United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1987
Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to direct (current law authorizes) the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to pay travel expenses of certain veterans and their eligible dependents to or from a Veterans Administration facility or other authorized place in connection with rehabilitation, counseling, or medical treatment or care. Defines those veterans entitled to such payment, including: (1) those veterans financially unable to meet such travel costs; and (2) those veterans unable to bear the cost of special transportation necessitated due to a medical disability. Limits such payments in the case of travel by a privately-owned vehicle to the cost of similar public transportation for such travel. Limits such payment to the actual cost incurred for such travel.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1987
Reclamation States Ground Water Protection and Management Act of 1987 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to publish criteria for assessing the adequacy of groundwater protection and management programs of the Reclamation States (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming). Requires to include programs to protect the integrity of such resources, programs for mapping and classifying aquifer systems, and monitoring programs. Directs the Secretary to identify Reclamation States with significant groundwater problems and assess the adequacy of their protection and management programs. Requires the Secretary to make public both the criteria developed and the States identified. Prohibits the development of a reclamation project in an identified State unless such State has an approved program. Authorizes States to revise Secretary-approved programs, subject to the Secretary's approval. Directs the Secretary to review such programs periodically, notifying a State of any intention to withdraw approval. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress on what assistance the U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Research Program can provide States in developing groundwater protection and management programs.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1987
Davis-Bacon Reform Act of 1987 - Amends the Davis-Bacon Act to increase from $2,000 to $250,000 the threshold amount subjecting certain contracts to such Act and requiring them to specify the minimum wages to be paid to laborers and mechanics. Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish as the prevailing wage for a class of laborers or mechanics the entire range of wages being paid to a corresponding class of such workers in the particular urban or rural subdivision of the State in which the work is to be performed. Sets out the means for determining such prevailing wage in cases when more than a single wage is being paid to corresponding classes of workers. Excludes from the computation of wages the basic hourly rates of pay for workers on local Federal projects. Establishes a separate classification for helpers of laborers or mechanics, with their prevailing wages to be determined on the basis of the corresponding class of helpers. Prohibits the division of contracts into units of $250,000 or less for purposes of avoiding wage computation under such Act. Directs the Secretary of Labor and the U.S. Comptroller General to submit to the Congress annual reports describing the effects of the Davis-Bacon Act, the Copeland Act, and this Act on local wages and on local and national economies. Amends the Copeland Act to require certain contractors or subcontractors to furnish compliance statements concerning weekly wages at the beginning, midpoint, and conclusion of the period covered by the contract, instead of every week as the wages are paid.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 1987
Occupational Hazard Communication Act of 1987 - Title I: Hazard Communication Standard Amendment - Directs the Secretary of Labor within one year after this Act's enactment to amend the hazard communication standard contained in specified Federal regulations to: (1) make the standard applicable to all employers; (2) require employers to notify current employees of their right to obtain information from their previous employers; and (3) require employers to transmit health hazard notices to former employees. Directs the Secretary to: (1) consider specified factors in the process of the rulemaking proceedings related to the promulgation of the hazard communication standard amendment; and (2) prescribe methods and procedures for the enforcement of recordkeeping requirements relating to employee exposure to certain potentially toxic materials or harmful physical agents. Requires all Federal agencies with the responsibility for establishing health and safety standards for workers not covered under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to promulgate a hazard communication standard consistent with that promulgated by the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to prepare and distribute public service announcements informing current and former employees concerning: (1) their rights to information and training, including rights of access to employee exposure and medical records; and (2) the availability of material safety data sheets for hazardous chemicals. Establishes within the Occupational Safety and Health Administration an Office of Hazards Communication to be responsible, among other things, for implementing the hazard communication standard and providing information to employers and to the public with respect to occupational hazards. Directs the Secretary, within one year of this Act's enactment, to promulgate revisions of standards (popularly known as Z-tables) related to employee exposure to various air contaminants and to develop means to ensure necessary updates to adjust permissible exposure limits. Describes the regulatory framework applicable to the administration and enforcement of the hazard communication standard and to its violations. Establishes criminal penalties for willful violations of the standard when there is a substantial probability that death or serious harm could result. States that the standard preempts State and local law relating to comparable subject matter. Directs the Comptroller General to: (1) evaluate the standard's effectiveness in accordance with guidelines detailed in this Act; and (2) report the results to the Congress within 30 months after this Act's enactment. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: High Risk Notification Commission - Establishes the High Risk Notification Commission to study and to report to the Congress concerning specified topics with respect to high risk notification programs. Terminates the Commission 30 days following the submission of its required report.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 1987
Declares that: (1) the Department of State should pursue with the Government of Romania the importance of permitting the reunification of families such as the family of Napoleon Fodor and of respecting the right of individuals to travel or emigrate from Romania; (2) Romania should cease to place barriers against the reunification of families and the right to travel and emigrate; and (3) Romania should give urgent consideration to such matters before the renewal of the Most-Favored-Nation trade status of Romania.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1987
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to define the preproductive period of an animal, for income tax inventory cost capitalization purposes, as beginning at the birth of the animal or, if later, at the time of its acquisition by the taxpayer.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1987
Directs the head of each Federal department or agency holding records relating to sightings of U.S. military personnel in Southeast Asia since 1973 to make available to the public, within 30 days after the enactment of this Act, all such records. Provides exceptions to such disclosures for information revealing intelligence sources and methods or the names of such personnel.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1987
Provides for the appointment of a delegation of Members of Congress to participate in ceremonies to be held in New York City in April 1989 commemorating the 200th anniversaries of: (1) the implementation of the Constitution as the form of government of the United States; (2) the inauguration of George Washington as the first President; and (3) the proposal of the Bill of Rights as the first ten amendments to the Constitution. Invites the President to join the delegation in participating in the ceremonies.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1987
Rural Letter Carriers Tax Simplification Act - Provides that, for taxable years beginning after 1986, rural mail carriers are permitted to compute the amount of the income tax deduction for use of their automobiles in performance of mail services: (1) by using a standard mileage rate for all miles of such use equal to 150 percent of the basic standard rate; or (2) without applying the limitation on deductions generally applicable in cases when the business use of the automobile accounts for 50 percent, or less, of its use. Prohibits the use of 150 percent of the basic standard mileage rate in determining the allowable deduction if the taxpayer claims an investment tax credit or depreciation deduction for such automobile.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1987
