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Official portrait of Sen. Gorton, Slade [R-WA]

Sen. Gorton, Slade [R-WA]

United States · Official source

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2,495 records where Sen. Gorton, Slade [R-WA] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years

Bill· SS. 1927 (102nd)referred

Wood Products Export Act of 1991

United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1991

Wood Products Export Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to provide grants to establish international forest products trade development centers at universities offering graduate training in forestry. Authorizes appropriations.

Bill· SS. 1930 (102nd)referred

A bill to amend title 10, United States Code, to revise certain time limitations for the awarding of medals and other decorations, to revise the time limitation applicable to requests for corrections of military records, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1991

Allows a military medal or decoration to be awarded to a person as long as statements justifying such award or decoration are made within two years after the death of such person (currently, within two years after the distinguished service). Repeals provisions requiring such medals or decorations to be awarded within three years (Army and Air Force) or five years (Navy and Marine Corps) after the act justifying such award. States that the current time limitation policies with respect to the awarding of such medals or decorations may not be applied administratively to the awarding of such medals or decorations for the recognition of: (1) service as a member of the armed forces; or (2) any act of such person while so serving. Waives a provision requiring military records to be corrected within three years after the discovery of error. Allows such correction to be made as long as: (1) the claimant or his or her legal representative files a request for the correction; and (2) such request is filed within two years after the death of the claimant. Allows a board to excuse the lack of a timely filing in the interest of justice.

Bill· SS. 1936 (102nd)referred

Health Equity and Access Improvement Act of 1991

United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1991

Health Equity and Access Improvement Act of 1991 - Title I: Tax Incentives for Health Care Access - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a tax credit of up to $600 for an individual ($1,200 for a family) for qualified health expenses. Provides that in the case of a taxpayer whose adjusted gross income exceeds $10,000 ($20,000 for a family) the credit shall be reduced by an amount equal to ten percent of the excess. Permits a tax deduction, for both itemizers and nonitemizers, for the cost of health insurance premiums for which no other compensation is received. Provides an employer health insurance credit for small businesses equal to 25 percent of the qualified health care costs of the employer in the first year the employer offers health coverage to employees and which is then reduced five percentage points annually. Raises from 25 percent to 100 percent the deduction allowed to self-employed individuals for health insurance premiums and makes the deduction permanent. Provides a credit for a qualified primary health services provider who practices in a rural health professional shortage area. Sets forth a formula for determining such credit. Excludes from gross income any payment made on behalf of a taxpayer by the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program. Permits a physician in a rural health professional shortage area to expense up to $25,000 worth of rural health care property. Provides that interest on student loan payments by medical professionals practicing in rural areas shall not be treated as personal interest and will therefore qualify as a tax deduction. Title II: Health Care Reform Provisions - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) to request the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) to develop a model health care insurance benefits plan that shall contain standards that entities offering health care insurance policies should meet with respect to the benefits and coverage provided under such policies and report on such standards to the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to develop such a plan if the NAIC fails to develop such a plan or if the NAIC plan does not meet specified requirements. Sets forth such requirements. Requires the Secretary, taking into account recommendations of the Managed Care Advisory Committee, to develop recommended standards that insurers offering managed care plans should meet with respect to the benefits, coverage, and delivery systems provided under such plans. Establishes the Managed Care Advisory Committee. Provides that, in the case of a managed care plan meeting recommended standards, specified provision of State law will be preempted and will not be enforced against the managed care plan with respect to an insurer offering such plan. Permits a qualified small employer purchasing group, upon application to and approval by the Secretary, to enter into contracts with carriers to provide health insurance coverage to eligible employees. Establishes standards which health care insurers must meet in a contract with a small business. Requires such insurers, among other things, to: (1) provide coverage and benefits consistent with the model health care insurance benefits plan; (2) meet specified registration and disclosure requirements; (3) not exclude from coverage any eligible employee; (4) not extend beyond six months any limitation on any preexisting condition and, with respect to such limitation, apply it only to preexisting conditions which manifested themselves or for which medical care was sought during the three months preceding coverage; (5) guarantee renewability of the contract at the employer's election, unless the contract is terminated for cause; and (6) establish premiums that meet specified standards. Title III: Medical Liability Reform - Sets forth provisions concerning settlement offers in medical malpractice cases. Establishes an Alternative Dispute Resolution Board of Advisers to make recommendations to the Secretary concerning the establishment of a model voluntary alternative dispute resolution program for medical malpractice cases. Sets caps on the payment of future losses, non-economic damages, and attorneys' fees. Prohibits joint liability in a civil action for non-economic damages. Establishes a statute of limitations for a medical malpractice civil action. Requires each State to: (1) allocate its medical licensing fees to the State agency responsible for licensing and disciplinary actions; (2) require that at least 25 percent of a disciplinary board's membership shall be from the general public; (3) have in effect a Statewide risk management program; and (4) establish a health care disciplinary trust fund consisting of all punitive damage awards resulting from medical malpractice and medical product civil actions. Protects a health care producer of a drug or device from punitive damages if the drug or device was subject to approval or premarket approval under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary to make a grant to an entity representing recipients of assistance at migrant and community health centers to develop a business plan and establish a nationwide risk retention group as provided for in the Liability Risk Retention Act of 1986. Authorizes appropriations. Title IV: Public Health Provisions - Amends the Social Security Act to add a new title, Title XXI: BASICARE. Authorizes appropriations under title XXI for the purpose of providing basic health care benefits to low-income uninsured individuals who are not eligible for Medicaid (title XIX of the Social Security Act) coverage. Requires a State, in order to receive funding under title XXI, to submit and have approved by the Secretary a BasiCare assistance plan. Sets forth plan requirements. Requires, for BasiCare eligibility, that: (1) family income be below 200 percent of the poverty line; (2) an individual not be eligible for Medicaid; and (3) an individual not be otherwise covered under a health plan by the individual's employer. Permits the imposition of deductibles, copayments, and premiums if income is between 100 to 200 percent of the poverty line. Establishes the Federal Medical Waiver Demonstration Board to review applications submitted by States to conduct health care-related demonstration projects. Requires the Board to develop at least three different model health care delivery plans. Permits the Board, upon approval of a State's demonstration project, to waive the following provisions of Federal law: (1) the Public Health Service Act; (2) title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act; (3) titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (BASICARE) of the Social Security Act; (4) all health care programs administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; and (5) the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. Title V: Medically Underserved Areas - Authorizes appropriations for the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program and the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program. Directs the Secretary to establish and administer a program to provide allotments to States to enable such States to provide grants for the creation or enhancement of community based primary health care entities that provide services to pregnant women and children up to age three. Requires grant recipients to substantially target populations of pregnant women and children who: (1) lack health care coverage or ability to pay for health care services; or (2) reside in medically underserved or health professional shortage areas. Directs the Secretary to award grants to federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and other entities submitting applications for the purpose of providing access to services for medically underserved populations or in high impact areas not currently served by a FQHC. Limits the expenditure of funds awarded an FQHC to the provision of those services provided under the Medicaid program and any unreimbursed costs of providing services under the community based primary health care grant program. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive grants to eligible entities to enable such entities to develop and implement a plan for mental health outreach programs in rural areas. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary, in awarding grants under the Public Health Service Act relating to the research, teaching, and training activities of health personnel educational entities, to give priority to those entities that have a high permanent rate for placing graduates in settings serving residents of medically underserved communities and that otherwise demonstrate a commitment to serving such communities. Directs the Secretary to award grants to health professions institutions to expand training programs that are targeted at those individuals desiring to practice in or serve the needs of medically underserved communities. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to award grants to eligible regional consortia to enhance and expand coordination among various health professions programs, particularly in medically underserved rural areas. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants, under the area health education center provisions of the Act, to rural communities to enable such communities to provide stipends to physicians, nurses, or other health professional trainees to encourage such individuals to continue to provide health care services in such rural communities. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive grants to eligible entities to enable such entities to facilitate the development of networks among rural and urban health care providers to preserve and share health care resources and enhance the quality and availability of health care in rural areas. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive grants to eligible entities to enable such entities to develop and administer cooperatives in rural areas that will establish an effective case management and reimbursement system designed to support the economic viability of essential public or private health services, facilities, health care systems, and health care resources in such rural areas. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the: (1) Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 to authorize appropriations for the Rural Health Care Transition Grant Program; and (2) Medicare program to authorize appropriations for the Essential Access Community Hospital Program. Title VI: Incentives to Encourage Preventive Services - Provides a tax credit for qualified preventive services of up to $250. Includes on a list of preventive services: (1) cancer screening tests; (2) childhood immunizations; (3) mammograms; (4) pap tests for uterine cancer; and (5) other specified examinations and tests. Authorizes appropriations, under the Public Health Service Act, for grants for preventive health service programs for the provision, without charge, of immunizations.

Resolution· SRESS.Res. 213 (102nd)referred

A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate regarding United States policy toward Yugoslavia.

United States · United States Congress · 1 November 1991

Expresses the sense of the Senate that, unless the authorities and military forces conducting military operations against the Republic of Croatia immediately comply with the terms of the ceasefires previously negotiated by the European Community, United States policy should be to: (1) recognize the Republics of Slovenia and Croatia as independent states; (2) freeze all assets in the United States in which the Republic of Serbia has any interest and break off all commerce or any form of assistance or cooperation between the United States and Serbia; (3) offer humanitarian assistance to Croatia; (4) place Serbia on notice that continued military action will cause the United States to place this issue on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council as an international act of aggression and call for sanctions; and (5) require of Croatian authorities a clear commitment to protect the rights of Serbs living within Croatia and demand a formal commitment on their part to accept international inspection and, if necessary, arbitration to protect those rights.

Bill· SS. 1883 (102nd)referred

A bill to provide for a joint report by the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Agriculture to assist in decisions to reduce administrative duplication, promote coordination of eligibility services and remove eligibility barriers which restrict access of pregnant women, children, and families to benefits under the food stamp program and benefits under titles IV and XIX of the Social Security Act.

