United States · United States Congress · 22 February 1991
Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act - Prohibits a State, or any political subdivision, from sponsoring, operating, advertising, authorizing, licensing, or promoting any lottery, sweepstake, or other betting, gambling, or wagering scheme based, directly or indirectly, on any game or games engaged or conducted or scheduled by any professional or amateur sports organization, or on any performance or performances in such games.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 1991
National Cooperative Research Act Extension of 1991 - Amends the National Cooperative Research Act of 1984 to include a joint production 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 · 21 February 1991
Indoor Air Quality Act of 1991 - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a national research, development, and demonstration program to assure the quality of indoor air, including coordinating and accelerating efforts related to the causes, detection, and correction of contaminated air. Requires such program to include information collection and dissemination, cooperative research, grants, studies, development of techniques, facility construction, and conferences. Requires that research focus on human health effects and the identification of types and levels of contaminants likely to cause harm, including the development of methodology and techniques for detection and control. Authorizes the Administrator to assist technology demonstration activities based on a technology's potential to cost effectively control sources of contaminants. Limits Federal funding to 75 percent of the costs of such projects. Requires the Administrator to publish general reports on the findings of such demonstration projects. Directs the Administrator to conduct a national assessment of indoor air pollution in buildings owned by local educational agencies and child care facilities. Requires the Administrator to report to the Congress on issues related to chemical sensitivity disorders. Repeals title IV of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 concerning radon and indoor air quality research. Directs the Administrator to publish bulletins assessing technologies and management practices for the control and measurement of indoor air contaminants. Requires the Director of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health to develop a course to provide training in: (1) ventilation system operation and maintenance; (2) maintenance of records concerning indoor air quality; and (3) the identification of health threats posed by indoor air pollutants, pollutant sources, and options for reducing exposure to contaminants. Authorizes fees for such training. Requires the Administrator to conduct a program to analyze the adequacy of existing standards and guidelines to protect the public from indoor air contaminants. Directs the Administrator to publish and biennially revise a list of contaminants known to occur in indoor air at levels expected to cause adverse health effects. Provides for additions to such list upon application of a State Governor. Requires the Administrator to publish advisory materials addressing the health effects of listed contaminants. Directs the Indoor Air Quality and Total Human Exposure Committee of the EPA Science Advisory Board to assist in the listing and advisories. Requires advisories to be updated at least once every five years. Directs the Administrator to develop and publish a national indoor air quality response plan to reduce human exposure to listed indoor air pollutants and attain contaminant levels protective of human health. Requires the response plan to identify the contaminant, the basis for the action, the nature of the response, the responsible Federal authority, and the necessary financial resources. Requires the Administrator and the Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA) to develop and implement a program to respond to and reduce indoor air contamination in Federal buildings and to demonstrate methods of reducing indoor air contamination in new Federal buildings. Directs the GSA Administrator to prepare response plans addressing indoor air quality in Federal buildings. Exempts certain buildings for national security, demolition, or special use reasons. Directs the GSA Administrator to reserve .5 percent of funds used for construction of new Federal buildings for measures to reduce indoor air contaminant concentrations in such buildings. Requires that any new EPA building be designed, constructed, and maintained as a model to demonstrate practices for protection of indoor air quality. Directs the GSA Administrator to provide a method to allow workers and the public to file complaints concerning indoor air quality in Federal buildings. Requires the GSA Administrator to designate an Indoor Air Quality Coordinator for each Federal building owned or leased by GSA. Requires each Coordinator to complete the indoor air training course established pursuant to this Act. Provides that the GSA Administrator shall not reestablish leases for buildings in which the lessee has failed to designate and train a Coordinator. Authorizes grants to States for the development and implementation of management strategies and indoor air quality assessment and response programs similar to those of the Federal program. Directs the Administrator to establish the Office of Indoor Air Quality within the EPA's Office of Air and Radiation to implement agency responsibilities under this Act. Establishes a Council on Indoor Air Quality to coordinate Federal indoor air quality activities and review and comment on the national indoor air response program and the Federal building response plan. Requires the Council to report to the Congress on a biennial basis. Directs the Administrator to establish a national indoor air quality clearinghouse which shall operate a toll-free hotline on indoor air quality. Requires the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to implement a Building Assessment Demonstration Program to support the development of methods, techniques, and protocols for assessing indoor air contamination in non-residential, non-industrial buildings and to provide contamination reduction assistance and guidance to building owners and occupants. Sets forth building assessment report requirements. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1991
900 Services Consumer Protection Act of 1991 - Requires the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission to issue regulations requiring each provider of a 900 telephone service to announce certain information at the beginning of each service transaction, including: (1) the price of the call per minute and, if not at the discretion of the caller, the length of each call; (2) a description of the service; and (3) that the caller may terminate the call to avoid incurring any charges. Requires regulations: (1) allowing any consumer to block access to 900 numbers at his or her residence at no cost; (2) prohibiting television and radio advertisements directed at individuals under the age of 18 from including tones which dial a number by placing the receiver close to the television or radio; and (3) requiring radio and television advertisements directed at individuals under the age of 18 to include a notice that the individual must have permission of a parent or guardian to use the 900 telephone service.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for the production of electricity with qualified technologies property. Describes such property to include the use of solar thermal, photovoltaic, wind, geothermal, biomass, and other renewable energy technologies. Extends the solar and geothermal energy credit until December 31, 1996 (currently, such credit terminates December 31, 1991).
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1991
Extends civil service retirement provisions governing deductions, contributions, and deposits, mandatory separation, and immediate retirement that are currently 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 · 20 February 1991
OSHA Criminal Penalty Reform Act - Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA) to increase criminal penalties (fines and prison sentences) for specified violations. Makes criminal offenses, with specified penalties under OSHA, willful violations of OSHA standards, rules, or regulations if they result in serious bodily injury to an employee. Prohibits penalties or fines imposed on directors, officers, or agents of employers from being paid out of the assets of the employer on behalf of such individuals. Provides that nothing in OSHA shall preclude State and local law enforcement agencies from conducting criminal prosecutions under State or local laws.
