United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1991
High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 - Declares that this Act does not apply to computer systems that process classified information or are used in connection with certain defense purposes. Allows Federal agencies and departments to procure prototype or early production models of new high-performance computer systems and subsystems to stimulate hardware and software development. Amends the National Science and Technology Policy, Organization, and Priorities Act of 1976 to direct the President, through the Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology (Council), to develop and implement a National High-Performance Computing Plan, to be submitted to the Congress within one year of this Act's enactment and revised at least biennially. Requires the plan to recommend a five-year proposal of goals and priorities for a Federal high-performance computing program. Describes required plan contents, including funding requirements, roles for various Federal agencies, and establishment of a national multi-gigabits-per-second computer network (to be known as the National Research and Education Network (Network). Requires the Plan to take into consideration the activities of the Library of Congress. Designates the Council as the lead entity responsible for development and implementation of the plan, directing it to coordinate related activities among Federal agencies and departments and review budget estimates. Directs the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to establish a High-Performance Computing Advisory Panel to provide the Council with an assessment of the plan. Directs each Federal entity involved in high-performance computing to submit, as part of its annual budget request, a report on the role of its activities with regard to the plan and relevant budget requests. Instructs the Chairman of the Council to submit to the President and to the Congress, by March 1 annually, a report on plan achievements and progress. Requires the National Science Foundation (NSF) to provide for the establishment of the Network by 1996 to link government, industry, and the education community. Designates the Department of Defense, through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, as the lead agency for research and development of advanced fiber optics technology, switches, and protocols needed to develop the Network. Gives to the NSF, within the Federal Government, the primary responsibility for connecting colleges, universities, and libraries to the Network. Directs the Council to carry out certain functions, including: (1) developing goals and strategies; (2) identifying the roles of Federal agencies and departments; and (3) overseeing the Network's operation and evolution. Requires the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to adopt standards and guidelines to provide interoperability, common user interfaces, and enhanced security for the Network. Authorizes the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Defense, the Department of Commerce, the Department of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Environmental Protection Agency to allow Federal research grant recipients to use grant funds to pay for computer networking. Requires the Director of the OSTP to report to the Congress on specified matters, including: (1) funding mechanisms for the Network, including user fees, industry support, and continued Federal investment; (2) a plan for the eventual commercialization of the Network; (3) charging commercial information service providers for Network access; (4) charging Network users for commercial services; (5) the technological feasibility of allowing commercial services to use the Network and other federally-funded networks; (6) copyright protection; and (7) resource security and user privacy. Requires the NSF to provide funding to enable researchers to access supercomputers. Sets forth other responsibilities of the NSF, including promoting development of information services that could be provided over the Network. Authorizes appropriations to the NSF for the purposes of this Act. Requires the NASA to continue to conduct basic and applied research in high-performance computing, with specified emphases. Authorizes appropriations to NASA for the purposes of this Act. Requires the NIST to: (1) adopt standards and guidelines, and develop measurement techniques and test methods, for the interoperability of high-performance computers in networks and for common user interfaces to systems; and (2) develop benchmark tests and standards for high performance computers and software. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to conduct a study regarding the impact of Federal procurement regulations which require that contractors providing software to the Federal Government share the rights to proprietary software development tools that the contractors used to develop the software.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1991
Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to submit to the Congress monthly reports on Department of Defense obligations and expenditures to carry out Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm and on financial contributions made to the United States by foreign countries in support of each Operation.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 1991
Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1990 and 1991 to extend vocational and technical education and training benefits to any member of the Selected Reserve or National Guard who agrees to a six-year service commitment any time after July 1, 1985 (currently, October 1, 1990).
