United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1989
Urges the Government of Iran to extend to the Bahai community the rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other human rights accords. Calls upon the President to: (1) emphasize the need for improvements in Iran's treatment of the Bahais and other religious minorities as an important factor in the development of U.S.-Iranian relations; (2) encourage other governments to appeal to Iran concerning the situation of the Bahais; (3) cooperate with other governments and international organizations in appealing for the protection of the religious rights of the Bahais; and (4) provide, and urge others to provide, refugee and humanitarian assistance for the those Bahais fleeing their homelands because of religious repression.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1989
Federal Fish Inspection Act - Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act to add a new title relating to fish inspection. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish an inspection program designed to ensure the safety and wholesomeness of fish and fish products. Requires the program to: (1) cover processing, storage, and handling; (2) include imported and domestic fish products; (3) provide for registration and inspection of fish processing facilities and vessels; and (4) identify geographic areas producing products that exceed the safety standards developed under the title added by this Act. Directs the Secretary to establish standards governing: (1) sanitary conditions and processing, storage, and handling practices; (2) the safety and wholesomeness of fish products; and (3) packaging and labeling. Directs the Secretary to carry out monitoring and surveillance to assure compliance with such standards. Requires the compliance system to: (1) be in accordance with the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point method; (2) provide for the appointment and training of inspection officers; (3) contain reporting and recordkeeping requirements; and (4) provide for enforcement, including civil and criminal penalties. Directs the Secretary to conduct and support research with respect to: (1) testing the methodology for biological and chemical contaminants; (2) inspection techniques and procedures; and (3) sanitation practices for processing, transportation, and storage. Directs the Secretary to conduct and support public education programs in furtherance of the title added by this Act. Directs the Secretary to: (1) avoid duplication of Federal and State efforts; (2) minimize disruption in the fish industry; (3) consult with other Federal agencies; (4) provide technical, advisory, and financial assistance to States to encourage State programs consistent with the title added by this Act; and (5) ensure establishment of arrangements with foreign nations to ensure mutual acceptance of standards and inspection programs. Makes title I through IV of the Federal Meat Inspection Act inapplicable to the title added by this Act. Authorizes appropriations for each fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1989
Motor Vehicle Fuel Efficiency Act of 1989 - Amends the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act to establish average fuel economy standards for passenger automobiles (for model years 1995 through 2000) and automobiles other than passenger automobiles (light trucks) (for model years 2001 and thereafter). Allows any person to petition the Secretary to modify an average fuel economy standard for model year 2001 and thereafter. Specifies procedures for response to such petition. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to report annually to specified congressional committees on a study on the accuracy of fuel economy testing of passenger automobiles. Directs the Secretary of Energy to distribute at least 100 explanatory booklets each year to every dealer and additional numbers if requested. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to provide for a review of the current state of research and development in light truck fuel economy and passenger automobile fuel economy and an assessment of the remaining potential for improving fuel efficiency and reducing energy consumption of passenger automobiles and light trucks. Requires a report to the Congress on such review and an updated report every five years. Doubles the civil penalty for repeated violations of the fuel economy standard.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1989
Public Housing Gateway Act of 1989 - Authorizes the Secretary of Labor (the Secretary) to make gateway program grants to public housing agencies to use public housing in the provision of employment training and services to economically disadvantaged public housing residents who are not more than 25 years of age. Requires that such grants be made with the advice and participation of the Gateway Task Force established under this Act. Requires public housing agencies to make the following training and services available to eligible individuals through the gateway program they must establish when they receive such a grant: (1) information on training, education, or services offered by the agency; (2) literacy training and bilingual training; (3) remedial education and training in basic skills (including communication skills, arithmetic, and problem-solving); (4) development of work habits and other personal management skills; and (5) free child care to facilitate participation in training and other services. Specifies additional training and services which may be offered to eligible individuals who are qualified through literacy training, training in basic and employment skills, and support services. Requires participants in gateway program training and services to be: (1) residents of public housing; (2) not more than 25 years of age; (3) economically disadvantaged; and (4) educationally disadvantaged. Limits mandatory child care services to: (1) participants in gateway program training or services during participation; (2) unemployed former participants who have successfully completed the program, for a specified period; and (3) employed former participants who have successfully completed the program, for a specified period. Permits support services to continue for up to 18 months to any individual after termination of participation in program training or services only if the individual has completed the training or services. Requires public housing agencies receiving such grants to attempt to employ in the gateway programs qualified residents of the public housing project involved. Prohibits consideration of earnings of and benefits to any individual resulting from participation in gateway training and services as income for public assistance or rent limitation purposes during specified periods of participation or post-participation employment. Provides that the use of the facilities of a recipient public housing agency in the provision of gateway training or services shall have no effect on the amount of operating assistance to such agency under the United States Housing Act. Establishes an interagency Gateway Task Force (the Task Force) to advise and assist the Secretary in carrying out this Act. Directs the Secretary to provide the Task Force with necessary information and facilities. Directs the Secretaries of Labor, Housing and Urban Development, Education, and Health and Human Services to each appoint members of the Task Force. Terminates the Task Force five years after its first regularly called meeting. Directs the Secretary to review at least annually compliance with this Act by public housing agencies receiving gateway program grants. Directs the Task Force to review gateway programs at least annually to determine their merits in enhancing the employability of public housing residents, and report its recommendations to the Secretary. Sets forth procedures for withholding grant payments in cases of agency noncompliance. Directs the Secretary to transmit to the President and the Congress: (1) annual reports on Task Force activities and recommendations; and (2) a final report, by the date of Task Force termination, on Task Force findings, conclusions, and recommendations. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1989
