United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1989
Resolution on a Plebiscite in Cuba - Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the Cuban people should be allowed to express their view on the country's political future by a secret ballot of approval or rejection of Fidel Castro's continued rule; (2) the Government of Cuba should allow opposition and human rights groups to organize publicly, grant opposition groups equal access to the national media, release all political prisoners, and invite a neutral, international commission to oversee the voting and ensure the legitimacy of the results; (3) should the rejection vote prevail, the regime should respect the will of the people and hold prompt national elections through which the Cuban people could freely choose their leaders; and (4) normalized relations between the Governments of the United States and Cuba should be restored if a democratic Cuban Government is elected by all the people.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 1989
Fairness in Broadcasting Act of 1989 - Expresses the findings of the Congress that the Fairness Doctrine: (1) fairly reflects the statutory obligations of broadcasters; (2) received statutory approval from the Congress in 1959; and (3) reasonably balances first amendment rights. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require broadcast licensees to provide a reasonable opportunity for the discussion of conflicting views on issues of public importance. Requires enforcement and application of such requirement to be consistent with the rules and policies of the Federal Communications Commission in effect on January 1, 1987.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 1989
Directs the Secretary of Defense, in the negotiation, renegotiation, and implementation of memoranda of understanding and other agreements with foreign countries relating to research, development, or production of defense equipment, to solicit and consider comments and recommendations of the Secretary of Commerce with respect to the commercial implications of such agreements and the potential impact on the U.S. international competitive position. Prohibits the implementation of any such memoranda if the President determines that implementation would have a significant adverse impact on the U.S. position. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to request a review of any existing memoranda or agreement that may have such an adverse impact. Directs the Secretary, after such review, to recommend to the President any appropriate modifications to such memorandum or agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 1989
Research and Experimental Credit Extension and Reform Act of 1989 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the income tax credit for qualified research expenditures by repealing the provisions that would terminate the credit for expenses incurred or paid after 1989. Revises the method for computing: (1) base period research expenses, adding a factor reflecting the gross national product growth rate; and (2) the tax credit, adding an alternative computation component. Applies the credit to in-house research expenses that the taxpayer pays or incurs for the principal purpose of using the research results in the active conduct of a future trade or business.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 1989
Provides for an appropriate POW/MIA flag to be displayed on Federal buildings until there is a satisfactory accounting of POW/MIAs in Southeast Asia. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 1989
Commends the cable television industry on the tenth anniversary of the Cable Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN) for its contribution toward informing and educating U.S. citizens.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1989
Amends the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 to direct the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to establish a program requiring air carriers and foreign air carriers to conduct pre-employment, periodic recurring, random, and post-accident testing, and testing upon a reasonable suspicion that employees whose duties include responsibility for safety-sensitive functions have used alcohol or a controlled substance without lawful authorization. Requires the Administrator to establish the same program for FAA employees. Sets forth guidelines for such program. Prohibits such employees from serving in safety-sensitive functions unless they have completed a rehabilitation program established under FAA auspices. Prohibits such individuals from performing air transportation-related duties if they: (1) refuse to undertake a rehabilitation program; (2) fail to complete it; (3) have previously undertaken such a program; or (4) have served as an air carrier or FAA employee responsible for safety-sensitive functions while under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance. Requires air carriers to establish and maintain a rehabilitation program for the identification and treatment of airmen, crewmembers, and airport security screening contract personnel who need assistance in resolving substance abuse problems. Requires the Administrator to establish and maintain such a rehabilitation program for FAA employees whose duties include responsibility for flight safety operations and who need assistance in resolving substance abuse problems. Outlines the requirements of such program. Amends the Federal Railroad Safety Act of 1970 to direct the Secretary of Transportation to review existing regulations governing alcohol and drug use in railroad operations to determine whether they are adequate to ensure safety. Outlines the requirements for test procedures for alcohol and drug use among railroad employees responsible for safety-sensitive functions. Amends the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986 to direct the Secretary to establish a program requiring motor carriers to conduct pre-employment, periodic recurring, random, and post-accident testing of commercial motor vehicle operators, and testing upon a reasonable suspicion that they have used, without lawful authorization, alcohol or a controlled substance. Mandates that such program include post-accident testing of a commercial motor vehicle operator in any accident involving a commercial motor vehicle in which serious bodily injury, loss of human life, or significant property damage has occurred. Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations setting forth the requirements for a rehabilitation program for the identification and opportunity for treatment of commercial motor vehicle operators who are determined to have used, without lawful authorization, alcohol or a controlled substance. Sets forth the requirements of the testing procedures. Requires the Secretary to: (1) determine appropriate sanctions against operators who are determined, as a result of such tests, to have used alcohol or a controlled substances without lawful authorization (but who are not under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance); (2) design and implement a pilot test program for the random testing of commercial motor vehicle operators to determine the use without lawful authorization of alcohol or a controlled substance; (3) solicit (and select) State participation in such a program; and (4) submit a comprehensive report to the Congress setting forth the pilot program results. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 for such pilot testing program.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1989
