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
Tiananmen Square Park Authorization Act - Designates the park located in front of the Chinese Embassy in the District of Columbia as Tiananmen Square Park.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1989
Constitutional Amendment - Declares that the Congress and the States have the power to prohibit the desecrating, mutilating, defacing, defiling, or burning of the U.S. flag.
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
Export Finance Expansion Act of 1989 - Amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 (the Act) to authorize the Export-Import Bank to make: (1) subsidy payments to commercial lending institutions that make loans, including loans guaranteed by the Bank, for the export of U.S. goods and services; and (2) mixed credit payments, in combination with other payments, loans, or loan guarantees extended by the Bank, when such financing is required to respond to specific mixed credit offers by foreign governments or export credit agencies. Limits the amount of such payments to the amount of funds appropriated to the Bank for FY 1989. Requires the Bank to provide 100 percent coverage of the interest and principal on guaranteed obligations of the Bank to ensure acceptance of such Bank guarantees by U.S. financial institutions for transactions in markets in which the Bank does business. Authorizes the Bank to guarantee the payment of principal and interest on pool certificates representing ownership of part or all of any loan or loans guaranteed by the Bank to encourage the free transfer of such Bank obligations. Authorizes appropriations to cover subsidies associated with direct loans, subsidy payments, or mixed credit payments made by the Bank after October 1, 1989. Repeals a provision of the Act to abolish the Tied Aid Credit Program and the Tied Aid Credit Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 1989
Live Performing Arts Labor Relations Amendments - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to exclude specified types of employers and performers in the live performing arts from coverage under unfair labor practice provisions: (1) prohibiting specified contracts or agreements between employers and labor organizations; and (2) prohibiting specified actions of labor organizations to force or require cessation of dealings with others, joining of labor or employer organizations, or recognition of or negotiation with labor organizations not certified as representative. Permits such employers to: (1) agree with a labor organization to make membership in it a condition of performing arts employment; and (2) make agreements with a labor organization covering performing artists even if its majority status has not yet been established. Defines "employer" to include purchasers of live musical performance services. Defines "employee" to include independent contractors engaged to perform live musical services.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1989
Maternal and Child Health Act of 1989 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require States to provide Medicaid coverage to pregnant women and children under age six whose family income is below 185 percent of the Federal poverty level. Authorizes States to provide Medicaid coverage to children under age 19 whose family income is below the Federal poverty level. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct three-year demonstration projects to study the effect on access to health care, private insurance coverage, and health care costs of extending Medicaid coverage in three States to medically uninsurable children and extending such coverage in one State to children under age six whose family income is below 185 percent of the Federal poverty level and children under age 20 whose family income is below the Federal poverty level. Permits such States to provide coverage by buying into the health insurance offered by certain employers. Imposes premiums on project beneficiaries whose family income exceeds the Federal poverty level. Caps project expenditures. Sets forth reporting requirements. Requires States to make Medicaid ambulatory prenatal care available to pregnant women during a presumptive eligibility period. Eliminates the requirement that pregnant women apply for Medicaid coverage within 14 days of the commencement of presumptive eligibility. Requires States to continue the Medicaid coverage of a woman and her infant for 60 days after delivery regardless of fluctuations in her income during such period. Prohibits the redetermination of the Medicaid eligibility of a child under age six who has been deemed eligible less than six months previously, unless such eligibility is due to his or her receipt of aid under part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) (AFDC) or E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Act or under title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Act. Preserves the Medicaid eligibility of a child under age six who loses such aid until it is determined that he or she is not eligible for Medicaid on some other basis. Amends the Child Support Enforcement Amendments of 1984 to make permanent the four-month continuation of Medicaid eligibility for children who lose AFDC eligibility due to increased collection of child support payments. Requires that Medicaid coverage of inpatient hospital services provided to children under age 18 at hospitals serving a disproportionate share of low-income patients: (1) make an outlier adjustment in payment amounts for exceptionally long or costly cases if such payments are made on a prospective basis; (2) not impose durational limitations on such services; and (3) not set dollar limits on the delivery of services to individuals who enter the hospital prior to their first birthday. Directs States to pay for the care of a child under age 19 in an out-of-State hospital at the receiving State's rate, unless the involved States have an alternative payment agreement. Requires States to provide Medicaid coverage of services furnished by certified