United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1991
Long-Term Care Insurance Consumer Protection Act of 1991 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to afford Federal consumer protection to purchasers of long-term care insurance policies by requiring that before such policies may be issued or sold they must have been either certified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services as meeting the minimum Federal standards and requirements outlined below or approved by the State commissioner or superintendent of insurance under a regulatory program each State may establish that: (1) incorporates such standards and requirements; (2) provides consumers with access to basic information on issuers and policies; and (3) provides for an approval process for proposed premium increases. Outlines Federal standards for long-term care insurance policies, including requirements that such policies: (1) offer optional inflation protection features, nonforfeitable benefits after a certain vesting period should the policy lapse, and limited premium increases; (2) be guaranteed renewable except for nonpayment of premiums or material misrepresentation; (3) use standard language and uniform format with certain variations in language permitted; (4) disclose a detailed outline of coverage; (5) allow purchasers 30 days to rescind their purchase of the policy and to have the premium refunded; (6) not condition or limit eligibility for benefits, including non-institutional benefits, except in cases of preexisting conditions; (7) use functional assessment tools for determining home care eligibility; (8) provide a right to appeal denials for home care eligibility; (9) provide a six-month period of contestability after issuance of the policy; (10) prohibit discrimination in cases of individuals with Alzheimer's disease; and (11) provide benefits over a period of at least 12 consecutive months. Regulates the marketing of long-term care insurance policies by establishing prohibitions on certain sales practices, such as high pressure tactics, and on sales to Medicaid beneficiaries and sales of duplicate service benefit policies. Imposes additional requirements on issuers of long-term care insurance policies with respect to: (1) the prompt mailing of new policies after approval; (2) the furnishing of information to policyholders regarding denied claims and to the Secretary and appropriate State officials regarding policies, premiums, denied claims, lapse, replacement, and rescission rates; and (3) the obtaining of medical assessments for elderly applicants if the policy is not guaranteed to be issued. Sets forth civil penalties for issuing unapproved or uncertified policies and for violating prohibited sales practices and the requirements imposed on issuers of long-term care insurance policies. Requires reports on functional ability assessment tools and on solvency protections for such issuers. Requires a study to develop a standard measure of value for long-term care insurance policies. Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 to increase funding for long-term care insurance information, counseling, and assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1991
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to allow State Medicaid matching payments to include private funds donated by hospitals to the State.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1991
United States One-Dollar Coin Act of 1991 - Amends Federal currency law to prescribe the color and features (including features to aid the visually handicapped) of one-dollar coins. Mandates that the obverse side of the one-dollar coin have a design recognizing the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus. Requires such coins to be placed in circulation within 18 months of enactment of this Act. Mandates that the seigniorage of the new one-dollar coins be used to offset the reverse seigniorage resulting from the destruction of Susan B. Anthony dollar coins in Government storage.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1991
Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require applicants for Federal permits (for potential discharges into navigable waters), in the case of hydroelectric projects under the jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, to provide a certification from the State in which the discharge originates that such projects will comply with applicable State water quality standards and allow for protection, achievement, and maintenance of designated uses included in such standards.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1991
Recognizes the Astronauts Memorial at the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Brevard County, Florida, as the national memorial to astronauts who die in the line of duty. Requires the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to continue to have administrative jurisdiction for the care and management of the memorial and its grounds.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1991
Declares that the Arab League should terminate its boycott against Israel and that the President should encourage U.S. allies and trading partners to enact laws prohibiting businesses from complying with such boycott and penalizing businesses that do comply.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 1991
Authorizes the Indian American Forum for Political Education to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia or its environs to honor Mahatma Gandhi. Prohibits the United States from paying any expense of establishing the memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1991
Veterans Compensation Improvement Act of 1991 - Increases the rates of: (1) veterans' disability compensation; (2) additional compensation for veterans' dependents; (3) the clothing allowance for certain disabled veterans; (4) dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children; and (5) supplemental dependency and indemnity compensation for disabled adult children. Requires such increases to be the same percentage as the increase in benefit amounts payable under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act. Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make consistent adjustments administratively to the rates of disability compensation payable to certain persons who are not in receipt of compensation for service-connected disability or death. Requires the Secretary to publish such increases in the Federal Register at the same time that OASDI benefit increases are required to be published.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1991
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States and the Soviet Union should lead an effort to promptly repeal United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3379 (equating Zionism with racism.)