Designates the period of September 16 through October 9, 1989, as Coastweeks '89, recognizing the importance of coastal zones. Designates September 16, 1989, as National Estuaries Day and September 23, 1989, as National Beach Cleanup Day.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1989
Declares that the Senate: (1) expresses its disappointment that the Texas statute prohibiting the desecration of the flag was found to be unconstitutional; (2) expresses its commitment to preserving the honor and integrity of the flag; (3) intends to make a study of the impact of the Supreme Court decision on Federal and State laws and to seek ways to restore sanctions against such conduct; and (4) urges the American people to continue to display proudly the American flag.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 1989
Directs the U.S. Postal Service to establish procedures to provide that, upon a written request of the head of any unit of general local government, ZIP code boundaries do not cross the boundaries of such general local government unit. Declares that ZIP code areas having the same first five digits shall be considered to have the same ZIP code in order to apply this Act to areas using more than five digits.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 1989
Fresh Lime Research, Promotion, and Consumer Information Act - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to issue lime research, promotion, and consumer information orders, including orders for the creation of a Lime Board and orders imposing assessments with regard to the production and importation of fresh limes. Provides for administrative and judicial review of an order and judicial enforcement of an order. Provides for referenda among lime producers, handlers, and importers regarding orders.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 1989
Designates June 16, 1989, as Soweto Remembrance Day. Encourages Americans to participate in local activities designed to commemorate the victims of Soweto and to show solidarity with those who are fighting to end apartheid.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 1989
Marine Protection Act of 1989 - Title I: Water Quality Protection Programs - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, within 18 months of this Act's enactment and biennially thereafter, to designate all estuaries and coastal waters which are experiencing a general degradation of environmental conditions and do not support a balanced, indigenous population of fish and wildlife or allow for recreational activities in and on the water. Outlines elements to be considered in making such designations and requires the Administrator to conduct studies, research, and assessments, as necessary. Directs the Administrator to consider designations of specific estuaries and waterbodies. (All are currently listed as priority considerations under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, with the exception of Casco Bay, Maine.) Authorizes the Governor of any State to nominate to the Administrator an estuary or coastal waterbody within such State for designation. Requires the Chesapeake Bay to be treated as a designated coastal waterbody pursuant to this Act. Directs the Administrator or, under certain circumstances, an approved State to: (1) exercise authorities concerning discharges to coastal waters and a prohibition on discharges of sewage from vessels pursuant to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act; (2) issue permits for industrial and municipal discharges of storm water to such waters; (3) consider prohibiting the specification of a designated area as a disposal site; (4) require public treatment works discharging to such waters to develop and enforce facility specific programs for the pretreatment of industrial wastes; and (5) conduct an assessment and prepare a management program for the watershed of a designated waterbody for States without approved programs. Applies such requirements to estuaries and coastal waterbodies designated after January 1, 1989. Makes technical amendments to provisions concerning management conferences, grants, and reporting requirements for the National Estuary Program. Authorizes the Administrator to require any person whose alleged activities cause or contribute to pollution to file a report concerning pollution prevention or reduction practices with the Administrator. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1993. Requires penalties paid as a result of enforcement actions for violations of this Act to be deposited into the Estuaries Protection Fund. Directs the Administrator, in the case of any waterbody designated after January 1, 1989, to issue or renew a permit only if the applicant demonstrates: (1) a need to discharge to the designated waterbody based on a showing of the full utilization of waste minimization practices and the lack of alternative disposal options; and (2) that a proposed new discharge or an increase in volume or toxicity of an existing discharge will be offset by a decrease in other discharges and result in no net increase in pollutant loading to the waterbody. Applies such requirements to all new and existing discharges (except for existing discharges composed entirely of storm water). Authorizes the Administrator to modify such requirements, with respect to existing dischargers, if the owner or operator of a point source shows that such requirements will: (1) represent the maximum use of technology within the economic capability of the owner or operator; and (2) result in reasonable further progress toward the elimination of the discharge of pollutants. Requires applicants for Federal flood insurance for activities which may result in discharges or pollution to navigable waters to certify that such discharges will comply with applicable provisions of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. Directs the Administrator to: (1) establish a national registry of coastal land; and (2) list such land in the registry based on submission of a completed application by the property owner. Provides that inclusion of land in the registry shall be at the sole discretion of the land owner. Directs the Administrator to operate a program to provide registrants of coastal land with informational and educational materials concerning: (1) land management and related practices to prevent water pollution and protect habitat; (2) activities and measures to protect aquatic life, wildlife, and significant natural features of land or natural resources; (3) the activities of Federal, State, and local agencies to protect coastal waters; and (4) the various requirements of Federal and State laws concerning land management, discharges to water, and other related activities. Permits the Administrator, at the request of a State Governor, to delegate operation of such program to a State agency. Requires the Administrator to publish periodically a National Coastal Registry document summarizing the listed land and to provide a copy to any applicant. Authorizes local public agencies or organizations, beginning on August 4, 1989, to take actions to implement a State management program for coastal waters without the State's approval if such State has failed to submit an approved program. Includes within the list of programs to receive priority consideration for grant assistance programs to control nonpoint source pollution of designated waters. Requires the Administrator to prohibit the discharge from a vessel of sewage into any designated waterbody. Directs the Administrator to: (1) study the availability of adequate facilities for the safe and sanitary removal and treatment of sewage from vessels operating on coastal waters; and (2) report and make recommendations to the Congress on such study to assure that such facilities are reasonably available. Requires States in which a municipality discharges overflows from combined storm water and sanitary sewers into