pediatric or family nurse practitioners. Permits States to cover home and community-based services for children under age 18 who have acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) or are medically dependent on a ventilator for life support. Allows States to cover home visitor services furnished by registered nurses to infants, during the first six months of life, who require treatment with life sustaining medication or equipment or technically-assisted feeding. Prohibits the Secretary from limiting to fewer than 500 (currently, 200) the number of individuals in a State who may receive home and community-based services under a waiver of certain Medicaid requirements. Amends title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) of the Act to increase authorized appropriations for such program for FY 1990. Requires the Secretary to set-aside 15 percent of appropriated amounts for special Federal projects which include: (1) projects promoting the use of outpatient and community-based services for children with special health care needs; and (2) demonstration projects utilizing alternative approaches to providing health insurance coverage to children under age 19 who are not covered by other public or private programs. Directs States to use at least 30 percent of their title V allotments on services for children with special health care needs, and at least five percent of such allotments for projects in sickle-cell anemia and genetic disorders screening, the development of community-based service networks and case management services for children with special health care needs, and programs providing primary health care services to children. Requires each State to: (1) conduct a statewide maternal and child health care needs assessment; (2) establish a State maternal child health advisory board to participate in the planning and development of services; (3) develop a system of family centered community-based coordinated care for children with special care needs in collaboration with other programs; (4) develop and maintain a consolidated data base containing information about providers available to meet the needs of chronically ill children and establish a toll-free number for parents to access such information; (5) include in the annual title V report information on the extent to which needs have been met with respect to specific services and the amount of funds allotted for family centered community-based coordinated care; and (6) maintain its title V funding at at least 1989 levels. Amends part A (General Provisions) of title XI of the Act to direct the Secretary to publish an annual report on the health status of U.S. children. Requires the Secretary to make available to States, by January 1, 1991, a model uniform Medicaid application for individuals who are neither institutionalized nor receiving AFDC cash assistance. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop definitions of medically high risk pregnancy and children at a high risk of medical problems; (2) develop alternative definitions of medically uninsurable children; (3) develop a model health benefit package for pregnant women and children through age 18; and (4) study different methodologies to improve the coordination between various public health programs. Sets forth reporting requirements. Amends the Medicaid program to set forth the required components of Medicaid early and periodic screening, diagnostic, and treatment services. Requires Medicaid coverage of the measures which need to be taken to correct or ameliorate defects or conditions discovered by the screening services. Directs the Secretary to conduct demonstration projects and establish annual participation goals for each State to increase participation in Medicaid early and periodic screening and diagnostic services. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress by the close of 1990 on the requirements of such services relative to mental illness. Requires States to provide Medicaid coverage to all children under age 18 who are SSI recipients. Requires that Medicaid payment rates for obstetric and pediatric services be set at levels which are sufficient to induce enough providers of such services to participate in the Medicaid program so that such services are available to beneficiaries to at least the same extent that they are available to the general population. Directs States to furnish providers of such services with assistance in complying with Medicaid billing and recordkeeping requirements, which includes: (1) training; (2) a toll-free number for resolving administrative problems; and (3) a State ombudsman for resolving their complaints. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress by January 1, 1990, on the adequacy and timeliness of Medicaid payments to providers of obstetric and pediatric services. Amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to require that a preplacement health care record for a child be provided to such child's foster care provider and be completed before he or she is placed in foster care or within 30 days after an emergency foster care placement. Requires the maintenance of a health care plan and record for such child while he or she is in foster care, and notification of the provider concerning such child's eligibility for Medicaid early and periodic screening, diagnosis, and treatment services. Amends part A (General Provisions) of title XI of the Act to reduce the lag time between the Secretary's calculation of the Federal matching rate under the AFDC, Medicaid, and Foster Care and Adoption Assistance programs and its implementation.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1989
Community Health Clinic Improvement Act of 1989 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide Medicare cost-based reimbursement to all community health clinics which meet the requirements for receiving a grant under the Public Health Service Act. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Act to require States to cover the reasonable costs for services provided by such community health clinics.
