United States · United States Congress · 6 November 1991
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to execute instruments to remove specified restrictions to allow North Charleston, South Carolina, to exchange a certain parcel of land for: (1) a parcel to be used as a park or recreation area; and (2) sums to equalize the values of the parcels exchanged.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 1991
Establishes one additional Assistant Secretary of Commerce position in the Department of Commerce, to be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Requires the individual to serve as the Chief Economist of the Department and to perform such duties as the Secretary of Commerce shall prescribe.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 1991
Medicaid Moratorium Amendments of 1991 - Amends the Technical and Miscellaneous Revenues Act of 1988 to: (1) delay until September 30, 1992, the issuance of regulations changing the treatment under the Medicaid program (title XIX of the Social Security Act) of voluntary contributions and provider-specific taxes; and (2) maintain current regulations that allow intergovernmental transfers as a source of a State's expenditures for which Federal matching funds are available under the Medicaid program. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to submit to specified congressional committees a report on: (1) regulations to limit the use of voluntary contributions and provider-specific taxes to obtain Federal financial participation; (2) specific types of voluntary contributions and provider-specific taxes that may be used as sources of a State's expenditures for which Federal financial participation is available; and (3) any legislation that the Secretary believes is appropriate. Sets forth budget compliance provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 1991
Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow waiver of recovery of funds provided under the Community Mental Health Centers Act for remodeling, construction, or expansion of a facility if the facility is, within 20 years, sold or transferred to any entity that would not have been qualified to apply under such Act or which is disapproved as a transferee by the State mental health agency.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 1991
Directs the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Agriculture to jointly report to the President and the Congress on the differences in program rules under the food stamp program, Aid to Families with Dependent Children program (part A of title IV of the Social Security Act), and Medicaid program (title XIX of the Social Security Act) and how such rules could be made uniform.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 1991
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicaid coverage of services furnished by all certified nurse practitioners or clinical nurse specialists which are authorized under State law to be performed by such a nurse, regardless of whether or not such services are performed under the supervision of a physician or other health care provider. Defines "clinical nurse specialist" as an individual who: (1) is a registered nurse and is licensed to practice nursing in the State in which the clinical nurse specialist services are performed; and (2) holds a master's degree in a defined clinical area of nursing from an accredited institution.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 1991
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the United States Trade Representative should take action under the Trade Act of 1974 to compensate for any trade losses caused by the European Community's (EC) failure to adopt by October 31, 1991, a new oilseeds regime that conforms with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) panel oilseed ruling; and (2) such actions should remain in effect until the EC's oilseed regime conforms with its GATT obligations.
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 1991
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the use of claim sampling to deny claims or recover overpayments under Medicare except when fraud has been determined, in which case claim sampling may be used for the purpose of assessing civil monetary penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 1991
Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to require the United States Trade Representative to include in the National Trade Estimate information with respect to the Arab boycott of U.S. persons who do business with or invest in Israel, or who do business with a person who does business with or invests there.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 1991
White House Commemorative Coin Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) issue up to 500,000 silver one-dollar coins to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of the White House; and (2) obtain silver for such coins from stockpiles established under the Strategic and Critical Mineral Stock Piling Act. Specifies that: (1) all amounts received from the sale of coins issued under this Act shall be deposited in the coinage profit fund; and (2) the Secretary shall pay amounts from a ten-dollar surcharge per coin into the White House Endowment Fund. Directs the Secretary to take such actions as necessary to ensure that the minting and issuance of such coins do not result in any net cost to the Government. Bars the issuance of such coins unless the Secretary has received full payment or adequate security for payment. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 1991