coastal waters to submit biennially to the Administrator an inventory of such discharges which shall: (1) identify the location of each discharge and the affected waterbody; (2) identify the municipal entity responsible for the discharge; (3) identify the estimated volume and pollutant loading of the discharge over a one-year period; (4) assess the proportion of the volume of the combined discharge to the volume capacity of the appropriate treatment works over a specified time period; (5) assess the potential to eliminate the discharge through flow reduction methods; and (6) identify the nature and status of any existing programs to eliminate discharges. Directs such municipalities to submit to the Administrator a program for the elimination of such discharges. Outlines program requirements and procedures for approval and modification. Makes municipalities which fail to implement such programs subject to penalties. Directs the Administrator to modify or issue permits for discharges of combined storm water and sanitary sewers by such municipalities to set forth a schedule for treatment. Requires the Administrator to publish guidance describing best management practices and other measures for the elimination of combined storm water and sanitary sewer overflows. Provides for the establishment of a water pollution control revolving fund for States which implement a combined storm water and sanitary sewer elimination program. Requires certain assistance to be provided only for development of such programs. Directs the Administrator, in allocating such assistance, to give priority to municipalities discharging into coastal waters. Limits the amount of Federal funding for such programs to 75 percent of the total cost of a project. Directs the Administrator to promulgate numeric coastal water and sediment quality standards for pollutants for which certain criteria have been published under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. Authorizes any person to petition the Administrator for the development of additional criteria. Provides that State standards shall take precedence over Federal standards, unless the Federal standard pursuant to this Act is more stringent or protective of human health and the environment. Authorizes State Governors to petition the Administrator for lower numerical standards if proven that such standards will assure an equal degree of protection of human health and the environment and are appropriate because of significant differences in the biological, physical, and chemical characteristics of the waters in question and U.S. coastal waters. Permits the Administrator to comply with requirements to establish sediment quality standards by establishing a scientific method, to be approved by the EPA Science Advisory Board, to convert numerical water quality standards to numerical sediment quality standards. Prohibits the issuance of permits for discharges into the territorial sea, the waters of the contiguous zone, the oceans, or coastal waters if the Administrator determines that a discharge will: (1) prevent the protection and propagation of a balanced, indigenous population of fish and wildlife and will not provide for recreation in and on the water; or (2) prevent the attainment of standards established pursuant to this Act. Deems regulations creating exemptions to ocean discharge requirements to be invalid. Title II: Marine Sediment Contamination - Requires the Administrator to provide that criteria for any pollutant address coastal sediment to an extent adequate for the development of sediment standards. Amends the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act to set forth permit requirements for contaminated dredge material. Directs the Administrator to publish a description of best management practices for the dredging, transport, and disposal of contaminated dredge material. Prohibits the issuance of a general permit for such material. Permits States to adopt criteria and regulations relating to ocean dumping if such criteria and regulations are more stringent and protective of waters than those issued pursuant to such Act. Directs the Administrator to develop and implement site management plans for designated ocean dumping sites. Provides for: (1) the review and redesignation, if necessary, of such sites every five years; and (2) public comment on such designations. Revises general permit provisions for ocean dumping. Limits general permits to a period of two years. Directs the Administrator to revise guidelines to require permit applicants to dispose of dredge or fill material in coastal waters to establish whether such material contains pollutants in excess of concentrations established in sediment standards. Directs the Secretary of the Army to deny any such permit if such material is contaminated and the disposal site is located within an area designated as a priority estuary or coastal waterbody pursuant to this Act. Title III: Other Provisions - Requires the Administrator to report to the Congress on the extent and seriousness of airborne disposition of contaminants in coastal waters. Directs the Administrator to: (1) conduct research and monitoring, as necessary, to identify currently unregulated pollutants in the estuarine zone and coastal waters not addressed under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act; and (2) report and provide a plan to the Congress for controls of such pollutants. Requires the Administrator to report to the Congress on the potential use of microorganisms to degrade organic materials or chemical pollutants in municipal or industrial wastes both before and after disposal in the marine environment.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 1989
Comprehensive Ocean Assessment and Strategy (Coast) Act of 1989 - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to designate marine areas which are in need of protection. Sets forth criteria to be considered in such designations, including: (1) the status and effects of pollutants and floatables found in the water and marine resources; (2) loss of coastal habitat; and (3) anticipated increases in pollutants and floatables in the area. Requires the Administrator to designate as a marine area in need of protection: (1) any area of the marine environment for which a State's most recent Water Quality Inventory, prepared pursuant to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, reported that the waters did not meet water, sediment, and living marine resource biological quality standards; (2) any estuary for which a management conference has been convened pursuant to the National Estuary Program. Directs the Administrator, in designating any area, to: (1) specify the reason for, and sources of, pollution resulting in the designation; and (2) submit to the Congress an analysis of each designated area which assesses trends, identifies research and monitoring needs, and describes actions and strategies. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require States to submit to the Administrator individual management strategies for designated areas. Requires such strategies to include water quality effluent limitations, nonpoint source management, and monitoring programs for permittees. Directs the Administrator to develop plans for States that fail to do so. Requires the Administrator to convene management conferences for estuaries which are designated as marine protection areas and are located in more than one State. Directs the Administrator to submit to the Congress a Marine Environment Toxics Release Inventory Assessment and Strategy to: (1) analyze industrial categories of sources and receiving waters of toxic discharges into the marine environment and into publicly owned treatment works which discharge into such environment; and (2) identify sources which discharge the greatest amount of toxic chemicals on the Inventory, and the greatest amount of the most toxic chemical; and (3) identify the geographical areas receiving the greatest amount of discharges from such chemicals. Provides that the Strategy shall contain the Administrator's plan for using Assessment information to improve the EPA's marine environment programs. Includes criteria for marine water, sediment, and resource biological quality within criteria required to be published for water quality standards under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. Directs the Administrator to: (1) submit a schedule for the development of such criteria to specified congressional committees; and (2) develop or revise criteria for specified pollutants. Requires States to establish numerical standards for pollutants to prevent degradation of the marine environment. Directs the Administrator to establish such standards for States which fail to do so. Prohibits the issuance of permits for discharges into the marine environment if found that such discharges can be expected to result in the degradation of the environment or are likely to prevent the attainment of standards pursuant to this Act. Requires the Administrator to revise guidelines for determining degradation of waters. Includes within the list of programs to receive priority consideration for grant assistance programs to control nonpoint source pollution of waters designated under this Act. Directs the Administrator to: (1) provide technical assistance to the Secretary of Agriculture in utilizing the Secretary's authorities to reduce cropland sources of nonpoint source pollution of the marine environment; (2) identify those lands which, if enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program, would contribute to protection of water quality and the marine environment by reducing such pollution; and (3) furnish a list of such lands to the Secretary for establishing priorities for expenditures under the Program. Requires the Secretary to provide the Administrator with actions in response to such list. Directs the Administrator to: (1) publish regulations to eliminate marine combined sewer overflows; and (2) publish guidance on additional measures to bring such overflows into compliance with this Act. Requires such guidance to identify monitoring standards designed to characterize and evaluate water quality impacts of discharges and determine compliance with permit requirements. Directs States with such overflows to submit biennially to the Administrator an inventory of discharges which shall: (1) identify the location of each discharge and the receiving waterbody; (2) identify the entities which operate the overflow system; and (3) determine whether each discharge point is permitted and in compliance with this Act. Requires permitting authorities to: (1) establish a schedule to bring each discharge point into compliance with this Act; and (2) establish priorities for issuing permits and controlling discharges. Directs municipalities or publicy owned treatment works to submit to the Administrator or, under certain circumstances, a State a permit program for the elimination of such discharges. Outlines program requirements and approval procedures. Makes owners or operators of sewer operators without permits subject to penalties. Directs the Administrator or a State, when determined that a publicly owned treatment works discharges toxic pollutants contributing to the degradation of the marine environment or in violation of marine water, sediment, or resource standards, to require the treatment works to establish or revise a pretreatment program to eliminate pollutants contributing to such degradation. Requires the Administrator to: (1) develop and test guidelines for treatment works to identify the sources of toxics in waste waters; and (2) establish a data base of identified sources. Directs the Administrator and the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to: (1) implement a joint program of research and monitoring to determine the effects of atmospheric pollutants on degradation of the marine environment; and (2) report biennially to specified congressional committees on such program. Requires the Administrator to: (1) establish a nationwide system for monitoring and quantifying the accumulation of floatables along coastal shorelines and waterways and the costs of cleanup of floatables; and (2) report annually to the Congress on such program. Directs the Administrator to promulgate protocols for monitoring water, sediments, and living marine resources in the marine environment. Provides for the use of whole effluent biological toxicity testing in such monitoring. Directs the Under Secretary to study the nature of any relationship between contact with pollutants in the marine environment and shellfish consumption with the incidence of human illnesses. Requires the Administrator to report to specified congressional committees on such study. Directs the Under Secretary to study and report to the Congress on: (1) a quantification of economic impacts caused by marine degradation; and (2) the impact that enhanced nitrogen levels in the marine environment may have on stimulating toxic algal blooms. Requires the Under Secretary to establish a Marine Environment Information Center to compile, analyze, and disseminate information on marine degradation and protection. Directs the Administrator and the Under Secretary to study and report to the Congress on activities of Federal agencies that may result in degradation of the marine environment, along with recommendations to reduce such degradation. Requires Federal agencies to take actions to minimize such degradation and to evaluate the potential effects of any actions on the marine environment. Amends the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 to require fines under the Federal criminal code (currently, fines up to $50,000) or imprisonment of up to five (currently, one) years, or both, for ocean dumping violations. Authorizes appropriations. Limits the amount of grants to any State for the implementation of management strategies under this Act to 50 percent of the total cost of the program. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to provide for the establishment of a water pollution control revolving fund for States for implementing management strategies under this Act and marine combined sewer overflow correction programs. Requires certain assistance to be used only for implementation of approved marine combined sewer overflow elimination permits. Directs the Administrator to give priority for assistance to municipalities discharging into marine areas designated under this Act. Limits such grants to 50 percent of the total cost of a project.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 1989
Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to allow, and the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to issue a certificate of documentation for, a named vessel to engage in the fisheries trade.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1989
Directs the Secretary of the Army to set aside an appropriate area within Arlington National Cemetery for the unmarked burial of cremated remains of persons entitled to burial in such cemetery.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1989
Designates August 1, 1989, as Helsinki Human Rights Day. Requests the President to: (1) reassert American commitment to the Helsinki Accords; (2) raise the issue of noncompliance with such Accords with any signatory nation which may be in violation, in particular, the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Romania; (3) convey to all signatories of such Accords that respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is vital to progress in the ongoing Helsinki process; and (4) convey to U.S. allies the necessity of unity regarding such Accords.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 1989