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
Consumer Products Recovery Act of 1989 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to require producers or importers of lubricating oil to recycle, through methods specified under this Act, an amount of used oil equal to at least the amount determined by multiplying the amount of lubricating oil produced or imported that year by such persons by the recycling percentage established by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Authorizes such individuals to comply with this Act by: (1) recycling (through re-refining) used oil or purchasing re-refined oil for purposes of producing lubricating oil; or (2) purchasing recycling credits under this Act. Directs the Administrator to establish a recycling percentage that is two points higher than the existing recycling rate for lubricating oil. Provides for increases in such percentage of two points annually until 1999. Requires the Administrator to promulgate regulations allowing recyclers to create credits for used oil recycling and producers or importers of lubricating oil to purchase such credits. Provides that such regulations shall require: (1) owners or operators of used oil collection places to keep receipts issued by transporters who take delivery of such oil and copies of agreements under which the transporter agrees to take such oil to a recycling facility; (2) such owners or operators to certify that oil taken by transporters is not contaminated with hazardous wastes or substances above de minimis levels; (3) transporters to obtain an identification number from the Administrator and to keep certain records; (4) owners or operators of recycling facilities to be the only persons to create a recycling credit for the recycling credit system; (5) recyclers to certify that the substance being recycled is uncontaminated used oil; (6) oil proposed to be recycled to have come from a used oil collection place or a transporter with an identification number; (7) specified records to be kept by recyclers and by importers or producers; and (8) recyclers to sell or distribute in commerce such oil as specification used oil, off-specification used oil, hazardous waste fuel, or re-refined oil. Allows used oil re-refiners to exclude between 15 and 25 percent of re-refined oil from recycling requirements. Directs the Administrator to report to the Congress on such regulations and to include: (1) a discussion of the effects of such regulations on the oil industry and the environment; and (2) an evaluation of the level of the recycling percentage and whether such percentage should be increased in future years. Requires an updated version of such report to be submitted within ten years of this Act's enactment. Applies recycling requirements to persons who import or produce more than 100,000 gallons of lubricating oil annually. Sets the recycling percentage at 40 percent if the Administrator fails to promulgate such regulations. Directs the Administrator to submit to the Congress a plan for the recycling of certain commodities, including daily newspapers, used tires, lead acid batteries, pesticide containers, antifreeze, and specified volatile organic compounds. Requires such plan to include an incentive-based method for accomplishing such recycling. Directs the Administrator to implement such plan with respect to one commodity and with respect to an additional commodity each year thereafter. Provides that if used oil is identified as a hazardous waste under the Solid Waste Disposal Act, any fuel derived from such oil shall not be considered to be a hazardous waste after being reprocessed at a permitted facility. Requires persons who package lubricating oil to label such packages with a hazardous substance warning label and to include a telephone number for information on area recycling. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations requiring States to develop plans for making information about used oil recycling available to the public. Requires the Administrator to establish a toll-free telephone line for information on State used oil recycling programs. Makes certain regulations proposed in the Federal Register on November 29, 1985, effective with respect to used oil management if the Administrator fails to promulgate regulations under this Act. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 1989
Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the allocation and apportionment of qualified research and experimental expenditures to sources within and outside the United States for income tax purposes. Requires that any such expenditures made solely to meet a political jurisdiction's legal requirements concerning products or processes unlikely to yield extrajurisdictional income be allocated only to income within that political jurisdiction. Increases from 50 to 67 percent the amount of research and experimental expenditures that a company must allocate to income from U.S. sources. Requires companies to report on a consolidated basis with respect to the expenditures associated with these source rules.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 1989
Veterans' Agent Orange Exposure and Vietnam Service Benefits Act of 1989 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay a monthly disability or death benefit to a veteran or his or her survivors for any disability or death of a veteran who served in the active forces in Vietnam during the Vietnam era and who suffered from non-Hodgkins lymphoma or a soft-tissue sarcoma. Provides an exception to the payment of such benefits when there is affirmative evidence that such disease was not incurred during such service in Vietnam or that there was an intervening disease since such service. Provides the rates for the payment of such disability or death benefit. Prohibits such payments when other disability compensation is being paid for such disability. Provides that such disabilities shall be treated as service-connected for the purposes of all laws administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (Department). Terminates such payments as of April 15, 1992, unless extended by a joint resolution of the Congress. Outlines congressional procedures for the consideration of such joint resolution. Requires the Secretary to take all reasonable actions necessary to notify veterans and their survivors of the