United States · United States Congress · 28 October 1991

Directs the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Agriculture to jointly report to the President and the Congress on the differences in program rules under the food stamp program, Aid to Families with Dependent Children program (part A of title IV of the Social Security Act), and Medicaid program (title XIX of the Social Security Act) and how such rules could be made uniform.

Bill· SS. 1872 (102nd)reported

Better Access to Affordable Health Care Act of 1991

United States · United States Congress · 24 October 1991

Better Access to Affordable Health Care Act of 1991 - Title I: Improvements in Health Insurance Affordability for Small Employers - Amends the Internal Revenue code to raise from 25 to 100 percent the deduction for self-employed individuals for health insurance premiums and makes the deduction permanent. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) to make grants to up to 15 States for the establishment and operation of small employer health insurance purchasing programs. Permits grant funds to be used to finance administrative costs associated with developing and operating a group purchasing program for small employers. Authorizes appropriations. Requires a report to the Congress from the Secretary concerning the feasibility of establishing a requirement that health insurers must make available plans providing that payments to providers be made using Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) payment rules. Title II: Improvements in Health Insurance for Small Employers - Amends the Social Security Act to add a new title, Title XXI: Standards for Small Employer Health Insurance and Certification of Managed Care Plans. Directs the Secretary to request the National Association of Insurance Commissioners to develop model standards and regulations concerning requirements for health insurance plans for small employers. Requires such plans to provide for: (1) guaranteed eligibility; (2) guaranteed availability; and (3) guaranteed renewability. Prohibits: (1) an insurer from refusing to renew or terminate a plan, except for nonpayment of premiums, fraud, or failure to maintain minimum participation rates; and (2) for certain services, discrimination based on health status. Sets limits controlling the variation of premium charges permitted among all small employers insured by an insurer. Requires the full disclosure of an insurer's rating practices. Requires a health insurance plan for small employers to offer: (1) both a standard and basic benefit package; and (2) a managed care option, if the insurer also offers such an option to other employers. Provides, under both the standard and basic package, for coverage of: (1) inpatient and outpatient hospital care; (2) inpatient and outpatient physician services; (3) diagnostic tests; and (4) preventive services. Provides, in addition, under the standard plan: (1) for the coverage of certain mental health care; (2) that, except as specified, there will be no limits on the amount, scope, or duration of benefits, and (3) for specified limits on deductibles, copayment, coinsurance, and out-of-pocket expenses. Provides under the basic plan that: (1) premiums, deductibles, copayments, or other cost-sharing may be imposed, but does not specify in what amounts; and (2) there shall be an out-of-pocket limit, but does not specify such limit. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an excise tax of 25 percent of gross premiums on the issuer of any health insurance plan to a small employer, if the plan does not meet the requirements of title XXI. Sets forth study and reporting requirements. Title III: Improvements in Portability of Private Health Insurance - Imposes an excise tax of $100 per day, with respect to a covered individual, on a group health plan for its failure to provide coverage for a preexisting condition, subject to stated exceptions. Title IV: Health Care Cost Containment - Establishes a Health Care Cost Commission which shall report annually to the President and the Congress on national health care costs. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, under title XXI of the Social Security Act, to establish a process for the certification of managed care plans and utilization review programs. Sets forth requirements for certification. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Administrator of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research to develop outcomes research and practice parameters for mental health services, including at least the diagnosis and treatment of childhood attention deficit syndrome disorders and manic depression. Amends Part A (General Provisions) of title XI of the Social Security Act to authorize appropriations for research outcomes of health care services and procedures. Title V: Medicare Prevention Benefits - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish frequency and payment limits for screening for fecal-occult blood tests and screening flexible sigmoidoscopies. Amends Medicare part C (Miscellaneous Provisions) to provide coverage for tetanus-diphtheria boosters and their administration. Provides Medicare coverage for well-child services, which include routine office visits, immunizations, laboratory tests, and preventive dental care. Expands the coverage of a screening mammography to provide for one such screening annually for all covered women over age 49. Directs the Secretary to establish and provide for a series of ongoing demonstration projects which provide coverage for specified preventive services, including: (1) glaucoma screening; (2) cholesterol screening; (3) osteoporosis screening and treatment; (4) screening services for pregnant women; (5) assessments for individuals beginning at age 65 or 75; and (5) other appropriate services. Authorizes appropriations.

Bill· SS. 1871 (102nd)referred

Citizenship Equity Act of 1991

United States · United States Congress · 24 October 1991

Citizenship Equity Act of 1991 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to grant U.S. citizenship at birth to a person born on or before May 24, 1934, outside the United States or its possessions to parents, one of whom is an alien, and the other a U.S. citizen who prior to the birth of such person was physically present in the United States or its possessions.

Bill· SS. 1860 (102nd)referred

A bill to amend part A of title IV of the Social Security Act to remove barriers and disincentives in the program of aid to families with dependent children so as to enable recipients of such aid to move toward self-sufficiency through microenterprises.

United States · United States Congress · 23 October 1991

Amends part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) (AFDC) of title IV of the Social Security Act to: (1) increase the exclusion limit on the net worth of a microenterprise for purposes of AFDC eligibility; (2) require that caseworkers advise AFDC recipients of the option to begin a microenterprise; (3) add definitions of "microenterprise" and "net profits" to the list of definitions under such part; (4) include microenterprise training and activities in the JOBS program; and (5) mandate adjustment of performance standards for microenterprises to take into account the time required for their establishment. Requires a Health and Human Services study to identify administrative barriers to development of microenterprises among interested AFDC recipients.

Resolution· SRESS.Res. 196 (102nd)passed

A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the Soviet Union should immediately begin a prompt withdrawal of Soviet armed forces from the Baltic states and undertake discussions with the governments of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia appropriate to facilitate that withdrawal.

United States · United States Congress · 16 October 1991

Urges the President to call upon the President of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics to begin a prompt withdrawal of Soviet armed forces from the Baltic States and to undertake discussion with the Governments of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia to facilitate such withdrawal.

Bill· SS. 1827 (102nd)referred

White House Commemorative Coin Act of 1991

United States · United States Congress · 8 October 1991

White House Commemorative Coin Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) issue up to 500,000 silver one-dollar coins to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of the White House; and (2) obtain silver for such coins from stockpiles established under the Strategic and Critical Mineral Stock Piling Act. Specifies that: (1) all amounts received from the sale of coins issued under this Act shall be deposited in the coinage profit fund; and (2) the Secretary shall pay amounts from a ten-dollar surcharge per coin into the White House Endowment Fund. Directs the Secretary to take such actions as necessary to ensure that the minting and issuance of such coins do not result in any net cost to the Government. Bars the issuance of such coins unless the Secretary has received full payment or adequate security for payment. Authorizes appropriations.

Bill· SS. 1810 (102nd)referred

Medicare Physician Payment Reform Implementation Act of 1991

United States · United States Congress · 4 October 1991

Medicare Physician Payment Reform Implementation Act of 1991 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to increase the conversion factor for physicians' services for each of the years after 1993 through 1996 by one-fourth of the percentage by which the conversion factor may have been decreased due to an adjustment for asymmetry in 1992; (2) prohibit the Secretary, in determining the conversion factor for 1992, from assuming that changes in the volume and intensity of physician services in response to the implementation of the new payment system for such services would increase the estimated aggregate physician expenditures by more than one percent; (3) make any reduction to the conversion factor due to assumed volume and intensity changes equally applicable to the adjusted historical payment base; (4) permit separate payment to physicians for interpretation of electrocardiograms (EKGs) provided during office vists; (5) direct the Secretary to: (a) establish separate fee schedule amounts for the interpretation of EKGs; (b) adjust the relative values in the fee schedule for physician visits to reflect separate payments for EKG interpretation; (c) establish EKG practice guidelines for dissemination to physicians along with other educational information relating to EKG use; (d) develop a profile for EKG use by physicians; and (e) study EKG utilization and costs for a report to the Congress; and (6) make the new payment system for physicians nonapplicable to services furnished on or after January 1, 1992, by a physician who was in his or her first, second, or third year of practice in 1991 and to whom the payment rules under the new system did not apply in that year. Prohibits the Secretary from issuing final regulations before July 1, 1993, which change the methodology for determining: (1) the amount of time that may be billed for anesthesia services; and (2) the amount paid for drugs and biologicals furnished incident to physicians' services. Requires the Director of the Office of Technology Assessment to conduct a study and report to the Congress on whether payments for anesthesia services should be based on a particular unit of time according to the medical procedure with respect to which the service is furnished. Requires the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study and report to the Congress with respect to payment for drugs and biologicals furnished incident to physicians' services and payment for multiple surgical procedures; and (2) provide for pilot projects for developing Medicare volume performance standards other than at the national level. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the pilot projects.

Bill· SS. 1803 (102nd)referred

A bill to prohibit recoupment of certain medicare payments to certain Uniformed Services Treatment Facilities.

United States · United States Congress · 3 October 1991

Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services from taking any action to recover amounts that were paid by the United States under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to the hospitals in Boston, Massachusetts, Baltimore, Maryland, and Seattle, Washington, that, during the period from October 1, 1986, to December 31, 1989, were deemed to be facilities of the uniformed services under the Military Construction Authorization Act, 1982, for items or services provided during that period.