Price-Anderson Amendments Act of 1987 - Title I: Liability for Production and Utilization Facilities - Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to provide that the amount of financial protection required of licensees of facilities having a rated capacity of 100,000 electrical kilowatts or more shall be the maximum amount available at reasonable cost. Limits the maximum deferred premium that may be charged following a nuclear incident to $10,000,000 per year, per incident, for each facility required to maintain the maximum amount of primary financial protection. Establishes procedures to be followed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in borrowing funds from the Treasury to compensate victims of a nuclear incident if the NRC is liable for any deferred premiums, or if damages in any year exceed the amount available to pay claims. Precludes such borrowed funds from being used to pay any cost of investigating or settling claims, or defending suits for damages. Extends from August 1, 1987, to August 1, 1997, the period in which NRC will indemnify licensees from public liability in excess of the level of financial protection required of them. Directs the Secretary of Energy to enter into indemnification agreements until August 1, 1997, with contractors who: (1) construct or operate production or utilization facilities; or (2) perform activities that may result in a nuclear incident or precautionary evacuation. Sets forth agreement guidelines. Directs the Secretary to compensate public liability claims arising from a nuclear incident resulting from certain nuclear material that is: (1) illegally diverted; or (2) cannot be traced to an insured Commission licensee. Defines "public liability" for purposes of this Act to include reasonable costs incurred by a State or its political subdivision in the course of responding to a nuclear incident or precautionary evacuation. Sets aggregate liability limits for nuclear incidents. Directs the Congress to provide full compensation to the public for all public liability claims in the event of a nuclear incident involving damages in excess of the amount of the aggregate liability limits. Sets an aggregate liability ceiling with respect to any nuclear incident occurring outside of the United States. Requires the Secretary of Energy or the NRC to survey the causes and extent of damage of any nuclear incident involving damages likely to exceed the statutory aggregate liability and report the results of such survey to the Congress, the Representatives and Senators of the affected districts and States, and the public. Requires the President to report to the Congress: (1) an estimate of the aggregate dollar value of damages exceeding the statutory limit; (2) a recommendation for additional sources of funds for such compensation; and (3) specific proposals for disbursing compensation to the public. Extends from August 1, 1987, to August 1, 1997, the NRC's authority to indemnify certain nonprofit educational institutions licensed to operate nuclear research reactors. Repeals the condition that a State statute of limitations be waived only if suit is filed within 20 years after a nuclear incident. (Thus, conditions the waiving of a statute of limitations only upon institution of a suit within three years of the date the claimant knew or reasonably could have known of the injury.) Revises the application of the waiver-of-defenses to include extraordinary nuclear occurrence involving nuclear materials licensees indemnified by the NRC. Permits the consolidation and removal of public liability actions pending on the date of enactment of this Act. Sets forth conditions under which the chief judge of the Federal district court in which claims are consolidated is authorized to establish a special caseload management panel for the coordination of cases arising out of a nuclear incident. Extends from August 1, 1983, to August 1, 1993, the deadline by which the Department and the NRC must report to the Congress on the need for continuation or modification of the Price-Anderson Act. Authorizes any person who pays deferred premium assessments to bring an action to recover such payments from any contractor (or related personnel) whose gross negligence contributed to the nuclear incident. Authorizes the NRC or the Secretary to bring an action to recover from a licensee or contractor the compensation or indemnification amounts paid by the Federal Government for public liability resulting from the gross negligence of such licensee or contractor. Prohibits the Department of Energy from reimbursing such contractors. Title II: Liability Involving Nuclear Waste - Requires the Secretary to enter into indemnification agreements with contractors for activities involving radioactive waste subject to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, including the transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of such waste. Sets forth such indemnification agreement guidelines. Sets forth indemnification guidelines for public liability claims arising out of activities involving transuranic waste or activities authorized under a certain Waste Isolation Pilot Project. Title III: Miscellaneous Amendments - Makes the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 applicable to any nuclear incident rather than exclusively to an extraordinary nuclear occurrence. Requires the NRC to make an annual inflation adjustment for the maximum annual standard deferred premium required under this Act. Prohibits the NRC from entering into an indemnification agreement with any one possessing a byproduct materials license for a nuclear pharmacy or a nuclear medicine department of a clinic or hospital. Requires such entities to maintain liability insurance in accordance with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1987
National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act of 1987 - Title I: Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research - Establishes a ten-year coordinated program, to be known as the National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Program, which will be implemented by the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Agriculture. Establishes an Interagency Board for Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research to facilitate the implementation of such program. Authorizes the Secretaries to appoint an Administrator of Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research to coordinate such program. Sets forth the functions of the Secretaries with respect to such program, including: (1) establishing matching grants programs for specified nutritional and dietary purposes; and (2) submitting an annual report to the President for transmittal to the Congress. Requires the Secretaries to prepare and implement a comprehensive national nutrition monitoring and related research plan which shall: (1) assess and report on U.S. nutritional and dietary trends; (2) assess and report on low-income food and household expenditures; (3) sponsor and conduct research; (4) develop and update a national dietary and nutritional status data bank; (5) assist State and local agencies in developing procedures and networks for nutrition monitoring and surveillance; and (6) focus the activities of Federal agencies. Requires the plan to allocate the project functions and activities among the various Federal agencies and offices involved. Provides that the comprehensive plan shall be carried out during the period ending with the close of the ninth fiscal year following the fiscal year in which the final comprehensive plan is submitted. Requires the Secretaries to provide for and coordinate such scientific research and development as may be necessary to support the coordinated program and comprehensive plan. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: National Nutrition Monitoring Advisory Council - Establishes an 11-member Advisory Council to: (1) provide scientific and technical advice on the development and implementation of all components of the coordinated program and the comprehensive plan; (2) evaluate such program and plan; and (3) submit an annual report to the Secretaries. Title III: Dietary Guidance -Directs the Secretaries, by the start of 1990 and every five years thereafter, to publish and review dietary guidelines for the general public.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1987
Designates the week of June 1 through June 7, 1987, as National Polio Awareness Week. Authorizes and requests the President to issue a proclamation saluting the work of the International Polio Network.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1987