Medicare Physician Payment Reform Implementation Act of 1991 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to increase the conversion factor for physicians' services for each of the years after 1993 through 1996 by one-fourth of the percentage by which the conversion factor may have been decreased due to an adjustment for asymmetry in 1992; (2) prohibit the Secretary, in determining the conversion factor for 1992, from assuming that changes in the volume and intensity of physician services in response to the implementation of the new payment system for such services would increase the estimated aggregate physician expenditures by more than one percent; (3) make any reduction to the conversion factor due to assumed volume and intensity changes equally applicable to the adjusted historical payment base; (4) permit separate payment to physicians for interpretation of electrocardiograms (EKGs) provided during office vists; (5) direct the Secretary to: (a) establish separate fee schedule amounts for the interpretation of EKGs; (b) adjust the relative values in the fee schedule for physician visits to reflect separate payments for EKG interpretation; (c) establish EKG practice guidelines for dissemination to physicians along with other educational information relating to EKG use; (d) develop a profile for EKG use by physicians; and (e) study EKG utilization and costs for a report to the Congress; and (6) make the new payment system for physicians nonapplicable to services furnished on or after January 1, 1992, by a physician who was in his or her first, second, or third year of practice in 1991 and to whom the payment rules under the new system did not apply in that year. Prohibits the Secretary from issuing final regulations before July 1, 1993, which change the methodology for determining: (1) the amount of time that may be billed for anesthesia services; and (2) the amount paid for drugs and biologicals furnished incident to physicians' services. Requires the Director of the Office of Technology Assessment to conduct a study and report to the Congress on whether payments for anesthesia services should be based on a particular unit of time according to the medical procedure with respect to which the service is furnished. Requires the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study and report to the Congress with respect to payment for drugs and biologicals furnished incident to physicians' services and payment for multiple surgical procedures; and (2) provide for pilot projects for developing Medicare volume performance standards other than at the national level. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the pilot projects.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 1991
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to design and strike a silver commemorative medal for members of the U.S. armed forces who serve in a combat zone in connection with the Persian Gulf conflict.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 1991
Medicare Durable Medical Equipment Patient Protection Act of 1991 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to designate no more than five regional carriers nationwide to process all claims for durable medical equipment and prosthetics and orthotics. Requires the carrier designated to process the claims in a particular region to process all claims for such items furnished to an individual residing in that region unless the Secretary decides otherwise for reasons of administrative efficiency. Requires the development of a national fee schedule for ostomy supplies, urologicals, surgical, and other medical supplies. Directs the Secretary to develop recommendations for national uniform reimbursement rates and coverage and utilization policies for all the items mentioned above. Require an interim and final report to the Congress with recommendations on national uniform reimbursement rates and utilization parameters for such items. Directs the Secretary to group the procedure codes contained in any HCFA Common Procedure Coding System for payment purposes to minimize inappropriate increases in the volume of medical items and supplies provided as a result of coding distinctions which do not reflect substantial differences in the items supplied. Directs the Secretary, in grouping such codes, to ensure that no more is paid for an item that is billed separately than would be paid if the item were billed as part of a grouping of items. Amends title XI of the Social Security Act to set forth additional information disclosure requirements which suppliers of the items mentioned above who receive payment for such items under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) must meet. Requires such supplier to resubmit and renew an application for a provider number every two years in order to participate in Medicare and Medicaid (title XIX of the Social Security Act). Includes within provisions providing criminal penalties for kickbacks certain employment situations involving the processing of paperwork and warehousing or stock inventory functions. Authorizes user fees for provider numbers. Amends the Medicare program to require the Secretary to: (1) develop a list of suppliers and billing agents for the items mentioned above who the Secretary determines may be engaged in fraud or sales or billing practices which serve to maximize reimbursement or promote unnecessary utilization; and (2) develop an administrative mechanism to provide due process to suppliers or other entities placed on such list for removal from the list. Authorizes carriers to require prior approval of billings submitted by entities on the Secretary's list. Relieves Medicare beneficiaries from responsibility for payment of items or services furnished by a supplier on an unassigned basis in cases where the supplier is excluded from participation in any program under Medicare or is denied payment by the carrier for the item or service in advance. Authorizes the Comptroller General to study and report to the Congress on: (1) the types, volume, and utilization of services and supplies furnished under contract or under arrangement with suppliers to individuals eligible for benefits under Medicare part B and residing in nursing facilities; and (2) the appropriateness of utilization controls applied to the use of durable medical equipment by Medicare beneficiaries. Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on the application of certain payment limits under Medicare to parenteral and enteral nutrition nutrients, supplies, and equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 1991