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should take specified actions with respect to the International Space Year (ISY), including directing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to continue to develop ISY activities, with certain emphasis, through the Space Agency Forum on ISY.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 1989
Expresses the sense of the Congress that Federal law governing the taxation of State and local government bonds should not be changed in order to increase Federal revenues.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1989
Amends Federal law to extend the immediate retirement provisions applicable to Federal law enforcement officers to: (1) revenue officers for the Internal Revenue Service; (2) customs inspectors for the U.S. Customs Service; (3) customs canine enforcement officers for the U.S. Customs Service; and (4) inspectors for the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1989
Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions relating to the income tax deduction for the health insurance costs of self-employed individuals to: (1) extend the deduction through 1994 (under current law it will expire after tax year 1989); and (2) increase the allowable deduction from 25 percent to 100 percent.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 1989
Fairness for Adopting Families Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit an individual income tax deduction for qualified adoption expenses. Includes as deductible all reasonable and necessary expenses that do not violate a Federal or State law and that are directly related to a legal adoption of any child if the adoption has been arranged by a State, local, or other nonprofit agency, or through a private placement. Excludes from an employee's gross income any amounts paid on behalf of the employee by an employer pursuant to a qualified adoption assistance program. Limits both the deduction and the exclusion to $5,000. Reduces the amount when the taxpayer's income exceeds $60,000. Permits an employer to treat an adoption assistance program as a statutory employee benefit plan, thus making the employer's contributions to such a program tax deductible as business expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1989
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover services performed by a physician assistant regardless of the setting or geographical location in which such services are rendered.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1989
Amends the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 and the Federal patent law to provide that any invention made, used, or sold in outer space on an aeronautical and space vehicle under the jurisdiction or control of the United States shall be considered made, used, or sold within the United States. Applies this provision to all patents granted before, on, or after the date of enactment of this Act, with certain exceptions.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1989
Makes the legal defense of discretionary function provided under specified Federal law inapplicable to any legal or administrative proceeding for damages arising out of U.S. violation of occupational safety or health standards or U.S. negligence at any workplace owned or operated by or under contract with the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1989
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Act of 1989 - Directs the Secretary of Education to provide financial assistance to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (a private nonprofit organization) for research and development relating to teacher assessment and certification procedures. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1992. Requires the Board to: (1) establish a Research and Development Advisory Committee; and (2) consult with the Secretary and other specified entities in appointing the ten Committee members (with the Secretary selecting two of those). Requires funds under this Act to be used only for research and development of teacher assessment and certification procedures for elementary and secondary school teachers. Requires that priority be given to activities relating to teaching: (1) the subject areas of mathematics, the sciences, foreign languages, and literacy (including reading, writing, and analytical ability); and (2) special educational populations, including limited English proficient children, gifted and talented children, handicapped children, and economically and educationally disadvantaged children. Sets the Federal share of the cost of such Board activities at 50 percent. Requires the Board to report annually to the appropriate committees of Congress. Requires the Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, and the National Research Council to review and comment on the Board's report and to report to such committees on the Board's compliance with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1989
Deficit and Debt Reduction Act of 1989 - Title I: Value Added Tax - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to create a new excise tax, a value added tax. Applies the tax to any sale or importation of property or any performance of services in the United States by a person engaging in a business or in a commercial-type transaction. Sets the tax rate at five percent of the amount charged the purchaser by the seller of the taxable property or services. Prescribes situs rules and rules to govern the taxable amount in cases of exchanges, imports, and sales of used goods. Enumerates exemptions, including food, housing, medical care, sales to governmental entities, and transactions of eligible tax-exempt charitable organizations. Permits as a credit against the tax the aggregate amount of tax paid by sellers to the taxpayer of property and services that the taxpayer uses in the business to which the transaction relates. Describes administrative provisions to govern the tax, placing liability on the seller. Permits a de minimis exemption for persons having aggregate annual taxable transactions of $20,000 or less. Establishes special rules for: (1) gifts of business property or services; (2) dispositions of nonbusiness real property; and (3) insurance contracts. Title II: Allocation of Revenues from Value Added Tax - Amends Federal law to establish in the Treasury the Deficit Reduction Trust Fund to receive amounts generated from the value added tax. Earmarks Fund monies exclusively to pay, redeem, or purchase before maturity any obligations of the Federal Government included in the public debt. Excludes the Fund from deficit calculations for purposes of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act).