Bill· SS. 1789 (102nd)referred

Deficit-Neutral Unemployment Compensation Act of 1991

United States · United States Congress · 1 October 1991

Deficit-Neutral Unemployment Compensation Act of 1991 - Title I: Emergency Unemployment Compensation Program - Establishes an emergency unemployment compensation program. Allows any State to enter into and participate in an agreement with the Secretary of Labor (the Secretary) under which the State agency which administers the State unemployment compensation law will make payments of emergency unemployment compensation: (1) to individuals who have exhausted all rights to regular compensation under State law, have no rights to such regular compensation or any additional State or Federal compensation, and are not receiving Canadian compensation; and (2) for any week of unemployment beginning in the individual's eligibility period. Sets forth provisions relating to exhaustion of regular benefits and weekly amount of emergency benefits equal to regular benefits. Requires a State, under such an agreement, to establish an emergency unemployment compensation account with respect to the benefit year of each eligible individual who files an application. Limits benefit payments to not more than the amount in the individual's account. Sets forth formulas for determining the amount in such account. Provides that the applicable limit in such account shall be equal to: (1) ten weeks during a five-percent period (triggered if the adjusted rate of insured unemployment for such week and the immediately preceding 12 weeks is at least five percent); and (2) six weeks for any other period. Sets forth special rules relating to such applicable limits. Requires reduction in such account by the amount of extended benefits received by the individual relating to the same benefit year under the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970. Sets the weekly benefit amount at the amount of regular compensation (including dependents' allowances) payable under the State law to the individual for such week for total unemployment. Provides for determination of periods and applicable triggers. Provides for a minimum period. Provides, in general, that no emergency unemployment compensation shall be payable to any individual under this Act for any week beginning: (1) before the later of October 1, 1991, or the first week following the week in which an agreement under this Act is entered into; or (2) after June 30, 1992. Sets forth transition and reachback provisions for the eligibility of certain individuals for such benefits, as exceptions to such general rule. Provides for payments to States having such agreements for emergency unemployment compensation. Sets forth financing provisions. Requires that funds in the extended unemployment compensation account of the Unemployment Trust Fund be used to make payments to States having agreements under this Act. Authorizes appropriations to the extended unemployment compensation account of sums necessary to pay emergency unemployment compensation payable: (1) under specified provisions for former members of the armed forces; and (2) on the basis of certain services performed for nonprofit organizations or governmental entities, to which certain Internal Revenue Code provisions relating to State unemployment compensation law apply. Sets forth provisions relating to fraud and overpayments. Defines the individual eligibility period under this Act. Amends specified Federal law to repeal certain limitations on payment of unemployment compensation to former members of the armed forces. Reduces the length of required active duty by reserves for purposes for such payment, if the reservist served on active duty in the Persian Gulf area of operations in connection with Operation Desert Storm. Title II: Collection of Nontax Debts - Amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 1984 to provide for permanent extension of provisions relating to collection of nontax debts owed to Federal agencies. Title III: Guaranteed Student Loans - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to revise provisions relating to the Stafford student loan program (including guaranteed student loans and federally-insured student loans). Requires, in the case of such student loan applicants over age 21, that the lender: (1) obtain a credit report; and (2) require a cosigner for such applicants who have adverse credit histories. Allows the lender to charge such applicants for the actual cost of such credit reports, up to $25. Requires the lender to obtain the borrower's driver's license number, if any, at the time of application for such a student loan. Directs eligible institutions to require borrowers of any student loan under HEA to supply the following exit interview information: (1) their expected permanent address after leaving the institution; (2) the name and address of their expected employer; and (3) the name and address of their next of kin. Requires student loan interest-subsidy insurance program agreements to require the lender to obtain the borrower's authorization for entry of judgment against the borrower in the event of default. Provides for wage garnishment for student loan collection. Authorizes a guaranty agency, or the Secretary where appropriate, to garnish the disposable pay of an individual to collect the amount owed or the required repayment, subject to certain conditions. Provides for data matching. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to obtain from Federal agencies specified information relating to an individual for student loan collection purposes. Title IV: Electromagnetic Spectrum Function - Emerging Telecommunications Technologies Act of 1991 - Requires the Secretary of Commerce and the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to conduct biannual joint electromagnetic spectrum planning meetings with respect to: (1) future spectrum needs and the allocation actions to accommodate those needs; and (2) actions to promote the efficient use of the spectrum. Requires an open process and joint annual reports to the President. Directs the Secretary to submit reports to the President that identify frequency bands that: (1) are allocated on a primary basis for Government use and eligible for licensing pursuant to the Communications Act of 1934 (the Act); (2) are not required for the present or identifiable future Government needs; (3) can be made available for use under the Act for non-Government users; (4) are likely to have significant value for such users; and (5) will not result in excessive costs to the Government. Sets forth criteria for identifying, and recommending for reassignment or sharing, such frequency bands. Requires such reports to make an initial identification of 50MHz of spectrum for immediate reallocation and distribution by the FCC pursuant to competitive bidding procedures, and preliminary and final identifications of additional reallocable frequency bands. Directs the Secretary to convene a private sector advisory committee to: (1) review frequency bands identified in the preliminary report; (2) advise the Secretary with respect to those bands which should be included in the final report; (3) receive public comment on the reports; and (4) prepare and submit to the Secretary and specified congressional committees a report on recommendations for the reform of allocating the spectrum between Government and non-Government users. Directs the President to: (1) withdraw or limit the assignment to a Government station of any frequency recommended in the initial identification report for reallocation; (2) withdraw or limit the assignment to a Government station of any frequency recommended in the final report for reallocation or mixed use; (3) assign or reassign other frequencies to Government stations as necessary to adjust to such withdrawal or limitation of assignments; and (4) publish in the Federal Register a notice and description of such actions taken. Authorizes the President to substitute alternative frequencies in the interests of national security, important Government needs, public health or safety, or Federal financial considerations. Provides that any Government licensee, or non-Government entity operating on behalf of a Government licensee, that is displaced from a frequency pursuant to this Act may be reimbursed not more than the incremental costs it incurs, in such amounts as provided in advance in appropriation Acts, that are directly attributable to the loss of the use of the frequency pursuant to this Act. Authorizes appropriations to affected licensee agencies to cover such costs. Directs the FCC to form a plan to assign the spectrum identified in the initial report pursuant to competitive bidding procedures during FY 1994 through 1996. Directs the FCC to submit to the President a plan for the distribution of the remaining reallocated frequency bands. Authorizes the President to reclaim reallocated frequencies for reassignment to Government stations. Sets forth procedures for reclaiming frequencies. Amends the Act to require the FCC to use competitive bidding for awarding all initial licenses and new construction permits, subject to specified exclusions. Outlines criteria for awarding licenses and permits under competitive bidding procedures. Prohibits licensing by lottery when competitive bidding is required. Title V: Dislocated Workers - Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish for eligible dislocated workers: (1) a program of readjustment allowances; (2) a program for job training and related services substantially similar to the program under specified provisions of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA); and (3) a program for job search and relocation allowances substantially similar to the program under specified JTPA provisions. Authorizes appropriations to the Department of Labor to carry out such programs, for each of FY 1993 through 1995, in an amount equal to the revenues raised in such fiscal year by the provisions of and amendments made by titles II, III, and IV of this Act which are in excess of the expenditures made in such fiscal year under title I of this Act. Directs the Secretary of Labor to give special consideration to providing services to dislocated workers in the timber industry in the State of Washington, in determining specified programs and activities to be funded under JTPA in FY 1991 and 1992. Directs the Secretary of Labor to submit a comprehensive report to the Congress on the feasibility and utility of using a total unemployment rate versus an insured unemployment rate, adjusted to include those claimants who have exhausted their benefits, for purposes of triggering extended benefits and, if appropriate, revising the foregoing measures of unemployment to include seasonal adjustments. Title VI: Deficit Reduction Requirement - Sets forth the congressional funding that provisions contained in titles I through V of this Act would lead to a reduction in the deficit. Declares that the Congress designates all direct spending amounts (both increases and decreases) provided by such titles (for all fiscal years) as emergency requirements under specified provisions of the Balance Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act). Requires, as a condition for any provisions of this Act to take effect, that the President: (1) make a determination and notify the Congress that this Act would reduce the deficit cumulatively for FY 1991 through 1996; and (2) submits a written designation of all direct spending amounts (both increases and decreases provided by titles I through V of this Act (for all fiscal years)) as emergency requirements under such specified provisions of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.

