproducts. Authorizes the Administrator to designate up to 50 facilities for inclusion in the program. Permits the Administrator to modify, for a facility included in the program, the requirements of any permit or agreement. Sets forth requirements concerning modifications. Limits modifications to periods of up to 12 months. Permits renewals of modifications, as appropriate. Requires the Administrator to identify up to five user segments which need improvements in reducing the amount of byproduct, when compared to the national goal, and in reducing the use of toxic chemicals. Designates such segments as "priority user segments." Defines a "user segment" as a class of facilities that may be distinguished by at least one of the following: (1) use of a toxic chemical or class of chemicals in its industrial processes; (2) similar industrial processes; or (3) members of a generally recognized group (Standard Industrial Classification). Directs the Administrator to designate an additional five user segments every 12 months. Requires the Administrator to publish guidance for obtaining reductions in use of toxic chemicals and byproducts at facilities within priority user segments. Directs each large quantity toxic user within a priority user segment to conduct a hazardous pollution prevention audit. Requires compliance audits at facilities which may present a threat to human health or welfare or the environment. Directs such facilities to implement recommendations contained in the audit. Requires the Administrator to conduct programs to train individuals to conduct hazardous pollution prevention and compliance audits and to certify individuals and organizations as proficient in environmental auditing. Directs the Administrator to: (1) publish a general manual of methods and protocols of environmental auditing; and (2) promulgate regulations governing the testing and certification of auditors. Limits certifications to a period of five years. Permits the Administrator to collect fees for training and certification programs. Requires the Administrator to provide for random tests of the accuracy of data and analyses conducted by organizations certified to conduct audits. Establishes an Environmental Audit Oversight Board to advise the Administrator in the implementation of audits and the certification of auditors. Sets forth provisions concerning the confidentiality of information required to be disclosed under this Act. Prescribes civil penalties for disclosure of protected information. Sets forth requirements for persons seeking protection of information. Prescribes civil penalties for specified violations of this Act. Authorizes the denial of permits to owners or operators who fail to: (1) prepare or submit a Plan, report, or updates; (2) submit information required for audits or to implement audit recommendations. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1991
Requires the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to: (1) conduct an analysis of requirements that are existing, or projected to exist by the year 2025, of Federal, State, and local regulators and resource managers for scientific data and information about the Nation's coastal and marine environment and the conditions and phenomena affecting that environment, including those relating to new and changing uses; (2) evaluate scientific research programs or activities in that environment, in light of the data and information requirements identified in the analysis, to determine whether the program or activity should be continued without change or restructured; and (3) recommend legislation on the basis of the analysis and evaluation. Mandates a report to the Congress, with a draft submitted for comment to the Council on Environmental Quality, the National Science Foundation, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Comptroller General, and the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1991
R & E Permanent Resolution Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the rules on the allocation of research and experimental expenditures. (Currently, such rules expire on August 1, 1991.)
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
American Health Security Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an excise tax on insurance companies which do not meet mandatory policy and guaranteed issuance requirements and specific contractual requirements concerning coverage, rating, or disclosure and recordkeeping with respect to accident and health insurance provided to small employers. Permits Federal-State agreements to: (1) apply State laws in lieu of this Act; or (2) provide for States to determine if insurers are in compliance with such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1991
Family Financial and Job Security Act of 1991 - Title I: General Requirements for Leave - Establishes certain requirements for family leave for permanent employees. (Excludes from such coverage: (1) employees at worksites at which the employer employs less than 50 persons, if the total number of employees of that employer within 75 miles of that worksite is less than 50; and (2) Federal officers and employees covered under title II of this Act.) Entitles employees to ten workweeks of leave during any 12-month period because of: (1) the birth of their child; or (2) the placement of a child for their adoption or foster care. Conditions such leave for the birth or placement of a child as follows: (1) the entitlement ends 12 months after the birth or placement; and (2) such leave may not be taken intermittently unless employee and employer agree otherwise. Allows such leave: (1) to be taken on a reduced leave schedule, upon agreement with the employer; and (2) to consist of unpaid leave, except under specified conditions when substitution of certain types of paid leave may be elected or required. Requires employees to give reasonable notice of the need for such leave, when foreseeable. Allows limitation of the dual aggregate leave entitlement to ten weeks in any 12-month period, in the case of spouses employed by the same employer. Sets forth conditions of certification for such leave entitlements. Sets forth employment and benefits protections relating to leave entitlements under this Act, including provisions relating to: (1) restoration to position; (2) maintenance of health benefits; and (3) periodic employee reports to employers on their status and intention to return to work. Allows an eligible employee to use personal sick leave benefits for absences due to an illness of the child, spouse, or parent. Allows the employer to limit the aggregate amount of such leave to five days during a 12-month period. Prohibits employers or other persons from interfering with employee rights under this title or from