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1991
Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from preparing for or conducting any activity under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act with respect to certain submerged lands off the State of Florida. Mandates that all leases in such area issued before enactment of this Act be cancelled. Requires the Secretary to report annually to the Congress on the status of such cancellations. Provides for compensation to entitled lessees. Prohibits any activities other than environmental or oceanographic studies in a certain part of the Eastern Gulf of Mexico Planning Area off the western boundary of Florida. Directs the Secretary to undertake certain environmental studies. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1991
Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to revise the environmental standards under which Outer Continental Shelf leases or permits shall be cancelled. Provides that any compensation for a cancelled lease may be in any combination of cash, forgiveness of rents of royalties, or credits against future bonus bids. Limits the criteria according to which the Secretary of the Interior may deny requests by Governors of affected States concerning proposed modifications of Outer Continental Shelf leasing programs. Provides that, with respect to proposed lease sales, the Secretary shall determine the national interest by a balancing process that gives equal weight to obtaining oil and gas supplies and to environmental protection. Requires the Secretary to accept a Governor's recommendations as to whether a particular lease sale will provide a reasonable balance between the national interest and the well-being of the State's citizens, except in specified circumstances. Requires that environmental studies with respect to proposed lease sales be subjected to peer review by scientists not employed or compensated by the Secretary and published by a specified date before the lease sale is announced.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1991
Requires the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to: (1) conduct an analysis of requirements that are existing, or projected to exist by the year 2025, of Federal, State, and local regulators and resource managers for scientific data and information about the Nation's coastal and marine environment and the conditions and phenomena affecting that environment, including those relating to new and changing uses; (2) evaluate scientific research programs or activities in that environment, in light of the data and information requirements identified in the analysis, to determine whether the program or activity should be continued without change or restructured; and (3) recommend legislation on the basis of the analysis and evaluation. Mandates a report to the Congress, with a draft submitted for comment to the Council on Environmental Quality, the National Science Foundation, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Comptroller General, and the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1991
Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) water quality criteria for any pollutant to be the standard for such pollutant in any State that has not adopted water quality standards, or has adopted less stringent standards, for such pollutant. Requires Federal agencies or applicants for Federal licenses or permits proposing to conduct any activity which may result in a discharge into navigable waters or the waters of the contiguous zone, or in water quality degradation or impairment of water uses, to provide State certifications that the discharges will comply with certain provisions of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. Amends the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 to permit States to adopt criteria, rules, or regulations relating to ocean dumping within their jurisdiction only if such criteria, rules, or regulations are more stringent and protective of waters and sediment than those adopted pursuant to such Act. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to permit the EPA Administrator, upon finding that a person has failed to obtain an ocean discharge certification or is violating the conditions of such certification, to: (1) order such person to cease activities resulting in discharges until in compliance with such conditions; or (2) bring a civil action. Prohibits the issuance of permits for discharges into the territorial sea or the contiguous zone until the Administrator provides States whose waters may be affected by such discharges an opportunity to comment or impose conditions with respect to water quality on such permits. Declares that an EPA regulation authorizing the issuance of permits (under certain conditions) for discharges into the marine environment where there is insufficient information to determine possible environmental degradation shall be null and void.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1991
Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 to: (1) make technical amendments relating to cost/benefit determinations with respect to civil works projects of the Army Corps of Engineers involving beach erosion control; and (2) direct the Secretary of the Army to develop long-range plans for beach nourishment and inlet management. Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 1976 to direct the Secretary to consider the protection of coastal resources through the placement on State beaches of beach quality sand which has been dredged in constructing and maintaining navigation inlets and channels adjacent to such beaches as being in the public interest whenever such sand would otherwise be disposed of offshore. Authorizes appropriations for developing such plans.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1991