Bill· SS. 1791 (102nd)referred

Deficit-Neutral Unemployment Compensation Act of 1991

United States · United States Congress · 1 October 1991

Deficit-Neutral Unemployment Compensation Act of 1991 - Title I: Emergency Unemployment Compensation Program - Establishes an emergency unemployment compensation program. Allows any State to enter into and participate in an agreement with the Secretary of Labor (the Secretary) under which the State agency which administers the State unemployment compensation law will make payments of emergency unemployment compensation: (1) to individuals who have exhausted all rights to regular compensation under State law, have no rights to such regular compensation or any additional State or Federal compensation, and are not receiving Canadian compensation; and (2) for any week of unemployment beginning in the individual's eligibility period. Sets forth provisions relating to exhaustion of regular benefits and weekly amount of emergency benefits equal to regular benefits. Requires a State, under such an agreement, to establish an emergency unemployment compensation account with respect to the benefit year of each eligible individual who files an application. Limits benefit payments to not more than the amount in the individual's account. Sets forth formulas for determining the amount in such account. Provides that the applicable limit in such account shall be equal to: (1) ten weeks during a five-percent period (triggered if the adjusted rate of insured unemployment for such week and the immediately preceding 12 weeks is at least five percent); and (2) six weeks for any other period. Sets forth special rules relating to such applicable limits. Requires reduction in such account by the amount of extended benefits received by the individual relating to the same benefit year under the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970. Sets the weekly benefit amount at the amount of regular compensation (including dependents' allowances) payable under the State law to the individual for such week for total unemployment. Provides for determination of periods and applicable triggers. Provides for a minimum period. Provides, in general, that no emergency unemployment compensation shall be payable to any individual under this Act for any week beginning: (1) before the later of October 1, 1991, or the first week following the week in which an agreement under this Act is entered into; or (2) after June 30, 1992. Sets forth transition and reachback provisions for the eligibility of certain individuals for such benefits, as exceptions to such general rule. Provides for payments to States having such agreements for emergency unemployment compensation. Sets forth financing provisions. Requires that funds in the extended unemployment compensation account of the Unemployment Trust Fund be used to make payments to States having agreements under this Act. Authorizes appropriations to the extended unemployment compensation account of sums necessary to pay emergency unemployment compensation payable: (1) under specified provisions for former members of the armed forces; and (2) on the basis of certain services performed for nonprofit organizations or governmental entities, to which certain Internal Revenue Code provisions relating to State unemployment compensation law apply. Sets forth provisions relating to fraud and overpayments. Defines the individual eligibility period under this Act. Amends specified Federal law to repeal certain limitations on payment of unemployment compensation to former members of the armed forces. Reduces the length of required active duty by reserves for purposes for such payment, if the reservist served on active duty in the Persian Gulf area of operations in connection with Operation Desert Storm. Title II: Collection of Nontax Debts - Amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 1984 to provide for permanent extension of provisions relating to collection of nontax debts owed to Federal agencies. Title III: Guaranteed Student Loans - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to revise provisions relating to the Stafford student loan program (including guaranteed student loans and federally-insured student loans). Requires, in the case of such student loan applicants over age 21, that the lender: (1) obtain a credit report; and (2) require a cosigner for such applicants who have adverse credit histories. Allows the lender to charge such applicants for the actual cost of such credit reports, up to $25. Requires the lender to obtain the borrower's driver's license number, if any, at the time of application for such a student loan. Directs eligible institutions to require borrowers of any student loan under HEA to supply the following exit interview information: (1) their expected permanent address after leaving the institution; (2) the name and address of their expected employer; and (3) the name and address of their next of kin. Requires student loan interest-subsidy insurance program agreements to require the lender to obtain the borrower's authorization for entry of judgment against the borrower in the event of default. Provides for wage garnishment for student loan collection. Authorizes a guaranty agency, or the Secretary where appropriate, to garnish the disposable pay of an individual to collect the amount owed or the required repayment, subject to certain conditions. Provides for data matching. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to obtain from Federal agencies specified information relating to an individual for student loan collection purposes. Title IV: Electromagnetic Spectrum Function - Emerging Telecommunications Technologies Act of 1991 - Requires the Secretary of Commerce and the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to conduct biannual joint electromagnetic spectrum planning meetings with respect to: (1) future spectrum needs and the allocation actions to accommodate those needs; and (2) actions to promote the efficient use of the spectrum. Requires an open process and joint annual reports to the President. Directs the Secretary to submit reports to the President that identify frequency bands that: (1) are allocated on a primary basis for Government use and eligible for licensing pursuant to the Communications Act of 1934 (the Act); (2) are not required for the present or identifiable future Government needs; (3) can be made available for use under the Act for non-Government users; (4) are likely to have significant value for such users; and (5) will not result in excessive costs to the Government. Sets forth criteria for identifying, and recommending for reassignment or sharing, such frequency bands. Requires such reports to make an initial identification of 50MHz of spectrum for immediate reallocation and distribution by the FCC pursuant to competitive bidding procedures, and preliminary and final identifications of additional reallocable frequency bands. Directs the Secretary to convene a private sector advisory committee to: (1) review frequency bands identified in the preliminary report; (2) advise the Secretary with respect to those bands which should be included in the final report; (3) receive public comment on the reports; and (4) prepare and submit to the Secretary and specified congressional committees a report on recommendations for the reform of allocating the spectrum between Government and non-Government users. Directs the President to: (1) withdraw or limit the assignment to a Government station of any frequency recommended in the initial identification report for reallocation; (2) withdraw or limit the assignment to a Government station of any frequency recommended in the final report for reallocation or mixed use; (3) assign or reassign other frequencies to Government stations as necessary to adjust to such withdrawal or limitation of assignments; and (4) publish in the Federal Register a notice and description of such actions taken. Authorizes the President to substitute alternative frequencies in the interests of national security, important Government needs, public health or safety, or Federal financial considerations. Provides that any Government licensee, or non-Government entity operating on behalf of a Government licensee, that is displaced from a frequency pursuant to this Act may be reimbursed not more than the incremental costs it incurs, in such amounts as provided in advance in appropriation Acts, that are directly attributable to the loss of the use of the frequency pursuant to this Act. Authorizes appropriations to affected licensee agencies to cover such costs. Directs the FCC to form a plan to assign the spectrum identified in the initial report pursuant to competitive bidding procedures during FY 1994 through 1996. Directs the FCC to submit to the President a plan for the distribution of the remaining reallocated frequency bands. Authorizes the President to reclaim reallocated frequencies for reassignment to Government stations. Sets forth procedures for reclaiming frequencies. Amends the Act to require the FCC to use competitive bidding for awarding all initial licenses and new construction permits, subject to specified exclusions. Outlines criteria for awarding licenses and permits under competitive bidding procedures. Prohibits licensing by lottery when competitive bidding is required. Title V: Dislocated Workers - Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish for eligible dislocated workers: (1) a program of readjustment allowances; (2) a program for job training and related services substantially similar to the program under specified provisions of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA); and (3) a program for job search and relocation allowances substantially similar to the program under specified JTPA provisions. Authorizes appropriations to the Department of Labor to carry out such programs, for each of FY 1993 through 1995, in an amount equal to the revenues raised in such fiscal year by the provisions of and amendments made by titles II, III, and IV of this Act which are in excess of the expenditures made in such fiscal year under title I of this Act. Directs the Secretary of Labor to give special consideration to providing services to dislocated workers in the timber industry in the State of Washington, in determining specified programs and activities to be funded under JTPA in FY 1991 and 1992. Directs the Secretary of Labor to submit a comprehensive report to the Congress on the feasibility and utility of using a total unemployment rate versus an insured unemployment rate, adjusted to include those claimants who have exhausted their benefits, for purposes of triggering extended benefits and, if appropriate, revising the foregoing measures of unemployment to include seasonal adjustments.

Law· SS. 1731 (102nd)enacted

United States-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992

United States · United States Congress · 20 September 1991

United States-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1991 - Title I: United States Policy - Expresses the sense of the Congress that the following should be U.S. policy with respect to the U.S. relationship with Hong Kong: (1) the United States should seek to establish direct bilateral ties with Hong Kong in economic, shipping, communications, tourism, cultural, sport, and other matters to the extent that Hong Kong is allowed to exercise autonomy in these fields under the 1984 Joint Declaration of the Governments of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and China on the question of Hong Kong; (2) the United States should seek to maintain after July 1, 1997, with the authorization of the Chinese Government, the U.S. Consulate-General in Hong Kong and other U.S. official and semi-official organizations; (3) the United States should invite Hong Kong to maintain, after such date, its official and semi-official missions in the United States and to open other missions in those fields in which it is permitted to exercise autonomy under the Joint Declaration; (4) the United States should seek to reach agreements with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Administrative Region) in such fields, particularly with respect to reduction or abolishment of visa restrictions hindering U.S. nationals seeking to work in Hong Kong and covering Hong Kong residents seeking to work in the United States; (5) the United States should recognize passports and travel documents issued by the Administrative Region; and (6) the Chinese Government's exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong should not affect treatment of Hong Kong residents who apply for visas to visit the United States. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the following should be U.S. policy with respect to participation by Hong Kong in multilateral organizations: (1) the United States should support Hong Kong's participation in multilateral organizations open to non-states which are concerned with those matters in which Hong Kong is permitted to exercise autonomy under the Joint Declaration; (2) the United States should continue to fulfill its obligations to Hong Kong under international agreements, so long as Hong Kong reciprocates; (3) the United States should support Hong Kong's application to join all multilateral international conferences, agreements, and organizations; and (4) the United States should support Hong Kong's continued participation after July 1, 1997, under the name Hong Kong, China, in all such conferences, agreements, and organizations. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the following should be U.S. policy with respect to commerce between the United States and Hong Kong: (1) the United States should seek to maintain and expand economic and trade relations with Hong Kong and should continue to treat Hong Kong as a separate territory in economic and trade matters (even after July 1, 1997); (2) the United States should continue to negotiate directly with Hong Kong to conclude bilateral economic agreements (even after July 1, 1997); (3) the United States should continue to consider Hong Kong for most-favored-nation trade status and to recognize certificates of origin for manufactured goods issued by the Administrative Region; (4) the United States should continue to allow the U.S. dollar to be freely exchanged with the Hong Kong dollar and U.S. businesses should continue to operate in Hong Kong; (5) the United States should continue to support Hong Kong's access to sensitive technologies; (6) the United States should encourage Hong Kong to continue to develop a framework which provides protection for intellectual property rights; and (7) the United States should negotiate a bilateral investment treaty with Hong Kong. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the following should be U.S. policy with respect to transportation from Hong Kong: (1) the United States should continue to recognize ships and airplanes registered in Hong Kong and negotiate air service agreements directly with Hong Kong; (2) the United States should continue to recognize ships registered by Hong Kong after July 1, 1997, and U.S. commercial ships should remain free to port in Hong Kong; (3) the United States should recognize licenses issued by the Administrative Region to Hong Kong airlines; (4) the United States should recognize permits issued by the Administrative Region to U.S. airlines for specified services; (5) the United States should negotiate with the Administrative Region to renew or amend all air service agreements existing on June 30, 1997, and to conclude new air service agreements affecting all flights to, from, or through China; and (6) the United States should negotiate with the Administrative Region about arrangements to implement international aviation agreements. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the following should be U.S. policy with respect to cultural and educational exchanges with Hong Kong: (1) the United States should seek to maintain and expand U.S.-Hong Kong relations and exchanges in culture, education, science, and academic research; (2) the Administrative Region should be accorded individual status as a full partner in the Fulbright Program; and (3) the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress should seek to expand educational and informational ties with the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. Title II: The Status of Hong Kong in United States Law - Continues to treat Hong Kong as a separate territory under U.S. law after July 1, 1997. Approves the continuation in force of all treaties entered into by the United States and Hong Kong before such date. Title III: Reporting Provisions - Directs the Secretary to submit to the Speaker of the House and the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: (1) a report on the degree to which the Joint Declaration is being implemented; and (2) a separate subreport (with respect to country reports) on Hong Kong.