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Inspector General and Investigations Act of 1987 - Amends the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 to establish in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) the Office of Inspector General. Prescribes the oversight responsibilities of the Inspector General regarding Commission implementation of nuclear power safety regulations. Requires the Inspector General to appoint an Assistant Inspector General for Investigations and an Assistant Inspector General for Auditing with responsibility for supervising the performance of investigative and auditing activities. Requires the Inspector General to submit semiannual reports to the Commission (which in turn shall submit them to the Congress) summarizing the activities of the Office of Inspector General. Authorizes the Inspector General to investigate information received from Commission employees regarding violations, fraud, gross waste of funds, or a danger to the public safety. Prohibits any reprisal action taken against an employee for making a complaint or disclosing information to an Inspector General. Establishes in the Commission the Office of Investigations of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Prescribes the oversight responsibilities of the Director regarding the investigation of non-compliance with radiological health and safety laws on the part of Commission licensees, permittees, applicants, contractors, and vendors. Requires the Director to appoint a Deputy Director and an Assistant Director. Confers responsibility upon the Assistant Director for supervising investigations conducted by the Commission's regional offices. Requires the Director to submit semiannual reports to the Commission (which in turn shall submit them to the Congress) summarizing the activities of the Office of Investigations. Transfers the Commission's Office of Inspector and Auditor to the Office of Inspector General of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. States that no person may restrict the communication of any Commission employee with a member of Congress or the Inspector General regarding: (1) possible violations of law; or (2) mismanagement, gross waste of funds, abuse of authority, or danger to the public safety. Prohibits retaliatory personnel actions against Commission employees for making such a protected communication. Requires the Inspector General to: (1) investigate any allegations by a Commission employee regarding such violations or retaliatory actions; and (2) report investigation results to the Commission. Sets forth remedies for victims of retaliatory actions.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1987
Medicare Rural Hospital Amendments of 1987 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to extend, until October 1990, the adjustment of payments made to sole community hospitals which experience a five percent decrease in patient volume over two successive cost reporting periods, unless such decrease in patient volume is due to hospital actions taken to reduce capacity or case load. Requires the Prospective Payment Assessment Commission (Commission) to report to the Congress on March 1, 1988, on a study into the appropriateness of the criteria used in designating hospitals as sole community hospitals. Directs the Secretary to report to the Congress on a study into the feasibility and impact of eliminating separate urban and rural prospective payment rates for hospital services. Requires the Commission to collect information and report to the Congress on March 1, 1988, concerning whether an adjustment to the area wage index (used to adjust prospective payment rates to account for the wage differential between urban and rural areas) is warranted to account for variations in the occupational mix of hospital employees. Requires information on the wages and hours of employment for employees in hospital occupational categories to be collected for purposes of the annual update of the area wage index. Bases outlier payments for a fiscal year on a percentage of the total prospective payment system (PPS) payments made for the second previous fiscal year. (Currently, outlier payments represent a percentage of the total PPS payments estimated to be made for the same fiscal year). Directs the Commission to report to the Congress by FY 1989 on a study into the impact on urban and rural hospitals of the criteria used to determine eligibility for outlier payments. Requires the Secretary to analyze the appropriateness of different annual percentage changes in prospective payment rates for urban and rural hospitals. Authorizes the Secretary, beginning in FY 1989, to provide for different annual percentage changes in prospective payment rates for urban and rural hospitals. Sets forth certain factors that a rural hospital which is adjacent to an urban area must establish in order to have the urban wage index applied in the determination of its prospective payments. Sets aside 25 percent of the funds appropriated pursuant to the Social Security Act, beginning with FY 1988, for research and demonstration projects relating to the delivery of or access to health care, to projects relating to the delivery of or access to health care in rural areas.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1987
Rural Nursing Care Access Amendments of 1987 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to permit certain rural hospitals having less than 150 beds to provide Medicare extended care services. (Currently, such hospitals must have less than 50 beds.) Provides that, as an alternative to procuring a State certificate of need for extended care services, such hospitals may demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Secretary of Health and Human Services that: (1) there is no Medicare skilled nursing facility in the county (or equivalent area) in which the hospital is located or; (2) if there are such facilities, at least 95 percent of facility beds have been occupied during the year preceding the hospital's annual agreement with the Secretary for the provision of such services. Reimburses eligible hospitals for routine extended care services on the same basis on which skilled nursing facilities in the area are reimbursed for such services.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1987
Medicaid Community Property and Respite Care Act of 1987 - Title I: Community Property and Prevention of Spousal Impoverishment - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to treat the income and resources of an institutionalized individual and his or her community spouse as community property in determining their Medicaid eligibility. Requires that, after an institutionalized individual is determined to be eligible for Medicaid, a monthly income allowance (allowance) be deducted from the institutionalized individuals monthly income and paid to his or her community spouse to the extent such spouse's monthly income falls short of a minimum monthly maintenance needs allowance determined pursuant to a specified formula. Gives the institutionalized spouse the right to a hearing to establish that the allowance is not adequate to support the community spouse without financial duress so that an adequate amount of support will be substituted for the allowance. Permits an institutionalized spouse to transfer resources to the community spouse to the extent the median net worth of male householders 65 years of age or older exceeds the amount of resources otherwise available to the community spouse. Title II: Offering of Respite Care under Medicaid - Provides Medicaid coverage of respite care for up to 30 days in any calendar year. Prohibits coverage of more than 15 consecutive days of inpatient respite care or three consecutive days of in-home respite care.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1987
Rural Health Care Preservation Act of 1987 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to create a new title, Title XXIII: Preservation of Rural Health Care. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary) to appoint a Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Health Care to coordinate public and private activities to strengthen the rural health care system, including regional analyses and an information clearinghouse. Requires the Director of the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment to appoint a Rural Health Care Advisory Commission to report annually to the Congress, the Secretary, and the Deputy Under Secretary on access to community-based rural health care. Declares that certain provisions of the Social Security Act relating to staffing, administration, and reporting shall apply in the same way to the Commission as they apply to the Prospective Payment Assessment Commission. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the provisions of this Act relating to the Rural Health Care Advisory Commission for FY 1988 through 1990. Requires the Secretary to include with the publication of certain regulations an analysis of the impact of each regulation on access to rural health care. Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary to make grants for mental health services demonstration projects relating to rural residents. Increases the amount authorized to be appropriated for such projects in FY 1988 and authorizes such increased amount for FY 1989 and 1990. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary to provide that not less than 25 percent of funds set aside for research and demonstration projects relating to health services delivery or access be used in projects relating to rural areas, except for funds appropriated for the National Institutes of Health or funds first made available before FY 1988.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1987
Expresses the sense of the Congress that Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) reconciliation legislation should take into account the special needs of rural hospitals which are not currently taken into account under the Medicare hospital prospective payment system.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 1987
Amends the Small Business Act to require each Federal agency having substantial procurement or grant-making authority to develop rural area business enterprise development plans. Requires the Secretary of Commerce and the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to establish uniform guidelines for all Federal agencies to use in rural area business development programs. Directs each Federal agency required to develop a rural area business development plan to assist small businesses in rural areas by providing direct assistance, procurement assistance, and management and technical assistance to such small businesses and by providing incentives for greater subcontracting by Federal prime contractors and grant recipients with such small businesses.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 1987