Amends the Tax Reform Act of 1986 to delay until 1990 the effective date of the nondiscrimination requirements for benefits provided under certain employee benefit plans. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise such nondiscrimination requirements by requiring the taxation of the excess health benefits of a highly compensated employee. Excludes from such requirements certain students, certain elderly, and prisoners. Imposes an excise tax on employers or employer plans if an employee benefit plan fails to satisfy certain administrative requirements. Restores prior law with respect to nondiscrimination requirements of group-term life insurance plans. Authorizes an employer to elect to use current nondiscrimination rules for years beginning 1990 or 1991 as they apply to health plans and dependent care assistance programs. Revises provisions relating to the nontaxable benefits of employers of leased employees, dependent care assistance, and group-term life insurance provided to highly compensated employees.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 1989
Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to set forth factors which must be considered in determining whether a charge for an intraocular lens insertion is reasonable and related to the cost of acquiring the class of lens involved. Directs the Secretary to issue final regulations, within six months after this Act's enactment, regarding charges for intraocular lens insertions.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 1989
Condemns the use of force by the People's Republic of China against unarmed advocates of democracy and human rights in China. Supports the President's actions, including suspension of all Government sales and commercial exports of arms to China. Praises the actions of American diplomatic personnel in China in seeking to insure the safety of American citizens there. Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) certain Chinese students studying in the United States should be granted permission to extend their stay; (2) applications to the Overseas Private Investment Corporation for the protection of investments in China and to the U.S. Export-Import Bank for the financing of trade with China should be reviewed; (3) U.S. departments charged with and considering liberalization of regulations relating to export licenses for sales to China should take into account the current situation; (4) the President should consult major U.S. allies to determine whether multilateral sanctions are necessary; (5) the President should inform the Congress of the results of his planned review of U.S.-Chinese relations and consult with the Congress on further actions to be taken; and (6) the Voice of America should increase its broadcasts to China.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 1989
United States Coast Guard Bicentennial Medal Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to design, strike, and sell a medal in commemoration of the bicentennial of the U.S. Coast Guard in 1990. Requires the design of the medal to be selected by the Secretary of the Treasury after consultation with the Secretary of Transportation and the Commission of Fine Arts.
United States · United States Congress · 31 May 1989
Expresses the condolences of the Senate on the death of the Honorable Claude Pepper, a Representative from Florida and formerly a Senator from that State.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1989
National Environmental Education Act - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish an Office of Environmental Education within the Office of External Affairs to carry out this Act. Establishes an Environmental Education and Training Program to train educational professionals in the development and delivery of environmental education and training programs and studies. Directs the Administrator to make an annual grant to an institution of higher education or nonprofit research institution to establish and operate such program. Sets forth application and eligibility requirements and criteria to be considered in awarding such grants. Authorizes the Administrator to enter into cooperative agreements or provide grants to support projects to design, demonstrate, and disseminate practices related to environmental education and training. Outlines activities eligible for grant support and priorities in awarding such grants. Requires the Administrator to publish an annual solicitation for environmental education grants. Authorizes local education agencies, colleges or universities, State education or environmental agencies, or nonprofit agencies to apply for such grants. Limits Federal funds for demonstration projects to 75 percent of the total cost, except in specified instances. Limits such grants to $100,000 and requires 25 percent of all funds obligated to be for grants of no more than $5,000. Requires the Administrator to provide for internships by postsecondary students with Federal agencies involved in environmental issues. Directs the Administrator, to the extent practicable, to support at least 150 internships annually. Makes eligible for participation in such program students enrolled at accredited colleges or universities who have successfully completed at least four courses or the equivalent in environmental sciences. Requires the Administrator to provide for a series of national awards recognizing outstanding contributions to environmental education to include: (1) the Theodore Roosevelt Award for environmental teaching or administration; (2) the Henry David Thoreau Award for literature on the environment and pollution problems; and (3) the Rachel Carson Award for film or print media for public education and information on environmental issues or problems. Provides that recipients of such awards shall be nominated by the Environmental Education Advisory Council. Requires the regional administrator of each EPA office to present an "Outstanding Environmental Educator Award" annually to a teacher or faculty member from a local education agency, college or university, or nonprofit organization in recognition of an outstanding contribution to environmental education. Establishes a National Environmental Education Advisory Council. Requires the Council to report biennially to the Congress on: (1) the extent and quality of environmental education in the Nation's schools; (2) activities conducted pursuant to this Act; (3) obstacles to improving environmental education; and (4) training and skills needed to respond to environmental problems. Establishes the Environmental Education Trust Fund to carry out this Act. Allocates funding for this Act's activities and authorizes 50 percent of penalties received under specified environmental Acts to be appropriated to the Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1989
National High-Performance Computer Technology Act of 1989 - Title I: National High-Performance Computer Technology Program - Amends the National Science and Technology Policy, Organization, and Priorities Act of 1976 to direct the President, through the Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology (Council), to develop and implement a National High-Performance Computer Technology Plan, to be submitted to the Congress within one year of this title's enactment and revised at least biennially. Requires the plan to recommend a five-year proposal of goals and priorities for a Federal high-performance computer technology program. Describes required plan contents, including funding requirements and suggested roles for various Federal agencies. Designates the Council as the lead entity responsible for development and implementation of the plan, directing it to coordinate related activities among the agencies, review budget estimates, and work with the National Research Council and other researchers and potential users of the research. Suggests responsibilities appropriate to specified Federal agencies. Directs each Federal entity involved in high-performance computing to submit, as part of its annual budget request, a report to the Office of Management and Budget on the role of its activities with regard to the plan and relevant budget requests. Instructs the Chairman of the Council to submit to the President and to the Congress, by March 1 annually, a report on plan achievements and progress. Title II: National Research and Education Network - Directs the National Science Foundation (NSF) to provide for the establishment of a three gigabit-per-second computer network, to be known as the National Research