Bill· SS. 1727 (102nd)referred

Major League Baseball Equity Act

United States · United States Congress · 19 September 1991

Major League Baseball Equity Act - Requires that, except in the case of revenue generated as a result of nationally transmitted cable television (TV), any Major League Baseball team that is a party to an independent broadcasting contract receive 80 percent of the revenue from the transmission of the home games and 20 percent of the revenue from the transmission of games away. Specifies that all other revenue pursuant to such contract, including all revenue from nationally transmitted cable TV, shall be divided equally among the other teams of the League (American League or National League) of which the contracting team is a member. Directs each League to establish accounts for the deposit of revenue to which such provision applies and, at regular intervals, distribute the correct shares of such revenue. Makes the antitrust laws applicable to Major League Baseball unless such a revenue sharing program is established and implemented prior to the beginning of the 1993 baseball season.

Bill· SS. 1711 (102nd)open

Glass Ceiling Act of 1991

United States · United States Congress · 16 September 1991

Glass Ceiling Act of 1991 - Establishes the Glass Ceiling Commission to conduct a study and prepare recommendations concerning: (1) eliminating artificial barriers to the advancement of women and minorities; and (2) increasing opportunities and developmental experiences of women and minorities to foster advancement of women and minorities to management and decisionmaking positions in business. Establishes the National Award for Diversity and Excellence in American Executive Management. Allows a recipient business to use the award in its advertising if the business agrees to help other U.S. businesses improve with respect to the promotion of opportunities and developmental experiences of women and minorities regarding management and decisionmaking positions. Authorizes appropriations. Terminates the Commission and the authority to make awards four years after enactment of this Act.

Resolution· SRESS.Res. 178 (102nd)passed

A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate on Chinese political prisoners and Chinese prisons.

United States · United States Congress · 12 September 1991

Urges the President to: (1) communicate to the leadership of the Government of the People's Republic of China the concern of the Congress and the American people for Wang Juntao and Chen Ziming and to call for their immediate release from prison; and (2) request the Secretary General of the United Nations (UN) to urge Beijing officials to provide quality medical care for them and for all political prisoners and to dispatch representatives of the UN Human Rights Commission to China to assess and report on the treatment of political prisoners and the condition of Chinese prisons.

Resolution· SRESS.Res. 176 (102nd)passed

A resolution to condemn the violence in Yugoslavia, to express Senate support for EC mediation efforts with respect to Yugoslavia and to urge the administration to raise this issue in Moscow at the CSCE meeting on the Human Dimension.

United States · United States Congress · 11 September 1991

Condemns: (1) the policies of violent aggression perpetuated by Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, the Yugoslav army, and Serbian extremist guerrillas in Croatia; and (2) the repression against the Albanian population in the Province of Kosov. Declares that the deteriorating situation in Yugoslavia requires the United States to intensify efforts to resolve the crisis. Commends the European Community (EC) for its efforts to mediate the crisis. Urges: (1) the EC to fully include an Albanian representative from Kosov in the EC-sponsored peace conference; and (2) the Administration to base its policy toward the six republics and two provinces of Yugoslavia on the democratic principles enunciated by the Secretary of State on September 4, 1991, with respect to the Soviet Union, to press for the inclusion of an Albanian representative from Kosovo in the peace conference, and to raise the issue of Serbian Government-sponsored aggression against the Croatian Government, the citizens of the Republic of Croatia, and the Albanians in Kosovo at the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe meeting which convened in Moscow on September 10, 1991.

Bill· SS. 1690 (102nd)open

Fire Administration Authorization Act of 1992

United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1991

Amends the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to authorize appropriations for FY 1992 through 1994. Sets forth priority activities for the United States Fire Administration in expending such funds. Requires the Administration to report to: (1) the Congress on such activities taken; and (2) specified congressional committees on its progress in implementing the Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act of 1990, including amendments made by such Act.

Bill· SS. 1686 (102nd)referred

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Reorganization Act of 1991

United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1991

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Reorganization Act of 1991 - Divides the current U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit into the following two circuits: (1) the Ninth Circuit, composed of the States of Arizona, California, Hawaii, and Nevada and Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, consisting of 19 judges, and holding regular sessions in San Francisco and Los Angeles; and (2) the Twelfth Circuit, composed of the States of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington, consisting of nine judges, and holding regular sessions in Portland and Seattle.

Bill· SS. 1662 (102nd)referred

High Quality Forests Act

United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1991

High Quality Forests Act - Requires the revision of the management plans for certain Federal lands in Washington State that were withdrawn from the public domain and that are suitable for timber production to provide for: (1) timber harvest rotations of between 150 and 200 years; (2) shelterwood and seed tree regeneration cut systems; (3) periodic thinning and intermediate harvesting to enhance old growth species while maintaining timber production; and (4) no removal of lands from reserves for old growth or old growth-dependent species for at least 20 years.

Bill· SS. 1672 (102nd)referred

James Madison-Bill of Rights Commemorative Coin Act

United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1991

James Madison - Bill of Rights Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue: (1) five-dollar and half-dollar coins emblematic of the Bill of Rights; and (2) one-dollar silver coins emblematic of James Madison. Sets forth guidelines for their sale and issuance, and for financial assurances. Mandates that the surcharges received by the Secretary be transmitted to the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Trust Fund. Authorizes audits by the Comptroller General. Provides a general waiver of procurement regulations when implementing this Act. Requires the Secretary to submit monthly financial status reports to certain congressional committees.