Farmers Home Loan Buy Back Act of 1987 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture, in administering the sale of specified Farmers Home Administration rural development obligations as provided for under the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986, to give the issuers the right of first refusal. Sets forth sale price provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 1987
Rural Development Reorganization Act of 1987 - Title I: Reorganization of the Department of Agriculture - Renames the Department of Agriculture the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development to establish and maintain a revitalized nationwide rural development program as set forth in the Rural Development Act of 1972, the Rural Development Policy Act of 1980, and this Act. Establishes in such Department a Rural Development Administration headed by an Administrator appointed by the Secretary, with the advice and consent of the Senate. Directs the Secretary to transfer to the Rural Development Administration those agencies, offices, or entities in the Department performing rural development functions. Amends the Agriculture and Food Act of 1981 to expand the number of designated assistance areas from 225 to 450. Establishes within the Rural Development Administration an Office of Advocacy for Rural Development, whose Chief Counsel shall be appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate. Specifies the functions and duties of such Office. Directs the Comptroller General to investigate and report to the President and the Congress about services, functions, and missions of other Federal departments and agencies which could be transferred to the Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. Directs the Secretary to report, by geographical areas of the United States, to the Congress: (1) within six months after enactment of this Act on the extent to which rural development offices and activities of the Federal Government were located or relocated to rural areas during FY 1981 through 1986; and (2) within six months after the end of each fiscal year beginning with FY 1987 on the extent to which Federal offices and activities were located or relocated to rural areas. Title II: State Cooperative Agreements and Plans - Authorizes the Administrator, Rural Development Administration, to enter into cooperative agreements with States: (1) to delegate to any State the authority to cooperate in carrying out the provisions of this Act; and (2) to assist States in the development and administration of Federal programs that provide educational opportunities, job training, health services, and other specified benefits to rural residents. Conditions any agreement or financial assistance under this Act upon a State's submission for approval of a comprehensive plan for a State rural development program. Permits the Secretary and other Federal agency heads to enter into agreements with State and local governments to provide educational training, job training, health services, and other benefits to rural residents. Directs the Administrator in cooperation with the Secretary to use the Cooperative State Extension Service to inform rural residents about such programs. Establishes in the National Agricultural Library the National Rural Assistance Information Clearinghouse, which shall distribute information and data about Federal, State, and local programs. Title III: Rural Technology Grants - Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to direct the Secretary to make grants to nonprofit institutions to establish rural technology development centers to seek to improve rural economic conditions. Permits the Secretary to provide employment-related technical assistance to economically distressed rural areas. Title IV: Special Grants - Amends the Rural Development Act to direct the Secretary to make grants to programs assisting displaced farmers. Specifies the kinds of services to be provided. Authorizes appropriations. Title V: Miscellaneous Amendments - Makes conforming amendments to the Community Economic Development Act of 1981 and other Federal law. Title VI: Administrative Provisions - Sets forth administrative provisions. Title VII: Block Grants - Subtitle A: Rural Development Assistance Grant - Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to direct the Rural Development Administration to make grants to States: (1) to provide rural economic development technical assistance, rural community leadership development, and community and areawide rural economic development planning; or (2) for measures designed to facilitate development of private business enterprises. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle B: Rural Infrastructure Block Grant Act - Directs the Secretary, for each fiscal year, to allocate to each State funds for rural infrastructure development according to a congressionally approved formula. Lists factors to be considered in devising such formula. Requires submission of a proposed formula to the agriculture committees of both Houses of Congress. Makes such proposed formula effective after 90 calendar days unless a joint resolution is enacted either disapproving the formula or substituting another formula. Authorizes appropriations. Title VIII: Special Assistant to the President for Rural Policy - Directs the President, within 90 days after enactment of this Act, to appoint a Special Assistant to the President for Rural Policy who shall: (1) systematically review Federal programs affecting rural areas; and (2) assist in the preparation of a comprehensive rural development strategy designed to maximize the effectiveness and increase the responsiveness of Federal programs to rural areas. Requires the Secretary, within one year after enactment of this Act, to transmit the rural development strategy to the congressional agriculture committees and to report annually to such committees on any changes to such strategy. Requires the Special Assistant to use the Office of the President to maximize coordination of Federal programs affecting rural areas. Title IX: Effective Date - Sets forth the effective date of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 1987
Project ACCESS - Establishes a two-year demonstration program that will provide a wide array of services to secondary school students in rural sections of the country to encourage entry into and successful completion of postsecondary education programs, career planning, and return to the rural community. Authorizes the Secretary of Education, in accordance with specified provisions of the Higher Education Amendments of 1986, to support development of Project ACCESS Program capability in any or all of the nine Educational Research Laboratories. Sets forth application requirements and services to be incorporated as part of the programming under Project Access. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 and 1989 to supplement the contracts now held by the nine regional educational laboratories administered by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) for purposes of this program. Subjects this program to ratable reductions. Requires regional educational laboratories wishing to develop and operate a demonstration Project ACCESS Program to request a modification of their existing OERI contracts. Sets forth required contents of such proposed contract modifications. Requires OERI to prepare and submit a report to the Congress on the impact of this demonstration program, including recommendations of the regional laboratories, by November 30, 1988.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 1987
Stratospheric Ozone Protection Act of 1987 - Amends the Clean Air Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate regulations controlling aggregate emissions of fully halogenated alkanes from the United States, setting a schedule which ultimately requires a 95 percent reduction from 1986 levels within seven years of enactment. Sets forth an emissions calculation formula which multiplies each fully halogenated alkane by its ozone depletion weight, adjusting aggregate amounts for imports, exports, production, and destruction or encapsulation. Requires the Administrator to establish a monitoring network to detect or predict modifications in the ozone layer. Requires the Administrator to conduct a detailed scientific assessment before implementing each stage of required reductions, adjusting the control measures as necessary. Prohibits, within one year of enactment, the import of fully halogenated alkanes in bulk from any nation without sufficiently stringent control measures. Prohibits, within three years of enactment, the import of all products containing fully halogenated alkanes from any nonequivalent nation. Sets forth a schedule of trade restrictions concerning the import or export of such alkanes, the technologies used to produce them, and the products produced by them. Requires the Administrator to report to the Congress annually on aggregate emissions and compliance. Sets forth enforcement provisions, including provisions allowing citizen suits.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 1987