United States · United States Congress · 20 February 1991
Northern Ireland Fair Employment Practices Act - Prohibits an article from being imported into the United States from Northern Ireland unless documentation is presented at the time of entry indicating that the enterprise which manufactured or assembled such article complied at the time of manufacture with certain fair employment principles (such as freedom from religious discrimination). Bases such principles on the MacBride Principles, a nine point set of guidelines for fair employment in Northern Ireland. Requires any U.S. person who has a branch or office in Northern Ireland or who controls an enterprise in Northern Ireland in which more than 20 people are employed to insure implementation of such employment principles and compliance with this Act. Requires reports to the Secretary of Commerce on compliance with this Act. Sets forth the fair employment principles. Authorizes the President to waive the requirements of this Act in the interest of national security. Requires such waiver to become effective 90 days after the President submits a justification of such waiver to the Congress unless the Congress adopts a joint resolution disapproving the waiver. Provides for expedited consideration of such resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1991
Lead Battery Recycling Incentives Act - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate regulations for persons who generate, transport, store, recycle, or dispose of spent lead-acid batteries. Requires the Administrator, in developing such regulations, to conduct an analysis of the economic impact of the regulations on the recycling industry. Sets forth required elements of such regulations, including specific requirements for: (1) the storage and transfer of batteries by generators; (2) recordkeeping by battery generators, transporters, and recyclers; and (3) management practices of recyclers. Directs battery retailers to accept from customers spent lead-acid batteries of the same type and quantity as the batteries sold. Requires transporters to acquire an identification number from the EPA or the State enforcing this Act. Directs the Administrator to implement education activities to inform the public about the environmental and safety hazards associated with improper handling and disposal of spent lead-acid batteries. Authorizes appropriations. Applies such requirements to batteries which are transported to or managed by a lead-acid battery recycling facility, a secondary lead smelter, or any facility that prepares batteries for recycling. Requires producers or importers of lead-acid batteries to recycle, for the ten-year period beginning 24 months after this Act's enactment, an amount of spent lead equal to at least the amount determined by multiplying the amount of lead in the batteries produced or imported by such persons by the recycling percentage established by the Administrator. Authorizes compliance with such requirement by: (1) reclaiming lead from such batteries and using it in the production of new batteries; (2) purchasing reclaimed lead from secondary lead smelters for purposes of producing new batteries or shielding; or (3) purchasing recycling credits. Directs producers or importers to report annually to the Administrator on the amount of virgin and secondary lead used in new lead-acid batteries produced or imported by such persons. Sets the recycling percentage at 80 percent. Increases such percentage by two points annually. Authorizes the Administrator to reduce or waive the two percent increase if the rate exceeds 95 percent. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations to allow: (1) producers of lead-acid batteries to create credits for recycling an amount of batteries greater than required; and (2) producers or importers of new batteries to purchase such credits for purposes of complying with this Act. Sets forth minimum requirements for the credit system. Applies battery recycling requirements to persons who produce or import more than 10,000 pounds of new lead-acid batteries annually. Sets the recycling percentage at 90 percent if the Administrator fails to promulgate recycling regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1991
Americans with Disabilities Luxury Tax Relief Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from the luxury excise tax parts or accessories installed for use in passenger vehicles by disabled individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1991
Lead Exposure Reduction Act of 1991 - Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act to prohibit the importing, manufacturing, processing, or distribution in commerce of certain products containing more than a specified percentage of lead. Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to modify the allowable lead percentage for such products under certain conditions. Permits the Administrator to extend dates for compliance with such requirements for one year and to establish a performance standard for lead leaching from plumbing fittings and fixtures in lieu of the applicable restriction if such standard is at least as protective of human health and the environment as such restriction. Requires the Administrator to waive such requirements with respect to certain toys and recreational game pieces that are collectible items and scale models intended for adult acquisition. Directs the Administrator to publish regulations banning the sale of lead solder to plumbers and plumbing supply wholesalers and retailers. Prohibits the sale or promotion of: (1) any packaging which may be used for food for human consumption (or any food in such packaging) that includes any additive to which lead has been intentionally introduced, beginning 24 months after this Act's enactment; and (2) any packaging or product in packaging that includes such an additive, beginning 48 months after this Act's enactment. Sets allowable concentration levels for the incidental presence of lead in such packaging. Prohibits the sale or promotion of packaging exceeding such levels. Authorizes the Administrator to exempt from such requirements: (1) packaging manufactured prior to this Act's enactment date; and (2) packaging to which lead has been added to comply with Federal, State, or local health or safety requirements. Requires certificates of compliance with lead requirements to be retained by packaging manufacturers or distributors and made available to purchasers. Prohibits the manufacture, import, or distribution in commerce of food cans containing more than .2 percent lead by dry weight. Prohibits the importing, manufacturing, processing, or distributing in commerce of foils for wine bottles containing more than .1 percent lead by dry weight. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to delay the application of such requirements under certain conditions. Prohibits the sale of leaded gasoline at a price lower than that of unleaded gasoline sold at the same establishment. Prohibits, within six months of this Act's enactment, the sale of leaded gasoline for use in motor vehicles (other than farm vehicles) in a metropolitan statistical area or consolidated metropolitan statistical area with a 1980 population of 250,000 persons or more. Requires, effective January 1, 1996, manufacturers or importers of fuels containing lead or lead additives to submit quarterly reports to the Administrator on the lead content and volume of such fuels. Exempts from lead content requirements: (1) paint used by artists; (2) products used for medical purposes; (3) products used in connection with national security; (4) products used in the nuclear industry; and (5) products used in the mining industry to determine the presence of noble metals in geological materials. Directs persons manufacturing, processing, or importing any product containing more than .1 percent lead by dry weight to submit specified information to the Administrator. Exempts owners or operators of recycling facilities and manufacturers, processors, or importers of lead-acid batteries from such requirement. Requires the Administrator to update, and publish a compilation of, such information. Directs the Administrator to report to the Congress on such information and on recommendations for minimizing the release of lead into the environment and preventing human exposure to lead. Permits persons submitting inventory information to claim such information as confidential. Sets forth provisions concerning confidentiality applications. Requires the Administrator to promulgate regulations that provide for the labeling of products (other than lead-acid batteries) that pose a risk of human exposure to lead. Requires the labeling of toys and recreational game pieces that are collectible items and scale models to disclose that such items contain lead and are not suitable for children. Prohibits: (1) the placement into landfills and incineration of lead-acid batteries; and (2) the disposal of such batteries other than by recycling in accordance with this Act. Prohibits the disposal of batteries except by delivery to: (1) battery retailers or wholesalers; (2) regulated lead smelters or collection or recycling facilities; or (3) automotive dismantlers. Sets forth specified delivery and disposal requirements for battery retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers. Directs battery retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers to accept from customers used batteries of the same type, and in an approximately equal quantity to, the batteries sold. Requires battery retailers to post notices in public areas of retail establishments that: (1) state that it is illegal to throw away motor vehicle or lead-acid batteries; (2) state that Federal law requires battery retailers to accept used batteries for recycling and allows a person to give used batteries to battery collectors, recyclers, or processors or to automotive dismantlers; and (3) encourage recycling of used batteries. Prescribes civil penalties for violations of such notice requirements. Makes it unlawful to sell a lead-acid battery that does not bear a permanent label stating that: (1) the battery contains lead; and (2) Federal law requires recycling and the seller must accept the return. Permits the Administrator to issue warnings and citations for noncompliance with battery labeling and notice requirements. Permits the export of lead-acid batteries for purposes of recycling. Directs the Administrator to undertake a program to promote monitoring, detection, and abatement of lead-based paint and other lead exposure hazards. Requires the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, to establish: (1) standards for laboratory analysis of lead in paint films, soil, and dust; and (2) certification programs to assure the quality and consistency of such analyses, unless voluntary accreditation programs are operating nationwide. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control, to establish parallel standards and certification programs for laboratory analysis of lead in blood. Requires the Secretary of Labor to develop minimum core curricula for technical training courses for lead-based paint abatement workers, supervisors, designers, inspectors, and building owners. Provides that such courses shall address factors associated with lead testing and abatement in various types of housing units. Authorizes the Secretary to evaluate such programs and to encourage State certification programs or the development of national proficiency tests. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to evaluate and develop standards and testing protocols for emerging products and techniques for detecting lead in paint films and dust. Directs the Administrator to report to the Congress on the efficacy and effectiveness of various abatement and management techniques in reducing lead dust levels. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to establish a program and develop standards for the evaluation of products and procedures for encapsulating or removing lead-based paint. Directs the Administrator to publish a list of products and procedures that meet performance standards. Requires the Administrator to issue guidelines for the management of lead-based paint debris. Prohibits the funding of travel of EPA employees outside the United States unless such guidelines are issued. Requires the Administrator to undertake a research project on lead exposure in children who have elevated blood lead levels or other indicators of elevated lead body burden. Directs the Secretary of Labor and the Administrator to conduct a long-term research study on the sources of lead exposure in construction workers. Requires the Administrator to sponsor public education and outreach activities to increase awareness of the scope and severity of lead poisoning from household sources, potential exposure to lead in schools and day care centers, and the need for abatement and management action. Directs the Administrator to issue guidelines concerning the action levels for lead in soil. Directs the Administrator to appoint a Coordinator for Lead Activities. Requires the Administrator to award grants to institutions of higher education for purposes of establishing Centers for the Prevention of Lead Poisoning. Limits the Federal share of Center operation costs. Limits grants to two-year periods. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control, to: (1) encourage State public health officials to report blood-lead measurements to the Director; and (2) report to the Congress on the status of such reporting and the feasibility and desirability of instituting a national requirement for mandatory pre-school blood-lead screening. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary, acting through the Director, to establish a blood-lead laboratory reference project to assist State and local governments in establishing and improving the quality of laboratory measurements performed for childhood lead poisoning prevention programs. Requires the Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to update a report submitted pursuant to the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 to include information on childhood and adult lead poisoning and estimates of adverse health outcomes associated with lead exposure. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to deem a food to be adulterated if: (1) it is packaged in a container containing solder or another ingredient with a lead content greater than .2 percent by dry weight; or (2) it is ceramic ware and the ability of such ceramic ware to leach lead does not conform with standards for ceramic ware established by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Requires the Secretary to establish standards and testing procedures with respect to lead in ceramic ware. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1991
Expresses the sense of the Senate that it should be U.S. policy to specify reductions in the national emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by a date certain and to assume a leadership position in negotiating an international climate protection treaty that contains specific commitments to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, including: (1) achieving agreements by industrialized nations to reduce current carbon dioxide emissions, by developing nations to limit their growth in emissions from fossil fuel combustion, and by all countries to limit the release of carbon dioxide due to deforestation and to take steps to cut emissions of other greenhouse gases; (2) establishing an international fund to help developing countries achieve such objectives, a mechanism for continuing international cooperation for development of efficient policies for future emissions reductions, and institutional mechanisms to facilitate cooperation in research, observation, and analysis, information exchange and reporting, technology development and transfer, and technical training and public education. Urges the United States to support, at the February 1991 negotiating session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for a Framework Convention on Climate Change, the establishment of a process that will allow negotiations of substantive provisions to accomplish each of these elements for inclusion in the convention that is to be concluded in June 1992.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Persian Gulf War Veterans' Assistance Act of 1991 - Includes the Persian Gulf War under the definition of "period of war" for purposes of eligibility for various veterans' benefits for war veterans, their spouses, and their dependents. Makes veterans of the Persian Gulf War and their spouses eligible for veterans' pension benefits. Deems Persian Gulf War veterans who develop an active psychosis within two years after termination of that war to have incurred such disability in active military service for purposes of medical care provided through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Makes veterans of the Persian Gulf War (the War) eligible for drugs and medicines required due to being permanently housebound or in need of regular aid and attendance. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish readjustment counseling to any veteran who served on active duty after May 7, 1975, in an area at a time during which hostilities occurred in such area. Defines "hostilities" as an armed conflict comparable to the danger members are subjected to in combat with enemy forces during a period of war. Allows the survivors of veterans of the War who die before the date of enactment of this Act to file a claim for reimbursement for burial and funeral expenses with the Department within two years after the enactment of this Act. Authorizes veteran representatives of the War to be included on the Veterans' Advisory Committee on Education. Makes each veteran who served on active duty for his or her required duty period eligible for housing loan benefits under the veterans' home loan program. Provides for the waiver of an annuity reduction for individuals reemployed as health-care specialists within the Veterans Health Services and Research Administration of the Department. Limits such waivers to only those individuals recruited to replace health-care specialists serving in the War or needed to serve members of the armed forces injured during the War. Includes as health-care specialists physicians, dentists, podiatrists, optometrists, nurses, physician assistants, dental auxiliaries, medical technicians, and medical support personnel. Directs the Secretary to establish an information and referral system by means of a toll-free telephone number to provide information and referrals for counseling relating to readjustment counseling, general counseling, and other mental health services to veterans of the War, as well as their spouses and dependents, with regard to the psychological consequences of such War. Authorizes appropriations. States that all direct or discretionary spending contained in this Act is to be considered emergency expenditures for purposes of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act).