Declares that the Senate: (1) extends a warm welcome to His Excellency Lech Walesa, President of the Republic of Poland, upon the occasion of his State Visit to the United States; (2) recalls the historic ties between the people of both countries; (3) applauds his commitment to economic and political reform; (4) reaffirms the Senate's and U.S. people's support for the independence and security of Poland; (5) looks forward to cooperation with Poland on issues relating to security and stability in Europe; and (6) commends the Bush Administration's decision to reduce Poland's debt to the United States, applauds the Paris Club's decision to reduce Poland's foreign debt, and urges Poland's private creditors to do the same.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1991
Declares that Saddam Hussein and the current Iraqi regime should be held liable under United Nations Security Council Resolution 686 for the costs resulting from the release of oil into the Persian Gulf and the torching of oil wells in Kuwait.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1991
Department of Veterans Affairs Health-Care Personnel Act of 1991 - Redesignates the Veterans Health Services and Research Administration in the Department of Veterans Affairs (Department) as the Veterans Health Administration. Title I: Special Pay for Physicians and Dentists - Department of Veterans Affairs Physician and Dentist Recruitment and Retention Act of 1991 - Revises Federal provisions relating to special pay for Department physicians and dentists. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in order to recruit and retain highly qualified physicians and dentists, to provide special pay to such individuals under regulations prescribed by the Secretary after the Secretary has received the recommendations of the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Department. Conditions such special pay upon the execution of a written agreement by the physician or dentist to perform a period of obligated service within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Provides that such individual is not entitled to such special pay during the first three years of such service, except at the discretion of the Secretary for full-time services. Prohibits special pay for those physician and dentist positions for which there is no significant recruitment and retention problem. Authorizes the CMD to approve the payment of special pay to physicians and dentists employed on a less than half-time basis in specified circumstances. Prohibits the payment of special pay to physicians and dentists who: (1) are employed on less than a quarter-time or intermittent basis; (2) are in an internship or residency training position; or (3) are reemployed annuitants. Allows the Secretary to provide retention pay to physicians and dentists formerly receiving special pay but no longer eligible under new requirements outlined in this Act. Sets forth requirements of a written agreement, including provisions providing for: (1) a covered period of one to four years, with renewal permitted upon full completion of a prior agreement; (2) refunding of special pay on a prorated basis for unfulfilled services; (3) the waiver of such refund requirement due to circumstances beyond the control of the physician or dentist; (4) the inclusion of terms under which the Secretary and the physician or dentist may terminate the agreement; and (5) special review by the Secretary of an agreement which will differ radically (provide more than 50 percent more or more than 25 percent less) from special pay received under previous agreements or which, when added to basic pay, will exceed certain limits. Requires the Secretary to include in annual reports information concerning agreements approved or disapproved by the Secretary under which special pay differed radically or which, when combined with basic pay, exceeded a specified limit. States that all such pay limitation requirements and reports shall not apply to a proposed agreement entered into after FY 1994. Directs the Secretary to adjust special pay as necessary to reflect any change in status of a physician or dentist from part-time to full-time or vice versa. Directs the Secretary to provide special pay to eligible full-time physicians based upon specified factors, including: (1) tenure within the VHA; (2) service in a medical specialty for which it is extremely difficult to recruit and retain qualified professionals; (3) service in certain executive positions; (4) specialty or board certifications; (5) service in a geographic location for which there are extraordinary difficulties in the recruitment or retention of qualified personnel; and (6) service by a physician with exceptional qualifications within a specialty. Requires all special pay for such full-time physicians to be personally approved by the CMD on a case-by-case basis. Sets forth conditions and limitations to the payment of such special pay. Directs the Secretary to provide special pay to part-time eligible physicians based upon similar factors. Requires the Secretary to pay each such physician an amount of special pay equal to the proportion of full-time service that physician performs, up to a specified limit. Directs the Secretary to provide special pay to eligible full-time and part-time dentists based upon