and Education Network, with provisions for certain user charges, to link government, industry, and higher education. Requires the Council to: (1) establish a National Network Advisory Committee; (2) submit a report to the Congress evaluating effective mechanisms for providing operating funds for the long-term maintenance and use of the Network; and (3) allow Federal research grant recipients to use grant moneys to pay for computer networking and other telecommunications expenses. Requires the Department of Defense, through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, to be responsible for research and development of needed advanced fiber optics technology, switches, and protocols. Requires the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) (formerly the National Bureau of Standards) to develop common standards for network activities to provide interoperability, common user interfaces to systems, and enhanced security. Directs the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to determine the effect of current telecommunications regulations on private industry participation in the data transmission field and to report its findings to the Congress within one year of this Act's enactment. Authorizes FY 1990 through 1994 appropriations. Title III: National Information Infrastructure - Directs the NSF to coordinate the development of a national science and technology information infrastructure of data bases and knowledge banks accessible through the Network. Title IV: Software - Requires the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to oversee the cooperative efforts of Federal departments and agencies in the research and development of high-performance computer software. Requires the NSF to: (1) establish clearinghouses to validate and distribute unclassified software developed by federally funded researchers and other software in the public domain; and (2) place special emphasis on the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and establish joint research programs among government, industry, and higher education to develop AI applications. Requires the NIST to develop standards for software programs purchased or developed by the Federal Government that promote development of interoperable software systems. Requires procurement regulations of departments and agencies to be changed so that contractors providing software to the Government are no longer required to forfeit the proprietary software development tools that they used to develop the software. Authorizes appropriations to the OSTP for distribution to relevant agencies for computer software research and development for FY 1990 through 1994. Title V: Computer Systems - Requires the NSF to ensure that the national supercomputer centers in the United States continue to have the most advanced, commercially available supercomputers produced by U.S. manufacturers. Requires Federal agencies to procure prototype or early production models of new high-performance computer systems and subsystems to stimulate development in the American high-performance computer industry. Directs the Secretary of Commerce, within 60 days of enactment of this Act, to review and report to the Congress on export controls that hinder the development of foreign markets for U.S. supercomputer and other high-performance computer technology manufacturers. Authorizes appropriations to the OSTP, for distribution as specified in the Plan, for research in computational science and engineering for FY 1990 through 1994. Title VI: Basic Research and Education - Requires the OSTP to: (1) support basic computer technology research; (2) create technology transfer mechanisms to make basic research results readily available to U.S. industry; (3) promote basic research in computer science, computational science, electrical engineering, and material science; and (4) educate more researchers in computer science and computational science. Authorizes appropriations to the NSF to support basic research and training of scientists and engineers in specified fields for FY 1990 through 1994.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1989
National Environmental Policy on International Financing Act of 1989 - Amends the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to require that before casting the U.S. vote on a proposed action by an international financial institution significantly affecting the quality of the environment, the appropriate Federal official request such institution to furnish an environmental impact statement. Requires such official to identify: (1) any minimum criteria not met; and (2) any pertinent information absent from the statement but available elsewhere. Requires such official to: (1) inform the management of such institutions of the expected nature of such statements; and (2) begin negotiations with their personnel to facilitate the conduct of environmental impact assessments. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) make Federal personnel available upon request to assist an institution in making such assessments; (2) take steps with both donor and borrower nations to expand international consensus on environmental needs; and (3) file a detailed status report with specified congressional committees on the institution's implementation of procedures for systematically assessing the environmental impact of its activities. Directs the Council on Environmental Quality to report to certain congressional committees on the efficacy of U.S. efforts to encourage timely environmental impact assessment within international financial institutions.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1989
Radiation Victims Fair Treatment Act - Amends the Department of Defense Authorization Act, 1985 to repeal provisions which: (1) substitute the United States as defendant in all suits against private contractors for radiation injuries arising from atomic weapons testing programs; and (2) make the Federal Tort Claims Act the sole remedy for those injuries. Details the applicability of statutes of limitations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1989
Low-Income Housing Credit Act of 1989 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the low-income housing income tax credit (under current law the credit will expire after tax year 1989). Permits States a one-year carryover of unused credit authority. Assigns carryovers to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to allocate to eligible States applying for excess credit. Allows the credit only if an extended low-income housing commitment (beyond the current 15-year period) is in effect with respect to any building for the relevant taxable year. Describes procedures to effect transition to a non-low-income use in connection with such extensions. Permits the credit in connection with the acquisition of an existing building only if the taxpayer incurs rehabilitation expenditures of at least $3,000 per unit. Revises rent restrictions to: (1) declare unnecessary a required rent reduction below the initial rent if the median gross income of the area decreases; (2) permit higher rent if units are occupied by higher income individuals and the project has an operating deficit; (3) base income limitations on the number of bedrooms in a unit; and (4) use State median gross income in certain low-income housing status determinations. Broadens categories of existing buildings eligible for a waiver of the ten-year requirement for the low-income housing credit. Revises credit provisions relating to single-room occupancy units and special needs housing. Revises restrictions that limit credit benefits in connection with buildings financed with tax-exempt bonds and below market loans. Permits the credit to be allocated: (1) on a project basis; and (2) in connection with owner-occupied buildings of four units or less if a development plan is submitted. Directs housing credit agencies to adopt plans for allocating credit amounts among projects, prohibiting the credit with respect to any building not included in such a plan. Modifies at-risk rules in connection with buildings subject to the historic rehabilitation credit and those associated with financing provided by certain nonprofit organizations. Sets the tax credit rate on a semiannual basis rather than monthly. Increases the credit in connection with buildings in high cost areas (low-income census tracts or difficult development areas). Establishes special rules for determining the eligible basis and applying at-risk rules in connection with qualified buildings acquired in foreclosures.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 1989