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1991
Workers' Family Protection Act of 1991 - Requires the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (the Director), in cooperation with the Secretary of Labor, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (the EPA Administrator), the Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, and the Secretary of Energy, to study the prevalence of and issues related to contamination of workers' homes with hazardous chemicals and substances transported from their workplace (contamination). Requires the Director to identify industries prone to such contamination, evaluate current statutory and regulatory safeguards, and compile a review of the previous research. Requires the Director to provide grants to eligible States for case studies to evaluate the economic, physiological, and psychological effects on workers and their communities from, and preventive and remediation methods respecting, such contamination. Directs the Secretary of Labor, in cooperation with the EPA Administrator, to: (1) cooperate with and assist the Director and eligible grantee States in such studies; (2) evaluate effectiveness in addressing such contamination under programs established under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act and the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986; (3) compile a review of previous related research on indoor air quality; and (4) evaluate whether current occupational safety and health and environmental laws and regulations pose an undue burden on families seeking to redress such contamination. Requires the Director to issue to the Congress an interim report and a final report including recommendations for addressing any overlap in jurisdiction over such contamination of the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Energy, the EPA Administrator, and the Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Directs the Secretary of Labor to: (1) issue appropriate regulations to prevent release of hazardous chemicals and substances from a workplace or workers' clothing or persons; or (2) report to the Congress on why such regulations are unnecessary. Requires the Secretary, at a minimum, to: (1) determine whether additional regulations are needed to protect workers' families from employee-transported releases of lead, mercury, asbestos, pharmaceuticals, and other materials that may pose such risks, including commercial pesticide application and manufacture; (2) consider the risk of acute and chronic health effects; and (3) consider environmental law and regulations. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to remove charitable contributions of appreciated capital gain property as an item of tax preference for purposes of the alternative minimum tax.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1991
Military Family Assistance Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary of Defense to provide assistance for eligible military families of members serving on active duty during the Persian Gulf conflict in order to ensure that such families obtain needed child care services. Outlines with respect to such assistance provisions defining: (1) eligible military families; (2) eligible child care providers; (3) the amount of assistance to be provided; and (4) fees to be charged to parents for such child care assistance. Provides eligibility for such child care assistance for 60 days after release from active duty for families of reserve personnel called to active duty in connection with the Persian Gulf conflict. Directs the Secretary to ensure that: (1) each family eligible to receive financial assistance for child care services receives appropriate information concerning local child care and referral programs; and (2) the child care services provided in military child development centers and providers of family home day care are coordinated with child care resources and referral programs in the locality in which such services are provided. Authorizes the Secretary to use up to ten percent of the amount available for such assistance for grants for the repair of minor deficiencies in family day care homes. Outlines conditions under which the Secretary may make grants to a child care provider for such corrections. Gives a priority in the awarding of such repair grants to child care providers who are members of families of members of the armed forces. Prohibits grant funds to be used for the purchase or improvement of land or for the purchase or major renovation of any building or facility. Authorizes appropriations. Requires such funds to be used to supplement, not supplant, other public funds authorized or expended for such purpose. Prohibits financial assistance awarded under this Act from being used for: (1) sectarian worship or religious instruction; and (2) services provided during the regular school day for which students receive academic credit or which supplant or duplicate the academic program of any public or private school. Applies certain nondiscrimination provisions of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to provisions of this Act. States that reserve personnel ordered to active duty in connection with the Persian Gulf conflict shall be considered as involuntarily separated from the armed forces upon completion of such duty for purposes of eligibility for certain transitional health care provided through the armed forces if the member: (1) serves on active duty for not less than 90 days; and (2) is an officer who is discharged under conditions other than adverse, or, if enlisted, is denied reenlistment or is discharged under conditions other than adverse. Provides that eligibility for such transitional health care benefits shall continue for up to 60 days after such involuntary separation, unless or until the member becomes covered by an employer-provided health plan. Delays until one year after the termination of the Persian Gulf conflict the effective date of a required reduction in the provision of certain mental health services to former military personnel under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1991. Delays until the same date a requirement in such Act which increases the annual deductible required of medical beneficiaries of military personnel. States that all direct or discretionary spending contained in this Act is to be considered emergency expenditures related to Operation Desert Shield for purposes of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act).
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1991
Garnishment Equalization Act of 1991 - Provides for the treatment of Federal pay in the same manner as non-Federal pay with respect to garnishment. Allows administrative costs to be included in such garnishment.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1991
Title X Pregnancy Counseling Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, notwithstanding any other provision of law, to ensure that projects receiving assistance under title X of the Public Health Service Act offer pregnant women information and counseling on all legal and medical options. Requires that women requesting information regarding an unintended pregnancy be provided with nondirective counseling and referral on prenatal care, delivery, infant care, foster care, adoption services, and pregnancy termination.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1991
Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991 - Imposes civil liability on anyone who, under actual or apparent authority or under color of law of any foreign nation, subjects any individual to torture or extrajudicial killing. Directs a court to decline to hear a claim under this Act if the defendant establishes by clear and convincing evidence that the plaintiff has not exhausted adequate and available remedies in the place where the conduct giving rise to the claim occurred. Specifies that no statute of limitations shall apply to a claim under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1991
Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act Amendments of 1991 - Amends the Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act of 1940 to prohibit an eviction or distress from being made during a period of military service with respect to a premise for which the agreed rent does not exceed $1,200 (currently, $150) per month, when such premise is occupied chiefly by the dependents of the person in military service, except upon leave of the court granted upon application or in a proceeding affecting the rights of possession. Extends the power of attorney coverage under such Act to include a power of attorney that by its terms expires after July 31, 1990. Provides professional liability protection for persons ordered to active duty after July 31, 1990, who, prior to such date, were engaged in the furnishing of health care services or other services determined by the Secretary of Defense to be professional services and who had in effect a professional liability insurance policy that does not continue coverage during the period of active duty. Specifies that an insurance carrier shall have no liability with respect to any claim that is based on professional conduct of a person that occurs during a period of suspension of such person's professional liability insurance under this Act. Requires an insurance carrier to suspend and to reinstate coverage of such affected person upon receipt of a written request from such person. Requires such person to request reinstatement within 30 days after release from active duty. Provides a minimum period of required coverage by the carrier following reinstatement, without an increase in the insurance premiums charged. Provides for the stay of a civil or administrative action for damages on the basis of professional liability of a person whose insurance has been suspended under these provisions if: (1) the action is based on an act or omission that occurred before the suspension was effective; and (2) the suspended insurance would, on its face, cover the alleged professional misconduct. States that the period of such stay shall not be included in any statute-of-limitations period. Outlines provisions