discriminating against any individual because of participation in proceedings or inquiries under this title. Provides for administrative enforcement of this title by the Secretary of Labor, as well as enforcement by civil action. Sets forth provisions for investigative authority, injunctive and monetary relief, attorneys' fees, and limitation of actions. Sets forth special rules concerning employees of local educational agencies, including provisions relating to leave for instructional employees, during periods near the completion of an academic term, and reduction of liability. Requires employers to post notice of the pertinent provisions of this title. Requires fines for willful violations of such requirement. Directs the Secretary of Labor to prescribe regulations to carry out this title. Title II: Leave for Civil Service Employees - Amends specified Federal law to entitle civil service employees to family leave for specified periods. Allows such employees up to ten workweeks in any 12-month period for family leave (i.e., leave because of the birth or placement of a child). Provides that such leave may be without pay. Allows employees to substitute other types of paid leave for part of such leave. Provides for protection for job position and health insurance benefits of employees using such leave. Allows a civil service employee to use personal sick leave benefits for absences due to an illness of the child, spouse, or parent. Allows the employer to limit the aggregate amount of such leave to five days during a 12-month period. Sets forth prohibitions against coercion. Directs the Office of Personnel Management to prescribe regulations for administration of this title which are consistent with the regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Labor under title I of this Act. Title III: Commission on Leave - Establishes the Commission on Leave. Requires the Commission to report on its study of leave (which may include legislative recommendations concerning coverage of small businesses and alternative and equivalent State enforcement of this Act with respect to employees of local educational agencies) to the Congress within two years after the Commission first meets. Terminates the Commission within 30 days after its final report. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Sets forth the effect of this Act on existing laws and existing employment benefits. Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to discourage employers from adopting more generous leave policies. Directs the Secretary of Labor to prescribe regulations to carry out this title within 60 days.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1991
Department of Veterans Affairs Health-Care Personnel Act of 1991 - Redesignates the Veterans Health Services and Research Administration in the Department of Veterans Affairs (Department) as the Veterans Health Administration. Title I: Special Pay for Physicians and Dentists - Department of Veterans Affairs Physician and Dentist Recruitment and Retention Act of 1991 - Revises Federal provisions relating to special pay for Department physicians and dentists. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in order to recruit and retain highly qualified physicians and dentists, to provide special pay to such individuals under regulations prescribed by the Secretary after the Secretary has received the recommendations of the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Department. Conditions such special pay upon the execution of a written agreement by the physician or dentist to perform a period of obligated service within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Provides that such individual is not entitled to such special pay during the first three years of such service, except at the discretion of the Secretary for full-time services. Prohibits special pay for those physician and dentist positions for which there is no significant recruitment and retention problem. Authorizes the CMD to approve the payment of special pay to physicians and dentists employed on a less than half-time basis in specified circumstances. Prohibits the payment of special pay to physicians and dentists who: (1) are employed on less than a quarter-time or intermittent basis; (2) are in an internship or residency training position; or (3) are reemployed annuitants. Allows the Secretary to provide retention pay to physicians and dentists formerly receiving special pay but no longer eligible under new requirements outlined in this Act. Sets forth requirements of a written agreement, including provisions providing for: (1) a covered period of one to four years, with renewal permitted upon full completion of a prior agreement; (2) refunding of special pay on a prorated basis for unfulfilled services; (3) the waiver of such refund requirement due to circumstances beyond the control of the physician or dentist; (4) the inclusion of terms under which the Secretary and the physician or dentist may terminate the agreement; and (5) special review by the Secretary of an agreement which will differ radically (provide more than 50 percent more or more than 25 percent less) from special pay received under previous agreements or which, when added to basic pay, will exceed certain limits. Requires the Secretary to include in annual reports information concerning agreements approved or disapproved by the Secretary under which special pay differed radically or which, when combined with basic pay, exceeded a specified limit. States that all such pay limitation requirements and reports shall not apply to a proposed agreement entered into after FY 1994. Directs the Secretary to adjust special pay as necessary to reflect any change in status of a physician or dentist from part-time to full-time or vice versa. Directs the Secretary to provide special pay to eligible full-time physicians based upon specified factors, including: (1) tenure within the VHA; (2) service in a medical specialty for which it is extremely difficult to recruit and retain qualified professionals; (3) service in certain executive positions; (4) specialty or board certifications; (5) service in a geographic location for which there are extraordinary difficulties in the recruitment or retention of qualified personnel; and (6) service by a physician with exceptional qualifications within a specialty. Requires all special pay for such full-time physicians to be personally approved by the CMD on a case-by-case basis. Sets forth conditions and limitations to the payment of such special pay. Directs the Secretary to provide special pay to part-time eligible physicians based upon similar factors. Requires the Secretary to pay each such physician an amount of special pay equal to the proportion of full-time service