Pecan Promotion and Research Act of 1989 - Establishes a Pecan Marketing Board to carry out a coordinated program of research and promotion to strengthen the pecan industry's domestic and foreign market position. Funds such program through an assessment on all pecans produced in, or imported into, the United States. Provides for a pecan producer referendum of program approval.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1989
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1989 - Title I: General Prohibition Against Discrimination - Declares that it shall be discriminatory, on the basis of disability, to deny opportunities or to afford them unequally, to provide opportunities less effectively (or differently or separately, unless necessary for effectiveness), to assist an organization or individual that discriminates, or to otherwise limit opportunities enjoyed by others. Prohibits the use of standards, criteria, or administrative methods that have the purpose or effect of discrimination or perpetuate discrimination. Declares it discriminatory to deny equal opportunities because of the relationship or association of an individual with another individual with a disability. Allows as a defense to a charge of discrimination that an application of standards or criteria has been demonstrated to be both necessary and substantially related to the ability of an individual to take advantage of the essential components of the opportunity, and that the taking advantage cannot be accomplished by reasonable accommodations, modifications, or the provision of auxiliary aids or services. Title II: Employment - Prohibits discrimination by any employer, employment agency, labor organization, or joint labor-management committee against any qualified individual with a disability in job application procedures, hiring or discharge, compensation, advancement, training, and other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment. Lists types of actions construed to be discrimination. Makes the remedies set forth in specified provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other specified Federal law available to any individual who believes that he or she is being or is about to be subjected to discrimination in violation of this Act. Title III: Public Services - Declares that no qualified individual with a disability shall be excluded from the participation in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination by a State, or by an agency, political subdivision, or other instrumentality of a State. Lists types of actions deemed, for purposes of this Act and specified provisions of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to be discrimination with regard to public transportation. Makes the remedies and rights set forth in specified provisions of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 available to any individual who believes that he or she is being or is about to be subjected to discrimination in violation of this Act. Title IV: Public Accommodations and Services Operated by Private Entities - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in the enjoyment of any place of public accommodation. Lists types of actions construed to be discrimination. Prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in public transportation services provided by a private entity that is primarily engaged in transporting people, but that is not in the principal business of air transportation. Lists types of actions construed to be discrimination. Makes specified provisions of the Fair Housing Act relating to enforcement available, subject to exception, to any aggrieved individual. Title V: Telecommunications Relay Services - Defines "telecommunications relay services" to mean services that enable simultaneous communication between individuals who use telecommunications devices for the deaf (TDDs) or other nonvoice terminal devices and individuals who do not use such devices. Declares it discriminatory for any common carrier that offers telephone services to the public to fail to provide interstate or intrastate telecommunication relay services that are equal to those provided to their customers who are able to use voice services, except in any State in which services are provided through an entity designated by the State. Declares it discrimination by a State that makes such a designation if the State fails to provide interstate or intrastate relay services that are equal to those provided to their voice customers. Makes specified provisions of the Fair Housing Act relating to enforcement available, subject to exception, to any aggrieved individual. Requires the Federal Communications Commission to enforce this title. Makes specified provisions of the Communication Act of 1934 apply with respect to the enforcement of this title. Provides for cease and desist orders by the Commission and for monetary penalties. Title VI: Miscellaneous Provisions - Prohibits retaliatory discrimination against any individual because of actions related to this Act. Declares that a State shall not be immune under the 11th Amendment to the Constitution from an action in Federal court for a violation of this Act. Requires the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board to issue minimum guidelines to supplement the existing Minimum Guidelines and Requirements for Accessible Design. Allows the awarding of reasonable attorney's fees, in certain circumstances, in any action or proceeding under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1989
Veterans Health-Care Personnel Act of 1989 - Title I: Pay Matters - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, for the pay period beginning on or after July 1, 1990, to establish the rates of basic pay for the following health-care personnel employed within the Veterans Health Services and Research Administration (HSRA) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): registered nurses and registered nurse anesthetists, physicians, dentists, podiatrists, optometrists, nurses, physician assistants, dental assistants, certain clinical or counseling psychologists, certain therapists, practical or vocational nurses, pharmacists, and occupational therapists. Requires the director of each VA health-care facility to conduct a survey which will establish the rate of basic pay in each appropriate pay grade by a specified date. Requires the director to conduct an annual review to determine if such basic pay rates need to be adjusted, and to adjust them, if necessary. Requires the director, as part of such survey, to survey the equivalent entry-level positions for such work performed in non-VA health-care facilities in order to determine the amount of basic pay for similar work. Outlines further administrative provisions relating to the determination of a similar labor market area for purposes of making such pay-rate determinations, requiring the director of a VA facility to notify the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the labor market identified of his or her selection of a labor market area, and requiring the CMD to approve or disapprove of such a labor market area selection within a specified time. Provides maximum amounts for such minimum rates of basic pay as established under this Act. Outlines employee exceptions to such basic pay rates. Requires the Secretary to submit an annual report to the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees regarding the exercise of authority under this Act for the preceding fiscal year and to prescribe final regulations setting forth criteria and procedures to carry