Amends the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act to require the Administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy to provide leadership and coordination with respect to policies affecting procurement programs for rural areas. Directs the Administrator to: (1) coordinate with and advise State and local officials with regard to Federal efforts to encourage procurement in rural areas with the aim of fostering economic development in such areas; (2) establish specific rural area procurement targets for executive agencies consistent with awards or contracts for small business concerns; and (3) encourage the use of set asides or other appropriate methods for meeting procurement targets for rural areas. Requires executive agencies to cooperate with the Administrator's responsibilities for rural area programs.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 1987
Amends the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to permit Rural Electrification Administration borrowers to prepay Federal Financing Bank loans without penalties if: (1) private capital is used to replace such loans; and (2) any savings will be used to avoid future rate increases, passed on to customers, or used to improve the borrower's financial strength.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 1987
Pension Portability Act of 1987 - Title I: Rules Generally Applicable to Simplified Employee Pensions - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to define a "simplified employee pension plan" as a pension plan consisting of one or more individual retirement accounts or annuities that meet certain requirements of the Internal Revenue Code. Directs the Secretary of Labor to prescribe an alternative method of compliance with requirements for simplified employee pension plans. Establishes participation and vesting requirements for such plans. Requires each simplified employee pension plan and portable pension plan to provide that: (1) the distribution of the accrued benefit with respect to each participant will be only in a permitted retirement income form; (2) no distribution may be made without the consent of the participant or beneficiary; and (3) the benefit will be distributed in accordance with a timely application in accordance with the terms of the plan. Describes a standard retirement income form for simplified employee pension plans as: (1) a qualified joint and survivor annuity; (2) any other joint life annuity, including a cash refund annuity; (3) a single life annuity, including a refund annuity; or (4) any series of substantially equal periodic payments described under the Internal Revenue Code. Allows participants to elect a form of distribution other than distribution over life expectancy, if such spousal consent requirements are met. Requires the administrator of a simplified employee pension plan, prior to making a distribution, to provide to the individual who is to receive the distribution a written explanation of: (1) the provisions under which the distribution may be subject to tax or penalty under the Internal Revenue Code; and (2) the terms and conditions of the applicable permitted retirement income form, the participant's rights with respect to electing other forms of distribution, and spousal rights. Declares that for simplified employee pension plans a beneficiary means a spouse of the participant or any other person designated by the participant or by the terms of the plan. Specifies conditions under which spousal consent requirements are to be met. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make conforming amendments. Exempts simplified employee pension plans from specified funding provisions of ERISA. Authorizes employees to elect alternative salary reduction arrangements under such plans where the employer may make elective contributions to the pension on behalf of the employee or directly to the employee in cash for any year. Specifies the maximum salary reduction amount. Establishes rules governing employer contributions, including participation requirements, the method of determining employer contributions and compensation amounts, and tax reporting requirements. Allows employees to establish simplified employee pension plans with respect to separate lines of business. Title II: Portable Pensions - Amends the Internal Revenue Code and ERISA to define a portable pension plan as an arrangement of one or more individual retirement accounts or annuities which: (1) meets the requirements of a simplified employee pension; and (2) provides for the transfer of plan investment accumulations to other tax-qualified plans. Makes provisions relating to favorable tax treatment inapplicable to cash distributions from rollovers from portable pension plans. Preserves the five-year income averaging treatment for lump sum distributions from portable pension plans which are separately accounted for under such plans. Provides that amounts exceeding the maximum rollover allowable shall not be taxable if such amounts are transferred to a portable pension plan in a direct trustee-to-trustee transfer. Establishes special rules for portable pension plans under ERISA. Relieves the administrators of such plans of liability for reliance in good faith on information provided by an employer, participant, or beneficiary which constitutes a misrepresentation or mistake of fact. Sets forth the responsibilities of the plan sponsor, administrator, and employer. Requires a portable pension plan to: (1) meet employee self-directed account regulations; (2) designate a fiduciary; and (3) provide at least one investment option in U.S. securities. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe by regulation one or more prototype portable pension plans. Amends ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the direct transfer to a portable pension plan from any other pension plan of the entire nonforfeitable benefit of a participant under such other pension plan.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 1987
Pension Portability Act of 1987 - Title I: Rules Generally Applicable to Simplified Employee Pensions - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to define a "simplified employee pension plan" as a pension plan consisting of one or more individual retirement accounts or annuities that meet certain requirements of the Internal Revenue Code. Directs the Secretary of Labor to prescribe an alternative method of compliance with requirements for simplified employee pension plans. Establishes participation and vesting requirements for such plans. Requires each simplified employee pension plan and portable pension plan to provide that: (1) the distribution of the accrued benefit with respect to each participant will be only in a permitted retirement income form; (2) no distribution may be made without the consent of the participant or beneficiary; and (3) the benefit will be distributed in accordance with a timely application in accordance with the terms of the plan. Describes a standard retirement income form for simplified employee pension plans as: (1) a qualified joint and survivor annuity; (2) any other joint life annuity, including a cash refund annuity; (3) a single life annuity, including a refund annuity; or (4) any series of substantially equal periodic payments described under the Internal Revenue Code. Allows participants to elect a form of distribution other than distribution over life expectancy, if such spousal consent requirements are met. Requires the administrator of a simplified employee pension plan, prior to making a distribution, to provide to the individual who is to receive the distribution a written explanation of: (1) the provisions under which the distribution may be subject to tax or penalty under the Internal Revenue Code; and (2) the terms and conditions of the applicable permitted retirement income form, the participant's rights with respect to electing other forms of distribution, and spousal rights. Declares that for simplified employee pension plans a beneficiary means a spouse of the participant or any other person designated by the participant or by the terms of the plan. Specifies conditions under which spousal consent requirements are met. Exempts simplified employee pension plans from specified funding provisions of ERISA. Title II: Portable Pensions - Amends ERISA to define a portable pension plan as an arrangement of one or more individual retirement accounts or annuities which: (1) meets the requirements of a simplified employee pension; and (2) provides for the transfer of plan investment accumulations to other tax-qualified plans. Establishes special rules for portable pension plans under ERISA. Relieves the administrators of such plans of liability for reliance in good faith on information provided by an employer, participant, or beneficiary which constitutes a misrepresentation or mistake of fact. Sets forth the responsibilities of the plan sponsor, administrator, and employer. Requires a portable pension plan to: (1) meet employee self-directed account regulations; (2) designate a fiduciary; and (3) provide at least one investment option in U.S. securities. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe by regulation one or more prototype portable pension plans. Amends ERISA to provide for the direct transfer to a portable pension plan from any other pension plan of the entire nonforfeitable benefit of a participant under such other pension plan.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 1987
Makes permanent the income tax credit for qualified research expenditures by repealing the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code that would terminate such credit for expenses incurred or paid after 1988.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 1987