Bill· SS. 1668 (102nd)referred

Secure Choice

United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1991

Secure Choice - Title I: Long - Term Care Provisions - Amends the Social Security Act to establish a new Federal program to provide grants to States for making long-term care assistance to low-income functionally impaired elderly individuals under a State plan approved under a new title XXI entitled "Long-Term Care Assistance Programs For The Elderly." Outlines: (1) requirements for State plans for long-term care assistance; and (2) conditions for the approval of such plans by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Allows States to impose sanctions on service providers who overcharge such individuals. Disregards payments under title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) to an individual who is eligible for long-term care assistance under the plan and is in a nursing facility at the time such benefits are paid for purposes of determining the amount of any post-eligibility contribution by the individual toward the cost of the care and services provided by the nursing facility. Allows States to exclude any individual or entity for participation under the State plan for any reason for which the Secretary could exclude the individual or entity from participation in Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) and State health care programs. Requires States to provide for making long-term care assistance available, including at least the services described below in items 2 and 3, to all individuals aged 55 or older: (1) who are impaired because they are limited in performing specified activities of daily living or have Alzheimer's disease or a similar dementia; (2) whose income and resources do not exceed the minimum prescribed levels the State is required by this Act to establish; and (3) who are likely to receive the care and services described below for at least 45 consecutive days. Defines "long-term care assistance" as payment of part or all of the cost of the following care and services (if provided in or after the third month before the month in which the recipient makes application for assistance) for the individuals described above: (1) nursing facility services (other than services in an institution for mental diseases); (2) home and community-based services that include homemaker/home health aide services, personal care services, adult day care, nursing services, physical therapy, and respite care; (3) case management services provided by a qualified community-care case manager; (4) respiratory care services; (5) prescription drugs; and (6) any other long-term care and any other type of remedial care (other than room and board) recognized under State law and specified by the Secretary. Gives States the option to cover individuals with incomes up to 240 percent of the Federal poverty level. Outlines provisions for determining the amount of funds the Secretary must pay to a State for expenditures for long-term care assistance provided under its approved plan. Prohibits State plans from imposing enrollment fees, premiums, or similar charges for services furnished to severely functionally impaired individuals who, as a condition for receiving services under the plan, must spend for the costs of long-term care all but a minimal amount of their income required for personal needs. Requires any deductible, cost sharing, or similar charge imposed under the plan with respect to other such individuals or other care and services to be nominal in amount. Requires State plans to require that no provider participating under the State plan may deny care or services to an individual eligible for such care or services under the plan on account of such individual's inability to pay a deduction, cost sharing, or similar charge. Makes an individual to whom such care or services were furnished liable for applicable charges. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) liens, adjustments, and recoveries with respect to debts incurred for long-term care; and (2) transfers of assets and eligibility for long-term care assistance. Sets forth special rules for the treatment of income and resources of impaired spouses. Establishes the Secure Choice Insurance Option program under part B of new title XXI under which a State, if it chooses to participate, will subsidize long-term care insurance for individuals aged 55 or older who have incomes between 240 and 400 percent of the Federal poverty level and who are provided with care and services under a qualified long-term care insurance policy. Specifies the requirements an insurance policy must meet in order to qualify as a long-term care insurance policy. Requires that an individual, in order to be eligible to purchase a qualified long-term care insurance policy under the program, must, at the time such individual elects to purchase such policy: (1) be a resident of the State; and (2) meet the standard underwriting requirements of an insurer which has been certified by the State's Standards and Performance Organization as having met specified requirements set forth in this Act in order to be able to provide qualified long-term care insurance policies under the State plan. Requires States, in order to be eligible to participate in the new program, to establish a Standards and Performance Organization to: (1) ensure that qualified long-term care insurance policies cover the required care and services; (2) determine that insurers desiring to become qualified insurers comply with applicable State standards; (3) ensure that information concerning the program is made available to qualified participants within the State; (4) assess the quality and appropriateness of the case management services provided to qualified participants; (5) determine whether qualified insurers are using appropriate managed care techniques in the provision of program services; (6) determine whether long-term care is being provided under the program in settings that meet State standards; (7) establish standards applicable to qualified issuers regarding rejection rates for underwriting, and provide for consumer protection; (8) determine and verify on an annual basis the income of qualified participants and their compliance with income and resource requirements; (9) notify qualified insurers of any changes in the income and resources of participants; (10) carry out the educational program discussed below; (11) hear appeals of certain denials and establish appropriate appeals procedures; (12) establish a sliding scale for determining the amount of the benefit subsidy a State is required to pay under a long-term care insurance policy; and (13) carry out such other functions as the Secretary may require. Outlines provisions applicable to qualified participants who change their State of residence. Requires the amount of the premium to be charged by a qualified insurer for a qualified long-term care insurance policy to be determined by each qualified insurer, subject to State insurance regulations, on the basis of the minimum benefits that must be provided under the policy. Requires the State insurance commission to ensure that the premium rate structure applicable to a qualified long-term care insurance policy remains level throughout the policy's life. Sets forth procedures for the periodic review of premium rates in order to determine if qualified insurers may make adjustments. Establishes maximum daily and lifetime benefit amounts for nursing facility services and home- and community-based care under a qualified long-term care insurance policy for which the qualified insurer is liable for payment to the service provider. Outlines additional requirements a State plan must meet applicable to the Secure Choice Insurance Option program. Requires the Secretary to reimburse each participating State for program costs, according to a specified formula. States that to be eligible as a qualified provider an entity must agree to accept the payment rate specified under the program as payment in full for services provided to qualified participants. Requires the Standards and Performance Organization of the State that elects to participate in the program to implement a comprehensive public information and education program that shall be directed to individuals age 55 and above but which shall attempt to educate the general public as whole concerning the need for long-term care insurance. Specifies the requirements for such education program. Requires States participating in the programs under new title XXI to ensure that any long-term care insurance policy offered within the State meets specified: (1) requirements of the long-term care insurance model regulation, and the long-term care insurance model Act, respectively, promulgated by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC); (2) tax disclosure requirements; and (3) requirements relating to nonforfeitability. Outlines additional responsibilities of participating States with respect to any individual or entity selling or offering for sale in the State a long-term care insurance policy, including responsibilities of participating States for ensuring that such individuals or entities comply with specified NAIC model regulations and Act provisions. Directs NAIC to promulgate standards for the use of uniform language and definitions in long-term care insurance policies. Directs the Secretary to provide that individuals eligible for services under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act which, effective upon the enactment of this Act, are provided under new title XXI shall continue to be eligible to receive such services in the same manner as previously provided. Amends the Medicaid program to repeal provisions concerning home and community care for functionally disabled elderly individuals. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to the Congress on the appropriateness and adequacy of using the Federal medical assistance percentage utilized under Medicaid for payment of services provided under new title XXI. Directs the Secretary to conduct studies to: (1) develop appropriate criteria for determining eligibility for long-term care services under a program similar to the Secure Choice program for mentally retarded or developmentally disabled individuals; and (2) determine the feasibility of establishing a data collection system for public and private long-term care services. Directs the Secretary to establish a new organizational unit within the Health Care Financing Administration to administer the new long-term care assistance program under title XXI. Title II: Long-Term Care Tax Provisions - Subtitle A: Tax Treatment of Long-Term Care - Private Long-Term Care Insurance Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an individual an itemized deduction for qualified long-term care services. Defines such services as necessary diagnostic, preventive, therapeutic, and rehabilitative services, and maintenance and personal care services which: (1) are required by a chronically ill individual; (2) have as their primary purpose the provision of needed assistance with daily living activities which the individual is certified as being unable to perform; and (3) are provided pursuant to a continuing plan of care prescribed by a licensed health practitioner. Provides for: (1) long-term care insurance contracts to be treated as accident or health insurance contracts; (2) amounts received under such contracts with respect to qualified long-term care services to be treated as amounts received for personal injuries or sickness; (3) employer plans providing such services to be treated as an accident or health plan; and (4) per diem and other periodic payments to be treated as payments made with respect to qualified long-term care services, with specified limitations. Declares that a qualified long-term care insurance contract is one in which the only insurance protection provided is coverage of qualified long-term care services. Prohibits borrowing under such a contract and its assignment or pledging as collateral for a loan. Prohibits it from covering expenses to the extent that such expenses are reimbursable under Medicare. Provides for the tax treatment of policyholders based on dollar limitations on per diem and other periodic payments. Makes the continuation coverage excise tax inapplicable to qualified long-term care insurance contracts or plans of employers that provide such coverage. Sets forth specified consumer protection provisions to be satisfied by qualified long-term care insurance contracts, including the NAIC model Act. Imposes an excise tax of $5,000 on any person who fails to meet specified requirements for such contracts with respect to: (1) regulation of sales practices; (2) model Act provisions; and (3) disclosure. Requires NAIC to promulgate standards for the use of uniform language and definitions in long-term care insurance policies by January 1, 1993. Subtitle B: Treatment of Accelerated Death Benefits - Provides for the treatment of amounts paid to a terminally ill individual as death benefits. Allows insurance companies to issue such accelerated death benefit riders on life insurance contracts and requires spousal consent for such treatment and riders. Amends title XI of the Social Security Act to prohibit applicants or recipients under public assistance programs from being required to make an election respecting accelerated death benefits under life insurance policies.

Law· SS. 1623 (102nd)enacted

Audio Home Recording Act of 1992

United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1991

Audio Home Recording Act of 1991 - Amends Federal copyright law to: (1) set forth definitions relating to digital audio recording devices and media; and (2) prohibit certain copyright infringement actions based on the manufacture, importation, or distribution of a digital or analog audio recording device or medium, or the use of such device or medium for making phonorecords, except when done for commercial advantage. Sets forth a mandatory recordation and filing procedure for the importation, manufacture, or distribution in the United States of digital audio recording devices or media. Requires importers and manufacturers to file quarterly and annual statements of account with the Register of Copyrights (the Register). Mandates Register verification of such statements. Sets forth verification guidelines. States that verification audit costs shall be borne by interested copyright parties. Sets forth confidentiality guidelines with respect to such mandatory statements of accounts. Prescribes royalty payment guidelines for digital audio recording devices and media imported, manufactured, or distributed in the United States. Requires that royalty payments be deposited into the Treasury. Identifies interested copyright parties entitled to royalty payments. Prescribes royalty payment allocation and distribution procedures. Permits alternative royalty collection and distribution arrangements to be negotiated among interested copyright and manufacturing parties. Maintains the Copyright Tribunal jurisdiction over such negotiated arrangements insofar as nonparticipant interests are affected. Prohibits: (1) the importation, manufacture, and distribution of any digital audio recording device or audio interface device that does not conform to certain standards and specifications to implement the Serial Copy Management System; and (2) the circumvention of such System. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to publish in the Federal Register a certain Technical Reference Document which sets forth the standards and specifications pertinent to the Serial Copy Management System. Authorizes the Secretary to implement such System according to the prescribed guidelines. Sets forth civil remedies for violations of this Act, including impoundment, remedial modification and destruction of non-complying devices, and binding arbitration.

Bill· SS. 1609 (102nd)referred

A bill to authorize certain elements of the Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1991

Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish and administer a Yakima River Basin Water Conservation Program for the purpose of evaluating and implementing measures to improve the availability of water supplies for irrigation and the protection and enhancement of fish and wildlife resources, including wetlands, while improving the quality of water in the Yakima River basin. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities for the purpose of carrying out this Act. Requires the Program to encourage and provide funding assistance for the following phases of water conservation: (1) development of water conservation plans, consistent with specified guidelines discussed below, by individuals and areawide entities; (2) investigation of the feasibility of specific potential water conservation measures identified in the plans; (3) implementation of measures that have been identified in the plans and investigated for feasibility; and (4) post-implementation monitoring and evaluation of implemented measures. Directs the Secretary to establish the Yakima River Basin Conservation Advisory Group to provide assistance with respect to the Program. Directs the Secretary to adopt guidelines to be used in the administration of the Program. Sets forth the contents of such guidelines. Details the manner in which costs of the four phases are to be shared among Federal, State, and local sources. Requires the coordination of on-farm water management improvements with programs administered by the Secretary of Agriculture and State conservation districts. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the Program. Provides for the implementation by the Yakima Indian Nation of: (1) an irrigation demonstration project on the Yakima Indian Reservation that shall provide for the construction of distribution and on-farm irrigation facilities to use water savings resulting from system improvements to the Wapato Irrigation Project; and (2) a Toppenish Creek corridor enhancement project to demonstrate integration of management of agricultural, fish, wildlife, and cultural resources to meet tribal objectives. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary for initiation, operation, and maintenance of such projects and for implementation of system improvements to the Wapato Irrigation Project. States that the Program is intended to result in reductions in water diversions allowing for changes in the present operation of the Yakima Federal Reclamation Project to improve instream flows in the Yakima River basin. Details the instream flows the Secretary is required to provide through the Yakima Project Superintendent, allowing flow increases to facilitate anadromous fish migration which, to the extent possible, are obtained through voluntary sale and leasing of water or water rights. Provides for review and adjustment of the water supply in the Yakima River basin set aside for the instream flows to be provided by the Secretary in order to meet water entitlements. Dedicates water savings resulting from improvements to the Wapato Irrigation Project to fish, wildlife, and on-reservation irrigation. Requires water accruing in the additional storage capacity of Lake Cle Elum that is made available pursuant to the modifications discussed below to be: (1) administered in accordance with the laws of the State of Washington; and (2) considered part of the Yakima River basin's water supply. Authorizes releases from other Yakima Project storage facilities to utilize the water described above, except that water deliveries to holders of existing water rights shall not be impaired. Authorizes appropriations for Chandler Power Canal operations for the delivery of water to the Kennewick Division. Authorizes appropriations for: (1) modifying the radial gates at Cle Elum Dam to provide additional storage capacity in Lake Cle Elum; (2) providing for shoreline protection of the Lake; (3) constructing juvenile fish passage facilities at the Dam; (4) operation and maintenance responsibilities of the Federal Government for the Dam; and (5) environmental mitigation. Provides for the enhancement of water supplies for Yakima River Basin tributaries for fish and wildlife and irrigation purposes. Requires a study to determine the measures to be implemented to enhance water supplies for such purposes on Taneum Creek. Authorizes appropriations for such enhancement and for the Taneum Creek study. Makes implementation of this Act contingent upon compliance by the Secretary with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Authorizes appropriations for environmental compliance activities.