availability of such payments. Requires the Secretary to inform such recipients of the temporary nature of such payments. Provides that the disease of chloracne in Vietnam veterans shall be considered to have been service-connected if such disease became manifest to a ten percent degree of disability or more within one year after the last date on which the veteran performed such service in Vietnam. Provides a presumption of service-connection in the case of a Vietnam veteran suffering from a disease associated with effects of exposure to certain dioxins or other herbicide agents during such service in Vietnam. Directs the Secretary to prescribe regulations listing a positive association between any disease and the biological effects of exposure to an herbicide agent in Vietnam. Requires the Secretary to update such list continually. Requires the Secretary, in prescribing and revising such list, to obtain by contract the determinations and estimates of a contract scientific organization. Requires such organization to: (1) determine which diseases have any degree of association with the biological effects of exposure to an herbicide agent; and (2) estimate the extent of association between each such disease and each such biological effects. Requires the organization to determine such association specifically with respect to non-Hodgkins lymphoma, each soft-tissue sarcoma, lung cancer, and each other cancer. Outlines contract provisions required in such agreements between the Secretary and the scientific organization, including surveys, evaluations, and periodic determinations. Requires such scientific organizations to provide reports to the Secretary and the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees regarding its determinations and evaluations. Requires such organization to determine, in the event of a positive association, whether there is a reasonable basis for concluding that a Vietnam veteran with the highest level of exposure to that herbicide agent in Vietnam was exposed to such agent under the circumstances necessary for such biological effects. Requires a report from the organization to the Secretary and the veterans' committees when there is no such reasonable basis found. Requires the Secretary to make certain determinations and follow-up reports after receiving such reports from the contract scientific organization, including the issuance of a report to the veterans' committees and the promulgation of positive association regulations, if necessary. Requires benefits to be continued even though a disease is removed from the regulations listing diseases having positive associations. Terminates such contracting authority ten years after the first day of the fiscal year in which a scientific organization transmits its first report to the Secretary. Provides interim regulations and special effective dates. Directs the Secretary to compile and analyze all clinical data that: (1) are obtained by the Department in connection with examinations and treatment of veterans for disabilities related to exposure to certain herbicides or to service in Vietnam; and (2) are likely to be scientifically useful in determining the association, if any, between the disabilities of such veterans and their exposure to such herbicides and other toxic substances. Requires the Secretary to submit an annual report to the veterans' committees concerning such analysis and its results. Directs the Secretary to consult with the Director of the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) before compiling and analyzing such information. Requires the Director of OTA to review each annual report submitted by the Secretary and transmit to the Secretary an evaluation of the contents of each report. Directs the Secretary to establish and maintain a system for the collection and storage of voluntarily contributed samples of blood and tissue of veterans who performed active service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era. Outlines provisions concerning the security and authorized uses of such specimens, as well as limitations on the acceptance of such samples. Requires the Secretary to consult with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to the extent that an agreement has been reached with the NAS serving as the contract scientific organization for the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to consult with the Director of OTA in the event of no agreement with NAS. Directs the Secretary to establish a program to provide for the conduct of studies of the feasibility of conducting additional scientific research on health hazards resulting from: (1) exposure to dioxin; (2) exposure to other toxic agents in herbicides used in support of U.S. and allied military operations in Vietnam during the Vietnam era; and (3) active military, naval, or air service there. Requires the Secretary to report to the veterans' committees on the results of such studies. Requires the Secretary to consult with the NAS before undertaking such studies and requires the NAS to review such studies and report recommendations to the Secretary and the veterans' committees to the extent provided under any agreement between the Secretary and NAS. Amends the Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 1988 to require the Secretary to annually furnish updated information to affected veterans on health risks resulting from exposure to dioxin or other toxic agents in herbicides as a result of service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report to the veterans' committees on the research being conducted to develop treatments for physiological absorption of dioxin and other toxic agents used in herbicides by the United States in Vietnam, including research relating to exposure to dioxin and other toxic agents outside Vietnam. Extends through December 31, 1993, the eligibility for hospital and nursing home care for veterans exposed to toxic substances in Vietnam. Amends the Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 1988 to authorize direct consultation between the Ranch Hand Advisory Committee and Department of the Air Force scientists conducting the Ranch Hand Study (a study of the long-term health effects of exposure to phenoxy herbicides and contaminants). Requires the preparation and submission of annual reports and a final report in connection with such study.