out this Act. Requires the director of each VA facility to establish and adjust such basic pay rates by a specified date even if such final regulations have not been implemented. Requires each director, within a specified period, to conduct a survey and establish an interim competitive pay rate to be followed until such final regulations and pay rates are determined. Makes conforming amendments. Authorizes overtime pay for nurses who perform in excess of 40 hours in an administrative workweek. (Currently, overtime is authorized only for work performed in excess of eight hours a day.) Authorizes the payment of six percent additional pay per hour for nurses performing work as a head nurse. Provides for the waiver of a mandatory reduction under Federal law for registered nurses working in positions of health-care professionals involved in direct patient care or in positions involving the provision of services incident to direct patient care. Increases the limitation on the amount authorized to be paid as special pay to certain individuals in the HSRA of the VA. Requires increases in such pay of a specified amount or more to be reported by the Secretary to the veterans' committees. Reduces from 90 to 45 days the time in which the Secretary must notify the President of the Secretary's intention to approve such special rates of pay. Authorizes a one-time lump-sum payment of special pay to each nurse who is recertified in the specialty in which the nurse is employed. Title II: Other Personnel Benefits - Directs the Secretary to establish by regulation a program under which the Secretary may pay a cash award to any VA employee who is a supervisor or manager employed in any of the following positions: physician, dentist, podiatrist, optometrist, nurse, physicians' assistant, or expanded-function dental auxiliary. Limits the amount of each award and the total number of recipients in each fiscal year. Directs the Secretary to establish and conduct a dependent care assistance program, which meets certain requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, for the care of dependents of employees of the HSRA. Requires such program to be implemented no later than June 1, 1990. Directs the Secretary to establish a voluntary transfer of leave program for the benefit of health-care professionals of the HSRA. Authorizes the Secretary to establish a voluntary leave bank program for the benefit of such individuals. Requires such programs to be consistent with current Federal voluntary leave programs. Authorizes the Secretary and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to enter into agreements permitting health-care professionals of the HSRA to participate in the current Federal voluntary leave transfer and voluntary leave bank programs. Requires the Secretary to implement such programs no later than October 1, 1990. Title III: Health Care Education - Requires the Secretary, in selecting applicants for the VA Scholarship Program, to ensure an equitable allocation of scholarships to persons enrolled in the second year of a program leading to an associate degree in nursing. Requires such requirement to be implemented beginning with scholarships awarded in 1990. Requires current representatives of the field of paramedics to assist in the establishment of cooperative arrangements to provide for the training of health and paramedical personnel in order to improve the manpower utilization of such personnel. Requires such requirement to be implemented no later than February 1, 1990. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1993 for making grants for such cooperative programs. Title IV: Other Personnel Management Matters - Authorizes the Secretary, upon the recommendation of the CMD, to appoint in the competitive service any individual who: (1) has been awarded a degree or certificate in a health-care profession or occupation by an accredited institution; (2) has been appointed by the Secretary to a clinical education program conducted by an educational institution affiliated with a VA health-care facility; and (3) has successfully completed such program within one year before the individual's appointment into the competitive service. Directs the CMD of the VA to conduct a pilot program at no less than five VA medical facilities during FY 1990 through 1992 in order to determine the effect on employees of VA pay and personnel management practices. Requires the CMD to establish certain alternative pay and personnel management practices, such as increasing certain pay differentials for day versus evening duty, utilizing registered nurses in new ways for the furnishing of direct-patient care, and establishing flexible employment benefits programs for VA employees. Requires various reports between the CMD, the Secretary, and the veterans' committees relating to the results of such pilot program.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 1989
Expresses support for the right of the Panamanian people to full democracy in Panama. Condemns the Noriega regime's attempts to curtail the rights of participation in the election process. Calls upon the Noriega regime to: (1) guarantee free and open access to polling places, public access to voting lists, and public tabulation of ballots; and (2) accord full access for electoral activities to the official U.S. observer team, the Carter-Ford election observer group, and other international observer teams. Urges President Bush to: (1) encourage other democracies to send international observer teams to Panama; (2) report to the Congress on the extent to which the May 7, 1989, elections in Panama were conducted in a free and fair manner; and (3) consult with the Congress on the future course of action for U.S. policy in Panama.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1989
Soybean Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to issue an order (subject to producer referendum) creating a soybean promotion, research, and consumer education program. Requires any such order to provide for the establishment of a: (1) United Soybean Board; and (2) Soybean Program Coordinating Committee. Funds such program through producer assessments. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1989
Fresh Mushroom Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to issue an order (subject to producer and importer referendum) creating a fresh mushroom (domestic and imported) promotion, research, and consumer education program. Requires any such order to provide for the establishment of a Mushroom Council. Funds such program through producer, handler, and importer assessments. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1989
Authorizes the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to issue for a named vessel a certificate of documentation for employment in the coastwise trade of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1989
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) Japan has not lived up to the terms of the 1986 agreement regarding the Japanese semiconductor market; (2) the administration should convey this message to Japan; (3) the President, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of Commerce should seek full access to the Japanese market for semiconductors; and (4) the President and the USTR should take measures to achieve compliance with such agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1989
Excludes Agent Orange settlement payments from income or resources in determining eligibility for benefits under certain Federal or federally-assisted programs.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1989
Provides for the establishment of categories of aliens who are subject to persecution in the Soviet Union or in Vietnam and therefore admissible as refugees into the United States. (Deems Jews and Evangelical Christians in the Soviet Union and Vietnamese registered with the Orderly Departure Program to be such categories.) Provides for the adjustment of status to refugee status for certain Soviet and Vietnamese parolees residing in the United States.
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