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 1989
Requires U.S. coins to be redesigned, at the discretion of the Secretary of the Treasury, over the next six years. Requires the reverse side of the first coin redesigned to commemorate the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution for a two-year period. Provides that the design on the obverse side of U.S. coins shall contain the likenesses of those displayed on current coins and shall be considered for redesign. Requires any such obverse redesigns to conform to the inscription requirements of current law. Requires the Secretary, in selecting new designs, to consider specified constitutional concepts. Requires the designs to be selected by the Secretary upon consultation with the United States Commission of Fine Arts. Requires that any profits from the sale of uncirculated and proof sets of U.S. coins be deposited in the Treasury and used solely to reduce the national debt.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 1989
Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday Commission Extension Act - Extends the termination date of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday Commission to April 20, 1994. Makes the term of Commission members one year, except for Coretta Scott King (life term) and members of the family surviving Martin Luther King, Jr. (at the discretion of the family). Replaces provisions requiring all expenditures of the Commission to be from donated funds with provisions authorizing appropriations for FY 1989 through 1993. Makes payment of expenses for Commission members and staff salary subject to the availability of funds.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 1989
Federal Retirees' Fairness Act of 1989 - Requires Federal agencies to ensure that employee personnel files include information concerning all Federal employment for retirement purposes within 180 days after an employee begins service with an agency. Requires an agency, if an employee gives at least four months to one year's notice of intent to retire, to: (1) inform such employee (or, if deceased, the employee's survivors) of any retirement counseling and applicable services; and (2) begin processing disability retirement applications not later than 30 days after the date of the application. Sets forth a schedule for processing applications for retirement deduction refunds and death benefits. Requires the Office of Personnel Management to compile quarterly information on the number of retirement applications submitted by agencies and their timeliness and accuracy. Requires the agency retirement counselor to conduct seminars at least twice a year.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 1989
Forgotten Widows and Survivor Benefits Improvements Act of 1989 - Amends the National Defense Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 1989 to direct the Secretary of the military department concerned to pay an annuity to the qualified spouse (a surviving spouse who has not remarried) of a member of the armed forces who became entitled to retired or retainer pay by November 1, 1953, who did not elect to provide his or her surviving spouse with an annuity, and who died before March 31, 1974.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 1989
COLA Equity Act of 1989 - Provides for all Federal civilian and military retirees to receive the full cost-of-living adjustments in annuities payable under Federal retirement systems for FY 1990 and 1991. (Includes benefits payable under the Civil Service Retirement and Disability System, military retirement and survivor benefit programs, the Foreign Service Retirement and Disability System, the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System, and railroad retirement programs.) Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to exempt railroad retirement supplemental annuities from sequestration.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 1989
Social Security Preservation Act - Amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to exclude, beginning with FY 1990, Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund receipts and outlays from Federal deficit determinations for purposes of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act). Increases the permissible maximum deficit amounts for FY 1990 through 1992. Establishes allowable maximum deficits for FY 1993 and 1994, to reach zero with respect to FY 1995.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 1989
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should: (1) delay notifying the Congress of the sale of General Dynamics F-16 fighter aircraft technology to Japan for 60 days while a further review of such sale is made by specified executive departments; (2) examine such sale's impact on the competitiveness of the U.S. aerospace industry; and (3) submit within 60 days after enactment of this resolution a report containing his findings to the Senate Committees on Foreign Relations and Armed Services.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 1989
Television Broadcasting to Cuba Act - Directs the United States Information Agency (USIA) to provide television broadcasting to Cuba. Requires that any such television broadcasting be in accordance with all Voice of America standards. Requires the Director of the USIA to establish a Television Marti Service to be responsible for all television broadcasts to Cuba. Requires that all broadcasting by such Service avoid interference with any domestic television broadcasting. Amends the Radio Broadcasting to Cuba Act to rename the Advisory Board for Radio Broadcasting to Cuba as the Advisory Board for Broadcasting to Cuba. Specifies that such Board shall be responsible for both Radio Marti and Television Marti. Authorizes assistance to the USIA from other Government agencies to carry out the requirements of this Act. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 and 1991.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 1989