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
Representative Payee Abuse Prevention Act of 1989 - Amends titles II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) and XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act to require that the Secretary of Health and Human Services conduct criminal background checks of representative payee applicants (excluding parents and spouses) and verify their identification. Prohibits the certification of a representative payee without substantial evidence that such certification is in the interest of the OASDI or SSI beneficiary, giving priority to the immediate needs of such beneficiary. Forbids large lump-sum payments of retroactive benefits to new representative payees, pending completion of the investigation into their background and identification. Requires the Secretary to maintain a centralized, current file, accessible to local offices of the Social Security Administration, identifying all representative payees, beneficiaries utilizing the services of representative payees, and persons who have previously misused Social Security Act benefits. Requires that such file highlight instances where two or more beneficiaries who utilize representative payee services reside at the same address. Directs the Secretary to provide an OASDI or SSI beneficiary with notice of a determination that he or she needs a representative payee, including an explanation of his or her right to appeal such determination and the designation of a particular person as representative payee. Prohibits a beneficiary's creditor from serving as his or her representative payee, unless such creditor: (1) is a relative residing with such beneficiary; (2) is the beneficiary's legal guardian or court appointed agent; (3) is a licensed or certified care facility; or (4) poses no risk to the beneficiary, serves no other beneficiary, and no other suitable representative payee is available. Directs the Secretary to make good faith efforts to locate a suitable representative payee for each beneficiary for whom a suitable representative payee can not be readily established, including the provision of an updated list to local Social Security Administration offices of all local public and nonprofit community-based social service agencies that serve as representative payees. Pays benefits directly to a beneficiary until a representative payee has been chosen and investigated, and beneficiary appeal rights have been exhausted, except in certain situations where the beneficiary's condition makes direct payments potentially harmful or such payments are large lump-sum payments of retroactive benefits. Directs the Secretary to terminate or suspend the services of a representative payee who acts contrary to a beneficiary's best interests and secure a new representative payee for such beneficiary. Covers a beneficiary's loss of benefits resulting from the Secretary's failure to investigate or monitor a representative payee who subsequently misuses such benefits. Requires the Secretary to take steps to recover misused benefits from representative payees and use recovered amounts to repay beneficiaries. Directs the Secretary to establish and implement a more frequent and detailed system of accountability monitoring for certain categories of high-risk representative payees which include all persons unrelated to the beneficiary as well as licensed or certified care facilities and their administrators, owners, and employees. Requires the Secretary to conduct a feasibility study and report to the Congress, within six months after this Act's enactment, on designating the Department of Veterans Affairs as the lead agency for purposes of selecting, appointing, and monitoring representative payees for individuals who receive OASDI or SSI benefits and benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Sets forth reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 1989
Amends the Adult Education Act to authorize the Secretary of Education to make grants to pay one-half of the costs of adult education programs to increase commercial drivers' literacy skills so they may pass the knowledge test requirements for licensing under the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 and 1991.