Education Consolidation and Improvement Act Amendments of 1987 - Part I: Programs to Meet the Special Educational Needs of Disadvantaged Children - Amends Chapter 1 (Financial Assistance to Meet Special Educational Needs of Disadvantaged Children) of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981 (ECIA) to authorize appropriations for FY 1988 through 1992 for: (1) basic grants and concentration grants for local educational agencies (LEAs); (2) State programs for migratory children; (3) State programs for neglected and delinquent children; (4) State administration of Chapter 1 programs; and (5) demonstration projects, evaluations, technical assistance, and other activities. Requires each State wishing to receive a Chapter 1 grant to submit, through its State educational agency (SEA), an application for up to three years for each Chapter 1 program for which it seeks assistance. Requires such application to describe criteria, policies, and procedures to: (1) assess the educational effectiveness of LEA Chapter 1 programs; (2) direct an LEA to take corrective measures if it is failing to provide effective Chapter 1 services; (3) permit LEAs that conduct highly successful Chapter 1 programs to implement schoolwide improvement programs in attendance areas in which at least 40 percent of the children are from low-income families; and (4) award incentive grants. Sets forth factors upon which assessments of educational effectiveness may be based. Requires each SEA, at least once every three years, to evaluate the educational effectiveness of services, including those for private school children, provided under Chapter 1 by each participating SEA and LEA. Requires such evaluations to be made available to the public. Amends title I (Financial Assistance to Meet Special Educational Needs of Children) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to revise provisions governing the allocation of funds for basic and concentration grants under Chapter 1 of the ECIA. Directs the Secretary of Education (Secretary) to set aside not more than one percent of such funds for: (1) specified U.S. territories and possessions according to their respective needs; and (2) Department of the Interior Indian schools. Provides that Puerto Rico's share of such funds would be the same as its share for FY 1987. Directs the Secretary to use 95 percent of such funds for basic grants and five percent for concentration grants. Provides that allocation of basic grants to LEAs shall be on the basis of the number of poor children in excess of two percent of the total number of children in the school district. Revises requirements relating to the selection of school attendance areas for Chapter 1 programs. Requires LEAs to conduct Chapter 1 programs only in attendance areas that are among the poorest one-third of all areas in the district, in rank order of their poverty as measured by the number or percentage of poor children. Requires LEAs to provide services only to those children in greatest need of special assistance. Allows an LEA to serve attendance areas in rank order but beyond the poorest one-third if more than 25 percent of the children are from low-income families. Allows projects in attendance areas beyond the poorest one-third and without regard for the ordering requirement if the percentage of poor children in each attendance area in the district is within five percent of the district-wide percentage of poor children. Limits to one year the period during which previously eligible attendance areas and children may continue to be served under Chapter 1 programs. Revises Chapter 1 requirements relating to parental involvement in local programs. Requires each LEA to develop written policies to ensure that parents have adequate opportunity to participate in the design and implementation of its Chapter 1 project. Requires each LEA, at an annual meeting, to: (1) inform parents of their right to be consulted in such design and implementation; (2) request their comments and recommendations; and (3) inform parents of their right to establish procedures for discussing among themselves, with teachers, and with appropriate LEA officials the LEA's Chapter 1 program. Includes among resources and activities which may be provided to parents: (1) space and materials for meetings; (2) information on statutes and regulations applicable to Chapter 1 programs; and (3) training. Requires the SEA to approve LEA applications for basic and concentration grants that comply with Chapter 1 requirements. Directs the SEA to take corrective action when it finds that an LEA has substantially failed to carry out a Chapter 1 requirement. Provides that such corrective action may include withholding of funds or directing the LEA to issue compensatory education certificates. Provides for reallocation of withheld funds. Revises ECIA and ESEA provisions under which LEAs may conduct Chapter 1 projects on a schoolwide basis. Lowers from 75 percent to 60 percent the minimum percentage of poor children which a school must have in order to conduct schoolwide improvement. Eliminates a fiscal matching requirement for schoolwide improvement. Requires that local evaluations of Chapter 1 programs include an assessment of the impact that schoolwide projects have on the educational progress of educationally deprived children. Authorizes LEAs to provide compensatory education certificates to parents of educationally deprived children if such provision: (1) would be more effective in meeting the needs of eligible children than direct services provided by the LEA; or (2) is needed to provide services required under Chapter 1, including services to private school children. Allows each LEA to provide such certificates on the basis of individual grade levels, schools, attendance areas, or any combination thereof. Requires the LEA to apply the same criteria to public and private school children in determining the extent to which there is a need to provide such certificates. Sets the value of each certificate at an amount determined by the LEA to be equitable to all children selected to participate in the LEA's Chapter 1 program. Prohibits the amount of funds paid to parents from exceeding their actual cost of purchasing compensatory services. Requires use of certificate proceeds only to purchase supplementary compensatory education services that meet the identified special educational needs of the parent's eligible child. Provides that such services may be purchased from any elementary or secondary school that the LEA determines is able to provide appropriate services. Authorizes the LEA to also specify other types of public and private organizations, such as institutions of higher education, from which parents may purchase such services. Permits each LEA to use Chapter 1 funds for the additional transportation costs of a child using such a certificate. Provides that certificate funds are not income for Federal income tax purposes. Requires LEAs to include information and assurances relating to certificates in their Chapter 1 applications. Provides that parents of educationally deprived children in private schools would be provided compensatory education certificates on the same basis as public school children. Provides that use of certificate funds by parents at private schools or at LEAs outside the school district where the child resides would not subject those schools to specified maintenance of effort, supplement-not-supplant, or comparability requirements. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to carry out directly or through grants activities consistent with Chapter 1 purposes, including: (1) testing and demonstrating innovative methods for educating educationally deprived students, including projects that focus on parental involvement; (2) evaluating Chapter 1 programs and projects; (3) identifying and disseminating information about outstanding local Chapter 1 programs; and (4) providing technical assistance to Chapter 1 grantees. Directs SEAs to set aside one percent of Chapter 1 funds for incentive grants to LEAs. Requires an LEA to treat such an incentive grant as part of its regular Chapter 1 grant and use it to: (1) extend its program to additional students or schools or otherwise improve its programs; or (2) disseminate information on its program to other schools or LEAs. Revises ECIA and ESEA provisions relating to programs for migrant children. Gives declining weights to the numbers of formerly migrant children. Requires coordination of Chapter 1 migrant projects with other State and local programs for migrants. Gives priority for participation first, to all currently migratory children from kindergarten through grade 12; second, to all currently migratory preschool children; and third, to formerly migrant children from kindergarten through grade 12. Repeals specified requirements relating to the Migrant Student Records Transfer System. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to operate the records system and coordinate migrant services. Eliminates a minimum requirement for spending on coordination of migrant education activities. Revises ESEA provisions relating to transition services for neglected and delinquent children. Authorizes each State to set aside up to ten percent of funds for neglected and delinquent children to support projects that facilitate the transition of such children from State operated institutions to locally operated programs. Amends the Education of the Handicapped Act (EHA) to transfer funding of the ECIA Chapter 1 program for handicapped children to the EHA. Allows States, in establishing their EHA entitlement to count children who are, or used to be, in State-operated or State-supported programs for handicapped children. Sets forth hold-harmless provisions for purposes of such transfer of funding. Revises ECIA and ESEA provisions that authorize payments to States for administrative costs of Chapter 1 programs. Provides for such payments to each State based on its share of the overall Chapter 1 appropriation. Sets a required minimum payment. Makes applicable only to compensatory education programs and not to other types of special programs for educationally disadvantaged children a provision excluding certain State and local funds from the supplement-not-supplant and comparability requirements of Chapter 1. Makes such exemption available to SEAs as well as LEAs. Repeals a provision allowing States to make certain allocations to LEAs rather than counties under specified conditions. Eliminates a requirement that the State agency programs are to be fully funded and basic grant awards are to be ratably reduced where appropriations are not sufficient to fully fund all Chapter 1 programs. Revises certain ESEA definitions applicable to Chapter 1 of the ECIA. Amends the definition of average per pupil expenditure to provide for the use of the most recent satisfactory data. Amends the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) to direct the Secretary, with specified exceptions, to return to the Treasury any funds recovered by the Department of Education from a recipient after those funds are no longer available for obligation. Repeals specified provisions of the ESEA. Part II: Educational Reform and Improvement - Changes the heading of Chapter 2 of the ECIA from "Consolidation of Federal Programs for Elementary and Secondary Education" to "Educational Reform and Improvement." Revises Chapter 2 State block grant program purposes. Provides that Chapter 2 funds are to assist State and local efforts to achieve excellence in elementary and secondary education (including preschool) through the implementation of educational reform and improvement programs for children attending both public and private schools. Provides for Chapter 2 assistance to SEAs and LEAs: (1) in accordance with those agencies' own determinations of their needs and priorities; and (2) in a manner that imposes minimal administrative and paperwork burdens upon schools and increases their ability to educate children. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 through 1992 to carry out Chapter 2 of the ECIA. Changes the amount reserved for Chapter 2 payments to the Outlying Areas from a mandated one percent to no more than one percent of the Chapter 2 appropriation. Revises provisions relating to local allocations. Provides that relative enrollments shall be calculated on the basis of the total of the number of children enrolled in public schools and the number of children enrolled in private, nonprofit schools that desire their children to participate in Chapter 2 programs or projects. Provides that SEAs shall use funds not distributed to LEAs to support State programs and activities. Revises the list of authorized Chapter 2 projects and activities. Focuses such list upon educational reform and improvement. Includes among authorized projects: (1) projects designed to improve instruction in the basic skills of reading, mathematics, and written and oral communications, including projects designed to provide parents with the literacy skills needed to help their children learn to read; (2) projects designed to enhance educational opportunities for economically or academically disadvantaged children, including children who attend schools undergoing desegregation; (3) projects designed to identify and meet special educational needs of children who demonstrate extraordinary intellectual, academic, creative, artistic, or leadership capabilities; (4) the development of plans and policies to measure the academic proficiency of students, assist students to achieve existing standards, and raise those standards; (5) projects designed to achieve and maintain in schools an orderly environment conducive to learning including activities to promote safety, reduce crime, drug use, and vandalism, and otherwise maintain school discipline; (6) projects designed to encourage students to stay in school or encourage dropouts to resume their education; (7) projects designed to teach the principles and values of good citizenship and increase students' understanding of government; (8) pre-school and in-school partnership projects in which parents participate in their children's education; (9) projects that provide parents with greater choice over the selection of their children's schools; (10) the development of merit pay, career ladder, and master teacher programs; (11) inservice training and retraining of teachers in academic subjects; (12) the development of more rigorous graduation requirements and plans to increase instructional time; (13) the recognition and dissemination of effective educational practices; (14) school partnerships with business, industry, government, and higher education; (15) the acquisition of textbooks, school library resources, and other instructional equipment and materials; and (16) any other project consistent with the purposes of Chapter 2. Provides that projects and activities may be conducted at the elementary or secondary level (including preschool). Authorizes an SEA to use Chapter 2 funds that are not distributed to LEAs to: (1) develop procedures or take other corrective actions to provide a high quality education for students who are attending public elementary and secondary schools that the SEA determines are either unable or unwilling to meet that responsibility themselves; (2) pay the additional cost of participating in the National Cooperative Education Statistics System; and (3) pay administrative costs for Chapter 2, up to five percent of the State's grant. Establishes a single list of authorized activities under subchapter A by repealing subchapters B and C. Eliminates, as outdated, provisions which repealed a number of antecedent categorical programs that were consolidated by Chapter 2. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out specified discretionary programs. Removes a limitation that required such funding to first be allocated to certain programs. Authorizes the Secretary in certain circumstances to grant a temporary waiver of the requirement that Chapter 2 funds may not be used to supplant funds from non-Federal sources. Part III: National Cooperative Education Statistics System - Amends the General Education Provisions Act to establish within the Center for Education Statistics a National Cooperative Education Statistics System to produce and maintain, with the cooperation of the States, comparable and uniform educational information and data that are useful for policy-making at the Federal, State, and local levels.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 1987
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that for each nuclear power plant that does not currently possess a full-power operating license, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission should apply its regulations so that such a license may be issued only if all of the Commission's emergency planning requirements are met. Includes in such requirements: (1) submission of off-site emergency plans to the Commission by State and local governments; and (2) a finding by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and a determination by the Commission, that such plans and emergency preparedness are deemed adequate to protect the public safety in the event of a serious reactor accident.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 1987
World War I Veterans' Service Pension Act - Directs the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to pay a monthly pension of $150 to each veteran of World War I who meets specified service requirements. Requires such veteran, if receiving another pension administered by the Veterans Administration (VA), to elect which pension he will receive. Provides for the payment of a monthly pension of $100 to surviving spouses of World War I veterans who meet certain marriage requirements. Requires such surviving spouses to choose between pensions if they are currently receiving another pension through the VA.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 1987
Long-Term Care Insurance for the Elderly Act of 1987 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax-free distributions from an individual retirement account or an individual retirement annuity for the purchase of long-term care insurance coverage when: (1) the entire amount received is used to buy such insurance for the individual within 90 days of its receipt; and (2) the individual has reached age 59 and one-half by the date of the distribution. Describes the method, based on the taxpayer's adjusted gross income for the taxable year, for determining the applicable percentage of the distribution or payment amount to which tax-free treatment will be accorded. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to submit to the Congress, within one year after this Act's enactment, a proposal for the regulation of long-term care insurance policies, including minimum standards and an evaluation of the various catastrophic and long-term care policies currently available.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 1987
Home Health and Hospice Care Waiver Extension Act of 1987 - Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 and the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986 to continue, until FY 1990, waivers of liability which provide that home health agencies and hospice programs which keep their services for which Medicare coverage (under title XVIII of the Social Security Act) is denied below specified percentages shall not be denied payment for such care. (Currently, the home health agency waiver expires one year after certain regional intermediaries begin to service such agencies and the hospice program waiver expires on November 1, 1988.)