Medicaid Home and Community Quality Services Act of 1989 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require States to provide Medicaid coverage of community and family support services for severely disabled individuals who became disabled before age 22 and are living in a family home, foster family home, or community living facility. Requires that such services be provided in accordance with a written habilitation plan developed by an interdisciplinary team on the basis of a comprehensive assessment of the individual's strengths and the services and support necessary to: (1) enable such individual to attain or retain capabilities for independence or self-care; (2) promote interaction between disabled and nondisabled individuals within the community; and (3) enable disabled individuals who are over age 18 to engage in paid employment. Increases the age at which newly disabled individuals will be eligible for this Act's coverage so that eventually individuals who become disabled between age 22 and 50 will be covered. Lists the services which may comprise community and family support services, requiring that such services include at a minimum: (1) case management services; (2) individual and family support services; (3) specialized vocational services; and (4) protective intervention services. Excludes from such services: (1) room and board, other than room and board provided for less than six consecutive weeks and less than 12 weeks per year; (2) cash payments as a service; (3) aversive behavior intervention, management, or therapies; (4) services provided to a disabled individual living in a hospital, or skilled nursing or intermediate care facility; (5) educational services which the State makes generally available to its residents without cost and without regard to their income; and (6) services for which payment is made under title XVIII (Medicare), or part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) or B (Child Welfare Services) of title IV of the Act. Requires each State to make certain assurances regarding their provision of community and family support services and submit an implementation strategy to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Requires that such implementation strategies: (1) describe the extent and scope of community and family support services provided to the severely disabled and the extent and scope of services provided to the severely disabled who are institutionalized; (2) set forth the objectives and a five-year strategy for expanding community and family support services for the severely disabled; (3) include certain procedures for transferring severely disabled, institutionalized individuals to family homes, foster family homes, or community living facilities; (4) set forth standards for the provision of community and family support services and a program for licensing and certifying all facilities and programs providing such services; (5) provide for assessments of the provision and affect of community and family support services and the correction of service deficiencies; (6) provide the public with an adequate opportunity to comment on the strategies; (7) set forth methods ensuring that the personnel providing community and family support services receive adequate training and are competent to provide such services; (8) provide that the State has in effect a management information system capable of collecting, storing, and retrieving data on the severely disabled who receive community and family support services; (9) provide an opportunity for an appeal and hearing before a hearing officer to individuals who believe themselves to be inappropriately served or denied an appropriate service, or who are being scheduled for an involuntary transfer from one living arrangement to another; (10) describe the methods to be used in administering community and family support services; and (11) set forth procedures to protect the interests of public employees who will be affected by the transfer of the severely disabled from public institutions. Allows States to provide any new community and family support service for up to three years without meeting the Medicaid requirements that it provide a service on a statewide basis and that the service be comparable in all parts of the State. Requires that intermediate care facility services for the mentally retarded include the ascertainment of the individual needs of each newly admitted individual by an interdisciplinary team within 30 days and the development of a written habilitation plan for each individual. Limits Medicaid payments to States for skilled nursing and intermediate care facility services furnished to individuals under age 65 who became disabled before age 22 to the amount payable for such services in the fiscal year ending after the enactment of this Act, increased if and by the extent to which the percentage increase in the consumer price index exceeds six percent. Makes such limitation inapplicable to facilities which have less than 16 beds or meet the size and location requirements for a community living facility. Requires States to have in effect a system to protect and advocate those rights of the severely disabled who are eligible for medical assistance which relate to the provision of such assistance. Provides Federal Medicaid matching funds for such system. Gives individuals who are adversely affected by a violation of this Act's requirements the right to bring an action to enjoin such violation. Allows States to set payment rates for community and family support services for the severely disabled. Authorizes States to treat severely disabled individuals under age 19 who are not in a medical institution as receiving benefits