Law· SS. 1563 (102nd)enacted

National Sea Grant College Program Authorization Act of 1991

United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1991

National Sea Grant College Program Authorization Act of 1991 - Amends the National Sea Grant College Program Act (Sea Grant Act) to authorize appropriations to carry out the Act. Repeals provisions of the Sea Grant Act authorizing grants and contracts for a sea grant strategic research plan. Amends the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 (Aquatic Nuisance Act) to generally authorize appropriations for grants under the Sea Grant Act. (Currently, the provisions of the Aquatic Nuisance Act being amended here authorize appropriations only for grants for the sea grant research plan under the Sea Grant Act.)

Law· SS. 1530 (102nd)enacted

Indian Employment, Training and Related Services Demonstration Act of 1992

United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1991

Indian Employment, Training and Related Services Demonstration Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary), in cooperation with the Secretary of Labor, Secretary of Health and Human Services, or Secretary of Education (Secretaries), to authorize a tribal government to consolidate specified federally-funded employment, training, and related services programs once its plan has been accepted. Requires such consolidation to: (1) integrate program services into a single, coordinated, comprehensive program; and (2) reduce administrative costs. Sets forth requirements for an acceptable plan and establishes procedures for agency review. Directs the Secretary to inform the tribal government of the approval or disapproval of such plan within 90 days of its receipt. Requires that the tribal government be given an opportunity to amend, or to petition the Secretary to reconsider, a disapproved plan. Authorizes the plan to involve expenditures for the creation of employment opportunities and for the development of the economic resources of the tribal government or of individual Indian people, under specified conditions. Authorizes the tribal government, under specified conditions, to use available funds to: (1) place participants in training positions with private employers; and (2) pay such participants a training allowance or wage for a maximum 12-month period. Directs the Secretaries to enter into an interdepartmental memorandum of agreement providing for the implementation of demonstration projects under this Act. Makes the Office of Self-Governance in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior, the lead agency for such demonstration programs, unless a tribal government requests that another office (including a Federal department or agency other than the Department of the Interior) serve as such. Sets forth the responsibilities of the lead agency. Prohibits the enactment of this Act from reducing the amount of Federal funds available to a tribal government involved in any demonstration project. Authorizes the Secretaries to provide for an interagency transfer of available funds to a tribal government if needed. Requires the Secretary to expend a specified amount of moneys allocated for Indian road construction programs to train Indians for employment on road construction projects. Directs the Secretary to report on the implementation of the demonstration program to specified congressional committees.

Bill· SS. 1521 (102nd)open

Pornography Victims' Compensation Act of 1992

United States · United States Congress · 22 July 1991

Pornography Victims' Compensation Act of 1991 - Creates a civil cause of action against a commercial producer, distributor, or exhibitor or seller of obscene material or child pornography by a victim of a forcible sexual crime. Conditions the recovery of damages on proof by a preponderance of the evidence that: (1) the material was a substantial cause of the offense; (2) the defendant is a commercial producer or distributor of the material, or commercially exhibited or sold the material to the sexual offender; (3) the producer, distributor, exhibitor, or seller should have reasonably foreseen that such material would create an unreasonable risk of such a crime; and (4) the production, distribution, sale, or transport of the type of material in the aggregate affects interstate or foreign commerce. Prohibits the finder of fact, in determining whether the material was a substantial cause of the offense, from considering the testimony of the offender. Authorizes the award of actual damages including compensation for pain and suffering, reasonable attorney's fees, and other costs of the suit. Sets a statute of limitations of two years from the date of the commission of the criminal offense giving rise to the action, or one year after any conviction for such offense, whichever is earlier.

Bill· SS. 1505 (102nd)open

A bill to amend the law relating to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday Commission.

United States · United States Congress · 19 July 1991

Amends Federal law relating to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday Commission to: (1) increase its membership from 23 to 30 and its staff membership from five to eight; (2) increase the potential salary of a staff member from a GS-13 to a GS-15; and (3) authorize appropriations for FY 1992 through 1993.

Resolution· SCONRESS.Con.Res. 53 (102nd)referred

A concurrent resolution expressing the sense of the Congress that the 1981 Israeli preemptive strike against Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak was a legitimate and justifiable exercise of self-defense, and that the United States should seek the repeal of United Nations Security Council Resolution 487 which condemned that 1981 Israeli preemptive strike.

United States · United States Congress · 16 July 1991

Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the 1981 Israeli preemptive strike against the Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak was a legitimate and justifiable exercise of self-defense which also reduced the threat of Iraqi nuclear aggression against countries bordering Iraq; and (2) the United States should seek the repeal of United Nations Security Council Resolution 487 which condemned the strike.

Bill· SS. 1469 (102nd)referred

Chinese Democracy and Human Rights Act of 1991

United States · United States Congress · 11 July 1991

Chinese Democracy and Human Rights Act of 1991 - Prohibits the President from recommending in 1992 extension of a waiver of human rights and emigration requirements for nondiscriminatory treatment (most-favored-nation treatment) for China under the Trade Act of 1974 unless he reports to the Congress that China has accounted for and released prisoners who dissented in Tiananmen Square on June 3 and 4, 1989, and made significant progress in: (1) preventing gross violations of human rights (particularly in Tibet); (2) ending religious persecution and releasing members of religious groups who were detained for their religious beliefs (particularly in Tibet); (3) removing restrictions (particularly in Tibet) on freedom of the press and on broadcasts by Voice of America, and ceasing harassment of Chinese and foreign journalists; (4) terminating surveillance and harassment of Chinese citizens in China and the United States, including the return and renewal of passports confiscated for prodemocracy activities; (5) ensuring access of international human rights monitoring groups to prisoners; (6) ensuring freedom from torture and from inhumane prison conditions; (7) terminating prohibitions on peaceful assembly and demonstration imposed after June 3, 1989; (8) removing obstacles to study, travel, or emigration abroad for students and other citizens; (9) permitting international humanitarian and intergovernmental organizations to inspect labor camps, prisons, and other facilities to assess medical care, food, and working conditions, and to determine whether political detainees are producing items for export; (10) lowering tariff and nontariff controls that restrict foreign firms' access to Chinese markets; (11) providing protection of U.S. intellectual property rights (particularly computer software); and (12) ceasing proliferation of ballistic missiles and exportation of nuclear weapons technology. Requires certification also that China is: (1) adhering to the Joint Declaration on Hong Kong; (2) not exporting to the United States goods which are the product of forced labor; and (3) not transferring to Syria, Iran, or Pakistan ballistic missiles or missile launchers for the M-9 or M-11 weapons systems. Requires the President, if he recommends such extensions, to report to the Congress on the progress which China has made between June 1991 and June 1992 in meeting the above-mentioned requirements. Declares that the Congress finds that the interests of both the United States and China would be best served by the free flow of ideas and information between the two countries. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the continuation and expansion of cultural and educational exchange programs between the two countries should be encouraged, particularly in the fields of governance, law, and social sciences.

Bill· SS. 1455 (102nd)referred

World Cup USA 1994 Commemorative Coin Act

United States · United States Congress · 11 July 1991

World Cup USA 1994 Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue a specified number of five-dollar gold coins, one-dollar silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins in commemoration of the 1994 World Cup and the unique appeal of soccer. Sets forth certain features of such coins and provides for their design, issuance, and sale. Requires that all sales include a surcharge of $35 per coin for the five-dollar coins, $7 per coin for the one-dollar coins, and $1 per coin for the half-dollar coins. Requires that all surcharges be paid to the Organizing Committee to organize and stage the 1994 World Cup. Requires that ten percent of such funds shall be made available through the U.S. Soccer Federation Foundation, Inc., for distribution to institutions for scholastic scholarships to qualified students.

Bill· SS. 1424 (102nd)open

A bill to amend chapter 17 of tile 38, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a mobile health care clinic program for furnishing health care to veterans located in rural areas of the United States.

United States · United States Congress · 28 June 1991

Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, during the five-year period beginning on October 1, 1991, to conduct a rural mobile health care clinic program in States in which significant numbers of veterans reside in rural areas. Makes eligible for such mobile health care veterans otherwise eligible for veterans' health care who reside at least 100 miles from the nearest Department of Veterans Affairs health-care facility. Requires the Secretary to begin operation of at least three mobile health care clinics in each fiscal year of the program. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress an evaluation of the program. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 1996.

Bill· SS. 1417 (102nd)referred

United States-Japan Industry and Technology Management Training Act of 1991

United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1991

United States-Japan Industry and Technology Management Training Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, to establish a program to award grants to U.S. institutions of higher education and other nonprofit organizations that conduct programs for scientists, engineers, and managers to learn Japanese language and culture. Directs the Secretary to prescribe the criteria for such awards, including: (1) whether U.S. scientists, engineers, and managers of defense and Department of Energy laboratories are permitted to participate in activities of such institutions or organizations at a level that is beneficial to the development and application of defense critical technologies by such laboratories; (2) whether such activities include the placement of U.S. scientists, engineers, and managers in Japanese government and industry laboratories; and (3) whether an appropriate share of the costs of such activities will be paid from non-Federal sources. Authorizes appropriations.