Public Health Clinic Prudent Pharmaceutical Purchasing Act - Amends title XXI (Vaccines and Certain Drug Purchases) of the Public Health Service Act to provide for rebates from drug manufacturers to entities receiving financial assistance under the Act in an amount determined under a specified formula. Defines "drug" to include a drug as defined under the Social Security Act and any over-the-counter drug or birth control device. Prohibits reducing grants to such entities as a result of the rebates. Prohibits such an entity from reselling a drug or biological for which it has received a rebate.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 1991
Christopher Columbus Quincentenary Commemorative Coin and Scholarship Endowment Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than a specified number of five-dollar gold coins, one-dollar silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the quincentenary of Columbus' encounter with the New World. Sets forth certain features of such coins and provides for their design, issuance, and sale. Terminates the minting of such coins after a certain deadline. Establishes the Christopher Columbus Quincentenary Scholarship Foundation as an independent entity within the executive branch to promote educational activities for secondary students using funds deposited in the Christopher Columbus Quincentenary Scholarship Endowment Fund (the Fund). Requires the Board of Directors of the Foundation to appoint an Executive Secretary who shall be subject to its supervision. Outlines the Fund's operating parameters. Sets forth scholarship criteria for eligible students to be known as "Columbus Scholars." Mandates that the Foundation submit an annual status report to the Congress and the Secretary of Education. Sets forth guidelines for possible termination of the Fund and the Foundation.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 1991
Music Therapy for Older Americans Act - Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to add music therapy to: (1) the lists of services for frail older individuals in their homes and services for older individuals, particularly those with the greatest economic and social need, designed to satisfy their special needs and improve their quality of life; (2) a list of supportive services for older individuals; and (3) the list of schools within colleges and universities in which training programs in the field of aging can be developed. Adds music, art, and dance therapy to the list of services under the definition of "preventive health services" and to the list of demonstration projects which will improve or expand supportive services or otherwise promote the well-being of older individuals. Requires the Commissioner of the Administration on Aging, in making contracts or entering into grants for such projects, to give special consideration to education, training, and information dissemination projects that assist older individuals through music therapy.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 1991
Designates December 4, 1991, as Hawaii Remembrance Day, to recognize contributions provided by Federal civilian employees during the attack on Pearl Harbor and during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 1991
Declares that the Congress acknowledges and appreciates the commitment, devotion, and sacrifices of present and former military families. Designates November 25, 1991, as National Military Families Recognition Day.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1991
Judicial Survivors' Annuities Improvements Act of 1991 - Amends the Federal judicial code to authorize judicial officials of the United States (officials) to elect to contribute one percent of their salary and 3.5 percent of their retirement salary (under current law, five percent of their salary) to the Judicial Survivors' Annuities Fund. Requires an official who is not entitled to receive an immediate retirement salary upon leaving office but who is eligible to receive a deferred retirement salary at a later date to file, within 90 days before leaving office, a written notification of intent to remain within the purview of provisions with respect to the Fund (which shall constitute consent to contribute the 3.5 percent of deferred retirement salary) or be deemed to have revoked the election to participate under such provisions. Provides for the refund of deposits into the Fund for officials who leave office and are ineligible to receive a retirement salary, or who leave office and are entitled to a deferred retirement salary but fail to make an election. Counts as creditable service those years during which an official had deductions withheld from his or her retirement salary. Revises the formula with respect to the computation of the annuity to take into account the number of years during which the official had deductions withheld from his or her retirement salary. Authorizes an official who ceases to be married after making the election, to revoke such election in writing by notifying the Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Provides a credit for prior contributions made to the Fund by officials at the higher rate. Puts officials, including judges of the U.S. Claims Court, the District Courts of Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, or the Virgin Islands, and bankruptcy judges and magistrate judges on a par with any other "justice or judge of the United States" (those covered under current law) with respect to eligibility for Government life insurance, termination of insurance, and conversion rights. Makes any member of a family who is a survivor of a justice or judge of the United States, a judge of the U.S. Claims Court, the District of Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, or the Virgin Islands, a bankruptcy judge, or a full-time magistrate judge, eligible for Government health insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1991