similar factors. Prohibits physicians or dentists receiving special pay for service in certain executive positions from receiving scarce specialty pay (another form of special pay that rewards scarce specialty areas of practice). Requires, with regard to the payment of special pay, determinations: (1) that there are extraordinary difficulties in recruitment or retention; (2) of the specific rate of special pay to be paid to each physician or dentist eligible; and (3) of whether there are extraordinary difficulties in a specific geographic location in the recruitment or retention of qualified physicians or dentists. Sets forth considerations for determinations with respect to extraordinary recruitment and retention difficulties and the payment of special pay for individual medical facilities of the Department. Provides minimum rates for the payment of special pay. Outlines the manner in which special pay is to be considered for purposes of other benefits laws for Federal employees. States that it is the policy of the Congress to assure that total pay for VHA physicians and dentists is comparable to total pay of other Government physicians and dentists and to the income of non-Federal physicians and dentists. Directs the Secretary: (1) in order to assist in implementing such policy, to obtain measures of income of such non-Department physicians and dentists and to define the bases for pay distinctions; (2) to report to the President quadrennially on appropriate amounts of special pay to VHA physicians and dentists to carry out such policy; and (3) to report to specified congressional committees annually on the use of authorities under this title. Allows the Secretary to authorize the CMD to pay advance payments, recruitment or relocation bonuses, retention allowances, and interview expenses to the following personnel in the same manner currently provided under Federal employment provisions: physicians, dentists, podiatrists, optometrists, registered nurses, physician assistants, and expanded-function dental auxiliaries. Directs the Secretary to reimburse any full-time board-certified physician or dentist appointed in the VHA for expenses incurred, up to $1,000 per year, for continuing professional education. Title II: Labor-Management Relations - Department of Veterans Affairs Labor Relations Improvement Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary to prescribe the hours and conditions of employment and leaves of absence of the following VHA employees: physicians, dentists, podiatrists, optometrists, nurses, physician assistants, and expanded-duty dental auxiliaries. Provides that the authority of the Secretary to prescribe regulations with regard to such employees is subject to the right of Federal employees to engage in the collective bargaining process with respect to conditions of employment. States that such collective bargaining may not cover, or have any applicability to, any matter or question arising out of: (1) professional conduct or competence; (2) peer review; or (3) the establishment, determination, or adjustment of employee compensation. Requires any VHA employee who accepts responsibilities for professional services for remuneration other than assigned responsibilities to work a minimum 80-hour biweekly amount. Outlines those outside activities and responsibilities that such a person may not engage in or take on while an employee of the Department. Provides that whenever the CMD brings charges against a Department employee based on conduct or performance and, as a result of those charges, an adverse (disciplinary) action is taken against the employee, the employee shall have the right to appeal the action, either through: (1) a Disciplinary Appeals Board; (2) Department procedures; or (3) grievance procedures provided through collective bargaining, depending on the type of action involved. Requires the Secretary to publish in the Federal Register any proposed regulations prescribed concerning the collective bargaining or adverse action procedures. States that Disciplinary Appeals Boards shall have exclusive jurisdiction to review any case: (1) which arises out of a question of professional conduct or competence of an employee of the Department employed on a full-time basis under a permanent appointment; and (2) in which a major adverse action was taken (suspension, transfer, reduction in grade or pay, or discharge). Gives employees involved in such a case the right to: (1) advance written notice of the charges and actions that could be taken if the charges are sustained; and (2) an opportunity to be heard both orally and in writing on such charges. Requires a decision on such case by a deciding official within 21 days after the employee's response to the charges. Allows for a delay in a proposed action for up to one year while an employee seeks counseling or treatment for a condition covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Allows the Secretary to require an employee to make a written or oral response to the charges within 30 days of receipt, with extension for good cause shown. Outlines further administrative action to be taken by the Board in a major adverse action appeals procedure, together with time limitations involved in each step. States that the Secretary's execution of the Board's decision shall be the final administrative action in the case, with the affected employee entitled to judicial review of the order or decision. Requires the Secretary to prescribe procedures for the consideration of grievances of Department employees arising from adverse actions in which each