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1991
Authorizes the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity to establish a memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr., in the District of Columbia and its environs. Prohibits the United States from paying any expense of establishing the memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1991
Amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to modify the ban on honoraria to allow Federal officers and employees, other than Representatives in, or Delegates or Resident Commissioners to, the Congress and noncareer officers and employees whose rate of basic pay exceeds GS-15, to receive an honorarium for an article in a bona fide publication, a speech, or an appearance if: (1) the subject of the article, speech, or appearance and the reason for which the honorarium is paid is unrelated to the recipient's official duties or status; and (2) the party offering the honorarium has no interests that may be substantially affected by the performance or nonperformance of the recipient's official duties. Prohibits the amount of such honorarium accepted from exceeding the usual and customary fee for the services for which the honorarium is paid, up to $2,000. Subjects the acceptance of any honorarium to financial disclosure under the Ethics in Government Act of 1978. Extends the period within which the Clerk of the House or the Secretary of the Senate must send a copy of each financial disclosure report filed by a Member or candidate to the appropriate State officer designated under the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 1991
Agent Orange Act of 1991 - Presumes the following diseases to be service-connected and resulting from exposure to dioxins and other herbicide agents during service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era unless there is affirmative evidence to the contrary: (1) non-Hodgkins lymphoma, each soft-tissue sarcoma (with certain exceptions), and chloracne or other consistent acneform diseases becoming manifest to a degree of disability of ten percent or more; and (2) those additional diseases that the Secretary determines warrant such a presumption by reason of having a positive association with a herbicide agent, if they become manifest within the appropriate period. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to prescribe regulations providing that a presumption of service connection is warranted whenever it is determined by the Secretary that a positive association exists between the exposure of humans to a herbicide agent and the occurrence of a disease in humans. Requires the Secretary to take into account reports received from the National Academy of Sciences, as well as other sound medical and scientific information. Outlines procedures to be followed by the Secretary in weighing evidence, reporting information, and making conclusions for or against the positive association and, therefore, the service-connection presumption. Provides for the issuance of final regulations listing the diseases for which positive associations have been found or removing the presumption for a disease. Directs the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) under which NAS shall review and summarize the scientific evidence (and its strength) concerning the association between exposure to a herbicide agent during service in Vietnam and each disease suspected to be associated with such exposure. Provides for NAS: (1) scientific determinations concerning diseases; (2) recommendations for additional studies to resolve areas of uncertainty relating to herbicide exposure; (3) subsequent reviews; and (4) reports, at least biennially, to the Secretary and the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees (the veterans' committees). Terminates the agreement ten years after the fiscal year of the first report from NAS. Directs the Secretary to enter into an agreement with another body if the Secretary cannot reach an agreement with NAS within two months after enactment of this Act. Amends the Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 1988 to direct the Secretary to annually furnish updated information on health risks associated with exposure to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era. Extends through 1993 the eligibility for hospital, nursing home, or domiciliary care and medical treatment of individuals who served in Vietnam and who have been determined to have been exposed to dioxin or a toxic substance in a herbicide as the result of such service and of veterans exposed to ionizing radiation while serving between September 11, 1945 and July 1, 1946. Directs the Secretary to compile and analyze, on a continuing basis, all clinical data obtained by the Department of Veterans Affairs in connection with examinations and treatment furnished to veterans by the Department after November 3, 1981, for exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam and which is likely to be useful in determining the exposure to such agents and the disabilities suffered. Requires an annual report on such compilations and provides funding. Directs the Secretary, for facilitating research on the effects of exposure to herbicides used in Vietnam, to establish and maintain a system for the collection and storage of voluntarily contributed blood and tissue samples of veterans who served there. Provides for: (1) specimen security; (2) authorized uses; (3) limitations on acceptance of samples; and (4) authority based on specific funding. Directs the Secretary to establish a scientific research feasibility studies program for conducting research on health hazards resulting from: (1) exposure to dioxin; (2) exposure to other toxic agents in herbicides used in Vietnam; and (3) active military service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era. Outlines program and report requirements. Directs the Secretary to consult with NAS. Directs the Secretary, upon the request of a Vietnam veteran who has applied for Department medical care and filed a claim for, or is in receipt of, disability compensation, to obtain a blood sample to conduct a test for the presence of a specified dioxin. Provides for notification to the veteran of test results and significance and requires such blood sample to be maintained as part of the collection of blood and tissue samples required under this Act. Makes conforming amendments and provides for alternative effective dates.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 1991