Medicaid Substance Abuse Treatment Act of 1991 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to provide federally reimbursed Medicaid coverage of alcoholism and drug dependency residential treatment services for pregnant women whose family income is below 185 percent of the Federal poverty level and for their Medicaid-eligible children and spouses. Lists the required services included in such coverage as: (1) individual, group, and family counseling and addiction education and treatment provided pursuant to individualized treatment plans; (2) room and board in a structured environment with on-site supervision 24 hours a day; (3) therapeutic child care or counseling for children of individuals in treatment; (4) parental assistance in obtaining developmental assistance for their preschool children and public education for themselves and their school-age children; (5) easier access to prenatal, postpartum, pediatric, and other appropriate health, social, and child care services; (6) planning and assistance in reentering society; and (7) continuing specialized training of residential treatment facility staff members in the most recent and effective treatment techniques. Requires that such coverage continue for at least 12 months, except that the coverage of pregnant women must continue for one year following the end of pregnancy. Limits the size of a residential treatment facility to no more than 40 beds beginning in calendar year 1994. Allows a State agency to grant exceptions to such limit for one or more facilities subject to review by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Prescribes the conditions for granting such exceptions. Caps the number of nationwide beds for which Federal assistance may be provided under such residential treatment programs. Increases such annual bed cap from 1,080 to 6,000 beds nationwide for calendar years 1992 through 1996. Addresses treatment needs of pregnant addicted Indian and Alaska Native women in the Indian Health Service areas by: (1) allocating additional beds nationwide for such areas; (2) providing 100 percent Federal matching funds to States to create residential treatment programs in such areas; and (3) requiring the Secretary to conduct training in such areas for appropriate parties regarding the availability and nature of residential treatment services in such areas under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1991
James Madison - Bill of Rights Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue: (1) five-dollar and half-dollar coins emblematic of the Bill of Rights; and (2) one-dollar silver coins emblematic of James Madison. Sets forth guidelines for their sale and issuance, and for financial assurances. Mandates that the surcharges received by the Secretary be transmitted to the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Trust Fund. Authorizes audits by the Comptroller General. Provides a general waiver of procurement regulations when implementing this Act. Requires the Secretary to submit monthly financial status reports to certain congressional committees.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1991
Area Health Education Centers Reauthorization Act of 1991 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to specify a term of six years for agreements establishing area health education centers (AHECs). Modifies the purposes of AHECs, including serving high-impact areas and States as well as border areas close to Mexico. Mandates, if available in the area, participation of a school of public health. Authorizes agreements for the planning, development, and operation of State-supported AHECs. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1991
Independent Older Blind Individuals Amendments of 1991 - Amends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to revise the program for independent living services for older blind individuals. Provides, under such program, for formula grant allotments to States regarding services for older blind individuals. Requires ten percent non-Federal contributions for program costs. Revises provisions relating to such services. Extends through FY 1995 the authorization of appropriations for such program.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 1991