that physician performs, up to a specified limit. Directs the Secretary to provide special pay to eligible full-time and part-time dentists based upon similar factors. Prohibits physicians or dentists receiving special pay for service in certain executive positions from receiving scarce specialty pay (another form of special pay that rewards scarce specialty areas of practice). Requires, with regard to the payment of special pay, determinations: (1) that there are extraordinary difficulties in recruitment or retention; (2) of the specific rate of special pay to be paid to each physician or dentist eligible; and (3) of whether there are extraordinary difficulties in a specific geographic location in the recruitment or retention of qualified physicians or dentists. Sets forth considerations for determinations with respect to extraordinary recruitment and retention difficulties and the payment of special pay for individual medical facilities of the Department. Provides minimum rates for the payment of special pay. Outlines the manner in which special pay is to be considered for purposes of other benefits laws for Federal employees. States that it is the policy of the Congress to assure that total pay for VHA physicians and dentists is comparable to total pay of other Government physicians and dentists and to the income of non-Federal physicians and dentists. Directs the Secretary: (1) in order to assist in implementing such policy, to obtain measures of income of such non-Department physicians and dentists and to define the bases for pay distinctions; (2) to report to the President quadrennially on appropriate amounts of special pay to VHA physicians and dentists to carry out such policy; and (3) to report to specified congressional committees annually on the use of authorities under this title. Allows the Secretary to authorize the CMD to pay advance payments, recruitment or relocation bonuses, retention allowances, and interview expenses to the following personnel in the same manner currently provided under Federal employment provisions: physicians, dentists, podiatrists, optometrists, registered nurses, physician assistants, and expanded-function dental auxiliaries. Directs the Secretary to reimburse any full-time board-certified physician or dentist appointed in the VHA for expenses incurred, up to $1,000 per year, for continuing professional education. Title II: Labor-Management Relations - Department of Veterans Affairs Labor Relations Improvement Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary to prescribe the hours and conditions of employment and leaves of absence of the following VHA employees: physicians, dentists, podiatrists, optometrists, nurses, physician assistants, and expanded-duty dental auxiliaries. Provides that the authority of the Secretary to prescribe regulations with regard to such employees is subject to the right of Federal employees to engage in the collective bargaining process with respect to conditions of employment. States that such collective bargaining may not cover, or have any applicability to, any matter or question arising out of: (1) professional conduct or competence; (2) peer review; or (3) the establishment, determination, or adjustment of employee compensation. Requires any VHA employee who accepts responsibilities for professional services for remuneration other than assigned responsibilities to work a minimum 80-hour biweekly amount. Outlines those outside activities and responsibilities that such a person may not engage in or take on while an employee of the Department. Provides that whenever the CMD brings charges against a Department employee based on conduct or performance and, as a result of those charges, an adverse (disciplinary) action is taken against the employee, the employee shall have the right to appeal the action, either through: (1) a Disciplinary Appeals Board; (2) Department procedures; or (3) grievance procedures provided through collective bargaining, depending on the type of action involved. Requires the Secretary to publish in the Federal Register any proposed regulations prescribed concerning the collective bargaining or adverse action procedures. States that Disciplinary Appeals Boards shall have exclusive jurisdiction to review any case: (1) which arises out of a question of professional conduct or competence of an employee of the Department employed on a full-time basis under a permanent appointment; and (2) in which a major adverse action was taken (suspension, transfer, reduction in grade or pay, or discharge). Gives employees involved in such a case the right to: (1) advance written notice of the charges and actions that could be taken if the charges are sustained; and (2) an opportunity to be heard both orally and in writing on such charges. Requires a decision on such case by a deciding official within 21 days after the employee's response to the charges. Allows for a delay in a proposed action for up to one year while an employee seeks counseling or treatment for a condition covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Allows the Secretary to require an employee to make a written or oral response to the charges within 30 days of receipt, with extension for good cause shown. Outlines further administrative action to be taken by the Board in a major adverse action appeals procedure, together with time limitations involved in each step. States that the Secretary's execution of the Board's decision shall be the final administrative action in the case, with the affected employee entitled to judicial review of the order or decision. Requires the Secretary to prescribe procedures for the consideration of grievances of Department employees arising from adverse actions in which each action taken either: (1) is not a major adverse action; or (2) does not arise out of a question of professional conduct or competence. States that Disciplinary Appeals Boards shall not have jurisdiction to review such matters other than as part of a mixed case. States that review of an adverse action shall be provided through either Department procedures or through grievance procedures provided through collective bargaining. Outlines the rights of employees under the Department procedures to: (1) a formal review by an impartial examiner within the Department; (2) a prompt report of findings; (3) a prompt review of the examiner's findings by a higher official; and (4) legal or other representation in adverse action reviews under grievance procedures. Requires the Secretary to appoint Disciplinary Appeals Boards to hear appeals of major adverse actions taken against full-time Department employees and based on professional conduct or performance. Authorizes the chairman of such a Board to authorize disclosure to the affected