concerning the death of a person whose professional liability insurance has been suspended and the consequences with respect to the suspended insurance coverage on previous or suspended (stayed) claims. Provides that any person employed and covered under an employer-offered health insurance policy who enters into active military service or training and is reemployed upon returning may not be subject to a waiting period or exclusion of coverage imposed in connection with coverage of a qualifying health or physical condition if: (1) the condition arose before or during such person's period of training or service; (2) no exclusion or waiting period would have been imposed for the condition during a period of coverage resulting from participation by such person in the insurance; and (3) the condition of such person has not been determined by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to be service-connected. Provides that any person who, by reason of military service, is entitled to the rights and benefits of the Act shall be entitled upon release from such military duty to reinstatement of any health insurance which: (1) was in effect on the day before such service commenced; and (2) was terminated during the period of such service. Prohibits any exclusion or waiting period from being imposed in connection with reinstatement of health insurance coverage of a health or physical condition covered by the Act if: (1) the condition arose before or during such person's period of training or service; (2) no exclusion or waiting period would have been imposed for the condition during a period of coverage resulting from participation by such person in the insurance; and (3) the condition of such person has not been determined by the Secretary to be a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty. Requires a court, upon application, to stay a judicial action or proceeding involving any member of the armed forces serving on active duty outside the State in which the court is located until after June 30, 1991. Provides that an application by a person in military service for a stay, postponement, or suspension of the payment of any tax, fine, penalty, insurance premium, or other civil obligation shall not provide that basis for denial or revocation of, or a change in, credit by creditors, a presumption that such individual cannot pay his or her debts due and owing, or refusal of an insurer to insure such individual. Amends existing law which allows reservists ordered to active duty for not more than 90 days to reemployment rights by removing the 90-day limitation.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1991
National Teacher Act of 1991 - Title I: Recruitment - Part A: Loan Forgiveness for Teachers Demonstration Program - Directs the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to assume the obligation to repay specified portions of a Stafford loan (a student loan made, insured, or guaranteed under specified provisions of the Higher Education Act of 1965) for any borrower employed as a full-time teacher: (1) in a school which qualifies for loan cancellation for Perkins loan recipients who teach in such schools; and (2) of mathematics, science, foreign languages, special education, bilingual education, or any other field of expertise where the State educational agency (SEA) determines there is a shortage of qualified teachers. Provides for cancellation of increasing portions of such student loans for a one- to five-year period of such teaching service. Provides also for forgiveness of portions of student loans for borrowers who return to higher education after graduation to obtain a teaching certificate. Provides for repayment of such specified portions of principal and interest by the Secretary to the eligible lender or holder. Part B: Paul Douglas Teacher Scholarships - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to extend through FY 1995 the authorization of appropriations for the Paul Douglas Teacher Scholarships program. Part C: Teacher Corps - Authorizes a new Teacher Corps program. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) make grants to SEAs to conduct teacher corps activities; and (2) award scholarships to teacher corps members. Bases the amounts of such grants to SEAs on school-age population. Directs the Secretary to: (1) disseminate information about availability of teacher corps scholarships; and (2) foster communication among teacher corps members. Specifies authorized uses of grant money by SEAs. Allows local educational agencies (LEAs) to use grant funds to: (1) carry out induction programs for new teacher corps members (and other new teachers); and (2) ensure that teacher corps members participate in one for at least one year, including work with a designated mentor teacher. Requires the SEA, in cooperation with the State higher education agency, to select teacher corps members according to its own criteria. Requires special consideration for those who intend to teach students with disabilities, limited English proficient students, or preschool age children. Requires priority consideration for those from disadvantaged backgrounds, including racial and ethnic minorities and individuals with disabilities, who are underrepresented in the teaching profession or in the curricular areas in which they are preparing to teach. Sets forth individual application requirements. Sets forth SEA and LEA grant application requirements. Requires descriptions of teacher shortages, corps members' employment placement, and induction programs for corps members and other new teachers. Makes individuals eligible to receive such scholarships for up to three years during enrollment in any of the following programs of study: (1) a baccalaureate or associate degree; (2) one or two post-baccalaureate years of a masters or specialist degree or teaching certificate; or (3) two years of an associate's degree in early childhood education or development, or one year of a child development associate credential program. Makes individuals pursuing the aforementioned kinds of post-baccalaureate study eligible to receive such a scholarship during any of the first three years they are employed as a teacher, in order to defray the costs of such study. Makes individuals with a bachelor's degree who wish to enter teaching from another profession eligible for such a scholarship for the instruction necessary to enter the teaching profession in the State where they wish to teach. Allows such instruction to be provided while the individual is employed as a provisional teacher, at the discretion of the SEA and LEA. Limits the amount of such a scholarship to an individual to the lesser of $5,000 per year or the cost of attendance for a maximum of three years. States that such scholarship shall be considered in determining eligibility for student assistance under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Requires scholarship agreements to include assurances of: (1) satisfactory academic progress and participation in teaching-related activities during a course of study which meets State requirements for teacher preparation; and (2) teaching for five years in a school which qualifies for Perkins loan cancellation for its teachers. Allows members to transfer to another such school in an LEA within the State or to another State with a program, upon approval of the sending or receiving LEA or State. Prescribes additional assurances such agreements must include. Provides for repayment of scholarships and for cancellation of such obligation under specified conditions. Provides for publication of, and recruitment for, the teacher corps scholarship program, particularly for minority students. Authorizes appropriations for such new Teacher Corps program for FY 1992 through 1996, but conditions such funding upon the attainment of a specified minimum funding level for the Paul Douglas Teacher Scholarships program. Limits the portion of Teacher Corps program funds which may be used for LEA induction and mentor programs for new corps members and other new teachers. Part D: Foreign Language Competence for the Future - Foreign Language Competence for the Future Act of 1990 - Amends the Star Schools Program Assistance Act (title IX of the Education for Economic Security Act) to authorize appropriations in necessary amounts for FY 1993 to carry out Star Schools program assistance. Requires applications for such assistance for instructional programming to provide assurances that such programming will be designed in consultation with teachers of the applicable subject matter and grade level. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible consortia to: (1) operate critical languages and area studies programs; (2) develop and acquire educational equipment and materials; and (3) develop teacher training programs, texts, curricula, and other activities designed to improve and expand the instruction of foreign languages at elementary and secondary schools. Limits the maximum amount of such a demonstration grant to an eligible consortium in any single fiscal year. Requires that a consortium eligible for such demonstration grants consist of a cooperative effort between entities in one or more States that must include at least: (1) one institution of higher education; (2) one secondary school with experience in teaching critical foreign languages; and (3) one secondary school in which at least 25 percent of the students are eligible to be counted under certain provisions for education of disadvantaged students (under Chapter 1 of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965). Allows such consortia to include a not-for-profit organization to provide services not otherwise available from the other entities. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 1996. Part E: Miscellaneous Provision - Amends HEA provisions for Perkins loan cancellation to allow: (1) the Secretary to use the previous year's list of eligible schools if a new list is not available before May 1 of any year; and (2) any teacher to continue to receive loan forgiveness in subsequent years of service at a school that loses such eligibility. Title II: Teacher Enhancement - Part A: National Teacher Academies - Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to institutions of higher education, private nonprofit education organizations, or combinations of such entities to establish and operate national teacher academies. Requires one such academy in each of the following subject areas commonly taught in elementary and secondary schools: (1) mathematics; (2) National Writing Project; (3) civics and government; (4) basic skills and literacy instruction; (5) the arts, including art, music, and the performing arts; (6) history, geography, and sociology; (7) economics; (8) life sciences; (9) physical sciences; and (10) foreign languages. Requires academy staff to be selected from the most accomplished and prominent scholars in the relevant fields and methodologies. Provides that such grants shall be for five years, and awarded under a competitive bidding process. Requires special consideration for eligible recipients that have demonstrated effectiveness in establishing and administrating a national network of individuals who assist in teacher training programs at State and local levels. Limits such awards to eligible applicants who have demonstrated expertise in both the subject area and in-service teacher training. Requires grant funds to be used for: (1) in-service training for teachers and administrators; (2) summer institutes; (3) leadership team training for professional development schools; and (4) support services for professional development schools, including national networks of individuals, counseling assistance, and information services. Requires that school administrators and teachers from each congressional district, including the leadership team, participate in summer institutes. Sets forth grant application requirements, with a special rule for the National Academy on Basic Skills and Literacy Instruction. Authorizes the Secretary to award a grant to the National Writing Project to establish and operate one such teaching academy. Sets forth requirements for such grant, the Federal share, teacher training programs, and classroom teacher grants. Requires the National Writing Project to establish and operate a National Advisory Board. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 1996. Part B: Professional Development Schools - Directs the Secretary to allot to each State educational agency an equal amount for each congressional district in the State to establish and operate professional development schools. Requires that one such school be established in each congressional district. Allows the State educational agency to combine several of the authorized schools into a single school in States where several congressional districts are served by a local educational agency, or in States receiving small allotments. Provides that such grants shall be for five years, and renewable, and awarded under a competitive bidding process. Provides that professional development schools for specified U.S. territories and possessions in the Pacific are to be combined into a single school and administered by the Center for the Advancement of Pacific Education, in Honolulu, Hawaii, or its successor. Requires that such grant funds shall be used to: (1) provide professional development programs for teachers; and (2) pay costs of release time, stipends, college or university credit, curricular materials, and other expenses. Requires such professional development programs under this part to include individuals who have participated in the parallel program under part A. Requires each professional development school funded under this part whose teachers are served by a national academy funded under part A to conduct an in-service training program each year in each of the course content areas for which teachers receive training at the national academy. Requires each eligible grant recipient under this part to establish a ten-member steering committee. Requires each such committee to establish a three-person leadership team for each national teacher academy assisted under part A. Requires that Christa McAuliffe Career Teacher Corps participants be encouraged, upon return from their award period, to assist in the development and operation of the appropriate professional development school. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 1996. Part C: Christa McAuliffe Career Teacher Corps - Amends HEA to rename and revise the Christa McAuliffe Fellowship Program as the Christa McAuliffe Career Teacher Corps (Career Corps), which is to be a national fellowship program for experienced teachers and a complement to the Teacher Corps program for new teachers established under title I. Provides for: (1) grants to SEAs to conduct Career Corps activities and award fellowships to Career Corps members, with grant amounts based on school-age population of the State; (2) fellowship award distribution, amounts, and authorized uses; (3) selection of Career Corps members; (4) application evaluation by a statewide panel; (5) special consideration for individuals intending to use awards to improve or acquire skills in science or mathematics or to teach or provide related services to students with disabilities, limited English proficient students, or preschool age students; (6) fellowship agreements and repayments for noncompliance; (7) State applications; and (8) State use of program funds. Requires fellowship recipients to agree to spend up to a one-year period during which the Career Corps member is released from teaching responsibilities to participate in: (1) sabbaticals for study, research, or academic improvements; (2) consultation with or assistance to other school districts or private school systems, or development of special innovative programs for in-service teacher training or student achievement; or (3) expansion or replication of model programs of staff development. Requires that the Career Corps member be encouraged, during the two years following the award period through professional development school, if one exists, to: (1) participate in an induction program for new teachers by acting as a mentor to new Teacher Corps members or other new teachers, in their same substantive field of expertise where practicable, or make some other contribution to Teacher Corps programs; and (2) assist in developing in-service training programs through the professional development school, if it exists. Requires that Career Corps members be given the opportunity to participate in activities developed by the Secretary and SEA to foster communication among Career Corps members. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 1996. Title III: Demonstrations - Amends the Fund for the Improvement and Reform of Schools and Teaching Act to provide for the following demonstration programs: (1) class size research; (2) new careers for teachers; (3) minority teacher recruitment; and (4) restructuring of schools and school-based management. Directs the Secretary to make demonstration grants to LEAs having elementary and secondary schools with large classes in order to demonstrate the advantages of reducing the size of classes. Provides for the Federal share of such program payments. Gives priority to projects involving young students and at-risk students. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible recipients to pay the Federal share of costs of establishing and operating programs to attract minority candidates to teaching careers. Makes eligible for such grants consortia of institutions of higher education and LEAs working with the State educational agency and the appropriate State or local teacher credentialing body. Provides that such grants shall be for two years, with up to three years of renewals, and awarded under a competitive bidding process. Allows grant funds to be used to pay tuition, release time, and child care stipends for program participants. Gives priority to programs focusing on recruitment of minorities, and special consideration to programs recruiting speakers of non-English languages who have been trained as teachers in their home countries or individuals already employed in an LEA. Authorizes the Secretary to pay the Federal share of making grants to carry out programs and activities to: (1) improve recruitment and training opportunities for minority, including language minority, individuals in education; and (2) increase the number of minority, including language minority, teachers in elementary and secondary schools. Sets forth application requirements and authorized uses of such funds by LEAs, higher education institutions, SEAs, State higher education agencies, and community-based organizations. Establishes a program of grants for planning and implementing the restructuring of school organization, school management, or instructional programs in elementary and secondary schools. Authorizes the Secretary to make such grants, on a competitive basis and for a three-year period, to such schools, LEAs, and consortia of such schools or LEAs (with or without nonprofit organizations with relevant experience). Requires grant applications to include a plan for widespread consultation with parents, community members, school system employees, and the private sector in planning and implementing such school restructuring. Requires a school restructuring implementation plan prior to the second grant year. Requires broad geographic distribution in grant awards with special consideration for restructing plans which benefit: (1) students or a school with below-average academic performance; and (2) eligible entities serving a large number of minority or disadvantaged students. Sets the Federal share at 50 percent, and requires that at least 50 percent of the non-Federal share come from nongovernmental sources. Authorizes appropriations in increased amounts for FY 1992 through 1996 to carry out the Fund for the Improvement and Reform of Schools and Teaching Act. Sets a maximum limit on the reservation of a portion of such funds to carry out family-school partnership programs. Title IV: Studies and Evaluations - Part A: Teacher Job Bank Study and Demonstration - Directs the Secretary, through the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), to study the feasibility of establishing: (1) a clearinghouse to operate a national teacher job bank; and (2) regional clearinghouses composed of several SEAs to test the teacher job bank concept. Directs the Secretary, through OERI, to contract with one or more State entities, nonprofit organizations, or institutions of higher education to pay the Federal share of the costs of establishing a Teacher Job Bank Clearinghouse as a national demonstration on a regional basis. Part B: Study of Pension Portability - Directs the Secretary, through OERI, to conduct a pension portability study of the feasibility of permitting teachers and administrators to transport pension benefits among States and LEAs. Part C: Study of Alternative Ways to Increase Minority Participation in the Teaching Profession - Directs the Secretary to study, and report on, alternative ways to increase minority participation in the teaching profession, focusing on: (1) barriers to entry into the profession for qualified minority group members; (2) options for addressing such barriers; (3) alternative assessment mechanisms; and (4) possibilities for increasing the supply of minority teachers. Part D: Miscellaneous Provisions - Requires evaluations of and reports on the following programs: (1) the student loan forgiveness for teachers demonstration; (2) Teacher Corps; (3) national teacher academies; (4) professional development schools; (5) the class size research and demonstration project; (6) the new careers for teachers demonstration; (7) the minority teacher recruitment demonstration; and (8) the restructuring of schools and school-based management demonstration. Part E: Authorization of Appropriations - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 1996 to carry out this title.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1991
National Energy Policy Act of 1991 - Establishes as national goals: (1) the identification of an appropriate mix of policies that have the potential of stabilizing and reducing the generation of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the United States; and (2) the promotion of international cooperation in addressing potential global climate change through the establishment of an international framework convention on global climate change. Title I: Energy Policy Initiatives - Mandates that the first National Energy Policy Plan submitted by the President to the Congress (and each subsequent Plan) include a least-cost energy strategy prepared by the Secretary of Energy (the Secretary). Prescribes strategy guidelines. Amends the Energy Security Act to repeal energy target provisions. Directs the Secretary to appoint a Director of Climate Protection within the Department of Energy to participate in: (1) global climate change policy considerations; and (2) least-cost energy strategy considerations. Requires the Director to contract with the National Research Council for the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering (the Academies) to review and report to the Congress on trends in greenhouse gases and global climate change. Requires a report to the Office and the Congress. Requires the President to transmit to the Congress his assessment of such report. Title II: Energy Efficiency Initiatives - Requires the Secretary to: (1) submit periodic evaluations to the Congress regarding energy efficiency policy options necessary to produce certain percentage decreases in U.S. energy use; (2) pursue a research and development program intended to improve energy efficiency and productivity in energy-intensive industries and industrial processes; (3) undertake joint ventures to encourage commercialization of technologies developed from such program; and (4) conduct competitive solicitation for joint venture proposals and provide financial assistance to such ventures. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 1994. Amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act (NECPA) to set a deadline by which each Federal agency must: (1) install energy conservation measures in its Federal buildings with specified payback periods; (2) submit a list of projects to the Secretary which meets such payback criterion and indicates total energy and cost savings involved; and (3) have substantially completed at least 25 percent of such projects as would account for 25 percent of total energy savings. Directs the Secretary to develop guidelines in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the Administrator of the General Services Administration with respect to the selection of energy service contractors. Sets forth a deadline by which: (1) each Federal agency must consider the energy efficiency of all potential building space at the time of lease renewal or entering into a lease; and (2) all federally owned and leased space under construction must meet model Federal building standards for energy efficiency. Amends the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Technology Competitiveness Act of 1989 to direct the Secretary to solicit proposals and provide financial assistance for joint ventures in fuel cell technology to demonstrate critical enabling technologies to accelerate commercialization of electric energy production from fuel cells. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the NECPA to repeal the prohibition against the supply and installation of residential energy conservation measures by utilities. Directs the Secretary to provide financial assistance to support a voluntary, national window rating program to develop window energy ratings and labels. Directs the Federal Trade Commission to prescribe labeling rules for windows and window systems. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 1994. Directs the Administrator of the Energy Information Administration to report to the Congress regarding the acquisition of energy efficiency information. Requires the Secretary to: (1) submit a feasibility report to the Congress regarding the mandatory use in Federal facilities of compact fluorescent lamps instead of incandescent lamps; and (2) submit a plan to the Congress for the demonstration in Federal facilities of energy efficiency technologies that are ready for commercial demonstration but are not widely available commercially. Amends the NECPA to direct the Secretary to: (1) promulgate procedural guidelines enabling the States to assign energy efficiency ratings to residential buildings; and (2) establish a technical assistance program to State and local governments adopting energy efficiency rating systems or building codes. Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) to mandate that State regulatory commissions consider a least-cost ratemaking standard under which utility investments in demand-side measures shall be as profitable as investments in new generation facilities (thus creating an economic incentive for utilities to promote residential energy conservation measures). Requires the Secretary to report to the President and the Congress an evaluation of: (1) the results of least-cost planning methodologies implemented by electric utilities; and (2) the extent to which ratemaking methodologies implementing least-cost planning take into account the impact of such measures on electric utilities' profitability. Amends the NECPA to require the Secretary to: (1) conduct a fuel cell systems demonstration program in Federal buildings; and (2) report to the Congress on the program's implementation. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 1994. Title III: Energy Research and Development Initiatives - Requires the Secretary to: (1) consider specified criteria when establishing research and development priorities; (2) biennially submit to the Congress a management plan for research, development, and commercialization of energy technologies; (3) implement an engine and vehicle fuel research and demonstration program on systems that offer a potential reduction in the generation of greenhouse gases, and that improve transportation energy uses; and (4) emphasize advanced gas turbine cycles (and their incorporation of energy efficient materials for high efficiency electric and automotive power generation) when implementing a high efficiency heat engine research, demonstration, and commercialization program. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 1994. Directs the Secretary to conduct a natural gas cofiring research, development, and demonstration program with respect to electric utility units and large industrial boilers. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Secretary to establish within the Department of Energy a program to develop technologies to a point where private industry will undertake further commercial development. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to conduct demonstration programs regarding: (1) magnetic and inertial confinement fusion for the production of electricity; and (2) coal-based technologies. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 1994. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements or joint ventures with certain urban area transit authorities to demonstrate the feasibility of using natural gas or other alternative mass transit fuels. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 1994. Directs the Secretary to implement and finance a fleet vehicle program for the commercialization of natural gas and other alternative fuels. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 1994. Directs the Secretary of Labor to implement a technician training and certification program for the conversion of conventionally fueled vehicles to natural gas and alternative fuels. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 1994. Directs the Secretary to conduct or expand the following demonstration programs: (1) specified aspects of improved natural gas and alternative fueled vehicle technology; (2) increased availability of natural gas from specified sources; (3) natural gas and electric heating and cooling technologies for residential and commercial buildings; and (4) electric vehicle and battery technology. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 1994. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress the results of an assessment of the statutory, economic, and regulatory barriers to expanded hydroelectric capacity development at existing dams. Electric Vehicle Technology Development and Demonstration Act of 1991 - Requires the Secretary to: (1) identify by a specified deadline the nonattainment areas in which conventionally fueled vehicles contribute significantly to that nonattainment and in which the use of electric vehicles could contribute to attainment of National Air Quality Standards; (2) designate nonattainment areas eligible to participate in a specified electric vehicle research and demonstration program; (3) report to the Congress on the program's status; and (4) report to the Congress on the extent to which nuclear fission generated electricity can safely and reliably supply electricity and reduce greenhouse gases. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 1994. Title IV: Miscellaneous - Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress on: (1) specified aspects of methane generation; (2) measures that could reduce atmospheric methane concentrations from sources within the United States; and (3) methane emissions from countries other than the United States. Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to establish an interagency working group known as the Committee on Renewable Energy Commerce and Trade (CORECT) to recommend coordinated Federal actions and programs promoting the export of U.S. renewable energy and energy efficiency products and technologies. Authorizes the Committee to establish renewable energy industry information outreach offices in the Pacific Rim and the Caribbean Basin. Mandates that a program established by the Secretary of Commerce for enhancing commerce in renewable energy technologies shall provide for an information program regarding: (1) the specific energy technology needs of lesser developed countries; (2) the technical and economic competitiveness of various renewable energy and energy efficiency resources technologies; and (3) the status of ongoing technology assistance programs. Requires the Secretary to report biennially to the Congress concerning the range of environmental and energy technologies necessary to meet the energy needs of developing countries. Mandates that a certain management plan required under the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Technology Competitiveness Act of 1989 include a five-year implementation plan for joint ventures with U.S. manufacturers (including assistance to smaller manufacturers) for the development and marketing of energy efficient and renewable energy technologies in key lesser-developed countries. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 1994. Directs the Secretary to report to the Congress the results of a comparative fuel cycle cost analysis with respect to the United States, Europe, and Asia. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 to establish a secretariat within the Department of State to prepare for the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. Title V: Natural Resource Policy - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of ecological and environmental resources that could be affected by global climate change. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to report to the President and the Congress on the feasibility of a National Reforestation Initiative. Directs the Secretary of Energy to transmit to the Congress a study of the potential for reducing carbon dioxide emissions by undertaking targeted urban tree and vegetative plantings, including landscaping and the use of natural windbreaks designed to reduce the air conditioning and heating needs of buildings.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require that payment under a life insurance contract on the life of an insured who is terminally ill be treated as a death benefit, making such payment eligible for tax exclusion from gross income. Provides that any reference to life insurance shall be treated as referring to a qualified terminal illness rider. Provides for the tax treatment of such riders. Describes such a rider as one which provides for payments to an individual upon the insured's becoming terminally ill. Provides that applicants for or recipients of assistance under the Social Security Act may not be required to elect to receive accelerated death benefits under life insurance policies.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1991
Recognizes the 200th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and Portugal. Asserts the continued friendship and cooperation between the peoples of such countries. Authorizes and requests the President to issue a proclamation recognizing the bicentennial of United States and Portuguese diplomatic relations.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 1991
Motor Vehicle Fuel Efficiency Act - Amends the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act to establish average fuel economy standards for passenger automobiles and automobiles other than passenger automobiles (light trucks) (for model years 1996 and thereafter). Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (Secretary), to modify such standards for model year 1996 and thereafter. Directs the Secretary, in response to petitions filed at least 12 months in advance of the model year, to conduct a rulemaking proceeding to determine whether to increase or decrease such standard to a level that is the maximum feasible average fuel economy for that model year, except that such standard shall not be reduced below a level equal to the average fuel economy achieved by the manufacturer of such vehicle for model year 1988, as multiplied by a specified percentage. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to report annually to specified congressional committees on a study which: (1) examines the accuracy of fuel economy testing of passenger automobiles and light trucks; and (2) assesses the extent to which fuel economy deteriorates during the lifetime of such vehicles. Directs the Secretary of Energy to distribute at least 100 explanatory booklets each year to every dealer and additional numbers if requested. Requires the Secretary to provide for a review and report to the Congress by the National Academy of Sciences on the current state of research and development in light truck fuel economy and passenger automobile fuel economy and an assessment of the potential for improving the fuel efficiency and reducing the energy consumption of passenger automobiles and light trucks. Requires the Secretary of Energy to study and report to the Congress on the future options for regulating the fuel efficiency of such vehicles beyond 2001. Provides for the judicial review of average fuel economy standards (including modifications thereof) established under this Act. Doubles the civil penalty for repeated violations of the fuel economy standard. Requires such penalty to be adjusted for inflation.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 1991
Directs the Secretary of Defense to make grants to eligible local educational agencies in order to provide: (1) individual and group counseling for children and other family members of military personnel who have been deployed in connection with, or are casualties of, an armed conflict; (2) training and technical assistance for teachers and other school employees to prepare them to address questions and concerns of children of such military personnel; and (3) other appropriate programs, services, and information to address the special needs of such children and other family members of such military personnel resulting from their deployment, return, or resultant medical or rehabilitation needs. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to make grants to appropriate nonprofit organizations (such as the YMCA and Red Cross) that enter into an agreement with the Secretary to furnish family support services to families of military personnel: (1) living in an area outside of a U.S. military installation in which there is a significant concentration of families of members of the reserve serving on active duty in connection with the Persian Gulf; or (2) living at or in the vicinity of an installation or facility of the Department of Defense where there is a demonstrated need to increase case-managed family support services for families of military personnel deployed in connection with a current armed conflict or to consolidate the furnishing of such services through a family support center at such facility. Outlines other grant uses and conditions. Requires funds made available to a military family support center to be used to increase the availability of case-managed family support services at such facility or installation. Provides a $50,000 minimum for each grant. Limits to 15 percent of the grant the amount which may be used to provide actual notice to appropriate military families of the availability of family support services from the grant recipients. Authorizes appropriations. Allows a reserve member called to active duty in connection with the Persian Gulf conflict and covered at the time of such call under an employer-provided group health insurance plan for the member and his or her family to elect to continue coverage under the employer-provided plan in lieu of being provided interim coverage while on active duty under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS). Requires the Secretary of Defense, in the case of such an election, to reimburse the private employer for the cost of continued coverage during the member's period of active duty. Requires the employer to provide continued coverage under the private plan for the beneficiaries of such reserve personnel, unless the plan for all employees of the employer is discontinued. Requires the Secretary to apply requirements and limitations similar to those applicable to the continuation coverage of group health plans under the Internal Revenue Code. States that all direct or discretionary spending contained in this Act is to be considered emergency expenditures related to Operation Desert Shield for purposes of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act).
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