Amends the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial National Military Park Expansion Act of 1989 to expand the boundaries of the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial National Military Park in Virginia to include specified lands.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 1991
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should fundamentally reassess the necessity of underground nuclear explosions and instruct his representatives to support a comprehensive test ban at the Limited Test Ban Treaty Amendment Conference, the Conference on Disarmament, and the bilateral nuclear testing negotiations.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1991
Older Americans' Freedom to Work Act of 1991 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to remove the limitation on the amount of outside income which beneficiaries who have attained retirement age may earn without incurring a reduction in benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1991
Spark M. Matsunaga Concurrent Payment of Retired Pay and Compensation Benefits Act - Permits retired members of the armed forces to be paid retirement pay concurrently with compensation for any service-connected disability if the person's entitlement to such retirement pay is based solely on: (1) age; (2) length of service; or (3) both. Reduces the amount of retirement pay, in the case of individuals receiving both types of pay, by a specified percentage of the disability compensation which decreases as the disability rating increases. Prohibits any reduction in the retirement pay of a disabled person when the disability rating is total.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permanently extend the period during which qualified mortgage bonds and mortgage credit certificates may be issued.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1991
Family and Medical Leave Act of 1991 - Title I: General Requirements for Leave - Establishes certain requirements for family and medical leave for permanent employees. (Excludes from such coverage: (1) employees at worksites at which the employer employs less than 50 persons, if the total number of employees of that employer within 75 miles of that worksite is less than 50; and (2) Federal officers and employees covered under title II of this Act.) Entitles employees to 12 workweeks of leave during any 12-month period because of: (1) the birth of their child; (2) the placement of a child for their adoption or foster care; (3) their care of a child, spouse, or parent who has a serious health condition; or (4) their own serious health condition which makes them unable to perform the functions of their position. Conditions such leave for the birth or placement of a child as follows: (1) the entitlement ends 12 months after the birth or placement; (2) both parents may not take such leave at the same time; and (3) such leave may not be taken intermittently unless employee and employer agree otherwise. Allows all leave to which an employee is entitled under this title: (1) to be taken on a reduced leave schedule, upon agreement with the employer; and (2) to consist of unpaid leave, except under specified conditions when substitution of certain types of paid leave may be elected or required. Declares that nothing in this Act shall require an employer to provide paid sick or medical leave in any situation in which the employer would not normally provide any such paid leave. Requires employees to: (1) give reasonable notice of the need for leave to which they are entitled under this Act, when foreseeable; and (2) make a reasonable effort to schedule medical treatment or supervision so as not to disrupt unduly the employer's operations, subject to approval of the health care provider. Allows limitation of the dual aggregate leave entitlement to 12 weeks in any 12-month period, in the case of spouses employed by the same employer, if such leave is for the birth or placement of a child or for the care of a sick parent. Sets forth conditions of certification for leave entitlements under this Act, including provisions relating to: (1) sufficient certification; (2) explanation of inability to perform job functions; (3) second opinion; (4) resolution of conflicting opinions; and (5) subsequent recertification. Sets forth employment and benefits protections relating to leave entitlements under this Act, including provisions relating to: (1) restoration to position; and (2) maintenance of health benefits. Prohibits employers or other persons from interfering with employee rights under this Act or from discriminating against any individual because of participation in proceedings or inquiries under this Act. Provides for administrative enforcement of this title by the Secretary of Labor, as well as enforcement by civil action. Sets forth provisions for investigative authority, injunctive and monetary relief, attorneys' fees, and limitation of actions. Sets forth special rules concerning employees of local educational agencies, including provisions relating to intermittent leave for instructional employees, periods near the completion of an academic term, and reduction of liability. Requires employers to post notice of the pertinent provisions of this title. Requires fines for willful violations of such requirement. Directs the Secretary of Labor to prescribe regulations to carry out this title. Title II: Leave for Civil Service Employees - Amends specified Federal law to entitle civil service employees to family and temporary medical leave for specified periods. Allows such employees up to: (1) 12 workweeks in any 12-month period for family leave (i.e., leave because of the birth or placement of a child or care of a sick child or parent), but such leave may not be used at a time more than 12 months after such birth or placement; and (2) 12 workweeks during any 12-month period for temporary medical leave. Provides that such leave will be without pay. Allows employees to substitute other types of paid leave for part of such leave. Provides for protection for job position and health insurance benefits of employees using such leave. Sets forth certification provisions and prohibitions against coercion. Directs the Office of Personnel Management to prescribe regulations for administration of this title which are consistent with the regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Labor under title I of this Act. Title III: Commission on Leave - Establishes the Commission on Leave. Requires the Commission to report on its study of family and medical leave (which may include legislative recommendations concerning coverage of small businesses and alternative and equivalent State enforcement of this Act with respect to employees of local educational agencies) to the Congress within two years after the Commission first meets. Terminates the Commission within 30 days after its report to the Congress. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Sets forth the effect of this Act on existing laws and existing employment benefits. Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to discourage employers from adopting more generous leave policies. Directs the Secretary of Labor to prescribe regulations to carry out this title within 60 days.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1991