action taken either: (1) is not a major adverse action; or (2) does not arise out of a question of professional conduct or competence. States that Disciplinary Appeals Boards shall not have jurisdiction to review such matters other than as part of a mixed case. States that review of an adverse action shall be provided through either Department procedures or through grievance procedures provided through collective bargaining. Outlines the rights of employees under the Department procedures to: (1) a formal review by an impartial examiner within the Department; (2) a prompt report of findings; (3) a prompt review of the examiner's findings by a higher official; and (4) legal or other representation in adverse action reviews under grievance procedures. Requires the Secretary to appoint Disciplinary Appeals Boards to hear appeals of major adverse actions taken against full-time Department employees and based on professional conduct or performance. Authorizes the chairman of such a Board to authorize disclosure to the affected employee of records or information to be reviewed during an appeal procedure. Provides for the protection of the privacy of the individuals whose records are involved. Requires the Secretary to periodically designate Department employees qualified to serve on Disciplinary Appeals Boards and to announce that a list of such qualified employees is available to any person requesting such list. Requires the Secretary to provide training in the functions and duties of such Boards and grievance procedures for employees selected to be on the panel. Title III: Miscellaneous - Requires physician assistants and expanded-function dental auxiliaries to be paid in accordance with a Nurse Schedule in effect on August 14, 1990, until the effective date of a determination by the Secretary to convert those occupations to covered positions under provisions enacted by the Department of Veterans Affairs Nurse Pay Act of 1990. Authorizes the CMD to determine the rates of pay with respect to covered Department regional and central office employees in certain grades. Requires the CMD to prescribe regulations for the adjustment of basic pay rates for such employees in order to assure that those rates are sufficient and competitive. Amends the Veterans' Health Care Amendments of 1986 to extend through FY 1991 a required annual report on the furnishing of nonservice-connected health care services to veterans. Allows the Secretary to submit an administrative reorganization plan at any time during the year. Requires a 90-day congressional notification period to expire before the Secretary may implement the reorganization. Defines a covered administrative reorganization as one involving a reduction during any fiscal year in the number of full-time equivalent employees by: (1) 15 percent or more (currently, ten); or (2) a percent which, when added to the percentage reduction in the number of such employees at a covered office or facility for the preceding fiscal year, is 25 percent (currently, 15) or more. Requires a report from the Secretary to the veterans' committees for the reorganization of any unit of the central office of the Department that is the duty station of 30 or more employees (currently, more than 25 but less than 100). Title IV: Reorganization and Redesignation of Parts IV, V, and VI of Title 38 - Reorganizes through recodification within Federal law various provisions relating to the organization and functions of the VHA, including provisions relating to organization, general authority and administration, patient rights, and research corporations within the VHA.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1991
Establishes the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs to receive, concurrently with other committees of the Senate with jurisdiction, all messages, petitions, memorials, and other matters relating to U.S. personnel unaccounted for from military conflicts.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1991
Amends the Federal judicial code to provide for the appointment of additional bankruptcy judges for the districts of Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Puerto Rico, and South Carolina, the middle districts of Florida and Tennessee, the eastern districts of Pennsylvania and Virginia, the southern district of Florida, and the northern district of Georgia.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1991
Law Enforcement Scholarships and Recruitment Act - Directs each State to pay from funds under this Act the Federal share (not more than 60 percent) of the cost of: (1) awarding scholarships to in-service law enforcement personnel for further education; and (2) providing full-time employment in summer or part-time employment for a period up to a year to students enrolled in accredited institutions of higher education who demonstrate an interest in law enforcement careers. Requires each State receiving such funds to designate a lead agency to conduct such programs. Makes the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance responsible for administration of such program and for issuing rules. Provides that such a scholarship shall be for one academic year and may be used at any accredited institution of higher education. Conditions eligibility on an individual's having been employed in law enforcement for two years immediately preceding the date on which scholarship assistance is sought. Makes individuals who have been employed as law enforcement officers ineligible to participate in student employment programs under this Act. Requires each individual awarded a scholarship to work in a law enforcement position in the State which made the award for a period of one month for each credit hour for which funds are received (with a six-month minimum and two-year maximum). Authorizes and allocates appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1991