900 Services Consumer Protection Act of 1991 - Requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to initiate coordinated rulemaking proceedings to establish a consistent system for oversight and regulation of pay-per-call services in order to provide for the protection of consumers in accordance with this Act. Requires that the rules or regulations issued by the FTC require that a pay-per-call service: (1) describe the service and all charges in an introductory disclosure message; (2) enable the caller to hang up before the end of the introductory message without incurring any charge; (3) give repeat callers notice of any rate increases during the introductory message; (4) not be aimed at children under 12, unless it is an educational service; and (5) prohibit the use of a toll-free number under which a caller would be automatically connected to an access number for a pay-per-call service. Requires that the rules or regulations issued by the FCC include the following requirements for common carriers: (1) a common carrier which contracts with a provider of a pay-per-call service must make available on request a list of access numbers for each pay-per-call service it carries, a description of each service, a statement of charges, and other applicable information the FCC considers necessary; (2) a common carrier shall not disconnect a subscriber's local or long distance service because of nonpayment for any pay-per-call service; (3) a common carrier that provides local exchange service shall offer subscribers the option of blocking access to pay-per-call services; and (4) a common carrier that engages in billing and collection of charges for pay-per-call services shall offer subscribers the option of canceling charges for pay-per-call service in instances of unauthorized use or misunderstanding of such charges at the time of use, annually send to subscribers a specified disclosure statement, clearly separate pay-per-call services in any billing, have the right to recover the carrier's compliance costs, and stop the assessment of time-based charges upon disconnection by the caller. Requires the rules issued by the FTC to: (1) require any provider of a pay-per-call service to include in any advertisement specified information concerning charges; (2) require that whenever the number to be called is shown on television and print media advertisements the charges will be displayed clearly and conspicuously for the same duration that the number is displayed; (3) prohibit any pay-per-call service to emit tones during an advertisement that can automatically dial an access number; (4) require any telephone message soliciting calls to a pay-per-call service to clearly specify the charges; and (5) prohibit any person from advertising a toll-free telephone number from which a caller can or will be automatically connected to an access number for a pay-per-call number. Requires the FCC to consider adopting certain rules, including that a pay-per-call service: (1) automatically disconnect a caller after one full cycle of program; and (2) include a beep tone or other clear signal marking the passage of time. Specifies that nothing in this Act shall affect provisions of the Communications Act of 1934 concerning obscene or harassing phone calls. Sets forth provisions providing for enforcement of this Act, including: (1) criminal penalties and forfeiture penalties of the Communications Act of 1934; (2) penalties under the Federal Trade Commission Act; and (3) enforcement by States. Directs the FTC to conduct a study of and report to the Congress concerning the acquisition and use by pay-per-call providers of callers' telephone numbers.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 1991
Recognizes and grants a Federal charter to the Military Order of the World Wars, a nonprofit corporation organized under the laws of the District of Columbia.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 1991
Rail Safety Improvement Initiatives Act of 1991 - Amends the Federal Railroad Safety Act of 1970 (the Act) to authorize appropriations for FY 1992 through 1994 for railroad research and development (except magnetic levitation) and general safety operations. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (Secretary) to request and use non-Federal funds for expenses incurred in training safety employees of public and private industry, and State and local authorities, except rail safety inspectors. Declares that civil penalties with respect to the failure to comply with railroad safety rules, regulations, orders, and standards shall, to the same extent as they do to railroads, apply to: (1) any owner, manufacturer, lessor, or lessee of railroad equipment, track, or facilities; or (2) any independent contractor providing goods or services to a railroad. Amends Federal law to provide criminal penalties for the murder or attempted murder or manslaughter of any Federal Railroad Administration employee assigned to perform investigative, inspection, or law enforcement functions. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress on efforts to improve the safety of locomotive cabs. Directs the Secretary to ensure that the Secretary of Labor is apprised of the extent to which the Secretary has exercised jurisdiction to prescribe or enforce regulations or orders affecting occupational safety or health or any other Federal railroad safety laws. Requires the National Transportation Safety Board to have immediate access to event recorders and the first opportunity to read event recorder data and related materials following any reportable railroad accident. Requires the Secretary to submit to specified congressional committees a report on voice communications and advanced train control systems. Amends the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 1988 to require the Northeast Corridor Safety Committee to meet at least once every two years to consider safety matters on the main line of the Northeast Corridor. Amends the Federal Railroad Safety Act of 1970 to subject any final agency action taken under any Federal railroad safety laws to judicial review. Requires the Secretary to review the Department of Transportation's rules with respect to railroad power brakes and to revise such rules based on safety data presented during such review. Amends the Department of Transportation Act to authorize appropriations for the local rail freight assistance program.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 1991