Freedom of Choice Act of 1991 - Provides that a State may not restrict the right of a woman to choose to terminate a pregnancy: (1) before fetal viability; or (2) at any time, if such termination is necessary to protect the life or health of the woman. Allows a State to impose requirements medically necessary to protect the life or health of such women.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1991
Designates the Arctic Coastal Plain Wilderness within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1991
Amends Federal law to increase the Federal payments in lieu of taxes to units of local government for entitlement land. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to adjust such payments by the rate of inflation according to the Consumer Price Index.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income the value of any subsidy provided by a public utility to a customer for the purchase or installation of energy or water conservation measures.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1991
Veterans' and Survivors' Compensation Indexing Act - Requires annual cost-of-living increases in the rates of veterans' disability compensation, dependency and indemnity compensation, and in the clothing allowance for disabled veterans. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to publish such new rates in the Federal Register. Authorizes the Secretary to adjust administratively the rates of disability compensation payable to persons who are not in receipt of compensation for service-connected disability or death.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1991
Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform Act of 1991 - Title I: Reduction of Special Interest Influence - Subtitle A: Elimination of Political Action Committees from Federal Election Activities - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to: (1) revise the definition of a "political committee" to delete references to any separate segregated fund and any committee, club, association, or group which receives contributions or makes expenditures annually totaling over $1,000 and to include any national, State, or district committee of a political party, including any subordinate committee thereof, and any committee jointly established by such committees or by any local committee as defined under current law for joint fundraising activities; (2) repeal provisions excluding nonpartisan registration and get-out-the-vote campaigns and the establishment of, and solicitation of contributions for, a separate segregated fund from the definition of a "contribution or expenditure" by a national bank, corporation, or labor organization; and (3) prohibit making, soliciting, or receiving contributions or making expenditures to influence a Federal election by any person other than an individual or a political committee. Specifies that if such prohibition is not in effect: (1) it and the other amendments made by this Act to the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 regarding such definitions shall not be in effect and prior law will be reinstated; and (2) political action committees not connected to corporations, labor organizations, or trade associations will be subject to a $1,000 contribution limit. Deems any political committee which is established, financed, maintained, or controlled by any candidate or Federal officeholder to be an authorized committee of such candidate or officeholder for purposes of limitations on contributions to a candidate's committees. Subtitle B: Ban on Soft Money in Federal Elections - Bans the use of soft money (any amount raised or contributed outside of source restrictions, contribution limits, and disclosure requirements of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971) to influence any Federal election. Requires the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to issue regulations providing a method for allocating the contributions and expenditures for any mixed activity between Federal and non-Federal accounts. Sets forth guidelines for such allocation which include the establishment of minimum percentages of Federal funds for activities designed to contact voters in connection with elections for Federal and non-Federal office. Requires each treasurer of a political committee to keep an account of, and file reports disclosing, each account maintained by such committee. Includes political committees among those entities eligible to receive contributions or expenditures by national banks, corporations, or labor organizations. Permits a labor organization, upon reinstatement of prior law regarding certain political activities not considered to be contributions or expenditures, to make political communications and establish and solicit contributions for a separate segregated political fund if it: (1) provides the employees it represents with written notification of specified information at least once annually; (2) provides such employees with an annual examination by an independent certified public accountant of its financial statements which verify its costs for representation services; and (3) maintains certain procedures regarding the cost of such representation. Requires a labor organization which does not follow such requirements to finance those communications expressly advocating the election or defeat of any clearly identified candidate for elective public office as well as the other political activities not considered to be contributions or expenditures with funds legally collected under this Act for its separate segregated fund. Imposes Federal limits on contributions to: (1) political organizations maintained by a candidate for Federal office which are not political committees of a national, State, or local party; and (2) State and local party committees. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny tax-exempt status for an organization: (1) which devotes any of its operating budget to voter registration, get-out-the-vote campaigns, or participation in political campaign activities; (2) on whose behalf a candidate or an authorized committee thereof solicits contributions; or (3) which intervenes or participates in any political campaign on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate for Federal office. Subtitle C: Other Activities - Reduces from $1,000 to $500 the maximum contribution allowed to any candidate for Federal office (other than a candidate for President or Vice President) by a person residing outside the State with respect to which such candidate seeks Federal office. Maintains the current $1,000 limitation for contributions to any candidate for President or Vice President or to any candidate for Federal office by a person residing within the State with respect to which such candidate seeks Federal office. Provides for periodic indexing of such limitations according to the consumer price index. Excludes costs of campaign materials and general research activities paid by national committees of a political party from the definition of "expenditure and contribution" under the same conditions currently provided for such payments by State or local committees of a political party. Exempts contributions to political party committees from the $25,000 annual limit. Prohibits: (1) any intermediary or conduit from delivering or arranging to have delivered contributions from more than two persons who are employees of the same employer or members of the same labor organization; and (2) lobbyists from acting as an intermediary or conduit with respect to a contribution to a candidate for Federal office. Sets forth disclosure requirements for independent expenditures through broadcast communications on any radio or television station. Provides that an expenditure is not an independent expenditure where the person making an expenditure is in coordination, consultation, or concert with a candidate. Requires the FEC to provide a hearing within three days after receiving a complaint alleging that an independent expenditure was made in cooperation, consultation, or concert with a candidate. Provides for expedited judicial review for any matter relating to the making of an independent expenditure. Title II: Increase of Competition in Politics - Allows the congressional campaign committee or the senatorial campaign committee of a national political party to make contributions to a candidate for Federal office (other than President or Vice President) who does not hold Federal office which in the aggregate do not exceed the lesser of: (1) $100,000; or (2) the aggregate contributions made during the election cycle preceding the primary election by an individual who, at the time such contributions are made, is a resident of the State in which the election with respect to which such contributions are made is to be held. Prohibits such a contribution from being treated as an expenditure by a national committee, State committee, or subordinate committee, of a State committee in connection with the general election campaign of a candidate for Federal office. Prohibits a holder of Federal office from transferring any amounts received as contributions or other campaign funds to any account maintained for purposes of defraying ordinary and necessary expenses in connection with the duties of such office. Requires a candidate, within 15 days of qualifying for a primary election ballot, to file with the FEC and each other qualifying candidate a declaration stating whether or not such candidate intends to expend for the primary and general election an amount exceeding $250,000 from: (1) personal funds; (2) family funds; and (3) personal loans incurred in connection with the campaign for election. Allows the opponents of such candidate to accept larger contribution amounts from individuals. Requires a candidate who files a declaration of intent not to expend more than $250,000 and who subsequently does exceed such amount, to file an amended declaration within 24 hours after exceeding such amount. Allows a candidate to repay any expenditure or personal loan incurred in connection with the candidate's election to Federal office from contributions made to such candidate or any authorized committee of such candidate. Prohibits: (1) repayment of any interest on the principal of such loan or the amount of such expenditure; and (2) repayment from any such contributions received after the general election to which the expenditure or loan relates. Prohibits franked mass mailings by: (1) Members of Congress during the year in which they are candidates for reelection; (2) Members of, or Members-elect to, the House during the year in which they are candidates for any other public office; or (3) Members of the Senate during the year in which they are candidates for any other public office. Requires Members of Congress using franked mass mailings to register such mailings annually with the Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of the House of Representatives who shall make such mailing available for public inspection along with a description of the persons to whom the mass mailing was mailed. Amends rule XL of the Standing Rules of the Senate to prohibit the use of franked mass mail by a Senator or an individual who is a candidate for nomination for election, or election, to the Senate during the year in which the Senator is a candidate for public office or the individual is a candidate for the Senate. Revises provisions with respect to congressional reapportionment and redistricting so that the number of persons in congressional districts within each State shall be as nearly equal as practicable, as determined under the most recent decennial census. Prohibits congressional districts from being established with the intent and effect of diluting the voting strength of any persons or members of any political party. Requires district boundaries to avoid the division of counties and minimize the division of cities and other political subdivisions. Establishes expedited Federal judicial review procedures of the redistricting process, giving Federal district courts exclusive jurisdiction. Amends the Federal criminal code to prescribe criminal penalties to be imposed against anyone who uses any facility of, or affects, interstate or foreign commerce to deprive or defraud the inhabitants of a State or political subdivision of: (1) the honest services of a government official or employee; or (2) a fair and impartially conducted election process through the use of fraudulent ballots or voter registration forms or the filing of fraudulent campaign reports to secure the election of an official who, if elected, would have