Suspends for one year (until November 1, 1991) a provision of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 which prohibits a deceased veteran's spouse or child from regaining eligibility for veterans' dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) after the termination of a remarriage occurring after the death of the veteran. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to notify eligible persons. Reimposes the prohibition against such eligibility for months beginning on or after 180 days after the date on which the award of such benefit takes effect. States that, after such date, recognition for such DIC benefits will be determined in accordance with appropriate provisions of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1991
Savings and Investment Incentive Act of 1991 - Title I: Retirement Savings Incentives - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to remove the limitations on deductions for individual retirement plans and provides a cost of living adjustment for deductible amounts. Establishes special individual retirement accounts that are nondeductible. Makes such accounts nontaxable if earnings on contributions are held for at least five years. Applies the early withdrawal penalty to distributions made before the end of the five year-period. Title II: Penalty-Free Distributions - Provides exemptions from the ten-percent penalty on early withdrawals from individual retirement plans for: (1) first home purchases; (2) higher education expenses; and (2) financially devasting medical expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1991
Link-up for Learning Demonstration Grant Act - Establishes a program of grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) in partnership with other eligible entities for coordinated educational and other student support services for at-risk youth. Authorizes the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to award such grants to eligible entities to pay the Federal share of costs of specified activities. Sets forth special considerations in awarding grants. Allows such grants to be for up to three years, subject to satisfactory progress. Makes eligible to apply for such a grant (provided that at least one LEA in the partnership is eligible to receive financial assistance for disadvantaged children under chapter 1 title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965): (1) at least one LEA in partnership with at least one public agency; (2) at least one nonprofit organization, institution of higher education, or private enterprise in partnership with at least one LEA; or (3) an LEA that is receiving assistance under the Head Start Transition Project Act in partnership with any designated Head Start agency. Requires eligible entities, in order to receive such grants, to serve: (1) educationally deprived students, students eligible to be counted under chapter 1, or students in chapter 1 schoolwide projects, and their family members; and (2) any school, grade span, or program area if the project design is of adequate size, scope, and quality. Sets forth: (1) authorized uses of grant funds by LEAs; (2) application requirements; (3) application review coordination; and (4) various limitations. Requires each eligible entity desiring such a grant to establish a coordinated services advisory council to develop its application. Establishes a Federal Interagency Task Force consisting of the Secretaries of Education, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development, and other appropriate Federal agency heads, to identify means to facilitate interagency collaboration at Federal, State, and local levels to improve support services for at-risk students. Requires the Task Force to: (1) identify and eliminate program regulations or practices impeding coordination and collaboration; (2) develop and implement plans for jointly funded programs, unified eligibility and application procedures, and confidentiality regulations that facilitate information sharing; and (3) make recommendations to the Congress on legislative action to facilitate coordination of support services. Directs the Secretary of Education to: (1) conduct a study of grantees under this Act to identify regulatory and legislative obstacles to coordinated support services and innovative procedures and programs; and (2) report study results to the Congress with recommendations for legislative action. Limits the Federal share of project costs to 80 percent. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 1994.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1991