Medicare Enrollment Improvement and Protection Act of 1991 - Title I: Improving Enrollment - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services' annual notice to Medicare beneficiaries to inform certain low-income Medicare beneficiaries of the requirements to qualify for Medicaid (title XIX of the Social Security Act) payment of their premiums, deductibles, and copayments under Medicare and how to apply for such benefit. Requires the notice described above to be prepared in a manner suitable for posting and distributed to physicians, hospital offices, and other medical facilities. Requires the Secretary to establish a toll-free telephone number for information about such benefit. Amends the Medicaid program to require the Secretary to develop a simplified form for applying for such benefit for processing at social security offices. Amends the Medicare program to provide for mandating direct enrollment of part A (Hospital Insurance) eligibles. Directs the Secretary to make grants to State agencies and approved organizations for the provision of outreach assistance to older individuals who may be eligible for such benefit. Authorizes appropriations to fund such grant program. Title II: Retroactivity - Amends the Medicaid program to permit retroactive payments of medical costs incurred by certain low-income Medicare beneficiaries in or after the third month before the month in which such an individual applied to have Medicaid cover such costs. Title III: Refunds - Allows those individuals whose incomes would have qualified them for Medicaid payment of Medicare costs, but who were not eligible for such benefit because they did not apply, to apply to have such costs refunded. Title IV: Report - Directs the Secretary to submit reports to the Congress on Department activities to ensure enrollment and full implementation of the program under the Social Security Act for Medicaid payment of Medicare costs and the effectiveness of each such activity, along with any recommendations for appropriate legislation.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 1991
Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility and Home Health Benefit Act of 1991 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) eliminate the requirement that extended care services be provided within a certain period following hospitalization in order to be covered under the Hospital Insurance Program; and (2) cover nursing care and home health aid services provided or needed on an intermittent basis.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1991
National Sea Grant College Program Authorization Act of 1991 - Amends the National Sea Grant College Program Act (Sea Grant Act) to authorize appropriations to carry out the Act. Repeals provisions of the Sea Grant Act authorizing grants and contracts for a sea grant strategic research plan. Amends the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 (Aquatic Nuisance Act) to generally authorize appropriations for grants under the Sea Grant Act. (Currently, the provisions of the Aquatic Nuisance Act being amended here authorize appropriations only for grants for the sea grant research plan under the Sea Grant Act.)
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 1991
Public Telecommunications Act of 1991 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to authorize appropriations for the public telecommunications facilities program for FY 1992 through 1994 and for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) for FY 1994 through 1996. Reduces from ten to nine the number of Corporation board members, lengthens the term of each member from five to six years, and staggers the terms of the members.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 1991
Amends Federal law relating to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday Commission to: (1) increase its membership from 23 to 30 and its staff membership from five to eight; (2) increase the potential salary of a staff member from a GS-13 to a GS-15; and (3) authorize appropriations for FY 1992 through 1993.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 1991
Recognizes and grants a Federal charter to the Shepherd's Centers of America, Incorporated, a nonprofit corporation organized under the laws of the State of Missouri.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 1991
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the 1981 Israeli preemptive strike against the Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak was a legitimate and justifiable exercise of self-defense which also reduced the threat of Iraqi nuclear aggression against countries bordering Iraq; and (2) the United States should seek the repeal of United Nations Security Council Resolution 487 which condemned the strike.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 1991
Automated Telephone Consumer Protection Act - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit any person within the United States from: (1) making a call using an automatic telephone dialing system (ATDS), telephone facsimile machine (FAX), or artificial or prerecorded voice (APV) to any emergency line of a hospital, medical physician or service office, health care facility, or fire protection or law enforcement agency, or to any telephone number assigned to paging or cellular telephone service; (2) initiating a call to any residence using an APV to deliver a message without the prior, express, written consent of the called party, unless the call is initiated by a public school or other governmental entity; (3) sending an unsolicited advertisement by a FAX; (4) initiating any communication using a FAX, making any telephone call using an ATDS, or using any FAX or ATDS to make a telephone solicitation in a manner that does not comply with the technical and procedural standards prescribed under this Act; or (5) using a computer or other electronic device to send an unsolicited advertisement via a FAX unless each transmitted page indicates the date and time it is sent, the business sending the advertisement, and the telephone number of the sending machine or business. Requires the Federal Communications Commission to: (1) revise the regulations setting technical and procedural standards for FAXs; and (2) prescribe technical and procedural standards with respect to systems used to transmit APV messages via telephone, including the requirement that any such system automatically release the called party's line within five seconds of the time the system receives notification that the called party has hung up.