Bill· SS. 1406 (102nd)referred

Chemical Control and Environmental Responsibility Act of 1991

United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1991

Chemical Control and Environmental Responsibility Act of 1991 - Amends the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 (Comprehensive Act) to: (1) replace references to "listed precursor chemicals" with "list I chemicals" and "listed essential chemicals" with "list II chemicals"; and (2) revise the definition of "regulated person" to include individuals who act as brokers or traders for international transactions involving a listed chemical, tableting machine, or encapsulating machine. Redefines "regulated transaction" to: (1) include international transactions which do not involve the importation or exportation of a listed chemical into or out of the United States if a broker or trader located in the United States participates in the transaction; (2) include, in the case of a listed chemical that is contained in a drug that may be marketed or distributed lawfully in the United States under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, transactions involving ephedrine or any other listed chemical which the Attorney General may designate as not subject to exemption after finding that such action would prevent diversion and the total quantity of such chemical included in the transaction equals or exceeds the threshold established for that chemical by the Attorney General; and (3) exclude any transaction in a chemical mixture (current law) which the Attorney General has designated as exempt based on a finding that the mixture is formulated in such a way that it cannot be easily used in the illicit production of a controlled substance and that the listed chemical or chemicals contained in the mixture cannot be readily recovered. Requires every person who manufactures or distributes, or who proposes to engage in the manufacture or distribution of, a list I chemical to obtain annually a registration issued by the Attorney General. Authorizes and directs the Attorney General to register an applicant to distribute a list I chemical unless he determines that the issuance of such registration is inconsistent with the public interest, taking into consideration the following factors: (1) maintenance of effective controls against diversion of listed chemicals into other than legitimate channels; (2) compliance with applicable Federal, State, and local law; (3) prior conviction record of the applicant under Federal or State laws relating to controlled substances or chemicals; (4) past experience in the manufacture and distribution of chemicals; and (5) such other factors as may be relevant to and consistent with the public health and safety. Makes provisions with respect to the denial, revocation, and suspension of registration relating to the manufacture, distribution, or dispensation of controlled substances explicitly applicable to list I chemicals. Directs the Attorney General to register an applicant to import or export a list I chemical unless he determines that the issuance of such registration is inconsistent with the public interest. Makes it unlawful for a regulated person to distribute, import, or export a list I chemical without the registration required under the Comprehensive Act. Requires each regulated person who manufactures a listed chemical to report annually to the Attorney General information concerning listed chemicals manufactured by such regulated person. Makes any person located in the United States who is a broker or trader for an international transaction in a listed chemical which is a regulated transaction solely because of that person's involvement as a broker or trader, with respect to that transaction, subject to all of the notification, reporting, record-keeping, and other requirements placed upon exporters of listed chemicals by the Comprehensive Act. Authorizes the Attorney General to: (1) require that the 15-day advance notice requirement with respect to the importation and exportation of listed chemicals apply to all exports of specific listed chemicals to specified nations, regardless of the status of certain customers in such country as "regular customers," if such action is necessary to support effective diversion control programs or is required by treaty or other international agreement to which the United States is a party; and (2) waive the 15-day advance notice requirement for exports of specific listed chemicals to specified countries, and for the importation of specific listed chemicals, if such advance notice is not required for effective chemical control, subject to specified requirements. Establishes penalties for: (1) exporting, or serving as a broker or trader for an international transaction involving, a listed chemical knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that the chemical will be used to manufacture a controlled substance in violation of the laws of the country to which the chemical is exported; and (2) importing or exporting a listed chemical with intent to evade reporting or record-keeping requirements under the Comprehensive Act by falsely representing to the Attorney General that the importation or exportation qualifies for a waiver of the advance notice requirement by misrepresenting either the actual country of final destination of the listed chemical, the actual listed chemical being imported or exported, or both. Amends list I to add benzaldehyde and nitroethane, and delete D-lysergic acid, N-ethylephedrine, and N-ethylpseudoephedrine. Eliminates "regular supplier" status and creates "regular importer" status. Modifies the definition of "controlled premises" to include places where listed chemicals or records relating to the manufacture, distribution, or disposition of listed chemicals are maintained. Makes it a felony for a person who possesses a listed chemical with intent that it be used in the illegal manufacture of a controlled substance to manage the listed chemical or waste from the manufacture of a controlled substance other than as required under the Solid Waste Disposal Act. Specifies that, in addition to a penalty that may be imposed for the illegal manufacture, possession, or distribution of a listed chemical or toxic residue of a clandestine laboratory, a person who violates such prohibition shall be assessed costs of the initial cleanup and disposal of the listed chemical and contaminated property and the cost of restoring property damaged by exposure to such chemical. Expresses the sense of the Congress that guidelines issued by the U.S. Sentencing Commission should recommend that the term of imprisonment for such a violation be not less than five (or in the case of a willful violation, not less than ten) years. Authorizes: (1) the court to order that all or a portion of the earnings from work performed by a defendant in prison be withheld for payment of such costs; and (2) the Attorney General to direct that assets forfeited in connection with a prosecution under this Act be shared with State agencies that participated in the seizure or cleanup of the contaminated site. Specifies that a discharge in bankruptcy does not discharge an individual debtor from any debt for costs assessed with respect to the management of listed chemicals under the Comprehensive Act. Provides for access by the Attorney General to information in the National Practitioner Data Bank.

Bill· SS. 1364 (102nd)reported

Employee Benefits Simplification and Expansion Act of 1991

United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1991

Employee Benefits Simplification and Expansion Act of 1991 - Title I: Nondiscrimination Provisions - Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to employee benefit plans. Redefines the term "highly compensated employee" for pension, profit sharing, and stock bonus plans, etc., purposes. Makes such employee one who is a five-percent owner or who has compensation from the employer in excess of $50,000. Provides a special rule where no employees are treated as highly compensated. Provides that the cost of living adjustment with respect to any calendar year is based on the increase in the applicable index as of the close of the calendar quarter ending September 30 of the preceding calendar year. Requires the rounding of such amounts to the nearest $1,000, except that elective deferrals and elective contributions to simplified employee pensions are to be rounded to the nearest $100. Allows an employer to determine an employee's compensation solely by reference to such employee's base pay. Provides that the minimum participation rule applies only to defined benefit pension plans. Requires such plans to benefit not less than 25 employees, or the greater of 40 percent of all employees or two employees (or if there is only one employee, such employee). Sets forth alternative methods of meeting nondiscrimination requirements for cash or deferred arrangements, including specified contribution and notice requirements. Sets forth alternative methods of satisfying the nondiscrimination test for matching contributions. Revises the method for distributing excess contributions to highly compensated employees. Title II: Distributions - Allows distributions from qualified pension plans to be rolled over tax-free to an individual retirement account or another qualified plan or annuity. Eliminates five-year forward averaging for lump-sum distributions from qualified plans. Requires certain tax-free distributions to be made in the form of a direct trustee-to-trustee transfer to an eligible individual retirement plan. Sets forth administrative requirements in making such distributions. Requires distributions to be made from qualified plans by April 1 of the calendar year following the later of: (1) the calendar year in which the employee attains age 70; or (2) the calendar year in which the employee retires. (Present law requires such distributions no later than April 1 of the calendar year following the calendar year in which the employee attains age 70 1/2.) Title III: Miscellaneous Provisions - Revises the definition of a leased employee to include one whose services are performed under the control of a service recipient, instead of one whose services are historically performed by employees. Replaces the 59 1/2- and 70 1/2-year age requirement with 59- and 70-year age requirements for specified pension plans. Eliminates the special aggregation rules that apply to plans maintained by owner-employees that do not apply to other qualified plans. Makes the 150 percent current liability limitation on the deduction allowed for employer contributions to qualified pension plans inapplicable to multi-employer plans. Repeals the present law annual valuation requirement for such plans and applies the prior law requirement that valuations be performed at least every three years. Sets forth affiliation requirements for employers jointly maintaining a voluntary employees' beneficiary association. Provides that compensation, in the case of a governmental plan, includes any amount which is contributed by the employer pursuant to a salary reduction agreement and which is not includible in the gross income of an employee under cafeteria plans, cash or deferred arrangements, tax-exempt organization or public school annuities, State or local government plans, or deferred compensation plans of State and local governments and tax-exempt organizations. Makes the following limitations inapplicable to plans maintained by State and local governments and certain tax-exempt organizations: (1) excess benefit limitations; (2) compensation limitation on benefits; and (3) limitations on disability and survivor benefits. Allows government plan employers to revoke the grandfather election on the limitation to equal accrued benefits. Modifies provisions relating to simplified employee pensions. Increases the number of allowable participants for salary reduction arrangements from 25 to 100. Allows participation after one year of service (currently, three years of service is required). Repeals the requirement that at least 50 percent of eligible employees participate in a salary reduction arrangement. Eliminates certain requirements regarding contributions on behalf of disabled employees. Allows rural cooperative plans which include cash or deferred arrangements to make distributions to participants after attainment of age 59. Includes reports of pension and annuity payments in information returns and payee statements. Eliminates reports of designated distributions from the scope of the $25 per day penalty. Provides a $10 reporting threshold for designated distributions. Makes tax-exempt organizations eligible for cash or deferred arrangement pension plans.

Bill· SS. 1351 (102nd)open

Department of Energy Science and Technology Partnership Act

United States · United States Congress · 21 June 1991

Department of Energy Science and Technology Partnership Act - Establishes a program in the Department of Energy (DOE) under which the Secretary of Energy shall encourage departmental laboratories to enter into partnerships for research in: energy efficiency, energy supply, high-performance computing, environmental problems, human health, advanced manufacturing technologies, education and training. Authorizes such partnerships with colleges and universities, industry, and other Federal agencies. Amends the Department of Energy Organization Act to establish a career path program for the recruitment of promising and gifted employees of DOE's national laboratories to serve in critical and other positions as a stage in realizing the full potential that such employees contribute to the strategic defense and energy security posture of the United States. Increases the number of Under Secretaries in DOE from one to three, and the number of Assistant Secretaries from eight to 11.