Habeas Corpus Reform Act of 1991 - Amends the Federal judicial code to set forth special habeas corpus procedures in capital cases. Applies such procedures to Federal habeas corpus cases brought by prisoners in State custody who are subject to a capital sentence. Makes the applicability to such procedures contingent upon a State establishing a mechanism for the appointment, compensation, and payment of reasonable fees and litigation expenses of competent counsel consistent with this Act. Provides for a mandatory stay of execution during the post-conviction review initiated pursuant to this Act. Details conditions which will cause such stay to expire. Prohibits a Federal court, if one of such conditions has occurred, from entering a stay of execution or granting relief in a capital case unless: (1) the basis for the stay and request for relief is a claim not previously presented by the prisoner in State or Federal courts, and the failure to raise the claim is the result of State action in violation of the Constitution or laws of the United States, is the result of Supreme Court recognition of a new Federal right that is retroactively applicable, or is based on a factual predicate that could not have been discovered through the exercise of reasonable diligence in time to present the claim for State or Federal post-conviction review; and (2) the facts underlying the claim would be sufficient, if proven, to undermine the court's confidence in the jury's determination of guilt on the offense for which the death penalty was imposed, or in the validity of the sentence of death. Imposes time limits on filing for habeas corpus relief. Requires such time limits to be tolled under specified conditions. Makes the requirement for a certificate of probable cause inapplicable, with an exception. States that a mechanism for the provision of counsel services to indigents sufficient to invoke the provisions of this Act shall provide for: (1) counsel to indigents charged with offenses for which capital punishment is sought, who have been sentenced to death and who seek appellate or collateral review in State court, and who have been sentenced to death and who seek certiorari review in the U.S. Supreme Court; and (2) the entry and filing of an order in an appropriate State court of record appointing one or more counsel to represent the prisoner except upon a judicial determination that the prisoner is not indigent or the prisoner knowingly and intelligently waives the appointment of counsel. Prescribes minimum qualifications for appointed counsel. Authorizes payment of fees and expenses for investigative, expert, or other services reasonably necessary for the representation of the defendant. Requires the court to fix the compensation to be paid to an attorney appointed under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1991
Requests the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to publish, before the expiration of 102d Congress, proposed amended regulations that specify the components of an adequate operator training program and certification system for operators of powered industrial trucks.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1991
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States shall use diplomacy to encourage the Government of El Salvador and the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) to: (1) participate in good-faith negotiations to achieve a cease-fire and permanent settlement of the conflict in El Salvador; (2) adhere to the terms of agreements signed in Geneva, Switzerland, Caracas, Venezuela, and San Jose, Costa Rica; and (3) support the role of the Secretary General of the United Nations in advancing proposals on the outstanding issues defined in the Caracas Accords to resolve the conflict. Withholds from El Salvador unobligated military assistance for FY 1991 and prior fiscal years and military assistance allocated for FY 1992 and 1993 until the Congress enacts a joint resolution authorizing the provision of such assistance and the President reports to the Congress that: (1) those responsible for ordering and carrying out, or obstructing the investigation into, the November 1989 murders of certain priests and civilians have been apprehended and brought to justice; (2) internationally recognized workers' rights have been extended to Salvadoran workers; (3) the El Salvadoran Government has pursued legal avenues to bring to trial and obtain verdicts for those responsible for the murders of Archbishop Romero and certain land reformers and for the bombings of the FENASTRAS headquarters; (4) the El Salvadoran Government is complying with international standards of respect for humanitarian and medical workers; (5) steps have been taken to place the El Salvadoran military under the control of the civilian government; (6) the El Salvadoran Government is negotiating to achieve a cease-fire and a settlement of the conflict and has not rejected a plan for the settlement of the conflict put forth by the United Nations Secretary General; and (7) the El Salvadoran Government, through its military and security forces, has not engaged in assassinations of, or acts of violence against, civilians and has not failed to control such activities by elements subject to the control of such forces. Prohibits funding for: (1) the stationing of U.S. military personnel in El Salvador as trainers or advisors to the El Salvadoran armed forces; and (2) the financing of covert operations in El Salvador or for covert military assistance to the El Salvadoran Government. Establishes the Demobilization, Transition, and Reconstruction Fund to assist with the cost of monitoring a permanent settlement of the conflict, the demobilization of combatants in the conflict and their transition to peaceful pursuits, and the reconstruction of El Salvador. Makes the Fund available only upon the President's notification to the Congress that the El Salvadoran Government and the FMLN have reached a permanent settlement to the conflict. Requires the President, upon notification of a permanent settlement or on September 30, 1992, if no notification has occurred prior to such date, to transfer withheld military assistance to the Fund. Prohibits economic support fund (ESF) assistance from being obligated as balance-of-payments or cash assistance for El Salvador. Makes ESF assistance for El Salvador available only for projects for child nutrition, health, clean water, basic education, agrarian reform, resettling refugees, and other human needs of the people of El Salvador. Requires such assistance to be used only for programs implemented solely by civilian agencies. Subjects ESF assistance for El Salvador to reprogramming notifications under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1991