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
Federal Rail Safety Enforcement Improvement Act of 1989 - Amends the Federal Railroad Safety Act of 1970 (the Act) to require the Secretary of Transportation, acting through the Federal Railroad Administration, to investigate thoroughly each accident or incident involving a collision or derailment of a train if it resulted in or caused the release of hazardous materials, or resulted in a fatality or personal injury requiring at least outpatient care. Requires imposition of a civil penalty for any noncompliance with safety rules that has similar results. Directs the Secretary to issue rules and regulations requiring each railroad to report to the Secretary annually on its operations during the preceding year. Authorizes the Secretary to waive such requirement if the cost of compliance would outweigh any safety benefits. Increases the minimum penalty for violations of such Act from $250 to $500. Authorizes appropriations for the National Academy of Sciences to study the railroad track designing process.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1989
Designates June 21, 1989, as Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner Day. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 has helped to fulfill the promise of democracy in this Nation. Reaffirms the goal of removing remaining barriers to full voter participation in this Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1989
Irrigation Subsidy Reform Act of 1989 - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to prohibit a producer who receives Federal irrigation water at less than full cost from participating in any agricultural price and income support program.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1989
Slepak Principles Act - Expresses the sense of the Congress that U.S. nationals involved in industrial cooperation projects, especially joint ventures, in the Soviet Union and the Baltic States should adhere to the Slepak Principles and thus: (1) not use goods produced by forced labor; (2) seek the protection of human rights as it relates to Soviet employee rights; (3) decline to participate in any project if it uses a structure used for religious activities; (4) pose no danger to Soviet employees; and (5) seek private cooperatives as partners in such projects. Requires the Secretary of State to submit to the Congress an annual report with respect to such projects.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1989
Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act of 1989 - Amends the Federal criminal code to impose criminal penalties upon any person who knowingly: (1) develops, produces, stockpiles, acquires or possesses any agent, toxin, or delivery system for use as a weapon of mass destruction; or (2) assists a foreign state or an international organization to manufacture or acquire such an agent, toxin, or delivery system. Authorizes the Attorney General to seize and destroy any such agent, toxin, or delivery system. Authorizes the United States to obtain an injunction against conduct prohibited by this Act. Sets forth defenses to any seizure or injunction under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1989
National Cooperative Research Act Extension of 1989 - Amends the National Cooperative Research Act of 1984 to include a joint manufacturing venture within the scope of such Act as an activity that shall not be deemed illegal per se under the antitrust laws.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1989
Automobile Fuel Economy Act of 1989 - Amends the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act to increase the corporate average fuel economy standard by increments from 27.5 miles per gallon in model year 1989 to 34 miles per gallon in model year 1996. Sets forth (anti-backsliding) penalties for any manufacturer which fails to achieve for any model year beginning on 1991 an average fuel economy at least equal to that in at least one of the two preceding model years. Raises the civil penalty for noncompliance with average fuel economy standards from $5 per tenth mile to $10 per tenth mile. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to double the otherwise applicable penalty for any manufacturer which exhibits a pattern of noncompliance, beginning with model year 1990. Directs the Secretaries of Transportation and of Energy to report to the Congress on the availability of existing fuel-saving technologies and the potential for developing such technologies by the year 2000 for light duty passenger vehicles. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to report to the Congress on the accuracy and reliability of its fuel economy testing procedures.
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
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend, through June 30, 1992, the duty on (6R, 7R)-7-((Z)-2-(2-Aminothiazol-4-yl)-2-(((2-tert.-butoxyc prop-2-oxyiminolacetamido))-3-(1-pyridinium-methyl) ceph-3-em-4-carboxylate (Ceftazidime Tertiary Butyl Ester).
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 1989
Designates the Labor Day Weekend beginning on September 2, 1989, as National Drive for Life Weekend. Calls on people to observe that weekend with a pledge to be responsible by driving sober.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 1989
Expresses the sense of the Congress that at least four additional members with demonstrated experience in providing or developing rural health care services should be appointed to the Prospective Payment Assessment Commission and that in the future at least 25 percent of the Commissioners should have such experience.
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.
![Official portrait of Sen. Heinz, John [R-PA]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/h000456_200.jpg)