authority over the administration of funds derived from an Act of the Congress totalling $10,000 or more for a year before or after the election or offense. Prescribes criminal penalties to be imposed against anyone who deprives or defrauds the inhabitants of the United States of the honest services of a public official. Prescribes criminal penalties to be imposed upon any official who: (1) uses interstate commerce to deprive or defraud the inhabitants of any State or political subdivision of the right to have government affairs conducted on the basis of complete, true, and accurate information; or (2) in order to carry out or conceal any scheme or artifice to defraud, discriminates, harasses, or takes adverse action against any employee or official of the United States or any State or political subdivision. Authorizes such an adversely affected employee or official to obtain relief through a civil action, providing such person did not participate in the scheme or artifice. Amends mail fraud provisions to prohibit the use of any facility of interstate or foreign commerce in the execution of a scheme or artifice to defraud. Title III: Reduction of Campaign Costs - Sets forth congressional findings regarding discounts for political broadcasts. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to: (1) limit the cost to qualified candidates of broadcasting time for pre-election political advertising to the lowest rate charged for any time in the same period; and (2) prohibit any broadcast licensee from preempting the use of any such time purchased by a qualified candidate. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Subtitle A: Federal Election Commission Enforcement Authority - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to revise the enforcement provisions. Changes the determination the FEC must make upon receiving a complaint, before notifying the person of an alleged violation. Authorizes the FEC to seek an injunction if: (1) it believes that there is a substantial likelihood that a violation of Federal election laws is occurring or about to occur; (2) the failure to act expeditiously will result in irreparable harm; (3) such expeditious action will not cause undue harm or prejudice to the interests of others; and (4) the public interest would be best served by such an injunction. Reduces the period provided for the FEC to attempt informally to prevent or correct a violation of such Act from 90 to 60 days. Requires the FEC to make such an attempt for a period of no more than 15 days, if the violation occurs within 45 days of an election. Provides greater penalties for knowing and willful violations committed within 15 days of any election. Changes from discretionary to mandatory the requirement that the FEC, upon an affirmative vote of four of its members, institute a civil action if it is unable to correct or prevent a violation of such Act. Requires a court in such civil action to grant a specified remedy upon a showing that the person involved has committed or is about to commit a violation of such Act. Provides a private right of action if, by a tie vote, the FEC does not vote to institute a civil action. Requires a court to impose a specified civil penalty for a knowing and willful violation of such Act. Expedites from 120 days to 60 days the time which an aggrieved party must wait before seeking judicial redress because the FEC dismissed, or failed to reasonably pursue, a complaint filed by such party. Allows the aggrieved party to file an action in any U.S. district court having jurisdiction. Requires that any monetary award under such action be paid to the United States. Provides for a mandatory award of attorney fees and costs to the prevailing party. Increases the penalties for violation of the confidentiality requirement with respect to any notification or investigation made under such Act. Removes the ceiling on the fine for any person who willfully and knowingly commits a violation of such Act which involves any contribution or expenditure aggregating $2,000 or more during a calendar year. Directs the FEC to establish time limitations for its investigation and to publish an index of all of its investigations. Establishes procedures for initial determinations and probable cause determinations by the FEC. Eliminates the en banc hearing requirement for constitutional questions regarding such Act. Subtitle B: Other Provisions - Requires each treasurer of a political committee to file reports disclosing for the reporting period the terms of any settlement agreement or any security or collateral agreement entered into with respect to a loan or other debt as evidenced by a copy of such agreement filed as part of the report. Includes any gift subscription, loan, advance, or deposit of money made for the purpose of drafting a clearly identified individual as a candidate for Federal office or encouraging a clearly identified individual to become a candidate for Federal office within the definition of "contribution." Requires such a contribution to be treated, with respect to the individual involved, as a contribution to a candidate, whether or not the individual becomes a candidate for purposes of limitations on contributions and expenditures.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to declare that any individual who performed Desert Shield services (and the individual's spouse) shall be entitled to an extension of time for performing certain tax-related acts by reason of service in a combat zone. Allows the payment of interest on any overpayments due such individuals starting April 15. (Generally, interest will be paid only on refunds made more than 45 days after a return is filed.) Applies the time extension granted by this Act to individuals during any period of continuous hospitalization.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1991
Veterans Compensation Rates Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 1991 - Increases the rates of compensation, dependency and indemnity compensation, and the clothing allowance payable to veterans with service-connected disabilities and their survivors. Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to adjust administratively the rates of disability compensation payable to persons who are not in receipt of compensation for service-connected disability or death.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1991
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to increase the amount of outside income which beneficiaries who have attained retirement age may earn without incurring a reduction in benefits. Removes such income limitation thereafter. Accelerates the effective dates of increases in the delayed retirement credit rate for individuals who work beyond retirement age.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1991