Federal Facility Compliance Act of 1991 - Requires Federal agencies to perform assessments of hazardous substance releases from solid waste management units at each hazardous substance treatment, storage, or disposal facility owned or operated by such agencies after November 19, 1980. Requires such assessments to indicate whether such facilities are in compliance with specified environmental laws and to be provided to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and to States in which such facilities are located. Directs the EPA Administrator to inspect such facilities annually to enforce compliance with such laws. Requires such inspections to include an analysis of groundwater monitoring. Makes inspection records available to the public. Requires Federal agencies owning or operating such facilities to reimburse the EPA for inspection costs. Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to waive sovereign immunity for Federal agencies with respect to certain requirements under such Act. Makes Federal employees subject to criminal sanctions under Federal or State solid or hazardous waste laws. Permits Federal agencies to: (1) represent or expend funds to represent an employee in State criminal proceedings if the actions for which representation were requested appear to have been performed within the scope of the employee's employment; and (2) reimburse an employee for defense costs in Federal criminal proceedings if actions were performed within such scope. Authorizes the Administrator to commence enforcement actions against Federal agencies pursuant to this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1991
Expresses the policy of the U.S. Government to: (1) establish in each of the Baltic States a U.S. presence, such as an information office, to serve as a form of political recognition and support; and (2) channel to the Baltic States directly U.S. Government humanitarian aid and economic assistance, including management and training assistance, in addition to private sector humanitarian aid. Calls for the United States to: (1) recognize, establish, and maintain direct contacts with the Parliaments of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia; and (2) propose and seek support for observer status for the Baltic States in the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) at the next meeting of foreign ministers of the CSCE participating states.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1991
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) all Arab nations should recognize Israel, end the economic boycott against Israel, end the state of belligerency with Israel, and enter into direct negotiations with Israel for the purpose of concluding peace treaties and establishing full diplomatic relations; and (2) the United States should use all available means to influence and encourage the Arab states which were allied with it in the Persian Gulf War to achieve those objectives.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1991
Social Security Notch Adjustment Act of 1991 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to establish a new formula for computing the primary insurance amount of individuals who attain age 65 in or after 1982 and would otherwise be subject to the benefit computation rules of the Social Security Amendments of 1977. Extends the application of such transitional benefit computation rules to those who become eligible for benefits before 1989. (Currently those who become eligible after 1983 are subject to the benefit computation rules of the Social Security Amendments of 1977.)
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Authorizes the President to present a gold medal to General Colin Powell in recognition of his exemplary performance in planning and coordinating the U.S. military response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1991
Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award a grant to Stetson University of Deland, Florida, for the construction of additional library facilities to hold its Federal depository library collection. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1991
Authorizes the President to present a gold medal to General H. Norman Schwarzkopf in recognition of his exemplary performance in coordinating the planning, strategy, and execution of U.S. combat action and his invaluable contributions to the United States and to the liberation of Kuwait. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1991
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to increase the interest paid on late payments of provider clean claims. Makes such rate applicable to claims which are not clean but are found to be legitimate and complete and are not paid within 24 days of their receipt.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1991
Calls for the President to declare a national day of prayer and thanksgiving to express gratitude for the heroic efforts of our troops during the Persian Gulf crisis.
![Official portrait of Sen. Graham, Bob [D-FL]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/g000352_200.jpg)