employee of records or information to be reviewed during an appeal procedure. Provides for the protection of the privacy of the individuals whose records are involved. Requires the Secretary to periodically designate Department employees qualified to serve on Disciplinary Appeals Boards and to announce that a list of such qualified employees is available to any person requesting such list. Requires the Secretary to provide training in the functions and duties of such Boards and grievance procedures for employees selected to be on the panel. Title III: Miscellaneous - Requires physician assistants and expanded-function dental auxiliaries to be paid in accordance with a Nurse Schedule in effect on August 14, 1990, until the effective date of a determination by the Secretary to convert those occupations to covered positions under provisions enacted by the Department of Veterans Affairs Nurse Pay Act of 1990. Authorizes the CMD to determine the rates of pay with respect to covered Department regional and central office employees in certain grades. Requires the CMD to prescribe regulations for the adjustment of basic pay rates for such employees in order to assure that those rates are sufficient and competitive. Amends the Veterans' Health Care Amendments of 1986 to extend through FY 1991 a required annual report on the furnishing of nonservice-connected health care services to veterans. Allows the Secretary to submit an administrative reorganization plan at any time during the year. Requires a 90-day congressional notification period to expire before the Secretary may implement the reorganization. Defines a covered administrative reorganization as one involving a reduction during any fiscal year in the number of full-time equivalent employees by: (1) 15 percent or more (currently, ten); or (2) a percent which, when added to the percentage reduction in the number of such employees at a covered office or facility for the preceding fiscal year, is 25 percent (currently, 15) or more. Requires a report from the Secretary to the veterans' committees for the reorganization of any unit of the central office of the Department that is the duty station of 30 or more employees (currently, more than 25 but less than 100). Title IV: Reorganization and Redesignation of Parts IV, V, and VI of Title 38 - Reorganizes through recodification within Federal law various provisions relating to the organization and functions of the VHA, including provisions relating to organization, general authority and administration, patient rights, and research corporations within the VHA.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1991
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish through December 31, 1991, a minimum basic formula price for Class I (beverage use) milk that shall not be less than the August 1990 price. Pools the proceeds from such formula uniformly among producers. Directs the Secretary to make loan guarantees for facility upgrades through December 31, 1992. Sets forth minimum solid content for beverage milk (whole, lowfat, and skim). Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to direct the Commodity Credit Corporation to encourage the export of heifers through the export enhancement program under specified conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1991
Establishes the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs to receive, concurrently with other committees of the Senate with jurisdiction, all messages, petitions, memorials, and other matters relating to U.S. personnel unaccounted for from military conflicts.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1991
Requests the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to publish, before the expiration of 102d Congress, proposed amended regulations that specify the components of an adequate operator training program and certification system for operators of powered industrial trucks.
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.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit tax-exempt private foundations and community foundations to establish tax-exempt cooperative service organizations to operate exclusively for charitable purposes. Declares that the excise tax based on investment income applies to such organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1991
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) all Arab nations should recognize Israel, end the economic boycott against Israel, end the state of belligerency with Israel, and enter into direct negotiations with Israel for the purpose of concluding peace treaties and establishing full diplomatic relations; and (2) the United States should use all available means to influence and encourage the Arab states which were allied with it in the Persian Gulf War to achieve those objectives.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1991
Calls for the President to: (1) confer with Kuwait, other member nations of the coalition against Iraq, or the United Nations to establish an International Criminal Court or an International Military Tribunal to try and punish all individuals, including Saddam Hussein, involved in the planning or execution of specified war crimes and crimes against humanity in violation of international law; and (2) seek prompt and effective U.N. Security Council action to stop the use of chemical weapons and to punish those responsible.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Authorizes the President to present a gold medal to General Colin Powell in recognition of his exemplary performance in planning and coordinating the U.S. military response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an income tax deduction for interest on any indebtedness incurred to pay the educational expenses, including reasonable living expenses, of the taxpayer, spouse, or dependent.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Calls for the President to confer with Kuwait, other member nations of the coalition against Iraq, or the United Nations to establish an International Criminal Court or an International Military Tribunal to try and punish all individuals, including Saddam Hussein, involved in the planning or execution of specified war crimes and crimes against humanity in violation of international law.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1991
Authorizes the President to present a gold medal to General H. Norman Schwarzkopf in recognition of his exemplary performance in coordinating the planning, strategy, and execution of U.S. combat action and his invaluable contributions to the United States and to the liberation of Kuwait. Authorizes appropriations.
![Official portrait of Sen. Durenberger, Dave [R-MN]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000566_200.jpg)