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 1987
Home Health Communications Act of 1987 - Amends part A (Hospital Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct a fiscal intermediary to provide each home health agency it serves a copy of a written notice and communication of a nonwritten notice of any change in Medicare home health policy within seven days of receiving such notice from the Department of Health and Human Services.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 1987
Home Health Medical Necessity Standards Act of 1987 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide that in determining whether home health services meet the Medicare requirement that covered services be reasonable and necessary: (1) medical care prescribed by a physician shall be considered reasonable and necessary unless it is deemed by expert, unbiased medical evidence to be otherwise; and (2) the individual's particular circumstances shall be taken into account, but not whether the individual's condition is acute or chronic.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 1987
Home Health Prompt Reconsideration Act of 1987 - Amends part A (Hospital Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct a fiscal intermediary to act fully on reconsideration of a payment denial for home health services and give the individual and home health agency involved notice of its findings within 90 days after the reconsideration request is filed. Requires intermediaries to pay interest on the claim for the period during which the reconsideration findings are past due, regardless of whether or not the claim is ultimately paid. Makes such interest penalty inapplicable when the home health agency receives periodic interim payments for its services.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 1987
Satellite Television Fair Marketing Act - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit the encrypting of satellite programming from the Public Broadcasting Service and the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service. Requires anyone who encrypts satellite delivered programming for private viewing to: (1) make it available for private viewing by home satellite antenna users; (2) establish reasonable character and financial criteria for distributors of satellite delivered programming and not discriminate in prices, terms, or conditions among distributors offering similar distribution services; and (3) conduct such encryption according to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) - approved standards designed to comply with specified criteria. Requires the FCC-approved standards to provide the public interest benefits of a universal encryption system permitting decryption by cable television subscribers and home satellite users. Authorizes aggrieved persons to commence civil actions to enforce this Act. Requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to conduct a study of pricing and distribution terms of satellite television programming to determine whether the programming market is developing competitively. Authorizes the FTC to establish remedies necessary to produce adequate competition. Requires the FCC to begin a rulemaking proceeding on improving access to network signals for rural Americans.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 1987
Constitutional Amendment - Provides for the appointment by the Virgin Islands of the United States, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands of electors of the President and Vice President equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives in Congress to which such territories would be entitled if they together were a single State, but in no event more electors than the least populous State appoints.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 1987
Federal Land Exchange Facilitation Act of 1987 - Amends the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to require the Secretaries of the Interior and of Agriculture to promulgate regulations relating to the exchange of land or land interests, including the timing of appraisals and the submission of appraisals in disagreement to binding arbitration. Requires regulations governing appraisals to reflect nationally recognized appraisal standards and the differences between acquisition appraisals and transfer appraisals. Permits each Secretary to exchange land or interests of approximately equal value if to do so would be in the public interest and expedite the exchange. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 through 1998 for land exchange activities. States that the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act shall remain unaffected by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 1987
Higher Education Technical Amendments Act of 1987 - Amends provisions of the Higher Education Act of 1965 relating to: (1) the selection criteria for institutional challenge grant eligibility, including provisions for the waiver of certain requirements in certain cases when the Secretary of Education determines that such a waiver will substantially increase higher education opportunities appropriate to the needs of American Indians; (2) the value of a principal residence for the purpose of computations to determine Pell grant eligibility in certain cases involving dislocated workers or displaced homemakers; (3) the definition of "untaxed income and benefits" for the purpose of computing annual adjusted family income for Pell grant eligibility determinations; (4) the formula used in assessing institutional need for purposes of the allocation of funding for supplemental educational opportunity grants; (5) authorizations for FY 1987 through 1991 for the high school equivalency and the college assistance migrant programs; (6) special child care services for disadvantaged college students; (7) per student aggregate loan limits; (8) variable interest rates on supplemental and PLUS loans, and limitation, repayment, and refinancing criteria applicable to such loans; (9) PLUS loan deferments; (10) consolidation loans; (11) insurance program agreements to qualify loans for interest subsidies; (12) guaranty agreements for reimbursing loans; (13) the computation of the interest rate on loans under the income contingent direct loan demonstration project; (14) the financial needs assessment of students, including provisions governing the discretion of a student financial aid administrator to make necessary adjustments to allow for the treatment of individual students with special circumstances; and (15) the eligibility of preschool teachers for the Congressional Teacher Scholarship program. Amends the Higher Education Amendments of 1986 relating to: (1) effective dates; and (2) the conduct of certain required studies. Amends the General Education Provisions Act concerning the disposition of certain funds received by the Center for Education Statistics.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 1987
Petroleum Marketing Practices Act Amendments of 1987 - Amends the Petroleum Marketing Practices Act to provide that, with respect to the sale, consignment, or distribution of motor fuel, the term "franchise" includes any contract between specified parties which is economically necessary to the operation of the leased marketing premises. Provides that the termination or non-renewal of a franchise relationship, upon expiration of an underlying lease for a marketing premises, is reasonable in the event that the franchisor: (1) has an option to renew or purchase an underlying lease or premises and, at least 90 days before such option expires, provides the franchisee with the name, address, and phone number of the owner or lessor; and (2) agrees not to terminate the franchise relationship solely because of the lease and option expiration during any term during which the franchisee is able to retain possession of the premises as a result of entering into an agreement with the owner or lessor.
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