under title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Act for Medicaid eligibility purposes if they would be eligible for SSI benefits if institutionalized. Requires States to establish a uniform income standard for the severely disabled regardless of whether or not they are in a medical institution. Authorizes States to provide Medicaid coverage of disabled spouses and children who, except for the resources deemed to them, would be eligible for SSI benefits. Removes certain limitations on the Secretary's approval of reduction and correction plans for deficient intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded. Makes individuals who are severely disabled and receiving or deemed to be receiving SSI benefits eligible for Medicaid as long as such qualifications continue to be satisfied. Directs the Secretary to establish, within the Health Care Financing Administration, a Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services responsible for administering Medicaid programs for the severely disabled. Requires the Secretary to: (1) develop standards and a program for training Federal and State personnel who perform surveys of skilled nursing and intermediate care facilities to determine whether such facilities meet Medicaid participation requirements; and (2) periodically conduct studies of the reliability of such surveys and make the changes necessary to improve such reliability. Directs the Secretary to support the development of: (1) instruments to assess outcomes in the provision of this Act's services; and (2) competency-based personnel standards for agencies and organizations providing services to the severely disabled pursuant to this Act. Requires the Secretary to: (1) conduct an annual assessment of each State's compliance with this Act's requirements; and (2) issue final regulations regarding this Act's amendments prior to the first fiscal year beginning after this Act's enactment. Sets forth reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 1989
Declares it to be the policy of the United States that Federal records, books, and publications of enduring value be produced on acid-free permanent papers. Makes recommendations relating to such papers to Federal agencies and to American publishers. Recommends that the Secretary of State make known such national policy to foreign governments and appropriate international agencies. Directs the Librarian of Congress, the Archivist of the United States, the Director of the National Library of Medicine, and the Administrator of the National Agricultural Library to monitor progress in implementing such policy.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1989
American Heritage Trust Act of 1989 - Title I: American Heritage Trust - Establishes the American Heritage Trust, comprised of the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Historic Preservation Fund, to provide funding for the preservation of America's natural, historical, cultural, and outdoor recreational areas. Title II: Land and Water Conservation Fund - Amends the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act to require the Secretary of the Treasury to invest a portion of the Land and Water Conservation Fund in public debt securities. Requires that the interest from such investments be used for the preservation of the Nation's recreational areas. Requires any excess interest to be credited to the Treasury. Sets forth a formula for the allocation of such interest income to the Federal Government and the States. Sets forth specified requirements with respect to the apportionment of such income to local and State governments, Indian tribes, and Alaska Native Village Corporations. Title III: Historic Preservation Fund - Amends the National Historic Preservation Act to extend the Historic Preservation Fund through 2015. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to invest a portion of such Fund in public debt securities. Requires that the interest from such investments be used for the preservation of historic sites. Provides for allocation of a percentage of annual appropriations for State historic preservation trust funds. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Requires the owner of any site that benefits from moneys derived from the American Heritage Trust to install a sign indicating that fact. Requires the Secretary of the Interior, within 18 months after enactment of this Act, to provide for a contest for elementary or secondary school children for the design of a symbol to represent such Trust and for use in such signs.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1989
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 1992 the period during which qualified mortgage bonds and mortgage credit certificates may be issued. (Under current law, authority for these programs is due to expire as of 1990).
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1989
Rural Health Manpower Assistance Act of 1989 - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to increase incentive payments by five percent for physicians who provide primary care services in rural areas. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to enter into agreements with from five to ten hospitals for the conduct of three-year demonstration projects providing instruction and consultation to rural physicians. Sets forth reporting requirements. Authorizes appropriations for such projects. Requires the Secretary to conduct a study and submit a report to the Senate Committee on Finance by October 1, 1989, assessing the supply of rural health workers.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1989
Declares that, in celebration of Law Day, U.S.A., special emphasis and acknowledgment should be given to all law enforcement personnel for their service in preserving domestic tranquility and guaranteeing rights under law.