Constitutional Amendment - Declares that equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 1990
Directs the Secretary of Energy to establish a replacement fuels development program which: (1) promotes the replacement of gasoline as a motor fuel with alternative motor fuels; (2) ensures the availability of replacement and alternative motor fuels; and (3) will have the greatest impact in improving air quality in urban areas, along transportation corridors, and nationwide. Prescribes program guidelines. Requires the Secretary to establish optimal replacement and alternative motor fuel production goals for 1996 and 1997 and to report to the Congress about program status. Prescribes minimum percentages of domestically produced replacement fuel to be sold in specified calendar years. Sets a deadline by which the Secretary must prescribe the minimum percentage of domestically produced replacement and alternative fuel which must be contained in the total annual gasoline sales by refiners for motor fuel use in certain years. Requires refiners and manufacturers to report annually to the Secretary regarding the amount of domestically produced replacement and alternative fuel sold. Requires the Secretary to promulgate regulations by a specified deadline regarding the exchange of marketable credits among: (1) refiners; (2) manufacturers of replacement fuels; and (3) distributors of alternative motor fuels sold in commerce for transportation purposes. Amends the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act with respect to average fuel economy standards to require the Secretary to not consider the fuel economy of alcohol powered automobiles or natural gas powered automobiles, and to consider dual energy automobiles and natural gas dual energy automobiles operated on gasolines and diesel fuel, to the extent that alternative motor fuel sales indicate that such fuels are being used to displace the use of gasoline and diesel fuel as a transportation fuel. Establishes civil penalties for violations of this Act. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Secretary to issue regulations requiring gasoline retailers to have replacement motor fuels and nonpetroleum motor fuels to sell for the transportation needs of consumers. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to report to the Congress on the environmental impact potential of developing replacement fuels and nonpetroleum motor fuels.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 1990
Wetlands and Green Space Preservation Assistance Act of 1990 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for determining the environmental use value of sensitive environmental areas for estate tax purposes. Requires the estate to grant an environmental preservation easement for a period of ten years after the death of the decedent. Imposes an additional estate tax if an heir fails to maintain the easement.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 1990
Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act Amendments of 1990 - Amends the Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act of 1940 (the Act) 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 premises 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 the Act to include a power of attorney that by its terms expires after August 2, 1990. Provides professional liability protection for persons ordered to active duty after August 1, 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 goes to 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 disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty. Provides reemployment rights for all reservists (currently, only those serving on active duty for not more than 90 days) upon their return from any active duty other than for training.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 1990
Recognizes the important part the Alaska Highway played in the defense of our Nation and the settling of Alaska and the ever-important role it will inevitably play in our future. States that this highway should be maintained in a condition that encourages people throughout the Nation to travel it.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 1990
Title X Pregnancy Counseling Act of 1990 - 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 · 23 October 1990
Workers' Family Protection Act of 1990 - Requires the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (the Director), in cooperation with the Secretary of Labor and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (the EPA Administrator), 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 EPA Administrator to: (1) cooperate with and assist the Director and eligible 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 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 Federal agency jurisdiction over such contamination. 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, elemental and methylated forms of mercury, asbestos, radio nuclides, and pesticide application and manufacture; (2) consider the risk of acute and chronic health effects; (3) consider other environmental law and regulations; and (4) require employers to compensate employees for expenses of being displaced by a home contamination incident. Directs the Secretary of Energy, in cooperation with the Secretary of Labor, to issue regulations that prevent the release of radio nuclides into the home environment on workers' clothing and persons. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 1990
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should declare November 2, 1990, a national day of prayer for: (1) members of American military forces and American citizens stationed or held hostage in the Middle East, and for their families; and (2) American and Iraqi authorities to bring about a just resolution of the Persian Gulf crisis.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 1990