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 1991
Agriculture Disaster Assistance Act of 1991 - Title I: Emergency Livestock Assistance - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to prohibit a person from receiving emergency feed assistance under this title and disaster assistance for the same 1991 weather damaged crops. Subjects eligible recipients to specified combined payments and benefits limitations. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to implement an emergency forage program to reseed 1991 weather damaged forage crops. Limits: (1) Federal cost-sharing to 50 percent; and (2) individual payments to $3,500. Funds such program through the Commodity Credit Corporation (with a $50,000,000 limit). Directs the Secretary to implement an emergency freshwater aquaculture assistance program to restore 1991 weather damaged structures. Limits: (1) Federal cost sharing to 50 percent; and (2) program costs to $5,000,000. Title II: Emergency Crop Loss Assistance - Subtitle A: Annual Crops - Directs the Secretary to make 1991 disaster payments to producers of wheat, feed grains, upland cotton, extra long staple cotton, rice, peanuts, sugar, tobacco, oilseeds, and other nonprogram crops. Extends crop quality reduction disaster assistance through the 1991 crop year. Reduces disaster assistance payments in relation to Federal crop insurance payments. Requires producers to obtain Federal crop insurance for 1992 in order to be eligible for disaster payments and other specified assistance for 1991 crop losses. Sets forth exempted circumstances. Requires the Secretary to announce within a specified time the conditions for establishing a 1991 farm yield for forage-use-crops. Limits assistance under this subtitle to $100,000. Prohibits double payments on replanted acreage. Authorizes: (1) the substitution of crop insurance program yields for 1991 disaster assistance eligibility purposes; and (2) the Secretary to determine a de minimis yield for each crop eligible for reduced yield disaster payments. Subtitle B: Administrative Provisions - Directs the Secretary to make full disaster assistance available as soon as possible. Subtitle C: Sense of Congress - Expresses the sense of the Congress regarding disaster payments' purposes of preserving farm livelihoods and the financial health of rural communities. Title III: Other Emergency Provisions - Directs the Secretary to provide loan guarantees through the Rural Development Insurance Fund to rural businesses (including Indian tribes) who have suffered 1991 disaster damage. Limits: (1) individual guarantees to 90 percent of $500,000; and (2) aggregate guarantees to $200,000,000. Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to authorize temporary crop acreage base shifting.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 1991
Limited Partnership Rollup Reform Act of 1991 - Amends the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 to revise proxy solicitation rules with respect to partnership rollup transactions (in which general partners combine several limited partnerships into one unit that trades on a stock exchange). Requires any proxy rules prescribed by the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) to: (1) permit dissenting shareholders in a proposed rollup to contact other limited partners before the transaction date without first having to file a written proxy statement with the SEC; (2) prohibit any general partner from paying directly or indirectly any person providing solicitation services (a broker-dealer) on the basis of whether the solicitations either approve or disapprove the proposed transaction, or the compensation is contingent on the transaction's approval or completion; (3) require the issuer to provide to a shareholder (limited partner) a list of all limited and general partners involved in the proposed rollup; (4) require the rollup prospectus to be clear, concise, and understandable and summarize all effects of the proposed transaction, conflicts of interest, changes in voting rights and ownership interests, dissenters' rights, and other pertinent information; (5) provide that the soliciting material describe in reasonable detail any opinion, appraisal, or report that is prepared by a person, unaffiliated with the general partner or sponsor and received by the entity subject to the transaction or its affiliates and that is related to the proposed transition; (6) require that each prospectus be accompanied by an independent opinion on the rollup's fairness; and (7) give each shareholder at least 60 days to review the prospectus; and (8) contain such other provisions as the SEC determines necessary. Requires the rules of a national securities association to prevent association members from participating in any rollup transaction unless it protects the rights of dissenting limited partners, including: (1) the right to an appraisal and compensation, or to retain a security under the same terms as the original issue; (2) the right not to have dissenters' voting power unfairly reduced or abridged; (3) the right not to bear the costs of a rejected rollup; and (4) restrictions on the conversion of management profit-sharing interests and incentive fees into asset-based management fees. Requires a national securities exchange to prohibit the listing of any security resulting from a rollup transaction unless it provided for such dissenters' rights. Requires SEC rules to prohibit any national market system from trading any security resulting from a rollup transaction unless it provided for such dissenters' rights.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1991