Directs the Secretary of Energy to establish a replacement fuels development program which: (1) promotes the replacement of gasolines as a motor fuel with nonpetroleum motor fuels; (2) ensures the availability of replacement and nonpetroleum motor fuels; and (3) will have the greatest impact in improving air quality in urban areas, along transportation corridors, and nationwide. Prescribes program guidelines. Requires the Secretary to establish optimal replacement fuel production goals for 1996 and 1997 and to report to the Congress about program status. Prescribes minimum percentages of domestically produced replacement fuel to be sold in specified calendar years. Sets a deadline by which the Secretary must prescribe the minimum percentage of domestically produced replacement fuel which must be contained in the total annual gasoline sales by refiners for motor fuel use in certain years. Requires refiners and manufacturers to report annually to the Secretary regarding the amount of domestically produced replacement fuel and nonpetroleum fuel sold. Requires the Secretary to promulgate regulations by a specified deadline regarding the exchange of marketable credits among: (1) refiners; (2) manufacturers of replacement fuels; and (3) distributors of nonpetroleum motor fuels sold into commerce for transportation purposes. Establishes civil penalties for violations of this Act. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Secretary to issue regulations requiring gasoline retailers to have replacement motor fuels and nonpetroleum motor fuels for sale for the transportation needs of consumers. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to report to the Congress on the environmental impact potential of developing replacement fuels and nonpetroleum motor fuels.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 1990
Expresses the sense of the Senate that any proposal to increase the Federal-aid highway program's minimum allocation percentage from 85 to 95 percent should be addressed as part of the legislative process to reauthorize surface transportation programs in 1991.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 1990
Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require applicants for Federal licenses for activities which may result in water quality degradation or impairment of designated State uses in navigable waters to provide a certification from the affected State that such activities will not result in such degradation or impairment and will protect the water quality and uses identified in the State's water quality standards.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 1990
Declares it to be U.S. policy that there should be: (1) recognition and commemoration of the 25th anniversary of Federal aid to elementary and secondary education; (2) a renewed, sustained commitment to Federal aid to educating children who are disadvantaged members of special populations, with limited English proficiency, or with handicaps, and illiterate adults; and (3) a specified annual increase in funding for the program for disadvantaged children under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 1990
Better Health Protection for Mothers and Children Act of 1990 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require States to extend Medicaid coverage to all children under age 19 whose family income is below the Federal poverty level. Eliminates resource eligibility tests for pregnant women and children. Continues a child's coverage for a minimum of one year regardless of any change in family income. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop Medicaid payment methodologies for obstetrical and pediatric services and obstetrical and pediatric inpatient hospital services on the basis of the methodologies used for determining payments for physician and hospital services under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act. Requires that the Secretary consider establishing a global fee for pregnancy-related services. Requires States to set Medicaid payment rates for obstetrical services and pediatric services for infants under age one no lower than the rates established under the new payment methodologies. Provides for the partial implementation of the new payment methodologies if the revenues raised pursuant to this Act are not sufficient to cover the additional expenditures caused by this Act's amendments. Sets the Federal share of additional Medicaid payments resulting from this Act's payment reforms and expansion of Medicaid eligibility at 100 percent through 1993, decreasing such share each year thereafter so that by 1997 the regular Federal-State Medicaid cost allocation will apply. Increases the Federal excise tax on cigarettes. Directs the Secretary to enter into agreements with several States for the conduct of demonstration projects testing the effect of alternative strategies on the cost and quality of Medicaid services to pregnant women and children, including: (1) selective contracting with community providers, with financial incentives for the delivery of high quality, cost-effective, managed care; (2) the use of non-physician providers; and (3) the use of case-management techniques to coordinate services for pregnant women.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 1990
Environmental Research Geographic Location Information Act - Directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to periodically identify at least 35 environmental research journals, conference proceedings, or other reference sources in which scientific research or engineering studies related to air, water, or soil quality or pollution or other environmental issues are published. Requires the review of at least 50 journals or proceedings. Directs the EPA to review such materials annually and to publish an index of the articles by geographic location. Requires the EPA to review the list of references at least biennially and to revise the list of sources, as appropriate. Provides that all reports resulting from EPA research projects shall indicate the specific location to which the research pertains. Requires all U.S. Government documents relating to the environment that are submitted to the National Technical Information Service to identify the location to which the document pertains. Directs the Service to submit to the Congress an annual bibliography of publications by geographic location. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 1990
Take Pride in America Act - Establishes within the Department of the Interior the Take Pride in America Office to: (1) establish a public awareness campaign to encourage responsibility toward, and promote participation in, caring for Federal, State, and local lands, facilities, and natural and cultural resources; and (2) conduct a national awards program to honor individuals and entities that have distinguished themselves in such activities. Sets forth administrative provisions concerning the Office. Authorizes the Office to use volunteers and to distribute pamphlets or other novelties to promote its purposes. Authorizes appropriations.
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