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Authorization Act of 1991 - Title I: NOAA Atmospheric and Satellite Programs National Weather Service Operations and Research - Authorizes appropriations to the Department of Commerce for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for: (1) operations and research activities of the National Weather Service; (2) public warning and forecast systems; (3) climate and air quality research; (4) atmospheric research activities; (5) satellite observing systems activities; and (6) data and information services. Title II: NOAA Ocean and Coastal Programs - Authorizes appropriations to the Department of Commerce for NOAA for: (1) mapping, charting, and geodesy; (2) observation and assessment; (3) ocean management; and (4) ocean and Great Lakes research. Title III: NOAA Marine Fishery Programs - Amends the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Fisheries Program Act to authorize appropriations to the Department of Commerce for the National Marine Fisheries Service for information collection and analysis, conservation and management operations, and State and industry assistance. Earmarks certain funds for developing dolphin-safe methods of locating and catching yellowfin tuna. Requires measures for cost-sharing by foreign governments that conduct, or authorize their nationals to conduct, yellowfin tuna fishing in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Amends the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act to mandate a comprehensive program of fishery research to carry out the Act. Amends the Merchant Marine Act of 1936 to define "fishery facility" as it applies to aquaculture. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Authorizes appropriations to the Department of Commerce for NOAA for: (1) executive direction and administration; (2) acquisition, construction, maintenance, and operation of facilities; (3) marine services; (4) acquisition of a multibeam sonar mapper; (5) reactivation and operation of a specified research vessel; (6) fleet modernization; and (7) aircraft services. Mandates acquisition of space for NOAA in the area of Newport News Norfolk, Virginia. Prohibits: (1) the Secretary of Commerce from deactivating any NOAA research vessel until an equivalent replacement vessel is operational; (2) subject to exception, construction of NOAA vessels and their major components in a foreign shipyard; and (3) overhauling, repairing, or maintaining a NOAA vessel homeported in the United States in a shipyard outside the United States. Requires consultation regarding interoperability of NOAA and Navy vessels. Mandates submission to the Congress of a detailed fleet replacement and modernization plan. Authorizes NOAA vessel acquisition by purchase, lease, lease-purchase, or otherwise under one or more multiyear contracts. Amends provisions of the Merchant Marine Act of 1936 relating to capital construction funds to add vessels operating under an agreement with the Secretary for use by NOAA to the definitions of "eligible vessel" and "qualified vessel." Prohibits the Secretary from reprogramming amounts without prior notice to specified congressional committees. Title V: Coastal Monitoring - Marine and Coastal Monitoring Act of 1991 - Establishes in NOAA a unified nationwide monitoring network, to include the National Status and Trends Program, to be the single Federal activity for the national-scale monitoring of U.S. marine and coastal waters with regard to ecological conditions. Mandates: (1) designation of specific estuarine and coastal regions of major concern for intensive monitoring; (2) establishment of monitoring coordination groups for each region; (3) establishment in NOAA of a National Coastal Monitoring Center to develop scientific methods for carrying out the monitoring under this title; and (4) development of methods for collecting and analyzing baseline data on environmental phenomena in the Boston Harbor. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1991
Designates September 20, 1991, as National POW/MIA Recognition Day. Authorizes the POW/MIA flag to be flown on a flagstaff of the White House, the Departments of State, Defense, and Veterans Affairs, the Selective Service Commission, each national cemetery, and the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial on such day. Provides that the flag may be flown on a flagstaff of each national cemetery and the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial on May 30, 1991 (Memorial Day), and on September 2, 1991 (Labor Day). States that it is the sense of the Congress that the POW/MIA flag be displayed under this Act as an expression and symbol of the concern and commitment of the people and the U.S. Government to resolving the uncertainty relating to members of the U.S. armed forces who are missing in action or whose locations are unknown as result of United States foreign wars (including those members who may still be prisoners of war).
![Official portrait of Sen. Hollings, Ernest F. [D-SC]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/h000725_200.jpg)